THE

CRUSADES
OF

21ST CENTURY

BY RIAZ AMIN
Vol-XIII

CONTENTS
MISPERCEPTIONS4
TEN YEARS OF TERROR ......12
BODY BLOWS....59
LIBYA LIBERATED .98
ALLIES AT WAR.131
PALESTINIAN SPRING.155
BONDED LABOUR .180
TEMPORARY RESPITE 221
BONDED LABOUR-II.245
ORDER OR SUBMISSION.....278
ANWAR AL-AWLAKI303
BONDED LABOUR-III ...340
SPRING AT HOME .371
DO IT IN DAYS405
COMBUSTION POINT ..431
ARTICULATED AUTUMN455
MEMO TO MULLEN .488
RAY OF HOPE 536
MEMO TO MULLEN-II .574
SALALA SLAUGHTER ..606
ON TOP BUT IN WOODS ..650
SCOUNDREL IS SICK ...672
DIVIDE IS CLEAR ..701
EXTRAORDINARY FEAT 737
DIVIDE IS CLEAR II ..738
IMRANS TSUNAMI...760
DIVIDE PERSISTS .788
EXTRAORDINARY FEAT-II 816
GENERALS CHARGE-SHEETED845
FAILED TO FALL...874
SHOUQ-I-SHAHADAT.911

CORRODED IDOLS939
MEMO MUTED ..970
LAW AND LOYALTY...1006
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH .1033
MEMO MURMUR.1061
SIGNS OF LIFE .1100
SELF-DETERMINATION1121
MEMO AND MOREOVER ..1159
CONTEMPT COMPOUNDED 1186
COME CLEAN ..1209
LOOMING LARGE ..1251
LAST CHANCE .1285
TENSION: IN AND AROUND .1335

MISPERCEPTIONS
The Crusades of 21st Century have been going on for a decade; yet the
gains and the losses of holy warriors have not been determined precisely and
because of that the observers have misperceptions about these aspects of the
war. The contributory factors towards distortion of perceptions are numerous
out which three are mentioned herein.
One, the war has not yet ended; therefore conclusive assessment
cannot be carried out. Two, the periodic assessments carried out by the holy
warriors have not been made public. Three, the analysts have resorted to
filling in the gaps in information with their own wishes.
The list of misperceptions is also long; again only three are discussed.
Firstly, many observers in the Af-Pak region, the most active front of the
war, say the US has lost Iraq War and is at the brink of defeat in Afghanistan.
Even those boasting of supporting the Crusaders wishfully assume that the
US has lost Afghan War. The reality is to the contrary.
Elsewhere, the Crusaders have made Israel safer than it was ten years
ago and that was one of the major aims of the war. Israel has become far
more arrogant to the extent that it has no shame in blocking even
humanitarian aid to the besieged Palestinians. Similarly, speaking for
Kashmiris has become a cognizable offence as is evident from the arrest of
Mr Fai.
Democratization of Iraq has tilted the balance in favour of Iran and
that is wrongly perceived as setback to the US in the region. In fact, that fitsin the Crusaders nefarious design of Shia-Sunni conflict and for which
Arabs are being armed through profitable deals worth billions of dollars.
Entire Islamic World, barring few exceptions, has unconditionally
surrendered before the might of US. The defeat is so comprehensive that
rulers of Islamic countries have abandoned all ideas of putting up any kind
of resistance. The word Jihad has been accepted synonymous to terrorism.
The Muslim World is virtually afflicted by third degree of subjugation
by Christian Whites. First degree of subjugation began in seventeenth
century when Muslim armies were defeated, their lands conquered, their
kings terminated and replaced with representatives of Kings and Queens of
the Europe. This was forced subjugation, but under apparent acceptance the
resentment simmered beneath.

Second degree began after Muslim countries were granted

independence in the wake of Second World War, but their native rulers
remained loyal to their old masters. Most of them accepted subjugation
willingly and those who intended to act differently were coerced or
eliminated. This was indirect subjugation during which the resentment was
partial; restricted to the ruled only.
Third degree subjugation set in as result of joint venture of the United
States and its European allies after 9/11. This meant corporate colonization
carried out on the noble sounding pretext of promoting democracy and
protecting human rights in Muslim lands. Actually, it aimed at installing
democratically elected puppet rulers to serve interests of the West.
This means re-conquering of the Muslim World by unleashing
democratic offensive in combination with use of military means and
clandestine operations where necessary. The like-minded politicians are
funded to establish West-friendly regimes and made to believe convergence
of interests and thus willingly obey commands of foreign masters.
Subjugation through peoples representatives enjoys legitimacy and
acceptability for the rest of world community. It cannot be condemned and
undone as it seems to have been accepted by the enslaved people on the
basis of democracys principle of majoritys right to choose. The submission
of the representatives of the majority implies total subjugation; willing and
voluntary.
The Crusaders first create representative rulers like Maliki, Karzai
and Zardari and then sit with them to work out the modalities of subjugation.
They dictate terms bearing in mind the degree of sovereignty to be granted.
They then determine the type and size of security forces the subjects can
have; trained and indoctrinated by the West. The subjects request for stay of
occupation forces up to a certain date which, of course, is always renewable.
Arab Spring is the latest and refined version of this strategy in which
countries are conquered mostly with the money.
Muslim unity has been made unattainable, even symbolic unity in the
form of OIC has become redundant. Rulers in Muslim World are willing to
serve the Crusaders instead of Muslim masses. If anything that has hurt the
Crusaders that have been the acts of terrorism perpetrated by the non-state
actors. These irritants are now tackled by the US using clandestine warfare.
Second misperception is that the Crusaders have been exhausted and
they have lost the desire to continue waging war. This argument is put across
on two counts; body-bags received back home have dampening effect and
5

the cost of war has negative impact on respective economies. The latter will
be discussed separately; here a few words about the former.
The body-bags are no big deal in the West contrary to the impression
created by some analysts in this part of the world. In cruel capitalist system
based on materialistic values, human beings are saleable, purchasable,
expendable and disposable commodity. It is the poor who is saleable and the
rich who purchases and expends or dispose them off. It is the money which
matters and the western governments are not short of the funds required for
recruiting soldiers and mercenaries to ensure continuous running of the war
machine.
Therefore, it can be said that this aspect of the argument is only partly
correct; only some minor allies from Europe have lost urge to wage the
holy war; the US remains as eager as ever before. The reason is the war
itself has become a business enterprise, in which resources of targeted
nations are plundered; the US has made it corporate business to attract as
many partners as possible.
The urge to plunder is part of Whitemans psyche; as was evident in
recent rioting in Britain wherein a millionaires daughter was involved in
looting. This urge was in her blood; the only difference was that her father
had accumulated fortunes under the cover of capitalist system and she took
the law into her hand to do the same. The urge to plunder persists and so
the desire to wage war.
It is all about capitalist system and democracy is the device to
preserve it. In affluent societies it is done through opinion-making process
for which lot of capital is used in power-politics. In poorer countries the rich
avoid the lengthy process of opinion-making and instead they resort to direct
approach of opinion-purchasing as and when so required.
The lack of urge for war is also because Muslim World presents no
target worthy of an all out offensive by the superpower. The choice is more
or less limited to Iran, though the Crusaders can pick and choose without
fear of any combined reaction from the Ummah. The voices like Gaddafi
have been almost silenced and others like Assad stand in the line of fire.
Majority of the Muslim masses are indecisive; only some non-state
groups have the courage to confront Crusaders and their allies and they are
dubbed as terrorists. Presently, the Crusaders seemed satisfied with
clandestine operations to take care of them. They have shifted focus from
large-scale overt military offensives to small scale covert targeted operations
and for that infrastructure have been extended to 120 countries.
6

In short, it can be said that contrary to this distorted perception it is

Muslims who are not sure of what to do; they are afraid of uttering the word
of jihad what to talk of waging it. In the absence of courage and wisdom to
choose the right course Muslim rulers have sleep-walked to stand by the side
of perpetrators of death and destruction in Islamic World.
Third misperception is that the war is no more economically feasible
for the superpower and the looming recession has been caused by this war. It
is not so, the US would have suffered economic stagnation sans the war; it
would not have been easy for the wasps of the West to compete with busy
bees of China in collecting and building honey reserves.
In fact, the war provided temporary relief to the military-based
industrial sector of the US economy. Iraqi oil is in full control of the western
companies, while Iraqis have been left to bleed through sectarian and ethnic
militancy. East Timor has been separated from Indonesia for Australia to
exploit its resources. The oil rich Southern Sudan is now an independent
state with Christians in majority. Libya has been punished for daring to
check profiteering by western oil companies.
The war has always been a business for those who waged it and
modern warriors have made it more profitable. One has to spend (invest) to
earn profits and the US-led Crusaders are doing that and earning handsome
profits. How come it can be termed as financial constraint of any kind? If
Pakistan could fight this war for ten years for meager payments, why cant
the US do the same?
The reference to Pakistan brings the discussion to the presently main
theatre of the war. The Americans prefer to call it Af-Pak region, but it is
primarily confined to Pakistan. There are numerous misperceptions about
the war in the context of Pakistan out of which some are mentioned.
The first misperception is very significant and basic in nature. It
relates to the question as to whose war it is. The patriotic Pakistanis disown
this war and thus earn the title of anti-Americanism and extremism. They
merit punitive action and punishment and they get it. The American touts,
lobbyists and puppets own it as our war and they are called realistic and
moderate. They qualify for appreciations and rewards. The misperception
about the ownership of the war lies herein.
Pakistani rulers installed through US sponsored deal, openly own the
Crusades and vow to continue waging it for indefinite period. Zardari
exploited Americas war by sticking to the promises her spouse made to

deliver more on war and by virtue of that he managed to enter the

Presidency in Islamabad.
ANP owned the war to earn favours of the US and crush its political
opponents comprising religious elements; despite the fact that its founders
have been known for their vocal anti-Americanism. Today, its leaders are
staunch supporters of pro-American policy. MQM has been endeavouring
the same and was facilitated by the enlightened Musharraf to establish
contacts with the West.
Of late, PML-Q has re-joined the pro-US gang of rulers and it soon
used tricks learnt out of the war. It raised hoax of bombs and terror attacks to
save brilliant son of Gujrat who is accused of stealing, not cattle, but billions
of rupees in NICL scam. The two gangs led by Zardari and Chaudhries from
Gujrat make a deadly combination of looters and thieves.
They own this war not for the love of peace and prosperity of Pakistan
and its people, but for political gains. They believe that success in power
politics in Pakistan depends a lot on support of America. Those who disagree
with this explanation must pause and ponder about the bloodshed in Karachi.
It is not because of the misdeed of obscurantist militants; the product
of mulla, madrassa and mosque. It is the noble work of enlightened
moderate network of dons, dens and devils linked to democratic system,
which politicians vow to defend at the peril of their lives. The bloodshed is
perpetrated entirely by three partners of ruling coalition government who
pretend to be symbols of peace and moderation.
Despite owning the war they keep asking for paltry rewards from
every American passer-by. In fact, they are willing to wage this war as long
as they are allowed to rule the country and plunder its resources. For these
puppets, like their masters, the war (politics) is a profitable business.
The difference is that their masters consider it fair in war to plunder
resources of the adversary, but Pakistani rulers loot their own country and
countrymen. Financially, they have made the Lender of the Last Resort
(State Bank) as Lender of the First Choice.
They have divorced politics from morality on the pretext of
reconciliation. They love immoral ways and shun the rest. They say there are
no permanent friends or enemies in politics. If that be true then Quaid-eAzam was lowest of the low politicians and Zardari is master politician and
so are Gujrati cousins.

Pakistan Army and ISI were afflicted by this right from the beginning
and because of that it can be termed as mother of all misperceptions. It has
numerous babies; legitimate and illegitimate. One may start counting from
the notion of frontline state and keep listing like the status of non-NATO
ally to strategic dialogue, Pak-US friendship, promotion of democracy,
and so on.
They consider themselves as frontline soldiers of lone superpower, but
the US has been treating them as potential adversary. After rendering
meritorious services as an ally for ten years they are at the verge of being
formally declared as an enemy. Countdown has begun with introduction of
performance related mode of determining the aid grants.
Pakistan Army was employed by the US as regular labour in war on
terror. It has been performing mostly the dirty and thankless errands after
having been enticed with prestigious sounding status of non-NATO ally. The
events since beginning of this year have forced Pakistan Army and ISI to be
selective in performing various tasks.
In turn their employer was constrained to downgrade their status from
regular to casual labour. This means there will be no fixed emoluments. The
payments will be worked out with the help of performance chart on rates
determined by the employer. The relegation has annoyed the Army and ISI,
but Zardari-led democratic government wont mind working as casual
labour.
Meanwhile, the US has established an elaborate infrastructure for
carrying out multi-purpose clandestine operations inside Pakistan. It was
only after the shock treatment administered through Abottabad and Mehran
Naval Base attacks that Army and ISI woke up to the agony of what had
been inflicted upon them while they were in the fit of ecstasy in the lolling
embrace of the superpower.
They are now busy in assessing the damage caused by the massive
influx of CIA contractors and the locally recruited agents. Once the complete
picture emerges it will be horrifying. It will reveal that Americans have
penetrated all walks of life; armed forces, bureaucracy, civil society and
especially the NGOs. On political front, the US has created an army of
stooge politicians.
No one knows better than senior commanders of Pakistan Army as to
how Zardari managed to enter the Presidency. He has no shame in
acknowledging that he is there because of Americans and Army leadership

had facilitated that arrangement. He considers himself under obligation to

deliver better on Americas holy war as was promised by his deceased wife.
The Army leadership, especially the COAS, carries a blot and burden
of guilt which must not hamper their performance of basic duty regarding
defence of Pakistan. Anti-state elements must be incapacitated and
endeavour be made to balance out the sin of NRO deal by remaining on
guard against the damage Zardari could cause due to his commitment to his
Masters.
There should be no doubt that Zardari would stand with the
Americans if he has to choose between his masters and Pakistan Army. And,
the situation wherein he has to make such choice may not be too distant in
future. The undoing of the damage as urged above would undoubtedly
require elaborate plan and its sustained implementation to dismantle CIAs
spying and subversive infrastructure.
Another misperception was deliberately created by the US regarding
Indo-Pak ties. Pakistani rulers were pressed to resolve all disputes with
India, including Kashmir, through bilateral talks. Many analysts argue that
bilateral composite dialogue is the only way forward for establishing peace
in the region.
Pakistani rulers pretend to believe it despite knowing well in their
hearts that this dialogue has nothing to do with resolution of disputes and
instead it is aimed at preparing Pakistan to accept regional hegemony of
India or at least reconcile with the status quo favourable to India.
Resultantly, sufferings of Afghans have been reported fairly accurately
but those of Kashmiris ignored to earn goodwill of India. During last ten
years more than fifty thousand Kashmiris were killed by Indian occupation
forces and ten thousand went missing. Pakistans surrender before the will of
the Crusaders on this count has made Kashmiris to pay dearly.
Those Pakistanis who own this as our war condemned the role that
Pakistan played in Afghans war against the Soviet occupation forces. They
term it a big mistake committed by Ziaul Haq. Once the ongoing war ends, it
could dawn upon them that Pakistans policy in this war has been far bigger
blunder, but that would be too late to realize.
The jihadis, the militants, or the terrorists are dubbed as anti-Pakistan
and anti-Islam. The puppet rulers are not prepared to accept that these angry
men are not against Pakistan but against rulers pro-American stance in the

10

ongoing war. They are convinced that this war is waged against the Muslims
and that argument cannot be brushed aside.
In the end it must be said that by owning someone elses fight out of
fear it does not become our war. In other words, one does not become an
ally by running cowardly away from confronting a bully; a global bully. In
doing that one only lends oneself to be an easy prey.
11th September, 2011

11

TEN YEARS OF TERROR

Ten years after 9/11, many Americans doubt they are winning the war
on terrorism, according to a poll released on 9 th September which shows the
country split on whether the United States or extremists have the upper
hand. The Gallup poll said 46 percent of respondents believe neither side is
trumping the other, compared to 42 percent who argue the United States and
its allies are winning, while just nine percent of respondents say the
terrorists are ahead.
Irrespective of which side has the upper hand, the masses in Islamic
World have lived under perpetual terror perpetrated by either side. This
likely to continue as is evident from the recent statement: Despite being on a
path to defeat since Osama's bin Laden's death, al-Qaeda continues to pose a
security threat in cities from London to Mumbai, US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton said noting that the US is taking seriously the terror threat
ahead of 9/11 anniversary.
She said the death of Osama bin Laden has put al Qaeda on the path
to defeat but we must be clear about the threat that remains. Cities such
as London and Lahore, Madrid and Mumbai have been attacked since 9/11,
Clinton said. Thousands of innocent people, most of them Muslims, have
been killed in these attacks and even the best of efforts have not guaranteed
perfect security.
While al-Qaeda's core leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan has
been weakened significantly, the terror group can still conduct regional and
international attacks and inspire others to do so, Clinton noted. The threat
has become more geographically diverse, with much of al Qaeda's activity
devolving to its affiliates around the world.
Urging New Yorkers to be eyes and ears of vigilance in the coming
days, Clinton said the US, which has thrived as an open society, cannot
afford to live in fear, sacrifice our values, or pull back from the world in
the face of such terror threats. Closing our borders, for example, might keep
out some who do us harm, but it would also deprive us of new entrepreneurs,
ideas, and energy. These things help define who we are as a nation and our
global leadership depends on them.
Clinton said America cannot afford to make the mistake of not
adapting quickly enough to new and different kinds of threats, as it did
before the 9/11 attacks. She said America will continue to keep up the
pressure on al-Qaeda and its network and face down the murderous
12

ideology that fueled bin Laden's rise and that continues to incite violence
around the world adding that precise and persistent force can significantly
degrade even an enemy as elusive as al Qaeda.
The US will continue to go after al Qaeda's leaders and commanders,
disrupt their operations, attack their finances, recruitment and safe havens
and bring them to justice. We need effective international partners in
government and civil society who can extend this effort to all the places
where terrorists operate, Clinton said.
Heavily armed police were on alert in and around New York City on
9 September after US officials warned of a credible but unconfirmed
bomb threat around the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. In remarks at a
security conference in midtown Manhattan, City police commissioner
Raymond Kelly cited evidence found in Osama bin Ladens compound in
Abbottabad after his death suggesting he hoped to strike on the anniversary.
For that reason alone, we need to take precautions as if an actual plot is
underway, he said.
th

Keep in mind, we have threats all the time, he said on his weekly
radio appearance. On the Internet, every day, there are threats of people,
particularly around big sporting events and religious holidays, and around
commemorations of things like 9/11. And each time the NYPD, with the
FBI, we increase our security, which obviously we have done for this.
On Friday morning, the mayor rode the subway down to City Hall to
help assure commuters the city was prepared. We dont want al-Qaeda or
any other organization to take away the freedoms without firing a shot, he
said after getting off the train near the Brooklyn Bridge. Bloomberg urged
New Yorkers to just go back to work. And leave it to the professionals.
Police staged a show of force at Grand Central Terminal,
Pennsylvania Station and the Times Square subway station because of a
previously planned counter-terror drill with rail agencies. The NYPD formed
a zone around the World Trade Centre for a Sunday observance that
President Obama and former President George W Bush plan to attend. Along
with extra officers the department wont reveal an exact number the
security also will include hundreds of surveillance cameras trained on the
site, Kelly said.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Friday marked the anniversary with a
solemn commemoration in the General Assembly Hall, music, poetry and a
vow to intensify the battle against terror wherever it is perpetrated in the
world. During the ceremony the New York City Symphony orchestra played
13

music and soloists Mzuri Moyo and David DOr respectively sang Still I
Rise and Amazing Grace. Inter-faith leaders read a poem by Maya Angelou,
after which they lit a candle together, followed by a minute of silence.
The Department of Homeland Security said on 8th September There is
specific, credible but unconfirmed threat information, as President Barack
Obama ordered boosted counterterrorism efforts. We have taken, and will
continue to take all steps necessary to mitigate any threats that arise, the
department added in a statement.
A White House official confirmed that Obama had directed the
counterterrorism community to redouble its efforts in response to this
credible but unconfirmed information. Federal officials in Washington,
speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was a potential terrorism
threat involving bomb-laden vehicles against either the capital or New York.
ABC News cited intelligence officials as saying the potential plot
involved three individuals who entered the country by air last month with
the intention of carrying out a vehicle-borne attack on or around the 9/11
anniversary. It said the plot was hatched by al-Qaedas leader Ayman alZawahiri. Although there was no immediate change to the official US
national threat level, New York authorities immediately announced sweeping
extra measures, including vehicle checkpoints.
A counter-terrorism official said intelligence pointed to possible car
bomb attacks and added the threat information came from Pakistans tribal
areas. Earlier, US military bases had raised their alert levels, but officials
would not say whether this was related to the new threat report.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday said that
al-Qaeda was behind a specific, credible but unconfirmed report of a threat
to harm Americans, notably in New York and Washington. However, she
said Washington would wage a relentless campaign against it and, later this
month, would set up Global Counter-Terrorism Forum to gather officials to
identify threats, devise solutions and share expertise.
The group, to be co-chaired by the United States and Turkey, will also
include Algeria, Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, Egypt, the
European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Jordan,
Morocco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia,
Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates
and the United Kingdom, the State Department said.

14

Americas response to 9/11 shows that you dont mess with the
United States and that when attacked, we will come and get you, Defence
Secretary Leon Panetta said on Friday. The people who attacked us on 9/11
were trying to weaken America, trying to hurt America. And instead they
strengthened us, Panetta told an audience of police and emergency workers.
The above extracts from the some of the news reports of last two days
amply reflect the mood of the nation that initiated and continue waging a
war of holy terror on fascist terror. This mood on the eve of tenth
anniversary of 9/11 is mixture of fear and resolve, hope and apprehension,
commemorations and celebrations and so on.
The observers around the world reviewed the ten years of war
analytically. Their views are certainly not impartial; nevertheless, some
analyses are reproduced herein. These views have not been edited, abridge
or paraphrased.

THE PRICE OF 9/11

A review by Joseph E Stiglitz published on September 07. He is
University Professor at Columbia University, a Nobel laureate in economics,
and the author of Freefall: Free Markets and the Sinking of the Global
Economy.
The September 11, 2001, attacks by al-Qaeda were meant to harm the
United States, and they did, but in ways that Osama bin Laden probably
never imagined. President George W Bushs response to the attacks
compromised the United States basic principles, undermined its economy,
and weakened its security.
The attack on Afghanistan that followed the 9/11 attacks was
understandable, but the subsequent invasion of Iraq was entirely
unconnected to al-Qaeda as much as Bush tried to establish a link. That
war of choice quickly became very expensive orders of magnitude beyond
the $60bn claimed at the beginning as colossal incompetence met
dishonest misrepresentation.
Indeed, when Linda Bilmes and I calculated the United States war
costs three years ago, the conservative tally was $3-5tn. Since then, the costs
have mounted further. With almost 50 per cent of returning troops eligible to
receive some level of disability payment, and more than 600,000 treated so
far in veterans medical facilities, we now estimate that future disability
payments and health-care costs will total $600-900bn. But the social costs
15

reflected in veteran suicides (which have topped 18 per day in recent years)
and family breakups are incalculable.
Even if Bush could be forgiven for taking the United States, and much
of the rest of the world, to war on false pretences, and for misrepresenting
the cost of the venture, there is no excuse for how he chose to finance it. His
was the first war in history paid for entirely on credit. As the US went into
battle, with deficits already soaring from his 2001 tax cut, Bush decided to
plunge ahead with yet another round of tax relief for the wealthy.
Today, the US is focused on unemployment and the deficit. Both
threats to Americas future can, in no small measure, be traced to the wars in
Afghanistan and Iraq. Increased defence spending, together with the Bush
tax cuts, is a key reason why the US went from a fiscal surplus of 2 per cent
of GDP when Bush was elected to its parlous deficit and debt position today.
Direct government spending on those wars so far amounts to roughly $2tn
$17,000 for every US household with bills yet to be received increasing
this amount by more than 50 per cent.
Moreover, as Bilmes and I argued in our book The Three Trillion
Dollar War, the wars contributed to the United States macroeconomic
weaknesses, which exacerbated its deficits and debt burden. Then, as now,
disruption in the Middle East led to higher oil prices, forcing Americans to
spend money on oil imports that they otherwise could have spent buying
goods produced in the US. But then the US Federal Reserve hid these
weaknesses by engineering a housing bubble that led to a consumption
boom. It will take years to overcome the excessive indebtedness and realestate overhang that resulted.
Ironically, the wars have undermined the United States (and the
worlds) security, again in ways that Bin Laden could not have imagined. An
unpopular war would have made military recruitment difficult in any
circumstances. But, as Bush tried to deceive the US about the wars costs, he
under-funded the troops, refusing even basic expenditures say, for
armoured and mine-resistant vehicles needed to protect American lives, or
for adequate health care for returning veterans. A US court recently ruled
that veterans rights have been violated. (Remarkably, the Obama
administration claims that veterans right to appeal to the courts should be
restricted!)
Military overreach has predictably led to nervousness about using
military power, and others knowledge of this threatens to weaken US
security as well. But the United States real strength, more than its military
16

and economic power, is its soft power, its moral authority. And this, too,
was weakened: as the US violated basic human rights like habeas corpus and
the right not to be tortured, its longstanding commitment to international law
was called into question.
In Afghanistan and Iraq, the US and its allies knew that long-term
victory required winning hearts and minds. But mistakes in the early years
of those wars complicated that already-difficult battle. The wars collateral
damage has been massive: by some accounts, more than a million Iraqis
have died, directly or indirectly, because of the war. According to some
studies, at least 137,000 civilians have died violently in Afghanistan and Iraq
in the last ten years; among Iraqis alone, there are 1.8m refugees and 1.7m
internally displaced people.
Not all of the consequences were disastrous. The deficits to which the
US debt-funded wars contributed so mightily are now forcing the US to
face the reality of budget constraints. US military spending still nearly
equals that of the rest of the world combined, two decades after the end of
the Cold War. Some of the increased expenditures went to the costly wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan and the broader Global War on Terrorism, but much of
it was wasted on weapons that dont work against enemies that dont exist.
Now, at last, those resources are likely to be redeployed, and the US will
likely get more security by paying less.
Al-Qaeda, while not conquered, no longer appears to be the threat that
loomed so large in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. But the price paid in getting
to this point, in the US and elsewhere, has been enormous and mostly
avoidable. The legacy will be with us for a long time. It pays to think before
acting.

CAN THE US MOVE BEYOND THE NARCISSISM OF 9/11?

Article of Gary Younge published in The Guardian on September 07:
In the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks the then national
security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, called in her senior staff and asked them
to think seriously about how [to] capitalize on these opportunities. The
primary opportunity came from a public united in anger, grief and fear
which the Bush administration sought to leverage to maximum political
effect. I think September 11 was one of those great earthquakes that clarify
and sharpen, Rice told the New Yorker six months afterwards. Events are
in much sharper relief.

17

Ten years later the US response to the terror attacks have clarified
three things: the limits to what its enormous military power can achieve, its
relative geopolitical decline and the intensity of its polarized political
culture. It proved itself incapable of winning the wars it chose to fight and
incapable of paying for them and incapable of coming to any consensus as to
why. The combination of domestic repression at home and military
aggression abroad kept no one safe, and endangered the lives of many. The
execution of Osama bin Laden provoked such joy in part because almost
every other American response to 9/11 is regarded as a partial or total
failure.
Inevitably, the unity brought about by the tragedy of 9/11 proved as
intense as it was fleeting. The rally around the flag was a genuine, impulsive
reaction to events in a nation where patriotism is not an optional addendum
to the political culture but an essential, central component of it. Having been
attacked as a nation, people logically felt the need to identify as a nation.
But beyond mourning of the immediate victims friends and families,
there was an element of narcissism to this national grief that would play out
in policy and remains evident in the tone of many of todays retrospectives.
The problem, for some, was not that such a tragedy had happened but that it
could have happened in America and to Americans. The ability to empathize
with others who had suffered similar tragedies and the desire to prevent
further such suffering proved elusive when set against the need to avenge the
attacks. It was as though Americans were unique in their ability to feel pain
and the deaths of civilians of other nations were worth less.
Its a narcissism best exemplified by former vice-president Dick
Cheneys answer when asked just last week on what grounds he would
object to Iran water-boarding Americans when he maintained his support for
Americas right to use water-boarding. We have obligations towards our
citizens, he said. And we do everything to protect our citizens.
However perverse that seems now such views had great currency at
the moment, following the attacks, when many of the mistakes that would
shape US foreign policy for the next 10 years were made. Terrorism will do
that. Terror is first of all the terror of the next attack, writes Arjun
Appadurai in Fear of Small Numbers. If nothing else the Bush
administration had fear on its side. The next time the smoking gun could be
a mushroom cloud, said Rice. They only have to be right once. We have to
be right every time.

18

The trouble is they got very little right. Broad sweeps of people from
predominantly Muslim countries resulted in the preventive detention of
1,200 people; voluntary interviews of 19,000; and a programme of special
registration for more than 82,000 but not a single terrorism conviction. A
decade on the US ability to crush al-Qaeda still depends almost entirely on
its ability to negotiate with Pakistan and doing a deal with the Taliban in
Afghanistan, where last month there was the highest US military death toll
since the war began. And thats before we get to Iraq.
An effective response to 9/11 that would have truly satisfied the
American public in that moment probably did not exist. A combination of
diplomatic pressure, targeted intelligence-led operations and a more
enlightened foreign policy was what would have been and has proved to be
most successful. But following the attacks, when declarative sentences were
the only ones heard and those who urged caution and restraint were
compared to Neville Chamberlain, something more urgent, punitive and
impressive was insisted upon.
Even now, the case against bombing Afghanistan is often met with the
question: So should we have done nothing? As though anything short of a
military response does not qualify as a response at all, and as if doing
something that did not work and left untold innocents dead is better than
doing something that would have been more effective but less dramatic.
Dissent to this logic in the US was initially was just that: dissent
minority views dismissed, ridiculed or even vilified by the mainstream.
Shortly after the attacks ABC news anchor Ted Koppel introduced Arundhati
Roy, Indian novelist and opponent of the Afghanistan war, thus: Some of
you, many of you, are not going to like what you hear tonight. You dont
have to listen. But if you do, you should know that dissent sometimes comes
in strange packages
But as time went on the number of dissenters started swelling. The
most important single factor that shapes American attitudes to any war is
whether they think they will win, explains Christopher Gelpi, professor of
political science at Duke University who specializes in public attitudes to
foreign policy. As the Iraq war floundered unity gave way to the acrimony,
mistrust and mutual recrimination that characterizes US politics today.
The response to 9/11 did not create these divisions a year before the
attacks the presidential election was decided by the courts but it deepened,
broadened, sustained and framed them for more than half a decade before
the economic collapse. It was the central issue in the 2004 election and cast
19

the 2008 election in terms of hope Obama against fear, McCain and
Palin. Internationally Obamas victory marked the countrys belated, more
nuanced, more enlightened response to 9/11, signalling Americas readiness
to meaningfully re-engage with the rest of the world and the treaties that
govern it.
Sadly that change in tone, style and to some extent substance has also
proved inadequate. True, Obama killed Bin Laden, and his administration
plans to draw down troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and has retired the phrase
war on terror. But they have maintained many of the most problematic
elements of that war, including Guantnamo Bay, extraordinary rendition
and military commissions, while intensifying the war in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile on the right, the hubris displayed by Rice that America
could simply bend the world to its will and whim has since given way to
denial and occasional bouts of impotent rage. Islamaphobia is on the rise,
Muslim has become a slur and Iraq, apparently, was a success.
In 2004 a Bush aide (widely believed to be Karl Rove) chided a New
York Times journalist for working in the reality-based community,
meaning people who believe that solutions emerge from your judicious
study of discernible reality Thats not the way the world really works
anymore. Were an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality.
And while youre studying that reality judiciously, as you will well act
again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and thats how
things will sort out. Were historys actors and you, all of you, will be left
to just study what we do.
But thats never been how the world works. And over the last 10 years
reality has caught up with the rhetoric.

9/11 AND ITS GREAT TRANSFORMATIONS

Views of Cliff Schecter published on September 09. Author is the
President of Libertas, LLC, a progressive public relations firm, the author of
the 2008 bestseller The Real McCain, and a regular contributor to The
Huffington Post.
On September 11th, 2001, on what was a perfect morning-right up
until the very moment a Boeing 767-223-ER slammed into the North Tower
of the World Trade Centre, I stood on the corner of Delancey and Ridge
Streets in downtown Manhattan.

20

I was working on an election campaign it was primary day in New

York and little did I realize that politics, culture and our entire trajectory as
a nation was about to change forever. I had been alerted to the first crash by
a friend calling my cell phone, but it was as I was staring at the gaping hole
in this New York City landmark, in horror, shock set in as I saw a second
plane approaching.
I can see it all in slow motion these days the airplane seemed to
glide in almost effortlessly, and as I and others around stood unable to move,
a loud explosion echoed through the canyons of lower Manhattan as a
fireball erupted that almost seemed to reach where I was standing. It was, for
lack of a better term, surreal.
For me, the journey forward from that day would be a difficult one. I
was born and raised in Manhattan and was young enough that I couldnt
remember the city without those two awe-inspiring landmarks. It is what I
would use to figure out where I was going whenever I came up from the
subway system.
I had to process the knowledge that I had been in the North Tower
only 16 hours before the attack. Because I had been delivering campaign
literature to a volunteer who lived in the neighbourhood and thought to
myself, I havent been in the Twin Towers for a while.
What sticks with me most, though, is that after seeing the second
plane hit, a lanky, salt-and-pepper-bearded man standing next to me who
was holding his bike at his side, saying, this is terrible; were going to be at
war tomorrow. He wasnt far off the mark. He only underestimated the
wars.
The result for me was that for a few years after the tragedy, any
images or even talking about 9/11 gave me a deep feeling of dread in the pit
of stomach. The result for my country, however, was worse. And were still
living with it every day.
Perhaps that is why it is fitting that this past week former Vice
President Dick Cheney has been on his media tour to promote his memoir,
openly bragging about the use of torture, warrant-less wiretapping and other
illegal actions that he approved while in office.
It is therefore interesting that in interviews, one-time friends of the
former VP turned antagonists, such as President George H W Bushs
National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft and Secretary of State Colin

21

Powells Chief of Staff Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, have said that they
dont recognize Dick Cheney anymore.
Because Cheney, as much or more than anyone else in the post-9/11
period, used the loopholes in our system, the lack of nerve in Washington
and fear created by that day to transform this nation slowly into something
we would not have recognized as recently as the late 90s or dawn of the
2000s.
We became a harder people. Less forgiving. More on edge. No longer
our brothers keeper. More fanciful.
Along with President Bush, Cheney made it mundane to operate
prisons overseas, beyond the reach of due process. House GOP Majority
Leader Eric Cantor thought nothing of demanding budget cuts to offset the
costs of helping those whose lives were destroyed by Hurricane Irene. The
response of Texas Governor Rick Perry to a drought in his state is to pray for
it to go away.
Meanwhile, President Obama, whose campaign of hope and change
was exactly the antidote to the cultural angst that became the norm in post9/11 America, has not only continued many of the Bush Administrations
civil liberties violations. He has actually added a few gems of his own that
even Bush didnt try, such as condoning the assassinations of American
citizens without due process.
Like many Americans, I find myself having followed a long and
winding road over the last decade, ending up in places I truly never
expected, only in recent years coming to terms with what I saw that day. Of
course, for many people, the economic crash was like a second attack.
But it is where my country has gone over this past decade that is truly
unfathomable. Its important to remember as the 10-year anniversary
approaches that we may have lost our way but buried beneath many wrong
turns is a national character that has been redeemed in the past.
In the beginning of the movie Gladiator, Marcus Aurelius, before
being assassinated by his son in a coup, says to the man he wishes were his
son, General Maximus, There was once a dream that was Rome. You could
only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper and it would vanish ... it was
so fragile.
Such is the nature of American democracy really, any democracy. To
truly honour the sacrifices made that terrible day by almost 3,000 people
living in America, it is a dream we need to get back.
22

TIME TO LEAVE ATTACKS BEHIND

Analysis by EJ Dionne Jr published in The Washington Post on
September 09: After we honour the 10th anniversary of the attacks of Sept.
11, 2001, we need to leave the day behind. As a nation we have looked back
for too long. We learned lessons from the attacks, but so many of them were
wrong. The last decade was a detour that left our nation weaker, more
divided and less certain of itself.
Reflections on the meaning of the horror and the years that followed
are inevitably inflected by our own political or philosophical leanings. Its a
critique that no doubt applies to my thoughts as well. We see what we
choose to see and use the event as we want to use it.
This does nothing to honour those who died and those who sacrificed
to prevent even more suffering. In the future, the anniversary will best be
reserved as a simple day of remembrance in which all of us humbly offer our
respect for the anguish and the heroism of those individuals and their
families.
But if we continue to place 9/11 at the centre of our national
consciousness, we will keep making the same mistakes. Our nations future
depended on far more than the outcome of a vaguely defined war on
terrorism, and it still does. Al-Qaeda is a dangerous enemy. But our country
and the world were never threatened by the caliphate of its mad fantasies.
We asked for great sacrifice over the past decade from the very small
portion of our population who wear the countrys uniform, particularly the
men and women of the Army and the Marine Corps. We should honour
them, too. And, yes, we should pay tribute to those in the intelligence
services, the FBI and our police forces who have done such painstaking
work to thwart another attack.
It was often said that terrorism could not be dealt with through police
work, as if the difficult and unheralded labour involved was not grand or
bold enough to satisfy our longing for clarity in what was largely a struggle
in the shadows.
Forgive me, but I find it hard to forget former president George W
Bushs 2004 response to Sen. John Kerrys comment that the war on terror
is less of a military operation and far more of an intelligence-gathering and
law-enforcement operation.

23

Bush retorted: I disagree strongly disagree. .?.?. After the chaos

and carnage of September the 11th, it is not enough to serve our enemies with
legal papers. With those attacks, the terrorists and their supporters declared
war on the United States of America, and war is what they got. What The
Washington Post called an era of endless war is what we got, too.
Bush, of course, understood the importance of intelligence gathering
and law enforcement. His administration presided over a great deal of both,
and his supporters spoke, with justice, of his success in staving off further
acts of terror. Yet he could not resist the temptation to turn on Kerrys
statement of the obvious. Thus was an event that initially united the nation
used, over and over, to aggravate our political disharmony. This is also why
we must put it behind us.
In the flood of anniversary commentary, notice how often the term
the lost decade has been invoked. We know now, as we should have known
all along, that American strength always depends first on our strength at
home on a vibrant, innovative and sensibly regulated economy, on
levelheaded fiscal policies, on the ability of our citizens to find useful work,
on the justice of our social arrangements.
This is not isolationism. It is a common sense that was pushed aside
by the talk of glory and honour, by utopian schemes to transform the
world by abruptly reordering the Middle East and by our fears. While we
worried that we would be destroyed by terrorists, we ignored the larger
danger of weakening ourselves by forgetting what made us great.
We have no alternative from now on but to look forward and not back.
This does not dishonour the fallen heroes, and Lincoln explained why at
Gettysburg. We cannot dedicate we cannot consecrate we cannot hallow
this ground, he said. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here,
have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The best we
could do, Lincoln declared, was to commit ourselves to a new birth of
freedom. This is still our calling.

SEPT 11 QUESTIONS
On September 9, the Arab News commented: We are approaching the
tenth anniversary of 9/11 attacks. Like JFK and Martin Luther Kings
assassinations, there are still many doubts and theories surrounding 9/11.

24

Every day the formal 9/11 Commission report is being challenged. The
suspicion that 9/11 was an inside job is gaining ground.
President George W Bush cast the die when he propounded the theory,
Either you are with us or against us, meaning if you are not with the US,
you are in direct confrontation and perhaps face regime change or
destabilization or drone attacks. Many undemocratic despots, including
Libyas Muammar Gaddafi and Pakistans Parvez Musharraf conveniently
joined the US to win credibility and respectability for their regimes under
this new dogma.
However, 9/11 had profound effect on US politics and the way the US
policymakers see the rest of the world. 9/11 resulted in many civil liberties
being curtailed or suspended in the name of security and illegal increased
surveillance on suspects which included famous public servants!
Now we come to know that as a result of 9/11 many unholy alliances
were forged. Most recently we know that MI5, CIA and Gaddafis
intelligence services indulged in rendition of suspects who were tortured and
eliminated. Under President Musharraf many so-called suspects disappeared
in Pakistan and those who provided information were rewarded. Many were
just trying to settle personal scores. The captured persons had nothing to do
with terrorism.
While those 3,000 innocent lives which were lost in those 9/11
terrorist attacks are being remembered and mourned on its anniversary,
nobody seems to talk about the millions who perished and were maimed in
Iraq and Afghanistan as a direct consequence of 9/11.
The proponents of the wars including President Bush and British
Prime Minister Tony Blair, plus those neocons have never been taken to
International Court of Justice to answer for the war crimes the crimes
much more serious and greater in number than those perhaps committed by
Gaddafi, Saddam Hussein and Bashar Assad combined! Given the way the
international law is administered in the world, they never will be.

PEARL HARBOUR AND 9/11: A FLEETING DAY OF

INFAMY
Comments of Jon Wiener published in Los Angeles Times on
September 10. Wiener teaches history at UC Irvine and writes for the Nation
magazine.

25

If you Google Pearl Harbour and 9/11, you get more than 4 million
hits. In George W Bushs 9/11 interview on the National Geographic
Channel last week, he said Sept. 11, 2001, eventually will be marked on
calendars like Pearl Harbour Day: a day never to be forgotten by the people
who lived through it. But on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, its
instructive to consider the way Pearl Harbour Day was remembered on its
10th anniversary.
In fact, on December 7, 1951, Pearl Harbour wasnt remembered, at
least not prominently in the major newspapers and magazines. There was a
reason why the Japanese attack in 1941 received so little commemoration on
its 10th anniversary: In 1951, the US was fighting a new war on the Korean
peninsula, and had just signed a security treaty with Japan, which made it a
crucial ally and staging base for the Korean War. Remembering Pearl
Harbour could interfere with the nations new mission.
The spirit of the 10th anniversary of Pearl Harbour was best expressed
by the Washington Post in its lead editorial that day, which discussed the
importance of Japan as an ally in the struggle against communism in Asia.
Because of that struggle, the Japanese American alliance ought to be
maintained in harmony, the editorial concluded. It is to this future rather
than to the past that thoughts should be directed on this anniversary of Pearl
Harbour Day.
In other words, dont remember Pearl Harbour. Think about the
communists in Korea instead.
The LA Times front page on December 7, 1951, made no reference to
the anniversary. The lead stories reported on new atomic artillery that could
be used in the Korean War, and heavy snow on the ridge route. The second
section did have a column on the Pearl Harbour anniversary, which opened,
This is the day on which innumerable Americans ... will be tempted to go
about boring other Americans to death with their reminiscences of where
they were and exactly how they heard the news a decade earlier. Of course
this form of boredom could be avoided by not reminiscing about Pearl
Harbour.
The New York Times had nothing about the anniversary on its front
page on December 7, 1951. The news there was of a possible truce in Korea,
and street fighting in Tehran between thousands of communists and antiRed civilians. It did run an editorial. The meaning of Pearl Harbour, the
editors wrote, was that, since December 7, 1941, it has not been possible for
us to deny our historic mission in modern history resisting aggression. In
26

1951, that meant fighting the communists: Over vast areas where hundreds
of millions of people live, the human spirit is still enslaved ... and the
aggressors are as furious as ever Hitler was.
But of course Hitler didnt attack Pearl Harbour. The country that did
attack is barely mentioned in the editorial.
As for 10th anniversary commemorations in Hawaii at Pearl Harbour
itself, an Associated Press story was headlined War Noises Again Mar
Peace of Pearl Harbour and reported that the sprawling naval base supplies
men, ships and ammunition to todays area of combat in Korea.
Life magazines cover story that week was Harry Trumans
wardrobe, a nine-page photo essay. Time magazines cover story was about
the rise of the Readers Digest. Life did not run a story on the anniversary,
but Time did. It reported that for the foreseeable future, Japan is solidly
encamped with the free world, and the US must recognize that full and
equal partnership is the only basis for mutual, long-term friendship in the
face of a common enemy.
Thus on the 10th anniversary of Pearl Harbour, Americans were told it
was time to forget about what happened on December 7, 1941, because we
needed Japans help to fight communism in Asia.
As UC Irvine historian Emily Rosenberg explained it in her book A
Date Which Will Live, historical memory is not fixed. Lessons that seem
crucial at one point can be ignored at another. Memory, even of the most
unforgettable events, is unstable and can be transformed by new
circumstances. No doubt this is as true for September 11, 2001 as it was for
December 7, 1941.

AL-QAEDA A DECADE AFTER 9/11

Analysis by S Iftikhar Murshed published on September 10; the writer
is the publisher of Criterion quarterly: Pakistans first 9/11 was in 1948 when
its founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah passed away and the tremulous ecstasy of
independence that had been achieved the previous year proved short-lived.
With the adoption of the Objectives Resolution by the Constituent Assembly
in March 1949, the country drifted steadily towards the maladies of
mediaevalism based on the distortion of religious tenets. In time this melded
with the ideology of terrorist groups.

27

It was under these circumstances that Al-Qaeda was formally

launched in Pakistan on Aug 11, 1988. Before this date it existed as a vague
nameless enterprise consisting of a loose agglomeration of jihadi groups
committed to the defeat of the Soviet occupation forces in Afghanistan. Its
next jihad was against the US and this was later fine-tuned to include
Muslim countries collaborating with Washington.
The second 9/11 thus occurred in 2001. The geopolitics of the world
was suddenly transformed and the Pakistan-Afghanistan region became the
main theatre in the war against terrorism. In the decade since then, Al-Qaeda
has been progressively weakened. There have been persistent reports
emanating from the Middle East that with the death of Osama bin Laden the
outfit is tearing apart at the seams.
The most recent assessment about the fissures within Al-Qaeda came
after the killing of the organizations number-two man, Atiyah Abd alRahman of Libya, in a drone strike on Aug 22 in North Waziristan. As Gulf
News commented, if his whereabouts were revealed to the US by someone
in the ranks of Al-Qaeda, it could be an indication that discipline and morale
in the organization are being eroded by the targeted attacks on its leaders.
Similar stories did the rounds in October 2010 after rumours emerged that
Atiyah Abd al-Rahman had been eliminated.
When the leader of the Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami, Ilyas Kashmiri, was
target-killed in a drone attack in the tribal regions on June 3, there were
reports sourced to Al-Qaeda insiders that his precise location that day was
passed on to US intelligence by locals with links to the Egyptian Islamic
Jihad (EIJ) of Ayman al-Zawahiri. Similarly, after the killing of Osama bin
Laden on May 2, a detailed write-up appeared in the Doha-based daily AlWatan saying that information about the courier to and from Bin Laden had
been conveyed to the Americans by a Pakistani citizen loyal to al-Zawahiri.
Within 24 hours of Bin Ladens death, Al-Arabiya reported that
Yemeni-American theologian Anwar al-Aulaqi had emerged as AlZawahiris foremost rival in the struggle for the leadership of Al-Qaeda. AlAulaqi, who has a huge following, had been enormously successful in
recruiting operatives for an affiliate of the group known as Al-Qaeda in the
Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). By mid-May an increasing number of
influential Al-Qaeda members were insisting that only a jihadist from Saudi
Arabia should succeed Bin Laden.
Three years earlier it was widely speculated that Al-Qaedas
theologian hardliner and a member of its Shariah Committee, Abu Yahya al28

Libi, who escaped from Bagram on July 10, 2005, would be the likely
successor of Osama bin Laden. On April 4, 2008, Al-Arabiya described AlLibi as a very charismatic, young and brash rising star of Al-Qaeda. He
was reported to have been killed in a drone strike on Dec 11, 2009, but it
later transpired that the man who died was Saleh al-Somali. On this occasion
also there were suspicions that Al-Zawahiris Egyptian faction had tipped off
US intelligence about al-Libis whereabouts.
It was under these circumstances that Sayf al-Adel, a member of AlQaedas military committee and a former colonel in the Egyptian Special
Forces, was chosen as the interim successor to Osama bin Laden. The
disadvantage of his Egyptian roots was offset by his organizational abilities,
experience and military training. Al-Adel had been under house arrest in Iran
for the past nine years and only returned to Pakistan a year earlier. His
primary role as the stopgap leader of Al-Qaeda was to midwife AlZawahiris acceptance as Bin Ladens successor from the organizations
affiliates around the world. This objective, as is evident from the in-fighting
within the organization, has not been achieved.
Al-Zawahiri is distrusted because of his track record of betrayals and
double-dealings. After his arrest in 1981 for involvement in the assassination
of President Anwar al-Sadat, he disclosed the whereabouts of the EIJs
Essam al-Qamari which resulted in Al-Qamaris execution. Al-Zawahiri
loyalists are widely believed to have carried out the 1989 assassination in
Peshawar of Al-Qaedas ideological founder, Abdullah Azzam, and this year
his supporters are alleged to have provided information to American
intelligence that resulted in the deaths of Osama bin Laden, Ilyas Kashmiri
and Atiyah Abd al-Rahman.
Analysts are convinced that the power struggle within Al-Qaeda is far
from over. The organization is split along national and ethnic lines, with
each group advancing its own candidates to replace Atiyah Abd al-Rahman
and Osama bin Laden. Al-Zawahiri is not only distrusted but also lacks Bin
Ladens charisma and organizational abilities which had played a
fundamental role in keeping the network focused. The fear of internal
betrayal has resulted in a continuous spate of defections, particularly among
the Libyan and Algerian members of Al-Qaeda.
On Monday, Pakistans Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)
announced that Sheikh Younis al-Mauritani, a ranking member of AlQaedas inner circle, along with Abdul Ghaffar al-Shami and Messara alShami had been captured in Quetta. This was described as yet another fatal
29

blow to the outfit, barely two weeks after the killing of Atiyah Abd alRahman. The ISPR statement acknowledged: This operation was planned
and conducted with technical assistance of the United States intelligence
agencies with whom the Inter-Services Intelligence has a strong, historic
intelligence relationship.
Be that as it may, what cannot be ruled out is that the technical
assistance provided by US intelligence was probably information divulged
by Al-Qaeda insiders. Similar ISI-CIA cooperation has yielded spectacular
results in the decade since 9/11. What is interesting is that several top AlQaeda leaders were captured in Pakistans major cities, and not in its rugged
conflict-torn tribal regions. These include the Saudi national Abu Zubaydah
(Faisalabad, March 2002); 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Muhammad
(Rawalpindi, March 1, 2003); his nephew and husband of Aafia Siddiqui,
Ammar al-Baluchi (Karachi, April 29, 2003); 9/11 facilitator Ramzi bin alShibh (Karachi, Sept 11, 2003); Abu Faraj al-Libi, who was accused of the
two failed assassination attempts on President Musharraf (Mardan, May 2,
2005); the planner of the Madrid train bomb attack in 2004 and the London
bombings of 2005, Mustafa Nasar (Quetta, October 2005); 2002 Bali
bombing accomplice Umar Patek (Abbottabad, March 29, 2011); and
Yemeni national Abu Sohaib al-Makki (Karachi, May 17, 2011).
The Arab Spring uprisings which have resulted in the toppling of
long-entrenched dictatorships in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya and destabilized
the regimes in Yemen, Syria and Bahrain have been fatal to Al-Qaedas
ideological narrative of establishment of a caliphate. Abu Yahya al-Libi
appealed to his countrymen on March 12 to overthrow Qaddafi and establish
Islamic rule and Al-Zawahiris call to his fellow-Egyptians to introduce his
interpretation of the Shariah have not been heeded. It is freedom reinforced
by social and economic justice, not Al-Qaedas mediaeval distortions of
religion, that lie at the heart of the Arab upheavals.
The story alters radically in Pakistan. Ten years after 9/11, Al-Qaeda
may have been weakened but its murderous ideology still prevails. Violent
bigotry in the name of religion is ascendant and George Bernard Shaws
warning Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance
suddenly rings true. The ecstatic rhapsody of freedom that prevailed in 1947
has faded and is now a mere echo of someone elses music.

WERE ALL TO BLAME 9/11 SPECIAL

30

Review by Robert M Hathaway published on September 10. The

writer directs the Asia Programme at the Woodrow Wilson International
Centre for Scholars in Washington, DC.
This weekend Americans will pause from their usual Sunday morning
activities to remember the horror of that September morn ten years ago,
when four hijacked airliners cruelly shattered their comfortable sense of
invulnerability. Everything has changed, ran the oft-repeated refrain in the
days and weeks following the September 11 attacks. Well, not really.
To be sure, the decade since 9/11 has witnessed sweeping
transformations, in both the United States and Pakistan. For the 2,977 people
from 77 countries (including Pakistan) whose lives were so unexpectedly
snuffed out that morning, and for their families, everything had changed.
Events at home and abroad since then have led Americans to question what
ten years ago were unchallenged verities. The United States is in some
respects a humbled nation, less confident of its power, less certain of its
future.
Pakistan too is a dramatically different country than ten years ago.
Violence including Muslim against Muslim, Pakistani against Pakistani
has exploded. A decade ago, suicide bombings in Pakistan were virtually
unheard of; since 9/11, according to statistics compiled by the South Asia
Terrorism Portal (SATP), 289 suicide bombings have killed more than 4,600
Pakistanis. Terrorist violence of all kinds has killed 11,475 Pakistani
civilians and 3,890 security personnel over the past ten years.
In a multitude of other ways as well, Pakistan is a changed and, for
many, a less happy place. After a growth spurt for four or five years
beginning in 2003, the countrys economy today is stagnating, with minimal
growth, rising inflation, roaring un- and under-employment, lagging
productivity, and low levels of foreign investment. Class divisions are
widening, economic safety nets shrinking. Institutions appear even more
broken than in the past, while corruption seems more pronounced than ever.
But the idea that the September 11 attacks redefined history or
changed everything for either the United States or Pakistan is nonsense.
The challenges that bedevil Pakistanis today are in most instances the
identical ones that frustrated them ten years ago. Good jobs are difficult to
find. Schools fail to educate. Power shortages stifle the economy and cause
personal inconvenience. Justice is frequently delayed or altogether denied.
The political system is uncaring and unresponsive. Public servants seem

31

interested only in serving themselves. None of this is new, or the result of

9/11.
Pakistanis often err in attributing most of the unfortunate
developments of the past decade to the American response to the 9/11
attacks. While the US invasion of Afghanistan has clearly produced
unfortunate consequences for Pakistan, only some of that countrys ills can
be linked to Washingtons war on terrorism. Many growing food
insecurity, for instance, or the countrys failing public health system stem
instead from unwise decisions or decades of neglect.
This is true even of the widespread violence wracking the country.
Consider the staggering bloodshed in Karachi, where security, according to
the head of Ranger forces in Sindh, is worse even than in Waziristan.
Karachis violence is not simply a development arising in recent years, nor
attributable only to the influx of Pashtuns from the unsettled tribal belt.
Todays carnage has both roots and precedents in pre-9/11 Karachi.
Similarly, suicide bombings assumed epidemic proportions in
Pakistan not in late 2001 or 2002, but only after President Musharraf sent the
army into the Red Mosque in mid-2007. In 2006, the year before the Red
Mosque assault, there were only seven suicide bombings in the country; by
2008, this number had shot up to 59. It is simply too simplistic to blame
Pakistans suicide bombings on the American invasion of Afghanistan.
Other forms of violence have actually declined since September 11.
Incidents of sectarian violence today are dwarfed by the years before 9/11.
Again using SATP data, Pakistan suffered 400 incidents of sectarian
violence in the three years preceding 2001; so far this year, there have been
only 16 comparable incidents of sectarian violence.
In other words, it may be reassuring but it is wrong-headed to look
back on the period prior to the September 11 attacks as a secure, prosperous,
stable era. Such a practice fails to account for the far more complex mosaic
of the past. It also ignores long decades of poor choices by several
generations of Pakistani leaders. For instance, the same groups that are now
slaughtering innocent Pakistanis were in an earlier day created and nurtured
by the Pakistani security establishment. And recall that Pakistan suffered
under a succession of incompetent and corrupt governments in the 1990s,
before America launched its war on terrorism.
Should Pakistanis succumb to the temptation of blaming the United
States for all their troubles, they would also neglect the astounding tolerance
for misgovernment they have exhibited over the decades. Pakistans leaders
32

have failed the country, but so too have Pakistani voters, who continue to
cede power to the same discredited politicians and parties.
What is perhaps most striking about Pakistani views, however, is the
willful self-deceit many Pakistanis embrace. In the face of all evidence to the
contrary, many more Pakistanis believe the United States was behind the
9/11 attacks than blame Al-Qaeda. Similarly, large majorities of Pakistanis
are convinced that if only America would leave Afghanistan, Pakistan would
be rid of the suicide bombings and terrorist attacks that have plagued it in
recent years. Its a comforting thought, but not likely.
Of course it is easy and even satisfying to blame Americas war on
terror for all Pakistans troubles. But this is sheer folly. Worse, it is
dangerous. Doing so encourages Pakistan to ignore its own responsibility for
its problems. More importantly, by misdiagnosing their ills, Pakistanis will
be less able to devise appropriate strategies for overcoming their difficulties.
Although the 9/11 terrorists struck American targets, Pakistan too has
suffered as a result. Moreover, the tactics that Washington has embraced to
fight Al-Qaeda and its Taliban friends drone strikes, for instance have
brought additional hardship and destruction to Pakistan.
Even so, Pakistanis must not now permit the fallout from September
11 to blind them to the true nature of the challenges they face. Were they to
make this mistake, the 9/11 hijackers would not have attacked only the
United States. They would have grievously damaged Pakistan as well, and
exacted a horrific price on Pakistanis and their future.

MARCHING TO A MELTDOWN
Views of Ashley J Tellis published on September 10. The writer is a
senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and has
served on the National Security Council staff as special assistant to the US
president.
Ten years after the 9/11 attacks, US-Pakistani relations have reached a
nadir. American policymakers charge that the Pakistani military has been
aiding and abetting the very enemies both countries are purportedly fighting.
The Pakistan Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), in turn, accuse
Washington of disregarding both their nations sacrifices and its strategic
interests, and in the process riding roughshod over Pakistans sovereignty
and self-respect. On both sides, corrosive accusations about duplicity and

33

betrayal are commonplace; even as each bends backwards to publicly

proclaim an alliance against global terrorism.
In retrospect, it is ironic that the tragedy of September 11, 2001 the
very event that rescued the US-Pakistani ties from their earlier morass
should have engendered the events that have now taken the bilateral
relations to their deepest crisis. But it should not be surprising: that the USPakistani partnership has been steadily marching to a meltdown ever since it
was resuscitated, thanks to divergent objectives, poor alternatives, and
endless illusions.
For an alliance ostensibly cemented by common foes, it is surprising
how divergent the US and Pakistani objectives in the war on terror have
been from the very beginning. To be sure, Islamabad never sought a role in
this conflict. It was brought into it, kicking and screaming, against its will.
On September 12, 2001, the Bush administration forced General Pervez
Musharraf to sacrifice Pakistans clients in Afghanistan in order to support
the US military campaign against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.
Musharraf responded by confronting Al-Qaeda an organization that
did little for Pakistans strategic interests while protecting the Taliban
Pakistans investment that promised security along its western frontier.
Given the success of Operation Enduring Freedom, American policymakers
cared little about Musharrafs choice: the Taliban were viewed as defeated
stragglers who would never again trouble the United States or its allies in
Kabul.
Instead, Washington remained fixated for understandable reasons on
Al-Qaeda. It was also concerned deeply about Pakistan not the country as
much as its nuclear weapons, which the US policymakers feared could fall
into terrorist hands with disastrous consequences.
The solution to these dangers turned out to be Musharraf. Like many
before him, the glib dictator shrewdly sized up the United States. He used
the substantial US assistance that had been offered to Pakistan to strengthen
his own position domestically, rearm the wasting Pakistani military, and
wage a campaign against Al-Qaeda and some domestic sectarian groups all
the while carefully protecting the Afghan Taliban and the anti-Indian jihadi
groups because of their value for Pakistans strategic interests.
This selective counterterrorism worked as long as Pakistan continued
to apprehend high value Al-Qaeda targets and Washington did not care about
the other groups protected by Pakistan. Although the United States was
aware of ISIs active support for the Taliban resurgence as early as 2003 and
34

the anti-Indian jihadis even earlier, these activities did not receive serious
attention so long as Afghanistan remained stable and Indo-Pakistani crises
were avoided.
When troubles with India threatened to spin out of control, the United
States pressed Pakistan to crack down on groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT). But the real strains only emerged when the Pakistani backing of the
Quetta Shura began to dangerously undermine US military operations in
Afghanistan. This collision, which has grown in intensity since 2006, finally
put to bed the internal US government debate about whether Pakistani
support for jihadi groups was merely a rogue ISI operation or the
considered policy of Pakistans deep state.
When the intelligence overwhelmingly confirmed the latter, American
policymakers were forced to confront the reality they had earlier wished
away: Pakistan, a supposedly committed ally in the war on terrorism was
also Americas inveterate adversary. It accepted the substantial US financial
and material assistance to target enemies that threatened Pakistan, even as it
aided other groups that attacked American and allied citizens in Afghanistan
and elsewhere.
This crafty strategy derived from deeply divergent objectives: The
United States sought to eradicate Al-Qaeda and the Taliban because they
represented violent extremist threats; the Pakistani military sought to protect
at least the latter because it served the abiding rivalry with Afghanistan and
India. The persistence of this policy over an entire decade led increasingly to
unilateral American operations inside Pakistan, a deepening distrust of the
Pakistan Army and especially the ISI, and a hardening US conviction of
Pakistani perfidy in regards to counterterrorism.
The American realization that Pakistani strategic objectives differed
from those of the United States nevertheless failed to produce any dramatic
alteration in overall policy because few alternatives offered a better chance
of success. The United States remained reliant on Pakistan for access and the
security of its ground lines of communication into Afghanistan. And
Pakistani cooperation against Al-Qaeda was indispensable.
Consequently, Washington continued to solicit Pakistani cooperation
through persistent bribery in the hope that the Pakistan Armys policies
might change. The United States, however, attempted to revise the nature of
that payment in order to increase its efficacy. In particular, Barack Obamas
administration sought to reorient the partnership by increasing the emphasis

35

on civilian assistance and by seeking elevated engagement with the civilian

government in Islamabad.
Both efforts, unfortunately, have borne only meagre fruit. The
increased civilian assistance has not reached Pakistan at the levels promised
and US economic troubles make high levels of future American aid suspect.
Moreover, increased US assistance to Pakistan has only enabled the military
to sustain its customary high defence allocations at lower cost and without
forcing any change in its traditional strategy.
Engaging the Zardari government has also sputtered in part because of
the regimes own failings, and partly because Washington could not resist
dealing with General Ashfaq Kayani sometimes for inescapable reasons
in ways that further sidelined the civilian government.
The United States, therefore, has continued to press Rawalpindi while
becoming increasingly embittered that the natural harmony of interests
presumed to exist between Pakistan and the United States remains largely a
mirage.
What has finally made the desired US-Pakistan strategic cooperation
so elusive are the endless illusions bedeviling both sides. The United States
imagined that it could coax Pakistan into sacrificing its jihadi proxies
through financial and military assistance, occasional compellance, and the
promise of a strategic partnership. However significant these elements might
have been, they have failed to satisfy the Pakistani militarys institutional
interests and assuage its paranoia about India.
Rawalpindi, for its part, imagined that the strategy of hunting with the
American hounds while running with the jihadi hares was sustainable
indefinitely even after 9/11 irrevocably changed the rules of the game. Or
perhaps, Pakistans generals imagined that Washington would not notice or
care a supposition that however justified early on cannot be sustained
today even if the militarys domestic and regional preoccupations outweigh
its worries about American dissatisfaction. Either way, these illusions
undermine whatever prospects existed for sturdy bilateral ties. They also
confirm that the real surprise is not the meltdown in the US-Pakistani
relations, but the fact that it took so long to materialize.

DECADE DESTROYED
36

Comments by Anjum Niaz, a freelance journalist, published in The

News on September 10: Tomorrow America weeps for the destruction 9/11
wrought ten years ago. Soulful remembrance of the dead will aggrieve the
air. Islamophobia will get noisier. Pakistani-Americans will start a new
decade as confused, conflicted and torn as the one before. For many, their
last names will bar them from employment. For others, life will be a struggle
engaged in their attempt to fit in the American system and be accepted as
part of their adopted country. It will be tough!
Back home in Pakistan, those with an iota of sense should mourn a
decade destroyed. While America lost over 3,000 lives on September 11,
2001, Pakistan lost many more in its fight against terror, a war jammed
down upon us by President George W Bush within hours after the World
Trade Centre collapsed. Secretary of State General Colin Powell called up
General Musharraf with a warning: either youre with us or against us.
Another threat arrived by the thuggish bully Deputy Secretary of State
Richard Armitage. We will bomb you back to the Stone Age. Armitage is
the daredevil who leaked the name of CIA agent Valerie Plame to the press,
but never had the guts to admit it.
Musharrafs craven capitulation made him Bushs pet. A supply line
of money, military hardware and bonhomie from Pentagon with love to
GHQ granted the generals a free rein to be overly magnanimous to
themselves and their fellow faujis. Musharrafs puppet prime minister
Shaukat Aziz, falsely claiming to represent the civilian face of Pakistan,
promised Pakistan becoming the next Asian Tiger. The phony only left
rubble behind.
Meanwhile, a new milieu was taking root destroying forever the
moral, intellectual and social fabric of society. The new order ushered new
actors on the scene, most of them corrupt, ignorant, illiterate, extremists and
brutal, turning Armitages threat into reality. Saudi Arabia and Iran jumped
in with their own religious beliefs wickedly wrapped with money that
attracted the poor masses like bees to honey.
The brain drain started. Pakistani elites began their exodus to foreign
lands taking with them their ill-gotten wealth. America and Britain
welcomed them and their cache of money that would fuel further their
economies. Meantime, the generals with a $10 billion booty from America
got busy in real estate grab along with padding their personal bank accounts
abroad dismissing fears voiced by many that Pakistan could become a failed
state.
37

Musharraf we all knew was demonically on a roll. But where was

General Kayani during all this time? Promoted to a 4-star general in
September 2003, he took charge of the Ten Corps (famous for staging coups)
in Rawalpindi. A year later, earning Musharrafs trust, he was made the chief
of ISI. Under his watch, we helplessly witnessed the country slide
dangerously down a slippery slope where a suicide bomber struck at will;
the chief justice was sacked; NRO and a thousand other ills surfaced. Kayani
succeeded Musharraf as the chief of army staff a month before Benazirs
assassination. His promotion direct from ISI chief to army chief is perhaps a
first in the history of Pakistan Army.
General Kayani must have valid reasons for ignoring the current crisis
of governance. Who knows? Can the COAS like Zulfiqar Mirza hold a
Quran in his hand and tell the nation that he has never indulged in any
behind the scene power manoeuvring in the past in matters of larger
institutional and national interest? wrote Muhammad Malick recently. That
he is acting the way he is ONLY because he honestly believes it to be the
right thing to do or is he actually scared of the weight of the wrong
consequences of doing the right thing? It is fair to put such direct questions
to Kayani. It is unfair that there are no answers.

A DECADE AFTER
BOUNCES BACK

SEPT

11,

LITTLE

PAKISTAN

Comments of Larry Tung published on September 11 in Gotham

Gazette: It was Mohammad Nadeems stomach that led him to what would
be his home away from home.
I landed in JFK and asked a cab driver to take me to a Pakistani
neighbourhood, said Nadeem, a native of Pakistan who did not know
anyone in New York. I was hungry after a long flight. I wanted some
Pakistani food.
The cab driver happened to be a fellow Pakistani. So he took Nadeem
to this Brooklyn neighbourhood on Coney Island Avenue between Avenues
C and H where halal restaurants, grocery stores and pharmacies line the
streets.
It was completely by accident, said Nadeem of encountering a
Pakistani cab driver. Ten years later, he is still my friend.

38

The neighbourhood in the Midwood section that Nadeem eventually

settled in is known as Little Pakistan. Its residents came under increased
suspicion and scrutiny after 9/11, spurring many to leave New York and
deterring other from moving here. After rough years, though, residents today
see the prejudice waning and the community growing.
CREATING LITTLE PAKISTAN
This section of Brooklyn today is home to the largest Pakistani
community in New York City. But before the barbershops and jewellery
stores catering to South Asian customers dotted Coney Island Avenue, the
neighbourhood was primarily Jewish.
Twenty or more years ago there was still a trace of earlier times: both
commercially and populations, said Jerome Krase, a sociologist and
professor emeritus at Brooklyn College. There were antique stores and
shops that catered to previous residents such as upper-middle and middleclass Jews and a smattering of other white ethnic homeowners, renters and
store owners such as Italians and Irish.
But by the 1990s, a wave of Pakistani immigrants has moved into the
area, although the surrounding streets still are home to many Jews.
According to census numbers, the number of Pakistani immigrants in
Brooklyn went up from 4,949 in 1990 to 9,903 in 2000. The population
doubled in the last decade and went up to 18,296. But unofficial numbers are
higher as many undocumented immigrants are not counted. In the last
decade, Pakistani-owned businesses started sprawling on Coney Island
Avenue.
TURNING POINT
Then came 9/11. The devastating event put Pakistanis and several
other ethnic groups under the spotlight. Federal and local agencies came into
many South Asian and Muslim communities looking for suspicious aliens
and sparking fear among residents.
Before 911, you used to see hundreds of people walking on the
streets, said Nadeem, now a shopkeeper at a grocery store at the corner of
Coney Island Avenue and Glenwood Road. The FBI came knocking on
peoples doors and asking questions. People were scared. Business dropped
more than 50 percent.
Osama Kahlio, a medical technician and a native of Flatbush, had
first-hand experience of discrimination even though he was not living in the
United States on 9/11. His Pakistani-born parents had sent him to live in
39

Pakistan so he could learn the language and culture. When I returned to

New York for high school in 2005, I was constantly teased by my classmates
because of my name, said Kahlio, who is 23 and will attend Brooklyn
College.
UNFRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT
In September 2002, the Department of Homeland Security launched a
special registration system, the National Security Entry-Exit Registration
System or NSEER, requiring male citizens over 16 years of age from 25
countries mostly Muslim countries in Africa and Asian to register with
the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Although the system was
terminated in April 2011, many law-biding Pakistani immigrants fell victim
to it.
All of a sudden there was a sweep of almost 500 people in the
community, said Mohammad Razvi, who started the Council of Peoples
Organization or COPOUSA, a non-profit community organization that
supports South Asian communities, in the wake of 9/11. It was basically
based on names. Persons with names like Mohammad or Amid. Many
people were swept up under suspicion.
Razvi said many people faced deportation proceedings over minor
immigration issues such as failure to report a change of address to
immigration authorities. Its catch 22. You are damned if you go and you
are damned if you dont, said Razvi.
Those affected included people waiting for a decision on their Legal
Immigration and Family Equity Act, or LIFE petition, which helps some
individuals who would not normally qualify for permanent residence to
obtain a green card.
Even though they filed the petition and were waiting for the judges
decision, said Razvi. They were still picked up and put into deportation
proceeding because they dont have permanent residency yet.
LEAVING NEW YORK
During the height of the sweep, more than 20,000 people in
Brooklyns South Asian communities left the United States, a COPO survey
found. Many sought political asylum in Canada and Australia, and some
returned to Pakistan and other countries. A number of them never returned.
Some people did come back from Canada but very limited, noted
Razvi. But those who stayed in Canada are living the American dream

40

there. He added that a neighbour who used to own a barbershop is now

running a successful business in Toronto and has purchased a big house.
Nadeem, the shopkeeper, also tried his luck elsewhere. He moved to
Pennsylvania and Massachusetts briefly in 2005 but eventually returned to
Midwood. I love this city, said Nadeem. This is where I can live a similar
life like back home.
BUILDING BRIDGES
Like many other ethnic enclaves in the city, the Pakistani community
in Midwood had been insular and quiet. But 9/11 pushed residents to step
outside of their comfort zone.
Razvi said one of COPOs missions is to promote understanding and
help community members integrate into the mainstream society. Among the
organizations many services, English as a second language has topped the
list. Citizenship classes, healthcare education and legal services are also
popular. But despite such efforts, the community remains under the shadow
of 9/11, said Razvi.
To try to address that his organization recently held a youth
conference in the hopes of building a better relationship between community
youth and federal and local law enforcement agencies.
More than 500 kids came in, said Razvi. The purpose was to build a
bridge and remove the stigma that all the law enforcement agencies do is to
knock on your door and arrest your parents and cousins. They are also here
to protect you, and there are job opportunities for you as well.
BOUNCING BACK
Despite the lingering effects in the community, Little Pakistan is
flourishing again with booming business. According to Nadeem, at least four
restaurants in the area are open 24 hours a day. In addition, his employer just
opened another grocery store a few blocks down the street to serve more
customers. Some 50,000 Pakistanis now live in New York. People are
coming back, said Nadeem. And I see new Pakistani families shopping in
our store every week.
And the new generation is optimistic. Its like everywhere. Look at
Vietnam and Japan, said Kahlio, the medical technician, referring to the
discrimination against Vietnamese and Japanese immigrants during and after
the Vietnam War and World War II. It will take time. Hopefully the
prejudice will go away someday.

41

HOW 9/11 TRIGGERED AMERICAS DECLINE

Spiegel published analysis of Gregor Peter Schmitz on September 11:
The smoke was still rising from the rubble of the World Trade Center when
Richard Armitage, at the time the US deputy secretary of state, spoke in the
aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. History begins today, he said.
In the coming decade, Armitage would turn out to be right except
the politician could not have foreseen how tragic the history would be
following the epochal event. It is the history of the decline of the USA as a
superpower.
Immediately before the attacks, this country was in full bloom like
Rome at its peak, as TV host Joe Scarborough recalls today.
The Republican President George W. Bush had inherited a fat budget
surplus from the Democrat Bill Clinton. In Kosovo, the US, which
Madeleine Albright dubbed the indispensable nation, had just shown the
Europeans how it could resolve conflicts, even in their own backyard. Bill
Gates and Microsoft were still cool.
Then came the planes, piloted by the followers of Osama bin Laden
and for a brief moment, the superpower seemed even more powerful than
ever. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat had himself photographed donating
blood for the victims. Even the French all suddenly wanted to be Americans.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schrder promised unlimited solidarity.
What followed was an unlimited mistake. Bin Laden had hoped to
entangle the Americans in bloody wars. How well he would succeed in
doing this, he probably could not have imagined himself.
BUSHS TRAGIC LEGACY
America was trapped in Iraq for years, where a victory was a long
time coming and was never a real one. It is currently trapped in Afghanistan,
where victory no longer even seems possible. And it is trapped in an
embrace with its ally Pakistan, which it does not trust and yet cannot release.
These are costly defeats for America and the rest of the world.
According to a conservative estimate by Brown University, there have been
almost 140,000 civilian casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq. The massive
retaliation cost more than $3 trillion dollars that would have been better
used in Americas schools or in the wallets of US citizens.

42

For a short time after the attacks, the country seemed united.
Americans embraced each other. Even the cold city of New York suddenly
seemed warm. But instead of cultivating public spirit, President Bush sought
to find a pretext any pretext to invade Afghanistan and Iraq. This is his
most tragic legacy, the fact that America can no longer even mourn its
victims properly because Americans have long been not just victims, but
also perpetrators.
But the decade of terror did in fact traumatize Americans and turn
them into victims even those who only experienced the attacks on
television.
A COUNTRY AT WAR WITH ITSELF
Today, following all the Bush-era tax cuts, the US is a deeply divided
country in social terms. The gap between rich and poor is almost as great as
it was in the days of oil barons and steel magnates in the last century. Five
percent of Americans buy almost 40 percent of all consumer goods sold in
the country.
The country is at war with itself. It has a Congress where there is
perpetual conflict between the right and the left and where they dont even
want to talk to each other when the threat of a national bankruptcy looms.
Like no other country, the US became great because of its openness.
Now, it has become distrustful, fearful and defensive against Muslims,
against foreigners, against anyone who is different. Citizen militias hunt
down illegal immigrants, and many people can still not accept having a
black president in the White House.
American exceptionalism was always the USs trump card. The new
candidates for the White House still refer to it in the election campaign, but
it sounds like a hollow mantra one of those election promises that
shouldnt be examined too closely.
Because if it was, then people might realize that many things in
America are only exceptional because they are exceptionally bad. The
country has lousy health statistics despite having one of the most expensive
health care systems in the world. Then there are the billions wasted in the
education system, not to mention the armaments madness the US spends
almost as much on defense as the rest of the world put together.
And then there is the fixation on a financial system that rewards
gamblers, where the countrys most talented young people no longer work
on developing new patents, but devote themselves to financial wizardry.
43

Meanwhile, China and other emerging economies can happily concentrate

on their own ascent.
ESTRANGED FROM REST OF THE WORLD
Where has that one-of-a-kind America gone? New York Magazine
sums it up: Ten years later, America now looks a bit more like other
countries do our embrace of capitalism has grown more complicated, our
class mobility less certain, our immigrants and our diversity less unique.
Even in foreign policy, the world power is no longer seen as the worlds role
model. Leading from behind is the maxim of the current president, Barack
Obama. He says it out of necessity, because stateside a strange alliance has
formed, between those on the fringes of mainstream politics both on the left
and on the right.
They want to turn America into a tight-fisted world power. They only
want one thing: US troops should come home, and then other countries
should see how they fare. After all, the isolationists argue, these other
countries dont understand America anyway.
The US has become estranged from the rest of the world. It is partly
its own fault, but the rest of the world also shares some of the blame
because many only see America as a perpetrator, and no longer regard it as a
victim. This was most evident on the day that bin Laden was killed.
Americans cheered spontaneously on the streets when they heard the news.
But many people in other parts of the world did not want to celebrate with
them. They reacted with agitation to the openly flaunted joy over the
terrorists death. The alienation of the others often sounded patronizing and
self-satisfied.
But it underlined the fact that the victims of the attacks were no longer
in the foreground. Instead, the sins of the original victim were brought into
focus Americas sins. The superpower, to a large extent, only has itself to
blame. But that is still sad nonetheless.

US NEEDS TO IMPROVE IMAGE

Gulf News published comments of Manal Alafrangi on September 11:
Be careful on the road, my mother told me on the morning of September
11, 2001 after having watched with complete shock and horror from our
home in Northern Virginia the first plane plunge into the Twin Towers of the
World Trade Center in New York.

44

By the time it was 9am, I thought I still needed to go to class. I had

barely got to know the professor but she seemed very picky about
attendance. Driving to the university, which was about 20 minutes away, I
couldnt help but look up at the sky worried and ponder what had just
happened. The atmosphere at school was very tense; most students were
talking about the attacks in New York not knowing what to make of it.
Minutes into my class, our professor told us, this is a class of history
but I cant teach while real history is happening outside. We were dismissed
and immediately rushed to the general foyer where everybody was glued to
the big television screens, trying to decipher what had happened.
Images of Osama bin Laden had by now been telecast and the Middle
East connection was already established. By then everybody had lost signal
on their mobile phones and it was a matter of getting home to be with loved
ones. Ironically, my second class carried on despite the attacks and only
finished just after 12:30pm. By then, the Pentagon had already been attacked
and our level of worry was sky high. I thought of my brother-in-law, who
worked very close to the Pentagon and if he was okay. Walking back to my
car, a student shouted in my direction, Arabs did it. Luckily for me, that was
the extent of bullying I encountered as an Arab American during the next
months.
9/11 shook most people I knew, Arab Americans included. Almost
immediately, stories of racial abuse and rhetorical and physical attacks on
anybody who looked Middle Eastern or Muslim occurred not just in
Virginia, but in other states too. There were a number of fatwas at the time
which tried to deal with this. One still clear in my mind proposed that it was
okay for women who wear the hijab to take it off in the months following
the attacks (perhaps wearing a hat instead) to avoid being targeted. But
beyond this, the big question was; what was the US retaliation going to be
and would these terrible attacks be used to justify further hegemonic
behaviour from the worlds only super power?
The short answer: yes. Within 18 months, the US was now engaged in
a full fledged war in Afghanistan, had its sight set on Iraq and as ridiculous
as its reasonings were (former secretary of state Colin Powells UN address
comes to mind) it seemed an invasion of Iraq was imminent. Never mind the
millions of people who marched on the streets of Washington DC, London,
Berlin, Paris, and other major cities in protest. The invasion would take
place even if the US couldnt come up with a post-invasion strategy.

45

For the most part, Arab Americans found themselves in a position

where their allegiance to their country was being questioned. We witnessed
the establishment of Home Land Security and the Patriot Act, as well as the
beginning of the war on terror and the White Houses freedom agenda.
The then-US president George W. Bush seemed unstoppable. Actually, let
me rephrase: then-US secretary of defence Donald Rumsfeld seemed
unstoppable. The youre either with us or against us mantra was set in full
gear and all we could do is sit and watch.
Needless to say, Americas invasion of Iraq, which was being
propositioned as the way to bring democracy to the region, did not inspire
fellow Arabs to get democracy. It wasnt until 2011 that Arabs in Tunisia,
Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria, and beyond took matters in their own hands and
opted for peaceful protests as a means to fight for freedom and rid
themselves of dictatorships. Change came to Egypt, Tunisia and Libya and
Bin Laden had nothing to do with it.
On the other hand, a quick look at Afghanistan and Iraq today shows
the US missions havent entirely been successful, with America now
negotiating with the Taliban in Afghanistan (the same people it bombed in
2001) and on the verge of pulling its troops from Iraq after long bloody
years (where violence and suicide bombings are still very much the norm).
Americas foreign wars cost trillions and resulted in the deaths of
thousands of US soldiers. But most importantly for the Arab world, tens of
thousands of Muslims died as a direct result of these wars and this played a
pivotal role in how Arabs and Muslims perceive America. And if US image
suffered under Bush, its reached an all time low under current President
Barack Obama, whose ineptness and empty promises have been utterly
disappointing. Which brings us to the peace process - what most academics
and experts will agree is the single most important element of Arab/MuslimAmerican relations.
That the US was unable to stand up to Israel (and there were many
chances including Israels invasion of Gaza, of Lebanon and its ongoing
blockade on the Strip) has damaged Washingtons credibility beyond repair.
Its no wonder the Palestinians are scrambling to get to the UN later this
month and appeal to the international community for statehood recognition,
completely ignoring American and Israeli wishes. The truth is, the ruthless
attacks on America and Israels ongoing brutality against Palestinians are
connected. Yet the US continues to ignore that, planting more seeds of
hatred and giving the terrorists more ammunition; its worth mentioning
46

when the 9/11 Commission Report came out, there was a clear omission of
the Palestinian problem being a motivation for the terrorists even though
it was discussed at the 9/11 Commission hearing. Its this kind of blind
policy towards Israel, which amounts to injustice; that will continue to haunt
the US.
Ten years ago, our world was shaken by the terror attacks of 9/11. We
sought to understand what had happened and why. The US in its reaction
helped create more enemies who saw its wars as a sheer act of arrogance.
9/11 became a prelude to a decade of further violence. This contributed to an
increase of hate and deeper misunderstanding between the US and other
parts of the world and a rise in anti-Americanism. It is hoped that in ten
years time, America will have invested more in correcting its image abroad
through its actions and finding ways to lead in a less hegemonic way thus
returning to its true principles and values. Perhaps the rise of Asia would
make the latter point less relevant.

FIGHT CAUSES TERRORISM

Editorial of China Daily dated 11th September read: While the Untied
States and the rest of the world were preparing to mark the 10th anniversary
of the Sept 11, 2001 attacks on the US this week, two terrorist attacks in
India and Pakistan on Wednesday have reinforced the fact that the world is
no safer than it was 10 years ago, and humanity still faces a formidable task
to rid the world of the scourge of terrorism.
In Pakistan, two suicide bombers killed more than 20 people in an
attack on the residence of the deputy chief of the Frontier Corps in Quetta
city. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. While in India, a
South Asian militant group linked to Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for a
powerful briefcase bomb placed outside the High Court in New Delhi that
killed at least 11 people and wounded 76. It has been described as the worst
terrorist attack in the country since militants staged a number of coordinated
attacks that killed more than 164 people and wounded more than 300 in
Mumbai in 2008.
These heinous crimes against innocent people make it crystal clear
that the apparatus of international terrorism is still active. Therefore, even
though the Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed by US Special
Forces near the Pakistan capital in May, the fight against terrorism
continues.

47

The 9/11 attacks have had profound consequences, not only with
regard the heightened security measures introduced in Western countries that
have compromised privacy and even human rights, but also the escalation of
animosity between the Muslim world and the West.
The US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, waged as part of its War on
Terror, have engendered a huge loss of human life and only succeeded in
exacerbating the rift between Muslims and the West.
While commemorating the victims of the 9/11 attacks, the world
should also reflect on the lives lost as a result of these military actions and
other terrorist attacks and consider the fact that military might alone is
unlikely to bring terrorism to an end. Conflicts and turbulence are the hotbed
for terrorism. Poverty and backwardness form its soil.
To eradicate the root causes of terrorism, the international community
should make joint efforts to ease regional and global tensions, alleviate
poverty and shore up cooperation and reconciliation. This will require
coordinated economic, social and political measures. A consensus should
also be reached that fighting terrorism and protecting peoples lives and
properties are a responsibility of all.

THERE IS NO QUICK CURE FOR TERRORISM

Comments of Widney Brown, the Senior Director of International
Law and Policy at the International Secretariat of Amnesty International,
published in TheNation on September 12: There are many things I remember
about September 11, 2001.
Like almost all New Yorkers on that day, I remember the crisp fresh
air and the blue sky unbroken by clouds. I remember going to work, thinking
about the busy day I had ahead of me.
For me, that day was just another day. Another day at work as a
human rights activist. And then the first plane streaked across New Yorks
blue sky, flying too near, too low, too fast and too loud.
As I crossed Madison Avenue on my way to work in the Empire State
Building, I could not begin to understand what that screaming jet above me
would mean for my work over the next decade.
Many, perhaps most, New Yorkers were brought together at that
moment across all our usual fault lines supporting each other in our grief

48

and dislocation. We felt the loss, the disorientation, the desire to return to a
time before the world seemed to tumble down.
I walked the streets of New York that day as people searched for those
who were lost; as people sought to understand; as shock turned to grief and
anger and back again to grief.
What we did not know then was that our losses, our anger, and our
grief would become the justification for a fundamentally flawed concept a
global war on terror leading to immeasurable harm that dishonoured the
grief we felt on that day and continue to feel ten years later.
As governments began debating how to strengthen their laws to
combat terrorism by exploding international humanitarian law principles
basic and essential principles that protect us all from being tortured.
Fundamental due process protections were dismantled, exploiting the
resulting fear fear politicians leaped to identify and promote.
And so on this tenth anniversary, I write not just of the memory of that
day, but of how governments used the horrific events to exploit the grief and
anger to undermine fundamental values, promote fear and divide the world
into us and them.
When the US decided that torture was justifiable, it turned to its close
ally Egypt, knowing that the Egyptian security forces excelled at torture.
European governments supported renditions knowing full well of the risk of
torture to those rendered. Political opportunism thrived across the globe in
the post-September 11 world.
Amina Janjua from Pakistan is a woman who understands all too well
the consequences of these ill-conceived policies. Her husband, Masood, is
believed to have been held in government custody since he disappeared in
2005, when he was travelling on a bus to Peshawar, Pakistan. He is among
hundreds of people who have disappeared, believed to be held in custody
since Pakistan joined the US-led war on terror in 2001. In the meantime, in
Tanzania, India, Spain, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, the UK, Kenya,
Somalia, Iraq, Norway and Morocco, terrorists continued to wreak havoc as
they promoted hatred, killed civilians and glorified violence.
It is clich to say that the actions of the US government became strong
recruiting tools for organizations like Al-Qaeda. Whether or not this is true,
the question we must confront is this: have governments across the world
responded to this attack on human dignity by promoting the inherent dignity
and equality of everyone? Or have they defined a map of the world in which
49

respect for human dignity and life is dependent on ones nationality? Ones
religion? Ones class? Ones name? Ones immigration status? Ones skin
color?
These governments in the coalition fighting in Afghanistan tried to
gain credibility by claiming that their aim in part was to promote
womens rights in Afghanistan. But as the war drags on, a willingness to
negotiate with the Taliban is emerging, posing a real danger that womens
rights will become no more than a bargaining chip.
There is nothing simple about combating terrorism. But neither is
there anything simple about challenging repression by governments that
reduce people to labels that solely determine whether their rights will be
respected.
Terrorism will not be ended by building alliances with governments
that rule by fear and repression. This is counterproductive and demonstrates
a cruel disregard for the human rights of people suffering from that
repression.
We rightly recoil at the loss of lives to terror on and since September
11. But we should also be appalled by the loss of freedoms and rights in the
name of terror and counter-terrorism over the last ten years.

THE WAR WITHOUT END

Views of Mark Weisbrot, an affiliate of Al Jazeera were published in
TheNation on September 12: We support your war of terror, proclaims
Borat to a cheering crowd of Americans in a stadium, in the popular Sacha
Baron Cohen film. The crowd apparently thinks he got the preposition
wrong, but what makes the line darkly humorous is that he didnt.
Most of the victims of Americas wars that are supposedly against
terror have been civilians, and torture has also been deployed as a weapon.
Civilians in Pakistan are killed on average every week in drone strikes,
according to a recent report from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism,
and also regularly in Afghanistan in night raids.
And sometimes they are just shot point blank, as in March 2006 when
US soldiers reportedly executed at least 10 civilians, including a 70-year old
woman and a 5-month old baby, and then called in an air strike to bomb the
house and cover it up. A recently discovered US diplomatic cable from
Wikileaks provides evidence of this crime. Iraq veteran Ethan McCord says
50

that killings of civilians by US forces was standard operating procedure

while he was deployed there.
I grew up during the Cold War, and my elementary school teachers
told me that the difference between us and the Communists was that they
thought the end justifies the means, but we didnt. It wasnt true then, of
course American armed forces in Vietnam bombed villages, slaughtered
civilians, and threw people out of helicopters. But at least our leaders had to
pretend that they had some moral superiority to their enemies. Now we have
seen torture and assassination institutionalized and justified at the highest
levels. New crimes are continually uncovered: Documents recently captured
by Libyan rebels indicate that Washington was sending prisoners to
Gadaffis government for interrogation, i.e. torture.
So that is one of the casualties of 9-11, in addition to the 3000 people
brutally murdered on that fateful day in 2001: a moral degeneration among
our political leaders who, it must be acknowledged, were already at a low
level when it came to respect for human life in the rest of the world. But the
world should know that the views presented by our major media and
politicians do not necessarily reflect the consent of the governed. In a recent
poll conducted by the Pew Research Center, the public was evenly divided
on the question of whether the 9/11 attacks may have been the result of our
foreign policy.
This is especially impressive because it means that nearly half the
country came up with this idea on their own, as it has been scrupulously
avoided in ten years of media blather about how 9/11 changed the world.
If we had anything approaching a reality-based media, that number would
probably be upwards of eighty per cent. Only a quarter of those surveyed by
Pew thought that the wars had made Americans safer; the majority thought
the wars increased the chance of terrorist attacks or made no difference.
According to recent polls, a majority of Americans think that the US
should not be fighting in Afghanistan; a majority thinks that the US should
withdraw its troops as soon as possible, and two-thirds say the threat of
terrorism will stay the same when the US withdraws its troops.
WINDS OF CHANGE
The most important way that 9/11 changed the world, as tens of
millions of Americans understand, is that it provided an over-arching theme
and a rationale for the kinds of military adventures, invasions, bombings,
interventions and atrocities that our government had previously carried out

51

under other pretexts. For half a century the war against Communism served
this purpose.
It didnt matter that governments overthrown in Iran, Chile,
Guatemala or elsewhere had no connection to the Soviet Union; or that the
Vietnamese were fighting for their own independence. It was an excuse, with
a whole world view that shaped the countrys most important institutions,
and it provided a justification for empire. Then came that awkward decade
after the Berlin wall fell and Washington had to rely on ad hoc excuses, as in
the invasion of Panama or the first Iraq War. People like Vice President Dick
Cheney knew immediately after the towers went down that this was not just
a tragedy but an opportunity that would serve their interests for years to
come, beginning with the unnecessary wars and occupations of Afghanistan
and Iraq.
Knowing what we knew then, were we wrong to support the [Iraq]
war?
But it was the more liberal enablers, especially in the media, that
made everything possible. Bill Keller was executive editor of the New York
Times until returning to writing for the paper this month. In the run-up to the
invasion of Iraq, the paper printed such journalistic gems as the infamous
aluminium tubes report fake evidence of an Iraqi nuclear program and
other stories that, as the newspapers own public editor would write, pushed
Pentagon assertions so aggressively you could almost sense epaulets
sprouting on the shoulders of editors. Keller reminisces this week about the
I-Cant-Believe-Im-a-Hawk Club, made up of liberals for whom 9/11 had
stirred a fresh willingness to employ American might.
It was a large and estimable group of writers and affiliations, he
writes, including, among others, Thomas Friedman of The Times; Fareed
Zakaria, of Newsweek; George Packer and Jeffrey Goldberg of The New
Yorker; Richard Cohen of The Washington Post; the blogger Andrew
Sullivan; Paul Berman of Dissent; Christopher Hitchens of just about
everywhere; and Kenneth Pollack [now at the Brookings Institution]. Keller
poses the question: [K]nowing what we knew then, were we wrong to
support the [Iraq] war? After reviewing the costs of the war, in money and
lives [he says at least 100,000 were killed but the best estimates are closer
to a million], he concludes that Operation Iraqi Freedom was a monumental
blunder. But Whether it was wrong to support the invasion at the time is a
harder call. Its not a hard call for most of America, or the world for that
matter. Keller is asking the wrong question. The more important question is
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how the executive editor of the New York Times can be so confused between
right and wrong, when tens of millions of Americans, including many
intelligent children, can see right through the crap that we are bombarded
with every day.
Im only picking on the Times because it represents the liberal wing of
our establishment media. Most of the rest is much worse. This is one of the
great structural problems that must be confronted every day by Americans
who would like their country to become a civilized member of the
community of nations. The military-industrial-complex is of course another
enormous obstacle. General James L. Jones, Obamas National Security
Advisor, explained to journalist and author Bob Woodward, in his book
Obamas Wars, why the United States could not lose the war [in
Afghanistan] or be seen as losing the war.
If were not successful here, Jones said, youll have a staging base
for global terrorism all over the world. People will say the terrorists won.
And youll see expressions of these kinds of things in Africa, South
America, you name it. Any developing country is going to say, this is the
way we beat [the United States], and were going to have a bigger problem.
Before he took the job as Obamas National Security Advisor, Jones
was hauling down $2m a year, paid for serving on the boards of
corporations, lobby groups, and military contractors including Boeing and
Exxon-Mobil. This is a form of corruption more costly to the United States
than anything that our elites regularly denounce in Afghanistan, Iraq, or
Pakistan.
If all this sounds pessimistic, with President Obama having escalated
the war in Afghanistan, and mostly continuing the foreign policy of George
W. Bushs second term, things are not nearly as hopeless as they may seem.
First, some of what we are seeing is not structural, but situational. The
United States is facing its worst economic failure since the Great
Depression. This has drawn attention away from our wars, and given the
foreign policy establishment more leeway than they normally would have to
proceed without regard to public opinion.
President Obama decided early on that he was not going to expend or
risk any political capital trying to change US foreign policy, since his reelection would depend on domestic issues. And many other political actors
have made similar decisions, not always for purely opportunistic reasons.
Second, the fact that Obama, a perceived liberal and the countrys first
African-American president, is in the White House, has kept protest to a
53

minimum. If a Republican president were doing the same things, there

would be people in the streets and a lot more of the kind of grass-roots
organizing that we saw in Wisconsin. And Washington would be paying a
bigger political price in the rest of the world for its crimes, as it did when
George W. Bush was president. Nonetheless, the peace movement remains
quite strong and is exerting pressure every day in ways that generally go
unreported. This summer, 96 per cent of Democrats in the US House of
Representatives went against their president and voted to establish a
timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan. This was a result of the
organized efforts of the peace movement. Americans will end these wars and
change the foreign policy that got us into them, the same way we got out of
Vietnam or cut off congressional funding to right-wing terrorists in
Nicaragua in the 1980s: through persistent organizing, educational work, and
pressure on their government especially the Congress. That is how we will
eventually become a republic, as most Americans want, instead of an
empire.

REMEMBERING 9/11 AS A MUSLIM AMERICAN

Amad Shaikh is the founder of MuslimMatters.org, an award-winning
blog representing Muslim voices. His comments were published in
TheNation on September 12.
September 11, 2001. As a young engineer at an oil refinery in Texas, I
remember being glued to the 14inch TV screen, sitting at the corner of the
department secretarys office. Live, grainy footage beamed live from New
York City. As the towers collapsed, my heart sank. I also felt strangely
uncomfortable a gut feeling perhaps of what to come my way as an
American Muslim. I suddenly remembered to call my wife, a veiled and
obvious Muslim. She was out shopping at the Krogers grocery store, but
knew something was wrong due to angry looks she was already getting.
In the days following the attack, I saw the best and worst of America,
right there at that oil refinery. The good included a steady stream of
visitors, sharing their sentiments, seeing me as one of them, not as the
other. It also included all levels of my white, Southern management, each
tier assuring me of its support; that they would not stand for any form of
hate directed at me.
Even the sincere, friendly voices though seemed to assumed that I
should know why it happened because after all I was a Muslim like the

54

hijackers. My responses were confused and defensive, not quite prepared

for the new role thrust upon me as a Muslim emissary.
I also saw the bad. A rumour quickly spread at the plant that I had
ripped off a US flag sticker from my hard-hat and tossed it in the bin. I was
also taunted by individuals who reminded me that I should be careful, but
thankfully I faced no violence.
That week, on September 15, my family had plans to move to our first
home, part of our American dream. We were moving to a white
neighbourhood in League City on the outskirts of Houston. When we
arrived at our new home and got out of our minivan, the neighbours quickly
cleared the street and went indoors, yet another reminder of the arduous path
ahead of us.
9/11 caught us all by surprise. American Muslims, ever so
comfortable and free in our ways, were caught off-guard. We were grieving
with our nation, but also required to share responsibility and answer for the
actions of a few who claimed to share our faith.
The wider Muslim communitys reaction was thus filled with
confusion and inaction. Denial, victimization, silence and anger were all
utilized to one degree or another. The only common voice was that of
condemnation but somehow that escaped most of the public.
The rest of the American public also grieved, but without the burden
of guilt by association. Most Americans, to their credit, were actually quite
precise in their initial raw reactions, with the larger focus on victims and the
entity of al-Qaeda, and less on the religion and practitioners of Islam.
But that was not to last long.
A cottage industry of anti-Muslim bigots, from all walks of life,
sprung into a constant, high-intensity demonization of Muslims, with many
pointing not at the actions of radical Muslims, but at Islam itself. Thus, in
the years following 9/11, guilt by association became standard modus
operandi: every Islamic organization started appearing as the fifth column
and every Muslim a potential terrorist. In more recent years, a group of
highly organized, well funded individuals became part of this massive
Islamophobia echo chamber referred to as Fear Inc in a new groundbreaking investigative report produced by Centre for American Progress
(CAP).

55

Polling results tell the story. Unfavourable opinion about Muslims and
Islam actually went up in later years as compared to the months following
9/11 itself in nearly every way poll and question variation.

PAKISTAN FIGHTING THE GHOSTS OF 9/11

Tanvir Ahmad Khan is a former Pakistani foreign secretary and
ambassador to several states. His views were published by TheNation on
September 12, courtesy Gulf News.
One cuts through the fog of conspiracy theories that set out to prove
that the Bush administration and Israel had, singly or jointly, staged the
September 11 tragedy to create the casus belli for the re-conquest of the
strategically indispensable Greater Middle East. One holds fast to the fact
that a deeply frustrated Osama Bin Laden launched the attack to force the
US to withdraw its military forces from Saudi Arabia and other ArabMuslim lands and/or to overextend the US power to a point of exhaustion.
And yet the ironies remain.
A recent American poll revealed that 90 per cent of the Afghans know
nothing about that event otherwise seared into the memory of millions
across the globe. They are still confused why the US expended so much of
its blood and treasure to maintain a decade-long occupation of their
impoverished and medieval land.
In Iraq, an ancient civilization crumbled as up to a million children of
this civilization perished one way or the other. The myth of weapons of mass
destruction was abandoned years ago. Now no less a person than Baroness
Eliza Manningham-Buller, the former director general of MI6 has told a
worldwide audience of BBCs Reith lectures that September 11 was a
crime, not an act of war and that neither Saddam Hussain nor his regime
had anything to do with it.
STAGGERING LOSSES
On that fateful morning, Osama was still ensconced comfortably in
Afghanistan, when his band of kamikaze pilots none of them an Afghan or
a Pakistani brought down the towering symbols of Americas economic
and military power. Afghanistan was the first target of retribution and still
bleeds profusely from the wounds inflicted over a decade.
Pakistan was the chosen one for facilitating the follow up of the first
strike and is now confronted with staggering human and material losses; it
56

has had 35,000 of its citizens killed in retaliatory terrorist attacks; its
economy is in shambles and its social order is in ever-expanding chaos.
Ironies abound for its hapless people who ponder why it suffered so
grievously when it was being trumpeted as a partner, a non-Nato ally of
Washington, earmarked for American largesse.
Some of the reasons why Pakistan became a continuing victim of the
processes set into motion by September 11 are easily identified. Washington
decided that Pakistan would have to resume its role of being a lynchpin of its
strategic plan.
General Musharraf, still an unvarnished military ruler, was desperate
for some legitimacy and turned out to be more eager to assume that role than
the Bush administration had ever imagined. Ten years on, the Washington
insider, Bruce Reidel, who was the first to give President Barack Obama an
extensive briefing on Pakistan, says it was a mistake to trust Musharraf.
No less importantly, Pakistan has a westernized ruling elite, powerful
elements of which cannot visualize a foreign policy other than the one
embedded in a strong alliance with the US. It was, once, willing to support
the West on the Suez crisis of 1956 and was deterred only by massive proEgypt demonstrations.
It played a key role in routing the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. It was
glad to spearhead the latest campaign against Al Qaeda and its traditional,
tribal hosts, the Taliban regime as the international community tightened the
economic noose around its neck.
Over the years, Musharraf has tried to rationalize his decision to
commit Pakistan without settling the rules of engagement, its limits and
above all, its ends. His regime claimed that America would have otherwise
bombed Pakistan into the Stone Age, that it would have invited the Indians
to settle their old scores and that without Washington and the IMF Pakistans
economy would simply implode.
Musharraf must have been a very poor military thinker to tell his
nation that it would all be over in three weeks; his failure to anticipate the
resistance in Afghanistan and the backlash against Pakistan was colossal.
Kargil had shown him up as a military leader with a pathetic knowledge of
the likely consequences and the capacity of his own side to sustain big
adventures.
By 2003, the Taliban had outwitted him on every score and their
Pakistani supporters had created an indigenous counterpart capable of
57

literally dominating large tracts of the vast tribal belt and of engaging
Pakistans mighty army and auxiliary forces for years to come.
For Pakistan, there is no easy closure on September 11. The general
election was a moment to restore a more holistic policy towards internal and
external terror but the powers that be permitted a transition from
Musharrafs dictatorship on the condition that the successor democratic
regime would continue his policy.
A democratic dispensation threatened all the time by ethical and
unethical plots to unseat it is often less efficient than a pure military rule.
Pakistans decline in every sphere of national activity has constrained its
capacity to fight the demons of September 11 further. That Pakistan had
nothing to do with that epochal event has become academic.
The comments reproduced above, in fact, pertain to the terror that has
been perpetrated by the US and its allies for ten years and still counting. The
most perturbing aspect of this has been that it all started as revenge of 9/11
attacks the perpetrators of which remain unidentified. Eight out of ten
Americans doubt the official version and many suspect it as inside job.
12th September, 2011

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BODY BLOWS
During the period covered in last review Imran Khan had organized
second sit-in in Islamabad on second Saturday of Ramazan in connection
with his campaign of Hakumat Hatao, Mulk Bachao. This event of political
significance was completely ignored by electronic and print media.
This act of voluntary news censoring was quite intriguing especially
in era in which about a dozen kids pelting stones are shown as breaking
news. It cast enough doubts about the so-called independence of fourth pillar
of the State. Presumably, invisible force of rupees or dollars or combination
of the two had played behind the scenes.
It marked the beginning of a revenge season in which the evil forces
in political arena delivered body blows on each others in frenzy. PPP
government in Sindh promulgated three ordinances to revert back to
bureaucratic system of local administration just to punish MQM for
walking our of Zardaris political haram.
Nationalists jumped into the arena and nearly stole the show. Then,
five young men from Lyari were kidnapped, tortured and murdered. Random
kidnapping and killing of Urdu-speaking people followed with speed of a
boxer. Malik rushed to the city and ordered release of 18 abductees. Chief
Justice took suo moto notice of killings and General Kayani visited Karachi.
On 28th August, Dr Zulfikar Mirza delivered the upper-cut and sent
MQM and Malik reeling. MQM stepped back, gathered its wits and held a
retaliatory press conference but it lacked partys fire and flare. Mirza was
not deterred; he maintained the impetus of his onslaught.
Body blows produced the intended result; MQM showed the desire to
fall back to Zardaris hara. PPP made reconciliatory moves; first canceled all
the ordinances and reverted back to the LG system of Musharraf era and
then made frequent contacts, but blows delivered by Mirza became
unbearable for MQM. Mustafa Kamal entered the arena to hurl some blows.
MQM also ended its boycott of media and on 9 th September Altaf
decided to join the competition, but he put up very poor show during his
video conference. He invited more trouble from almost every political party.
Then, next day appeared on TV screens; he too disappointed the nation
seeing a begging bowl in his hand.

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NEWS
On 22nd August, 13 more people were killed in Karachi. Petitions were
filed in the Supreme Court and SHC begging deployment of Army to restore
peace in the city. The Supreme Court sought video footages from TV
channels showing killings. Asma Jahangir addressed lawyers in Karachi and
she termed Lyari Peace Committee as PPPs Bhatha collection committee.
Differences over the strategy to control killings emerged in the PPP.
Rehman Malik and Zulfikar Mirza exchanged hot words during the meeting
chaired by Gilani. Both of them were told to appear before the media and
deny the occurrence of verbal encounter and Mirza was once again
summoned to Islamabad by the Don. Late in the evening, Gilani approved
operation by Rangers and Police in nine troubled spots of the city.
MQM blamed Lyari Peace Committee for the bloodshed and Farooq
Sattar announced observance of day of mourning on 23 rd August; traders and
smaller parties supported the MQM call for strike. Altaf Hussain demanded
resignation of Gilani if cant control situation in Karachi.
Next day, strike was observed in the city except by the killers. Altaf
thanked people for making the strike a success. Six people were killed as
Rehman Malik ordered the bhatha mafia to leave the city because surgical
operations has been planned against them; a few hours later the directive
was amended and mafia was told to stop its activities for a while.
Late at night, the Core Committee of PPP put its weight behind the
action plan devised by the Sindh government to purge the port city from
target killers and extortionists through effective and optimal utilization of
Police and Rangers. Zardari talked to Asfandyar on telephone during the
meeting of Core Committee.
Asma Jahangir supported the regimes decision not to call Army; she
announced that lawyers would oppose deployment of Army. Sharjeel
Memon hinted at playing into foreign hands to exert added pressure on
MQM. Surprisingly, MQM loud-mouths went missing from TY screens.
Javed Hashmi urged for collective wisdom to solve problems in Karachi.
The Supreme Court was informed by the lawyer representing the
Interior Secretary that its order about Husain Asghar could not be
implemented because of the law and order situation in GB; moreover, the
officer himself was not interested to serve in FIA. The court gave another
two weeks to implement its order.

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On 24th August, operation and threats from bhatha mafias continued

concurrently as Karachi experienced relative peace. One person was killed
and 72 criminals were arrested from nine troubles areas but Lyari was
remained generally untouched. Nine SHOs were changed and 17 more were
likely to be changed. Shahi Syed said ANP welcomes the operation but it
would remain inconsequential till the Rangers reach the torture cells and
expose those to the public and punish all those linked to those cells.
Zardari called Ishrat to Islamabad take MQM into confidence about
the impartiality of the operation and further bargaining. Munter met Qaim
Ali and discussed the situation in troubled city. The Crusaders put pressure
through Britain for PPP-MQM reconciliation as the unrest in Karachi
threatened the supply line to Afghanistan. MQM was reported to have
agreed to new formula of reconciliation amongst stakeholders.
JI chief accused MQM of conspiring with foreigners. Wassan
appeared before the media wearing a fancy hat giving look of a leader of
drug mafia from Mexico rather than a law-enforcer concerned about the
gravity of the situation. PML-N leaders visited Karachi. MQM invited PMLN leaders Mushahidullah, Parvez Rashid and Saad Rafiq on iftar party.
The Chief Justice of Pakistan took suo moto notice of Allama Tahirul
Qadris statement about killings in Karachi. He observed Executive has
failed; formed five-member bench; fixed the date of hearing for August 26
and summoned IGP Sindh, AG Sindh and presidents of SBC and SHBC.
PAC Chairman, Chaudhry Nisar dissolved all sub committees in the
wake of appointment of Akhtar Buland Rana as Auditor General of Pakistan.
Nisar alleged that appointment of controversial person was aimed at making
the PAC ineffective; he said the NA body could not be subjected to
governments agenda. Meanwhile, FIA traced links of Moonis with
embezzled money in NICL scam.
Next day, a lawyer was shot dead and 15 suspects were held in raids.
Bars in Karachi condemned the murder of Murtaza Chenai. Rangers were
given additional police powers for three months regarding clearance of nogo areas, targeted killings and bhatha collection. PPP and MQM wrote
letters to foreign diplomats accusing each other for killings in Karachi.
Qaim Ali chaired meeting on Karachi operation. Sindh government
circular said APC has been called for August 26 and in the evening Sharjeel
Memon announced no such meeting has been called. Farooq Sattar and
Haider Rizvi met Registrar Supreme Court and sought advice how MQM
could help the court hearing as aggrieved party.
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Threatening letter was found in car park of the Supreme Court after
MQM leaders had met the Registrar and Babar Awan had just left. Letter
said there would be bomb blast in the building tomorrow (the day of hearing
Karachi case). Unknown terrorists had also threatened to kill Chief Justice
and Zardari. Bracketing of the two was quiet intriguing; was it to do
anything with tomorrows hearing of suo moto of Karachi.
PML-N team led by Shahbaz spent busy day in Karachi discussing the
situation and consoling the families of the victims. Shahbaz suggested joint
strategy to end killings. Gilani said killings in Karachi were not something
new; he claimed that across the board action was being taken.
Gilani also acquitted his son of corruption charges linked to Hajj
scam. About Chief Justices letter about Auditor General he said Ran
Bulands only fault is that he is from Multan. Zafar Qureshi briefed NA body
on NICL; he said Moonis Elahi was involved in money laundering.
On 26th August, Babar Awan appeared before the five-member bench
on the behalf of the federal government; while, the chief secretary and Sindh
IGP the Sindh government. The Sindh AG on behalf of chief secretary and
IGP presented two reports. According to the reports, 500 FIRs were
registered, while 232 cases were registered and 306 people were target killed
in one month in Karachi.
Justice Tariq Pervaiz said that there were many incidents, which have
not been reported and if those are included the number of cases would be
higher. The chief justice also expressed his dissatisfaction over the reports
and ordered for detailed reports. The court ordered Sindh Advocate General
to submit copies of Daily Situation Reports (DSR) from July 24 to August
23 and the briefs of FIRs. The IGP has also been directed to file the details
of injured persons and loss of properties and whether people have been
arrested and the responsibilities fixed.
The CJ observed that the AG should have consulted the ISI, military
intelligence and Intelligence Bureau for getting a complete picture on
Karachi. The CJP told the attorney general about the sensitivity of the case,
directing him not to take it in a light manner. One strike in Karachi incurs a
loss of Rs25 billion, he said.
Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq informed the court that he had
tried to contact all the intelligence agencies heads but was only able to talk
to FIA and IB, who say that Karachi unrest is a provincial matter. The chief
justice advised him to not get into the absurdities of jurisdictions, telling him

62

that Karachi is mini Pakistan and its peace is must for the development of
the whole country.
Abdul Hafiz Pirzada, counsel for Sindh government, told the court
that calling the army in Karachi would not control violence. Warlords rule
Karachi, which today faces a complex problem with multiple dimensions,
Pirzada informed the court. God help us, the CJ observed while expressing
shock over the presence of warlords. Pirzada requested the court to give
some time for placing some important documents. The chief justice said
Karachi, the locus of business activity, should not be allowed to descend into
further chaos.
The counsel of the federal government, Babar Awan, said warlords
had also taken Swat hostage but the government had defeated them. He said
the CJP should not make statements which could be misconstrued. The
Sindh governments attorney said the court didnt have the solution to the
Karachi issue.
The chief justice said the court has the constitutional right to ensure
the rights of the common people. He said it was demand of the 180 million
people that was why the court took the action. The situation in Karachi is out
of control for the last one month. The court asked how many people had
been killed and why the culprits could not be nabbed. Advocate General said
a man who killed 100 people was released by the court. The case has been
adjourned till Monday, and the bench has been shifted to Karachi.
In Karachi, sixteen more criminals were hauled up; but general
public remained suspicious about the crackdown; meanwhile Rs4.5 million
were looted from a bank. Lawyers boycotted courts to protest murder of
Murtaza Chenai. In a meeting of the Bars they decided not to contest cases
of arrested terrorists.
Shahbaz Taseer son of Salman Taseer was kidnapped in Lahore. Latif
Khosa held a press conference and blamed PML-N government for his
abduction. President and Prime Minister expressed concerns; Shahbaz Sharif
vowed to investigate personally and even Imran Khan rushed to his house.
Chief Justice wrote a letter to the President expressing reservations on
appointment of Akhtar Buland Rana as Auditor General. Meanwhile, the
regime was all set to appoint another person with credentials similar to
Buland Rana as Governor of State Bank.
Next day, more than 370 criminals were hauled up in Karachi in last
four days. Nationalists took out rally against unrest and pledged not to let
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mafias take city hostage. In Lahore, Imtiaz Warriach of PPP vowed to launch
province-wide protests over kidnapping of Shahbaz Taseer.
Zardari rejected all the observations of the Chief Justice on Akhtar
Buland Rana and The Chief Justice was told to administer the oath to new
AGP which he did in the afternoon. The ceremony was unprecedented
because before the administration of oath Registrar read out brief resume of
reservations about his appointment and how those were brushed aside by the
Executive.
Shahbaz Sharif accused federal law ministry of delaying two power
projects in Punjab for want of bribe and he urged Gilani to punish the
culprits. ATC Rawalpindi ordered confiscation of property of Musharraf
after declaring him proclaimed offender Benazir murder case.
On 28th August, Rangers discovered two torture cells and dug out a
cache of weapons during operation in Lyari. PPP leadership in South
Karachi resigned in protest. Rehman Malik said 133 suspected criminals
were held in Lyari operation. Wassan claimed the city was returning to
normalcy as only two dead bodies were found during the day.
Zulfikar resigned as minister, member of Sindh Assembly and part
membership in a press conference in which he bitterly criticized Rehman
Malik and MQM. He made some revelations while swearing on the Holy
Quran, i.e. Rehman Malik is a compulsive lair and he is threat to integrity of
Pakistan. He also blamed Agha Siraj Durrani for playing double game and
criticized Ahmed Chenai.
The focus of his revelations was on MQM. He accused MQM for the
woes of Karachi related to targeted killings and extortion. He said Wali
Babar was killed by MQM, 25 target-killers were got released on parole.
Mirza quoted Altaf saying that the US has decided to break up Pakistan and
MQM has to be ready for that and therefore it cant stop killing Pakhtuns.
MQM also wrote the British government to finish ISI before it creates
another Osama.
Zulfikars resignation as minister and party office was accepted.
Firdous Ashiq Awan said Zulfikar Mirza first resigned and then address the
media men. Therefore, whatever he said was in his personal capacity and
PPP has nothing to do with it. US Embassy refrained from commenting on
the statement of Mirza. MQM termed Mirzas allegations as absurd, but
asked Zardari to explain his position.

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Rehman Malik held a press conference and vowed to continue across

the board operation. He confessed that 18 abductees which were got released
by him few days ago were held by Lyari gang. He said that Zulfikar Mirza is
his younger brother and he being angry could say anything. He insisted on
maintaining contacts with MQM.
Political parties termed Mirzas charges serious; Imran Khan asked
Rehman Malik to resign. President met Fehmida and consulted others. Late
at night he summoned ministers of Sindh to Islamabad. Speaker National
Assembly formed parliamentary committee on Karachi and Balochistan.
Next day, AG Maulvi Anwarul Haq submitted report containing
information gathered by Special Branch, FIA and IB; the court expressed its
dissatisfaction and warned that the situation in Karachi was in danger of
spinning out of hand. The chief justice remarked the presented report
contained nothing new and directed the authorities to table such report as
could lead to some result. The court directed the AG to present intelligence
reports of ISI and MI.
The AGP requested the court not to disclose some important parts of
the report of the secret agencies, and it should not be made part of court
record. The court said a decision to keep the report classified will be taken
after it has been reviewed. It also remarked that since most part of the report
is based on newspaper reports, keeping it confidential was of no use.
IGP Sindh admitted that many areas of the city have become no-go
zones with the death toll mounting to 306 in a month of gang wars and
mayhem. He also submitted that a total of 306 people have been killed in
Karachi between July 24 and August 24. He said 232 cases have been
registered in 75 police stations during one month. The IGP asserted that
despite the ongoing carnage, the situation is within the control of lawenforcement agencies.
The CJP queried how many people had been arrested so far and why
the people responsible for Karachi violence were not being identified. The
police chief replied that the police arrested 20 suspects but most of them
were released as the complainants were scared to appear before the court to
record their statements against the suspects. The court directed the IGP to
present a comprehensive report on the Karachi killings. The court sought the
names of police officers who were killed in the line of duty and also those of
the arrested target killers, but Durrani failed to answer these questions.
The chief justice asked Durrani to give him the number of police
officials and also the number of police officials designated to VVIPs duties.
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Durrani responded that out of 32,000 police officials, only 20,000 are
operational. He said that 12,000 are non-operational out of which 4,000 are
protecting SIU and CPO officials and 8,000 are on VVIP duties. When the
chief justice asked him to explain why the VIPs required so much security,
the IGP said the VIPs claim their life is under threat and that they need
security.
JI leader and former MPA Abdul Waheed Qureshi filed an application
requesting to be a party in the case. Such applications were also filed by the
Awami Nation Party leader Bashir Khan, Sindh Bachao Committee leader
Shah Muhammad Shah, Sindh High Court Bar Association President Anwar
Mansoor Khan and Karachi Bar Association President Muhammad Aqil and
Hyder Imam Rizvi. Earlier, Muttahida Quami Movement had also filed an
application requesting to become a party.
Meanwhile, police arrested a target killer from Baloch Colony, while
Mirza remained the most sought after man by TV channels and he ruled the
screens throughout the day. In his interview he made more revelations
including that Imran Farooq was killed by MQM on the instructions of Altaf
Hussain and three persons were arrested at Karachi Airport recently on the
tip off from Scotland Yard.
Rehman Malik had already denied any such arrests. This led to
rumours about Altaf forcing British High Commissioner to deny reports
regarding detention of Altaf Hussain or imposition of any restrictions on his
movement. He also said he was enjoying watching happenings in Pakistan.
Zardari and Rehman Malik telephoned to enquire about the ailing
Altaf Hussain. Late at night Zardari ordered stern action against Mirza and
PPP vowed to continue reconciliatory policy and renew contacts with
MQM. ANP demanded that Mirza should be summoned by the Supreme
Court. Maj Gen Ijaz was posted back to Sindh Rangers. Angry employees
for non payment of 4-months salaries attacked KESC head office and police
baton charged the protesters.
On 30th August, Abdul Hafeez Pirzada contended that the security
situation had improved since the courts notice on the issue. He also
informed the court that there are at least 2.5 million foreigners including
Palestinians, Burmese, Bengalis, Nepalese and Sri Lankans living in
Karachi, but less than 100,000 have been registered. He apprised the court
that all foreigners have arms with increased influence in the affairs of the
city and in recent years.

66

The counsel maintained the most critical problem of the city was
extortionists (bhatha mafia) and drug mafia. Furthermore, he said the
percentage of court convictions is very low and services of police and
Rangers are not being properly utilized. The Chief Justice asked Pirzada
about the polices failure to identify victims of target killings.
The Chief Justice said the government has the resources and
machinery to restore peace in the metropolis but lacks the will to do so. He
directed the Sindh government to act immediately to curb the violence. He
said the provinces chief minister is duty-bound to protect the people of
Sindh. He said extortion money is being collected like a right in the city
marred by frequent recoveries of mutilated bodies. He questioned as to how
the situation could be improved under such circumstances.
He expressed dissatisfaction that none of the accused were present in
anti-terrorism courts, nor were issued a challan by the police. He slammed
the police for not recording the statement of an injured victim who was
recovered earlier this week. He noted that the provincial governments move
to borrow federal security forces has proved very expensive. The better
alternative, the CJ remarked, was to develop the provincial police force.
During the hearing of the case, the CJ gave remarks that its time that
the provincial government woke up, as the matter has become serious and a
fundamental right to security is being violated. After hearing arguments the
court, adjourned the hearing, till September 5. Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami,
Awami National Party, Sindh Bachao Committee, Sindh High Court Bar
Association and Karachi Bar Association filed applications requesting to
become party to the case.
MQM termed Mirza an anti-Pakistan and sick minded person and
said that his allegations against Altaf Hussain were shameful and baseless.
Addressing a Press conference, Faisal Sabzwari said that the monstrous
allegation made by Zulfiqar Mirza about an alleged US plot to break up
Pakistan, referring to his meeting with Altaf Hussain in London, is as much
laughable as it is grave.
Sabzwari further said: Zulfiqar Mirza has tried to increase his stature
by pointing finger at the leader of the third largest political party who is
honoured by millions of people. It is highly ridiculous that Altaf Hussain
held secretive talks with him. This is nothing but slander and a white lie.
There is not a speck of reality in it and the MQM condemns this in the
strongest possible terms.

67

Commenting on Mirzas allegation about Altaf Hussains involvement

in Pakhtun killings in Karachi, he said that the conversation referred to Altaf
Hussain by Zulfiqar Mirza regarding killing of the Pakhtuns is an unabashed
lie, baseless and a figment of imagination of his devious mind.
Reportedly, MQM decided to come closer to the ruling PPP and is
expected to be part of the coalition shortly after Eidul Fitr. Agha Siraj
Durrani met Zardari and discussed the situation in the province. He
subsequently told reporters that the PPP and the MQM would offer Eid
prayers separately, but would join hands shortly thereafter.
Mirza once against lashed out at the MQM and cautioned that if
something happens to him then MQM should be held responsible.
Addressing a crowded press conference at the Hyderabad Press Club, he
alleged that the MQM wanted to rule Sindh. He vowed to fight for the rights
of Sindh and urged youths of the province to strengthen his hands.
He charged that thousands of containers of arms and ammunition went
missing in Karachi, accusing former minister for ports and shipping and
senior MQM leader Babur Ghauri of being responsible for their
disappearance. He alleged that Ghauri became the biggest real estate tycoon
in Karachi from being nothing at all during Musharrafs era.
Meanwhile, Zardari said Fehmida Mirza would stay in his party while
Mirza wept when asked about her political future. The regime rejected
demand for commission to probe into statements of Dr Mirza. The US
decided to give no response to Mirzas statement. Two suicide members
were killed in premature explosion in Karachi and a man was shot dead.
Next day, PPP leaders celebrated Eid by telephoning Altaf Hussain
and enquiring about his health. Meanwhile, operation by Rangers continued.
On 1st September, DG Rangers briefed Rehman Malik about the ongoing
operation in Karachi. Party flags were removed from parts of the city.
On 2nd September, three persons were killed in Karachi. Rangers held
18 suspects in Karachi in the ongoing operation. Rehman Malik said
targeted-killings is not restricted to Karachi, it was carried out in every city
of Pakistan. Zulfikar Mirza was accorded warm reception on his return from
Badin to Karachi. He urged the participants to support Zardari and Bilawal.
He called for revenge if murdered and urged that 300,000 arms, the licences
of which were issued by him to the Sindhi people, should be used against the
MQM. He also accused Rehman Malik of releasing those he had arrested.

68

Next day, a TTP terrorist was arrested and one person was shot dead
by gunmen. Army once again expressed concern over situation in Karachi
and wanted indiscriminate action against criminals. Gilani warned the landgrabbers in the city. The government mulled special courts to try target
killers. General Ziauddin while commenting on Karachi said India was
pursuing K for K policy.
On 4th September, five persons, including MQM activist, were killed
in Karachi and five target killers were arrested in Karachi and one of them
stated that he was not linked to any political party. Rehman Malik wanted a
judicial commission to probe into allegations leveled by Mirza. Babar Awan
met Ishrat. First Rehman Malik and then Gilani telephoned Altaf, who
agreed to water the sapling of democracy. Christians protested in
Faisalabad for Shahbaz Taseer.
Next day, Iftikhar Gilani, counsel for ANP, argued in the Supreme
Court that the recent target killings in Karachi were neither ethnic in origin
nor a result of gang wars. Gangs kill only their rivals and not the innocent
citizens, he contended. Ajmal Pahari had admitted before all the agencies
that he was imparted training in India, he said.
He requested the court to summon Malik regarding a disturbing
statement he made about the recent rise of violence in the city. He added that
statements of Zulfiqar Mirza could not be ignored. The chief justice
remarked that why Zulfiqar Mirza stayed quiet for eight years? Why he did
not say anything before? Does he want to become a partner in the case?
The ANP counsel said that decision of this case be kept withheld and
it should be monitored what the government was doing. CJP remarked Abdul
Hafiz Pirzada had earlier suggested that a wake up call be given to the
government. CJP observed that 800 persons were killed in Karachi last year
and killing was continuing this year as well. Two dead bodies were
recovered from Karachi a day before and one person was burnt alive. What
the police is doing, he inquired.
The court ordered the Sindh IGP to take indiscriminate action against
the culprits behind Karachi unrest and present video of all torture cells in the
city on next hearing. The court also asked the IGP to submit a CD containing
the interviews of the four persons held for target killings and directed the
attorney general to submit report of the intelligence agencies.
Meanwhile, three dead bodies were found in Karachi and six people
were killed. Zardari and Altaf had telephone conversation for 45 minutes.
Mirza wanted Swat-like operation in Karachi. He termed Rehman Malik
69

agent of foreign agencies. Khurshid Shah met Ishrat and the two parties
came close to reaching \understanding.
On 6th September, the Supreme Court resumed hearing of the Karachi
violence suo moto case. Chief Justice remarked that the report of the joint
investigation team on Ajmal Pahari raised questions about national
sovereignty. He asked the AG and IGP if they had read this report. He
further asked what should be saved, the country or the government. The CJ
also questioned what measures IG Sindh had taken after this report, since it
contained information regarding the organization Pahari was affiliated with.
Justice Ghulam Rabbani pointed out that if no action was to be taken,
then why were joint investigation teams formed? The chief justice asked IG
Sindh if Kamran alias Maduhri was arrested in connection with the firing on
police in Chakra Goth, or had he been released. The IG replied that he was
arrested, to which Justice Amir Hani Muslim asked if his charge sheet had
been presented in the court. IG Sindh informed the court that Kamran was
injured and thus could not be presented to which Justice Amir Hani Muslim
replied that he should be presented with a medical certificate.
Also during proceedings SCBA President Asma Jehangir said the
MQM had started extortion in Karachi and other parties had followed suit.
Chief Justice ordered AG Sindh to issue orders to appoint judges for Anti
Terrorism and Banking courts within two days as the bench noted the
shortage of judges in Sindh province. The judges had not been appointed
even after the recommendations by the Chief Justice Sindh High Court in
2009 and 2011.
MQM once again brushed aside the allegations leveled by Zulfiqar
Mirza, terming them as completely baseless and false in a press conference
held Mustafa Kamal. He termed the letter written to Tony Blair fake and said
a conspiracy was being hatched against the MQM which is aimed mainly at
character assassination of MQM and its Chief. He claimed that MQM could
not be eliminated through conspiracies and that plots to push 'Muhajirs'
against the wall must be stopped forthwith.
Corps Commander Karachi and DG Rangers met with COAS Kiyani
in Rawalpindi. Both commanders discussed different aspects of the Karachi
situation and the future course of action. Following this meeting the COAS
called on Zardari and demanded more powers for Rangers. And, DG
Rangers vowed to crush target killers if Police powers given for longer
period.

70

Police arrested two suspected target killers of eight persons in Landhi,

the arrested accused have political affiliation. Imran Khan reiterated demand
for governor rule and urged chief justice to summon Mirza. Meanwhile, in
Lahore kidnappers of Shahbaz Taseer demanded RS2 billion ransom.
Next day, DG Rangers told the Supreme Court that the situation in
Karachi was worse than the state of affairs in Waziristan, saying that militant
groups of political and ethnic parties were involved in the violence. He said
criminals frequently took shelter in the offices of political parties. He added
that an armed solution to the problem was only temporary and the issue
could be resolved through political means. But he requested that police
powers given to the Rangers should last until peace is restored in the city.
The chief justice said: If even a single person is killed, the
government is responsible. Elected representatives are sitting in the
assemblies. The Senate is working. Why, then, there is so much
helplessness? It is all a political gimmick. He said the government has
failed in Karachi to maintain its writ. The chief justice also continued to
criticize Sindh Police and pointed out inherent weaknesses in its
investigation reports.
Jamaat-e-Islami lawyer, Abdul Qadir Jatoi informed the court that the
killing in Karachi was being done under the guidance of political parties in
order to influence the Senate elections. Jatoi added that Zulfiqar Mirza had
made important disclosures and was an important witness in the case. He
also presented a CD of Zulfiqar Mirzas statements.
The chief justice remarked that if Zulfiqar Mirza has to say
something, his affidavit should be presented in court and a petition should be
filed. He further said that it was not the job of the court to record statements
of witnesses and for this a separate petition had to be filed. Why should we
call Zulfiqar Mirza; if he has something to say he should record his sworn
statement the chief justice said.
The chief of Awami Tehreek, Rasul Bux Palejo said the present
government was a dummy and only wanted to collect tax the real power is
with the US. He added that everyone knew that the MQM was behind the
violence but no one was willing to take their name and even certain judges
were scared.
Palejo alleged that the MQM was an al Qaeda-style international
terrorist outfit and reminded the court of a Canadian Federal Court verdict
against the party in 2007. The court had upheld a decision of the

71

immigration board that had said there were reasonable grounds to believe
the MQM had been involved in acts of terrorism.
MQM submitted a petition to become a party in the case. The lawyer
for the party submitted a list of people beheaded during the recent violence;
230 MQM activists had been killed since 2008. The ISI is expected to brief
the Supreme Court on the situation in the city on 8th September.
Meanwhile, Wassan told media that 42 target killers have been
arrested. He also said that it would have been better if Chief Justice had
taken suo moto notice of situation in Balochistan and Punjab where things
had been as bad as Karachi. Nawaz Sharif said that government had failed to
come up to his expectations but he and his party would not allow anyone to
destroy Pakistan.
On 8th September, ISI briefed the Supreme Court in-camera on the
Karachi violence. During the briefing, the AG was asked to leave. The ISI
showed video footage and maps of different areas and the reports of the Joint
Investigation Team were also discussed. Earlier, Chief Justice said it were
situations like the one in Karachi that led to military takeovers.
The Court was not happy with one-sided arguments presented by
MQM counsel Farogh Naseem. The Chief Justice asked why the MQM had
not presented a list of other innocent people killed in Karachi and why only
the list of some particular party workers and supporters had been presented.
The CJ was also critical of statements made by Rangers DG on
Wednesday in which he had said that the Rangers would establish peace.
The Chief Justice said despite the claim of Rangers DG, recovery of dead
bodies has not yet been ended in the metropolitan.
MQM counsel accused ANP and Lyari gang members of involvement
in incidents of kidnappings and killings. The Chief Justice asked whether the
names of ANP members accused of target killings were mentioned in the
FIRs. The MQM counsel also requested the court to review Zulfiqar Mirzas
statement in which he claimed to have issued 300,000 arms licences.
Sindh AG told the court that the reports of intelligence agencies
regarding 1992 operation were missing from the record. The AG told the
bench that only the crime record of that period was available. The SC had
sought the report. The bench also sought investigation reports of killing of
KESC legal advisor Faheemul Kareem and a policeman who was shot dead
in Malir on Wednesday.

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In a thinly veiled reference to another military coup, Zardari warned

Nawaz Sharif to be sensible and understand the gravity of the situation, lest
either of them has to visit the other in jail. He asked PML-N chief to adopt
positive attitude and stop criticizing military as well because the people are
already frustrated with political wrangling. Zardari told Nawaz that instead
of holding public rallies in Lahore, help the people hit by dengue fever and
also come to Sindh to help out flood affectees. He said all parties have to
play their role for stability of the democratic system.
Reacting to Zardaris statement, Ahsan Iqbal said the government
lacks the spirit to serve the masses. The government starts making appeals
when it is caught in difficulties, he said, adding that unveiling the
incompetence of the government is the responsibility of the opposition. The
PML-N leader said the government has ruined all the institutions of the
country and corruption is rampant in all the government departments.
Meanwhile, Wasan briefed President Zardari over law and order
situation in Karachi. The president expressed his deep concern and
apprehensions over bails and release of target killers through courts, and also
issued instructions to law ministry to legislate tougher laws and stronger
prosecution. Zardari directed authorities to carry out an indiscriminate action
against criminals in Karachi regardless of their affiliations.
Earlier, Zardari visited deluged districts in Sindh, waded through a
flooded street flanked by commandos and got photographed. He then
appealed to the international community to provide assistance for millions of
people affected by the severe and relentless spell of monsoon rains. He
phoned UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and urged the UN to launch an
international appeal for humanitarian assistance to the flood victims.
Five people were killed in Karachi. Rangers detained 330 persons
including 14 political workers, two target killers, two extortionists and a
former nazim of Baldia Town during operations and recovered large number
of weapons. The Supreme Court was moved to summon Mirza and Altaf.
The cabinet discussed situation in Karachi and directed the law
enforcement agencies to take stern action against the criminals across the
board regardless of their political affiliation, if any. The Supreme Court gave
more time to appoint probe body chief in missing persons case. Punjab
cabinet moved to cut privileges of governor. Railways sent top officers on
forced leave.
Next day, Chief Justice told the police chief in charge of Karachi to
crack down without political bias on gang wars that have killed more than
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1,000 people this year. But Durrani himself accused of being a political
appointee of the ruling PPP acknowledged politicization in the police
force, with the gang wars linked to party affiliations in the city.
Around 30 to 40 percent of appointments in the police force have
been made on political grounds, which is a big problem, Durrani told the
court adding that we face difficulty in taking departmental action against
them due to political pressure. The CJ said: IG we are sitting here to
strengthen you. We are talking of consolidating Pakistan. Here we have
come to know such horrendous things on solid basis that we cannot describe
them here.
Speaking about problems faced by the law enforcement agencies in
the city, Sindh IGP said that cellular network companies and PTA did not
cooperate with the police and often did not provide the police with the
required data. The CJ asked from Babar Awan as to whom the court should
issue the orders in this regard. Awan said the orders should be issued to the
Federation so that matter could be discussed with the mobile companies.
Sindh AG old the court that out of 44 murders of Balochs 38 FIRs
were registered. Chief Justice blamed him of not putting his heart into his
job. The CJ remarked: All the forces have become active due to our
presence. But dead bodies are being found here despite the assertions by all
parties including PPP, MQM and others that they want peace in Karachi.
Attorney General Molvi Anwarul Haq submitted report of
Intelligence. Advocate General submitted progress report of cases related to
incidents of violence. The bench directed him to submit details of the
incidents of firing on buses in Banaras and other areas and about kidnapping
of football player from Lyari area. Hearing of the case was adjourned till
September 13.
Three people were killed and two suspects were arrested in Karachi.
Two traders were kidnapped from Shershah Kabari Market and four college
going girls went missing. Altaf Hussain held press conference via satellite.
He refused to talk about allegations leveled by Mirza, but the conference
was meant to counter what Mirza had said. Jest of his conference is
discussed in the last paragraph of the article. ANP termed Altaf habitual liar.
On 10th September, ANP urged the Supreme Court to ban MQM and
demanded the government to form a judicial commission to investigate
funding to political parties by the foreign countries. Afrasiab rejected all the
allegations of MQM chief Altaf Hussain and termed them a filthy conspiracy
to blackmail peaceful Pakhtuns and their leadership.
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Terming the press conference of MQM Quaid Altaf Hussain as

political gimmickry, Nisar Ali Khan said that it was just wastage of time and
a joke with the whole Pakistani nation. Altaf was seeing all well for him and
his party and pointed out flaws in other major political parties of the country.
He regretted that Altaf Hussain had talked on all issues except the problems
being facing the people of the country.
Criticizing MQM Chiefs statements, the provincial leadership of PTI
and JI said it was a failed comedy show. They urged the MQM chief to come
back to country and face courts in various cases against him. Altaf also
blackmailed the superior judiciary by threatening it. If the cowardly Altaf,
sitting in the UK, let free his terrorist workers against the solidarity of the
country or judiciary then there was no need to call Rangers or Army
personnel, as they would be dealt with by patriotic Pakistanis.
The whole world knew that MQM is a terrorist organization; the
Canadian Supreme Court has declared MQM a terrorist group and banned
entry of all its members to their country. MQM chief was condemned for
holding the Holy Quran in his front and singing songs; it was termed
desecration of the holy book. The Chief Justice was urged to take notice of
the threats given to the apex court that if verdict comes against them then
MQM will come out against it.
With reference to Altaf Hussains 200-minute news conference Ashraf
Mumtaz wrote Altafs London Plan remained a mystery. Meanwhile, Mark
Siegel became prosecution witness in Benazir murder case. Musharraf
vowed to return to Pakistan.
Nawaz Sharif has said that one should not be afraid of going to prison
while fulfilling his duties; he said that with reference to Zardaris recent
statement. Nawaz added that he has complied with orders of Zardari by
visiting the flood affected areas now it is presidents turn to give some time
to the country.
Imran Mukhtar reported that chances of Hussain Asghar, a former
investigator of the Haj scandal, reposting to investigate the case do not
appear to be bright. Gilani asked the political parties across the national
spectrum to rise above their personal and party interests to work jointly for
the flood affected people of Sindh. While addressing the nation he also
extended an appeal to the international institutions, world community and
the people of Pakistan at home and abroad to come in aid to the government
in tackling the situation.

75

Next day, Rangers and Police detained about two hundred suspects in
Karachi for interrogation. Five target killers were arrested, including one
from Larkana. ANP threat clouded MQMs return to the coalition. ANP had
demanded ban on ANP and threatened to quit if MQM returned. Pir Mazhar
confirmed meeting Altaf Hussain but refused to give details. He, however,
said Mirza is not a liar.
Doctors gave clean chit to Zardari after medical check-up and MQM
delegation presented flowers on behalf of Altaf. Nawaz visited flood affected
areas and he criticized calls for foreign aid without first relying on own
resources. He proposed closed-door APC on national agenda. Iran donated
$100 million for flood affected people. UN launched relief operation in rainhit areas. Gilani formed body to supervise relief work.

VIEWS
On 24th August, TheNation commented: Strict action against the
extortionist mafias and troublemakers is on the cards. Strange as it may
sound, however, they have also been offered, it seems, a safe exit, as they
have been asked to leave the city and go elsewhere, as if giving them the
freedom to start their deadly business in other parts of the country. In
another handout issued later, the Sindh government has asked both the
extortionists and troublemakers to stop their activities.
Undoubtedly, these are half-hearted measures and smell of a partisan
approach, while solution calls for a purely non-partisan combing of the
city for weapons and the mafias and its administration by equally nonpartisan officials. The measures announced, however, might have persuaded
the traders, who have already suffered huge losses, to open their shops and
the badly-hit transporters to ply their vehicles again. The strong exception
that Minister Zulfiqar Mirza took, in the presence of Mr Gilani at the cabinet
meeting, to Interior Minister Rehman Maliks interference in the
provincial matter of law and order a view to which, reportedly, the entire
Sindh cabinet subscribes points to the lack of consensus between the two
vital actors charged with calming down the situation. As Dr Mirza believes
that the MQM is primarily responsible for the mayhem, his accusation that
Mr Malik is acting as a spokesman of the MQM is quite meaningful and
suggests how far apart the provincial and federal government are in their
perception of the trouble and, as a result, the solution in the mind of at least
one of them is bound to misfire.

76

The Prime Minister rejected outright the demand for the army to
intervene that is being voiced not only by many political parties but also the
business community and people belonging to different strata of society. The
truth, however, is that the army is already there in Karachi in the form of
rangers who are nothing but an extension of it. The mystery is that, while the
city is continuously bleeding, the rangers are operating without their proper
head i.e. a Major-General, who left office months ago, and the temporary
charge-holder being junior in rank would certainly be handicapped in taking
crucial decisions. The rangers are in several ways even better suited to
Karachi than the army. They are by now familiar with the routes of the
city, the hideouts of troublemakers and even know who they and their
sponsors are, thus making it easier for them to put an end to the evil. That is
not the case with the army.
Dr Haider Mehdi opined: What we need now for our future
survival, political inventions, and visionary initiatives is a leadership
tailored on the model of Qalandari and Qalandaranah bold, undaunted,
free-thinking, selfless, full of personal integrity and credibility, dedicated
wholeheartedly to serving the people and answerable to those who elect
them. What we need is a Faqiranah Mizaj dervishy mindset, penurious
and possessing the humbleness becoming of saints. What we need are
altruistic persons at the helm of national affairs.
S M Hali wished: We in Pakistan are in greater despair than the
Indians owing to the apathy, callousness and selfish motives of our political
leaders, who are letting the country slide into political anarchy and economic
meltdown for their personal interests. We pray that an Anna Hazare will
rise from among us to slay our dragons.
Next day, TheNation observed: The day after Prime Minister Gilani
warned the Sindh cabinet that if they did not take strict action against the
destructive forces, someone else would step in to do the job, eight sons of
Karachi lay dead, either having been shot by rival gangs or brutally
murdered by them and their bodies thrown in the streets, dumped in gunny
bags The serious accusations of harmful interference and mishandling the
crisis in Karachi leveled by Senior Sindh Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza against
Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik at a Sindh cabinet meeting on
Tuesday clearly suggests that the provincial and federal governments are not
on the same page. This raises a very pertinent question whether the
surgical operation the authorities have supposedly launched would be
able to root out the dangerous mix of a menace with its ingredients of

77

land grabbing and extortion of money backed by a flourishing weapon

culture.
The situation demands strong action against the culprits without any
discrimination. Political affiliation, kinship or any other element of influence
would have to be sacrificed at the sacred altar of peace. The Sindh
government has set up a control room to monitor the situation and take
prompt action; the conduct of the PPP and other coalition partners so far
does not, alas!, raise much hope. The nation looks up to the government to
deal with the evil forces which destroy peace, be they banned religious
organizations or be they others who have received terrorist training in India,
as Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon has identified. The Indian
and American hand in creating the turmoil has been long suspected and
in the light of a responsible Ministers statement, the government must not
hesitate to remove that hand.
Dr Sibghatullah Qadri from Karachi wrote: Now I am fully
convinced that history definitely repeats itself. On Monday August 22 I
had an opportunity to listen to a press conference given by Dr. Farooq Sattar
of MQM. He levied the following allegations against PPP.
PPP elements are responsible for extortion (Bhatha).
PPP elements are responsible for kidnapping innocent people.
PPP elements are responsible for kidnapping people for ransom.
PPP elements are responsible for killing people and packing the dead
bodies in gunny bags.
PPP elements have full support of higher ups.
PPP elements are running the torture cells.
If I am not mistaken these are the same charges which people of
Karachi leveled against MQM during the last regime of Benazir Bhutto
and thereafter Gen. Retd. Babar the then interior minister took action against
MQM. He unearthed several torture cells which were being run by armed
groups. Pictures of these cells were shown on TV. After the end of BB's rule
all those police officers, SHOs, SIs and ASIs who had helped the PPP
government to clean Karachi, they were picked up one by one and were
killed. All know by whom.
Bilal Iftikhar from Lahore opined that the target killers are Ninjas of
Karachi. Someone who is covered with jackets and Hakama pants with a
78

black-clad figure with a muffled face climbing over walls like spiders and
running lightly across rooftops, quick as cats is called ninja. Ninja is martial
art, strategy, and tactics of unconventional warfare and guerrilla warfare as
well as the art of espionage. Looking back into the history, they were
assigned the job of espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as
well as open combat in certain situations. Ninjas were developed by groups
of people mainly from Japan. They were not always primarily soldiers. In
fact Ninja operatives were trained from childhood as warriors. But this
training was usually precautionary. Ninja operatives knew that they might be
called to help protect the community at some stage in future, but they often
spent most of their lives as farmers or traders. These Ninja warriors were
also trained by Chinese monks, warriors, philosophers, and military
strategists. With the passage of time, some of the Ninjas started misusing
their skills. They started renting themselves out for espionage or
assassination work while hiding their face with mask. Most of the time, they
would commit crime in the dark of night and disappear like smoke. For all
the right reasons they were called evil ninja. Now, it seems as if these evil
Ninja are being produced and sent to Karachi. They appear in Shah Faisal,
Gulistan-e-Johar, Gulshan-e-lqbal, University road, Golimar, Ancholi, Abul
Hassan lsphahani Road and Liaquatabad even broad daylight, resort to
indiscriminate fire and leave several dead while law enforcement agencies
watch as bystanders. Where do they belong? To whom they have rented
themselves? Where do they get weapons from? Who is funding them? These
are some of the questions whose answers are not easy to find? Here even
though they do not wear any mask but still no one is ready to spot them.
They do not appear in the dark of night but still our police and rangers are
unable to detain them. The government of Pakistan proclaimed that a citizen
giving information about a killer will be rewarded with a sum of Rs 5
million and further more the government would give a cash reward of Rs 10
million to a person who captures video clips or photographs of a killer but
still nothing has been given. The Sindh government and police have failed in
upholding peace in Karachi. Our government and security forces must
restrict the entry of intruders through Khyber Pass and take stern measures
against these evil Ninja who are roaming in the streets of Karachi with no
fear of being arrested.
On 27th August, TheNation wrote: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza
Gilanis remark that it is not the first time the law and order situation in
Karachi has deteriorated and that the incidents of violence and killings had
also been occurring during earlier regimes, seems to endorse Punjab Chief

79

Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharifs succinct, and apt assessment, Nero is

fiddling while Rome burns. Mr Gilani was responding to a reporters
anxious question at Islamabad on Thursday about the unending bloodshed
taking place in Karachi. His comment cannot just be dismissed as a
reflection of the governments glum satisfaction at the measures it has taken
to control the situation; it is downright callousness to take things so
lightly! Even as Mr Gilani was talking to journalists, the bloodthirsty gangs
had been active and had managed to kill six of our citizens. One feels aghast
at learning that there have been cases of slaughtering fellow human beings
like sacrificial animals and dumping their mutilated bodies and severed
heads in gunny bags, as if a trader is sending his wares to the market for
sale. Cruelty when it comes to humans, indeed, knows no bounds!
The Sindh government, which is mainly responsible for maintaining
peace in the province, has demonstrated an equal measure of casualness,
evident in its announcement about convening an all-parties conference to
debate the disturbed situation and the repeated excuses it put forward to
postpone the conference. In evidence also was a slackened approach to
the search-and-arrest operation the Rangers had conducted in the past
two days, though on paper they were given extraordinary powers to shoot
criminals at sight, put an end to No-Go Areas, conduct search without
warrants, etc. In this chaotic situation, however, it looks quite strange that
the post of head of the Rangers lies vacant, letting a Brigadier to manage the
show. While not doubting his competence, the inaction in the appointment of
a Major-General, who is supposed to be heading the force has been
interrupted as a deliberate act with the unedifying intention of letting the
calamitous situation prevail. However, COAS General Kayani, reflecting the
armys uneasiness at the unrest, rushed to Karachi and received briefing
about it from intelligence agencies.
There is need to heed the warning of Mian Shahbaz, who has gone to
Karachi to judge the situation himself, that internal weaknesses were giving
rise to external conspiracies against the countrys nuclear assets. He is,
perhaps, the only political leader of his stature who visited to condole with
the families of some of those who have been the victims of this bloody
mayhem. It is as clear as sunshine that for putting an end to the madness
in Karachi, the authorities would have to get serious and carry out
operation against culprits without any discrimination whatsoever.
Next day, the newspaper added: In an apt response to the critical
situation in Karachi, as conveyed by the words, Warlords rule Karachi,
used by the counsel for the Sindh government, Abdul Hafeez Pirzada
80

Over the reports submitted by both the federal and provincial governments,
Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry expressed his
dissatisfaction, and rightly so; they were not comprehensive enough to
bring out the horrors the poor residents of the provincial metropolis have
been exposed to in the cycle of violence that began well over a month ago.
When numerous abductions, ruthless murders, with heads chopped off and
packed in sacks, keep happening day after day and the authorities appear to
have been struck with paralysis, the situation can rightly be described as
breakdown of the government machinery, as Justice Chaudhry did.
Inaction or half-hearted action, as the nation has been witnessing for the past
several days, only leads one to think that the government might be at the
back of the elements which are disturbing the peace.
It must be remembered that the apex court has a limited part to
play in setting things right. Its intervention in the form of suo moto notice
of the killing spree in Karachi not only points to the absolute listlessness of
the government in the face of the gravity of the unrest, but also underlines
the need for a quick return to normalcy; but at best, it can issue orders,
showing the way how to set about turning round the situation. But taking
action, minding the nitty-gritty of the process, rests with the executive. It is
time for it to realize that it is in its own interests to deal with the mayhem in
a totally non-partisan manner. Herein also lie its future prospects as a
political party. If the economy were to suffer a loss of Rs 25 billion as a
result of a single day of strike, the government should be seriously worried.
In the meantime, Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif has
outlined three valuable steps to bring calm to the restive town of
Karachi. In such a complicated scenario, when the parties in the ruling
coalition are engaged in protecting their turf even at the cost of the lives of
citizens, it would be a little difficult for the decision makers to act against
these killing gangs without any discrimination. But, as Mian Shahbaz has
said, the action has to be across the boardand without fear or favour.
Besides, he called for the depoliticization of the law enforcement agencies,
particularly the police and the administration, and ensuring the provision of
basic facilities to the citizens of Karachi. One hopes these common sense
points find favour with the authorities.
On 29th August, TheNation wrote: Sindh Information Minister
Sharjeel Memon has accused India of training terrorists who are involved in
target killing in Karachi and elsewhere in Pakistan. The Minister has also
claimed that the security agencies have confirmed that some target killers
recently arrested had received their training in India and named Ajmal Pahari
81

who is arrested and is being interrogated. Last year, Interior Minister

Rehman Malik had told an in-camera session of Parliament that India was
behind the insurgency in Balochistan and target killing in Karachi. But for
unknown reasons, the ruling leadership could not pick up the guts to
openly accuse India or send a dossier through diplomatic channels to
New Delhi. It is about time that our security agencies launch an operation to
identify foreign spy agents and also expose their Pakistani contacts. There
should be no doubt that till such time these elements are weeded out from
society Karachi and Balochistan would never see peace. There is a dire need
to expose all those who provide shelter and protection to these elements who
are out to dismember Pakistan. Such an action should be taken
independently without fear and favour. In addition, Foreign office should not
hesitate about sending documentary proof including confessional statements
of target killers deposing that they were trained in India by anti-Pakistani
sources.
Next day, the newspaper added: Dr Mirza openly and repeatedly
declared that Mr Malik was the single most threat to Pakistan, who had no
stake in the country, and was hand in glove with the killers, bitterly opposing
his interference in the law and order situation in the city. To the MQMs
share of blames also came as serious allegations as involvement in an
attempt to break up Pakistan at the instance of the US, and trying to
persuade Britain to work for the winding up of the Pakistan armys premier
intelligence agency, the ISI. While other charges, as grave as they were,
made by Dr Mirza against the MQM are of internal relevance and need
internal remedies, these two the attempts at the countrys
dismemberment and bringing the institution of ISI to an end call for
an impartial probe. Needless to question the suggestion made by some
opposition leaders that a judicial commission should be constituted without
any delay to look into the allegations, particularly relating to these two
aspects and lay the factual picture before the public.
Whatever Dr Mirza said he said on oath either with the Quran on his
head or his hand on the holy book and in full view of the world; for hardly
was there any local TV channel which did not broadcast his press conference
in full lasting for nearly two hours, to the utter shock and consternation of
the viewers. His revelations would have far-reaching and serious
implications for Pakistan. Mr Rehman Maliks denial simply through the
remarks that he was a younger brother and if he had any proof he should
come out with it, would not do. As with him, the MQM would also have to
deny the charges on Quranic oath; only then the public could lend any
82

credibility to their versions. Words like absurd, obnoxious and ludicrous

are not sufficient. The government must also step in with its own version
based on hard facts and work on that basis to bring peace to Karachi.
On 3rd September, Inayatullah commented: Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, a
veteran PPP leader and former Sindh Home Minister, has spilled the
beans, which he claimed were based on facts While the MQM has
strongly rebutted Mirzas accusations, Mr Rehman Malik has been soft and
conciliatory.
Malik is Zardaris confidante, and owes his influence and position to
the party chief. He was earlier very close to late Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto
Being a part of Zardaris inner circle and long-time friend and loyalist, it
defies logic to find that Mirza had not shared with his boss his resolve to
address the media representatives and all that he conveyed to them. The
MQM and the PPP leadership have much to explain to clear their
conduct.
Zardaris initial reaction has been to disown Mirza and not to take his
tirade very seriously. He would rather like to see the storm peter out,
with the passage of time. He is, indeed, a past master in this game. No
action, therefore, has been initiated against Rehman Malik and the Sindh
administration for their dubious role in managing the Karachi killings. As for
the MQM and its alleged leaderships treacherous behaviour in Pakistan and
abroad, Zardari has gone ahead with his conciliatory politics, as if nothing
had happened to upset the applecart.
Dr Mirzas exposures, however, are too serious and backed by
evidence. Only a serious probe can determine its truthfulness. Specific
details of names and activities have been cited, and proof provided of
complicity in crime and deliberate violation of the Constitution of the
country. A copy of the letter supposed to have been addressed to the then UK
Prime Minister has already been shown on the television. Mirza was dead
serious in his statements and answers to the anchors and press
correspondents. He invoked the sanctity of the Holy Book to create an aura
of authenticity and solemnity to all that he divulged.
Mirza, presumably sacrificed his political offices at the altar of
truth and countrys integrity. He had virtually put his life on the line. Call
it a coincidence or twist of circumstances, the Supreme Court took notice of
the Karachi mayhem a day before Mirza hurled his thunderbolt. The Chief
Justice has already spoken. He has referred to Article 9 of the Constitution,
which lays down that no person shall be deprived of his life or personal
83

liberty save in accordance with law. Fundamental rights of the citizens of

Karachi (and of the people of the country) had been mutilated.
How will the government wriggle out of the charge of dereliction
of duty and criminal neglect of its responsibilities, if Mirza appears
before the Special Bench to establish his claim that he had brought the
matter along with documents to the notice of the highest civil and military
officeholders of the country? When the case is taken up after the Eid
holidays, with PPP and MQM in the dock, will the court let the accused
dilly-dally and defy its directives, when the whole nation virtually would be
an involved party to the proceedings? Will not the Supreme Court fully
assert itself and take the defaulters to task squarely invoking its
constitutional mandate and discretion?
There is a role cut out for the media in this crucial trial. Truth
and falsehood have, indeed, come face-to-face in the judicial arena. Far
too long lies, prevarication, violence and deceit have managed to escape the
long arm of law. The time has come for the truth to be established and the
supreme interests of the nation to prevail. Too much is at stake. Yes, the
media has a big role to play to keep the people informed and involved. The
laggard political opposition too have to discharge their responsibilities to
help stem the rot and save the country.
On 4th September, Abrar Saeed observed: Pakistan Peoples Party is
caught in a Catch 22 position as on one hand they are devising strategy to
calm down Dr Zulfiqar Mirza who was spilling out barbs against MQM and
some of his own party leaders, while on the other they are trying to woo
back MQM in the government both at federal and provincial levels
Zardari had entrusted the task of wooing back MQM to one of his loyalists
from Sindh Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khurshid Shah,
known for his political sagacity and proverbial charm to win over foes. Syed
Khurshid Shah would likely meet the MQM leaders on Sunday to give them
a fresh offer from President Zardari to rejoin the government and also clarify
the PPP position that it has nothing to do with the foul utterance of Zulfiqar
Mirza against MQM and that PPP would contemplate punitive action against
him for breaching the party discipline.
The sources further informed that President Zardari was quite
disturbed over the hostile posture taken by his old buddy Zulfiqar Mirza
against MQM as it was spoiling all the governments efforts to win back
MQMs support for the government. The people close to MQM informed
that MQM was in no haste to rejoin the government and they had
84

adopted the policy of wait and see and would also seek some visible
disciplinary action on part of PPP against Zulfiqar Mirza before their
rejoining the treasury benches.
But the PPP is also not seemed inclined to take any strict action
against Dr Zulfiqar Mirza as right now he is just holding the basic
membership of PPP and has resigned from rest of the slots he was holding
including the slot of senior minister in Sindh Cabinet and senior vice
president of the PPP Sindh Chapter. The sources further said that soon after
his return from abroad President Zardari had held consultation with his close
aides and after the meeting he had barred the party leaders from giving
statements against Zulfiqar Mirza and also tasked a few common friends to
convince Dr Mirza from the barrage of accusations he had unleashed
against MQM and some of the PPP leaders including Rehman Malik.
President Zardari was also irked by the Awami National Party Sindh
Chapters role which on the one hand was sitting with them in the
government while on the other they were also joining the rallies of Zulfiqar
Mirza, the sources further said. It was decided in the meeting that President
Zardari would himself take up the issues with ANP President Asfandyar Wali
in this connection, the sources added.
Jalees Hazir wrote: Dr Mirza's blind faith in President Zardari might
be a bit misplaced though. After all, if Rehman Malik is engaged in the kind
of activities that Dr Mirza has accused him of, it is difficult to rationalize his
continued importance as President Zardari's right-hand man, despite the fact
that Dr Mirza had communicated his reservations about the negative role of
the Federal Interior Minister to the President. Similarly, it is surprising that
Dr Mirza's faith in the President is not shaken by his continued
hobnobbing with the MQM and his attempts to keep the party in
government. Perhaps, Dr Mirza should be getting ready for another leap of
faith.
Hussain H Zaidi opined: For the sake of argument, granted that
Zulfiqar Mirza is speaking the truth. But theres little doubt that he is
also covering up the truth. If he were so conscientious as to lay bare the
real face of the MQM and the interior minister, he should also have blown
the lid off the real tactics of his party. But he is trying to have it both ways.
He is castigating Rehman Malik and at the same time defending, nay willing
to die for, the person whom the interior minister owes his office. He is
branding the MQM as a terrorist organization but is not willing to point the
finger at his erstwhile party. Ones loyalty is either to a particular party or
to the people, either to the principles or to a person, either to the truth or to
85

expediency. One cant be loyal to both at the same time. But Zulfiqar Mirza
is pretending as if he is.
The foregoing lends credence to the view that Mirza merely read
out the script authored by someone else. Just see what his so-called
whistle-blowing has done: It has put the MQM on the back foot and forced
it to defend itself on the allegations. It has reassured the PPPs vote bank in
interior Sindh that the Peoples Party will not just play second-fiddle to the
MQM. And it has made it possible for the PPP leadership to vent venom
against its antagonist in its home province and get away with it. However,
Zulfiqar Mirzas outburst has done another thing, which probably was not
intended: It has exposed the frailties of the present setup. That may be the
only good thing about it.
On 7th September, TheNation wrote: Peoples only ray of hope, the
Supreme Court of Pakistan led by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry has on
Monday rightly ordered the police to take action against all criminals
disturbing the peace of Karachi, without fear or favour. Indeed the court
expressed its dissatisfaction over the fact that certain areas had been ignored
by the police. It is a matter of great satisfaction that the Supreme Court
has vowed to expose and bring to justice the real culprits that have held
the city hostage for long years.
Concurrently, in this prevailing imbroglio, the role played by Interior
Minister Rehman Malik as well as the MQM, also should be taken notice of.
Consider Senator Lashkari Raisanis criticism of Mr Malik for failing to
control lawlessness in the city. He also questioned Mr Maliks stance in
favour of the use of force in the case of Balochistan and of political
reconciliation when he talks of Karachi. Secondly, after Mr Mirza had made
the disclosure holding with his both hands Holy Quran over his head and
President Supreme Court Bar Association Asma Jehangir had accused the
MQM of first introducing the culture of bhatha (extortion) in Karachi it is
difficult to believe that a government accountable to the people could ignore
these charges. The common man is fully confident that now that the
Supreme Court has intervened, the killers will be exposed and
punished.
Next day, TheNation commented: Rightly, the focus of the entire
nation the government, the judiciary, the army, the media and the public
remains riveted on the highly precarious situation in Karachi. The acuteness
of the predicament is revealed by the question, Do you want to save the
country or the government? That Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad
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Chaudhry posed to the Advocate General of Sindh during the hearing on

Tuesday of the suo moto case on target killings in Karachi. Justice
Chaudhrys other questions were no less pertinent and, predictably, not only
left the AG speechless, but also exposed the governments pathetic
listlessness in the face of a situation that had been crying out for quick and
firm action. Why were joint investigation teams formed, if no action was to
be taken on their reports? Why have judges not been appointed for the antiterrorism courts so far, though the Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court had
recommended names in 2009 and 2011? Why does the government want to
induct its favourite judges while the Chief Justice has put up the names of
honest judges for the posts? Why have the killers of 306 (the death toll this
year) not been arrested? Considering Karachis unending blood-soaked
drama, the COAS has also demanded more powers for the Rangers, when he
called on the President.
Dr Zulfiqar Mirzas outburst against the MQM and Interior Minister
Rehman Malik about their alleged role in bringing Karachi to such a critical
pass, at a specially called press conference on August 28, has continued to
make waves, as more and more voices, mostly in support of his thesis, are
being heard. Apparently, his stock of beans has not run out yet; he keeps
spilling them even though they just tend to firm up the accusations he
had earlier leveled. Though belated, the MQM has come out with its
reaction, but the impact of Mirzas assertions, made while holding the Holy
Quran on his head to lend them authenticity, has not withered away.
In the meantime, President of the Supreme Court Bar Association
Asma Jehangir has, while deposing before the apex court, accused the MQM
of having introduced the culture of bhatha collection (extortion of money) in
Karachi, maintaining that it persists in the practice. Calls for the ouster of
Rehman Malik have been made by former President PPP Balochistan and
Senator Lashkari Raisani and MNA Humayun Kurd. Senator Raisani
believes that not relieving Mr Malik of his duties immediately would put
the countrys existence in danger, warning the government that decisions
about Pakistans politics should not be made in Washington and London.
This was obviously an allusion to the dictation the Interior Minister
allegedly receives from these capitals. MNA Kurd chimes in with the
Senator, and assuring that Dr Mirzas charges against Mr Malik are true,
accuses him of plotting to disintegrate the country.
This is not the time for the government to remain bogged down
in inaction. It is time to act and act fast. If the cries of the victims of the
killing spree that has been going on for years in Karachi at the hands of rival
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gangs, sponsored and patronized by powerful political forces in the city,

have not awakened the rulers from their slumber, the outspoken expression
of Karachis critical condition should jolt them into action now. Or, they
should see the writing on the wall.
Azam Khalil wrote: To ensure that no harm is done to the country, it
would be better if the government immediately puts into place measures
that will help to restore peace in Karachi. It must also ensure that all those
who are responsible for killing innocent citizens, and other serious violations
of law, are not only apprehended, but also punished. Half-hearted or halfbaked solutions will not be acceptable and may result in, God forbid,
damaging Pakistans integrity. The government should, therefore, pull up its
socks, move quickly in the correct direction, and undertake bold measures
that would help it restore peace and harmony in Karachi to boost the
confidence of local and foreign businessmen to invest in the country.
Any delay by the federal or provincial government could result in
the intervention in the democratic setup, which is not desirable because it
will not help improve things in the long run. More seriously, result in a
grievous blow to the institution of democracy. The top brass was sending out
loud signals about their anguish creating a situation that requires urgent
corrective medicine. The choices are running out, while the time remains the
most important option. Who will grab it is another question?
On 11th September, TheNation commented: People had stood glued to
the TV screens for long on Friday to hear MQM chief Altaf Hussain deny
the charges former Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza had leveled
against him, but their hours-long wait for him to start his address and the
subsequent hours-long conference failed to satisfy them. After all, these
were no small allegations and the usual rambling, emotionally-charged
harangue that he delivered did not seem to be the befitting answer. Mr
Hussains dismissal of Dr Mirzas allegations, saying that he neither had
responded to his charges earlier, nor he intended doing so now, was not
considered enough to rebut the highly serious accusations brought against
him. As a result, political parties, media commentators and the public, which
had expected these allegations to be the focal point of the conference, were
not only put off, but also severely criticized Mr Hussain on this lapse.
Mr Hussains was a confusing self-contradictory discourse as
well. While, on the one hand, he accused the ANP of receiving millions of
dollars from the US, on the other, he admitted that he had no proof of it. Mr
Hussain also involved the Jamaat-i-Islami and the ANP in the May 12, 2007,
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ugly incidents, also maintaining that the ANP wanted to dismember Pakistan
and the JI was providing arms to MQM-H for use against MQM-A. Both the
parties have denied their involvement, with the ANP saying that Altaf was a
habitual liar and the JI recalling that the politics of bloodshed had started
in Karachi with the arrival of the MQM on the scene. Mr Hussains charge
that the US and the UK were scheming to undo Pakistan raised questions
about his British citizenship and his right to lead a Pakistani political party.
If he held Pakistan so dear, he should have, on learning of the conspiracy to
dismember it, immediately given up the British nationality and returned to
Pakistan. Strangely, he criticizes the ISI and, in the same breath, offers the
service of the party workers to it for saving Pakistan. At the same time, he
threatens to unleash the might of his workers against the government if
killings did not stop. His references to the judiciary were equally confusing.
He was not opposed to the Chief Justice, but hit out at the judiciary for its
past role.
The most reprehensible was the charge against the Quaid-i-Azam
of being secular. He is on record having favoured the introduction of the
golden principles of Islam in Pakistan, making it a fortress of Islam and
turning it into an Islamic welfare state. Instead of distorting history and
advising others to study it, Mr Hussain had better read some of Pakistans
before opening up his mouth on the subject.
Next day, the newspaper added: PML-N President Mian Nawaz
Sharif has spoken an evident truth. Pakistan of today is not what the Quaidi-Azam had dreamt; its condition would cause his soul an acute pain. He
uttered words to that effect while addressing a press conference at
Hyderabad yesterday morning during the course of his visit to the floodaffected areas of Sindh. A mere cursory glance at the country's history would
have made him appreciate that it would be hard to absolve himself from this
failure; he must share the blame with others who have presided over the
destiny of the nation over the years. He had had two stints as prime
minister and one as chief minister and earlier another as finance minister in
Punjab. Both Allama Iqbal and the Quaid visualized Pakistan to become an
Islamic welfare state where, as the term connotes, the interests of the people
are held supreme. Their needs easy access to justice, health and education
facilities, in short, the legitimate aspirations of modern times are fully and
adequately met. Unfortunately, with an honourable exception or two, neither
the civilian leaders, who were elected on a pro-people mandate, nor the
military dictators, who had usurped power, paid much heed to the sufferings
of the people. By and large, self-promotion and self-enrichment had been
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their guiding principles. The pity is that the present ruling set-up at
Islamabad that came after a hard-fought struggle to oust a military dictator
has crossed all bounds of indulging in corruption and giving the nation,
nothing but bad governance, miserable law and order situation, high
inflation, etc.
Talking about the flood situation, Mian Nawaz felt that first of all we
need to use our own resources to the full, and if they were to fall short of the
requirement, only then we should seek outside help. He lamented that the
government had made it a habit to beg for aid whenever an emergency
arose. Regrettably, for all the warning signals of heavy rains this year as
well, though on a lesser scale than last year, the government did not take any
measures beforehand to prevent the damage. Earlier on Saturday, he urged
the federal government to form a joint strategy in collaboration with the
Sindh government to combat the floods.
He was emphatic that his party would break up those who talked of
dismemberment of Pakistan, adding that it was not a toy that could be easily
broken. Mian Nawaz asked for the real faces behind the violence in Karachi
to be unmasked. His call for unity is understandable the gravity of the
situation, target killings, floods and what not, no doubt demand unity in our
ranks but the PML-N President should first work for the merger of all
Muslim League factions that he has been stalling. Then, he should
wholeheartedly apply himself to making the Quaid-i-Azams dream a
reality.

REVIEW
Cartoonist Maxim named swords of TEEN TALWAR roundabout in
Karachi after PPP, MQM and ANP. He held all the three parties responsible
for Karachis woes, but MQM happened to be the main culprit whom
Musharraf had granted ownership (illegal possession) of the mega city.
Zardari, the Don on the spot challenged the absentee Don. Through
clandestine use of Lyari gang he for the first time since early nineties has
made the MQM to feel that killings hurt. Having conveyed the message in
harsh way, his regime pretended preparing for across the board operation
against the culprits.
The much hyped operation in Karachi began with passing of
instructions to bhatha mafias to leave the city. Hours later the directive was
amended and mafias were told to stop their activities for a while. Such an

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operation which started with giving ample time to political parties to instruct
their respective gangs to disappear or adopt low profile ought to be a hoax.
Further, when operation began the Rangers were not allowed to enter
the regimes own strong-hold of Lyari. The law enforcers were told by the
residents to start operation from elsewhere and they abided. Dozens of SHOs
were changed (in midstream) within hours of the launching of operation so
that their knowledge of criminals could not be made use of.
Soon after unleashing of the operation Home Minister Wassan
appeared before media wearing fancy hat giving look of a ring leader of drug
peddlers from Mexico rather than a law-enforcer concerned about gravity of
the situation. Sindh government called all parties for the conference, but
seeing its attitude the most invitees regretted and APC was cancelled.
Media led the campaign of raising hue and cry over the killings, but
some aspects of its role were not as noble as its overall image appeared.
Videos of the torture and killings of the people abducted by various mafias
of political parties were sent to TV channels, none aired those arguing that
showing such gruesome footages was against their policy. Even those
channels which showed videos of lashing by Taliban day in and day out
talked of code of conduct.
The reason behind this dichotomy in practice of the code of conduct
was too obvious. The lashing was related to enemies of the US and no
opportunity to demonize them had to be allowed to slip away un-availed. In
the case of Karachi the videos pertained to acts of boot-lickers of the Uncle
Sam and nothing is permissible that could tarnish their secular, moderate,
and enlightened image.
The media relentlessly coaxed the Chief Justice to take suo moto
notice of the Karachi carnage; at last the judge obliged. MQM made cunning
move by sending its leaders to Registrar Supreme Court and expressing
desire to help the apex court as aggrieved party. The court shifted the venue
to Karachi after first hearing where IGP Sindh appeared before it. He tried to
shift the blame of Karachis woes away from the regime he served.
According to him overcrowding of the mega city was the real cause;
for extortions he blamed victims for giving money rather than cooperating
with police and accused eyewitnesses of not coming forward to appear in the
courts. He told that Police found no torture cells, but Rangers discovered
two in Lyari recently. He alleged that arms and ammunition were being
smuggled into the city from sea side also.

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IGP and AG deliberately concealed facts from the court. Even the
brilliant brain in lawyers community tried his best to pass the buck to place
where it did not belong. Hafiz Pirzada argued that the killings in Karachi
were attributable to presence of 2.5 million illegal foreign immigrants. He
too dishonestly tried to push the buck away from MQM, PPP and ANP.
As court proceedings continued, more and more people and
organizations applied for becoming party in the case, including MQM, ANP
and JI. Others including ISI were called by the court and plenty of
information was produced before the court. More information will pour in
when the court resumes proceedings on 13th September.
Suo moto notice may have scared some but it certainly suited the
regime as it diverted the focus of peoples expectations on the issue towards
Judiciary; whereas the onus of coming up to their expectations should have
entirely rested on the Executive.
The war between two titans (two scoundrels), as mentioned in
previous review, has been going on through their respective mafias. Zulfikar
Mirza, a close friend of Zardari, launched the phase of open hostilities by
first announcing his resignation in a press conference and then bitterly
criticizing MQM and Rehman Malik.
Apparently his resignation was the result of his disagreement with the
approach of Rehman Malik for overcoming the woes of Karachi. But, it
could be a well thought-out plan emerging from two-pronged strategy to
defeat MQM; the strategy of carrot and stick.
Mirza will launch offensive against MQM to force them to beat a
retreat; or in other words he will act like a cowboy to herd the beasts towards
the enclosure where Khurshid Shah now nominated by the ranch owner,
will be waiting to welcome and keep them in safe custody. Mirza could also
be seen as sheep-dog of New Zealand.
Mirza accused Altaf of conniving with the US for disintegrating
Pakistan. It would have been better if he had also mentioned that it was
Zardari who stopped him from breaking Sindh away from the federation of
Pakistan. He should have ignored what the observers might have said about
him and instead appreciated that it would have gone in favour of his friend,
who chanted the slogan of Pakistan Khappy.
Despite spitting all the venom at MQM and Rehman Malik, Mirza,
however, had ample to spare for the Chief Justice. He let no chance go-by to
demonize Chief Justice as if he had explicit instructions from his estranged
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boss. Zardari must have relished these attacks while silently approving
attacks on other two.
He blamed Rehman Malik for freeing the arrested killers of the MQM
to win that partys sympathies. Later, Mirza said that there was a human
being inside him that has come alive. That human being remained dormant
as long as he was an active jiyala and to bring it back to life he had to resign
from the PPP membership.
It is important to attempt establishing as what this upheaval is all
about. It must be noted that Altaf Hussain in his letter to Tony Blair had
promised nothing to do for the Crusaders, which the PPP has not practically
done or tried to do, especially in the context of ISI and Army.
The enquiry must begin with listing of possible motives of the
whistle-blower Zulfikar Mirza. Has he acted to settle personal vendetta or
acted for his boss for whom his loyalty remained unscathed. He may be
standing alone, but he seemed to be fighting for the cause of PPP and
Zardari. The aim is to regain the political space lost to Sindhi nationalists
after regimes somersaults on LG system. Secondly, the critics of Zardari
regime have been forced to forget corruption cases and other problems faced
by the masses.
The people had correctly started perceiving that all the three parties
PPP, MQM and ANP were responsible for carnage in Karachi. There is no
doubt MQM is the real culprit, but after killing of five young men of Lyari,
Zardari decided to cut MQM to size and ordered to pay it back in the same
coin.
Mirza was unleashed against MQM as part of this plan based on
Zardaris strategy of making diversionary and distracting moves. His
aggressive approach has caused hesitation in MQM and as result media and
other groups have for the first time picked up the courage to call spade a
spade and started criticizing MQM.
Diversionary move is not confined to Mirza hurling accusations.
Wassan also said that it would have been better if the Chief Justice had also
taken suo moto notice of situation in Punjab. Raja Riaz demanded
resignation of PML-N government over kidnapping of Shahbaz Taseer;
whereas Rehman Malik was conferred civil award with complete disregard
to the killings in Karachi.
No sooner Shahbaz Taseer was kidnapped in Lahore the earth was
shaken under the feet of the government. Only a week ago people were
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kidnapped and killed by the dozens in Karachi and some were burnt alive.
Neither the earth shook nor the shy fell, because these men traveled in
rickety old bus unlike the son of former governor who was traveling in a
Mercedes.
The intriguing aspect is that Zardaris trust in Rehman Malik has
remained apparently unshaken despite loud voices and murmuring against
this dynamic personality for the damage he was causing to the PPP. The
observers pondered about secret of Maliks strength that he was not removed
from his office despite his failings and negative traits mentioned by so many
people.
The only plausible explanation is that Malik has been inherited by
Zardari as part of the infamous NRO deal facilitated by the Crusaders. For
his promised better delivery than Musharraf he needs a chronic lair. In
any case Zardari has to find solid pretext to not fire him. The Scoundrel may
be preparing grounds for removing him at some stage sooner or later.
Apparently, Mirza had taken on the gangs of both Altaf and Zardari
simultaneously. The PPP gang defended itself by saying that whatever Mirza
said was his personal view. It implied that all the truth belonged to the
individual and all the lies fell in the purview of party policy.
MQM nominated Sabzwari to hold counter-press conference on behalf
the gang he belonged to. With coolness of a cold-blooded murder he hurled
back the allegations of targeted killings, extortion, torture, land mafia and
drug trafficking using refined Urdu as compared to Mirzas crude choice of
words.
Quite cunningly he named only Mirza and avoided pointing finger at
PPP. And, he did it without using Quran to grant credibility to his statements.
He seemed fully reciprocating the reconciliatory approach of Zardari. Soon
after that Rehman Malik and then Gilani telephoned Altaf, who agreed to
water the sapling of democracy. Later, two Dons had 45-minute telephonic
chat.
As Mirza remained on TV screens, MQM was forced to come out of
its dormant posture. This time Mustafa Kamal held a press conference and
termed the letter written to Tony Blair fake; yet he tried to justify some
selected contents while ignoring the others.
He came out with the excuse, like a habitual criminal appearing in a
court, that Ajmal Pahari's confessions was extracted through torture. He also
justified Ajmals stay in New Delhi under the pretext of forced exile. In
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addition, he leveled counter-allegations and urged the chief judge to probe

into three hundred thousand arms licences issued by Mirza.
Like walking out of Zardaris political haram, MQM boycotted media
and then soon realized the mistake of leaving the arena without fighting for
their cause. After Mustafa Kamals press conference they returned to TV
channels, but by then they had lost considerable ground to their opponents.
MQM leaders have often boasted that their party is no more lawaris
(guardian-less). Who is their waris (guardian)? Most probably Rehman
Malik and MQM has common sponsor-cum-protector. Like Malik, Zardari
was also constrained to induct MQM in the coalition government on the
directive of the Crusaders using pretext of reconciliation.
The two scoundrels are obliged to work in unison and keep their
unholy union intact because global scoundrel wants it as such. They will
continue with telephonic conversations after each brawl and renewing the
pledge to water the sapling of democracy. Blood of the people of Karachi
will continue to be used as water by these malis (gardeners) of democracy.
As regards the conspiracy of breaking Pakistan nobody should have
any doubt about the sincerity of all the three parties PPP, MQM and ANP
regarding ideological and territorial integrity of Pakistan. These parties
have harmed the solidarity of Pakistan by their acts and neglect and the
biggest party has to its credit the distinction of disintegrating the country.
Anti-climax came on 9th September, when the scoundrel-in-chief
arrived in London, while the scoundrel-in-exile had video press conference
with Pakistani media. By design the hype was created about the importance
of the issues to be touched upon by the man whose followers believe him to
be an imam of Khomeneis stature.
All eyes and ears (antennas) TV channels were turned towards his den
in London. They were kept waiting for hours before he emerged on the stage
and TV screens across Pakistan. After his usual theatrics he began his speech
paying compliments to the TV anchors which had allowed criticism of his
political cult called MQM.
He called them baighairat for daring to arrange discussions in which a
spade was called a spade. He took little more than an hour to warm up and
regain some of his senses. He then enacted his first item song. Thereafter
he was in his usual composure. Overall impression created was that the

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speakers mood was swaying in between two extremes, of a scared man and
a bully.
All that he said was aimed at achieving objectives related to his
adversaries; perceived or real. Firstly, he wanted to intimidate superior
judiciary, which was hearing suo moto case of killings in Karachi. In this
context he tried to convey that:
Legitimacy of the judiciary is doubtful because its chief and many
judges had taken oath under PCO which is in contradiction to
prerequisites laid down in CoD.
He enumerated the crimes committed against Urdu-speaking
Mohajirs and then tauntingly asked: who is the CJP?
MQM did not stop the CJP on May 12 and it did not place containers
to block roads.
He reminded that so many verdicts of judiciary have not been
implemented and cautioned that the next could be another.
He, however, was generous in staying his decision on the forthcoming
verdict of the Supreme Court; we shall wait and see.
Secondly, he tried to stall military action which he apprehended could
be initiated under orders of the judiciary or in case things get out of civil
governments control. In this connection he said:
COAS must take cognizance of crimes committed by all other groups,
especially those by Lyari gang as shown in a video.
MQM together with Army and ISI can save Pakistan from the
conspirators, because MQM is the only patriotic party.
Prime Minister and COAS must take note of atrocities committed
against MQM otherwise activists of MQM would be let loose.
Thirdly, he tried to defame and disrepute his two political adversaries,
of past and present, by implicating them even in those crimes which they
had not committed. To this end he alleged:
The US gave billions of dollars to Asfandyar for elections in 2008.
ANP has the plans to disintegrate Pakistan in connivance with the US
and these conspirators consider MQM a hindrance to their plans.

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 The pioneer of torture cells and targeted killings accused ANP and JI
for committing these crimes.
M Hussain Mehnati armed MQM-Haqaqi through JIs Thunder Squad
to attack MQM rally on May 12.
Same day Marwat and Shahi were heard talking that Asfandyar had
ordered ANPs activists to shoot to kill.
He alleged that PML-N too has armed wing from whom weapons
were recovered.
Last, but not the least, he launched an all out offensive against the
media to intimidate and stop it from exposing MQMs ugly face. He said:
TV anchors are shameless (baighairat) for some of them want to
curtail MQMs mandate.
Some anchors are prejudice and busy in carrying out MQMs media
trial.
He reminded media that there was no one Pakistan to tell the truth and
thus whatever he says should be accepted as such.
His initial thrust was aimed at shaking the very foundation of Pakistan
as he questioned the religious basis of two-nation theory. Using crutches of
secularism and liberalism he crushed the justification of division of Mother
India. He ventured to correct the history of creation of Pakistan. He did not
stop there and instead marched on to narrate Islamic historys most
important event of Huddabias Peace Accord. He nearly corrected it by
describing the Accord with words Mohammad (PBUH) son of Abdullah.
Throughout he kept using truth as purification tablets to clear the
muddled pond of his lies. He said that MQMs May 12 rally was in support
of Chief Justice completely disregarding how Musharraf had proudly owned
the show of his support the same day in Islamabad. He called his mentor
Musharraf a coward.
He justified his strategy of staying away from the media in the wake
of Mirzas press conference by arguing that it was because of his
(mysterious) hospitalization. He cursed everyone remaining completely
oblivious of the consequences of his utterances. But, there was method in his
madness; he spared his counterpart who had arrived in the town.
13th September, 2011

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LIBYA LIBERATED
The Crusaders waging holy war through rebels have almost liberated
Libya only Gaddafi has to be found and his last rituals performed. The
liberated Libyans will now wait for trickling of their frozen assets in western
banks worth $130 billion. The first installment of about $3 billion is likely to
be released for the reconstruction of the liberated country.
It implies a long wait for the Libyans to start enjoying their freedom.
The Crusaders, however, will soon start harnessing the riches of the liberated
land. The bulk of the black gold, about 35 percent, reportedly, has already
been awarded to France.
Having dealt a knock-out blow on Gaddafi, the Crusaders seemed to
be re-invigorating media and diplomatic offensive against Syrias Assad and
Irans Ahmedinejad. They also sought explanation from Beijing when its
first aircraft carrier embarked on inaugural sea trial.

NEWS
In Africa, Libya and Somalia remained in the news for contrasting
reasons. Elsewhere, UN building was bombed in Nigeria on 26th August; 18
people were killed. Next day, eleven people were killed and 32 wounded in a
suicide bombing at the Cherchell military academy west of Algiers, A
hospital source had earlier put the toll in the attack at 18 dead and dozens
wounded. Twenty-six wounded had been discharged but six people were still
in hospital, one in critical condition.
On 10th September, overnight attacks killed at least 15 people, the
latest in a wave of recent killings in an area beset by sectarian violence.
More villagers were missing in what appeared to be a wave of spiraling
attacks suspected to be staged by Fulani herdsmen from adjoining villages.
In Libya, Gaddafi forces claimed gains on 7th August. Four days later,
eight people were killed in clashes with rebels. On 14th August, rebels
claimed capturing the town of Zawiyah. Next day, Gaddafi addressed
Libyans and urged them to fight against rebels who have allied with alQaeda and NATO. He termed NATO strikes as naked aggression. Rebels

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claimed capturing second strategic town near Tripoli within 24 hours and
cutting off the capital's two main supply routes.
On 16th August, rebels said war against Gaddafi has entered decisive
phase and that victory was within reach by the end of August. They also
ruled out negotiations with the regime. Three days later, rebels claimed
capturing the town of Zlitan; 32 people were killed in days fighting.
On 20th August, rebels battled for towns on either side of the Libyan
capital Tripoli, and fighting spilt across the border into Tunisia where Libyan
infiltrators clashed with Tunisian troops. The United States said Muammar
Gaddafi's days are numbered. Next day, rebels claimed that they were at
striking distance from Tripoli. More than three hundred people were killed in
the fighting. Gaddafi refused to lay down arms or leave the capital.
On 22nd August, Tripoli fell to NATO-backed rebels after fierce
fighting. Gaddafi went missing, his three sons were arrested, 376 people
were killed and more than thousand wounded. Rebels ruled out NATO bases
in Libya and ICC demanded custody of Seif for war crimes trial. Residents
of Tripoli celebrated rebels victory and the West rejoiced. Obama said
Gaddafi era was over and the US would be a partner. Pentagon ruled out
US boots on the ground in Libya. African union delayed decision on Libya.
China vowed to respect peoples choice and Chavez denounced the West.
Next day, rebels captured Gaddafis compound; he remained missing.
His son appeared on TV and said war was not over. NATO said Gaddafi is
not its target; everyone knew it is oil. US decided to release $1.5 billion to
rebels out of the frozen assets of Gaddafi regime. Turkey urged release of
Libyas frozen assets.
On 24th August, Gaddafis troops fought back near his Tripoli
compound a day after it was captured, while rebels offered a $1.7 million
reward for the elusive strongman; dead or alive. Meanwhile, a group of 30
mostly foreign journalists who had been confined to Tripolis Rixos Hotel
were freed. Fighting also spread to the nearby Abu Slim area, where loyalists
were on the attack. Many streets were deserted, with commanders saying
dozens of pro-Gaddafi snipers had taken up positions.
Britain and France sought a new UN resolution to unlock frozen
Libyan assets in a bid to deliver urgently needed funds to the anti-Gaddafi
rebels as the United States requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security
Council to discuss a move to ease Libya sanctions. An urgent meeting,
involving the UN and the heads of regional and other international
organizations, is planned for August 26.
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Next day, fighting continued in Tripoli and streets were littered with
dead bodies. Gaddafi appeared on TV and urged his supporters to kill the
rats (rebels). Arab League recognized rebels as representatives of Libyans.
Russia urged UN to play the central role in international efforts to help
rebuild Libya and criticized the 'contact group', which included the US,
Britain and France and supported the rebels, who have had help from air
strikes by NATO nations. China was considering an invitation to attend a
Paris conference on Libya's future. Turkey mulled unlocking frozen assets.
On 26th August, Western powers were considering the release of about
$4 billion to the rebels out of more than $100 billion Libyan assets frozen in
their banks. Defence Secretary of Britain accepted the presence of British
boots on Libyan soil and helping the rebels. He hinted at rebels seeking
deployment of peacekeepers from African countries.
Rebels claimed to be close to capturing Gaddafi and their NATO
backers bombed diehard loyalists in his tribal bastion, but there was no sign
of an end to the war, or to international wrangling over Libya's riches. While
many African states have recognized the NTC, the AU would not do so as
long as fighting continued, South African President Jacob Zuma, a vocal
advocate for Gaddafi, said after a meeting in Addis Ababa. Meanwhile, AI
urged both sides to respect detainees' rights; pro-regime forces were accused
of raping children and rebels holding African migrant workers as prisoners.
Next day, dead bodies were found rotting in a warehouse; most of the
killed were non-Libyans whom the rebels had been accusing as mercenaries
hired by Gaddafi, but Gaddafi forces were blamed for their killing. Rebels
vowed to take Muammar Gaddafi's home town by force if negotiations
failed. Gaddafi's whereabouts remained unknown and rebels hunting him
vowed the war would not end until he was captured or killed.
On 28th August, rebels rejected Gaddafis offer for talks as they
captured town of Bin Jawad and advanced towards Sirte. Next day, wife and
three children of Gaddafi fled to Algeria; Gaddafi and two sons were
reported to be hiding south of Tripoli.
On 30th August, rebels issued ultimatum to Gaddafi forces to surrender
or face a military onslaught, as NATO said the strongman is still able to
command his troops despite being on the run. National Transitional Council
(NTC) chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil told reporters in the rebel stronghold
Benghazi that the respite was offered to mark the three-day Eid al-Fitr.
The CIA recruited over 1,500 men from Mazar-e-Sharif for fighting
against the Qaddafi forces in Libya. These men attired in Uzbek-style of
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shalwar and Hazara-Uzbek Kurta were found fighting in Libyan cities.

When al-Jazeera reporter pointed it he was disallowed by the rebels to
capture images. Sources in Quetta said: Some Uzbeks and Hazaras from
Afghanistan were arrested in Balochistan for illegally traveling into Pakistan
en route to Libya through Iran. Aljazeeras report gave credence to this story.
The sources said: The CIA funded Libyan Rebels with cash and weapons.
On 31st August, Sief urged Libyans to fight back the rats (rebels); four
people were killed in a clash near Tripoli. Next day, Gaddafi accused
international community of misappropriating Libyan assets. He vowed to
wage guerrilla warfare against the rebels, which amounted to indirectly
accepting the fall of his government.
On 2nd September, it was reported by the Liberation daily that at the
beginning of the armed conflict in Libya, France reached an agreement with
the Libyan rebels to control 35 percent of Libyan oil in exchange for
supporting them; rebels Council rejected the report.
On 4th September, talks aimed at securing the peaceful surrender of
Gaddafis forces in Bani Walid were abandoned and an assault on the oasis
town southeast of Tripoli was imminent. Next day, reportedly, al-Qaeda
linked groups have acquired stockpile of Libyan weapons, including surface
to air missiles.
On 7th September, Libya's new leaders sought Niger's help in
preventing Moamer Gaddafi, his family or his troops from crossing the
border, as the hunt for the fugitive strongman intensified. African Union
urged new Libyan rulers to halt racist attacks.
Next day, Gaddafi denied he had fled Libya and cursed as rats and
stray dogs those whose efforts to start governing in his place were being
frustrated by his diehard followers. Backing up his words, a cannonade of
Grad missiles flew out of Bani Walid, a desert town south of Tripoli where a
hard core of loyalists estimated by their opponents at about 150 was
under siege by the new interim government. Some of its commanders
suspect Gaddafi himself might be hiding inside.
On 9th September, fighters representing Libya's new rulers encircled
and entered Bani Walid, one of the last towns loyal to ousted leader and
fought with gunmen in street-to-street battles. Interpol issued red warrants
for Gaddafi and Seif.
Next day, Libya's interim government was poised to launch final
assault on towns still loyal to Gaddafi after a deadline for surrender expired.
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New interim leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil arrived in Tripoli for the first time
since his forces seized the city last month and was treated to a red-carpet
welcome at the Metiga military base.
On 11th September, rebel fighters clashed with pro-Gaddafi forces at
the oasis town of Bani Walid and were closing in on Sirte, poised for all-out
assaults on the fallen leader's remaining strongholds. Saadi son of Gaddafi
fled to Niger.
In Egypt, Hosni appeared before the court on a stretcher on 15 th
August. His trial is expected to linger. On 7 th September, the chief judge in
the trial of Hosni Mubarak summoned high-profile witnesses including
Egypt's army ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi to testify in court.
On 9th September, protesters raided the Israeli embassy in Cairo and
clashed with security forces. Police used tear gas and rubber bullets and fired
live ammunition in the air in order to disperse the stone-hurling protesters.
Several vehicles in the nearby area were set ablaze. Israeli Ambassador, who
arrived at Cairo airport with his family and staff under tight security in the
wee hours, had flown out of the country aboard an Israeli military aircraft.
Next day, Egypt declared state of alert after protesters stormed the
Israeli embassy and clashed with police. Israeli Prime Minister called the
mob attack a serious incident, while Obama asked Egypt to protect the
embassy. The attack on the embassy was the worst since Israel established
its mission in Egypt after becoming the first Arab country to sign a peace
treaty with the Jewish state in 1979.
On 11th September, Muslim Brotherhood demanded revision of
relations with Israel and denounced heightened security measures imposed
after protesters stormed the Israeli embassy.
On 20th August, at least 58 people were killed in clashes between
tribes over cattle in South Sudan, a sign of instability weeks after the region
gained independence. Two days later, the UN said at least 600 people were
killed and up to 985 people injured in tribal clashes in the new country of
South Sudan.
Somalia was hit by severe drought and food shortage. On 6 th August,
Somali President said his military had defeated rebels battling to overthrow
his Western-backed government after the al Shabaab group began
withdrawing fighters from the capital to allow the supply and distribution of
food aid.

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On 7th August, Somali government forces backed by African Union

troops moved cautiously into areas of the famine-struck capital abandoned
the day before by Shebaab rebels; with skirmishes breaking out. Next day,
the UN refugee agency airlifted the first of three consignments of emergency
relief supplies for famine-stricken people in Somalias capital.
On 10th August, OIC decided to discuss aid for Somalias drought-hit
population. A week later, OIC countries met in Turkey and decided to donate
$350 in aid for Somalia. On 9th September, at least twelve children were
killed and fifteen others wounded after a bomb they found in the warravaged Somali capital exploded.

Middle East continued feeling the fragrance of Arab Spring in

addition to the stink caused by death and destruction perpetrated by
Americas holy war. In Iraq, six people were killed and 14 wounded in two
bomb blasts in Iskandria on 7th August. The US official accused of torturing
inmates of Abu Ghraib was freed. On 15th August, at least 67 people were
killed and 52 wounded in bomb blasts in more than a dozen cities across
Iraq, including Kut, Tikrit, Kirkuk and Baquoba.
On 27th August, five people were killed and several wounded in two
bomb blasts in Baghdad. Next day, 26 people were killed and 37 wounded in
suicide bombing in a mosque in Baghdad. On 31 st August, three people were
killed and 20 wounded in car bomb blast in Baghdad. On 11 th September,
Shia leader Moqtada Sadr ordered his followers not to launch any attacks on
US troops before the completion of their pullout from Iraq scheduled for by
the end of the year.
Israel killed one Palestinian and wounded seven others in air strike in
Gaza on 16th August. Next day, two Palestinians were killed by Israel in
occupied Jerusalem. On 18th August, Israel killed seven Palestinians in air
strike in Gaza and six in ground operation in retaliation to seven Israelis
killed in three ambushes in southern Israel. Next day, one Palestinian was
killed and three wounded in Israeli air strike in Gaza.
On 20th August, Egypt withdrew its envoy from Israel after killing of
soldier of border security force by Israel. Next day, Israel arrested 120
Hamas members in West Bank. On 22nd August, Israel and Hamas entered in
informal truce after the recent killings by either side.
On 25th August, a series of Israeli air strikes on Gaza over a 24-hour
period killed nine Palestinians and injured 30; among the dead, at least two

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were Islamic Jihad fighters. On 6th September, one Palestinian was killed in
Israeli air strike in Gaza.
Gulf Arab states turned up the heat on Syria on 6th August, joining a
growing chorus of pressure after its security forces shot dead at least 22
people. The six-member bloc urged end to bloodshed. Tens of thousands
staged anti-regime protests. Next day, security forces killed more than fifty
protesters; Saudi government termed the situation unacceptable and called
back its ambassador from Damascus.
On 8th August, Gulf States recalled their envoys from Syria. Turkey
and Russia urged Syria to end its deadly crackdown on protests as the death
toll mounted with activists saying security forces killed at least 25 people.
Next day, 17 people were killed. On 10th August, security forces shot dead 11
people in the protest hub of Homz while withdrawing from the flashpoint
city of Hama after a 10-day operation. Next day, four protesters were killed
by security forces.
On 12th August, forces killed 13 protesters. Next day, US President
joined British and Saudi allies in demanding that the Syrian regime must
immediately halt its brutal crackdown on protesters. On 14 th August, 21
protesters were killed in the town of Lataniya. Next day, forces killed three
people after gunboats pounded Latakia, forcing thousands of Palestinians to
flee a refugee camp in the port city, activists.
On 17th August, four protesters were killed and several arrested in
crackdown by security forces. Tunis called back its envoy from Damascus.
Next day, Obama froze Syrian assets in the US and he demanded Assad to
quit. On 19th August, 34 protesters were shot dead in across Syria.
On 21st August, Assad expected parliamentary election to be held in
February 2012 after a series of reforms that would let political groups other
than his Baath party take part. He said any military action against his
country would backfire on those who carried it out. Next day, UN rights
body met to press Assad after he rejected calls to quit. Meanwhile, massive
rally was held Damascus in support of Assad.
On 23rd August, dissidents set up a broad-based national council to
coordinate their campaign to topple President Bashar al-Assad. Three days
later, security forces killed at least three people as they opened fire on
protesters who rallied in their tens of thousands across Syria vowing again to
bring down the regime.

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On 27th August, security forces killed two protesters. Next day, Iran
warned NATO against entering Syrian quagmire. On 29 th August, Syrian
security forces killed six people as a Russian envoy visited Damascus and
the EU moved to ban oil imports from the country. Next day, forces killed
seven people, a day after the EU moved to ban oil imports from Syria.
On 2nd September, forces killed 14 anti-regime demonstrators. Next
day, 17 more protesters were killed. On 4th September, 24 people were killed
in crackdown on dissidents. Next day, at least 24 people were killed in
violence across Syria as the visiting Red Cross chief sought access to those
detained in more than five months of anti-regime protests. On 7 th September,
France accused Syria of crimes against humanity on Wednesday, as
activists said regime forces killed at least 23 people, including 17 in a tankbacked raid on the flashpoint city of Homs.
On 10th September, forces killed seven people as the Arab League
rejected foreign interference in Syria and announced an agreement on
reforms. Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi met President Bashar al-Assad
with a 13-point document outlining Arab proposals to broker an end to the
bloodshed in Syria, hold elections and push for reforms in the League
member state.
Four Hezbollah suspects in the killing of Rafik al-Hariri of Lebanon
were linked on 17th August to the attack largely by circumstantial evidence.
Two days later, one person was killed in bomb blast in Beirut. On 2 nd
September, Gareth Porter in his column alleged that the UN tribunal
concealed evidence and he claimed al-Qaeda killed Rafik Hariri.
A court in Turkey ordered on 8th August arrest of seven generals and
admirals accused of trying to undermine the government. On 17th August,
eight Turkish soldiers were killed in attack by Kurd rebels near Iraqi border.
Next day, Turkish jets bombed 60 targets in northern Iraq used as bases by
the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) following an ambush by the outlawed
group that killed nine troops.
On 23rd August, Turkey claimed killing about hundred Kurd rebels in
air strikes in northern Iraq. Three soldiers were killed and three wounded
when an explosion struck their military convoy in Turkey's southeastern
Hakkari province on 28th August. Next day, armed forces claimed that 145160 Kurdish guerrillas were killed in the military's air and artillery strikes in
northern Iraq in August.
On 2nd September, UN report said Israel used excessive force against
aid flotilla for Gaza. Turkey rejected the report; expelled Israel envoy, called
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back own ambassador and suspended all military relations. Israel refused to
apologize and mulled response.
On 20th August, Iran sentenced two American hikers to eight years in
prison for illegal entry and spying for a US intelligence agency. Eight days
later, Iran sentenced to death a man accused of playing a key role in the 2010
murder of a top nuclear scientist and of spying for Israel.
The rulers of Bahrain re-established their hold, but the ruled
remained restive. On 21st August, Pakistan consented to send more troops to
Bahrain to help the rulers. On 2nd September, one protester was killed in
Bahrain. And the people protested by carrying out a rally.
In Yemen, anti-Saleh and pro-Saleh rallies were held in Sanaa on 12th
August. Six days later, al-Qaeda gunmen captured a town in the south. On
21st August, eleven tribesmen were killed in two suicide attacks in the
southern province of Abyan. Two days later, at least seven people were
killed and 30 wounded in attack on an airbase in the south.
On 27th August, seven soldiers were killed and six wounded in clashes
with suspected al-Qaeda forces in Abyan. Next day, four soldiers were killed
and 12 wounded in firefight between with suspected al-Qaeda gunmen near
the city of Zinjibar. On 31st August, four more militants were killed in a
clash in that area.
On 4th September, Army was deployed in view of mass protests. Six
days later, army recaptured the city of Zinjibar, overrun by al-Qaeda
suspects in May, and ended a siege of an army base there. On 11th
September, at least 230 Yemeni soldiers were killed in fighting with
militants linked to al-Qaeda that led to the lifting of the siege of a brigade
imposed three months ago. Another 50 tribal auxiliaries allied to the
government were also killed.

Far East remained generally calm. However, the website of Indian

High Commission in Dhaka was hacked on 8th September by unknown
hackers from Bangladesh. The message apparently revealed what prompted
the hacking the aborted Teesta water-sharing deal that Manmohan Singh
was to sign during his recent visit. Hackers said stop boarder killings. We are
human, not bird. Its your responsibility to be friendly to Bangladesh.
During the period Europe also remained violence free except
Britain. On 8th August, rioting resumed in London and many buildings in
various parts were set on fire. Initial incidents of violence had occurred in
reaction to killing of a Nigger.
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Next day, British Prime Minister cut short his holiday, held a
consultative meeting and decided to deal with the rioters firmly and
decisively. Rioting was spearheaded by immigrants of Afro-Arab origin.
Police arrested more than five hundred rioters and 110 policemen were
injured as disturbance entered into fourth day in which shopping centres and
vehicles were burnt. Gavin Knight did not see it as the work of organized
gangs; it was due to neglect of youth problems.
On 10th August, three Pakistanis were killed in Birmingham by rioters
while they were guarding their shops. The White looters have been urging to
take on Pakis protecting their properties. Next day, Cameron pledged
crackdown and compensation as violence in Britain subsided as 1500
hundred were hauled up and one person died of injuries.
On 12th August, another person died of injuries bringing the toll to
five; more than 1600 suspects were detained to date. Six days later,
thousands gathered in Birmingham to attend funeral of three Pakistanis. On
9th September, former Taliban fighter was jailed in UK for jihad recruitment.
Two days later, Swedish police in the southwestern city of Gothenburg
arrested four people suspected of preparing a terror attack.
In America, more than half of Muslim Americans in a new poll said
governments anti-terrorism policies single them out for increased
surveillance and monitoring, and many report increased cases of namecalling, threats and harassment by airport security, law enforcement officers
and others, reports US newspapers. On 2nd September, headscarf ban sparked
clash in New York. On Pakistani was held in Virginia on terror-linked charge
of instigating for jihad in IHK.

VIEWS
Four days later, Jeffrey Sachs observed: The unfolding disaster in
the Horn of Africa will not solve itself, and four factors make the
situation potentially explosive. First, long-term human-induced climate
change seems to be bringing more droughts and climate instability. The US
and Europe are not only failing to respond to the African drought; they have
probably contributed to it through their greenhouse-gas emissions.
Second, fertility rates and population growth in the Horn of Africa
continue to be extremely high, even as children perish in the famine. Unless
and until widespread family planning and modern contraceptive services are
established, expanding populations in the Horn of Africa will crash against a
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harsher future climate. Third, the region is already living in extreme poverty,
so adverse shocks push it toward calamity. And, finally, regional politics are
highly unstable, leaving the Horn extremely vulnerable to conflict.
On 11th August, Kieran Connell opined: In the clamour by politicians,
media and police alike to dismiss what happened this week as the acts of
mindless thugs, it is worth keeping in mind that riots dont tend to
happen without a reason. The tragic loss of Mark Duggans life requires a
thorough investigation from the IPCC. But the aim in the coming weeks
should also be to go beyond the initial spark, and try to learn more about the
relationship between the police and the community, and the ways in which
this can be improved.
Washington Post wrote: This is becoming a year of rebellion by the
dispossessed first in the Arab Middle East, then in Israel and now in
one of the worlds richest democracies. At a time of economic disruption,
no country is immune from such upheaval. But Britain is showing that
democracies can respond with responsible policing and robust political
debate. It is because that they are incapable of such political flexibility or
respect for human rights that the Arab autocrats are doomed.
Gulf News commented: Police action is not the whole answer.
These riots can only come from people who feel that society has failed them,
and the grim effects of the recession are biting deep into the structure of
society. This is where Camerons coalition government will need to find a
new way to energize the inner cities, and set them back on the path to
prosperity.
The prime ministers simple threat that rioters will feel the full force
of the law, and Home Secretary Theresa Mays dismissal of the events as
unacceptable criminality, thuggery, looting, and theft, is a very small part
of the complete answer. The community leaders have a larger duty to
calm their angry populations, but they can only do this with a clear lead
from the government or local authorities offering a more hopeful path for
the depressed inner cities. But whatever strategy they come up with, burning
Englands cities is not the answer.
TheNation wrote: Nobody would have thought that the isolated
incident of the killing of Mark Duggan, an unarmed innocent civilian by
police last Saturday, would plunge the country into total chaos.
Unfortunately a section of British media wasted no time in laying the blame
of riots at the doors of organized gangs. This in fact was an attempt to divert
attention from the real issues like for instance unemployment, resentment of
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youth and most importantly inequality in society. The killing only gave a
reason to this mass of marginalized people to register their anger against the
government. So far, there are no signs that the rioting would stop. Hundreds
of shops and public buildings around various towns of Britain have been
reduced to ashes and scores of people including the police personnel have
been injured. With fear on the streets increasing by the hour, the people are
now resorting to making their own arrangements for protection, including
forming baseball-totting brigades to man their localities and property, which
again is quite worrisome. Despite the arrest of 523 looters in London alone
during the past three days, the situation continues to get worse. Indeed, after
the failure of Metropolitan Polices public order unit, CO11, that was
considered as the ultimate agency in controlling public unrest, there is now
talk of calling in the army on the streets to quell the violence. A session of
Parliament has been scheduled to meet today to find ways on how to
normalize the situation.
The British government now faces a political challenge. The country
is now reaping the whirlwind of disastrous policies pursued during the long
tenure of Tony Blair, who was obsessed with using the taxpayers money and
resources to support Americas so-called war on terror and also Gordon
Brown who had no vision at all. The Cameron setup should now turn to the
real issues of joblessness, racial discrimination, inequality and others
breeding discontentment.
Next day, Sharique Naeem observed: The mass protests this year in
Greece, which historically has been considered the birthplace of democracy,
and the unprecedented riots in Britain, which has been called the Mother of
Democracy, has put both the notion and the credibility of the institution of
democracy as a model of governance, and capitalism as a system into an
intellectual and political challenge. A challenge the likes of which it has
not seen since the fall of communism in the 80s and the fall of Caliphate
60 years earlier in the 20s
As the Western democracies struggle to cope with their ailments, and
Muslims in the Arab world brave the tyranny of dictatorships, it has become
appallingly clear that neither democracy nor dictatorship can give the masses
true economic justice and a rule of law without bias of race, ethnicity, or
status. This brings to the question: What can serve as a viable alternative?
The prospects at hand, with regard to the model of governance and
system, are either Communism, or Caliphate. As the intellectuals, and the
masses in the Muslim world, in particular the Arab, spearhead their efforts
towards a real regime change, it is only wise not to trade dictatorships with
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democracies. The viable alternative for the Arab world is to establish a

model of governance, based on the ideology of the masses, i.e. the
Caliphate. Once established, the Caliphate can then serve as a practical
reference point, and an answer to what many in the West are now pondering
upon: If not capitalism and democracy, then what?
For now, the issues facing Europe are only likely to continue,
though not as monumental as the Arab Spring, but with respective
significance, into what could be termed as the European Autumn. The
similitude in nature is fascinating. Spring sees the birth of new flowers, with
beauty and fragrance, and autumn witnesses the falling of dry leaves.
On 16th August, Phyllis Bennis observed: Six months after the heady
days of Tahrir Square and six months after the extraordinary ouster of
Mubarak from power, Egypts future remains uncertain. The military
Mubaraks old military, largely unchanged remains far too powerful. The
military-appointed interim government remains torn between retaining
popular credibility by responding to the still-unmet demands of the stillmobilized population, and remaining in office by acceding to the dictates of
their military overseers. There are no guarantees. Except for the fact that
Egypts people, the people of Tahrir Square, have lost their fear of the
government and the military. They are still mobilized; they are still working
to hold at least parts of the overthrown dictatorship to account.
Many people remain understandably uneasy about what Egypts
future holds. The struggle to shift power real power, not only symbolic
power away from the military and to the people of Tahrir Square,
continues. It is precisely in that context that the importance of the trial of
Hosni Mubarak sharpens: it is proof that, whatever comes next, whatever
structures of privilege and oppression Egyptians continue to face, it will
not be the same as before. The trial of Mubarak shows theres no going
back.
Umar Waqar wrote: The current turmoil in Europe is the
beginning of the end of exploitative system of capitalism and everything
associated with it. Its fallout could lead to civil wars and wars of hate in the
West. Since the global economy is linked with this monstrous system and
had feet of clay, its fall is likely to generate a tsunami of catastrophic events,
which could lead to tragedies unfathomable by the mankind. Maybe Dr
Iqbals prophesy is about to become true, who commented on the moral
degeneration of the West (in 1906) as:
O the dwellers of the West, Gods land is not a shop of business;
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The glitter of everything you consider Gold will prove to be false;

Your creed will commit suicide with its own dagger;
For a nest built on delicate branches will not last longer.
Next day, Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey commented: The question is,
when will NATO stop murdering Libyan children, when will NATO
realize it made a monumental mistake in attacking Libya and siding with
the rebels (most of whom are not even Libyan), when will NATO stop
wasting hundreds of millions of dollars of its taxpayers money on bombing
a country whose population stands with its leader?
NATO has a fundamental and underlying problem: it is a fraud,
a phoney organization which has long surpassed the founding ideals of its
existence. It was founded (wrongly) as a collective defensive organism
quaking in its boots at the supposed Soviet threat. The Soviet military
organization was essentially defensive, and despite massive superiority, did
the Soviet Union ever attack? No, it did not
Do the citizens of the UK know quite how much Prime Minister
David Cameron is spending per week on bombing Libyan civilians,
bombing the Libyan water supply and electricity grids to break the people?
Find out, and see how you feel? It is utterly amazing.
Do the citizens of the UK and France know what the White House
said before it tried to distance itself from this horrific violation of
international law? Why, here it is: It is good to involve NATO because it
saves US taxpayers dollars and saves the lives of our boys. Yes, they
actually said that
How can SKY News for example state that the rebels; what
rebels? The vast majority of them arent even Libyans and over 90pc of
the population supports the Jamahiriya control al-Bregah, when in fact they
are 195 kilometres to the East and all accesses to the city are heavily
fortified? True, the terrorists make the two-and-a-half-hour drive from time
to time and true; they get their heads blown off. Many of them are NATO
backed mercenaries. Why does NATO arm terrorists? Why does NATO get
itself involved in an internal conflict it started? Why does NATO back
terrorists against the legitimate government of Libya?
Why doesnt NATO admit that the Jamahiriya is far more
democratic than the systems in their countries? Have the citizens of the
NATO countries read the Green Book of Muammar Gaddafi? Then they
should. How can the western media report that Benghazi is under rebel
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control when 75pc of the city is now thankfully liberated from the scourge of
these racists
The Libyan government is firmly in control, has from the
beginning implemented international law to the letter, while NATO has
flouted it. If there isnt a man or a woman in the international community
with the guts to stand up and say what is right, then let the citizens of the
world take up the challenge.
NATO is committing war crimes in Libya. Colonel Gaddafi is
popular. NATO is killing civilians, and it is doing so on purpose. They
murdered the three grandchildren of Muammar Gaddafi. They are wasting
millions of dollars per day in this war, which they are losing. They know
they are losing it so they target water and electricity supplies to break the
people. Now if that isnt evil, I dont know what is.
Tanvir Ahmad Khan observed: In the dramatic events in the Arab
world since January 2011, it has become increasingly clear that the future
dispensations would have to be more inclusive and that a modus vivendi
with the Muslim Brotherhood and its moderate offshoots would have to be
found. The Syrian regime keeps talking of Salafist insurgents, but in actual
practice it has come down on Sunni protesters of much lighter shade for
demanding reforms visualized in 2000-01. Fortunately for Syria and the
entire Muslim world, the issues in Syria are still not framed in sectarian
terms. The Syrian regime has inexorably climbed the ladder of escalation
because it has not explored enough alternatives to violence. This quest for
peace would become increasingly difficult as the movement in Syria gets
fixated on an uncompromising demand for the family to step down.
Syrias torment can easily become an agony for the entire region
if excessive and frequent use of lethal force leads to the unintended
consequence of a structural collapse that also adversely impacts the business
elite of the capital and Aleppo. Strategically, it could weaken the Arab front
seeking honourable negotiations with Israel. Hezbollah needs a cooperative
regime in Damascus if it is to retain its deterrent value for Lebanon. Turkey
would have renewed worries about the Kurds and its present open and
beneficial relationship with Syria may come under strain. The Arab world
needs consolidation, not more turmoil as the revolutionary phase of the Arab
uprising is already over. Syria should become part of the new compact and
an engine of a fresh synthesis in Arab politics.
Tik Root wrote about Yemen: Earlier this week the opposition
announced that an umbrella council is set to elect its members on August 17.
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They will be chosen from a pool of 700 remarkably diverse candidates. Even
though this proposal is bound to have critics, it marks an incredibly
important step towards establishing the credible transition plan that has
been sought by the international community.
The key to these recent political developments was the youth
movement, which acted as both a spark for the initiative and a role model
for success through compromise. In the end, it is naive to believe that the
youth alone have the skills necessary to lead Yemen, but they have proven
their ability to play a substantive role. Vice-President Hadi, General Mushin,
the JMP, the newly formed Alliance of Yemeni Tribes (headed by Sheikh
al-Ahmar) and others would be wise to respect them as equals, rather than
pawns in a political game.
With the looming prospect of a humanitarian crisis and civil war,
Yemens future is far from clear. What is certain is that if the youths
commitment, determination, and talent are not fully used, the prospects
of the country ever becoming a stable, liberal democracy will be
considerably slimmer.
The Christian Science Monitor urged help for starving Somalia.
Eastern Kenya is home to Dadaab, the largest refugee camp in the world.
Built two decades ago to house 90,000 people, today it shelters 420,000.
And more than a thousand others are arriving every day. Why? Because, the
worst drought in 60 years is spreading across the Horn of Africa, in the
continents northeastern corner.
At the epicentre is Somalia, where al-Qaeda-inspired militant
group Al Shabab has been making delivery of humanitarian aid
difficult. Already more than 29,000 children under the age of five have died
in Somalia due to drought and famine. Some 12 million more Somalis of all
ages risk of starvation.
Glimmers of good news can be seen. Al Shabab apparently has
pulled out of Mogadishu, the capital city, which should make relief efforts
easier. And the United States has made an exception to a provision in the
Patriot Act that prevented it from sending aid to places like Somalia, where
it might fall into the hands of terrorists such as Al Shabab. Whats needed
now is for those who pledged food aid to the region at the 2009 G-8 Summit
to make good on their commitments. So far the United Nations has raised
less than half of the $2.4 billion it asked for from donor countries.
The US has provided $580 million in aid to the region this year
Americans might find inspiration in the example of 11-year-old Andrew
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Adansi-Bonnah, who lives in Accra, Ghana. According to the Associated

Press, hes raised about $6,500 in pledges so far for his Save Somali
Children from Hunger fund. His father, a schoolteacher, has contributed
$600 his entire July salary to the fund.
On 20th August the Guardian wrote: The new American and European
position may seem strong, but in fact the international community has
precious few instruments at its disposal with which to influence the situation
in Syria. There is no possibility of military intervention and Syria is
comparatively immune to economic sanctions, although Europe, with its
stronger trade links, will presumably now bring more leverage to bear. The
hope must be that some elements in the regime will have the common sense
to realize that the only way out of the impasse, and the only chance of even a
qualified fresh start, is to shed the leader identified with policies which may
have achieved momentary physical control but have irrevocably alienated
large parts of the population.
Next day, Franklin Lamb wrote: NATO has reportedly been
intensively lobbying the White House to bar Gaddafis government from
the coming UN debate. The Libyan government, which is keeping statistics
on NATO-caused civilian deaths may not even be able to present its facts to
the UN meeting next month. The reason is because Secretary of State
Clinton has refused to grant Libyas UN ambassador a visa. Clinton,
according to committee staffers mentioned above, plans to arrange at the last
minute for the National Transitional Council to represent the views of those
being bombed by NATO. Kerrys committee staff is fairly confident that the
rebels will not oppose an extension of NATO bombing of their country.
Indeed their political and financial futures depend on NATO doing just that.
Yet, the White House has been advised by Committee staffers that NATO
has become the main danger to civilians in Libya and that a political solution
can be reached if Obama orders a ceasefire. The President is said to be
thinking about doing just that.
Mehdi Hasan observed: US military leaders expect to keep up to
10,000 folks in Iraq beyond the 31 December 2011 deadline, agreed by the
Bush administration, for a full US withdrawal. Obamas hawkish new
defence secretary, Leon Panetta, used his Senate confirmation hearings in
June to announce that he had every confidence that the Iraqi government
would request US troops to stay on in the country beyond the end of
the year. However the anti-US Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr declared this
month that any foreign soldier remaining in Iraq in 2012 would be treated
as an unjust invader and should be opposed with military resistance. So we
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can expect further bloodshed in that benighted nation: Americas

Mesopotamian misadventure is far from over. It was the historian Charles
Beard, writing in 1947, who described the national security doctrine of US
presidents as perpetual war for perpetual peace. His Nobel peace prize
notwithstanding, Obama has proved to be no different to the rest.
On 22nd August, Abdel Monem Said wrote: Arab countries on the
threshold of a revolution must think about the day after tomorrow
now, in order not to give the reactionary elements the opportunity to weaken
the revolution. As for the countries still struggling through skirmishes and
confrontation, the opportunity still exists for the forces of the revolution to
overtake the ruling regime, not only by liberating the entire political process,
but also by proposing a serious economic and social program for
development and combating corruption. With respect to the Arab countries
where revolutions have yet to break out, they must be aware that this will
happen unless all political and social forces grasp the opportunity now in
front of them and implement radical rather than superficial reform.
During the French Revolution in Europe, circumstances were almost similar
in terms of political and social maturity, but the French revolutionaries
perpetrated horrible massacres, destabilizing the independence of the entire
European Continent over a period of two decades.
Next day, TheNation commented: The rebels in Libya had not yet
taken power in Tripoli at the time of writing, but it seems that the end for
Colonel Muammar Gaddafi is in sight. In power for 42 years, he has long
resisted outside powers, but the latest challenge to his regime came from a
popular uprising, which began in February and seems to have succeeded.
The uprising saw the USA, under the guise of NATO, back the rebels by
a bombing campaign that did not just echo the Balkan campaign, but also
the previous attempt by the USA to assassinate Colonel Gaddafi, and which
resulted in the murder of his adopted daughter. However, with the nabbing of
one of his sons, Saif El-Islam, and the penetration of capital Tripoli, it seems
that the regimes resistance will ultimately come to an and. As Tunisia to
Libyas West and Egypt to its East fell as a result of the Arab Spring which
inspired the anti-Gaddafi rebels, his survival in power was always dubious.
In the midst of this, the American and NATO triumphalism, shown in
the congratulations received by US President Barack Obama and British
Prime Minister David Cameron, show how much the conflict was about
oil, and how much because the main US ally, and accomplice in its
invasions of the Muslim world, Europe, depended upon oil from Libya,
with its oil companies using its light, sweet nature to earn fat profits,
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because it was easy to refine. The US and NATO intervention was meant to
help Europe retain its stranglehold on Libyas oil. It did not take into
consideration that Libya funded many African projects.
Pakistan saw Colonel Gaddafi as an anti-US champion, and his fall
will merely strengthen anti-American feeling, as people realize that his
ouster was not just because of any oppression he committed on his
people, but because of the way he was disliked in the West. At the same
time, as an oil-rich Arab state, Libya attracted many Pakistani expatriate
workers, and their safety should be the concern of our government.
Abdullahal Shayr opined: What we are witnessing in many Arab
countries are not real, classic revolutions similar to 1989 post-communist
Eastern Europe or the Iranian revolution, where the head of these regimes,
along with their entire political apparatus, military, security and intelligence
agencies were all swept away and put on trial. This is not the case in Libya,
Syria and Yemen. The regimes are digging in and committing atrocities with
reports of crimes against humanity that will probably surface in the
International Criminal Court, especially in the case of Libya and Syria.
Even in countries like Egypt and Tunisia, where Hosni Mubarak and
Zine Al Abidine Bin Ali were ousted and departed the scene, their
henchmen, political and military leaders, are still running the show
appointing prime ministers, and administering and charting their countries
political future. Instead of being put on trial and indicted for their role in the
old regimes, they have become the new masters. This also could lead to
other Arab countries that are undergoing change seeing this as a model to be
emulated.
The other unintended consequence of change is the unruly masses
with high expectations. This manifests itself in Tahrir Square in Egypt,
where people of different stripes Islamists, liberals and independents
gather in the Square to protest any unpopular government decree. The
current Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf pledged his allegiance to the
Egyptian people one hot Friday in Tahrir Square! Does this mean that Tahrir
Square will be the new arbiter in the new Egypt?
Moreover, there are now creeping doubts in the minds of many in
the Arab World and in the West about the growing clout of Islamists.
They feel that the end result of the pangs of Arab Spring wont deliver
liberal democracies, but rather Islamic republics. Theres fear, especially in
Egypt, of a second revolution led by the Islamists themselves. We are living
in exciting times, where change is still happening and these changes have
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not reached their final stage. At any rate, I repeat, we are making history and
living it.
Brian Whitaker preferred to hope for the best after Gaddafi. Exactly
what this means for Libya is still unclear, but we have only to look at
Tunisia and Egypt to see its potential importance. In Egypt, where the
Supreme Council of the Armed Forces took charge after Mubaraks fall, and
to some extent in Tunisia too, the survival of unreconstructed security forces
is proving a barrier to political change.
The difference in Libya is that the destruction of Gaddafis army
does at least open up the possibility of politicians, rather than the
military, gaining the upper hand. At the moment, of course, theres little we
can be certain about. But lets hope for the best, stop predicting the worst,
and prepare for something in between.
Javid Husain wishfully opined: The global strategic scenario is fast
moving beyond the American control thanks partly to the dramatic rise of
China and partly to the US policy of arrogance reflected in its doctrine of
unilateral preemptive military intervention. The strategic follies committed
by Washington by rushing into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq at enormous
cost in blood and treasure have hastened the process of the relative decline
of the US and rise of the East. The US despite its riches is in a quandary
because it has forgotten the first guiding principle of a great power, which is
that it must show restraint and a sense of proportion in dealing with external
challenges so as to remain within the limits of its power and resources.
A wild card in the process of the global transformation over the
next century would be the performance of the Muslim world. It remains
to be seen whether the Muslims would be able to rise up to the challenges of
the modern world through an intellectual, scientific and technological
revolution, or will remain mired in sloth, ignorance and backwardness. This
applies with as much force to Pakistan as to any other Muslim country.
On 24th August, Alaa Al-ameri wrote: As we celebrate, we should
remember that Gaddafi himself rode to power on a wave of populist
euphoria. As attractive as it is to imagine that our troubles are behind us,
we must bear in mind that we are inheriting a country with no
functioning institutions, set within a volatile region and cursed with an
economic resource that for most countries has spelt nothing but misery.
In the past months, when people complained that those supporting
us were only after our oil, my instinctive response was take every last
drop of the damned stuff. As far as Im concerned, if someone could suck
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every ounce of oil and gas from the Libyan desert tomorrow, Id be as
relieved as a patient having a boil lanced.
Having shunned the oil, the analyst wished Libya to become oil
economy. As it is, no such remedy is available. And so we must manage the
condition. Those who have supported us until now must stay on our side and
help to win the greater battle to become the worlds first democratic
Middle Eastern oil economy. If we fail it is entirely possible that we will
one day look back on the Gaddafi years with as much nostalgia as some
Iraqis remember Saddam. But if we succeed, well, I dont have the words to
express what that future will look like. Lets reconvene in 10 years and
compare notes.
Marwan Bishara asked three questions on Libya. His last question
read; What about the Western powers notably France, Britain and the US
where does the success in Libya take them? He answered: First and
foremost Western leaders need to wipe that smug look from their faces
and make sure not to gloat about doing the Arabs any favours. Certainly
the NATO aerial bombardment did help, but this was a revolutionaries
victory par excellence. The battle was won first and foremost in the hearts of
the Libyans, just as with the Egyptians and Tunisians before them.
Besides, after decades of complicity with Arab dictators, Western
powers have much to make up for: They inserted themselves in the Libyan
revolution after Gaddafi made genocidal threats against his people, but their
interference was not necessarily motivated by humanitarian ends, rather
more of the same geopolitics that led to befriending Gaddafi, Ben Ali and
Mubarak in the first place. Syria is far more complicated and Britain and
France will need to keep out of it militarily.
Thats not to say that the Libyans should be unappreciative for the
extended helping hand. Better to have Western powers on the right side
of Arab history for a change. And there is much room for cooperation and
coordination in the future, but it should be done on the basis of mutual
respect and mutual interest, especially that of the Arabs who are in every
need of affirmative action. Western leaders must also steer away from
driving a wedge between those whom they consider moderates and others
deemed Islamists, as Libya will need cooperation among all its citizens.
Next day, TheNation wrote: It is all over except for the capture of
Colonel Muammar Gaddafi Even before it has reached Tripoli, that has
not stopped British Foreign Secretary William Hague from weighing in and
promising all possible British help to Libya in setting up a government, and
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with the various problems that it will face in days to come. This Western
attitude is unhelpful, as what Libyans need now is a breathing space,
and they need to be allowed to move ahead on their own. However, what
European governments and oil companies are interested in is not so much
the welfare of the people of Libya as the oil wealth under its soil. The oil
companies record of dealing with Colonel Gaddafi shows that they have no
compunction about who they deal with, so long as they get their oil.
Therefore, they do not really wish to play a role in building the country.
The USA in particular should avoid too much triumphalism at this
moment, and should not entertain any thoughts of joining in the operations,
which Mr Hague said that the UK would continue to be part of. In fact, the
USA should not also rush into Syria, another Arab country which it
seems to be targeting as part of the Crusade it used the 9/11 tragedy to
kick-start against the Muslims. It might well be thinking of taking the
Arab turmoil into other countries now that it is being forced by its own
economic crisis to leave Iraq and Afghanistan, but it should not start with
Libya. It must leave that country to deal with its reality as best as it can, on
its own. After all, the rebels fought for independence, not to replace
homegrown tutelage with foreign.
Azhar Masood started his comments on Libyan labyrinth with the
opening sentence: The beginning of Arab Spring was indicative of a new
Lawrence of Arabia styled game by white nations to completely subjugate
oil-rich Arab nations. He discussed it at length and concluded: The game is
all about oil but its control must be in American or British hands. This is
exactly what the deeper zone of the emerging scenario suggests.
On 27th August, Salwa Ismail opined: The cumulative effect of
thousands of daily public expressions of derision towards Assad binds
Syrians irrevocably to the goal of removing him. As the uprising enters its
sixth month, the regime has been reduced to a killing machine operated by
the security forces, army and thug militias. In effect, Assads rule is
maintained by a gang. As Syrians persevere and the regime intensifies its
violence, a number of possible scenarios emerge, all leading to Assads
inevitable downfall: increased defections in the army leading to military
infighting that could spill over into civil strife; external military intervention
with similar consequences; or steadfastness from Syrians in their peaceful
struggle, sustained by the expansion of their movement and driven by their
unyielding will to see the end of a despised authoritarian regime.

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Clearly the third is the scenario that will best achieve the uprisings
goals. It represents a process and an outcome in which Syrians themselves
remove the regime and successfully safeguard the integrity of their national
political community. To make this scenario the most likely outcome, outside
support for Syrians should be limited to targeted economic sanctions
and disinvestment, drying up the regimes resources and hastening its
demise.
Next day, Patrick Cockburn commented: It is easy to see menacing
parallels between Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq. In all three cases
governments were overthrown directly or indirectly by foreign intervention.
Militarily Afghanistan most resembles Libya because the Taliban were
defeated by the Northern Alliance militia whose advance was wholly
dependent on massive support by US air power directed by small teams of
US spotters on the ground. In Iraq, the US and its allies long pretended that
the country was being run by Iraqis who owed their positions entirely to US
support. For all the hypocritical claims to the contrary in Washington and
London, the wars started in Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003 have never
really ended.
Is Libya going to suffer the same fate? Will low-level fighting
continue for months? Despite similarities, Tripoli feels different from
Kabul and Baghdad. Unlike them, it does not have a 30-year legacy of war.
When the Libyan war started, foreign journalists watching inept militiamen
south of Benghazi derided their inability to use weapons, but at least this
was better than Afghanistan and Iraq where millions of young men are
highly experienced in using guns. For all the deionization of Gaddafi, he was
never a monster on the lines of Saddam Hussein. His regime might kill,
torture and imprison his enemies, but not on the industrial scale of Iraq. On
visits to Libya over the past 30 years, I have been more struck by the
Inspector Clouseau character of the regime than anything else. Official
minders in the 1980s once took me into the desert to see the Libyan army
withdraw from Chad but could not find any of the soldiers. Eventually our
vehicle stopped and our driver explained: No petrol! He went off to get
some. I said I was going for a walk. A minder said this was unwise because
we were in a minefield and I noticed the lethal little prongs sticking out of
the sand beside the road.
One danger is that war propaganda, skilled on the rebel side,
may have poisoned relations between Libyans to the point that it will be
difficult for the victors to eschew vengeance. For instance, the story of
officially encouraged mass rape as a weapon of war was propagated by the
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rebel side and credulously taken up by the international media. A UN

commission, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch found no
evidence for this and many other atrocity stories but their reports were
generally ignored by the media. Ordinary Libyans still believe the
propaganda. In May, I spoke to refugees from the oil port of Brega who said
the main reason for their flight was the conviction that the women would be
raped by pro-Gaddafi troops.
The legacies of war may be difficult to overcome. But Libyans
have a good chance of restoring peace and prosperity. They are not
divided by communal and sectarian differences as in Afghanistan and Iraq.
For all the complaints against Gaddafi and misuse of oil money, the standard
of living and educational standards are high. There is not a marginalized
section of the population, living on the edge of malnutrition, as do a third of
Afghans. Oil revenues are high and the six million population small enough
for them to benefit all. Unlike Iraq, there is no occupying foreign army. All
the same, I wish the shooting outside my window would stop.
On 29th August, Jerrold M Post commented: Now, with the seizure of
his fortified compound in Tripoli, the end is near, Gaddafi is in hiding, and
he is again issuing defiant and grandiose statements. He has lost, and he is
under the greatest stress of his entire career. A week ago, as the world
awaited his fall, he vowed that he would not surrender: We cannot go
back until the last drop of our blood. We will defend the city. I am here with
you. Go on, forward.
When he vowed he would fight to the last drop of my blood, he
meant it. He will not commit suicide or retreat to a lush exile. Even before
the current hostilities, many defectors sought to disassociate themselves
from what UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon defined as major violations
of human rights and humanitarian law, violations against innocent civilians
that would qualify as war crimes. One defector, Abdel-Salam Jalloud, who
had been with Gaddafi since the 1969 coup that brought him to power, said
recently that Gadaffi is delusional because he thinks he can disappear in
Libya and, when NATO leaves, he believes he can gather his supporters.
With defeat looming, Gaddafi is delusional. He will fight to the end. The
question is: how many will stay with him on his first-person-singular course
to the bitter end of his struggle?
Next day, Christopher R Hill opined: Libya is fortunate is some
ways. The oil sector appears to be relatively intact, and thus should
contribute to government revenues relatively soon. By contrast, other
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countries undergoing radical change, including Egypt and Tunisia, are more
dependent on the service sector, including the always-finicky tourism
industry. The international community must stand ready to assist Libya. Key
decisions need to be made in close consultation with the countrys emerging
leadership about which international institutions, civilian and military,
should be present on the ground. Again, NATO might be popular now, but
that could change quickly.
Libyans, like other Arab peoples, may turn out to hold the conflicting
views that have so confused the West in Iraq: they want us there, but they
also want us gone. Governance, institution building, security, and agreeing
on an international presence are daunting challenges, but probably the most
worrisome aspect of post-Gaddafi Libya will be the view among Western
experts that experience in Iraq and Afghanistan has given them the
knowledge and the skill sets to manage all these operations. One recalls
Talleyrands famous aphorism on the restitution of the Bourbons that they
learned nothing and forgot nothing.
The Western countries collective knowledge is no substitute for a
collective wisdom about Libyas distinct history and rhythms. Gaddafi was a
brutal dictator, but he gained power and maintained his grip on it for 42
years for a reason. If we learned anything from Iraq and Afghanistan, it is
that a few years of politics, or institutional rebuilding, does not trump
centuries of culture. Those centuries, not the remnants of the Gaddafi
regime, are likely to be the real enemy of change in Libya. Christopher R.
Hill, a former US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia, was US
Ambassador to Iraq, South Korea, Macedonia, and Poland, US special envoy
for Kosovo, a negotiator of the Dayton Peace Accords, and chief US
negotiator with North Korea from 2005-2009. He is now Dean of the Korbel
School of International Studies, University of Denver.
On 3rd September, Mowahid Hussain Shah commented: On August
28, for the first time after the end of his presidency, George W. Bush, spoke
to National Geographic TV on 9/11, describing it as a monumental day
which changed my presidency. It also changed America and the lives of
Muslims in America.
When the earthquake hit Washington, DC, on August 23, the first
instinct of many was that it was another attack. Cultivating fear has its own
blowback effects. Since September 11, 2001, one fact is undisputed the
world has become neither a safer, nor a better place. Pervasive insecurity
has been globalized. Air travel has become a vexing inconvenience. Train
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travel is viewed with trepidation. The language in diplomatic discourse has

become ugly, with terms like Islamofascism used loosely and frequently.
The environment of fear and suspicion has yet to be quelled.
Racism and extremism are again becoming acceptable in respectable
company. The Middle East is embroiled in turmoil, and South Asia remains
a flashpoint. Palestine and Kashmir remain at a standstill. In the Arab world,
the masses have risen and are storming the Bastille.
What are the lessons? Shattered have been American claims of
being an indispensable sole superpower. Second, the cycle of confrontation
is paving the path for apocalyptic nihilism. Third, non-state actors are
shaping world events. Fourth, the folly of overuse of force has been
exposed.
Failures, fears, and frustrations are simmering and bubbling
over into the domain of the seven million US Muslim community. Issues
like Shariah and the building of mosques are being magnified and are being
manufactured to generate hysteria on the national stage. Also, with the
Presidential polls looming ahead, it is a disguised attack on Barack Obama,
who is seen by one-fifth of the US electorate as a closet Muslim.
While in the Muslim world, the fringe talks extreme, in the West,
sometimes the extreme is firmly entrenched within the mainstream. Hate
begets hate. In post-9/11 America, an industry has sprouted centered
around peddling fear, hate, and paranoia. One prime beneficiary of this
climate of xenophobia has been the emergence of the neo-fascist Tea Party,
which has gained salience by having its candidate, Congresswoman
Michelle Bachmann, contest for the presidency. In the likely scenario that
her bid fades, Tea Party activists are poised to endorse Texas Governor Rick
Perry to be the Republican nominee for the presidency.
While the Tea Party has made Muslim-bashing a staple diet of its
campaign, what is particularly conspicuous is the absence of a coherent
and effective counter-argument from the Muslim community. It is this
fragility on the national stage that has lent Muslims to be easily scapegoated
as bogeymen. Indeed, it has become fashionable and politically profitable to
do so.
With 9/11, facts changed on the ground for US Muslims but their
priorities and approach have not. A decade after the atrocity, Muslims
have reached the crossroads of choice. Either they choose to seize the day
and aspire to be pilots of their own destiny, or they remain seated as passive
passengers in a bus hurtling toward an uncertain destination.
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Next day, TheNation wrote: Turkey deserves unqualified praise for

showing the door to Israeli Ambassador and suspending all military ties with
Tel Aviv shortly after a confirmation by a UN panel that the country had
used excessive force while attacking a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in 2010.
Indeed for everyone in the entire Muslim world and every other human
being who has been witness to Israels barbarities on the hapless
Palestinians, this step will come as a huge consolation. It is after all
pleasing to know that there is at least one country that has the courage
to take a bold stance against Israel and openly challenge its barbaric
conduct. Turkeys Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu stated that ties would
now be further downgraded and even said that Turkey will challenge Israels
blockade on the Gaza Strip at the International Court of Justice in The
Hague.
This proactive role by Ankara contrasts sharply with the
insensitivity being displayed by the rest of the Muslim world to take up
the cause of the Muslims caught up in protracted disputes. This indifference
of the Muslim world however is not limited to Palestine only but also
another festering dispute of Kashmir. There is of course Afghanistan, where
the US has been given a carte blanche to do whatever it likes. It seems that
the West has been able to succeed in its machinations of dividing the Muslim
world. Otherwise how come it is possible that any Muslim country would
ever ignore the kind of barbarities inflicted on Muslims in all the occupied
lands?
With Turkeys bold step, certainly a hope has arisen that Muslims are
conscientious people, who care more about human rights than the West and
will rescue their brethren suffering under the yoke of savage armies like
those of Israel, India and the US. Indeed the Muslim countries must realize
that they cannot afford to stand as idle spectators watching these big
powers carry on a reign of terror in their lands. The US for instance has
only increased the miseries of the Afghans ever since it invaded their
country. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in Iraq and
Afghanistan and the alarming thing is that this bloodshed continues. The
world of Islam must now come forward in opposing India and Israel to not
only immediately end their barbaric rule over the occupied territories but
also account for their atrocities. There is hardly any doubt that the human
rights violations being committed on a daily basis make these countries
guilty of state terrorism. So far as Turkey is concerned it is a matter of great
relief that it has pledged to take the attackers of the aid-flotilla to justice.
They should be made horrible examples and even the regimes that condone
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their acts should be taken to task. The Muslim world can ill-afford any
further delay in healing its wounds.
On 5th September, Pinar Akpinar observed: As drought hits Somalia,
resulting in the famine of the century, the international system has yet to
come up with a comprehensive solution to the ongoing human tragedy in the
Horn of Africa. In the midst of all the dust and poor security measures,
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been the only leader to
visit Somalia together with his crowded delegation of Turkish politicians,
celebrities, journalists and representatives of aid organizations
Turkey is a major donor in Africa. It has several active schools
operating all around the continent. It conducts on field aid operations
through organizations such as Turkish Red Crescent, Doctors Worldwide,
Kimse Yok Mu, and the Humanitarian Relief Foundation. Furthermore, it is
the first non-Western country to host the fourth UN Conference on the LDCs
for the following decade.
What is noteworthy in terms of Turkey's African opening is the
sincere and strong public support in favour of Turkey's aid initiative for
Africa. For instance, so far around $250m in donations have been sent to
Somalia, collected mainly through public donations. The holy month of
Ramadan played a significant part in arousing public sentiments for
Somalia, but it is still interesting to see how public aid in Turkey has been
diversified in recent years.
While in the past Turkish people preferred to give aid to near-by
in needs, today their hands reach out to people in distant parts of the
world regardless of their nationality or religion. A few other examples of
this have been Haiti, Pakistan, Japan, and Gaza. One simple reason of this
could be Turkey's fast adaptation to the process of globalization which finds
embodiment inter alia in the boosting of social media networks followed by
a free flow of information about the world agenda. Another unspoken reason
may be the total-performance understanding of the new Turkish foreign
policy that includes and mobilizes non-state actors such as NGOs, business
circles, think-tanks, and public intellectual figures in the process of foreign
policy making
Turkey has conspicuously taken a major initiative to fill the gap
of leadership in Africa whether politically or on civil grounds. It remains
unclear how Turkey will succeed in bringing its idealism into practice in
such volatile climate. It may either follow conventional ways, through the
UN and current international system, or it may choose to create an
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alternative methodology by highlighting its non-Western identity, noncolonial past and historical roots, and cultural links as it has done in other
elements of its new foreign policy practice. A third option would be
harmonizing both ways in order to transform the system from within by
taking legitimate short cuts in dealing with problems.
It is apparent that Turkey will take more concrete steps in engaging
Africa in the days to come. Erdogan has already made pledges that
Turkey will open an embassy, build roads, and open more schools and
hospitals in Somalia. Whatever methodology Turkey may choose, it should
refrain from exhibiting a patronizing attitude and should consider the
significance of justice and equity as well as the sustainability of the aid. We
are yet to see whether Turkey's initiatives will give a new pulse to the
perception towards Africa within the current international system.
Next day, Munir Khalili wrote: Think of the ultimate destiny of the
nation where the authorities, under obligation to maintain law and order
and provide peace and justice to the people, themselves are the killers of
peace and justice. They are hand in glove with those who loot and plunder.
Despite being victims of law breakers, the people do not go to police stations
and courts because they are apprehensive of getting humiliated and
embarrassed there. There are manifolds of justice, for the poor entirely
different from those who have influence and approach. The rich are
acquitted even after gulping down billions of the bank loans, but the poor are
either thrown behind bars or have to suffer distress for failing to repay bank
debts of ordinary amounts. There are many ways of laundering for even
those who are in power, their retinues, their party members and influential
political groups, sunk in the corruption causing huge losses to the national
economy.
Consider about the society where in the working environment
there is no mutual respect, no cooperation, and no sympathy for each
other. All are indulging in leg pulling with the utmost effort of harming
others. The norms of mutual trust, honesty, truthfulness and righteousness
are missing. The politicians are selfish, opportunists and avaricious. They
have no regard for the promises made and agreements signed by them. They
fail to show the shrewdness of coming up to a civilized political culture and
contrivance to run the States affairs. Neither they are trustworthy, nor do
they have a spirit of sincerely serving their nation. They are unable to show
sufficient sagacity for resolving the problems of the people. Under these
corrupt leaders, the entire workforce of government servants becomes used

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to dishonest practices. Bribery, undue intercessions and recommendations

are the last resort for the people to get their problems solved.
We have to admit that there is hardly something different, from what
has been portrayed in the lines above, in almost all of the Muslim countries.
The signs of decline are visible everywhere. No field of life is safe from a
downward incline. We are divesting the warmth of man and radiance of
morality, which are really preventive measures for the morally ailing
societies. Our relief depends upon how much we follow the teachings of
Islam. Our Holy Prophet (PBUH) morally and spiritually raised the people,
who were at the lowest rank of their morality to the towering heights. Moral
values are strong ramparts safeguarding the faith. If they are removed, not
only the rituals and rites of lbadah become direct targets of satanic tricks, but
the sense of servitude to Allah (SWT) also gets faded and then gradually
disappears. As a result, all that has been mentioned above becomes evident.
Then nature starts its operation about which we have been warned in the
Quran: Say, He has power to send upon you affliction from above you or
from under your feet or to confuse you in party strife (so you become sects)
and makes you taste the violence of one another. Look how We diversify the
Signs that they may understand (Al-Anam: 65).
And if reaching this point no attempt of recouping becomes
manifest then the next stage is the hegemony of any superpower; when it
enters the towns despoils them and makes the most honourable amongst the
people the lowest. The reins of power are given to the mean and the
debauched of the society, who pushes the country to the extreme of
deterioration. Do we see nothing like this?
On 7th September, Muhammad Jazed opined: Within Syria, the
regime will fight an existentialist battle to a bitter end, unless offered
cast-iron safeguards. Unlike Libya, Syria has fairly large and adequately
equipped armed forces loyal to the existing regime. Their destruction will
need large outside physical interference or at least massive air offensive.
Syria is an Arab State not yet reconciled with Israel. Its mauling will
tantamount supporting Israel, which no Muslim county can countenance.
The change, therefore, has to be crafted carefully through regional players
and organizations creating the least impression of fulfilling the global
agenda. Otherwise, the country will slide into a long drawn fratricide.
The US-Israel combine will seek more controlled transition by
keeping the popular struggle for change and Syrian regimes reaction to it
at an acceptable level. They will strive to orchestrate a regional alliance,
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which could intervene if mandated by the UN. They will severely react to
any prospect of fundamentalist takeover. Israel remains the dark force
lurking in the shadows, which once threatened by turmoil on its periphery,
may be tempted to intervene militarily to secure its interests and achieve its
historic design of a Greater Israel claiming large portions from the Arab
States. Could this be the fundamental design and the driving force for the
regional chaos? Does the US-Israel nexus want an all-enveloping
destabilization of the region? Is Syria being prepared for a proxy war
between Iran and antagonistic Arab States sponsored by the US, seeking
containment of Iran, isolation of Hizbollah and redressal of political
imbalance of power in Syria? These questions beg answers.
The desire for change is genuine. The resistance movement,
however, is still operating at a shallow and tactical level without a clearcut long-term perspective. It is more of an eruption than a planned,
calculated and pragmatic game changer; it is susceptible to diversion,
dilution and self-damage. It can be hijacked by the global actors once it has
done the softening work.
The Syrians need a new socio-political covenant, which essentially
should allow the majority to gain ascendancy while safeguarding the
minority rights. To reverse political polarization will be painfully difficult,
but remains utmost vital to the survival of the county. It is a medium-sized
country with high rate of literacy (82 percent). It is a poor cousin of the oilrich States next door with little oil, but huge gas reserves that no one needs
in the region. The prevalent Soviet styled economic, political, financial and
military system has fossilized. It needs change. Without harmony and
holistic effort for national reorientation, it can slide into anarchy with
domino effect on peripheral states. A big question mark hangs over the
Middle East. After orchestrating changes in Maghrib up to Egypt, through a
strategy of indirect approach, are the global powers now creeping into the
hardcore Arab world? Is Syria the harbinger of yet bigger fireworks? Or is
the change in Syria an end in itself? Is the regional disorder the new world
order? These possibilities are being seriously debated in the capitals of
Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Jordan and Lebanon. The situation remains
loaded with horrendous and un-calculable regional and global
consequences.
Linda Heard urged: Prime Minister Erdogan and President
Mahmoud Abbas must remain firm in their resolve to take Israel to task
whatever the cost and if the Arab League and the OIC are ready to put their
heads firmly above the parapet in unison, Israelis may get the message that
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in an increasingly hostile region, the bus marked peace is the only one
worth boarding.
Guy Goodwin-gill commented: As the drive for Palestinian
statehood gathers momentum, understandably given the intransigence of
certain parties and the obstacles repeatedly placed in the way of progress,
that one important question still raises its head: who will represent the
people of and in the state? Of what value, democratically, are historical
declarations of intent? Or assertions of present authority? Or the status quo?
Peoples expectations of government have moved on and, in my view,
democracy requires representative institutions and the mechanisms to allow
their functioning and change. In appropriate circumstances, their realization
can be a joint, co-operative effort, but neither individual participation nor
assent can be taken for granted, any more than accountability to the people.
International law does not yet make democratic representative
government a condition of statehood, or even a condition of membership of
the UN (regional organizations are another matter). But the character of
government and representation is increasingly a matter of international
concern and inquiry, while the people also increasingly embed their claims
and their right to accountable government not only in local principles and
precepts, but also in the rules and standards endorsed internationally.

REVIEW
Another Islamic state has been conquered by the Crusaders in a
classic move in which no holy warrior of the West was killed. It was
accomplished using indigenous human resources. This victory of the
Crusaders will set a new trend for the future adventures.
Exactly this strategy is being pursued by the Crusaders in Pakistan
making use of the politicians installed as puppet rulers. Majority of them
wont mind disintegration of the county, because creation of more
independent states would serve their interests far better than creation of
provinces.
The West was justified to rejoice over this brilliant victory. Brian
Whitaker proudly said that destruction of Libyas military has opened
possibilities for the politicians unlike what happened in Egypt where
military generals have succeeded Hosni Mobarak.
Muslim World, however, could not accomplish a similar feat in the
context of what happened in the UK. There was no media from Islamic
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countries to cover the rioting and burning of buildings and vehicles as

elaborately as the Western channels covered such occurrences in third
world countries.
There was no Muslim observer, analyst or intellectual who could use
his ingenuity and coin some phrases and name the rioting as some kind of
spring. There was nobody who could give a call to the international
community to save the private property from the savages. There was
nobody to suggest interference on humanitarian grounds.
The Spring in uncivilized Arab lands or colourfully revolutions in
not-so-civilized world, rightly or wrongly, had noble sounding motives of
seeking socio-political justice, or ending oppressive rules. But, civilized
Brits were driven by the urge of looting someone elses property. This is the
trait that rests in their genes.
14th September, 2011

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ALLIES AT WAR
The frequency of drone-launched missile attacks decreased primarily
for want of human intelligence related to target acquisition. But battering of
Pakistanis continued in other forms; like cross-border attacks on FC posts in
Chitral and abductions from Bajaur Agency. However, killings in Karachi
and Quetta kept the media looking other way.
The month of August was the worst for US occupation forces in
Afghanistan; 66 US soldiers perished. The US-Taliban talks were stalled
because of the disclosure of the name of the Taliban negotiator in violation
of the understanding. Taliban attack in the heart of Kabul on 13 th September
provided the US a pretext to get angry with Pakistan.
Report of human rights body disclosed existence of mass graves in
IHK. India scored a victory in its nefarious designs; Pakistan failed in
getting stay from Arbitration Tribunal on Kishanganga Hydroelectric Power
Project; yet Gilani talked of giving MFN-status to India. In Balochistan,
Punjabis continued to be targeted.

NEWS
In Pakistan, one soldier was killed and six wounded in attack in
South Waziristan on 21st August; two militants were killed and seven
wounded in retaliatory action. In North Waziristan, one person was killed
during exchange of fire between militants and tribesmen and one soldier was
killed in rocket attack on a post near Miranshah. The US military officials in
two vehicles entered the provincial capital without no objection certificate
(NOC) and broke police blockade on motorway toll plaza. Osamas wife
held by refused to undergo surgery in protest against her detention.
On 22nd August, four people were killed in drone attack in North
Waziristan. Ten militants were killed in blast in their bunker in Tirrah Valley.
At least 19 NATO oil tankers were burnt in Dasht area near Khuzdar. Next
day, Panetta said Pakistan cant pick and choose among terrorists.
Reportedly, more than 200 US operatives were told to leave Pakistan in 40
days: US Embassy denied receiving any such instruction.
On 24th August, one FC soldier was killed and two wounded in
roadside bombing in Mohmand Agency. Entry of diplomats into FATA and
cantonments in KPK was banned. Next day, eleven militants were killed in
shelling by troops in Orakzai Agency. Five men of Tori tribe of Kurram were
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reported killed in Afghanistan. At least 12 people, including three soldiers,

were killed and 20 wounded in bomb blast in Nowshera. More than 80
suspects were held in crackdown in Mardan. One policeman was killed in
firing in D I Khan.
On 26th August, US Senator visiting Islamabad said he was pressing
Pakistan to curb flow of explosives to Afghanistan. Next day, US claimed
Atiyah Abdul Rehman, al-Qaeda No 2, was killed in drone attack in North
Waziristan on 22 August. Two NATO oil tankers were burnt in Bolan Pass.
At least 36 FC soldiers were killed in attack by about 200 militants
from across the border on posts in Chitral; all posts were destroyed by the
attackers; two bridges were blown up to stem incursion and twenty attackers
were killed in retaliatory fire. Pakistan Army alleged NATO was not acting
on intelligence. Mian Iftikhar asked Afghan government to check such
attacks. Foreign office summoned Afghan Ambassador and lodged protest.
On 29th August, several people were wounded in bomb blast in
Charsadda. Two suspected terrorists were held in Islamabad. Two days later,
Corps Commander said 80 percent area of Mohmand Agency has been
cleared at the cost of 72 soldiers killed and more than 150 wounded. Ten
persons were killed and twenty wounded in suicide car bombing in Quetta.
On 1st September, seven members of tribal lashkar were killed when
militants fired at their vehicle in Kurram Agency. Eleven policemen were
among 25 wounded in suicide bombing in a police station in Lakki Marwat
area. Next day, gunmen shot dead two persons in Mardan. One militant was
killed and another wounded in Swat. Afghan militants lured and detained 45
children of Bajaur Agency; 18 children were released and remaining 27 were
held in Kunar Province.
On 3rd September, two militants were killed in a clash in Swat. Taliban
claimed kidnapping 27 boys and Army said efforts were on to get them
freed. Wikileaks revealed that Rehman Malik had offered America all Nadra
record. General Kayani had told US ambassador that he was under
tremendous pressure from corps commanders over Kerry-Lugar Bill. The
US had directed all its institutions to treat ISI like an enemy.
Next day, eight militants were killed in Orakzai Agency after the
incident of landmine blast in which three soldiers were wounded. Pakistan
requested Afghan government for help in securing release of captive
Pakistani boys.

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On 5th September, seven people were killed in drone attack in North

Waziristan. Two militants were killed when bomb exploded during planting
in South Waziristan. ISPR told media that al-Qaeda leader Younis alMauritani was arrested ten days ago from Quetta along with four others in a
joint Pak-US operation; US appreciated Pakistan. Next day, three militants
were held in Peshawar. The Abbottabad Commission imposed ban on
traveling abroad for all persons related to the incident, including Dr Shakeel
Afridi till further orders.
On 7th September, 26 people were killed and 61wounded in double
suicide attack that targeted DIG FC residence in Quetta. First attacker hit his
escort vehicle and the other entered the house and blew himself. One of the
attackers was an Uzbek from Kunduz holding refugee ID card.
Police arrested 35 suspects in crackdown in Peshawar. COAS visited
Chitral in the wake of cross-border attacks. Bomb alarm in two international
flights of PIA. Pakistan ruled out the possibility of handing over alMauritani to the American or NATO forces. However, ISPR said CIA and IS
were united against al-Qaeda. Finally, the authorities have established that
Shahbaz Taseer and American development expert Dr Warren Weinstein
are in the custody of a militant faction associated with the banned terrorist
outfit TTP.
Next day, two hundred people, mostly Afghan refugees, were held in
Quetta in the wake of double suicide attack. Armys top brass met in
Rawalpindi and discussed the external and internal security challenges
Pakistan is confronted with and the political situation of the country. They
decided that the terrorists would be dealt with full force and discussed the
strategy for taking out terrorists in Quetta.
The Federal Cabinet condemned the abduction of innocent children
from Bajaur Agency and asked the Afghan government to get the children
freed soon. Taliban who are holding more than 20 young tribesmen hostage
demanded the release of scores of prisoners and an end to tribal elders
support of offensives against them.
On 9th September, Munter admitted Osama raid was setback for PakUS talks. Pakistan feared Taliban could attempt freeing wives and children
of Osama. Commander of the NATO Forces in Afghanistan, General Allen,
paid his first visit to Pakistan. General Kayani discussed a set of issues with
NATO Commander including situation arising out of Afghan terrorists attack
on Pakistan security forces in Chitral. Eleven suspected terrorists arrested in
Lahore.
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Next day, a Taliban commander was arrested in Swat. Malik ordered

strict check on foreigners. PAF briefed Abbottabad commission. The White
House said that the US was safer because of the cooperation it received from
Pakistan in combating terrorism with the world. Observers noted that the
praise of Pakistan came amid tensions in Washington-Islamabad ties set off
by the unilateral American raid of Abbottabad.
On 11th September, four people were killed in drone attack in North
Waziristan. JI held rallies to protest against drone attacks. A boy was killed
and three persons were wounded in when a mortar shell landed near
Landikotal. There was mo mention of Pakistan during remembrance of 9/11.
Next day, a man was killed by mortar shell in Bara. Swat Police claimed
arresting four senior militants. Several houses were damaged in rocket attack
in Bajaur. Thirty landmines were defused in Mohmand Agency.
Next day, Iran and Pakistan agreed to increase their bilateral trade to
$10 billion, with visiting Prime Minister Gilani telling Ahmadinejad that
Islamabad under a policy revamp wants a very close relationship with its
Islamic neighbour. Two leaders agreed to give fresh impetus to the existing
bilateral relationship in line with their proximity and potential in trade,
security and other fields.
The Iranian president said three countries of the region Iran,
Afghanistan and Pakistan should make coordinated efforts to solve the
problems of security and development so that no outside assistance is
required by them. Gilani agreed with the Ahmadinejad that the Gas Pipeline
Project and import of 1,000MW electricity from Iran should be expedited as
Pakistan was facing acute energy shortage which is hampering the pace of
growth of its economy.
On 13th September, militants attacked a school bus with rocket and
automatic weapons in Mattani; driver and four school children were killed
and 16 were wounded. ANP leader was killed in bomb blast in Lower Dir.
Tribal elder was shot dead and three others wounded in Bajaur Agency. CIA
chief said al-Qaedas core leadership has been severely damaged and
moving out of South Asia.
Commission set up for probing Osama bin Laden debacle visited the
alleged compound of OBL located at Bilal Town, Abbottabad. Earlier, at the
HQ Air Defence Command Chaklala the commission members were briefed
by the pilots, who flew aircraft for scanning the area for any intruders on the
fateful night between.

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Next day, suspected Taliban militants killed three military intelligence

officials in Bannu. About 500 people of Abbottabad and Torghar (Kala
Dakka) offered to record statements before Abbottabad Commission. Hillary
Clinton urged governments if eight countries, including Pakistan and Iran to
do more to defend religious freedom. ISAF pledged to work closely with
Pakistan in checking and combating TTP militants enjoying sanctuaries in
Kunar and Nuristan provinces of Afghanistan. General Kayani left for Spain
to participate in three days NATO Military Committee Conference.
On 15th September, the US official said that chief of operations of alQaeda, Abu Hafs al-Shahri, was killed in drone attack in Waziristan.
Pakistan's border region remains the most dangerous place in the world
epicenter of the world's worst of global jihad, a top Pentagon official said.
Two soldiers were killed in attack on a convoy and in retaliatory action four
militants were killed and six wounded. Thirty-two people were killed and 75
wounded in suicide bombing at a funeral in Lower Dir.
RNext day, nine militants and a soldier were killed in a clash in
Kurram agency. Two soldiers were killed and six wounded in attack by
militants in South Waziristan. Three people were wounded in landmine blast
in Jamrud. General Kayani said that Pakistan had a sovereign right to
formulate a policy in accordance with its own national interests and wishes
of its people. He reiterated Islamabads resolve to fight militancy and
extremism, and recalled Pakistans role in the war on terror, highlighting the
sacrifices made to fight terrorism. He also mentioned Pakistans
expectations, in terms of support, from the rest of the world.
On 17th September, FC convoy was attacked in Landikotal; five
soldiers were wounded. Death toll in Dir blast reached 48. Mumtaz Qadri
confessed killing Taseer. Munter claimed having evidence about Haqqani
groups ties with Pakistani government and he wanted end to it. Washington
has repeatedly pressed Pakistan to go after the Haqqani network it believes
is based in the North Waziristan tribal region near the Afghan border. The
attack that took place in Kabul a few days ago, that was the work of the
Haqqani Network, Munter said.
Sirajuddin Haqqani denied the latest US allegations regarding
existence of safe heavens in North Waziristan. He said his fighters felt safer
in Afghanistan. Gone are the days when we were hiding in the mountains
along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Now we consider ourselves more
secure in Afghanistan besides the Afghan people. Senior military and police
officials are with us.
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In Afghanistan, gunmen shot dead a civil servant in Gereshk on 21 st

August. Next day, an Australian soldier fell victim to IED. On 29 th August,
Khaleej Times reported that infuriated that Washington met secretly at least
three times with a personal emissary of Taliban leader Mulla Omar, the
Afghan government intentionally leaked details of the clandestine meetings,
scuttling the talks and sending the Taliban intermediary into hiding. A senior
US official acknowledged that the talks imploded because of the leak, but
US will continue to pursue talks.
Talks were deliberately revealed by someone within the presidential
palace in Kabul said a Western and an Afghan official. The reason for the
leak was Karzais animosity toward the US and fear that any agreement
Washington brokered would undermine his authority. Karzais office refused
to comment. An Afghan official with contacts with the Taliban said the
insurgents decided not to tell Pakistan about the meetings with the US.
As the Afghan war slides into its 10 th year and Washington plans to
withdraw its combat forces by the end of 2014, a negotiated settlement
between the Karzai government and the Taliban has become a stated goal for
the US. Karzai has launched a separate peace outreach, with the High Peace
Council representing numerous political factions. He met with
representatives of wanted rebel leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who is seeking
greater involvement at the peace table and direct talks with the United
States, said diplomats in the region.
Pakistan had been kept in the dark about the talks. A month ago,
Senator John Kerry and General Kayani met for eight hours in a Gulf
country. Peace negotiations with Afghanistans insurgents featured
prominently. A US official familiar with the talks said Kayani made a pitch
during his marathon meeting with Kerry that Pakistan take on a far larger
role in Afghanistan peacemaking.
In Dushanbe, on 2nd September, Russia and Pakistan urged the NATO
in Afghanistan to step up training of local forces, while Russian president
lamented slow pace of work on vital energy projects in Pakistan and
Afghanistan, saying Moscow is ready to invest billions of dollars.
August was the deadliest month for US forces in Afghanistan in ten
years; 66 US service members were killed this month. The report also
showed that 306 US troops died in Afghanistan, in the first eight months of
this year. That is down about five percent from the first eight months of
2010, when 321 US troops were killed.

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Next day, NATO and Afghan forces killed a former Guantanamo

detainee who had become a key al-Qaeda affiliate after returning to
Afghanistan. Sabar Lal Melma, who was released from Guantanamo in
2007, had been organizing attacks in eastern Kunar province and funding
insurgent operations. NATO-led troops killed 21 insurgents and arrested 11
others over the past 24 hours.
On 5th September, four Turkish engineers kidnapped by Afghanistan's
Taliban more than eight months ago were freed after intervention by tribal
elders. Reportedly, there has been rise in desertions in Afghan Army; about
25,000 soldiers have deserted. Next day, US Senator visiting Kabul termed
Pakistan as main threat to Afghanistan.
On 7th September, two policemen were killed and five wounded in
attack in Logar Province. Next day, BBC reporter of Afghan origin was shot
dead by NATO soldier in Kabul. On 9 th September, Taliban militants have
killed five out of 10 Afghans kidnapped in Logar province, the kidnapped
people were working for the US and Afghan government. Three NATO
soldiers were killed in the country's east.
On 11th September, five Afghan civilians were killed and 77 US troops
were among 85 wounded in truck bomb attack on a NATO post in Wardak,
central Afghanistan. Next day, it was reported that the US endorsed plans for
the Taliban to open political headquarters in the Gulf state of Qatar by the
end of the year. The move is designed to allow the West to begin formal
peace talks with the Taliban. The office of the self-styled Islamic Emirate of
Afghanistan would be the first internationally recognized representation for
the Taliban since they were ousted from power by the US-led invasion of
Afghanistan in 2001.
On 13th September, Taliban gunmen armed with suicide bombs and
heavy weaponry launched coordinated attacks in Kabul, targeting NATOs
headquarters, the US embassy and the Afghan intelligence agency and killed
at least six people; at least six insurgents were also killed.
Next day, Taliban assault on the Afghan capital was quelled after
raging for about 20 hours that left 27 dead and six foreign troops wounded;
11 insurgents also died in the battle, seven of them in the clearing operation
and four other attackers served as suicide bombers. Panetta blamed Haqqani
Group for the attack and Pakistan for failing to take action against the group.
He threatened the US would take action on its own inside Pakistan.
On 17th September, nine Afghans were killed in landmine blast in
Faryab Province. Sirajuddin Haqqani said his group would take part in peace
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talks with the Kabul government and the United States only if the Taliban
did. The Haqqanis rejected several peace gestures from the US and Hamid
Karzais government in the past because they were an attempt to create
divisions between militant groups, he said. Any further efforts to do so
would fail, added Sirajuddin.
He said fighters from an insurgent group led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
had tried to take on US troops in Haqqani territory. I spoke to the shura ...
whether I should allow them to operate in my area of control. They did not
allow me and then I ordered Hekmatyars fighters to either join the Taliban
or leave Khost and they left the area, he said.
Pakistan moved the Court of Arbitration on 21 st August asking it to
direct India to stop work at the 330 mw Kishanganga hydro-power project
in IHK. J&KSHRC report said over 2,000 bodies were found in unmarked
mass graves in villages along LoC in IHK. The report also said that more
than fifty thousand Kashmiris were killed by occupation forces in last ten
years and ten thousand went missing.
On 24th August, Mirwaiz asked the civilized world to take notice of
discovery of mass graves in IHK. Next day, two persons were killed and 15
wounded in grenade attack at bus stand in Srinagar. On 28th August, Gilani
said talks were under way to grant MFN-status to India.
On 1st September, three soldiers were killed in unprovoked firing by
Indian troops along LoC. Next day, Pakistan failed to get stay on
Kishanganga Hydroelectric Power Project. On 4th September, NATO offered
missile defence cooperation to India. Next day, India gave Wullar Barrage
data to Pakistan.
On 6th September, strike was observed in IHK to protest detentions.
Next day, eleven people were killed and 45 wounded in bomb blast in Delhi
courts. On 15th September, Manmohan Singh called for tighter security vigil
in IHK warning that terrorists were waiting in camps across the border to
infiltrate into the state. Cross-border terror camps are being reactivated, he
said. On 17th September, six people were wounded in bomb blast in hospital
in Agra.
Balochistan was on the top as compared to other provinces with
1,424 terrorist incidents reported during last three years. On 23 rd August, a
man was killed and two others sustained wounds in two separate incidents of
firing in Quetta. Dead body of Bugti tribesman was recovered from
Jaffarabad district. BNP-A leader was shot dead in Turbat.

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On 24th August, 3 Punjabis were killed in Loralai; they had gone there
for hunting. Brahumdagh Bugti sought UN and Western intervention in
Balochistan and asked US to stop aid to Pakistan Army. Next day, two
Punjabis were shot dead in Quetta and four others were wounded. Two dead
bodies were found in Kech and seven people were hurt in a bomb blast in
Hub.
On 26th August, complete shutter-down strike was observed in
Balochistan on death anniversary of Akbar Bugti. Rockets were fired at FC
ports in Kalat, Turbat and Kahan. Next day, on person was shot dead in
Mastung. On 28th August, Peshawar-bound Quetta Express was fired at in
Bolan Pass; three passengers were killed and 25 wounded. Five people were
killed and eight wounded in incidents of violence in Kalat and Qila
Abdullah. Next day, four persons were shot dead in incidents of violence
across the province.
On 30th August, bullet-riddled dead body was found in Hub. Next day,
SHO of Tump (Turbat) was shot dead in his house. On 2 nd September, four
people were killed in two incidents of firing and landmine blast in Mastung
and Dera Bugti. Next day, one person was shot dead by unknown gunmen in
Quetta. Two Punjabis were shot dead in Hub.
On 4th September, a policeman was killed and another wounded by
gunmen in Quetta. On 7th September, three people were killed and four
others injured in separate incidents of firing and rocket attack across the
province. Next day, two persons were killed in Mastung and Pasni. On 9 th
September, bullet-ridden dead body was found in Khuzdar. Two days later,
journalist was abducted in Hub.

VIEWS
On 25th August, TheNation commented: It is very much comforting
to know that the government has written a letter to the US Embassy telling it
to pull out 250 of its officials currently operating in Pakistan. The
government needs to be doubly cautious about the activities of American
citizens working in the country after the suspicious and terrorist conduct of
Raymond Davis came to light, who brutally murdered two innocent
Pakistani civilians. He and the like of him are reported to have links with
terrorists. Indeed a few days back, it was learnt that there was a strong
correlation between a reduction in terrorist attacks across the country and a

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decline in the movement of these so-called trainers after curbs were imposed
on them by Pakistan.
President Zardari has, unfortunately, again resorted to the
begging bowl diplomacy as he called for the resumption of US aid during a
meeting with a delegation of American Senators on Tuesday. This is the
moment when we should strongly reject all US aid and understand that it is
fatal getting dollars from a country that does not want a stable Pakistan.
Consider Leon Panettas recent statement that Pakistan must not differentiate
between good and bad terrorists implying that we launch an operation
against the Haqqani network. One must ask him why then the US is engaged
in negotiations with certain militant groups in Afghanistan that it had been
terming terrorists?
Professor Ali Sukhanver from Multan wrote: You greet someone at
your door but he pushes you back and forces himself into your home; what
happens next? Surely your reaction would be very much hostile and
aggressive. Same must have been the reaction of the security staff when
some Americans, posing to be the members of US diplomatic crew, refused
to provide their identity, dismantled the security hurdles with the push of
their Land Cruisers and rushed into the already troubled area of Peshawar on
21st of this August. But the sensible security staff sagaciously behaved
otherwise; just to avoid further confrontation in spite of the fact that they
had complete authority to tackle with the situation by using all possible
means and stop the so-called escaped diplomats; their authority included the
action of chase and shoot also. Such stubborn and obstinate attitude is
nothing new on the part of the US diplomats in Pakistan. For the last
many months, there have been reports regarding violation of security rules
and regulations at the hands of US diplomats in different cities of Pakistan
including Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar.
To avoid occurrence of such incidents in future and to secure the
foreign diplomats from the reaction of the public as well as from the rage of
terrorists, the government of Pakistan introduced some new security
measures on the suggestion of the law enforcing agencies after the Raymond
Davis episode in Lahore. These security measures include issuance of a No
Objection Certificate to the diplomats in case they wish to travel to some
other city from their place of posting. This NOC is supposed to be issued by
the concerning office working at the GHQ Rawalpindi. The diplomats have
been directed to keep that NOC with them while traveling and to produce
when asked for. Most of the diplomats are very kindly following the
instructions of the government of Pakistan in this regard keeping in view the
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diplomatic norms and traditions but the attitude of the US diplomats is

usually otherwise. They behave as if they are Kings and princes and above
the law. They react in a very aggressive and violent manner whenever
stopped at a check-post for identification. Such type of attitude only
increases the growing hatred and disliking for them among the Pakistani
nation.
It is a common belief that in Pakistan most of the so-called US
diplomats are secret agents of CIA and their mission is to strengthen CIA
network working in various parts of Pakistan. Raymond Davis is a case in
point. At the time of his arrest Raymond also claimed to be a US diplomat
and tried to prove his identity with the help of some fake documents but later
on he was exposed as a CIA contractor. The US authorities must try to
accept the reality that with the passage of time things in Pakistan have very
much changed for them. Pakistan of today is not the Pakistan of 1980s. The
growing US-India closeness, US interference in Afghanistan and the brutal
drone attacks in the tribal areas of Pakistan; all these factors have
cultivated in nothing but a strong disgust and extreme loathing for the
US in Pakistan. In such an unfriendly atmosphere the stubborn attitude of
the US diplomats may prove a serious threat to the US existence in the
region.
Next day, the newspaper wrote: The Foreign Ministry has banned the
entry of foreign diplomats into the tribal areas as well as 15 districts of
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The ban comes in the wake of the suspicious
activities of American covert operatives who were roaming around in these
areas raising serious questions about their designs. This curb is also for
foreign diplomats own safety because certain foreign powers are known to
be fishing in the troubled waters of FATA. Besides, it is in line with our
national security requirements, which had been put into jeopardy after the
Abbottabad incident. We need to realize that the Americans are no
friends of ours and could cause more damage to our national interests.
Indeed, for any diplomat to try to defy the ban would only spoil Pakistans
relations with his or her country. The recent episode of the American
vehicles breaking a security barrier to force their way into Peshawar, a city
that has been badly hit by terrorist attacks, is a case in point. Diplomats in
fact avoid going to such places and do not behave in the manner in which the
Americans did. There is nothing more important for us than national
interests and foreign diplomats would have to understand that they cannot be
given a carte blanche to move around any place they feel like. One hopes

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that after such curbs, the next step will be that the government would warn
the US to stop drone attacks or else it will start bringing them down.
On 28th August, General Retd Mirza Aslam Beg wrote: The proxy
war in Pakistan got mixed up with politics after the occupation of
Afghanistan in 2001, creating an orgy of social violence, terror, corruption
and bad governance. Day-to-day life in Pakistan thus has lost its charm.
Business activities are dying down, capital is flowing out, and fear and
despondency have gripped the nation.
It is, however, not difficult to identify the perpetrators of the
proxy war, particularly in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa,
Balochistan and Sindh. The spy network in Afghanistan, which was
established in 2001 under the RAW and supported by the CIA, Mossad, MI6 and BND, has been targeting all the neighbouring countries of
Afghanistan, particularly Pakistan, and succeeded in turning the war against
it by the year 2005. Since then, our army has been engaged in a running
battle with our own tribals. Swat Dir and Bajaur are relatively calm, but
FATA is boiling. The insurgency in Balochistan is being fomented by the
same spy network in Afghanistan.
Earlier, I wrote about this network operating against Pakistan in the
article titled Global Conspiracies against Pakistan, published on August 14,
2007: Sarobi near Kabul is the nerve centre headed by an Indian
General Officer, who also commands the Border Road Organization
(BRO). Its forward bases are Ghazni, Khowst, Gardez, Jalalabad, Asadabad,
Wakhan and Faizabad. The Faizabad training camp depicts a Pakistani camp
for Chinese dissidents, with Muslim mullahs, trainers and guards. BRO has
built an all-weather road from Sarobi to Asadabad to Faizabad. The Sarobi
network targets the province of NWFP (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa),
Pakistan. Dissidents from Pakistan are trained at Sarobi for missions inside
NWFP. Wakhan salient has been infested with dozens of electronic outposts
covering Pakistan, China, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
Kandahar with its forward bases is targeting Balochistan. The
dissidents from Balochistan are trained at Lashkargah for undertaking
missions with support of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). One of
their tasks is to target the Chinese working in the province, particularly at
Gwadar, Sandak and Hab. From the anchorages, on the Pakistani coast at
Jiwani and Kot Kalamat, the Americans jointly plan operations with BLA
inside Balochistan. They also use the Pakistani outposts at Mand for
operations inside Iran. The American warships in the Arabian Sea and their
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intelligence bases in Muscat, provide the backup support. The facilities at

Jiwani and Kot Kalamat were provided by Pakistan, as logistic support bases
to the Americans for operation in Afghanistan, but the same are now being
used to destabilize Balochistan and Iran.
The proxy war in Sindh presents a different picture, as it targets
Karachi the nerve centre of Pakistan and when mixed with politics, it
presents a very dangerous situation. The factors, such as the demographic
imbalance caused by the influx of Pashtuns from the north and the flood
affected internally displaced persons from Punjab; and Sindhis and Balochis
seeking refuge in Karachi add to the social disorder being exploited by
foreign hands.
The politics in Sindh is hostage to Mutahida Quami Movements
(MQM) hold over Karachi and Hyderabad, which is being challenged The
conspiracy aimed at creating a grand alliance of the opposition and the
demand for early elections in order to get rid of the government in power.
But President Asif Zardari acted fast to pre-empt the regime change plan.
While he was on a visit abroad, the opposition groups in Karachi were
provided a field day against the MQM that took many lives and Karachi
shuddered. Zardari returned to Karachi and passed orders to cut MQM
to size. Under the presidential notification, the local bodys ordinance was
changed denying power, privileges and projects to MQM; the new KarachiHyderabad constituency demarcation order was repealed reducing about 30
percent seats, which the MQM could win in the next elections. At the same
time, intelligence reports about the MQMs gung-ho politics were sent to
London. It, thus, found itself tricked and cheated by the British and
American planners, whose plan for regime change was foiled by Zardari.
Altaf Hussain in London cried out for being scape-goated. The
Americans and the British diplomats came rushing to Karachi to
negotiate peace. The Sindh government agreed to take MQM back into the
fold. The Governor returned to his seat and the damaging presidential
ordinances were withdrawn. The MQM now, badly bruised and battered, is
expected to join the government. Zardari has won, conspiracy has failed, but
many innocent Pakistanis have lost their lives at the altar of our politics and
proxy war.
The Pakistani nation is facing a multidimensional threat to its
security and this is not the time to rock the boat. Undoubtedly, change is
needed, but through the constitutional process because the hidden hands
that destroyed Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia now are focusing on Libya and
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Syria, and may soon return to strike at Pakistan. The ruling junta in Pakistan
is seeking political consensus to complete the tenure and remains devoid of
the political will to deal with the burning problems in the northwest region,
Balochistan and Karachi. The Karachi turmoil has given the wake up call to
the people of Pakistan to correct the course before it is too late!
And in the absence of good ideas and options for change, let our
politicians have a look at the anti-corruption movement of the Indian
political activist, Anna Hazare and start a movement in real earnest, rather
than giving hollow statements that have no meaning at all. The opposition
leaders could provide the lead and many would follow them. But they have
to do a lot of homework to carefully prepare the bill to be tabled in the
National Assembly. The bill must initiate the policy and plan of action
ensuring that it is forged out of the utter failure of our representative
democracy and that the democratic institutions remain accessible to ordinary
people.
Anna Hazare seems to have a better understanding of the
meaning of the words of God: Thus, have we placed leaders in every
town, its wicked men, to plot (and burrow) there-in, but they only plot
against their own souls and they perceive it not - Surah Al-Annam.
Next day, TheNation wrote: The relatively new phenomenon of
cross-border attacks from the Afghanistan side on Pakistan's check posts
cannot be simply dismissed as by those militants who had escaped from the
military operation carried out in Swat, Dir and Bajaur. Even if so, the
circumstances that have led to the start, some time ago, of cross-border
terrorism from our Western neighbour, at present under the unfortunate
occupation of the US-led NATO forces, point to a sinister game designed
to add to difficulties Islamabad is already facing in curbing militancy
within the country.
Plainly, these attacks are the American response to our refusal to
move troops against the Haqqani group in North Waziristan, whose
militants, the US alleges, cross into Afghanistan and kill its soldiers. The
US, therefore, wants Pakistan to feel the pinch. The Haqqanis might be their
btes noires, but the powerful tribe does not harbour any bad intentions
against us; fighting them just to please the US would go against our national
interests. Prime Minister Gilani very rightly said at Lahore on Sunday that
Pakistan would not do (just to comply with the US wishes) anything against
its interests. He was answering a question at a press conference about his
reaction to the attack by a massive force of the Afghan militants at one of
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our check posts in the Chitral district at Sehr time on Saturday, in which 40
of our paratroopers lost their lives defending the homeland. He also referred
to the Parliament's resolution on drones and stated that relations between
states must be based on respect for each others national interests. He
claimed that for the first time in Pakistans history, a government plainly told
the US that if it had to follow the Congress decision, Pakistan was also
obliged to follow its Parliaments resolutions. Since there is a clear clash
between the national interests of Washington and Islamabad both about
waging a war on the Haqqani group and drone attacks, we should distance
ourselves from the US and keep our relations to the barest minimum
required to be maintained with the superpower.
Of the hundreds of militants from Kunar and Nuristan provinces,
who attacked Pakistans check posts using heavy as well as small weapons,
20 were killed in retaliation from our forces, though our seven check posts
stood destroyed. Our forces had to blow up two bridges to stem the
incursion. According to Mr Gilani, Islamabad has lodged a protest with
Kabul for this raid, whose strength is estimated by the ISPR to be between
200-300, though other sources put the number anywhere between 500 to
3000. The matter must be vigorously pursued with the US as well, telling
them that even if they were the disgruntled terrorists from Pakistan, they
must have been kept in check. As the Americans have been putting the
blame on Pakistan for the raids against its forces, it is time for our
authorities to ask them how militants could cross over to our territory in
large numbers while its troops were in occupation of Afghanistan.
On 5th September, TheNation commented: It is most shocking to
learn from Wikileaks that Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik had
offered to provide the American spy agencies with complete record of
NADRA. He even went to the extent of suggesting an agreement to make
this treacherous act look legal. We all know the kind of role he has been
playing especially with regard to the situation in Karachi, where according
to Zulfiqar Miras revelation he has been abetting the criminals. It is
understandable that a man of his ilk could be expected to compromise on
our national interest to curry favour with the US. This act of his also is
grist to the mill of those who have been accusing Mr Malik of being an
agent of the MI6.
The consequences of letting the Americans who are playing the most
deadly game of destabilizing us at the moment have complete access to
NADRAs database can be horrific for our national security. Indeed we all
know why the Americans are gathering sensitive information about Pakistan
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and its people. It is these covert activities of the sort that are meant to assist
the US in drone attacks as well as ground attacks in the form of Abbottabad
incident. In fact the real intent of the Americans and their cloak and dagger
operations on our soil first came to light with Raymond Davis episode in
Lahore. It is but clear that anyone helping the Americans in their evil
designs of harming Pakistan is not a loyal citizen but a snake in the
grass who ought to be brought to book. It must be asked with whose
permission Mr Malik made this offer to the US? Anyone involved in the
crime, however powerful must be punished. If he made this suggestion on
his own then he deserves to be immediately taken to task. Besides, he has
miserably failed to control the law and order situation as well and does not
deserve to be holding the Interior Ministrys portfolio. The Prime Minister
and the President must take notice of this gross act of misconduct indeed
something that amounts to stabbing Pakistan in the back.
Three days later the newspaper wrote: Two deadly explosions ripped
through a highly sensitive area in Quetta on Wednesday in retaliation for the
arrest of the al-Qaeda operative Younis al-Mauritani It appears that as of
now the arrested al-Mauritani has not been handed over to the US because
Defence Secretary Leon Panetta is reported to have said that his government
would try to get access to him. Our authorities must resist all American
pressure for his handover because, first of all, he is wanted by Pakistan
where several charges are lying against him and even had head money set
for him. Besides, why should we be handing over suspects to the US when
our repeated requests to repatriate Dr Aafia Siddiqui have been ignored in
the most callous way? It is obvious that if these arrested operatives are
properly interrogated they could provide vital information about their
networks and this information could be shared with the US. Moreover, as
witnessed in the past, there always remains the possibility of the danger that
once in the custody of the US these militants could be forced to confess
things that might prove detrimental to our national security.
Meanwhile the responsibility for the gruesome attack in Quetta was
claimed by TTP that also stated that this was in response to the arrest of alMauritani. The spate of mass-casualty attacks in the country suggest that
Pakistan is being deliberately pushed between a rock and hard place. We
have been forcibly led into a war whose fallout has now shaken us to the
core. The only option is to part ways with the US. We should be attending to
improving the law and order situation. While there should be no compromise
with the forces who are engaged in terrorism, focus should be placed on
finding a political solution to the conflict in the tribal areas. American
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demands to launch an operation in North Waziristan is a ploy meant to

further trap us in the quicksand of Fata and must be firmly rebuffed.
On 15th September, Azam Khalil opined must revisit its policy on war
on terror. The US administration on the advice of neoconservatives has
continued to pursue a policy of unilateralism, which has not helped the
world become a safer place The question is: Has the ruling elite in
Pakistan learnt its lesson? Since there has been no change in the
countrys external or internal policy, the situation continues to worsen.
That has, unfortunately, been exploited by certain political groups, which are
already engaged in fierce turf wars. If not stopped, there is a possibility that
they can easily degenerate into a civil war, which could deal a grievous blow
to the motherland. Our policymakers must remember what happened to
Lebanon where ethnic and gang wars ruined the entire country, and it took
nearly three decades before it could recover. A similar situation has emerged
in Pakistan's financial hub, Karachi; more so, there is a breakdown of law
and order in other major urban areas of the country. All this can be attributed
to policy blunders; however, since the mistakes have been identified, swift
measures must be taken to rectify them.
Pakistan must revise its policy on the war on terror, and it would
be prudent if side by side with military action, negotiations are opened, with
the militants so that peace can return to this country. It must also formulate a
more aggressive foreign policy and make it clear to its Western allies that if
they do not take Pakistans interests into account while withdrawing their
troops from Afghanistan, Pakistan will be well within its right to formulate
an independent policy to protect its interests.
Islamabad must also resist Washingtons attempt to cow down
Pakistan by withholding the military assistance that is vital to combat
terrorism. The PPP-led government needs to place its national interest
first and also weigh other options that are available to continue its effort
against extremism. The most regrettable attitude of successive governments
in Pakistan has been that they failed to take the people into confidence. The
government, the armed forces and the people of Pakistan should remain on
the same page as far as serious issues are concerned, and this can only
happen if a transparent and vibrant form of external and internal policy is put
in place as early as possible.
On 17th September, TheNation commented: Consistent with the
record of his boorish remarks, US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has
threatened Pakistan that the US would do everything it can to defend its
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forces from Pakistan-based militants staging attacks in Afghanistan. He

suspected the Haqqani network for the recent day-long siege of the
American Embassy and NATO headquarters in Kabul and an earlier attack in
which 77 US soldiers were injured. The US would not elaborate what action
it would take, he added ominously. The Foreign Office response to this
statement that is nothing short of a declaration of war is too insipid to be of
any substance. Even conceding that the fact of Afghan resistance boldly
challenging the combined might of the US and NATO right at a time when
Washington has been touting its successes in Afghanistan is a matter of great
embarrassment to it, Panetta went too far in his aggressive style. A response
that merely says it is out of line with the cooperation that exists
between the two countries, Pakistan condemns it but would not lodge a
protest, is just ridiculous. Panetta has accused the Haqqani group only on
the basis that he suspects it to be responsible for the siege and the truck
bomb attack. Clearly, he had no evidence to support his suspicion and the
US should have been told in unmistakable terms that it would get a befitting
response if it dared to attack Pakistan.
It is no secret that the American drawdown is taking place not
because the resistance has been put on the back foot as claimed, but
because the US has become weary of fighting the intrepid Afghans for a
decade and has yet failed to subdue them. To hide the shame of defeat, the
Pentagon is desperately trying to look for a scapegoat on whom to put
the blame for the daring and successful attacks on the stronghold of its
power; the security network of the embassy and the NATO headquarters
covering all the routes leading to them must have been foolproof! The
resistances penetration into that military cordon shows the freedom of
movement, which the forces against the foreign occupation of their
motherland, enjoy in Afghanistan.
There is no need for Pakistan to sound defensive. At a moment
like this, there is dire need for both the ruling political set-up and the armed
forces to be on one page and firm in their resolve not to be cowed down with
such threats. The perception that the politicians in power are out of step with
the armed forces in refusing to bear the insults of aggression must be
removed forthwith so that the likes of Panetta should know that they are
going to come up against a nation fully united. The failed war in Afghanistan
can only follow another frustrating venture. The US and allies had better
pack up and go home, with whatever they are left with.
In another editorial the newspaper wrote: It is high time to tell the
United States that Pakistan would deal with its immediate neighbours in
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line with its national interest and would not take any dictation from
anyone. The gas pipeline project with Iran is a lifeline for us for overcoming
the energy crisis. The US energy team which held its last session on
Thursday came up with a strange demand that Pakistan should abandon this
project and instead offered assistance for the Turkmenistan-AfghanistanPakistan-India gas pipeline project (TAPI) as an alternative option.
Although, Pakistani energy managers have assured the Special Envoy
for International Energy Affairs, Carlos Pascual, who is also part of the US
energy team that Pakistan would honour international obligations while
executing the Pak-Iran gas pipeline project, these so-called international
obligations are, in fact, a demonstration of the American animosity against
Iran. Washington has already successfully persuaded India to jump out of the
deal, leaving Iran and Pakistan to implement the project. It is an undeniable
fact that Pakistan has no cheaper and safer option than getting the
Iranian gas. The laying of the pipeline on our side of the border must be
taken up immediately, since Iran has already constructed their part of the
pipeline up to Pakistani border. Any effort to undo this vital project would be
a criminal act against national interests.
On 29th August, Khalid Iqbal saw Afghanistan returning to the
brink. In concluding paragraph of his column he wrote: Washington and
Islamabad view the Afghan conflict through different prisms. While Pakistan
is making an effort to work out an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned political
solution, which is also acceptable to its neighbouring states, America is
attempting to coerce the Afghans to a militarily imposed solution,
underwritten by the prolonged presence of its military in the war-torn
country. It is not without reason that the ethnic composition of the Afghan
army and police is quite similar to the Northern Alliance militia of
yesteryears.
On 13th September, Jackson Diehl observed: Ryan Crocker sounds
very far from Washington and not only because he is talking over an
uncertain phone line from Kabul. The US ambassador is one of the great
protagonists of the post-9/11 era, serving more than half of the last 10 years
in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. Along with Gen. David Petraeus, he
rescued the United States from catastrophe in Iraq four years ago; now he is
trying to repeat the feat in Kabul. He finds himself repeating many of the
same phrases
I know Americans are tired of war. Im kind of tired, too, he said
Crocker has two simple points to make. First: Wanting the war against al149

Qaeda to be over doesnt mean that it can be ended soon. There are still a
lot of nasty and brutally determined al-Qaeda figures out there, he said. I
do not think that al-Qaeda is out of business because they lost Osama
bin Laden. Not by a long shot.
The second hard truth is that al-Qaedas future is inextricably linked
with that of Afghanistan and the Taliban. Al-Qaeda is not [in Afghanistan]
because we are, Crocker said. If we decide to go home before it is ready,
you could see a Talibanization of this country and a return to the
conditions that existed pre-9/11. You will see regenerated al-Qaeda getting
back into the global jihad business
The Taliban, says Crocker, is weary of war, too. The Afghans and
our own soldiers are picking up a lot of signals that the Taliban foot soldiers
are tired of it all, and ready to put their guns down if they can be assured that
they can be fully reintegrated into society. The ambassador is dubious that
the largest Taliban factions, whose leaders are in Pakistan, will be ready to
seriously negotiate with Karzais government, or with the United States,
anytime soon.
But the enemy fighting force can be substantially reduced. The
Afghan army, despite its own defections, is still growing. That leaves the
biggest challenge building workable Afghan political institutions by the
time Karzais term in office, and the US-NATO military mission, come to an
end in 2014.
That is what Crocker is there to work on, along with a strategic
partnership deal between Afghanistan and the United States that would
extend beyond 2014. Yes, it is an uphill battle. But when this sober stalwart
of American diplomacy says it can be done and that it must be he sounds
a good deal more credible than Jon Huntsman, or Barack Obama.
Next day, TheNation wrote: Reportedly, the US plans to set up a
Taliban office in Qatar by the end of this year where they would be allowed
to participate in talks with the West. It is a ploy to preclude the possibility
of Pakistan having any say in Afghanistans future dispensation. The
report published in The Times also stated that the location of the office was
specifically selected by Washington to keep it outside Pakistans sphere of
influence. Indeed as the end game in Afghanistan nears, the USs intent vis-vis Pakistan has become obvious: to deny Pakistan any role in the peace
process and set up a future government in Afghanistan that is hostile to
Pakistan.

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We have after all seen the way the Karzai administration maintains
relations with Islamabad. Constantly badmouthing us for providing safe
havens to the Taliban, its hostility has reached new extreme; Pakistan is
now being attacked by well armed groups of militants enjoying
protection from NATO forces. This US strategy is to give New Delhi a
greater chance to spread its tentacles across Afghan corridors of power and
deal blows at the stability of Pakistan. Ironically, while the US is facilitating
the Taliban open an office in Qatar, it continues to force Pakistan to launch
operation against even those groups that are peaceful. There is no bigger
example of US double standards in its so-called war on terrorism.
On 27th August, TheNation commented: The President of Azad
Kashmir, Sardar Yaqoob, has rightly stated that atrocities in Held Kashmir
and negotiations cannot go on simultaneously. In fact this is what New Delhi
has been doing for a very long time now. However, these tactics of talks as
well as the abuse of human rights have understandably failed. The entire
Valley is full of resentment against India and has been struggling to oust its
security forces. Although the Kashmiris have been granted the right of selfdetermination by the UNSC, India has been using the most harsh and
barbaric measures to suppress every voice of dissent.
The recent discovery of mass graves containing thousands of
innocent Kashmiris should open the eyes of the world community to the
unspeakable nature of the crimes being committed by this so-called worlds
biggest democracy. Yet defying the fear that such a reign of terror creates,
the people of the Valley have refused give up their fight to rid themselves of
the Indian yoke. While rightly condemning the arrest of Kashmiri leader Dr
Fai by the US authorities, Sardar Yaqoob also held out the assurance that he
would turn Azad Kashmir into a base camp for Kashmiri struggle for the
assertion of self-determination. Given the pace of Kashmiri intifada, it is but
logical to assume that it would not be long before India would have to give
up its unjust and illegal occupation.
Three day later the newspaper wrote: Going by his remarks he made
while talking to the media at the State Guest House at Lahore on Sunday,
Prime Minister Gilani seemed to recognize the true faces of India and the
USA, but created a sense of puzzlement why his government does not
act on those beliefs. He said that the USA was an important country, and
Pakistan wanted to have good relations with it on the basis of mutual
respect and interest. His admission that talks were underway to grant Most
Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India must be related to this. It is because

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the USA has decided to back India in its regional desires of hegemony in
exchange for its becoming its regional counterweight against China, that it
has fallen in with Indian desires about Pakistan, and wishes it to become a
mere adjunct of Indias, with the grant of MFN status something which India
has long desired. It cannot be ruled out that Islamabads anxiety to get such a
deal; to please the USA more than India, will lead it to ignore the multitude
of non-tariff barriers India has put up.
This alone should prove to Mr Gilani the incompatibility of interests
between Pakistan and the USA. For Pakistan, giving MFN status would
mean the destruction of its industry, the impoverishment of its people and
a frittering away of a useful bargaining point in its struggle to make India
accept its commitments to the Kashmiri people and the international
community. For the USA, it would merely be another favour done to India
by bringing pressure to bear upon a ruling elite anxious to please it.
This leaves one inescapable conclusion, that Pakistan is not merely
helped by its American alliance, it now finds that its vital interests are
threatened. Therefore, Mr Gilani should take the action which his logic
makes inevitable, and that is the ending of the American alliance, as well as
Pakistani participation in the USAs war on terror. As Mr Gilani said,
Pakistans location made it an inevitable part of the war, but he did not
explain why Pakistan must take sides with the Crusaders.
On 5th September, Khalid Iqbal wrote: In December 2009, the
International Peoples Tribunal on Human Rights released a report
confirming the presence of mass graves containing the bodies of those killed
in fake encounters, and extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions.
However, it stops short of identifying the bitter and brutal truth that
innocent locals had been killed to enhance the Indian governments
hypothesis of cross-border terrorism; there is every possibility that
various unmarked graves at 38 places of north Kashmir may contain dead
bodies of locals, it says.
The Board of Directors, Kashmiri American Council (KAC), has
commented that it is appalled at the recent gruesome report, This blatant
disregard for the sanctity of human life is just another reminder of the
tremendous sacrifices, which the people of Kashmir are enduring. It has
called upon the international community to condemn these atrocities and
constitute a UN tribunal to ascertain the gravity of the tyranny and
allow the will of the people of Jammu and Kashmir to be ascertained in a
free and fair plebiscite to decide their future.
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It has also requested the Chair-Rapporteur of the United Nations

Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances to conduct an
independent investigation. To make the process credible, all discovered
sites need to be secured through neutral observers to ensure that the
physical state of evidence is not tempered with by the strong and powerful
segments of the Indian military apparatus. The mass graves revealed so far,
account only for about 20 percent of the number of missing persons
compiled by the APDP. Many more graves are yet to be pinpointed. The
related investigations need to be conducted by forensic experts in line with
the UN model protocol on disinterment and analysis of the skeletal remains.
During the ongoing session of the UNGA, Pakistan needs to
highlight the matter and launch a diplomatic campaign to harness
international support for the constitution of an Independent Inquiry
Commission under the auspices of the UN to unearth all such mass graves in
IHK. This Commission should oversee the handing over of the mortal
remains to their near and dear ones through DNA matching.

REVIEW
The Defence Day in Pakistan is observed to pay tribute to martyrs of
1965 War with India. This year the Day was observed mostly remembering
the martyrs of the ongoing war. There is no doubt that these young men
died believing that they were defending Pakistan, but they fought against the
Pakistani brethren as ally of the Crusaders.
A veteran soldier would have wished that their great sacrifice had
not carried the blot of standing on the wrong side in a war waged against
Muslims; irrespective of the pretext put forward. Had Musharraf decided
otherwise, the extent of sacrifices would have been certainly more but
Pakistanis would have felt far more proud than they feel now.
During the period there was a spate of terror attacks in Quetta which
could be retaliation to the arrest of al-Mauritani. The gruesome terror attacks
on school bus in Mattani and at a funeral in Lower Dir were result of inter
and intra-tribe animosities created by the KPK governments policy of
raising peace lashkars.
The worst were the attacks on border posts in Chitral in which the
non-NATO ally got real battering. This aimed at opening a new front away
from the ones in Bajaur and Upper Dir where similar attacks were carried
out from across the border.
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Mian Iftikhar, Home Minister of KPK, protested attacks on border

posts and asked Afghan government to check such attacks. Mian perhaps did
that without permission of his Chief Minister. Had he talked to his boss he
would have informed him that whatever Karzai Maama was doing was in
the best interest of his country and Hoti had praised Karzai for that.
These incidents indicated that regimes US Masters were angry. And,
because of that Prime Minister Gilani had to cancel his visit for no
meaningful meeting with the US Administration could be arranged. He,
however, had ready-made excuse of floods to avoid embarrassment.
Intended cutting links with IMF has similar reasons.
After Taliban attack on US Embassy in Kabul, Panetta and Munter
expressed their anger loud and clear. They blamed Haqqani group for the
attack and Pakistan government for its links with that. The former being
Defence Secretary has threatened to act unilaterally.
18th September, 2011

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PALESTINIAN SPRING
Annual session of UNGA fell in the period under review during which
the lone superpower faced some embarrassment. First, Ahmadinejad pulled
down the veil off its ugly face and then, the faithful Mahmoud Abbas did to
listen to the master and submitted Palestinians request for statehood to the
UN Secretary General. America threatened to veto the acceptance of even a
moth-eaten state, which lacked even contiguity.
This happened soon after British and French top leaders had gone to
Tripoli to inhale the refreshing fragrance of Arab Spring. It was certainly a
momentous event for the European leaders as they had made the southern
flank of their continent safer than the past.
These moments of rejoicing over successes in Africa were a blessing
for the NATO, which has been facing some worrying moment on the main
battlefield in Af-Pak region. These problems, however, do not bother the
Crusaders as much as has been hyped, because they have made their
homelands secure along with clamping their hold on oil barrels.

NEWS
The last flower of Arab Spring in Africa, for which the Crusaders
had been eagerly awaiting, blossomed much earlier than their expectation.
Gaddafis fall provided something, perhaps more than something, to the
European Crusaders and their modern day Richard from far, far away
continent of America.
In Libya, Gaddafis forces launched surprise fight-backs on three
fronts on 12th September. The ferocious counterattacks on Ras Lanuf oil
refinery, near Gaddafis hometown of Sirte and at Bani Walid near the
capital came just a day after Libyas new leaders declared their government
would be formed within 10 days.
Next day, fighters of interim rulers brandished new weapons outside
the town of Bani Walid, where residents were fleeing fearing clashes with
forces of Muamer Gaddafi. Talks were underway through mediators for the
surrender of Gaddafi diehards. Meanwhile, Amnesty International accused
the forces that overthrew Gaddafi of committing war crimes.
On 15th September, David Cameron pledged British help in hunting
down Gaddafi as he and Frances Nicolas Sarkozy became the first foreign
leaders to visit the new Libya and forces advancing on the fallen
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strongmans hometown came under heavy fire. French president said the
toppled despot remained a danger and that there was a job to finish in
eliminating his forces remaining strongholds.
Meanwhile, Russia said it backed lifting the NATO-imposed no-fly
zone over Libya in a new resolution on the conflict being drafted by Britain.
Next day, fighters loyal to Libyas new leaders closed on to the city of Sirte
and into desert oasis Bani Walid, two of Gaddafis few remaining bastions.
NATO jetfighters bombed residential area of the town of Sirte on 17 th
September; 364 people were reported killed. Gaddafi said his forces have
sufficient arms and ammunition to fight for months. UN eased sanctions on
Libya. Next day, birth of a new government in Libya was put off indefinitely
amid disputes over portfolios and as Gaddafi diehards put up stiff resistance
in their remaining strongholds. Progress by NTC fighters hoping to crush the
last pockets of resistance in Gaddafi bastions also appeared stalemated, as
the fugitives loyalists in his hometown of Sirte and the oasis of Bani Walid
refused to yield.
On 20th September, a senior general loyal to Gaddafi was captured in
the southern Libya, as hunt for the toppled dictator intensified. Libya's new
leaders were hailed at the UN. With the new Libyan flag flying at the UN
headquarters, interim government leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil thanked all
nations who aided with the success of the Libyan revolution, which he
revealed had left at least 25,000 dead. Obama promised that NATO-led air
strikes would continue as long as the fighters Gaddafi remained a threat.
Next day, NATO extended Libya mission for 90 days. On 23 rd
September, Aisha Kadhafi said that her father was well and fighting on the
ground, as she attacked the country's new rulers and called them traitors.
Next day, two NTC fighters were killed in fight for Sirte.
Turkish Prime Minister was accorded heros welcome in Cairo on 14 th
September when he arrived to visit Egypt. On 16th September, hundreds of
people gathered in Tahrir Square to protest against the recent expansion of
the emergency law, amid palpable anger over the military's handling of
transition from autocratic rule.
On 25th September, Egypt's ruling military council head testified in the
trial of Hosni Mubarak in a hearing that could decide the fate of the expresident accused of responsibility for the deaths of hundreds of
demonstrators earlier this year. Meanwhile, in Sudan army attacked two
villages in North Darfur, killing seven of their inhabitants on 23rd September.

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Somalia was in the grip of worst famine which was an outcome of the
sanctioned imposed by the Crusaders especially on the supply and
movement of food aid and the fighting aggravated the situation further. On
15th September, drone attacks in the outskirts of Kismayu town killed nine
women and children and wounded 30 others. Kismayu, which is located 528
kilometers south of Mogadishu, is the largest Somali port controlled by alShabab. Somalia is the sixth country where the US military has used
pilotless aircraft to conduct deadly bombing strikes.
Two days later, Somalia banned foreign aid workers and journalists
from entering areas controlled by al Shabaab insurgents after members of a
Turkish charity took food to famine victims in an area under the Islamist
group. On 23rd September, US drone fired missiles in southern districts of
Somalia killing eleven people and wounding at least 27 people. The assault
hit a large number of live stocks near Qooqani district. Somali government
officials said they were unaware of the attack and civilian casualties.
For the people of Middle East the so-called Arab Spring brought
nothing except some kind of new pollen allergies. The new ailments added
to the lacerating wounds of Palestinians and Iraqis. Iran was the only
exception and its President showed the courage to call a spade a spade.
In Iraq, gunmen killed 22 Shiite pilgrims when they were on their
way to Syria and passing through a predominantly Sunni Iraqi province from
the shrine city of Karbala on 13th September. Next day, five policemen and
two soldiers were among 17 killed in a spate of attacks in Anbar Province
primarily targeting security forces.
On 21st September, four soldiers were among six killed in two
incidents of violence in and around Baghdad. Four days later, multiple blasts
at a passport and identity card office in the city of Karbala killed at least 9
people, amid nationwide violence that left 17 dead. The series of four
explosions in the central city also wounded nearly 100 people.
Israel arrested a Hamas member of the Palestinian parliament in West
Bank on 15th September. About 20 of Hamass 74 representatives in the
Palestinian Legislative Council are currently being held by Israel, most of
them arrested in the West Bank after October 2010. Six days later, mass rally
was held in Gaza to support bid for Palestinian state in the UN. On 23 rd
September, a Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli troops in near Nablus.
The same day, Mahmoud Abbas went ahead with formally requesting
the Security Council to grant full UN membership as a path toward

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Palestinian statehood, despite fierce opposition from Israel and her few
supporters, and a clearly stated US threat of veto. His resolute move showed
his distrust with the arguments by the US and Israel that the UN state
membership was not a substitute for direct negotiations for peace in the
Middle East. It also showed that for the cause of his people he could face all
pressure, be it form the so-called super power of the world.
All of the General Assembly, save few delegates, greeted Abbas with
a standing ovation as he came to deliver his speech to the 193-member
assembly. He was in fact greeted with numerous standing ovations from the
moment he approached the lectern to the end of his historic speech.
Setting out his case to the assembly, he said: We extend our hands to
the Israeli government and the Israeli people for peacemaking I do not
believe anyone with a shred of conscience can reject our application for full
admission in the United Nations. He called statehood the realization of the
inalienable national rights of the Palestinian people. The largest and most
sustained applause, along with cheers and whistles of approval, came as
Abbas held up a copy of the letter requesting membership that he said he had
handed to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon shortly before. The time has
come, he proclaimed.
Our people will continue their popular, peaceful resistance, Abbas
declared. This (Israeli settlement) policy will destroy the chances of
achieving a two-state solution and...threatens to undermine the structure of
the Palestinian National Authority and even end its existence.
Less than an hour later, Benjamin Netanyahu took to the same lectern
in the hall that, according to him, for too long has been place of darkness
for my country and said that he would not be seeking applause but rather
speaking hard truths. The truth is the Palestinians want a state without
peace, he said.
Netanyahu lashed out at the United Nations, which he described as a
theatre of the absurd, and challenged a comment by Abbas that the
Palestinians were armed only with their hopes and dreams. Hopes, dreams
and 10,000 missiles and Grad rockets supplied by Iran, Mr Netanyahu said.
Both men used the occasion to summarize the history of the conflict
from their own perspectives. Netanyahu, in his early remarks, reviewed the
many occasions when the UN had issued resolutions against Israel, saying
the country had been unjustly singled out for condemnation more often than
all the other nations combined.

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Mr Abbas, in his 40-minute speech, said every previous peace effort

had been shattered on the rock of Israeli settlements and cited what he said
was the historical responsibility of the United Nations to solve the problem.
He described the West Bank as the last occupation in the world, one that
showed no sign of ending. It is neither possible nor practical nor acceptable
to return to conducting business as usual, he said. Drawing a line between
his statehood request and the revolutions that swept through the Arab World
this spring, he said, The time has come also for the Palestinian spring, the
time for independence.
Washington was working to prevent the Palestinians from gathering
the nine votes needed for it to pass in the full council and thus avoid further
wrecking the image of the US in the Middle East by casting yet another veto
against Arabs. The US again called on Palestinian president to return to
direct negotiations with Israel after he delivered the letter of application for
UN state membership. It has earlier threatened to veto any application to the
UN Security Council for Palestinian membership.
On 21st September, Tehran freed two US hikers who trespassed into
Iran. Two days later, speaking at the UNGA Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad cast doubt on the origins of the Holocaust and the September
11, 2001 attacks and criticized the United States for killing Osama bin Laden
rather than bringing him to trial. He told the UN summit that the US and its
allies use the Western media to threaten anyone who questions the
Holocaust and the September 11 event with sanctions and military action.
The US led walkout when Ahmadinejad launched the outspoken attack on
Western nations, 27 European Union nations then followed in a coordinated
protest move.
The Iranian leader said he had been threatened by the US government
after he last year alleged American government involvement in the attacks
and called for an independent investigation. Moving to the US operation to
kill bin Laden, Ahmadinejad said: Would it not have been reasonable to
bring to justice and openly bring to trial the main perpetrator of the incident
in order to identify the elements behind the safe space provided for the
invading aircraft to attack the twin World Trade Centre towers?
In a general blast at the West, Ahmadinejad said: Hypocrisy and
deceit are allowed in order to secure their interests and imperialistic goal.
Drug trafficking and killing of innocent human beings are also allowed in
pursuit of such diabolic goals, he added. They weaken countries through

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military intervention and destroy their infrastructures, in order to plunder

their resources by making them all the more dependent.
Mr Ahmadinejad had a chance to address his own peoples
aspirations for freedom and dignity, but instead he again turned to abhorrent
anti-Semitic slurs and despicable conspiracy theories, said US mission
spokesman Mark Kornblau. French spokesman called Ahmadinejads attacks
unacceptable, while the German delegation said it had left the assembly
because of the crude, anti-American, anti-Israeli and anti-West tirade by the
Iranian president.
In Turkey, two soldiers were among five people killed in attack by
Kurd rebels on 12th September. Three days later, Tayyip Erdogan said that
Turkish warships could be sent to the Eastern Mediterranean at any time and
Israel could not do whatever it wants there.
On 17th September, Turkey rejected US mediation to solve crisis with
Israel over 2010 flotilla. Three days later, two people were killed in bomb
blast in Ankara. On 23rd September, Turkish warplanes bombed PKK
positions in northern Iraq.
The UN human rights chief Navi Pillay on 12 th September said at least
2,600 people have been killed in the unrest in Syria since popular protests
first broke out in mid-March. Next day, forces killed at least 22 civilians in
the town of Rastan near Homs and 15 villagers in raids in the countryside.
Russia rejected Western calls for wider sanctions on Syria over its violent
crackdown on protests.
On 15th September, security forces killed 15 people during raids and
opposition protests across the country. Members of the Syrian opposition
met in Istanbul and announced a list of 140 dissidents forming a national
council they had established in August. The council aimed to coordinate the
oppositions policies against the Syrian leadership.
Next day, Syrian forces shot dead 20 people and flooded rural areas
around Damascus with troops to end demonstrations against President.
Despite the heavy deployment, protests were held on the edges of the
capital. On 19th September, five protesters were killed by Syrian security
forces. Two days later, EU imposed new sanctions on Syria. On 23 rd
September, forces shot dead nine civilians demonstrating in the Homs.
On 25th September, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia gave women the
right to vote and run in municipal elections, the only public polls in the

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ultra-conservative Gulf kingdom. He also announced that women would

have the right to join the all-appointed Shura (consultative) Council.
In Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh authorized his deputy on 12 th
September to negotiate a power transfer with the opposition, finally agreeing
to a proposal by Gulf countries to put an end to a months-long political
crisis. Two days later, nine people were killed in tribal clash in northern
Yemen.
On 16th September, protesters calling for an end to Saleh's regime
gathered massively in the capital Sanaa were protected by dissident army
forces. Next day, soldiers opened fire near an anti-government protest camp
in Sanaa and wounded eight people. On 18th September, at least 20 protesters
were killed when security forces opened fire on one of the biggest
demonstrations against President Saleh in recent months. Next day, Yemeni
security forces killed 27 protesters.
On 21st September, ten al-Qaeda suspects were killed in drone attack
in the south. Next day, nine people were killed in tribal battles in Sanaa's
north. On 23rd September, troops killed at least 18 anti-government
protesters in an assault in the capital Sanaa. Ali Abdullah Saleh made a
dramatic and sudden return to his country after nearly four-months in Saudi
Arabia, seeking to reinsert himself at the center of a slowly fracturing
country mired in bloody clashes on the streets of its capital.
Next day, troops loyal to Saleh attacked soldiers who sided with the
opposition in the capital, killing at least 11 and wounding 112 pro-opposition
soldiers; 34 people were killed in last 24 hours. On 25th September, troops
loyal to Saleh killed at least five anti-government protesters in an assault in
the capital.

Far East remained comparatively calm. On 16th September, bombs

concealed in a car and two motorcycles killed three people and wounded at
least 30 in a town in Thailand's insurgency-plagued south. Next day,
Malaysian tourists were among four killed and 110 wounded in multiple
blasts in the insurgency-plagued Thai south. Police said militants may have
deliberately aimed to hurt tourists in the triple bombing in the Muslimmajority south where a seven-year rebellion has left thousands dead.

Mainland Asia too remained trouble free. In China, four people

were sentenced to death for unrest in Xinjiang Province on 14 th September.
About a week later, a policeman was killed and 60 people wounded in two
bomb blasts in Dagestan.
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In Europe, a French police court issued its first fines on 22 nd

September, against two women charged in May with wearing the full-face
covering Islamic niqab. The women vowed to appeal their case all the way
to the European Court of Human Rights. Three days later, British police
charged six men who were arrested last week in Birmingham as part of a
major counter-terrorism operation targeting extremists. Four men were
charged with preparing for an act of terrorism and two more with failing to
disclose information.
In America, the flag bearers of human rights, Dr Aafia was allowed
on 16 September, to talk to his family for ten minutes after eight years. On
24th September, ten Muslim students were found guilty of disturbing Israeli
ambassadors speech last year.
th

VIEWS
Ali Suleiman Aujali, Libyas ambassador to the United States talked
of building a free Libya on 14th September. For decades, the possibility of
a Libya without Muammar Gaddafi seemed just a dream. But today,
Tripolis central square is adorned with the three colours of the prodemocracy forces flag. The once-omnipresent pictures of Gaddafi are
gone. As that regime gasps its last breath, the Libyan people and the
National Transitional Council (NTC) are writing the first chapter of a free
Libya.
The NTC has been planning this transition for more than six months.
Our accomplishments in the midst of the turbulence of war foreshadow what
a free Libya can accomplish in the years to come. Some in the
international community question the NTC and what it stands for. The
answer lies in our name. We are a transitional government responsible for
steering the nation from an intense conflict with Gaddafi regime forces, now
approaching its end, to the establishment of a democratic government. While
leading pro-democracy forces on the battlefield and planning to stabilize
those areas where fighting continues, we have worked to meet civilians
basic needs and created an interim representative body. We are committed to
establishing a stable Libya, where all citizens, regardless of background,
gender, affiliation or faith can return to their daily lives, be free and have a
voice in civic affairs.
Our road map for building democracy and civil society includes
the drafting of a constitution by a representative authority, the approval of
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the constitution by a popular referendum and, then, for the first time in
Libyas history, holding free elections for a representative government.
There is a great deal of work ahead. One of our most important tasks
will be preventing further unrest. The order of the day must be justice and
not revenge. Libyans will always remember what we fought for and what
we sacrificed, but the NTC is committed to the process of forgiving,
rebuilding and moving forward
The NTC could not have achieved its military successes without
the help of NATO and the countries that rushed to its aid. We now call on
those same countries, and the many others that have since recognized the
NTC, to assist with rebuilding. As with the military campaign, the NTC does
not need a significant international presence on the ground, but Libya does
need international support.
Such support should include assistance in the form of technical
experts to help with our transition to democracy, organizing free
elections, building democratic institutions and restarting the economy;
support for the NTC to be seated as the government of Libya when the UN
General Assembly meets this month; and accreditation by the World Bank
and technical assistance from both the bank and the International Monetary
Fund. (The IMFs recognition over the weekend was a good step.) Libya will
need substantial funds to rebuild, but it is not looking for handouts. Billions
of dollars the Gaddafi regime invested around the world have been frozen
some $35 billion by the United States alone. This is the Libyan peoples
money. Washington recently unfroze $1.5 billion for humanitarian needs.
Britain and France have unfrozen similar amounts.
This is a good start, but its just a start. The international community
should work with the NTC to unfreeze more of these funds and transfer them
in a responsible, transparent manner to the NTC so that the council can
address Libyas pressing needs and begin rebuilding. The NTC also calls on
the international community to help it track down funds still hidden by
Gaddafi.
Next day, Patrick Cockburn talked of rising Turkey: The Turkish
Prime Minister, Tayyip Erdogan, arrived in Egypt on Tuesday at the start of
a three-nation tour as Turkey toughens its stance towards Israel and seeks
to become the predominant power among Muslim states in the Middle
East and North Africa.
After Egypt, Erdogan will visit Tunisia and Libya to show Turkeys
support for both countries after the overthrow of long-standing police states
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in the Arab Spring. Turkeys strong, democratic and mildly Islamic

regime makes it a model for new governments in all three countries.
Erdogans assertive and critical attitude towards Israel, until
recently a close ally of Turkey, makes him attractive to the Arab world.
In Cairo, the burning down of the Israeli embassy last weekend was the
latest incident marking the hostility at street level between post-Mubarak
Egyptians and Israel. At the same time, the perception among Arab states
that President Barack Obama has failed to help the Palestinians, while
lending Israel his total support, has diminished US popularity and influence
in the region
Turkey has benefited from the Arab Spring because it is likely to
be in tune with new democratic governments, even when it had good
relations with their predecessors. The country can also move to fill a vacuum
since most of the more powerful Arab states, such as Egypt and Syria, are
weaker than they were before their governments were overthrown. Iraq has
never recovered from the rule of Saddam Hussein and the violence that
followed.
In sharp contrast to Iran, Turkey has few serious enemies. It has
sought to mediate over Irans nuclear program between the Iranian
government, which it regards with suspicion, and the US and Europeans.
The two countries also have a common foe in the shape of festering Kurdish
insurgencies which engage in persistent guerrilla attacks.
An attack by Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrillas in Hakkani
Province in eastern Turkey overnight killed five people, including two
security men. The PKK has killed about 50 Turkish security personnel in
recent weeks since it ended its ceasefire earlier in the year. Although
Erdogan has brought the Turkish army under civilian control, his
government does not want to look weak in any confrontation with the
PKK.
It is putting pressure on the Iraqi Kurdish President, Massoud
Barzani, to isolate the PKK from its mountain strongholds inside Iraq. Mr
Barzani, who would like Turkey as a counter-balance to Baghdad, has
demanded in recent days that the PKK and the Kurdish guerrilla
movement in Iran give up armed resistance.
Turkey has been playing an increasingly influential role in Iraqi
politics because it is able to mediate between different parties, sects and
ethnic groups. It also plays a growing commercial role: Turkish companies
have even won contracts to collect the rubbish in Baghdad and Basra.
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In Syria, Erdogan has criticized President Bashar al-Assads

repression of protests, probably calculating that his regime is not going to
survive, at least in its present form. Similarly in Libya, Turkey was at first
slow to break with Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, but when it did so, it
advanced $300m to the rebels at a time when they were short of money.
Turkey was heavily involved in construction in Libya.
Overall, the isolation of Israel, the democratic uprisings in the Arab
world, the weakness of the Arab states, and the diminished strength of the
US in the region have all worked to Turkeys advantage. Its influence is
growing throughout the region but it is a long way from being in control
of events.
On 16th September, Rachel Shabi commented: Whatever else you
want to say about Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister has
timing. Just days before the Palestinian Authority takes its statehood
application to the UN, just days after fierce Egyptian protests drove Israeli
embassy staff out of the country, and one week after Turkey dramatically
downgraded its relations with Israel, Erdogan kicked off an Arab uprisings
tour to a heros welcome in Egypt. As Erdogan stepped off a plane to cheers
and unity chants Time magazine reported he was greeted like a rock star
it was clear the intention was to signal Turkeys positioning at the heart of
a new regional politics.
Central to this regional dynamic (and much more so, now that
public sentiments are no longer muzzled by repressive rulers) is the
Palestinian struggle. Calling it an obligation to support the Palestinian
statehood bid, Erdogan told a meeting at the Arab Leagues headquarters in
Cairo that the Palestinian flag has to flutter at the UN.
This scenario combines all of Israels fears in one setting: two
significant and previously manageable Muslim allies, with whom relations
have deteriorated, meeting to discuss strategic ties, while at the same time
backing the Palestinian proposal, about which Israel is already in a panic.
The Palestinian subject is not only key to the Arab world, it is also central to
Turkeys rising popularity
Meanwhile Egypt, shaking off a regime that compromised its
potential regional punch, is also keen to signal changes. The interim
military council said it would honour Egypts agreements with Israel, but
recent protests have shown that the Egyptian public wants to see those
agreements revoked, or at least redrawn.

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In Cairo, the strands came together as Erdogan gave a crowd-pleaser

speech about uprisings in the Middle East and democracy in the Arab world.
He also pledged to boost trade with Egypt Meanwhile, pro-democracy
protesters worried that Egypts interim military council is derailing the
revolution, could be cheered by Erdogans capacity to subordinate a powerhungry Turkish military. But there are also reservations. Some analysts hear
too much aggressor volume in the multiple threats emanating from Turkey in
the week since diplomatic ties with Israel were downgraded.
In that time, Erdogan has talked of military warships
accompanying aid boats to Gaza and threatened naval action against
Cyprus if it allows offshore drilling for gas at a site Turkey claims to be
disputed. Also, if Turkey is to be taken seriously as a champion of Arab
uprisings, it would help if the country did not cherry-pick its causes
supporting the Palestinian right to self-determination, while ignoring
Kurdish attempts to exercise that same right.
Yet at a time when Turkey does galvanize goodwill on the basis of
the Palestinian cause, the subject is tellingly absent from Israels
internal conversation. The occupation has disappeared from public and
media debate in Israel; it is hidden behind the separation wall in the West
Bank and barred from view in Gaza, where Israeli journalists are not allowed
to visit and so cant report on. An editorial earlier this week in the liberal
Haaretz newspaper urged that Israel must propose real policies and
solutions to the conflict with the Palestinians if it wants to hang onto
regional ties. But this stood out as a lone voice. A more common view
appeared in a piece entitled Why Do They Hate Us?, from a more widely
circulated paper, which ran through possible reasons for the animosity from
Egypt without once mentioning the words Palestinian or occupation.
Speaking from Cairo about the Arab revolutions, the Turkish prime
minister said: Some countries in the region cannot read the changes that are
happening, on top of which is Israel. Turkey, in stark contrast, seems to
be reading those changes very well.
Next day, Jonathan Steele observed: The Cameron-Sarkozy duet in
Tripoli on Thursday was suitably short on triumphalism. Not one NATO
serviceperson died and the regime that the mission aimed to change fell
within six months. So the temptation to crow was high.
But the two European leaders no doubt remember the Bush
administrations rash boasts of mission accomplished in Iraq and
Afghanistan. Their advisers must also have warned them that liberation can
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be a fragile concept with a short shelf-life. There may have been less
looting in post-Gaddafi Tripoli than in post-Saddam Baghdad, but there
has been far more brutality meted out to former regime supporters.
Cameron and Sarkozy concentrated on measures to secure loose weaponry
and offered medical and other aid. On their return home, they should also
think of more innovative ways to help the wars victims.
On the same day as their visit, a new initiative was announced in
London. Some three dozen NGOs launched the Charter for the Recognition
of Every Casualty of Armed Violence. The brainchild of the Oxford
Research Group, the charter calls on states to ensure that every casualty of
armed violence, not just soldiers or their own civilians, should be properly
recorded, correctly identified and publicly acknowledged. Every casualty
counts but rarely is every casualty counted. That fact of war, particularly
of the modern brand where civilian deaths far outnumber those of
combatants, has slowly begun to be remedied
An Amnesty report on Libya published this week shows that beside
the atrocities committed by Gaddafis forces, scores of pro-Gaddafi
supporters were rounded up and killed after the fall of Tripoli. Dozens
of sub-Saharan Africans were wrongly accused by rebel forces of being
mercenaries and then detained, tortured or murdered Britain and France
should draw a contrast with these practices by funding a full accounting of
the killings in Libya. A paragraph supporting this should be put in the new
UN resolution they plan to bring forward.
Making a record of every victim in Libya on the model of the
Bosnian and Kosovo books of the dead can also help in the
reconciliation the country urgently needs. NATO should put its weight
behind the every-casualty charter. A century after international humanitarian
law was created, it is time states register the names and fates of the victims
who die when those laws are broken.
On 19th September, Alex Perry opined that the war on terror caused
Somalias famine. By late June and early July, when their goats were all
gone and the last of their cows had sunk to their knees and died, the
men told their families it was time to leave. In Daynunay, Haji Hassan and
his children packed up what they had a few rags, plastic bottles, some old
cooking pots and set out for Mogadishu, 250 km to the east.
At every village they passed, their small group grew, first to a column
of hundreds, then thousands, then tens of thousands, as millions across
southern Somalia abandoned their homes. With little water and only leaves
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to eat, the young and the old quickly perished: one of Hassans grandsons
was buried where he dropped. Bagey Ali, 50, who walked 300 km from
Qansax Dheere, says he saw seven people just sit down and die. When his
children would start fading on the 500-km trek from Baoli, Bishar Abdi
Shaith, 60, carried them on his shoulders. When I realized they were dead, I
would lift them off and bury them there, on the way. He lost two boys and
three girls that way.
A mass exodus, an emptying of half a country, is an
unprecedented, biblical event. What triggered it? The immediate cause
was drought. Rains failed last October in East Africa, then again in April,
and by early August the UN was putting the number of people at risk from
hunger in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda at 12.4
million.
Southern Somalia was in famine. A full 2.8 million people, 63% of
the regions population, were either starving or at risk of it. The number
of Somali children with severe acute malnutrition near death was
170,000; 29,000 had already died. Even those cataclysmic figures were
probably underestimates.
Iffthikar Mohamed, country director for Islamic Relief (which has
staff inside the famine area, unlike the UN), said his teams found mortality
and malnutrition rates at least twice as high. Senior relief managers tell
TIME there is no chance of preventing 100,000 Somalis, perhaps more,
from dying in the next few weeks.
How did this happen? Could it have been stopped? And how is it that
millions of Somalis were so sure that no help was coming that they took
their families on a death march across the desert? The answers reveal how a
war between militants and the US and its allies led directly to human
catastrophe.
When I ask Bagey Ali when the last rain fell in Qansax Dheere, he
laughs at the idea, then struggles to remember. Two years, he says. Maybe
four. Southern Somalia is part of the Sahel, the band of dry land that runs
across Africa below the Sahara. Half a century ago, rainfall was sparse, but
droughts occurred only once a decade. Today they come every two years,
and in areas where El Nio and La Nia disrupt the seasons, there havent
been good rains for 10 years. This is climate change now severe and lethal.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization says this years drought is the
worst since 1950-51, and the compound effect of successive rain failures
means an area the size of France has become desert in 50 years.
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But drought just sets the conditions for famine; only man ensures
it. The southern US is in drought, but Americans arent starving. Why?
Because, Americans have enough government and wealth. Likewise, one
reason we are not seeing a repeat of the 1984 Ethiopian famine, in which a
million people died, is that much of East Africa has progressed since then.
Also, aid workers are now better at saving lives. An early-warning system
first predicted East African food shortages 11 months ago, food aid has
become more sophisticated and includes medicines and high-protein nut
pastes, and improved disaster mitigation is matched by better prevention.
Schemes like the USs $3.5 billion three-year program Feed the Future push
ever more money into projects such as irrigation and food warehouses that
raise peoples ability to feed themselves. Its really important we understand
the progress even in the face of this tragedy, says Nancy Lindborg, who is
leading USAIDs famine response.
Such progress only throws the disaster in Somalia into sharper relief,
however. Because if it is humans who produce or prevent famine, who
made Somalias? The big difference between Somalia and the rest of East
Africa is war. Somalis have been fighting one another and have lived
without a central government for 20 years. Perhaps a million people have
died. One symptom of this lawlessness is piracy. What began as a fight
between clan warlords became, in its second decade, a struggle between
warlords. The more extremists then formed al-Shabab, or the Youth. For
four years, al-Shabab has battled the official Transitional Federal
Government (TFG).
The US is the key international player. Since the 1993 battle known
as Black Hawk Down, when 18 US troops died during an intervention to
support a UN mission in an earlier famine and the bodies of two were
dragged through the streets, few Americans have set foot in Mogadishu. But
Washington pays close attention. Osama bin Laden first shot to the top of the
CIAs danger list not on 9/11 but on Aug 7, 1998, when his Somalia-based
unit blew up US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, killing
230 people. When al-Shabab allied with al-Qaeda, it too found itself in
American crosshairs.
The US strikes when it can. When Ethiopia invaded Somalia in late
2006 to topple the Islamic government, US Special Operations troops went
with them and detained about 20 al-Qaeda suspects. Washington has also
assassinated several Islamic leaders in Somalia, using Predator drones,
cruise missiles launched from warships in the Indian Ocean and, once, a
helicopter gunship. Those efforts are assisted by a CIA station in Mogadishu
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and US-funded mercenary operations. Also, Washington bankrolls the

unelected TFG, which is perhaps best understood as a US attempt to create a
Somali leadership whose authority does not depend solely on firepower. In
spite of such labors, al-Shabab was ascendant a year ago. It seemed set to
take Mogadishu and announced its international debut in July 2010 with
twin suicide-bomber attacks in Kampala, Uganda, which killed 76 people.
By then another US initiative was starting to bite. In 2008 the US
State Department listed al-Shabab as a foreign terrorist Organization,
making aiding or abetting it a serious crime. Al-Shabab was stealing aid to
feed itself and to sell. Theft of aid is a routine occurrence, but when alShabab was designated as a terrorist group, it meant that US officials
and foreign aid workers whose actions benefited al-Shabab, even
unwittingly, would be penalized.
By late 2009 the US was withholding about $50 million in food aid
from al-Shababs territory in southern Somalia, saying it had no legal
alternative. By early 2010 the US was in a standoff with aid workers,
requiring them to refuse to pay the tolls al-Shabab demanded if they
wanted US funding. For its part, al-Shabab expelled the World Food
Programme (WFP) in January 2010, saying food aid created dependence and
that the Organization was an American proxy: 60% of the WFPs food is
from the US Al-Shabab also claimed WFP contractors were corrupt; a
Western investigator tasked with probing the WFPs operations in southern
Somalia tells TIME many contractors were indeed skimming anywhere from
25% to 65% of aid to sell in the market.
In effect, southern Somalia was largely without aid and lacked a
reliable distribution network through which to move emergency
supplies in the event of a disaster. Warning of a crisis, Mark Bowden, UN
humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, accused the US of fighting its war
with aid. Were no longer involved in a discussion about the practicalities of
delivering humanitarian assistance with proper safeguards, he told reporters
in February 2010. It had become an issue of where assistance can be
provided on political grounds.
On its narrow terms, US strategy succeeded. Al-Shabab has been
severely weakened by a combination of famine and the loss of Middle
Eastern funding since the political turmoil there. The group has suffered
desertions and bloody internal divisions over whether to accept aid. On Aug.
6, it withdrew from Mogadishu.

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But what impoverished al-Shababs few thousand fighters also

helped push a few million Somalis to the brink of starvation. The same
areas ruled by al-Shabab are those now blighted by famine. On the ground in
those regions are the International Committee of the Red Cross, several
Islamic charities, a handful of Mdecins sans Frontiers workers and local
UNICEF contractors. Thats it. The UN says just 20% of the 2.8 million
southern Somalis in need are being reached. The WFP, the giant of famine
relief whose slogan is fighting hunger worldwide, is absent.
Asked whether the US inadvertently contributed to the famine, Bruce
Wharton, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs,
chooses his words carefully. US sanctions against al-Shabab do not and
have never prohibited the delivery of assistance to Somalia, including those
areas under de facto control of al-Shabab, he says. While Wharton is
technically correct, the practical effect of US sanctions has been,
precisely, to block aid to southern Somalia. Thats something the US
implicitly acknowledged in early August when it felt the need to issue new
guidance to humanitarians, which, Wharton says: should help clarify that aid
workers who are partnering with the US to help save lives under difficult
and dangerous conditions are not in conflict with US laws and regulations.
Some aid workers openly accuse the US of causing the famine. The
famine is proof of US success, says Burns. Washingtons allies in the TFG
arent shy, either, about hailing the strategic advantage the disaster
gives them. The famine is an opportunity to expand our reach, TFG Prime
Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali tells TIME. The more weak [al-Shabab is],
the more we reach. A TFG military adviser confirmed that the TFG wanted
no aid reaching southern Somalia until after it had defeated al-Shabab.
Underlining the point, TFG commander General Yusuf Mohammed Siad,
better known as Indaade, says: We cannot take food to where they are. They
have nothing, they cannot fight, and what we need to do now is clear them
out. After that, we will take food there.
Slowly, hundreds of thousands of starving Somalis are realizing they
may have trekked to Mogadishu only to die there instead. If theres little aid
in the famine areas, theres also not enough outside them. Afraid for their
safety, most Western aid agencies hole up in a fortified base next to the
airport. Three weeks after the UN declared a famine and despite several
aid flights arriving daily, food had yet to make it out of the airport to a
camp just 100m away.

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Many in the aid world struggle to explain their poor performance.

They should have been prepared. The UN has for years described Somalia as
the worlds worst humanitarian crisis, and there were drought forecasts a
year ago. The funds raised are dangerously inadequate, said UK
International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell after visiting
Mogadishu on Aug. 17.
That hasnt stopped some aid groups from claiming a heroic success.
The WFP broadcast a fundraising Twitter message on Aug 9 proclaiming,
Airlifts launched to bring enough high-energy biscuits to Horn of Africa to
feed 1.6 million people. Its all too much for Mogadishus mayor, Mahamud
Nur: How many people will die? The aid groups say theyre here, but
where? Its complete rubbish! Children are dying!
The day I first visit Banadirs 35-bed childrens ward, a 7-year-old
child named Umar has just died. The next day two 1-year-olds follow, a tiny
18-month-old boy dies minutes after we arrive, and Abshir, a 9-year-old who
looks 4, dies that evening. On repeat visits, I start recognizing children from
the camps, now in sudden decline vomiting, defecating, breathing
shallowly, their eyes rolled back in their heads.
Banadir has lost its cemetery. Refugees have built huts and a
makeshift classroom over the graves. As relatives scour Mogadishu for an
unclaimed space big enough in which to lay Umars tiny body, I stand with
his mother Khalima, 38, as she watches an orderly wash her sons pin-thin
body and wrap him in a white shroud. Overhead, unseen, a Predator drone
hums. Then, in the graveyard school next door, the children start to sing.
On 22nd September, Abubakr Al-shamahi opined: Yemen is too
complicated for any nuanced analysis from observers who know little
about the country. Too often terms such as tribalism, extremism and
failed state are thrown around, when in reality Yemenis share the basic
grievances that their fellow Arabs are protesting against. Yemen is the
poorest Arab country, when in truth it should not be. Corruption, that
apparent Arab trait, is the main reason for the countrys poverty.
Unemployment is stratospheric among Yemens booming, young population.
Saudi Arabia is also leading the counter-revolutionary charge, as it has been
doing in several restive Arab states. The shared narrative of the Arab Spring
that of freedom and dignity is what drives the Yemeni protesters. They are
angry that they are being viewed as different. Too often Yemeni activists
have asked why they are being ignored. The global Yemeni Diaspora has

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mobilized and created the Support Yemen campaign, planning a global

protest on September 24 against the international silence on Yemen.
Yemenis are in tune with the rest of the world, even going so far
as to raise placards featuring Che Guevara and Gandhi, but they wonder
why the rest of the world is not in tune with them. They deliberately carry
banners in English denouncing terrorism, in the vain hope that someone
outside Yemen will notice. It is a sobering thought to contemplate what will
happen to this generation of Yemeni youth, who are asking for real
democracy and rights, if they are rejected by the world.
The National editorial read: The US government has been deeply
concerned and some may say overly so with the spread of terrorism in
the region. This week we are reminded that among what was perceived by
many as a largely flawed policy causing many problems, few of them are as
severe as those caused by Washingtons approach to the Yemen
situation.
The corrupt, and largely ineffective regime of President Ali Abdullah
Saleh has weathered months of mass protests largely because of unwavering,
if soft-spoken, support from the US. What the US gets from Mr Saleh is a
free hand to monitor, hunt and kill members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian
Peninsula (AQAP). Fatally short-sighted, US policy is unable to look
beyond the war on terror. If it could it would by now have pensioned off
Mr Saleh and encouraged compromise among other factions in Yemen.
But while Mr Saleh remains in Riyadh, recovering from an
assassination attempt in June, Yemens security has been deteriorating
sharply. This result is counter to broad American security goals and
disastrous for Yemens 24 million people. Poor and badly run for decades,
Yemen is now tipping into failed-state status. Sanaa, the capital, is seeing
a three-cornered struggle among elites: Mr Saleh and his family (his son,
Ahmed, commands the powerful Republican Guard); the rival Ahmar
family; and the faction of Ali Mohsin, a general who broke with the regime.
Meanwhile ordinary Yemenis protest to demand a country without Mr
Saleh.
But while thugs with military weapons, and forces with assorted
loyalties, have killed dozens of protesters in recent days, something different
is happening elsewhere: While elites fight over the carcass of the state,
says Princeton University Yemen expert Gregory Johnsen, on the
periphery other actors are busy gobbling up as much territory as

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they can. In the south these include Islamic militants and some tribes, and
in the north the Huthi faction.
As Yemen nears disintegration its economy is in tatters, hunger is
increasing and violence growing. Meanwhile, White House security advisor
John Brennan says smugly that counter-terrorism cooperation with Yemen is
better than its been during my whole tenure. He will not, we fear, be able to
say the same next year if AQAP and other extremists are operating freely in
a collapsed state. When, if ever, will the US learn that it cannot make
itself safer by backing dictators, resisting justice and stifling the
aspirations of long-suffering peoples? Short-sighted security goals may play
well with American voters, but they get Yemenis nowhere.
On 24th September, Aijaz Zaka Syed opined: Whatever the
explanation, if the US goes ahead and vetoes the Palestinian demand in
the Security Council, it would be committing a historic blunder of epic
proportions. The whole world has been electrified and excited by the idea
of an independent Palestine, however imperfect. And this euphoria is not
limited to the Arab and Muslim countries.
As a BBC-GlobeScan poll revealed this week, a respectable majority
around the world supports the Palestinian demand. Even in the land of the
free, 45 percent people back the Palestinian aspirations. In the UN General
Assembly that unlike the Security Council largely represents the democratic
global opinion, the view is overwhelmingly in favour of the Palestinians.
The world community knows that Palestinians have suffered enough.
Clearly, America and its enfant terrible are on the wrong side of
history. In its blind support to Israel, Washington remains curiously clueless
about the world opinion, especially of the overwhelming sentiment in the
Muslim world on the issue. More important, the US appears oblivious of the
consequences of its veto against a Palestinian state. Nicolas Sarkozy of
France was spot on when in his UN speech he warned of violence and grave
fallout of Washingtons veto. Even Sarkozy says enough is enough after 60
years of Palestinian homelessness.
Washington has vetoed more than 40 UN resolutions critical of
Israel or its own double standards, repeatedly infuriating the Arab and
Muslim public opinion. As many have rightly argued, this blind support has
been at the heart of the West-Islam conflict. By scuttling the Palestinians bid
for independence, the US is inviting the wrath of Arabs and Muslims and
reasonable people everywhere. Here is a historic opportunity for peace and
resolution of the worlds oldest conflict. The world will never forgive
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America and Obama for sabotaging it. The only obstacle in the way of peace
now is America and its Nobel Laureate president.
Marwan Bishara wrote: Every other commentator in town would like
to remind you not to expect much action from a US president on Israel
during an election year. As Heilemann illustrates in his article, Obamas
career was built on his relationships with generous Jewish contributors in
Chicago.
Indeed, the guy who brought the most money to the Democratic party
over the last several decades became Obamas chief of staff, Rahm
Emmanuel. Today, hes the mayor of Chicago. But its not only about
money. Its also about crucial support in Congress over urgent domestic
issues that could make or break the Obama presidency. And the Israeli
lobby, AIPAC, can make the presidents life miserable over the course of
the next year. Now, I understand all of that. But what I dont understand is
why it is accepted as a fait accompli! As the nature of politics! Take it or
leave it!
If this is the case, then lets at least call a spade a spade; and out the
US administration(s) for being what so many seem to say it is: Not Jewish or
Zionist, rather hypocritical. It speaks of justice but pursues unfair
policies; speaks of repression, but promotes its own interests at any cost.
It preaches freedom but supports occupation; speaks of human rights but
insists on entrusting the wolf, and only the wolf, with the hen house.
Why should the Palestinians be held victims to US politics while
being held hostage to Israeli politics for the last six decades? Why should
most Israelis continue to live in a garrison state incapable of normalizing
relations with their neighbours? Why should Americans watch as their
politicians are held hostage to a foreign power and its influential
supporters?
The pro-Israeli Jewish lobby, J Street, commented on the alarming
pandering to Israel not only among Democrats but also Republicans, saying:
Theres no limit, it seems, to how far American politicians will go these
days in pandering on Israel for political gain. While there has been
strategic logic for the US support for Israel in the past, Washingtons current
pandering makes little sense.
Washington has long used its influence with Israel as strategic
leverage to reign in Arab leaders. Only Washington can restrain Israel in
war and wring concessions in diplomacy, Arab leaders once reckoned. But

175

the dictators who either exploited Palestine to garner popular support at

home, or bartered it in return for Western favours, belong to the past.
Todays Arabs are bitter and angry at US-Israeli complicity in
Palestine and they wont be as easily bounded or bribed as their fallen
dictatorships. Marwan Bishara is Al Jazeeras senior political analyst. He
was previously a professor of International Relations at the American
University of Paris. An author who writes extensively on global politics, he
is widely regarded as a leading authority on the Middle East and
international affairs.
TheNation commented on Ahmadinejads speech at the UNGA. The
speech of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the UN General
Assembly on Thursday was remarkable for the force with which it
overturned many of the presumptions underlying modern history, and thus
the motives of action of modern states. His provoking of walkouts by the
Western nations may have indicated American frustration at his
presence, for the USA, as he mentioned in his speech, was behind an attempt
to overthrow him over Irans nuclear programme.
By lumping the Holocaust of World War II, which underlies the blind
Western support of Israel and its illegal occupation of Palestine, with 9/11,
and its use by the West as an excuse for the launch of a new crusade in the
shape of the war on terror, President Ahmadinejad used the world forum
to proclaim a revision of the two greatest myths of the modern era, on
which the New World Order is based. The UN has in recent years been
merely used by the USA as a rubberstamp for its depredations in the rest of
the world. President Ahmadinejad said that the USA had threatened him
after he had called for an independent investigation into the 9/11 attacks
after alleging that the USA was involved. The reference to the Holocaust
was particularly apposite, in a session seized of the Palestinian application
for membership which faced a US veto under Israeli pressure.
President Ahmadinejads casting of doubt on the Americans killing
Osama bin Laden was of a piece with this, as was his characterization of
the West as using hypocrisy and deceit in securing its interest and
imperialistic goal, as well as drug trafficking and killing innocents.
However, his drawing of parallels between the Holocaust and 9/11 makes his
speech of interest to historians of the age as a whole rather than specialists in
these two events. His speech would be of as much interest to historians as to
Foreign Offices, but it shows something that it seems the Pakistani political

176

elite finds impossible to understand, that the American alliance must be

abandoned at once.
Next day, TheNation wrote: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
addressed the UN General Assembly to applause, as he filed the application
for the world bodys membership to its Secretary General, Ban ki-Moon.
Palestine formally applied for full membership, up from the observer status
which allowed President Abbas to address the General Assembly. The
Palestinian readiness to accept a moth-eaten state, which lacked even
contiguity, contrasted with the American intransigence in support of
another intransigent entity, Israel, whose illegal occupation had created
the Palestinian dilemma in the first place. From the time that the victors of
World War I, in the Sykes-Picot Agreement, first acknowledged the Zionist
desire to occupy the land of an innocent Palestinian people, to the support
given to it after World War II by those who wanted to compensate for the
Holocaust Hitler committed, and throughout the Palestinian struggle for
liberation that followed thereafter, the USA has consistently opposed the
Palestinian people.
Mindless of the changes brought about by the Arab Spring and the
justness of the Palestinian cause, highlighted by the untold atrocities the
Israelis commit on the unarmed Palestinian civilians, the US support of Tel
Aviv has not waned. Though Israel is hardly staying above the fray, the
fight against the Palestinian application is being led by the USA, and it
will be the USA which will cast the veto that will finally torpedo the
application, adding to the many vetoes that the USA has cast in support of
the Zionist entity and against the aspirations of not just the Palestinian
people, but of all Arabs, Muslims and fair-minded people in the world.
On 26th September, Khalid Iqbal observed: While addressing the
UNGAs ongoing session, President Obama said: One year ago, I stood at
this podium and called for an independent Palestine. I believed then, and I
believe now, that the Palestinian people deserve a State of their own. But
what I also said is that a genuine peace can only be realized between the
Israelis and the Palestinians themselves...I am convinced that there is no
shortcut to the end of a conflict that has endured for decades...Peace will not
come through statements and resolutions at the United Nations...Ultimately,
it is the Israelis and the Palestinians - not us - who must reach agreement on
the issues that divide them: On borders and on security, on refugees and
Jerusalem. Ultimately, peace depends upon compromise among people who
must live together...And that is and will be the path to a Palestinian State
negotiations between the parties...America's commitment to Israel's security
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is unshakeable. Our friendship with Israel is deep and enduring. This shows
that Obama has clearly ignored that if history is any reference no
objective oriented agenda can ever be concluded by the IsraeliPalestinian negotiators on their own.
The Palestine issue can be resolved politically. However, not many
global politicians are keen to settle it; many like Obama only pay lip service.
But Palestinian state is an obligation long overdue for the comity of
nations. The global community of nations should support the resolution
calling for an independent State of Palestine with full UN membership. Once
it is recognized by the UN, it could resume negotiations with Israel over all
outstanding issues as an equal partner. Entities like OIC, NAM and OAU
need to put in a conjoined effort in this regard. The first test of mettle shall
be faced by the non-permanent members of the Security Council! Conflicts
like Afghanistan, Kashmir and Palestine continue to tease the collective
conscience of mankind in a typical catch me if you can style. The people of
Pakistan stand shoulder to shoulder with their Palestinian brothers in their
just struggle for statehood a state with full UN membership.
M J Rosenberg described the miseries suffered by Palestinians during
the occupation of their land and then added: One could go on and on about
the horrors of the occupation but it won't matter to the politicians who
determine US foreign policy. They know which side their bread is
buttered on, as Obama demonstrated at the UN this week.
He felt that it was time for a new broker for peace in Middle East:
But, I'm surprised to say, Obama did Palestinians and the 70 per cent of
Israelis who support statehood a big favour. By demonstrating that the
United States refuses to play the role of honest broker and by telling the
UN that we are Israel and Israel is us, the United States is yielding the role
of Middle East peacemaker to others.
The French, Turks, Indians, Brazilians, Chinese, South Africans, and
Russians don't agree on much. But they do agree on the urgency of the
creation of a Palestinian state in the areas occupied in 1967. And they
agree that the United States, no longer the superpower it once was, should
move over and let countries not fully invested in one side play a more
constructive role.
Those who wonder how these other countries could exert the
leadership the US has abdicated might consider the issue of economics,
trade, etc. Israel does not live on an island with the United States. It is
part of the world and not even the United States and the $3.5bn it hands over
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to Israel each year (no strings attached) can save Israel if the rest of the
world says enough.
Obama has chosen to abdicate. The rest of the world is eager to
step up. And that is why I have no doubt that the state of Palestine was
created this week at the United Nations. By opting out, Obama did a
tremendous favour to Palestinians and Israelis both. Palestinians will have
their fully sovereign, contiguous state. And the Jewish state of Israel will
finally be secure.

REVIEW
The blossoming Palestinian Spring, part of the Arab Spring, caused
pollen allergy to Netanyahu and puppet of the Jews ruling the United States.
Mahmoud Abbas may feel proud of having honour of applying for the full
membership of the United Nations, but he should have no doubt in his mind
that his bid is likely to be resisted by Obama Administration on the behest of
Zionist regime in Israel.
While Judo-Zionist imperialist powers are busy dispensing what the
Islamic World deserves there are odd voices which echo in protest. One of
these voices is of Iranian President. The Ummah should hope and pray that
more Muslim rulers join Ahmadinejad.
Amid verbal bashing by Ahmadinejad and show of defiance by ever
submissive Mahmoud Abbas and physical thrashing of the super power by
Taliban in Afghanistan, the Libyan victory provided something to the
Crusaders to rejoice over. The spring bloom in desert is always fascinating
specially when its fragrance has t6he mix of oil fumes.
26th September, 2011

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BONDED LABOUR
Musharraf, the brave commando, had volunteered to be frontline
soldier of the Crusaders. As result of that he being the supreme
commander of the Pakistans armed forces Pakistanis in uniform were
constrained to fight someone elses war.
For years the soldiers of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan were
employed as mercenaries on regular basis. However, after Raymond Davis
and Abbottabad episodes Pakistans armed forces became reluctant server.
The US relegated them to the status of casual labour and now intends to get
the job done through bonded labour.
In last ten days Pakistan was subjected to bitter criticism for not doing
enough in war on terror. In fact, Admiral Mullen and Panetta went on to
equate ISI and Pakistan Army with terrorists and sponsoring Haqqani
Network for attacks in Kabul, including the one on US Embassy. The
puppets in Islamabad feared the choking of dollar flow.

NEWS
In Pakistan, soldiers fought with Taliban militants over the
wreckage of a remotely-controlled US drone which crashed in South
Waziristan on 18th September; Taliban claimed that they had shot down the
drone. The security forces launched an operation against militants to recover
the wreckage; at least two militants were killed, while an army officer also
sustained injuries. In a meeting in Spain, Mike Mullen told General Kayani
he was deeply concerned about the attacks being staged by operatives loyal
to the Haqqani network that operates on both the Pakistan and Afghan side
of the border.
Taliban armed with rocket launchers stormed a check post manned by
pro-government tribesman and security forces in Bara area triggering clashes
that killed 10 militants and five anti-militant fighters. Eleven persons were
killed and six sustained injures in tribal clash in Upper Dir.
Next day, Hillary and Hina met and both agreed to joint operations
against Haqqani Group. Munter, however, saw more rough times with
Pakistan. Five people were killed and 34 wounded in bomb blast in CD shop
in Peshawar. NATO tanker was attacked in Mastung.
On 20th September, a soldier and 21 Taliban were killed in a clash in
Orakzai Agency. GOC Swat was injured when his helicopter was fired at.
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The US renewed demands that wanted Pakistan crack down on Haqqani

network. Leon Panetta told reporters that Washington would put as much
pressure as possible on the Pakistanis to exercise control from their side of
the border. Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
said earlier that ISI had to sever all ties with the Haqqani network.
Next day, General Pasha rushed to Washington to hold a quiet meeting
with Gen David Petraeus amid ultimatums hurled by Obama Administration
over the past several days to cut ties with terrorist organizations,
particularly the Haqqani network, and help eliminate its leaders. Pasha also
met senior White House officials before leaving for Islamabad.
Rehman Malik ruled out the possibility of presence of Haqqani
network inside Pakistan and said if Pakistan got credible information about
their presence, the government would hurriedly launch action against the
group. He told the media persons after his meeting with Robert S Muller,
Director FBI.
On 22nd September, two persons including a Khasadar force official
were killed and another injured in an armed attack on NATO tankers here in
Landikotal. Three militants were killed and two others arrested in Mingora.
The forces had conducted search operation after killing of a soldier by a
suicide bomber and getting information about the presence of would-be
suicide bombers in Pathanay area situated between Mingora and Saidu
Sharif. At least five persons were killed and four wounded in remote
controlled bomb attacks on two passenger buses in Bajaur.
The Haqqani militant network is a veritable arm of Pakistan's
powerful ISI intelligence service, which supported the group as it launched a
startling attack last week on the US Embassy in Kabul, Mike Mullen said in
prepared remarks to a US Senate panel. With ISI support, Haqqani
operatives planned and conducted (a September 11) truck bomb attack, as
well as the assault on our embassy, Mullen said. We also have credible
intelligence that they were behind the June 28 attack against the InterContinental Hotel in Kabul and a host of other smaller but effective
operations.
In short, Mullen and Panetta accused Islamabad of exporting violence
to Afghanistan. US Senate Committee made the aid to Pakistan conditional
to action against Haqqani Group and LeT. British High Commissioner in
Islamabad also joined his voice with Mullen and Panetta and expressed
concerns about the safety on ten thousand British occupation forces in
Afghanistan.
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Foreign office spokesperson told media that ISI was not waging proxy
war and the Haqqani network was not being used as proxy. Brushing aside
US allegations of regarding Haqqanis presence in Pakistan she said the
issues had been raised with the United States on military and State
Department levels. Later Zardari and Gilani also met and rejected allegations
against ISI. Rehman Malik and ISPR also rejected the accusations.
US special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan Marc Grossman said
that militants would only hold talks after military pressure. He added that it
was important for Americans to recognize the sacrifices Pakistan had made
in the war on terror.
Next day, US drone strike in North Waziristan killed at least four
suspected militants. Haqqani said the US would suffer more if we are
attacked. Respect Pakistans sovereignty, China told the US. Nine militants
were killed in gunship strike in Orakzai Agency. Four militants were killed
and one injured in an explosion in a vehicle in Tirah Valley in Khyber
Agency. Top Taliban commander Jamaluddin, alias Janat Gul, was killed in a
shootout with police in Akora Khattak.
Gilani said that the US could not effectively fight the ongoing war in
Afghanistan without Pakistans assistance: They cant live with us. They
cant live without us. So, I would say to them that if they cant live without
us, they should increase contacts with us to remove misunderstandings.
General Kayani said the statement of Mullen regarding links with
Haqqani is against the facts. Responding to statement of Mike Mullen
regarding Pakistans premier intelligence agency ISIs involvement in recent
attacks on US Embassy in Kabul, Kayani took note of Mullens whimsical
statements, terming them very unfortunate. On the specific question of
contacts with Haqqanis, the COAS said that Mullen knows fully well which
all countries are in contact with the Haqqanis. Singling out Pakistan is
neither fair nor productive.
Hina Rabbani Khar said the US cannot afford to alienate the Pakistani
government or its people, and if it does so, it will be at Washingtons cost.
She declared the accusations as unacceptable, and warned the United
States that it could lose a vital ally if it continues to publicly accuse
Islamabad of exporting violence to Afghanistan and being involved in
attacks on US targets.
On 24th September, security forces bombed the suspected hideouts of
militants in Dabori, Alikhel, Mamozai and Mullakhel areas of Orakzai
agency with jet planes; at least 10 extremists were killed. Police recovered a
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large cache of arms from a warehouse in Peshawar; three people were also
arrested during the raid. In Tirah Valley forces pounded the suspected
hideouts of militants with heavy artillery fire, killing at least eight militants.
General Kayani met with Centcom Chief General Mattis and protested
against the recent attacks from Afghanistan in Pakistan and demanded that
these be stopped. During the meeting the Haqqani Network and bilateral
relations were also discussed. As regards American accusations against ISI,
Kayani said that the charges were baseless and part of a public blame game
detrimental to peace in Afghanistan. The visitor reiterated demand for
operation in North Waziristan.
ISI has contacts with Haqqani network but it does not mean that
Pakistan Army supports the network, said DG ISPR. He said having contacts
with any group just for the sake of peace was entirely different from
supporting anyone. He added that maintaining ties with rival groups was
necessary for intelligence agencies. Pakistan is not the only country, which
has contacts with Haqqani network; We have solid information that several
countries have contacts with the group. He warned that any unilateral US
operation inside Pakistan would provoke severe anti-America sentiments.
Prime Minister Gilani, vehemently rejected accusations of complicity
with the Haqqani network or of a proxy war. He said the allegations
portrayed a confusion and policy disarray within the US establishment on
the way forward in Afghanistan. Gilani said the recent attacks in Kabul,
including on the US Embassy, were disquieting, but Pakistan cannot be held
responsible for the security of NATO/ISAF forces in Afghanistan.
Gilani advised the President to summon the National Assembly
session on October 3 to discuss the national security situation. The session,
being held following a series of allegations by senior US officials would
focus on the security situation and the challenges confronting the country.
Meanwhile, PML-N MPs had submitted an adjournment motion to debate
the threatening statement by Mike Mullen.
Pakistan Ambassador in UN Abdullah Hussain Haroon warned that if
Pakistan would be attacked then the reaction would be counter productive.
He said Pakistan has sacrificed a lot in the war against terrorism; therefore,
the accusations against Pakistan should come to an end.
Amir Haider Hoti said that the US should restrain from making
baseless accusations against Pakistan as this would only create problems for
the US. Hoti warned the US about launching an attack against Pakistan and
said that every citizen would stand by the army and fight for the country.
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Next day, two militants were killed when they attacked FC post in
Bara area, but focus of the war shifted off the battlefield. Corps
Commanders hashed out the latest Pak-US rift at length, brushing aside all
the blames US slapped on Pakistan. The meeting, which lasted for several
hours, zoomed in on security affairs vowing a befitting retaliation to any
cross-border incursion. The military top brass also agreed upon letting the
political leadership of the country in on the decisions taken for which
General Kayani will very soon hold meetings the President and Prime
Minister.
The meeting expressed concern over cross-border incursions into
Pakistan by Afghan militants. It was reiterated that Pakistan Armed Forces
were committed to achieving enduring peace in the region and expressed
total resolve to give befitting response in case there was any effort to violate
national sovereignty.
Gilani took political leadership of the country into confidence over the
standoff with the US. The move came against the backdrop of sharp US
allegations that Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) supported the Haqqani
group Washington blames for the recent attack on its embassy and other
targets in Kabul. Prime Minister asked Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani to cut
her visit to US and directed her to immediately head back home for
consultations in the wake of rapidly deteriorating Pak-US ties.
Imran Khan said if the Americans attack Waziristan, the entire nation
will stand united against the US forces. Addressing a big public meeting in
Gujranwala he said Pakistan did not need US financial assistance and would
prefer to live within its own means. He reiterated that the country needed a
brave leader, and the war on terror was benefiting the government instead of
the people.
General James Mattis Commander CENTCOM called on General
Khalid Shameem Wynne Chairman CJCSC. The host expressed his concern
about the negative statements emanating from the US. He stressed upon
addressing the irritants in the relationship which are a result of an extremely
complex situation.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham urged that the US should
consider military response to the Pakistans alleged support of Haqqani
Group. We need to put Pakistan on notice. If they continue to embrace
terrorism as part of their national strategy were going to have to put all
options on the table, including defending our troops.

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On 26th September, Hina Rabbani said the Haqqani group that the US
holds responsible for last week's attack against the American embassy in
Kabul was CIA's blue-eyed boy for many years. She rejected US
accusations against the Pakistani intelligence agency, saying it has no links
to the Haqqani network. Partners and allies, she said, do not talk to each
other through public statements. Khar went to say that blame games would
not help. Such statement would alienate the people of Pakistan.
General Kayani cancelled his visit to Britain where he was to meet
privately UK Defence Minister Liam Fox. A Pakistani official said Kayani
was staying in Pakistan to hold talks on the crisis sparked by the US
accusations against Pakistans spy agency ISI.
Gilani convened an APC on September 29 to discuss the situation
arising out of US allegations and threats to Pakistan and evolve a consensus
strategy by seeking input from the political leadership of the country. The
conference is expected to discuss Pakistan-US ties and the countrys security
situation. PML-N leader Ishaq Dar wrote a letter to Gilani, demanding that
joint session of the parliament be convened instead of National Assembly
session and all-party conference on the situation emerging after the security
threats issued by the United States.
The US was making hectic diplomatic efforts to win back Pakistans
crucial cooperation for secured NATO supplies as well as safe withdrawal of
its overstretched troops from Afghanistan by 2014. Senior US military
officials and diplomats met with Pakistani authorities ostensibly as a damage
control exercise. Cameron Munter with same agenda met with Salman
Bashir and exchanged views on ways and means to strengthen the relations
with Pakistan.
DG ISI met a five-member delegation of top Saudi intelligence
officials at Chaklala Airbase before leaving for Saudi Arabia where he was
believed to have held important meetings with Saudi Foreign Minister
Prince Saud Al Faisal and chief of Royal Saudi Land Force Lieutenant
General Khalid bin Bandar. Sources said Pakistan has moved to use
diplomatic channels by involving Saudi Arabia for mediation. Saudi Arabia
had played key mediating role in Raymond Davis release.
Chinese vice premier Meng Jianzhu held a string of meetings with
Pakistans military and civilian leadership and affirmed his countrys
unflinching support to Pakistan at all times, and the two countries signed a
number of economic and technical cooperation agreements. It is being
viewed as an important display of Chinese support for Pakistan.
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Next day, the US drone strike missed the targeted vehicle in South
Waziristan near the Afghan border. White House official said Pakistani must
act to clamp down on the Haqqani network blamed for the attack on the US
embassy in Kabul. Two persons were killed when a toy bomb exploded in
Buner. Afghan terrorist was killed in a clash in Bajaur Agency. Three NATO
oil tankers were burnt near Mastung.
Calling Pakistan disloyal, US lawmaker from Texas introduced a
resolution in the House of Representatives to freeze all US aid to Pakistan,
with the exception of funds designated to help secure nuclear weapons.
Congressman Ted Poe said after tabling the resolution in the House. This
so-called ally continues to take billions in US aid, while at the same time
supports the militants who attack us.
Hillary Clinton has asked her Chinese counterpart to begin a dialogue
on Pakistan. Such a request by Clinton gained significance given the strained
relationship between the US and Pakistan. Stressing the need for an end to
recriminations, Hina Khar told the UN General Assembly that militants and
terrorists would not be allowed any space on the Pakistani territory.
At a time when the United States is issuing threats to Pakistan and
suicide bombings are taking place in various parts of the country, the
government has exempted the foreign ambassadors, heads of missions, their
spouses and families from pre-travel No Objection Certificate requirement
for open areas. Meanwhile, setting aside all their reservations about the
present rulers and taking into consideration the US threats to Pakistan, the
PML-N decided to take part in the All-Party Conference called by Prime
Minister for September 29.
In Afghanistan, the head of High Peace Council, former President
Burhanuddin Rabbani, who was negotiating a political end to the war, was
killed on 20th September at his home in Kabul's heavily guarded diplomatic
enclave. Two suicide attackers arrived with Taliban negotiators one of them
had bomb hidden in his turban. Barack Obama said the assassination of
Rabbani was a senseless act of violence that would not crush the Afghan
drive for freedom. Obama offered condolences for the tragic loss as he met
Hamid Karzai in New York hours after the killing in Kabul of Rabbani, who
was leading government peace outreach to the Taliban.
Next day, anti-Pakistan slogans were chanted in Kabul during protest
against Rabbanis killing. Zardari condoled with Karzai over death of
Rabbani. Hikmatyar accused the US for killing of Rabbani. On 22 nd
September, Pakistan awarded Nishan-e-Pakistan to Rabbani. Gilani went to
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Kabul to condole death of Rabbani with Karzai. France decided to pull out
its 200 troops.
Next day, seven people were killed in bomb blast in Maiwand district
of Kandahar Province. Burhanuddin Rabbani was laid to rest in Kabul.
Earlier his funeral prayer was offered amid tight security with large number
of people attending the last rituals of the veteran Jihadi leader.
On 26th September, Afghanistan's intelligence agency said it had
arrested a key figure in last week's assassination of former President
Burhanuddin Rabbani and suggested the Taliban's senior leadership may
have been involved. The suspect had revealed that suicide bombing that
killed Rabbani was plotted outside the country.
Next day, sixteen civilians were killed by a roadside bomb in
Shindand district of Herat province. Two civilians one man and one young
boy were killed and 26 wounded in the blast that targeted police in
Lashkar Gah. Taliban claimed full control over Haqqanis, denied having
links with Pakistan and warned people of Pakistan against nefarious designs
of the US. Pakistani ambassador in Kabul was summoned over cross-border
shelling.
Experts of India and the US got together on 19th September to
deliberate as what to do with Pakistan if it becomes a failed state. Next day,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the Lahore High Court that the federal
government will only defend the incumbent and former ISI chiefs before a
US court which had also issued summons to Jamatud Dawa chief Hafiz
Saeed in a law suit filed by the families of US citizens killed in Mumbai
attacks.
On 21st September, 20 Indian fishermen were held from Pakistani
waters. Three days later, India tested surface-to-surface ballistic missile.
Manmohan Singh reaffirmed Indias commitment to fight terrorism on all
fronts, saying there should be no selective approach. Addressing the 66 th
session of UNGA, the Indian PM made no direct mention of Pakistan in his
20-minute address. He said enemies of peace killed Rabbani.
The International Court of Arbitration (ICA) issued an interim order,
stopping India from going ahead with the controversial project of
Kishanganga Dam. Under the ICA order, India will not construct a
permanent structure over River Neelum or at the site of Kishanganga.
Pakistan had sought from India an undertaking for construction in the light
of international law which the latter had rejected. This led Pakistan to go to

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ICA which has now issued the interim order on the issue. It was the
unanimous decision of ICA panel conducting the case.
On 25th September, SM Krishna said, we have always been saying it.
I am glad US finds it also suffered under the ISI. It was for good that the
US recognized the link between the Haqqani network and the Pakistan
intelligence agency ISI.
On 18th September, three passengers were wounded when gunmen
opened fire on Bolan Express in Nasirabad, Balochistan. Two days later,
Zardari strongly condemned gun attack on a bus in Mastung in which 26
pilgrims were killed and 16 wounded. The bus was on its way to Iran.
On 21st September, 7 persons were killed and 3 injured in different
incidents in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan. Shutter-down strike was
observed in Quetta against the killing of Shia pilgrims in Mastung. Next day,
protest rally was held in Quetta over killing of Hazara people.
On 23rd September, FC vehicle was targeted by remote-controlled
bomb in Ghundi area of Quetta injuring two persons. At least four people
were killed and several wounded when a passenger van was attacked by
unknown gunmen near Mach. On 25th September, three people were killed in
firing incidents in Dera Bugti and Naseerabad. 27 th September, a worker of
the National Party was shot dead in Kech district.

VIEWS
On 18th September, Jalees Hazir observed: The US Secretary for
Defence has threatened Pakistan that the badmash superpower would do
everything to defend its forces from Pakistan-based militants. Pakistan army
is under pressure for a while now from the US to launch an operation in
North Waziristan from where it says the Haqqani network is staging attacks
inside Afghanistan, and the recent statement by the Defence Secretary is
obviously meant to increase that pressure. Around the same time, the US
Special Envoy for International Energy Affairs, who brought his energy
team to Islamabad to discuss the energy crisis in the country but refused to
give any concrete commitment to support the initiatives of the government
in that direction, also warned Pakistan not to go ahead with the Iran-Pakistan
gas pipeline, waving UN sanctions in our face. Thank God, these threats and
warnings do not seem to be working.
The military leadership has refused to be cornered by the toughtalking US and on his recent trip to Iran, Prime Minister Gilani announced
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that work on the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline would be expedited. There are
clear indications that the US stranglehold on our policy is broken and we are
not dancing to its tune. But that is not enough. As the country that has
suffered the most due to the US involvement in the region, Pakistan must act
as a catalyst to mobilize international support for a regional initiative for
peace in Afghanistan. The pieces of this initiative are already there, but they
need to be brought together in a comprehensive strategy aimed at relieving
the US of its self-proclaimed responsibility to lead the process of peacebuilding in Afghanistan and to show it the door. Instead of responding to
the possibility of a permanent US presence in Afghanistan, we should be
talking about the ways to send the American troops back before 2014.
The tenth anniversary of 9/11 was marked by a flood of articles in the
international media that sought to put the last decade in perspective and
analyze the US response to the tragedy in New York. There is a near
consensus that the war on terror has not made our world a safer place.
In fact, we live in a world that is far more dangerous and divided due to the
ill-considered and mal-intentioned policies of the so-called sole superpower.
Instead of focusing its attention on eliminating the root causes of terrorism,
the US used the 9/11 attacks as an excuse to bomb, invade and occupy
Afghanistan and then Iraq on flimsy pretexts. Islam and terrorism were
lumped together as a policy, giving rise to Islamophobia. The wars and this
linkage, coupled with a refusal to address longstanding issues related to
Muslims like Kashmir and Palestine, provided the perfect ammunition for
Muslim extremist groups and strengthened them.
The result is that we live in a polarized world where the
deafening sounds and deadly fury of the war between the poles has
made it very difficult, if not impossible, for any sane voices to be heard. In
the past decade, the US has defined the debate and created conditions to
keep the debate confined within the parameters that it has set. This is despite
the fact that there are gaping holes, inconsistencies and contradictions, in the
narrative that the US establishment has used to polarize the world and to
keep it in the state of perpetual war. This might have worked wonders for the
CIA budget, the sales of the Military Industrial Complex and the profits of
private security and building contractors, it might have added tremendously
to the funds for the international development brigade, but it has certainly
made our world a far more dangerous world where millions of innocent
people have been killed, maimed and made to suffer.
There is no hope for peace in the world if we remain shackled
within the parameters of this spurious and simplistic narrative; the good
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guys (read the US-led NATO) fighting the bad guys (read Muslim terrorists)
who want to impose their barbaric order on the world through terror. It
doesn't seem to matter that the good guys have been funding the bad guys
and that even after so many good guys have been killed defending the
modern civilization, there are a larger number of bad guys who want their
blood. It doesn't seem to matter that the wars and occupation seems nowhere
near ending and there is talk of permanent presence of the good guys to keep
the bad guys under control. It doesn't seem to matter that the problem that
the NATO had come to sort out in Afghanistan has not been sorted out after
10 years of war. In fact, it has spilled across the border and infected
Pakistan.
The demands and pressure coming from the US are essentially
supported by the crutches of this fallacious narrative and instead of
responding to its individual blackmailing points, it is imperative for the
Pakistani leadership to take away these crutches. The US-led NATO
needs to be told that it is a destabilizing factor in the region and that it
should start thinking about going home, allowing the countries in the region,
especially Afghanistan's immediate neighbours, to sort out the mess that has
been created there. Of course, Pakistan on its own cannot take such a bold
stand and it does not have the capacity to deal with the challenges in
Afghanistan that have become more daunting after a decade of foreign
occupation. It has to be a regional initiative. Already, there is uneasiness on
part of countries in the region about the prospects of a permanent US
presence in Afghanistan. But an expression of the uneasiness is not enough.
Subtlety is lost on the global badmash, and it is unlikely that it
would be sensitive to the reservations of countries in the region to what
it does here. It will continue to harp on its fallacious narrative while
advancing its undeclared agenda of appropriating world resources and
imposing its hegemony, blackmailing and arm-twisting others to fall in line
with its plans. Pakistan and other countries in the region must put their heads
together and create a blueprint of freeing Afghanistan of foreign occupation
and building peace in the country that has been ravaged by imperialistic
intervention for decades. It should not be difficult for them, unlike the USled NATO, to give more importance to the lives and interest of the Afghan
people than their narrow small-time interests. Eventually, this would be in
the long-term interest of not only Afghanistan, but also for the entire region.
TheNation wrote: Against the backdrop of the highly damaging
fallout on Pakistan of the US-sponsored war on terror that it has borne over
the past 10 years, one wonders how COAS General Ashfaq Kayani could
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reach the conclusion that argues in favour of the American and other
foreign forces stay in Afghanistan beyond 2014. His response, Frankly, I
have my doubts, to the question whether he thought Afghanistan would be
ready for the international troops to leave after the planned time of
withdrawal, 2014, was, therefore, anything but not in our national interests
and the wishes of our people, that he, in the same breath, declared to pursue.
General Kayani, who was giving his views on the sidelines of the meeting
held on Friday of NATO Chiefs of Defence at Seville, Spain, and where he
had gone to attend, went on to add, No date can be a final date. This has
lent an evident support to the US thesis that it would have to stay put till
2034 to ensure that militancy does not rear its head again in Afghanistan
after they have left and peace and stability are restored. This is entirely a
fallacious argument designed only as a cover to keep the US hold of
Afghanistan, which is supposed to have huge stocks of precious metals and
minerals, and exercise hegemony over Central Asian Republics, which are
known for the abundance of their energy resources.
Reportedly, an agreement between Washington and Kabul, run by a
US surrogate, to legalize a prolonged stay of US forces in Afghanistan, is
in an advanced stage of conclusion. The most disturbing irony is that Afghan
President Hamid Karzais request not to leave his country by 2014 is being
made the basis of this agreement. No doubt, unpopular Karzai, brought to
power to execute American wishes, would be signing on the dotted line and
would readily go along even if he is asked to own the plea for the need of
foreign troops presence in the country beyond any date.
It is not beyond recall that peace and security were taken for granted
in the country only a few years back, before the Americans set their foot on
the soil of Afghanistan; there was no terrorist threat emanating from
anywhere. With their arrival and our unwisely reckless decision to jump
on the war-on-terror wagon, turmoil and restlessness became our lot.
Not only life and property are safe any longer, but also jobs are insecure; for
the economy has taken a nosedive. Pakistan has lost 40,000 of its sons,
including 5,000 security personnel. According to an estimate, our economy
has suffered a staggering loss of nearly $70 billion, causing corresponding
unemployment. Indo-US machinations are working to destabilize the
country. The corrupt and incompetent leaders foisted on the nation by the
sponsors of anti-terrorist war have taken full advantage of the peoples
misery and made matters worse. We have reached a pass that defies
identification. It does not stand to reason that we should be wishing the
agents of our troubles to remain here.'
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Next day, the newspaper added: It is not just President Obamas top
counterterrorism advisor John Brennan, who threatens that the US would not
restrict the use of force to Afghanistan only, in its fight against al-Qaeda and
we reserve the right to take unilateral action if and when other governments
are unwilling or unable to take necessary action themselves. But the entire
American administration is using similar terminology to browbeat
Pakistan into launching a military campaign against the Haqqani
network. Though international law and national sovereignty are being cited
as hindering factors, the so-called Osama raid doctrine is being propounded
in justification of pre-emptive strikes to protect the US. This is going too far
and it is time the Pakistan government made bold and told the US that any
repeat of the Abbottabad raid would be taken as an act of war. Such rhetoric
should be enough ground for Islamabad to stop extending all cooperation to
the US and NATO forces in the war on terror.
There should be no hesitation on the part of Pakistan to expose
before the world the real reason behind this kind of outburst. This is an
attempt at hiding the humiliating defeat of the 150,000-odd strong ISAF
force, backed by a most sophisticated war machine, has suffered at the hands
of poorly equipped, ragtag units of the Afghan resistance. It is worth
recalling that President Obama had proudly declared that the Taliban stood
weakened and put on the back foot. But, the successful attacks by the
resistance on the occupation forces have negated this view time and again.
The 24-hour-long siege of the American embassy and NATO headquarters in
Kabul and the earlier attack at a sensitive military installation that injured 77
American soldiers are just two examples of the Taliban power. The world
should not lose sight of the fact that the Taliban continue to control 80
percent of Afghanistan and they can operate from their secure bases within
the country. For the US to lay the blame for these attacks at the door of
Haqqani militants living in North Waziristan, is also to ignore the fact that
the Pashtun tribes, including the Haqqanis, straddle the Pak-Afghan border.
The announcement of their leader Sirajuddin Haqqani that they do not have
any hideout in Pakistan and operate from Afghanistan should make the
world wiser about the US propaganda and the truth behind Ambassador
Munters claim that he has proof of the Haqqani groups contact with the
Pakistan government.
The reality is that the Haqqanis in North Waziristan are not militants
and there is absolutely no justification for Pakistan to move against them
militarily. Behind all this hue and cry lies the American propaganda
machinery, which has its outposts in the US and Western media and
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think-tanks and which spends billions of dollars every year to misinform

the world to achieve Washingtons policy objectives; it has been charged
with diverting attention fro the US defeat in Afghanistan and finding a
scapegoat for it.
Salim Bokhari asked Munter to behave. Ambassador Cameron
Munter, you will agree that you are neither an angel nor Mr Know All so
that whatever you say should be believed and obeyed. You have claimed:
There is evidence linking the Haqqani network to the Pakistan government.
This is something that must stop. You have said that you can prove such a
linkage. How credible is this information? After all, this is not for the first
time that such an allegation has been leveled against Pakistan.
Mr Ambassador, even your President claimed that Raymond Davis
was a diplomat; he turned out to be a CIA operative! It would not be too
difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood. We passed on the
intelligence about Osama bin Ladens presence nine months before the
Americans raided his compound. And did your government not lie when
they promised they would carry out a joint operation and yet acted
unilaterally?
Your government received all the money for F-16s, but would neither
supply the aircraft nor return the money; Mr Ambassador, would you not call
it an act of robbery? In response to our hue and cry raising questions about
your reliability in the eyes of the world, your government offered wheat
instead, out of its surplus stock! What a shame for a superpower that goes
lecturing the world on the noble values the Americans cherish! Besides,
would you care to read a bit of history to know that the Americans lied to us
in 1971, saying that the 6th Fleet was on its way to protect the integrity of the
country?
You should have taken the wider canvas into consideration before
accusing Pakistan of facilitating the attack on US embassy and ISAF
headquarters in Kabul. You are fully aware that there are no less than
150,000 US and NATO soldiers, who are in Afghanistan and are supposed to
ensure that nothing unauthorized enters into Afghanistan from the PakAfghan border, along with 40,000 Afghan policemen and security personnel.
Yet, if Haqqani activists could break all security tiers and reach as deep
as the heart of Afghan capital, then it is time for you to pack up and
leave Afghanistan. What do you say about the 20-hour-long siege of vital
and strongly defended installations? Have you not perverted the truth about
your forces failure and hollow defences of sensitive buildings?
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The world now knows that to achieve their nefarious designs, the
Americans could lie to any extent about anything. Have they not been
denying the Palestinians their right to have an independent state where they
can live in peace and harmony? They have not lied long on every occasion
before using veto against any resolution presented in the UN Security
Council for Palestinian statehood.
Well Mr Munter, do you remember with what conviction and
authority the then US Administration claimed that Iraq had weapons of mass
destructions Do you also remember that on the basis of this baseless
information, US invaded Iraq bypassing the United Nations? Will you
enlighten the world what the 165,000 American soldiers found there?
Has the US not lied using the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Director General, Mohamed El-Baradei and inspector Hans Blix to provide
it fake and baseless documents confirming that Saddam Hussein possessed
WMDs?
The US also lied extensively about the 9/11 twin-tower tragedy.
Has it spoken the truth how security tiers at four international airports could
be breached almost at the same time? Have it revealed to the world any
action taken against those responsible for such a terrible lapse where
hijackers could take four airliners into the skies and hit the World Trade
Center and Pentagon headquarters? The US administration has also failed to
bring facts before the world as to what was CIA doing when all this was
happening. It also lied about an airliner striking into the Pentagon
headquarters building and then disappearing because it would not show the
real wreckage.
Mr Munter, the world has become wiser and it is not possible for the
US to hoodwink all the people all the time. They have realized that
American leadership, civil and military, can lie blatantly to serve their
objectives. History is full of such examples.
Let me now take you to Afghanistan again. Has the US
administration not been lying to its own Congress and Senate on its
achievements against the Taliban in Afghanistan despite the fact that 80
per cent of its area is still being governed by different groups of the
Taliban?
Mr Munter, if America wants a strong and lasting relationship
with Pakistan, the two sides must be truthful to each other. Diplomacy
yes, but it should not be based on fake premises. If the US has India as a
new-found friend in South Asia, which it wants to build up as a
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counterweight against China, the US administration would only be sowing

the seeds of turmoil and disharmony in the region. Let Indian vengeance
against Pakistan not influence our bilateral and military relations. Dont
forget that when the US decided to launch international war against terror, it
was Pakistan that stood with it and not India. New Delhi is a lateral entrant
to the Afghan arena, only with the single objective of destabilizing Pakistan.
If the Americans befriend India, we have the right to ask them to pressurize
it to honour its commitments on Kashmir. It is an issue, Ambassador Munter
that cries out for justice!
Mr Ambassador, assigning India a larger-than-life role in
Afghanistan without taking us into confidence is yet another mischief.
Afghanistan is Pakistans immediate neighbour and we have made
unparalleled sacrifices for peace in that war-torn country. By trying to reach
an agreement with President Hamid Karzai to station your troops beyond
2014 and not sharing this with Pakistan is a worst kind of betrayal.
It is about time we learnt lessons from our past mistakes, we must
be on the same page without which your efforts in Afghanistan would be in
vain and you will have to leave this part of the world in the same disgraceful
way you left Vietnam. Would the US like the same fate in its war against
terror?
Adeela Naureen talked of an aspect of the war which has been ignored
by the intellectuals and scholars. With the Long War entering the third
decade and the Wests blood thirst remaining unquenched, there appears to
be no end to this vicious cycle of destruction. The Muslim states are being
tossed and kicked like dead and lifeless dominos, which are virtually
rudderless. Another prophecy of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
seems to be unfolding in front of our eyes. Holy Prophet (PBUH) said: The
nations shall gather and team up against you (i.e., Muslims) as the predators
gather and team up against their preys. A questioner asked: Is it because of
us being low in numbers at that day? The Prophet (PBUH) replied: No, you
that day shall be in great numbers, but you will be as powerless as the foam
of the water on the surface of the river, and Allah shall remove any fear from
your enemies towards you, and He shall put in your hearts a corruption. A
questioner asked: O Apostle of Allah, what is the corruption? The Prophet
replied: The love of life's amusements and the fear of death. (Translation of
Sunan Abu Dawud)
While the physical cost of the Long War (in terms of flesh and
dollars) has been worked out by a number of think-tanks and governments
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(with drastic variations), there is also the cost of this war that has not been
measured or calculated the psychological cost. With the so-called free
media of the West as well as Islamic countries, including Pakistan (who can
count the hairs on your body and make mountains out of an ant hill, when
ordered by its masters), busy in genuine research and honest reporting one is
surprised to find no worthwhile analysis of the psychological cost of war
within the shattered zone called the AfPak. I will make a humble effort to do
that. Unfortunately, the cost of this war has affected everyone; the
claimants of the conquest (US-led conquistadors) as well as the innocent
people of the AfPak region.
Since the so-called free media is controlled by the Western
governments and autocratic regimes of the Islamic world, you may be
horrified to see the effects of this war on the general public (including the
NATO-led soldiers and officers). If you do an intelligent surfing of the
internet, you will listen to the moaning, groaning and shrieking voices of the
affected families and may be able to see stream of tears and blood oozing
out of tearful eyes; you may be able to feel the pain and anguish of broken
families destroyed by daisy-cutters and drones, who haunt the entire
population of FATA with buzzing sounds and have created the psychological
disease of insomnia in many households (specially children and women). I
challenge the residents of marbled mansions of Islamabad to go through
a test. Let me fly the ugly drones at the frequency of two flights of a pair
for two hours per night, while making sure that these drones are not be
armed. Let the people be told that they are armed and strike Al-Qaeda
supposed to be hidden somewhere in Islamabad. To add to reality I may be
allowed to create simulated noise of drone attack at the frequency of two per
night. I am sure at the end of first week more than 70 percent population of
Islamabad will either migrate to other cities or apply for green cards or come
out in the streets of Islamabad and block the Constitution Avenue from all
sides demanding the overthrow of the current regime.
Who are these people of FATA and why drone attacks against
them cannot be stopped as a matter of principle and as a necessary step
to ensure basic human rights? I leave it to the political leadership to decide.
The cost of the Long War in AfPak region cannot be measured in terms of
dollars and rupees, but one can attempt to do it by raising few pertinent
questions. What has been the effect of drone attacks on the cohesiveness of
the family system in FATA, especially for those families whose bread
earners have been martyred (for instance, how are the children and the wives
of the diseased managing their affairs, and what has happened to the
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education of the children)? What was the psychological fallout of the drone
attack in a particular village, how many children and women have suffered
from insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder and phobic anxiety? Has there
been any attempt by the provincial and federal governments to ensure
psychological counseling of the affected population, especially children? A
similar survey can be conducted for the families of general public, the
defence forces of Pakistan as well as other LEAs whose bread earners or
relatives have lost their lives in this war.
On 21st September, The News commented: Foreign Minister Hina
Rabbani Khar had a detailed discussion on the matter with US Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton. This was a meeting that by diplomatic standards was
unusually long. It began and ended with the Haqqani network, and the talks
were said to be substantial and candid. Candid in the diplomatic context
can be a code-word for a bit of a dust-up, and we wonder how Ms Khar
might fare in a bare-knuckle bout with Ms Clinton. She was supported by
our ambassador to the US, the slightly unfortunately named given the
circumstances Husain Haqqani, and Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir.
Despite the length of the talks, few details emerged, but we may be
certain that pressure was applied for us to do more. In a rather
ambiguous statement an American official said that there were things that
our government could do to battle the Haqqani network, but there was no
indication that the Pakistani side said what it would or could, do. Between
the bookends of terrorism there was discussion of trade liberalization and US
involvement in reconstruction zones, but there was no suggestion at the end
of the meeting that there were any fewer rocks on the road ahead.
Next day, Azam Khalil commented: One wonders at the brazen US
attempt to malign this country when the fact of the matter is that the
Americans have been trying to talk with elements of the Haqqani
network so that they could secure a safe passage for their retreating troops
from Afghanistan. Their efforts have so far failed to bear fruit because the
group suspects that, in fact, they are trying to create differences between the
various groups of fighters who are engaged in expelling the NATO
occupation force from Afghanistan.
On the other hand the Americans have consistently refused to
intervene with India and prevail upon the Afghan government which
has allowed its training camps on the Afghan soil for Baloch insurgents who
receive funding and arms and ammunition from India. The Americans have
also failed to use their clout for the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir
dispute, thereby restricting the options of this country, which is one of the
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basic reasons for its refusal to proceed against some militants who could be
hiding in the North Waziristan agency.
The Americans have also failed to realize that helping Pakistan's
economy and providing some military hardware to its forces to combat
terrorism is not enough for the sort of relationship that may be required by
their policymakers. They are fully aware of the limitations of Pakistan's
armed forces keeping in view the threat that exists on its eastern borders.
This country cannot lower its guard till the time the issue of Jammu and
Kashmir is resolved in a fair manner that is acceptable to the people of
Indian-held Kashmir. Therefore, the recent tirade of American
administration officials against this country only displays the arrogance and
unilateralist bend of mind that is not helping the US move close to its
strategic goals in this region.
The Americans must understand that to achieve their objectives
it is essential to ensure that Pakistan is able to achieve its objectives as
well. They are working on a timetable to withdraw their forces from
Afghanistan but there are no signs that the present Afghan government is
prepared on the ground that would allow the Americans and their NATO
allies to pull out according to their plans. It would have been proper if the
US administration instead of following an assertive policy of unilateralism
had engaged Pakistan and other nations of the region in a productive effort
to resolve the serious issues of Afghanistan.
A vast majority of the Pakistani people is quite sceptical of the
US intentions and is not prepared to trust what the Americans have to
tell them. It would be in the interest of both Pakistan and the United States
that they move swiftly to remove the misgivings that exist between them.
They should first try to understand the priorities of one another. Once these
issues have been identified only then an understanding could emerge that
could prove conducive to bringing peace and harmony in the war-torn
Afghanistan.
One hopes that the Americans realize that bilateralism and not
unilateralism is the key for success in this troubled region of the world.
They should abandon the policy of stick and carrot that has been tested by
them for a long period of time without tangible or positive results. They
must respect the vital national interests of this country and only then can
they expect more cooperation from Pakistan. However if the Americans
continue with their present fancy ideas in diplomacy there are very little
chances that they will achieve any strategic goal either in Afghanistan or in
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Pakistan. Therefore the US administration must calculate carefully before

they take any policy decisions that may raise more questions and fail to
resolve the Afghanistan quagmire in which the Americans find themselves to
be in today.
On 23rd September, TheNation wrote: The Obama Administration has
sharply raised the tempo of criticism of Pakistan and served it with an
ultimatum, saying that unless it took action against the Haqqani network
that, according to the American perception, operates from North Waziristan,
the US will itself do so With the Afghan resistance having stepped up
attacks against the occupation forces of their country, the Americans
seem to have lost their nerves. The US is under great pressure from the
public at home, the beleaguered troops in Afghanistan and even greater
pressure from the virtual economic insolvency to withdraw. However, as a
superpower, possessing the mightiest war machine in the world, it does not
want to be seen to have retreated in defeat; it must maintain the faade of a
military mission brought to a successful end.
But exactly the reverse appears to be happening. The resistance, of
late, has twice broken the security cordon of the most guarded places in
Kabul the US embassy and ISAF headquarters and later the house of
Burhanuddin Rabbani also located nearby and struck with a vengeance.
Former President Rabbani became the target because of his efforts to
wean away pliant, the good Taliban, from the bad Taliban to
negotiate the terms of withdrawal with the Americans. That is precisely
the US agenda and in clash with the main condition of the Taliban leadership
first vacate the aggression and then talk of talking.
In a threatening scenario like this, there should be no question for
Islamabad to buckle under; rather, it should demonstrate the courage of
conviction to tell the world the motive behind the malicious verbal
campaign of the US. Our leadership, both civilian and military, should speak
openly before the public, as the Americans are doing, and rebut these
baseless charges, telling the US that Pakistan has heard enough of its
sermons and reprimands and warn it of serious consequences if it dares
violate its territorial sovereignty. The practice of secret responses serves the
interest of American propaganda. There is dire need to counter the mischief.
Next day, Inayatullah observed: Indeed, there are limits and
constraints of capacity and national interests, which Pakistan has to keep in
view while agreeing to extend operations as coerced by the US. Instead of
recognizing Pakistans point of view, Washington has been hectoring
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Islamabad and threatening to take unilateral action on its soil. After the
Abbottabad strike the possibility of such an operation has increased. The
American media, the Congressmen, the State Department and the
Pentagon had been building up a case against the republic (Pakistan)
accusing its military and intelligence services of complicity with the
Haqqani group of Taliban considered to be residing in North Waziristan.
Pakistan denies any such complicity; the ISI has also been accused of
backing up the Taliban in their activities in Afghanistan.
But little has been done by the federal government to engage the
American administration and media to discuss the above mentioned
contentious issues. Influential visitors have descended from Washington
frequently to put pressure on our political and military rulers. It virtually has
been a one-way traffic. Some isolated visits by the COAS and DG ISI, but
practically nothing has been done by our civilian leaders to engage their
counterparts. There has been total absence of public diplomacy. This
scribe in his columns has repeatedly highlighted this lapse with little
response from Islamabad.
In the meantime, the anti-Pakistan lobby in Washington has been
raising the temperature at the Congress, the Pentagon, the State Department
and in the media in various ways. Any attack in Kabul is straightaway traced
to the ISI. The latest statements of Panetta and Mullen are a virtual
declaration of hostilities against Pakistan. Seldom is such a strong
language used against a declared ally.'
Unfortunately, our feckless leadership is utterly unprepared and
till recently unconcerned with the ominous developments. So the whole
burden of dealing with the threat has fallen on the GHQ. The Foreign
Offices denials and the discredited Interior Ministers specious warning, as
a reaction to sharp declarations by top American functionaries, carry little
weight.
Pakistan presently is beset with natural disasters and internal strife,
both mismanaged by an inept and profligate national government, also
lacking spine and sagacity. The opposition is weak and fragmented. Will
the foreign threat of an external attack stir up and bring it together? Why
cant our senior leaders led by Nawaz Sharif fly over to Washington and
engage the authorities there to address the issues bedeviling the US-Pakistan
relations?
It is time Pakistan takes up these issues at the highest political level.
Most instructive, in this context, is a report jointly prepared by the US
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Council on Foreign Relations and Aspen Institute India, which inter alia
speaks about possible contingencies regarding the developments in
Pakistan, including the possibility of the countrys nuclear complex being
penetrated by terrorists. According to the study, Pakistan is facing a
systemic decline. It asks India and the US to work jointly in dealing with
the emerging situation in Afghanistan.
Malik Muhammad Ashraf wrote: It isheartening to note that finally
there is a discernible change in the way the Pakistani leadership looks at
the relations between the two countries. Instead of listening and
ungrudgingly submitting to US demands, the PM has reiterated that it was
time for America to do more. The COAS also stressed that while Pakistan
remained committed to the war, it had the sovereign right to formulate
policies in accordance with its national interests. So, the strategy to remain
engaged with the US and avoid confrontational path while asserting our own
viewpoint, is a welcome change in the overall equation of relations between
the two countries.
The growing focus on relations with the regional countries is also
an encouraging portent. Gilani, during his recent visit to Iran, said: There
is a paradigm shift in Pakistans foreign policy and it now wants close
relations with neighboursIran was one of those countries with which it
would like to have very close relations. The paradigm shift pointed out by
the PM was long overdue. The fact that it has come at last is quite evident
from the visits made by the President and PM to China during the last three
years; the efforts to join SCO as permanent member; Presidents visit to
Dushanbe to participate in the quadrilateral summit; and the PMs visit to
Kazakhstan. The outcome of these visits is that China is working on 17
energy projects in Pakistan; Russia evinced keen interest in investing
millions of dollars in projects like TAPI pipeline; Kazakhstan has shown
willingness to invest in energy projects; and Iran has agreed to provide
1,000MW of electricity and expedite work on the IP project. All these
countries, including Pakistan, have complementary economies and a
tremendous economic potential awaits to be unleashed for the collective
good of people of these countries. The economic linkages and connectivity
between the regional countries will not only change the economic situation
of people, but also strengthen the security environment in the region.
On the internal front, lot of work has been done through the
collective effort of political parties represented in Parliament, while the
Supreme Court has blocked the way for more military adventurism. We also
need to change the way we are governed and find amicable solutions to
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the problems in Balochistan and Karachi, and also put in place a longterm economic strategy that is in consonance with the ground realities.
These are intractable problems due to a number of internal and external
factors, and the government cannot handle them single-handedly.
On 25th September, TheNation wrote: As always, China, our genuine,
age-old friend and a towering world power that does not throw its weight
around for the recognition of its status, has asked the US to respect
Pakistans sovereignty and territorial integrity. Beijing deemed it necessary
to remind the US of this basic principle of international law following
the steep rise in tension between Washington and Islamabad, which
unless defused could give the US an excuse to take an irrational step that
could have dangerous consequences The Chinese are also sending their
Deputy Prime Minister, accompanied by a high-level delegation, to express
their solidarity with Pakistan at this critical time.
At the same time, it seems quite clear now that, as Prime Minister
Gilani had told Iranian President Ahmadinejad in a recent visit to Tehran, the
government has finally made a paradigm shift in its policy towards the US.
Recent events have laid bare the American designs in the region that are
indisputably against Pakistans national interests, leaving no room for
Islamabad to continue with the policy of a close alliance with the US.
Following Foreign Minister Khars blunt warning that if accusations against
the ISI of waging a proxy war did not stop, the US stood in danger of losing
Pakistan as its friend and ally, COAS General Kayani has given vent to his
anger and resentment against such statements. Obviously, recalling the
discussion he has had with Admiral Mullen on the scores of occasions they
had met, the General revealed that the Admiral knew very well, which
countries had contacts with the Haqqanis. He categorically denied that the
ISI was fighting a proxy war against the NATO-led forces as well as the
allegation of its support to the Haqqanis, and wished that the blame game
came to an end.
We have had enough of the American trickeries commitments of
abiding friendship alternating with threat of aggression and even actual
violation of sovereignty. It is high time we changed the course of foreign
policy and unhesitatingly committed ourselves to the revival of the spirit of
deep understanding and economic and military equation with Beijing that
had previously prevailed between the two countries. China has never been
found wanting and has invariably lent its support to us. With this message
and a nation determined to defend its sovereignty against the US aggressive
designs, the present danger will pass off in course of time.
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In another editorial the newspaper added: Prime Minister Gilani

deserves appreciation for his decision to call an All Parties Conference and
also for urging President Zardari to convene a session of the National
Assembly on Oct 3 in order to formulate a national response to the American
military sabre-rattling as well as tackling the devastation caused by the
floods. However, Oct 3 would be too late given the barrage of warning
and brazen threats of direct military invasion by the US. There is need
for the National Assembly representing the voice of the nation to urgently
come up with a suitable response. The impression that the government has
been only making light of these threats must be removed. The Americans
would, of course, take us for granted in a scenario where our leadership is
unwilling to take a firm stand.
At the same time, it is a pity to see a large section of the political
class divided and unclear about the action to be taken to frustrate the
US designs against our dear homeland. There are of course a number of
options that can be exercised ranging from placing a complete embargo on
NATO supplies, taking action against the drones that includes bringing down
the intruding planes and parting ways with the US in its so-called war on
terrorism. Most important is the fact that the stand should be taken from the
position of unity so that the US should know that Pakistan means business
and knows how to protect itself against its evil games.
Jalees Hazir asked: Is the world not justified to think that
whatever the badmash superpower says is actually intended to serve its
hegemonic designs on the world? Even when it speaks the truth, it speaks
only part of it, selecting parts that could further its imperialistic and violent
agenda. Take the case of ISI, the recent target of US wrath. The muchmaligned intelligence agency has many skeletons in its cupboard and has
been routinely criticized by the Pakistan media, and for good reason. On the
domestic front, the most serious charge against the agency has been its
involvement in politics and engineering elections to get pre-determined
results. There is sufficient reason to believe that the agency does not perform
this unconstitutional role anymore. The other burden that the ISI carries is its
patronage of militant groups since the days of the CIA-sponsored Afghan
jihad that the US says is still continuing.
While who in ISI supports which faction in what way is a long
debate, and definitely one that must take place after the US leaves
Afghanistan, for now it is important to view the US onslaught against the
agency in the context of the decade-long US involvement in the region and
what it wants to achieve through it. The ISI, and the Pakistan military, has
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been the thorn in the side of the US imperialistic AfPak agenda. While
the elected leadership has been too weak and dependent on the US to say
no to anything the superpower bully wants, the military and ISI have
resisted its desire to be given a freehand in the country to do what it wishes.
It is no longer a secret what our superpower ally was wishing to do here.
Perhaps, the biggest eye-opener was when, in the aftermath of the Raymond
Davis affair and the Abbottabad operation, it was decided to scale down the
CIA presence in the country, the US openly declared that it had created a
local intelligence network in the country and did not need its own spies to do
what was required.
Now, frustrated at its failure to push the Pakistan army into North
Waziristan in line with its destabilizing strategy, it has obviously decided to
target the only serious impediment in its game plan. The seriousness of
this latest charge is not lost on anyone but, unfortunately, the response from
the Pakistan government gives the impression that there is still room for
cooperation between the two countries. It took a long time for Pakistan's
security and intelligence apparatus to see through the devious and unreliable
ways of the US. Hopefully, our elected leaders would also gather the
courage to break the useless bond of slavery to a two-faced master.
Next day, Jeff M Smith commented: You could be forgiven for
dismissing the latest diplomatic spat between the United States and
Pakistan as just another hiccup in a long-estranged marriage. Trading
accusations and navigating diplomatic crises has become a weekly affair for
this deeply troubled alliance. But the broadside launched against Pakistan by
the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in congressional testimony on
September 22 represents a rupture so dramatic that its significance is
difficult to overstate.
After these opening lines Smith mentioned in some detail what Mike
Mullen, Panetta, Petraeus and Munter had said. He then added: The
question now on everyones mind is: what comes next? South Asia
analysts have been mulling this prospect for years. It should come as little
surprise that there are few good options. Pakistan holds substantial points of
leverage over the United States, not least through its control of key supply
routes into Afghanistan.
The administration has invested in alternative supply lines
through Russia and Central Asia, reducing Pakistans hold from nearly 90
percent a few years ago to just under 50 percent today. Whether or not the
United States could sustain the Afghan war effort without Pakistan by
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dramatically increasing the workload of the Northern Distribution Network

and airlifting more supplies in is a matter of speculation.
Ashton Carter, the Under Secretary of Defence for Acquisition,
Technology and Logistics, believes it is possible. He told Reuters in May,
Were confident that were not dependent on any particular single
thread, and we can continue to supply the Afghanistan effort. Additionally,
the problem will gradually solve itself, with the phased reduction of US
troops through 2014.
Pakistan can also withhold intelligence cooperation, evict US
military, intelligence, and diplomatic personnel and end whatever support
remains for the incredibly successful CIA-operated drone programme. All of
this could seriously complicate the United States war efforts.
But the cost to Pakistan would be far greater. Pakistan is a
country with few friends. Islamabad frequently touts its relationship with
China, but Beijings hesitant embrace rests on shaky foundations. The
friendship grants China leverage over India and holds the possibility of
opening up new energy routes to China through Central Asia, but Beijing has
never accepted the patron role that Pakistan so clearly desires. After floods
ravaged Pakistan in 2010, the United States offered $150 million in
emergency aid. Chinas contribution: less than $5 million. More telling,
when Islamabad invited China to build a military base in Gwadar earlier this
year, Beijings response was thanks, but no thanks.
Pakistan has survived bouts of profound economic turmoil and
mismanagement on the strength of generous financial aid from the United
States and IMF, where the US holds veto power. The United States is
capable of bringing tremendous and potentially fatal financial
pressure to bear. Were Pakistans relationship with the US to turn openly
hostile, diplomatic isolation would follow, as would the suspension of aid
and spare parts for Pakistans military. ISI officials with known links to
militant groups could be targeted for sanctions by the United States and
international community, as could the Pakistani government, whose actions
far exceed the criteria to be designated a state sponsor of terrorism.
This isnt the preferred path. The Joint Chiefs chairman argued that
the United States must stay engaged with Pakistan; that we need to be there
when the light goes on. For many, this is wishful thinking. But it is
instructive to remember that theres one diplomatic mechanism with a track
record of success in Pakistan. Immediately after the attacks of 9/11, then
deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage warned Pakistans leadership that
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it would be bombed back into the Stone Age if it did not support Americas
invasion of Afghanistan. That was the first time the United States received
Pakistans full cooperation in this war. Perhaps, at the 11th hour, the Obama
Administration has realized the folly of this approach and found its own
Armitage moment. One thing is clear, however: the gloves are off.
Imran Malik pondered: Could all this be deliberate? Were this
adventure to misfire, (likely) Obamas re-election bid will be irretrievably
botched! Could this yet be a hidden agenda of some elements/factions within
the US body politic/establishment?
The operational dividends of such a US adventure will be meagre.
It might capture a few leaders (assuming they would still be around even
after all these public ultimatums) and destroy some of their training and
administrative infrastructure. They might also dissipate them to obviate their
operations as a cohesive group, albeit temporarily, but would still not be able
to exterminate them completely. The group may have already dispersed to
concentrate again once the threat has receded.
The downsides of such a strategic folly would be that Pakistan as
an ally would be alienated and lost forever. The terrorists would get
further radicalized attracting more recruits to their cause! Pakistan would
face the brunt of the militant backlash countrywide. The countrys economy
will nosedive further and FATA would get more radicalized. The government
will face existential challenges. The HN reprisals would be swift, ferocious,
widespread and unforgiving; setting the AfPak region afire! A peaceful
resolution of the Afghan conundrum will thus become more unattainable.
Pakistan and the US have difficult choices to make now. They can
choose to defy and attack one another and end up committing mutual
hara-kiri. Nothing would please the militants more, except to see the two
ostensible allies take on one another rather than them. Alternatively, they
could cool things down, carry out a rational assessment and come out with a
win-win solution.
A joint US-Pak military option perhaps, a classic hammer and anvil
operation can be ruled out. The saner choice would be for the US and
Pakistan to create the desired strategic environment, offer the right
inducements and encourage the HN to come to the negotiating table and help
reach an acceptable-to-all solution. It gives the US (and its allies) a facesaving exit that they so desperately yearn for, saves Pakistan the trouble of
carrying out further operations in the FATA, obviates the need for any cross-

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border operations by the US and its allies and, most importantly, helps find a
peaceful solution to the Afghan imbroglio.
Leon Panettas many follies as CIA Chief have led to this impasse
and breakdown in the Pak-US ties. He continues in the same vein at the
Pentagon. Better counsel should have prevailed. Such a misadventure will
potentially sound the death knell for his Presidents re-election bid, threaten
the Gilani-Zardari government and inextricably and needlessly embroil the
US-Pak forces on the battlefield. It is a patently lose-lose situation. It will
only hasten the final split, ending this painfully unilateral under-achieving
non-relationship with a bang! If sanity does not return to this region soon,
such a misadventure will tragically and most eminently become the
mother of all strategic follies.
Ikramullah wrote: What options does the Obama Administration
has after a blistering attack on the ISI and the so-called double role of
the Pak Army? Probably, not much as it thinks! It is easier to say than
actually mount an aerial and ground attack in North Waziristan on the
pattern of Abbottabad, since there is a big difference between the two
situations. Especially, because the Haqqani network does not exist in North
Waziristan or anywhere else Pakistan; reportedly, it is based in
Afghanistan.
On the other hand, all this seems irrelevant because when
Washington in the 90s declared that Iraq possessed Weapons of Mass
Destruction (WMD), it attacked the country. Till today, the WMD have not
been discovered. Then the 9/11 attacks provided a perfect justification for
the US to invade Afghanistan, while Pakistan was coerced in the so-called
war on terror. But now it (America) must realize that times have changed
and it will be difficult for the White House, State Department and Pentagon
to adopt their old strategy of threatening to bomb Pakistan back to the Stone
Age. If so, it will prove counterproductive and the Obama
Administration is unlikely to achieve its goals at home or in Asia.
But what are the options for Pakistan? So far, the army and ISI have
correctly rejected USAs allegation on Pakistan of having links with the
Haqqani network. Interior Minister Rehman Malik, too, has rejected them,
however, leaving the door open for further discussion/negotiation by
conceding to conduct operations against the militants on the provision of
adequate information. As a final word, we need to completely rethink our
foreign policy in the larger strategic interest of Pakistan and both
political and military leadership should be on one page in their
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determination to frustrate any evil designs against the country.

On 27th September, Muhammad Javed observed: Americas failure to
accept apparent defeat in Afghanistan, both militarily and diplomatically,
with the pull out schedule staring in the face has forced it to conjure the
Pak/ISI-Haqqani nexus as the mother of all evils. Meanwhile, Obamas
leadership eyeing the second term presidential bid, not a very considerate
Congress and an indifferent State Department are happy to take the backseat.
So, what could be the various US options?
Through military application, it can target FATA and the
Haqqani network with aerial action of enhanced weight and
concentration. The boots on ground seem to be a non-option, since
technically the US countdown out of the operation area has already begun.
However, if executed even at a limited scale, it is bound to become a
disaster. It will rather concentrate on creating further divisions within the
perceived fractured inner front in Pakistan. But its (USAs) aggressive
posturing will help to cement the nation (Pakistan) and rise above petty
squabbles.
Diplomatically, Washington will try to isolate Islamabad. But with
assured Chinese veto thwarting such efforts and Pakistans excellent
relations with KSA, Turkey, Iran and the Gulf States give it enough
breathing space. Economically, the US can slap hurtful sanctions, but they
cannot cripple our economy, as we have endured much worse in the past.
But what will America gain from this pain therapy? A lingering
and durable ground swell of anti-US sentiments in Pakistan, undesirable
exit conditions in the AfPak region and undoing of its carefully crafted 10
years of intervention at a huge cost. The countrys disillusionment will
create a broadband of assertive States comprising Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran
and Turkey backed by China. In addition, the US is largely misreading the
changing times in Asia and the Middle East. This is the Asian resurgence
nightmare; the West had dreaded, but now is helping to create through
ineptitude. This surely remains the worst case scenario. However, it is still
hoped that both sides could workout a compromise formula avoiding
impending disaster and rupture of relations. So far, the inner front is showing
unanimity and courage of conviction. A resurgent, confident, assertive and
glorious Pakistan will be the result of this crucible test.
India will be persuaded to heat up the eastern front, and the Line
of Control (LoC). But it dare not venture inside Pakistan, as it will be dealt
with very harshly by a beleaguered State, and it would, thereafter, never ever
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dream of reconciliation with it, since such stabs in the back are rarely
forgotten.
China has recently made certain unprecedented statements in an
upfront manner, which underscores its strategic concerns and correct
visualization of events in the region. It is likely to remain proactively
engaged. More so, its forward leaning stance will definitely deter India and
limit its options.
It is the great game being played again; the coveted prize is the
CAR, Afghanistan and Pakistans resources. The US intervened in the
region to gain access to these resources and deny them to China. Pakistan
and Afghanistan are part of this energy and resource corridor; Balochistan
and Gwadar Port have become the strategic objectives. Therefore, engaging
Pakistan, rather than antagonizing it, can and had yielded positive results in
the past.
Having said that, it is assumed that the US decision making will
remain rational, responsible and befitting of a great power that it is. It retains
the initiative and can still emerge as a winner through constructive
engagement without trampling Pakistans sovereignty and dignity.
Otherwise, Pakistan may significantly suffer, but the US will be knocked
out of the region. Through default round one will go to China.
On 18th September, Gareth Porter commented on the situation in
Afghanistan: Gen David Petraeus wrote in his 2006 counterinsurgency
manual that the US command headquarters should establish a narrative for
the counterinsurgency war a simple storyline that provides a framework
for understanding events, both for the population of the country in question
and for international audiences.
But this weeks Taliban attacks on multiple targets in Kabul,
including the US Embassy and US-NATO headquarters, are the latest and
most spectacular of a long series of operations that have given the
insurgents the upper hand in establishing the narrative of the war as
perceived by the Afghan population. Those attacks and other operations that
generated headlines in 2010 have been aimed at convincing Afghans that the
Taliban can strike any target in the country, because they have their own
agents within the Afghan governments military, police and administrative
organs.
In the wake of the latest attacks, the Taliban war narrative achieved a
new level of influence when a political opponent of President Hamid Karzai

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associated with a prominent Pashtun warlord charged that the Taliban could
not have pulled off such a sophisticated set of coordinated attacks in the
centre of the capital without help from within the Afghan security
apparatus
For the first time, a prominent political figure in Kabul has charged
that the attackers must indeed have had help from people within the Afghan
governments security apparatus. Mohammed Naim Hamidzai Lalai,
chairman of the Parliaments Internal Security Committee and a political ally
of powerful Pashtun warlord Gul Agha Sherzai, charged that the nature and
scale of todays attack showed that the Taliban had gotten assistance and
guidance from some security officials within the government who are their
sympathizers, according to the New York Times. Otherwise it would be
impossible for the planners and masterminds of the attack to stage such
a sophisticated and complex attack, in this extremely well-guarded
location without the complicity from insiders, he said.
Central to the Taliban strategy has been a series of assassinations
of top Afghan government figures that has demonstrated their ability to
place their own agents within the most secure spots in the country. In midApril In July, Ahmed Wali Karzai, the half-brother of President Karzai and
the Mafia-style political boss of Kandahar province, was killed by the longtime head of his security detail, Sardar Mohammad. Mohammad had been
trusted by US Special Forces and the CIA, who had very close ties with Wali
Karzai.
But Mahmoud Karzai, another brother of the president, told Julius
Cavendish of The Independent a few days after the assassination that
Mohammad had made a trip to Quetta and had met with the Taliban, and that
he had been getting phone calls in the middle of the night. The Karzai family
had concluded that Mohammad had been recruited by the Taliban to kill
Wali Karzai, according to the brother.
Perhaps the most important element in building the Taliban
narrative has been the constant drumbeat of attacks by Afghan soldiers
and policemen on US and NATO troops. According to official NATO
figures, between March 2009 and June 2011, at least 57 foreign troops,
including 32 Americans, were killed in at least 19 such attacks.
US military and intelligence officials reluctantly concluded that that
most, if not all, of the attacks had been the result of recruitment by the
Taliban intelligence service of Afghan security personnel to kill US and
NATO troops, at obvious risk to themselves. In June, the US decided to
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send an unknown number of counterintelligence agents to tighten procedures

for identifying troops who might be more likely to be recruited by the
Taliban.
Adding to the Taliban war narrative was the carefully-planned
breakout of nearly 500 prisoners from the security wing of Sarposa
prison in Kandahar City after a few prisoners spent months digging a
1,000-foot tunnel. The breakout was possible only with the help of a Taliban
underground agent or sympathizer who provided copies of keys to the cells,
with which Taliban prisoners involved in the plan could unlock the cells of
their fellow prisoners and so they could escape through the tunnel.
Two weeks later, the Taliban carried out a complex attack on key
government targets in Kandahar city, including the governors office, the
Afghan intelligence agency and the police station. The offensive in
Kandahar involved seven explosions across the city, six of which were the
result of suicide bombers. The Taliban were able to strike freely in
Kandahar despite what Canadian Brig-Gen Daniel Menard had called a
ring of stability a security cordon that supposed to keep Taliban fighters
from getting into the city.
In February 2010, Menard, who was commander of Task Force
Kandahar for ISAF, had boasted that, with a total of nearly 6,000 US and
Canadian troops deployed against Taliban forces in Kandahar Province, I
can literally break their back. But the Taliban continued to operate freely in
the city. As Peter Dmitrov, a former Canadian military officer who was
working as a security consultant to NGOs in Afghanistan, observed last
November to The Canadian Press: The ring hasnt really shut closed in
any way, shape or form.
The US war strategy has been based at least in part on convincing
Afghans that the United States would remain in Afghanistan
indefinitely, and that the Taliban would weaken. But the Taliban war
narrative that it is able to penetrate the even the tightest security and cannot
be defeated appears to have far more credibility with Afghans of all political
stripes than the narrative put forward by US strategists.
On 22nd September, TheNation commented: Professor Burhanuddin
Rabbani, the veteran mujahideen leader of the end of the 20th century, the
former President of Afghanistan, is dead, having been killed by the very
group to whom he gave up office in 1996, the Taliban, and which he was
trying to engage in dialogue as head of the High Council for Peace.
Professor Rabbani was an ethnic Tajik, but his opposition to the Kabul
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regime started from Kabul University, where he taught, and which he

abandoned to come to Pakistan. Here he was ultimately part of the
mujahideen coalition that fought the Soviets, and was even President of the
Afghan Interim Government that preceded the Taliban, but never got control
of the entire country. The place where he was killed is indicative: it was in
his Kabul home, close to the US Embassy. Though the Taliban have not yet
claimed responsibility, the method, of a suicide bomber using a bomb
smuggled in a turban, is indicative. The task Prof Rabbani was engaged
in, was not at all progressing at the expected pace, will now come
entirely to a halt. At the same time, the fact that the Taliban felt the need to
carry out the assassination shows that Prof Rabbani was putting them under
some pressure.
Prof Rabbanis killing is also probably the highest profile
assassination since the US invasion began. It seems to be part of a series
that started with the assassination by a security operative of the Presidents
half-brother, Ahmad Wali Karzai, in Kandahar, where he was Governor. Prof
Rabbanis assassination would thus indicate the lack of security that seems
to be part of the Kabul regime even now, and which would multiply with the
impending departure of the occupying forces.
The Karzai regime will not be able to find a replacement for Prof
Rabbani because it cannot command those of similar stature, if indeed
anyone can be found. Prof Rabbani was not just a loss to his friends and
family, but also the Karzai regime. But then, maybe this is how he would
like to have died, trying to bring peace to Afghanistan to the end.
Next day, Gareth Porter wrote: US Special Operations Forces have
been increasingly aiming their night-time raids, which have been the
primary cause of Afghan anger at the US military presence, at civilian noncombatants in order to exploit their possible intelligence value, according to
a new study published by the Open Society Foundation and The Liaison
Office. The study provides new evidence of the degree to which the criteria
used for targeting of individuals in night raids and for seizing them during
raids have been loosened to include people who have not been identified as
insurgents.
Based on interviews with current and former US military officials
with knowledge of the strategic thinking behind the raids, as well as Afghans
who have been caught up in the raids, the authors of the study write that
large numbers of civilians are being detained for brief periods of time

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merely to find out what they know about local insurgents a practice the
authors suggest may violate the Geneva Conventions on warfare.
A military officer who had approved night raids told one of the authors that
targeting individuals believed to know one of the insurgents is a key factor
in planning the raids Even when people who are known to be civilians
have not been targeted in a given raid, they have been detained when found
on the compound of the target, on the ground that a persons
involvement in the insurgency is not always clear until questioned,
according to military officer who has been involved in operational questions
surrounding the raids interviewed for the report.
Raids prompted by the desire for intelligence can result in the
deaths of civilians. The Afghan Analysts Network, a group of independent
researchers based in Kabul, investigated a series of night raids in Nangarhar
province in October-November 2010, and found that the raids were all
targeting people who had met with a local religious cleric who was believed
to be the Taliban shadow province governor. Two civilians were killed in
those raids when family members came to the defence of their relatives. The
report notes that many Afghans interviewed said night-time operations had
targeted a number of compounds simultaneously, in some cases covering
entire villages.
In a village in Qui Tapa district of Konduz province, SOF units,
accompanied by Afghan army troops, conducted a raid that detained 80 to
100 people, according to the report. The interviewees said a masked
informant pointed out those people to be taken a US base to be interrogated.
The idea of using military operations to round up civilians to exploit
their presumed knowledge of the insurgency has a long history in the
US-NATO war in Afghanistan.
The Pentagon official in charge of detainee affairs until the end of
2005 told me that concerns about over-broad detention in Afghanistan
meaning the practice of sweeping up large numbers of civilians were
countered by pressures for more aggressive detention operations. As then
head of NATO intelligence in Afghanistan, Canadian Brig Gen Jim Ferron
explained in a newspaper interview in May 2007, The detainees are
detained for a reason. They have information we need.
It is not clear that civilians actually provide important intelligence on
insurgents But another factor inclines the Special Operations Forces
commanders in Afghanistan to focus more on people for whom the
evidence of involvement in the insurgency is weak or nonexistent,
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according to the new report. After taking heavy losses, in 2010, Taliban
commanders at district level and above are increasingly residing in Pakistan
rather than in towns in Afghanistan where they can be more easily
targeted
An average of 19 raids per night were conducted during the period
from December 2010 through February 2011, according to data published by
Reuters last February. But a senior US military adviser interviewed for the
report in April 2011 said that as many as 40 raids were taking place in a
single night.
A military officer involved in the night raids told an author of the
study that there were no longer enough mid- to high-level commanders still
active in Afghanistan to justify the present high rate of raids, and many
raids were now likely to be targeting people who are known not to be
insurgents but who might know something about specific insurgents.
Other officers interviewed for the report denied that contention, however,
claiming there were still plenty of commanders left to target.
The report suggests that it is dangerous to detain family members in
particular in order to exploit their knowledge of relatives in the insurgency,
because it further inflames an already angry population across the country.
If that is the criteria, they might as well arrest all southerners, said one
Afghan journalist living in Kandahar: The person who is an active Taliban is
either my uncle, cousin (or) nephew
Based on interviews with residents in villages where raids have taken
place in the past several months, the report concludes that communities see
raids as deliberately targeting and harassing civilians, in order to
discourage communities from providing food and shelter to insurgents,
or to pressure them to supply intelligence on the insurgency
The authors of the report conclude that deliberately targeting and
rounding up civilians who are not suspected of being insurgents merely to
exploit possible intelligence value may constitute an arbitrary
deprivation of liberty and thus inhumane treatment in violation of
Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions. The report suggests there is
anecdotal evidence that the targeting for the raids has become more
accurate. But that anecdotal evidence appears to be contradicted by other
anecdotal evidence that the targeting has become more indiscriminate in
deliberately targeting civilians.
Shashank Joshi observed: Both the US and the Taliban have opted
for killing each others interlocutors, hardly a sound basis for
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diplomacy. The Americans argue that an aggressive campaign of night raids

and assassinations allows us to negotiate from strength. In reality, it means
that pragmatic older insurgents are replaced by ever-more radical diehards
those who may well have killed Rabbani. If the Afghan government fails to
reform itself, and negotiations lead nowhere, then the alternative is a gradual
disintegration of the country. When Monty Pythons Black Knight is
altogether limbless, he concedes to Arthur, well call it a draw. An Afghan
draw would suit us. But our failure to lay the groundwork for this means that
were just as likely to wind up in stalemate.

REVIEW
The so-called lone superpower of the world, having been hurt by the
recent attacks by Taliban in Kabul and elsewhere in Afghanistan, has
accused ISI for having links with Haqqani Network and cursed Pakistan
Army for not acting against the group. These allegations lack credibility for
no other reason but because of the fact that the group has not been listed as
terrorist as separate entity.
For correct perception of the hype created by the United States about
Haqqanis one must recall the history of the group since Soviet occupation of
Afghanistan. When the Soviet invaded and occupied Afghanistan in 1979
Jalaluddin Haqqani, father of Sirajuddin Haqqani, migrated to North
Waziristan to wage jihad for the liberation of his country.
Jalaluddin operated in the provinces adjoining North Waziristan,
namely, Paktia, Khost and Paktika. In words of the then sponsors of Jihad
Haqqanis with the help of shoulder-fired Stinger missiles provided to them
by the US crippled the might of Soviet airpower.
Towards the end of the war against the Soviets, Jalaluddin was invited
to White House and accorded red carpet reception. Zalmey Khalilzad, the
present day advisor to the US Administration on Afghanistan, was present
and he took notes of whatever the guest said. Jalauddin had earned this
respect not as a puppet, but as a valiant fighter.
The US print media, even at a time when most Americans are cursing
Haqqanis, recalled the episode of Jalaluddin receiving bullet injury on his
knee during a battle. He refused administration of pain-killers because he
was fasting and got the bullet removed through surgery. The incident
reflected the courage of the man that emanated from his conviction accruing
from righteousness of his cause and belief.
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After the Soviets pulled out the Jihadi commanders degenerated to

become warlords and got on to each others throats. That resulted in
emergence of Taliban and Jalaluddin was the first Jihadi commander to
announce his alliance with them. Since then Haqqanis have remained
committed to the cause of Taliban, which remains unchanged; i.e. to liberate
their homeland from illegal occupation that came in the wake of 9/11.
The Crusaders overthrew the Taliban in Kabul and treated them as
terrorists. Astonishingly, the so-called Haqqani Network was not included as
a terrorist outfit in US dictated and UN maintained list. This was a well
deliberated move; the Crusaders had plans to win over them through
dialogue and incentives at some stage of the occupation.
To the dismay of the US Haqqanis could not be bought, despite the
offer of premiership to Sirajuddin son of Jalaluddin Haqqani. He refused to
desert Mulla Omar and thus foiled the American attempt to cause disunity in
the Taliban leadership. Americans, who are used to buying one and getting
one free elsewhere in the Islamic World, especially in Pakistan, were
frustrated and angered.
Their frustration was compounded by the failure of the Surge policy
in producing any visible success. The reinforcement of the Crusaders only
succeeded in scattering their adversaries resultantly the Taliban intensified
insurgency all over the country.
Today, Taliban control 70 percent of Afghan territory. This has been
possible because Taliban have penetrated all institutions of the state,
especially the security forces. About 35 percent of police and Army
personnel trained by the occupation forces have deserted with their arms.
Taliban even attacked the most fortified and strongly defended areas
like Bagram Airbase near Kabul and diplomatic enclave in the capital. The
attack on US embassy by three Taliban who kept the security personnel for
nearly 20 hours was too bitter to be swallowed for the superpower.
This was followed by the assassination of Burhanuddin Rabbani, who
was heading the Karzai-appointed team negotiating peace with Taliban.
TV anchor, Mehr Bokhari aptly remarked that Rabbani survived despite
fighting for a decade against the Soviets, but was killed after befriending the
Americans.
Hikmatyar could be right in accusing the US of his murder. The US
intention was to cause split in the rank and file of Taliban through dialogue.
But, the deceased leader was working for the unity of all Afghan forces as
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was revealed by Qazi Hussain Ahmed, who met Rabbani in Tehran couple of
days before his assassination. This could have cost Rabbani his life.
After recent drubbing from the Taliban, the valiant commanders of the
Crusaders turned their guns towards Pakistan and put all the blame on ISI
and Pakistan Army. The threats were hurled saying that the US would act
unilaterally inside Pakistan. This was enough to let the cat jump among
Pakistani pigeons.
Gilani called All Parties Conference and all but PPP-SB and some
Baloch nationalists agreed to attend, despite expressing reservations about
the outcome. The apprehensions of the opposition parties were well-founded
on the basis of the fate that previous resolutions met which were passed
unanimously, but not implemented at all.
In view of that, the rational course for the opposition parties should be
that they must begin with asking the puppet regime to first implement the
already adopted two resolutions before and after Abbottabad raid. They
should then get up and leave promising to return to pass another resolution
once that has been done.
In case they feel it necessary to pass yet another resolution to show
national unity, they should restrict the discussion to what the US has asked
from Pakistan. A decade later, the US has once again asked Pakistan the
same old thing; now to choose between Haqqani and America. Maxim in his
cartoon published on 28th September has rightly suggested that they must opt
for the lesser evil.
However, any bold resolve from the APC in the presence of Zardari
regime cannot be expected; the reasons are too obvious. The puppet regime
has been installed through NRO deal brokered by the Crusaders and it is
under obligation to render bonded labour.
To this end the lobbyist of the puppets and their masters in the media
were working overtime. They say that due to half-hearted effort of the ISI
and Pakistan Army, Pakistan has lost the only friend it had in the person of
Mike Mullen. The fact is that he has been no friend of Pakistan; he has been
pursuing one of the prongs of US strategy. He held the carrot, while Panetta
swirled the stick.
Those waging the psychological war continue arguing that Pakistan
cannot fight a superpower. In the same breath some of them mumble that the
US has lost its war in Afghanistan. In other words, rag tag Pakhtun fighters

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can defeat yet another superpower, but one of the best armies in the world
cannot fight the same superpower.
The argument entails that Pakistans armed forces are equipped with
American military hardware. For example, F-16 fighter-bombers supplied by
American could be rendered ineffective in case of war with the US. Those
who ask and respond to such questions should have had no doubt that it
would certainly happen that way.
Asking such questions spoke of the naivety of the Pakistani analysts.
The war with the lone superpower cannot be fought with jetfighters, guns
and tanks. It has to be fought with IEDs and suicide bombers as Afghan
Pakhtuns have done. The concept of jihad, which has been equated with
terrorism, has to be revived.
Another argument in favour of rendering bonded labour for the
Crusaders has been that Pakistan would be starved in case of the choking of
the US aid. This implies that $2 billion US aid caters for all the food needed
by 180 million Pakistanis. No lie can be bigger than this.
Notwithstanding the debate, it must be acknowledged that the
initiative rests with the United States. Pakistani rulers are forced to react to
the moves made by their Master (as puppets always do). The analysts read
that the adoption of hostile posture by the US towards Pakistan was aimed at
achieving certain goals.
The goals enumerated are conflicting in nature. One, the US wants
Pakistan Army to embroil Taliban for its troops trouble free pullout from
Afghanistan. But, if Pakistani regime is coerced to launch operation in North
Wazirstan it would invite enough trouble to hasten the crumbling of the
Islamic Republic.
Secondly, having failed in deceiving Taliban in the name of peace and
causing split in their ranks, the US wants to punish them. For that the
Haqqanis have to be included in the list of terror outfits and banned sooner
than later. The term Haqqani Network has been concocted with this intention
and also to show that Taliban are not a cohesive fighting force.
Another intended goal is to stop Pakistan from furthering its relations
with regional countries. The Americans which have claimed the 21st Century
for themselves therefore, Obama Administration has not liked the recent
visits pf Pakistani President and Prime Minister to China, Russia and Iran.
The most importantly, the Crusaders seemed to have taken the first
step towards achieving the ultimate aim of the ongoing war in the region,
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e.g. denuclearization of Pakistan. It implies that the CIA agents let loose in
Pakistan courtesy another Haqqani, who represents Pakistan in Washington,
have completed their task of target selection in Pakistan.
In case Pakistani puppets change their mind and pick up the courage
to defy, the US would intensify propaganda and diplomatic offensive to
declare Pakistan Army and ISI as threat to global peace and get them
declared as outfits promoting terror. A UN probe may be ordered and
manipulated to implicate ISI. To this end, Indian lobby was working over
time through Northern Alliance after the murder of Burhanuddin Rabbani.
Reportedly, 362 targets have been selected to be engaged by the initial
salvo of the US cruise missiles. Before doing that the US would like the ISI
and Pakistan Army to be dubbed as collaborators of the terrorists, for which
both have been accused of providing full backing to Haqqani Network.
Irrespective of the hypotheses debated, the threats by the US to act
unilaterally against Haqqani Network inside Pakistan arent likely to be as
ominous as appeared from the statements of Panetta and Mullen or as
apprehended by the Pakistani media. The US has been getting the job done
through threats for the last ten years and it would like this to happen that
way now and for that the threatening voice has to be amplified.
Some sections of the media have been reading too much out of the
utterances of American leaders, which is either to frighten the Pakistani
rulers as intended by the Americans or out of fear of the terror that can be
unleashed by the Crusaders. The latter section comprising the enlightened
media feels the chill in its spine knowing full well that the Islamic militants
cannot do even a fraction of what the holy warriors of the Christian Whites
could unleash.
What would the US do to punish ISIs criminal act of having links
with terrorist groups like Haqqani and LeT? Immediate declaration of all
out hostilities is ruled out as Crusaders wont be fool in risking the choking
of logistics of their 150 thousand troops in occupation of Afghanistan. They
would endeavour to get bonded labour from Pakistan as hither-to-fore.
Therefore, their reaction would be restricted to drone attacks,
heliborne raids or cross border attacks entailing boots on the ground for
short period. The only difference could be that this time the intensity would
be severer and it would be reinforced with stoppage of aid and even
imposition of sanctions. Whatever would be the reaction it would have
consent of Zardari regime except on the dollar part of it.

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To conclude it must be said that irrespective of the intention and

impact desired by the alarm created by Mullen-Panetta and company; the
resultant tension has provided temporary relief to the rulers in Pakistan and
the United States. It has diverted the attention of the critics away from
Zardari regimes failings in other aspects of governance and from Obama
Administrations failings in war on terror in Afghanistan.
28th September, 2011

TEMPORARY RESPITE
The Chief Justice of Pakistan came to the rescue of Zardari regime to

provide it relief from the agony of self-inflicted Karachi-related woes like

targeted-killings, kidnappings, torture, extortion, land grabbing and so on.
When Chief Justice took suo moto notice, as had been silently wished by the
Executive, all the criminals ceased their activities, not out of fear of the
Judiciary, but on instructions from powerful party dons.
This relief was likely to revert back the attention of the critics of the
regime back to rampage corruption and utter incompetence in matters of
governance. The Scoundrel and the Saint must have prayed for saving them

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from criticism on numerous counts like failure in providing relief to floodaffected people, unending price hike and collapsing institutions. Prayers
were answered and the Divine help came through Admiral Mike Mullen.
The retiring general accused ISI and Pakistan Army of collaborating
with Haqqani Network. He seemed to have acted under instructions from his
civilian boss. In a single act he saved his own regime and the one installed in
Islamabad from criticism of their military, economic and political failings.
The one in Islamabad got a respite to bask under the sun of corruption and
incompetence and thus exacting democratic revenge from Pakistan.

NEWS
Relentless monsoon added to the woes of Sindh government. Rains,
which have already claimed 209 lives and displaced 5.3 million people in
Sindh, pounded southern parts of the country on 12 th September, causing
more destruction. The torrential showers and subsequent flooding have
swamped many more villages.
The Karachi operation dominated the proceedings of National
Assembly. The opposition parties called for monitoring of the Karachi
operation by all the major political parties without involving the Army. Nisar
Ali Khan said that killers and extortionists were on the rampage in the port
city which was unacceptable. He added the Supreme Court was taking up the
matter that should have been done by the Parliament.
Munawar Hasan alleged that the MQM was local facilitator of
international mafia working on the plan of breaking Pakistan. JUP leader
said Altaf has insulted hundreds of thousand martyrs by calling Pakistans
history false and the Quaid by dubbing him as secular. Wassan called Mirza
literate illiterate and accused him of uttering words of someone else.
Chief Justice warned the judges of superior court, who have recently
been retired or are going to retire in near future, against reemployment at
least for two years, as laid down in the Constitution. The federal government
last month had decided to appoint the recently retired judge of the apex court
Justice Javed Iqbal as NAB chairman and sent a summary to Prime Minister
Yousuf Raza Gilani in this regard.
The government had told the US prior to the SC annulment of the
NRO that none would be punished in case the verdict went against it,
according to WikiLeaks disclosure. It was stated in the cable that the
government has not been able to make a decision for defending or otherwise
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of the NRO, however, it seems that the Supreme Court would declare this
ordinance null and void. If it happened so, President Zardari would enjoy the
immunity, while the NRO beneficiaries would continue performing their
duties.
Supreme Court was moved against sale of plot in Karachi at nominal
rate. Social activist, Raja Jahangir Akhtar went on hunger strike in
Islamabad. He demanded anti-corruption bill. Imran, Bari and Bazenjo
visited his camp. Imran Khan said winds have started blowing against
corruption.
Next day, AG Sindh pleaded that some time was required for doing
the needful. On this, the CJ said: Some 20 years have already passed and
how much time they further needed? Do you want the killings in Karachi to
continue for five years? We are again warning that you have very short
time. Justice Ghulam Rabbani asked: Have you identified the armed
groups against whom you are going to take action? Justice Sarmad Jalal
said all the people here were acting on agenda as to how they should grab
the land.
During his arguments, AG said the court had to find out whether it
were political parties or the state which violated the law and how this could
be dealt with. He admitted the police had not taken action against terrorists.
To a question posed by Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmani, the attorney general
said since the Supreme Court had taken notice, the situation in the city had
improved and there was no need to call in the army.
In his arguments, Babar Awan, the lawyer for the federation, said the
provinces executive authority covers 23 districts and the suo moto was
based on one district only. Awan added the executive was not a failure at the
federal or provincial level as the situation in Karachi was due to the internal
unrest.
The chief justice remarked that government officials had their jobs
and respect because of Pakistan, adding it was a mystery that why they did
not love their country. He asked the government to submit a written
statement that it will not support armed groups in Karachi. The CJ said they
would salute the police officers who would take action against the criminals.
A lot of time has already been wasted and now the time has come to take
corrective measures for improving the law and order situation.
In Islamabad, Malik admitted that people arrested during recent
Karachi operation belonged to all political parties as well as all of these were
involved in land grabbing there, as 14,000 acres of land has been grabbed in
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the metropolitan in connivance with the revenue department. The interior

minister describing the gravity of issue of Karachi said that it was political,
ethnic as well as sectarian one and at the same time drug, land and
extortionist mafias were operating in different parts of the city.
At least 22 people were killed and several others injured in separate
rain-related incidents after monsoon-triggered downpour continued to lash
various parts of Sindh including Karachi here four people died in hospital
due to power outage. Torrential rains have killed 270 people to date.
Meanwhile, hundreds of rain affectees including women looted trucks
carrying relief goods in Badin and Sanghar. Police resorted to baton-charge
to disperse the desperate people.
The Sindh government called on the world to speed up relief efforts
while trying to fend off criticism of an inadequate response to the floods for
a second year running, by urging the international community to step up help
to already aid-dependent Pakistan. Officials say at least 5.3 million people
and 1.2 million homes have been affected, with 1.7 million acres of arable
land inundated. But a spokesman for charity Pattan, working in the affected
areas, feared that up to 10 million people could be at risk. From London
Zardari urged collective prayers.
The toll taken by dengue reached alarming proportions in Punjab,
especially Lahore. Punjab government closed all schools and colleges in
public and private sector in Lahore for 10 days for completing spray and
other arrangements against dengue virus. The chief minister said that all
possible steps are being taken to control dengue virus and besides posting
additional staff in hospitals for the benefit of dengue patients, machinery has
also been provided.
Meanwhile, Balochistan government sought four weeks from BHC to
get Musharrafs arrest warrant issued in Akbar Bugtis case. Nisar Ali
decided to resign from PAC. LHC ruled appointment of DG NAB, Punjab as
illegal. Punjab government mulled moving Khosa out of Governor House.
On 14th September, President SHC Bar Council Anwar Mansoor
submitted that linguistic, political and religious issues are behind the
incidents of violence in the city. On this, the Chief Justice said there is no
Shia-Sunni or any other ethnic dispute in Karachi. We should say things
which could strengthen nation and the country, the Chief Justice remarked.
I am Punjabi myself, but I am proud of speaking several languages.
Babar Awan said that international powers are trying to prove that
Pakistan is a failed state and if the courts judgment is along similar lines
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then that would have a negative impact. He said Pakistan is a nuclear power
and that failure is not an option. To that, the court said that a governments
failure is not the failure of the state. The Chief Justice said the government
has failed to fulfill its constitutional responsibilities. On which Awan said its
an excuse to wrap up democracy. The Chief Justice then asked him why the
government did not take action on it.
Awan came up with an article which said that the head of the armed
forces is also an executive on which the CJ shunned him and said whenever
the executive is referred it is the government. He also advised Awan to
remain focused on the ongoing case and bring practical thoughts to the
court. The Chief Justice asserted that the SC would not care about who gains
or loses as an outcome of the verdict, but the verdict would be according to
the four pillars of the state.
Chief Justice said all cases of unrest in Karachi are terror-related and
even extortion also falls under the terrorism act. He also expressed his
dissatisfaction over the fact that the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report
was not submitted directly by the government but through other means. The
court adjourned the case hearing till Thursday. Justice Sarmad Usmani said
one party of Karachi is constantly violating Article 17 of the Constitution.
Taking notice of Rehman Maliks statement in which he said that the
target killers were being arrested and they belonged to all the political
parties Chief Justice asked all political parties to announce their repudiation
of criminal elements among their ranks. He remarked that courts decision
on the suo motu case would alert the government and that the law and order
situation in Karachi would also improve.
Justice Chaudhry said if Karachis situation is worse than that of
Waziristan, then how the government could be termed successful. He also
expressed concern over the OGP Sindhs comment that about 30 per cent of
the police were terrorist sympathizers. Justice Jalal Usmani said there was a
lack of political ethics by the government owing to which the country had
witnessed military interventions. Justice Usmani further said that the
government had totally failed and the law and order situation was
purposely being kept this way.
NDMA Chairman told the media that at least 5.5 million people have
been affected by the flooding since August. Kristen Elsby, spokeswoman for
the UNICEF, said 2.7 million children are among the affected. She said half
of the 300,000 people in camps are children. The flooding has inundated

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more than 4.5 million acres and damaged an estimated 80 percent of crops.
At least 1.19 million homes have been damaged.
The United States, Iran, Japan and China are among the countries that
have provided or pledged aid. International aid agency Oxfam is mounting
an emergency response to get aid to those affected by fresh flooding in
Sindh province in Pakistan.
Dengue fever claimed at least four more lives in Lahore while 353
new patients have been reported. Authorities seem helpless in containing the
spread of the deadly mosquito-borne virus. Punjab Health Secretary told
during a media briefing at KEMU that the total number of dengue patients
reported so far was 3,765, while the total number of dengue patients who
were cured and discharged was 4,769. As much as 250 patients were undertreatment in different hospitals.
Two target killers, one extortionist and 16 others were held by Police
and Rangers in Karachi. MQM staged a token walkout from the Senate
saying the government was not serious in nabbing terrorists despite the
action taken by the Rangers there. On orders of Zardari Gilani and Shujaat
together offered special prayer in Islamabad. Imran Khan planned to start
Jaag Utho (wake-up) campaign for voters.
Next day, the Supreme Court of Pakistan completed the hearing of suo
moto case on Karachi violence and reserved its verdict, directing the police
to file daily report about action against criminal elements and asking the
government to ensure its writ at all costs.
Earlier AIG Saud Mirza told the bench that extortion has decreased.
The court also ordered the Sindh government and the chief secretary to
provide assistance to law enforcement agencies in the city. Sindh chief
secretary was ordered to provide services of prosecutors to all the courts
while the courts were directed to hear on daily basis the cases relating to
target killing and extortion.
The counsel for the government, Babar Awan said, We are holding
dialogue and we will continue to hold dialogue. Government has controlled
the situation to considerable extent. The CJP observed that it was the issue
involving crime and does not have a room for political stunts. The political
things be left aside and court be informed about its constitutional solution,
the CJ remarked.
Tell the court if peace has been established in the city. 1,300 people
have been killed. But what has been done in this respect, CJP inquired from
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Babar Awan. The government must ensure its writ even at the cost of
annoying the allies, the chief justice said, asking Babar Awan to identify the
areas where the criminal elements have established a state within the state.
The CJP observed that ministers tendered resignations in neighbouring India
against unconstitutional steps. Government should learn lesson from it.
Babar Awan said government had not fully failed in Karachi and it
had faced failure in certain matters. He said that the parliament was fully
functional. At this, Justice Sarmad Jalal Usmani asked if it was so why
Karachi was not functional.
The chief justice asked Babar Awan not to sidetrack from the issue
and do not give report of everything is OK and suggest solution of the
Karachi problem. The chief justice remarked that the situation is worsening
day by day and we have pointed it out many times. Unconstitutional acts
should stop now. We want to tell everyone that nothing except the rule of
law and democracy is acceptable.
Commenting on Awans earlier statements about democracys
sabotage, the chief justice said any person violating the constitution would
be held accountable. The court had on Wednesday termed the executive
branchs inaction being tantamount to assisting criminals, adding that its
hands were tied under such circumstances. The chief justice had said that
criminals were roaming around freely without any fear, while the
government turns a blind eye to the situation.
The Sindh IGP also asserted that the current situation in the city was
better than the earlier one, and that several suspects had been arrested. The
chief justice did not agree with the assertion. Justice Chaudhry also
demanded that investigation reports of police officials killed after the 1992
operation also be presented. If investigation into the murder of police
officers was so slow, what would happen to other cases, he remarked. The
chief justice said those involved in the murder of police officers would have
to be nabbed.
The CJ also questioned as to whether the assassins of constable Javed
have been arrested. At this, SSP Irshad Kayani said that the constable was
killed by Kamran Madhuri but the chief justice remarked that Kamran
Madhuri was arrested before the murder. He also questioned as to whether
any assistance was provided to the children of constable Javed. AIG Saud
Mirza informed the court that they have been extended assistance from
Police Fund.

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Justice Sarmad Jalal Usmani said that people in Karachi are given
chits by some groups to donate the hides of either sacrificial animals or their
own skins. The chief justice at this asked the Sindh advocate general to find
a solution to this problem as Eidul Azha is approaching. CJP directed the AG
to approach government for enactment of legislation against collecting
hides.
Babar Awan talked to media outside Supreme Court Karachi Registry
and threatened the apex court saying action could be initiated against the
judges now in the event of violation of the constitution. There was no room
for doctrine of necessity in the country, he said, adding that the 18 th
Amendment was a strong wall guarding the constitution. The government,
however, would take no unconstitutional step, he added.
Meanwhile, target killer Zafar Andha and four others were arrested.
JSQM leader was arrested along with his bodyguards in Karachi for
possessing illegal weapons, which was followed by operation in the locality
of the house of the arrested leader. Activists of the nationalist party protested
in Karachi and Hyderabad and resorted to firing in the air.
London Police denied reports that anyone has been arrested in
Pakistan on its instructions in connection with murder of Imran Farooq.
Police announced 20,000 pounds reward for clues about the murderer. Altaf
telephoned Zardari and wished him good health and long life. ANP and
MQM also decided to forget and forgive.
The dengue virus continued playing havoc and killed another 11
people, taking the overall death toll to 33. More than two million people in
Sindh were suffering from flood-related diseases. Ban Ki-moon said was
concerned over the repeat of last years deadly floods in Pakistan.
On 16th September, six target killers were arrested in Karachi. Nawaz
Sharif asserted that some vested interests were destroying Karachi peace,
alleging the government too was spoiling the country on purpose, and he
could give call for a revolution in these circumstances. Gilani postponed his
visit to US due to devastation caused by heavy rains.
The Accountability Court set free FBRs former Chairman A R
Siddiqui from Cotecna Corruption Reference due to lack of evidences
against him as NAB failed to produce incriminating evidence. Musharrafs
wife moved court for release of assets being common property.
Next day, Rangers operation continued and meanwhile nephew of
Chief Justice of SHC was abducted. JSQM leader was released on bail. At
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least one flood victim was shot dead and some others injured in Jhol area of
Sanghar when hundreds of starving people raided a factory to get relief
items stored there. Gilani constituted a high-level committee to supervise,
monitor and coordinate relief and rehabilitation efforts in the rain affected
areas of Sindh. He himself visited some affected areas under strict security.
The menace of dengue fever claimed seven more lost their lives in
Lahore and five more people died in other cities of Punjab and Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa. As many as 823 persons were tested positive for dengue fever
in the City, taking the overall tally to 11,285. Nawaz Sharif called upon the
private hospitals not to exploit the dengue patients.
On 18th September, Gilani said that Armys assistance would be
sought wherever and whenever required. During his visit to Umerkot, he
announced Rs20, thousand for each flood-affected family and earlier he
ordered immediate release Rs1.53 billion for the flood victims. He once
again asked global community for help. The UN launched $365 million
appeal for Pakistan. Latif Khosa said no politics on flood aid; politics
reserved only for dengue fever.
Dengue fever continued to haunt the Lahorites with ever increasing
intensity since six more lost their lives while another 824 were tested
positive for the deadly virus. Emergency was declared and weekly offs of
doctors and other staff was suspended. Even the nursing students and
dispensers were deputed to look after the patients canceling their regular
classes.
Next day, suicide bombing was introduced into turf wars in Karachi.
Six policemen were among eight killed in suicide bombing at the residence
of SSP CIA in DHA Karachi; TTP accepted the responsibility. Meanwhile,
Altaf Hussain took back his words in which he had accused Asfandyar of
accepting dollars in 2008; ANP welcomed the move. Two MQM federal
ministers were reported to have been overseeing functions of their respective
ministries to check progress relating to various projects of the national
importance.
Nawaz Sharif and Shujaat met at the residence of the latter; the
meeting was in continuation of dialogue which began during Ramazan in
Saudi Arabia. Mushahid Hussain was present during latest meeting, which
was reportedly opposed by Moonis Elahi.
Three more succumbed to Dengue fever in Lahore. Twenty-four labs
were sealed for over charging for tests. Gilani offered help to provinces for
fighting the Dengue. He and Governor, however, praised efforts of Punjab
228

government. Nawaz Sharif said that Prime Minister should set aside up to
Rs9 billion out of his discretionary fund of Rs29 billion to help millions of
the devastating flood victims in Sindh. In case more money was needed for
their rehabilitation, he should take it from the same fund which was at his
own disposal.
The top bosses of Ministry of Interior dealing with FIA were again
flexing their muscles to make Zafar Qureshi, leading investigator in NICL
scam, controversial by pitching a junior office against him. It is believed that
recent letter of Assistant Director (Legal) FIA against Qureshi about
allegations of illegal detention was part of this move. As according to them,
Qureshi was going to submit a complete challan of National Insurance
Company Limited (NICL) scam on 26th of September following the
directions of the court and certain quarters want to bar him from doing this.
Meanwhile, Qureshis retirement notification was issued.
Zardari vowed to expose killers of Murtaza Bhutto soon. The Supreme
Court snubbed unprepared NAB counsel during hearing of corruption
reference against Sherpao. PPP strongholds of Larkana, Dadu and Sukkur
were on top of the power pilferage list.
On 20th September, the Supreme Court of Pakistan expressed
dissatisfaction over the police reports submitted in the sou moto Karachi
violence case. IG Sindh, AIG and all IGs were summoned to the Karachi
Registry where a two-member bench will hear their versions. The suo moto
case judgment had been reserved.
Nawaz Sharif said that the Supreme Court should ban political parties
having militant wings from participating in elections. He met with the
industrialists and while talking to the media he urged that such links should
be curbed in order to restore peace in the city, he added. He said that the
Rangers should be given police powers.
Marvi Memon filed a contempt petition in the Supreme Court. She
prayed that Sindh government had not taken action as advised by the flood
commission and directed by the apex court. Had these actions been taken the
damages caused by recent floods would have been averted to great extent.
Meanwhile, eight more people died of Dengue fever in Punjab and toll of
diagnosed cases reached seven thousand.
ATC handed down four times death punishment to seven accused and
life imprisonment to six others in Sialkot case in which two brothers
Mughees and Muneeb were brutally lynched in full public view in August

229

last year. Ten policemen, including DPO Waqar Chohan, were also awarded
3 years in jail.
Next day, three more fell prey to violence in Karachi. General Kayani
visited the Corps Headquarters in Karachi and was briefed about the law and
order and overall security situation of in detail. The COAS was also briefed
on the prevailing flood situation in Sindh and the on-going rescue and relief
efforts being undertaken by the Army.
Two-member bench of the Supreme Court rejected the police
performance report about investigations under its interim decision and
sought details about the number of challans and accused sent to jail by the
law enforcement agency. During his remarks, Justice Anwar Jamali said the
court should be briefed about the steps taken by the police for eradication of
crimes and the progress made in this regard.
Dengue fever claimed 16 more lives, while 772 were tested positive
for the deadly virus on Wednesday. As many as 772 persons were tested
positive for dengue in the City, taking the overall tally to 14,647. Zardari
met Sri Lankan team of experts.
Zardari directed for chalking out a plan for permanent solution to
tackle dengue virus and other related diseases in the wake of floods and
heavy rains in Sindh. He said that the nation has to learn to live with heavy
rains and floods which has become a regular feature all over the world
including Pakistan due to global climate changes. He also wanted plans to
store rain water in desert.
Zafar Qureshi wrote a letter to Register Supreme Court, alleging that
Director General FIA Tahseen Anwar Shah and Secretary Interior Khawaja
Siddique Akbar were creating hindrances in the investigation process and
had been totally non-cooperative with him so far, sources aware of the
developments informed. Meanwhile, French Police questioned Sarkozys
best man over kickbacks in 2002 arms deal with Pakistan. Wikileaks
revealed that Zardari had thanked the US for his election win. Family of
lynched brothers of Sialkot ruled out patch-up.
On 22nd September, Farooq Sattar strongly denied a secret US cable
quoting him as saying that certain MQM workers were involved in May 12
mayhem. He said the real victim of May 12 was the MQM and that it was a
horrible act and a conspiracy against his party. Wikileaks had revealed that
Farooq Sattar said certain MQM workers, former president Pervez
Musharraf, landlords, Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and other political
parties were involved in the incident.
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General Kayani visited the flood affected areas in Sindh and said the
army was ready to help the people in their time of need. He met flood
affectees and expressed grief over the losses they had incurred. COAS was
briefed on the situation following the rains in Sindh and he said that a report
was being complied about the damage caused which would be presented to
the government.
The Supreme Court expressed dissatisfaction over the report
submitted by the Sindh government pertaining to the devastation caused by
the floods. The court directed the provincial government to submit a
comprehensive report on Monday. A three-member bench headed by Chief
Justice was hearing the petition filed by Marvi Memon on the devastation
caused by the floods in Sindh. According to the petition filed by Memon,
flood affectees are not being provided relief and in Sanghar only Rs11 were
given to each affectee.
Death toll reaches 68 with six more people dying of dengue fever. The
number of dengue patients was increasing in Multan, Faisalabad and Khyber
Pakhtoonkhwa. Only Japan pledged $10 million aid for flood affectees. Aid
Agencies flayed lack of coordination.
Next day, law enforcers arrested 40 suspects in Karachi. Twelve more
people died of dengue fever in Punjab and 771 tested positive. Babar Awan
criticized the Punjab government, accusing Chief Minister of taking
inadequate measures against the dengue fever outbreak.
DG FIA Tahseen Anwar left the country yet another time reportedly to
avoid assisting Zafar Ahmed Qureshi in the NICL case. Apparently, Shah
has gone abroad on the pretext of a training course but DGs departure for
Germany is linked to his reluctance in helping out Qureshi as ordered by the
apex court.
On 24th September, thirteen more died of dengue fever taking the toll
to 83 and about ten thousand have been tested positive in Punjab. Zardari
said Pakistan has no money for big projects. Another petition was filed in
LHC regarding Zardari using Presidency as partys political office.
The ECP released detailed district-wise break-up of the Electoral
Rolls 2007, the number of unverified voters in ER 2007 and newly
augmented voters in Electoral Rolls 2011. These details are also available at
the ECP website. After deletion of these 37 million unverified voters from
the Draft Electoral Rolls, 2011, NADRA added 36 million who had obtained
CNICs after preparation of Electoral Rolls-2007. NADRA can provide
evidence from its database with regard to 37 million unverified voters as
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well as 36 million voters who have been added into the Draft Electoral
Rolls, 2011.
NICL scam took a new turn as its Zafar Ahmed Qureshi in his
fortnight report submitted before the Supreme Court has stated that money
was laundered in the mega corruption scandal and Moonis Elahi, one of the
accused, was allegedly involved in it. The report has not been signed by the
DG FIA, Syed Tahseen Anwar Shah.
Next day, law enforcers arrested more than hundred suspects in
operation in various localities of Karachi. Nationalist leader was among
those held. MQM condemned the release of Zafar Baloch after detention,
who has been member of Amman Committee and close to Zulfikar Mirza.
Eleven more people died of dengue fever in Punjab. Increase in
casualties of Dengue Shock Syndrome patients was observed, primarily
because of unavailability of important lifesaving drug Dextran 40 injection
in the market and lack of knowledge among physicians about the medicine
as well as the disease. All private and government schools in Lahore
reopened after being closed for ten days due to dengue threat. Chief Minister
launched a cleanliness campaign to eradicate dengue mosquito.
On 26th September, police claimed arresting six target killers. Sindh
High Court ordered to release MQM (Haqiqi) Chairman Afaq Ahmed on bail
in Atiqur Rehman murder case. The bail was approved against one million
rupees. It was the last of the nine cases made against the MQM-H chief
under various charges who has been in jail since year 2004.
Next day, six more died of dengue fever in Lahore; death toll crossed
one hundred. The website of the Supreme Court was hacked. The hacker has
left objectionable messages on the website and told that data of the website
is still intact and no harm has been done to it. It is only the index file that has
been replaced with the hackers message. The CDA termed as fake the
drawings of the map of a farmhouse submitted by Musharrafs aide few days
ago with the Authority, claiming they were original.
On 28th September, four more perished due to dengue fever and more
than 11 hundred have been diagnosed positive in Punjab. Iranian delegation
visiting Pakistan announced $100 million aid for flood affected Sindhis and
called for fighting challenges jointly. Railways suspended 115 trains
temporarily, while multiple crises haunted PIA operations.
The MQM-H Chairman, Afaq Ahmed, was detained for one month
under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) after his possible release on
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the verdict of SHC. Scores of MQM-Haqiqi supporters, who had gathered

outside the Malir District Jail, protested and blocked the National Highway.
On 29th September, PML-Ns MPA Mumtaz Ahmed Jajja died of
dengue fever as tally reached 143; the number of patients diagnosed positive
crossed 12 hundred. Afaq Ahmed of MQM-H filed petition in SHC
challenging his detention. The Supreme Court, upholding the decision of
Peshawar High Court, rejected the NAB appeal against the acquittal of
former interior minister Aftab Sherpao. The LHC restrained the OGRA and
Ministry of Petroleum from pursuing any coercive action against LPG
marketing companies under the controversial LPG Production and
Distribution Policy, 2011.
Next day, Dengue fever continued to haunt the Lahorites as seven
more persons lost their lives, taking the death toll to 150. Three people were
killed in Karachi. The WFP distributed around 7,000 tonnes of monthly
family food rations in the flood-affected region of Pakistan. Cash-starved
PPP-led coalition government raised the prices of POL products. Price of
petrol will go up by Rs4.15 per litre.
LHC issued notice to the Federal Government on a petition which
challenged the Interior Ministry direction for surrendering the arms licenses
to Nadra; the court has directed the Deputy Attorney General to appear on
October 5 and respond to the contentions raised through the same. Regimes
manoeuvring in NICL achieved a major success; Zafar Qureshi retired.
On 1st October, a local Anti-Terrorism Court awarded death sentence
on two counts to Mumtaz Qadri, who killed former Punjab Governor Salman
Taseer. The court completed the proceedings at Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi. The
verdict sparked protests and Benazirs monument and portraits of Shahbaz
were torched.
Shahbaz Sharif said extra-ordinary load shedding, generally in Punjab
and particularly in Lahore, is not only increasing the problems of the dengue
patients, but also causing losses to the costly machinery provided for
diagnoses and treatment of dengue patients in the hospitals. Protests were
held across Punjab against power outages. Meanwhile, traders rejected POL
price hike.
Next day, five more people died of dengue in Lahore and
Chichawatni. As many as 409 new dengue cases were reported in Lahore in
the last 24 hours. There are now 12,862 dengue patients in Punjab, out of
which 11,261 are in Lahore.

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Angry residents staged protest in many localities in Lahore to protest

against prolonged load-shedding. Lahore like many other cities of Punjab
has been in the grip of over 18-hour load-shedding, making life miserable
for the people. The irked people blocked the Multan Road and pelted buses
with stones. Police reached the spot shortly in order to disrupt protesters
Faisalabad has too been boiling with the same sentiments. In
Chichawatni, people besieged a grid station but to no avail to earn what they
were protesting to have. In Sialkot, load shedding-beaten traders observed
complete shutter down strike. In Gujranwala, protesters blocked roads for
ten hours and burnt tyres. Police reached the spot and baton-charged
protesters on failure of dialogues.
Sharif brothers alleged that power blackouts in Punjab were due to
deliberate discrimination in distribution of electricity. Shahbaz vowed to
lead long march in protest of power outages and against Zardari whom he
did not consider a legitimate president.
A list of land-grabbers in Karachi was published which included the
names mostly from PPP, MQM and ANP. When TV channels contacted
parties leaders/spokesmen (Sharjeel Memon, Shai Syed and Raza Haroon)
for comments all of them claimed that their respective parties were against
land grabbing. Meanwhile, intelligence agencies warned of sectarian
violence as RAW-funded Taliban were making new outfits in the city.

VIEWS
On 15th September, TheNation commented: The Supreme Court
proceedings of the case about the dreadful situation in Karachi held on
Tuesday leave little room for doubt that the Chief Justice and fellow
Judges on the bench have finally nailed the government down to commit
to work for the restoration of peace and harmony in the city. Chief
Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry remarked that the time has come to call spade a
spade. It is only in this way that the true story about the causes of target
killings, the extortion of money and the grabbing of land would come out.
The observations the court made, the questions, some of them rhetorical, it
posed, and the pronouncements it issued all clearly suggest that the
arguments and evidence so far presented to it have laid bare before it, in a
convincing way, the factors behind the deadly turmoil. No doubt, the causes
have not been hidden from anyone, but for a judicial institution to reach a
234

conclusion that bears the stamp of authenticity, it has to go through a

prescribed procedure.
Therefore, its order seeking a written guarantee from the
government not to support armed gangs in Karachi is quite revealing.
And so are the question, Why are the political parties not asked to abolish
terrorist wings from their ranks? What action has been taken by the police
(high-ups) to purge them of political influence? The questions point to two
main causes behind the disturbance of peace and the virtual stalling of life in
the once throbbing metropolis and the financial, industrial and economic
centre of the country that used to contribute the largest amount of revenue to
the state exchequer, and these are: the turf wars waged by militant groups
patronized by powerful ruling troika and the governments inaction against
them because of its own involvement in this brutal game.
The Chief Justice snubbed government attorney Babar Awan by
telling him to come to the point and not make the court a political
arena when he raised points, which the court believed were extraneous and
irrelevant. The situation in Karachi cried out for action, and the Rangers,
who were fully capable of controlling the mafias and bringing peace back to
Karachi should have, the court remarked, unrestricted powers to take action
against the criminal gangs without any discrimination at all. Babar Awans
argument that since out of the 23 districts of Sindh, things were out of
control only in one district, it could not be termed a failure of the executive
is questionable. If the mafias have been killing and plundering the citizens at
will for years and the authorities are unable to get hold of them and bring
them to book and that too in the provincial capital, it would be hard to buy
his thesis. The need of the hour is to move against such militant wings of
political parties relentlessly and without any discrimination till they are
rooted out.
In another editorial the newspaper added: While the monsoon rains in
Sindh continue to wreak havoc through floods, one of the consequences of
the destruction The President should not consider his duty done by his
visit to Nawabshah, and the issuing of statements from the UK, which he is
visiting. With him in UK, and the Prime Minister just back from Iran, the
country is facing a grave crisis without them. This would be less
irresponsible if the visits were not timed for the monsoon season, which was
known in advance. The planning for next years monsoon should already
have begun. The President and Prime Minister should ensure they apply
their full energies to it, and not regard it as something that can be handled in
intervals between foreign trips.
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On 18th September, Zaheer Bhatti wrote: I had decided to take a break

from the irksome monotony of the Pakistani political scene, which, despite
warnings, moaning, demands and reprimands from all quarters, promises
nothing, but despondency, trade-marking, continued insensitivity and apathy
of its faceless leadership to public issues, sentiment and national ethos; be it
the Kashmir or the water issue with India, energy crisis, civil war-like
targeted killings in Karachi or virulent attacks by coalition partners against
each other. But one cannot stay aloof, looking at the precipice towards
which our leadership was driving the nation. To this leadership, nothing
but staying in power matters, even if it means continuing to play a
mercenary role for its foreign occupiers, or opting for ideologically
moribund bedfellows for expediency.
Prominent among its achievements are blatant defiance of the
judiciary and itself making a mockery of the Constitutional Order it
avows to uphold, protecting corruption, eroding merit and patronizing its
cronies, squandering and stashing away scarce public funds, failing to
present a national programme or policy on domestic and international issues,
inability to arrest energy shortages and breakdowns, bringing the countrys
industry to a grinding halt, and presenting a paralyzed state apparatus with
relentless price hikes, blasts, drone attacks and target killings, as gifts of
democracy to the masses.
Indecision, lack of transparency and commitment confound the ruling
leadership and makes a laughing stalk of them. Those who, not too long ago,
made jokes out of abbreviated title of dictator Ziaul Haq, i.e. CMLA (Chief
Martial Law Administrator), going repeatedly back on his word, to in effect
mean Contrary to My Last Announcement, were today caught re-enacting
the pantomime ad nauseam.
For all its ills, these stakeholders to power finding hard who to
blame, refuse to look inwards into their own backyard, and either hold
responsible some hidden hands, national outfits outlawed on foreign
bidding without evidence, foreign hand, global recession, internal intrigues,
and if nothing else, the countrys security agencies as they were working for
the enemy, or the media which according to them were exceeding their brief;
the case in point being the excessive exposure of the slinging match between
the MQM Chief Altaf Hussain and Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, former PPP Interior
Minister Sindh, whose conscience has enamoured him to come out with
startling revelations on oath over the Holy Book, causing a national stir.

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Although one finds it rather farfetched that the MQM Chief would
confide in someone like Dr Mirza belonging to a rival political party about
his support to dismemberment plans in cahoots with the British government,
the futuristic wish map of the region displayed as a scoop by Altaf to his
marathon video press conference viewers, had already been widely
circulated over the net and was no news. One thing though is common in
the statements of the two, that our overseas friends had long been
working overtime to further weaken or disintegrate Pakistan,
particularly ever since its nuclear detonations that have been an eyesore for
many, as has been Pakistani ISIs stellar performance in frustrating many a
sinister plans against the motherland. And while many questioned the
wisdom of affording such a marathon exposure to the MQM Chief by the
media, besides his frequently televised telephone addresses from exile in
London, I for one think that his lack of substance has been thoroughly
exposed through this overexposure.
But whatever the intrinsic value of Mirzas bold diatribe against
the MQM, the joke has gone on for far too long, and it was time that the
suo moto notice of the Karachi situation by the Supreme Court, carries out
incisive scrutiny of Mirza sahibs statements on Quranic oath, identifies and
punishes the extortionists and decides once for all, as to who was
compromising the interests of the motherland.
But such has been the sense of priorities of the present government
dispensation that at this critical impasse in national life where national
security should always occupy top priority and protection of life and
property of ordinary citizens, besides securing them shelter and a square
meal should be foremost on its agenda, it chooses to embroil the nation
into innocuous non-issues like revival or otherwise of local bodies and
creation of additional provinces for expediency, rather than administrative
reasons.
Declaring to scrap Musharrafs local government and reverting to the
time tried commissionerate system in Sindh, as had been done in other
provinces, but retracting within 48 hours under duress from the MQM;
placing curbs on the movement of American diplomats (mostly proven CIA
operatives) within the country, but lifting them after a few half measures,
and relaxing them to an extent that the US Ambassador and other officials
have been seen freely interfering in purely domestic Pakistani affairs that is
none of their business, all this tells a very sorry tale about the mettle of
Pakistani leadership.

237

Knowing fully well the Zionist agenda in the region, particularly in

Pakistan, one is aghast to see that the American operatives continue the
masquerade across the country freely meeting people, and doling out
money to those demanding separate provinces of which evidence was
provided over a TV channel several months back, and fomenting trouble and
daring renegade elements in the Seraiki belt and Balochistan, while our
leadership continues its deep slumber. Is it now time to drop anchor and
flush out the enemy agents operating as mercenaries, be they guised as
NGOs receiving lavish monetary assistance (no wonder directly), or hired
for their so-called security agencies by our providers?
Two days later, Rahimullah Yusufzai commented: Finally and rather
belatedly the government decided to turn to Allah Almighty to seek
forgiveness and help from Him in coping with the natural disasters that
have ravaged Pakistan. An appeal by President Asif Ali Zardari published on
the front pages of the newspapers urged the people, the ulema and all
religious and political parties of the country to offer special dua for this
purpose after the mid-day Zuhr prayers on September 14.
There was no mention, though, in the presidents appeal of the
need to seek Allahs mercy on our nation and country from the acts of
terrorism, violence, injustices, corruption and other man-made disasters that
Pakistan is facing. His focus was on natural disasters such as the heavy
monsoon rains, floods, dengue virus and other natural calamities.
It is obvious that Zardaris government feels confident of coping with
the worldly problems and the political challenges on its own despite its
repeated failure to provide protection to the life and property of the people
and meet their other basic needs. No government in Pakistan has had the
character and courage to concede its mistakes and this one is no
exception. Such has been the sorry state of affairs that the PPP, ANP and
other parties that have been part of the ruling coalition are finding it difficult
to benefit from some of their achievements like the 18 th Constitutional
Amendment ensuring provincial autonomy and further devolution.
Babar Awan, the counsel for the federation in the suo motu case of
target killings in Karachi in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, and Attorney
General Maulvi Anwarul Haq insisted during the hearing that the executive
authority, or the government, had not failed at the federal or the provincial
level in the discharge of duty to control the law and order situation. Only the
most diehard supporter of this beleaguered government would concur with
this view. Former law minister and ruling Pakistan Peoples Party stalwart
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Babar Awan even cautioned that an admission by the executive authority

regarding its failure to cope with the situation would have global
repercussions at a time when Pakistan was in the middle of a war on its
western border and most of the security apparatus was engaged in it.
Whatever that means, his argument isnt convincing because the widely
held view in Pakistan and abroad is that this government has been a
failure on most counts.
Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry spoke for many
Pakistanis during the hearing of the Supreme Court case when he pointed
out that 1,310 persons had been killed in Karachi but even then the
government insisted that it hasnt failed. He felt the court would have to
intervene if witnesses werent available against the killers of 100 people, a
clear reference to the suspected target-killer Ajmal Pahari who is described
by the MQM leadership as a party worker coerced into giving the
confessional statement. Just look at their names such as Pahari, Commando,
Fauji, K-2, Chashmo, Policewala, Kaankutta, etc and one starts thinking that
these strange titles and aliases havent been bestowed on them for
nothing. One has to stand out to deserve such names! And yet no action
could be taken against them by the demoralized and politicized police force
and the fearful courts because they enjoyed political patronage.
That the discourse in the aftermath of the natural disasters in
Pakistan has become religious was further underscored by the
appearance of Maulana Tariq Jamil, the popular Tableeghi preacher, on
prime-time television. He featured in Kamran Khans show on Geo TV to
warn that we as a nation had earned Allahs wrath on account of our many
sins and were, therefore, being subjected to divine punishment and made to
face one trial after another. Those who know something about the Tableeghi
Jamaat are aware that the articulate and knowledgeable Tariq Jamil has a
large following and is revered in the religious circles. His intervention
focused attention on the corruption and other unsavoury things that everyone
knows are happening in present-day Pakistan.
Religion was also pushed into the political discourse when both Dr
Zulfiqar Mirza, the former Sindh home minister and senior PPP leader, and
MQM founder Altaf Hussain, brought copies of the Quran while addressing
press conferences in Karachi and London, respectively, and invoked the
Holy Book to lend credibility to their claims and allegations against political
rivals. Obviously, they felt that more people would believe them if they
swore on the Quran. Or to put it differently, they thought not many would
believe them if they didnt swear by the glorious Quran. At a time when
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politicians suffer from poor credibility, Dr Mirza and Altaf Hussain could
think of no better way to make their assertions believable! This triggered a
new debate on the sidelines as the faithful felt the two politicians had
belittled and insulted the Quran.
All this is happening when Pakistan is confronted with unending
challenges including the new ones like the floods in Sindh and the dengue
virus concentrated in Punjab and old problems linked to the religious
militancy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA, the low-intensity separatist
insurgency in Balochistan and the violence fuelled by ethnicity, sectarianism
and crime in Karachi. Add to it the economic problems and the political
instability and we have a country that is both ungovernable and
directionless
In the midst of all these grave challenges, how should one look at the
revelations made by the all-knowing Dr Zulfiqar Mirza about the MQM and
the elaborate reaction to him first by Faisal Sabzwari and Mustafa Kamal
and then their boss Altaf Hussain. In his by now familiar style, the latter
appeared more of an entertainer than a mature politician as his long
discourse lacked seriousness and failed to rebut the allegations made against
him and his party by Dr Zulfiqar Mirza. Now that Altaf Hussain has
reportedly withdrawn his remarks about the ANP President Asfandyar Wali
Khan receiving millions of dollars from the US, it would be difficult to take
the MQM leader seriously. One is at a loss to understand that the same
MQM and ANP leaders describing each other as liars and anti-state a
few days ago could be now moving towards reconciliation. One heard
from them demands for banning the MQM and the ANP despite knowing
that banning political parties is futile. And now remarks are being taken back
meaning that every allegation made earlier was wrong. Isnt it Pakistans
misfortune to have such politicians at a time when it needs someone of
stature to bail out the country?
On 22nd September, TheNation wrote: The anti-terrorism courts
verdict on Tuesday giving exemplary punishment to all the culprits involved
in the lynching tragedy in Sialkot should be hailed The grandfather of the
slain boys expressed satisfaction at the courts orders but made some
comments which deserve attention. He said that although he was relieved to
get justice, the worrying thing was the deteriorating condition of the
society in terms of ethics and morals and questioned why such brutal
lynching was allowed to occur in front of a large group of people.

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In fact, there is a need for soul searching and each one of us must
make an effort to arrest this trend of militant mindset and vigilantism that
more often than not leads to rampant violence and lawlessness. The
bereaved family particularly thanked the media as well as judiciary for
springing into action to get them justice. As per reports, the culprits used
their clout to affect the outcome of the case, yet medias coverage and
judiciarys bravery foiled these attempts. Both the pillars of state deserve
a round of applause.
On 30th September, Marvi Memon wrote: How can we expect
Pakistan to prosper, governments to give us services when we are
making no efforts to set the right expectations from governments.
Politicians from all these parliamentary parties must be very smug right now.
They must be thinking: We fool our people well. We give them hunger and
insecurity and they still vote for us in every general election. So, in essence,
there is only one choice left. Soul-searching as to how decadent we have
become. If we want a prosperous Pakistan that has security, more jobs, better
services, we will have to reject the old and create the new from amongst
ourselves.
Not all the old politicians are part of the problem. Some of them are
honest, sincere, non-VIP, not full of themselves, humble, down to earth and
therefore needed for the solution. Pakistan needs a political party, which
has such a collective leadership; which doesnt run on a one man show
approach; which takes leaders from all provinces; where their leadership is
rotational. The old leaders have a chance to come together. To come out of
their existing political parties, join hands and give Pakistan a collective
leadership which can challenge the looters. If they do this they are change
agents and if they dont they are part of the problem. They have a chance to
save Pakistan truly.
Such leadership, including political and the best of
experts/technocrats, need to seek each other urgently if they believe Pakistan
is in ICU mode. They need to believe in their own power to be able to
provide the alternative so urgently required in Pakistani politics. They need
to give Pakistanis from every province an equal stake in the new
Pakistan; a complete vision, an implementation strategy and Pakistans
real leaders coming together. Coming together under a large umbrella rather
than joining a one man show umbrella or being part of existing one man
shows. This is Pakistans only saving.

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Dr A H Khayal opined: A poor country has two kinds of lovers:

The rulers and the masses, but there is a fundamental difference
between the love-modality of the rulers and the love-modality of the
masses. The rulers extort an exorbitant price from their beloved for their
love. On the contrary, the masses sacrifice themselves gratis for the love of
their beloved. A government-less Pakistan would be absolutely free from the
tyrannical love of the extortionist rulers. It takes all sorts to make the world.
But it takes only two sorts to make a poor country: The selfless masses and
the self-drunk rulers.
The richness or the poverty of a country does not depend on the
richness or the poverty of its resources. It depends entirely on the
system of distribution of the available resources. If the resources are
meagre but they are justly distributed, then every one must be happy with a
modest living. But if the resources are plentiful but they are monopolized by
the rulers, then the masses must be miserable. Thus, a poor country is a
country where ethics is subjugated to politics and a country is a rich country
where politics is subjugated to ethics. The usurpers of the national resources
of a poor country well know that their wealth-passion is terribly damaging to
the masses.
One wonders, why the usurpers dont control their madness for
wealth. The reason is very simple. The politician in power knows that any
moment of his power could turn out to be the last moment of his power. He
feels extremely nervous. But he is determined to have as luxurious a lifestyle
when he is no longer in power as he enjoyed when he was in power. It is this
ambition, which forces him to amass as much wealth as possible. The
money-grabbing madness of the rulers can be killed only by killing the
governmental system. When there is no governmental system, there will be
no politicians. And when there are no politicians, there will be no rulers. And
when there are no rulers, there will be no national exploitation.
Ethically, no ruler should be allowed to eat butter unless every
citizen has got bread. But unfortunately, the affairs of a poor country are
run by the professional politicians and not by morality. The common citizen
of a poor country must know that the countrys resources are hardly
sufficient for the princely needs of the rulers. Since the rulers can spare
nothing for the common man, the common man has only two options. He
can solve his problems either by embracing self-extinction or by fleeing the
country for a refuge in his ancestral home the jungle.

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REVIEW
Suo moto notice of Karachi carnage by the Chief Justice of Pakistan
and utterances of Mike Mullen out of sheer frustration provided distraction
of the observers from the criminal acts and neglects of the three parties
contesting for the control of the mega city. But, the temporary calm did not
mean that nothing was happening under the surface.
Most of the happenings related to repairing the PPP-MQM relations.
Zardaris private visit to London and his prolonged stay bore the desired
results. London Police denied making any progress about apprehending
killers of Imran Farooq and instead announced reward for clues.
Altaf reciprocated by telephoning Zardari and promising to work
closely to save the system. The two scoundrels seemed fully conscious of
the fact that working in unison is essential for the survival of both. It was in
the same spirit that Afaq Ahmed of MQM-H was detained soon after his
release on bail on the pretext of maintenance of public order.
Beyond Karachi, a judge in Sialkot announced the verdict in the
murder case of two brothers in public and awarded punishments the culprits
deserved. In this case the suo moto notice by the Chief Justice had borne the
intended result. However, some observers had reservations about lenient
punishments awarded to policemen.
The reporter who dared recording the incident and then providing it to
TV channels should have been rewarded with civil award for which he
deservingly qualifies. But, Zardari regime seemed to have liking for
ridiculing these awards as part of democratic revenge by throwing these into
dust bins called Malik and Farooqis.
In Rawalpindi, the enlightened moderate rulers were able to exact
revenge from religious extremist through an Anti-Terror Court. Qadri, who
had murdered Salman Taseer was awarded death sentence on two counts.
The verdict was instantly resented by those who condone Qadris act and
call for strike on 7th October was given.
Meanwhile, Zafar Qureshi retired on 30th September. His retirement
marked thumping victory for the corrupt politicians as with his departure the
only threat posed by any honest bureaucrat was eliminated. It also added to
the helplessness of the superior judiciary.
3rd October, 2011

243

BONDED LABOUR-II
The resolution adopted by the APC was like a bucket-full of cold
water poured at the heads of some TV anchors, despite the efforts to warm it
up by some odd participants. These heads were fuming while expressing
the anger of Pakistani masses over Mullen-Panetta threats.
It was more of dissolution than a resolution. The Zardari regime
literally diluted the strong message that was being conveyed by the nation in
whose wounds salt was rubbed by the Americans. It is an APC tablet that
doctors prescribe to provide relief from pain and fever.
No sooner than adoption of the resolution the viability of its
implementation was put to test by puppet regimes American Masters. They
244

launched a drone-launched missile attack in Waziristan and nobody even

dared speaking in protest. Zardari, however, showed the desire for
resumption of dialogue.

NEWS
In Pakistan, policeman was killed when a police party was fired at
in Peshawar on 28th September. At least 35 militants were killed in a clash
with security forces in Lower Dir. Zardari and Gilani sorted out the agenda
and other details of APC. Gilani would host the conference and the cochairman of PPP, Zardari, would stay away. All the mainstream political
parties except PPP (SB), both in and outside of the Parliament, would attend
the crucial meeting to discuss the crises and evolve a united course to tackle
the challenge.
The US will now have to take a tougher line in demanding that
Pakistan rein in terror groups, said Admiral Mike Mullen, who accused
Pakistan of exporting terrorism and hurting American interests in
Afghanistan. Explaining his switch, Admiral Mullen, said that the
partnership approach with Islamabad, which he had long championed had
fallen short and would be difficult to revive.
The Pakistani government must act to clamp down on the Haqqani
network, blamed for the attack on the US embassy in Kabul, a White House
official said. Asked whether questions were being raised about the large US
aid to Pakistan, Carney told reporters that: We obviously are always
reviewing our aid programs.
Followers of Sunder Sharif Shrine brought out an America Murdabad
rally (down with America) from Aiwan-e-Iqbal to the US Consulate in
Lahore. Well-disciplined participants, carrying Pakistan flags, banners and
placards inscribed with slogans against the US demanded befitting reply to
the US threats as well as abandoning of pro-America policies.
Next day, a soldier and 16 militants were killed in a clash in Orakzai
Agency. A NATO container was set on fire in Landikotal by militants. Bomb
disposal official was killed in Quetta when bomb exploded near NATO oil
tanker during defusing.
Prime Minister began the consultation through APC with
announcement of decision in his opening remarks that his government
wanted constructive dialogue with the US. He said there was a need to

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resolve issues in a responsible and positive manner and said these could only
be addressed through dialogue. He rejected the US statements against
Pakistan and, said the country cannot be pressurized to do more and urged
the nation to stand united to confront the challenges.
Hina Rabbani Khar briefed the participants of the APC on the issue of
national security in response to recent allegations by the United States. She
apprised the participants of her meetings with US Government officials
during her visit to New York to attend the UN General Assembly session.
General Shuja Pasha also briefed the APC about the challenges the
country was facing at the military front. He said that the ISI was not
exporting terrorism and denied US accusations of supporting the Haqqani
Network. He said Haqqani Network exercised unchallenged control over
seven provinces of Afghanistan and it was entirely based there. He
reportedly said that Haqqani Network was divided into three offshoots, and,
of them, one of its wing was militant.
Pakistan has intelligence contacts with non-militant wings of
Haqqanis but we dont support or fund them. They operate in Afghanistan
and not in Pakistan. We dont have any Haqqani militant bases, Pasha
reportedly said. He also mentioned last months militant attacks in
Angooradda, (Waziristan), Chitral and Dir by Afghan militants and said that
Pakistan was suffering at the hands of Afghan militants.
Nawaz Sharif said that there must be some reason that the world was
leveling these accusations against Pakistan. Sharif called for all issues to be
presented before parliament and added that the world would not believe
Pakistan unless parliamentary resolutions were implemented. General
Kayani replied to Sharif that he would eliminate his concerns. Chairman of
the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Mehmood Achakzai also reacted to
Pasha's statements and said that if the ISI wanted it could achieve peace in
Afghanistan within a month. Pasha responded, We have no military
presence in Afghanistan.
Nawaz Sharif interrupted to say what was seen by majority of the
APC participants as uncalled for remarks. Even in the past, our military
and ISI have faced such kind of serious allegations like supporting the
terrorist elements. Something must be fishy Im afraid, Sharif is quoted to
have said. His seemingly unwelcoming remarks prompted Jamat-e-Islami
chief Syed Munawar Hassan to say, Mian Sahib, this is not the right
platform to say things like that. We are here to develop national unity. Its so
regrettable that you played on a personal wicket. An offended Sharif
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reportedly exchanged a series of heated arguments carrying allegations and

counter allegations with Hassan before both the leaders were asked by their
counterparts to let the things go.
I would address your reservations, General Kayani said to pacify the
aggrieved Sharif who was not ready to calm down. Whose is to be blamed
for May 2 security lapse? Sharif asked referring to the Abbottabad
operation. General Kayani also shared his brief observation on Pak-US
strategic ties that is seen as militarys policy statement on its reviewed
ties with the US. Americans are confused; they dont know what theyre
doing. Theyve failed in Afghanistan and they dont have too many options
to go for.
The first draft of resolution was presented by the Foreign Office and
Prime Minister Secretariat that had nothing significant in it other than
following Pakistans ages old passive official line. After the PTI leaders
Imran Khan and Dr Shireen Mazari strongly rejected this official draft
terming it useless, pointless, ineffective and official mouthpiece,
Nawaz Sharif, Munawar Hassan and Shaikh Rashid also opposed the draft
that led to its rejection. Imran refused to sign the draft resolution saying he
would veto it.
The new thirteen-point draft of the resolution that was unanimously
approved contained most of the points that are part of PTI agenda. The PTIs
demand, Give peace a chance, was mentioned as guiding central principle
of the resolution. Were glad that most parts of our demands regarding
shifting the focus of military-centric approach to peace, dialogue and
reintegration have been included to the entirety. Now, its up to the
government to implement this resolution in letter and spirit, said Dr Shireen
Mazari, who had played active role in drafting the resolution.
After nine hours of intense brainstorming over new challenges to the
national security APC adopting a unanimous 13-point declaration in the wee
hours of Friday, vowing to defend countrys sovereignty and territorial
integrity at all costs. In a rare yet impressive exhibition of national unity, all
the powerbrokers at APC were positive for forging national unity and
collective responsibility on the issues concerning Pakistan strategically with
particular reference to the US.
Information Minister said that parliamentary committee, as described
in the unanimous resolution, would oversee the affairs pertaining to the
implementation of resolution and it would be constituted after having
consensus during the upcoming session of the Parliament. She said that 13247

point resolution was not just a mere piece of paper as it had endorsement of
180 million masses of the country as well as representative of 30 political
parties.
Imran Khan said there were some loopholes in the government
resolution and taking initiative PTI went for redrafting. Seemingly Imran
was not much optimistic, but he remarked that it was up to the government
for its implementation in true letter and spirit. PTI from the day first had
opposed military operation in Waziristan, he said, adding that time had
come to give chance to peace.
Sheikh Rasheed said that nation was united to combat against if any
steps taken against the sovereignty of country. Nation is united and no one
dares to do so, he added. When asked about Haqqani Network, he said that
it was informed that Pakistan military forces had no links with Haqqani
Network. He further said that General Kayani had briefed the APC members
twice.
Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri said nation was united against if any
step taken against the sovereignty of the country. For the defence of the
country we will leave no stone unturned, he added. To a question, he said
that drone attack issue was not discussed in the APC but he had given
suggestion about one solid policy on it.
Munawar Hassan asked for independent foreign policy which meant
no drone attacks or military operation allowed in North Waziristan. He said
that APC resolution should be implemented with true spirits. Maulana Samiul-Haq said that there was a need to implement all resolutions passed by the
Parliament and the parliamentary committee on national security.
The 13 points of resolution envisaged friendly relations with all states
on basis of sovereign equality, mutual interest, and respect. It spelled out:
New policy on give peace a chance principle.
Initiation of dialogue with own dissidents by creating new
mechanism.
Enhancement of ties with Afghanistan.
World urged to recognize Pakistans sacrifices and colossal damage.
Self-reliance through trade, not aid and economic reforms.
No compromise acceptable on sacred duty of national defence.
Affirmation of full support to armed forces.
Supreme national interests to guide policies at all times.

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 Promotion of peace on UN principles.

Implementation of this and earlier Parliamentary resolutions and
committees reports.
Formation of a committee for this purpose which shall make public
its monthly reports.
Rejection of baseless allegations, derogatory to partnership approach.
President Zardari congratulated the Prime Minister, country's political
leadership and the nation over the successful holding of an All Parties
Conference and adoption of a consensus resolution. The President said that
the consensus resolution passed during the APC reflected the unanimity of
all political forces and a united stance on Pakistan's security.
On the day the conference was held, senior Republican Senator
Lindsey Graham was quoted as saying that support is growing in the US
Congress for expanding American military action in Pakistan beyond drone
strikes already used to target militants in Pakistani territory.
Top Obama Administration officials have divided up responsibilities
for applying pressure and offering an outstretched hand to the Pakistani
government, in a new diplomatic strategy that some officials have dubbed
coercive diplomacy. Mike Mullen, who has visited Pakistan 27 times since
2008, clearly assumed the role of bad cop and Hillary has taken the role of
good cop.
On 30th September, four people were killed and two wounded in
drone-launched missile attack in Angoor Adda. Unidentified armed militants
kidnapped at least 34 labourers at gun point in Kala Khel area of Tehsil Bara
in Khyber. It is the first incident of its kind in the past two years. An
intelligence agency official was arrested for attending the Abbottabad
Commission meeting without permission. Journalists noticed him sitting
without permission and pointed out to the commission chairman. Upon
inquiring on why he was there, he answered he had come to provide chairs
for the attendants.
The PML-N president empathized the need for soul-searching and
acknowledgement of past mistakes by the rulers. Expressing his reservations
with regard to implementation of APCs decisions, Nawaz Sharif called for
pronouncement of Pakistans rules of engagement with the United States in
the war on terror.
Fazlur Rehman said that the United States has decided to destabilize
Pakistan before pulling out its troops from Afghanistan. He said American
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policies reflect contradictions as on one hand they were trying to held

negotiations with Afghan Taliban while on the other hand they are putting up
pressure on Pakistan to go after Haqqani network. He said that the US
would soon raise the issue of Quetta Shura.
A confused America sent mixed signals with President Barack Obama
saying his country will continue pushing Pakistan to do more while an
assurance was communicated the same day to Islamabad that there will be
no US boots on its territory. Moreover, outgoing chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, said he still believed there is no
solution in the region without Pakistan.
Given the volatility in South Asia, in particular the uncertainty coming
from Pakistan in the war on terrorism, US needs to shore up its relationship
with India, said Republican presidential candidate, John Huntsman. Shoring
up the relationship with India needs to happen yesterday, and I don't see
movements in that regard. The region is a very volatile one. Republican
presidential candidate, said in an interview.
What angered Mullen and other US officials was Pakistans failure to
act on intelligence reports about planned Haqqani attacks. A timeline helps
untangle the threads of the dispute:
On September 8, Gen. John Allen, the NATO commander in
Afghanistan, is said to have warned Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, the
Pakistani army chief, that two truck bombs had been assembled in
Miran Shah, the Haqqanis base in North Waziristan, and were headed
for Afghanistan. Kayani is said to have pledged he would take action.
(Why these trucks were not destroyed by drones?)
On September 10, one of those truck bombs struck a NATO base in
Wardak, just east of Kabul, wounding 77 US soldiers. That was a
trigger for Mullens anger: Some senior officials concede that Pakistan
may not have had enough time, or precise actionable intelligence, to
stop the bomb-laden truck.
On September 13, insurgents from the Haqqani network attacked the
US Embassy compound in Kabul. Though Mullen mentioned this
attack in his denunciation of ISI-Haqqani links, US officials dont see
clear evidence of a Pakistani role in planning or executing the
operation, a message the CIA privately communicated to Islamabad.
But in the days after the bombing, US officials presented Pakistan
with a series of what ifs, to convey the danger of the situation: What
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if the 77 soldiers at Wardak had been killed? What if the US

ambassador in Kabul had died? What then?
On September 18, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met
with the Pakistani foreign minister and delivered the first of a series of US
rebukes, asking how Pakistan could promote the Haqqanis as a prospective
negotiating partner and yet sit by idly while they attacked Americans. On
September 22, Mullen delivered his blunt testimony. On September 25 and
26, two longtime congressional supporters of Pakistan, Sens. Lindsey O
Graham and Mark Kirk, warned of a halt in military aid.
NATOs chief piled pressure on Pakistan to step up the fight against
terrorists enjoying safe havens in the border region with Afghanistan. Amid
growing US pressure for Pakistan to take action against militants, NATO
Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen called for a positive
engagement from Islamabad to ensure stability in Afghanistan.
Next day, fifty terror suspects were held in Bajaur Agency. At least
four policemen were killed and 25 others sustained injuries when a police
bus hit a landmine in Torghar district. Two NATO oil tankers were set ablaze
in Machh area.
The US-Pakistan ties have strained following the detention of
American diplomat Raymond Davis in Lahore and the Abbottabad raid
which killed Osama bin Laden, affecting the bilateral military cooperation,
President Barack Obama has told the Congress. Admiral Mike Mullen said
there can be no solution to the conflict in Afghanistan without Pakistan. The
United States told Pakistan it would not send ground troops to attack militant
positions in North Waziristan.
Gilani claimed the unity forced US to stay away from Mullen. He
urged the campaign against Pakistan to stop and peace be given a fair
chance. Zardari called for the resumption of serious dialogue between the
United States and Pakistan, saying the recent verbal assaults by American
officials were damaging the bilateral relationship and compromising
common counterterrorism goals.
On 2nd October, at least six mobile shops in Kamber bazaar damaged
after an explosion in Maidan (Lower Dir) took place. Gilani ruled out the
possibility of taking any military action in North Waziristan against the
alleged Haqqani network, saying that government will first use the option of
holding dialogue with the militants to make peace with them. He asked
Karzai to beware of common enemy.

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The TTP said that they will not support Pakistan blindly in case of
United States attack. Raymond Davis was detained by Colorado Police after
he had a brawl with two persons over car parking. Certainly, his picking up a
brawl is more cognizable offence than killing two Pakis.
In Afghanistan, eight Afghan police were killed on 28th September
when Taliban militants apparently helped by an insider overran their check
post in Helmand Province. A New Zealand soldier was killed in separate
incident. Three foreign troops died in bombing in eastern Afghanistan.
Hillary said the US was close to declaring Haqqani group a terrorist
outfit. US State Department said that US was single-mindedly bent on
dealing a decisive blow to Haqqani Network before any thing else. Karzai
held meeting with religious and tribal leaders to discuss peace and said
Taliban were not independent in taking decisions; therefore no use talking to
them and instead he preferred to have dialogue with Pakistan whom it
blamed for destabilizing Afghanistan.
Next day, two Afghan policewomen and a civilian were killed in Herat
by a landmine blast, a day after another eight NATO soldiers died. Three
foreign soldiers were also killed by an improvised explosive device in
eastern Afghanistan, another three died in another IED attack in the south,
along with two others in separate incidents.
The US Treasury Department announced new sanctions on five
individuals it said are linked to the most dangerous terrorist organizations
(Haqqani Network) operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan. As a result of
the action, US companies and individuals are generally prohibited from
engaging in transactions with the targeted individuals and any assets they
hold under US jurisdiction are frozen.
Barack Obama and Uzbekistans President discussed expanding US
use of the central Asian country as a route to supply troops in Afghanistan,
amid growing concern about the viability of Pakistan as a transit route.
Karzai linked assassination of Rabbani to Quetta and vowed to send factfinding mission to Pakistan while threatening to refer the murder case to the
UN. The NATO-led military in Afghanistan publicly challenged UN
statistics showing a 39 percent increase in violence in the country.
On 30th September, Pakistani sanctioned by the US denied any links
with Taliban (Haqqani Network). Afghanistan planned to suspend an effort
to work with Pakistan to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table, taking a

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tougher line with Pakistan after last week's assassination of Kabul's top
peace negotiator. And instead, work closely with India.
Next day, NATO-led forces said that they had captured the senior
commander for the Haqqani network, Haji Mali Khan, during an operation
in eastern Paktia province earlier in the week. Khan is the uncle of Siraj and
Badruddin Haqqani, the NATO-led ISAF said in a statement, and had
established a militant camp in Paktia province in the past year.
Afghan intelligence service claimed Pakistan was behind the murder
of Burhanuddin Rabbani. Karzai said he is suspending efforts to hold peace
talks with the Afghan Taliban and will focus instead on dialogue with
neighbouring Pakistan. He said he had made the decision after the killing of
the former Afghan by a suicide bomber purporting to be a Taliban peace
emissary. Reportedly, he handed over proof to Islamabad.
Gilani denied the fresh allegations by Afghanistan that Pakistan was
involved in the killing of Burhanuddin Rabbani. He said Afghan President
Hamid Karzai has some misconceptions about Pakistan, which would be
removed. He forgot that Karzai was the only foreigner to be honoured to be
invited to Islamabad when PPP government was sworn in.
On 2nd October, Afghan government wanted to see Pakistan make
tangible progress on pledges to use its influence to help end the Taliban
insurgency. It underscored the Afghan officials' deep frustration over their
inability to deal with a major barrier to ending the war. Afghanistan has
invested a great amount of goodwill and political capital to create an
atmosphere of trust and confidence and to try to improve relations with
Pakistan over the past three years, the spokesman, Janan Mosazai, told
reporters in Kabul. The killer of Burhanuddin Rabbani was Pakistani, a
statement from Afghanistans presidential palace said, quoting investigators.
The killer had been living in Chaman.
On 28th September, five freedom fighters, two policemen and an Army
officer India were among nine killed in a clash in Kupwara. Manmohan
Singh said that it was good that the US has realized the terrorist nature of
ISI. India had done its utmost to tell this to the US after Mumbai attacks, but
it realized only after Kabul attack.
Meanwhile, Pakistan reciprocated by agreeing to further liberalize
trade flows to and from India with tentative moves such as opening a second
customs post and issuing more visas. After a meeting between two countries
trade ministers in New Delhi Amin Fahim vowed to increase trade with

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India to $6 billion and his counterpart said New Delhi would support a
scheme proposed by the European Union to boost textile exports from areas
of Pakistan ravaged by floods with duty waivers.
Deliberately or inadvertently, the man who represented Pakistan at the
International Court of Arbitration to explain the Islamic Republics case on
Kishanganga Dam played into Indias hands, and is wrongly projecting
Islamabads loss as its gain. Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Water
Kamal Majeedullah has reportedly facilitated India to get the decision on
controversial tunnel to divert water from Wullar Barrage to Kishanganga
Dam in its favour from The Hague-based court. The ICA in its interim order
had not barred India from continuing work on the tunnel, the main demand
made by Pakistan, but the Special Assistant was dubbing the court decision
as endorsement of Pakistans point of view.
Next day, Pakistan Commerce Minister Amin Fahim, currently on a
visit to India, expressed optimism at the dawn of a new era of trade and
investment relations with India as both countries are now poised to open
bank branches, and land routes.
On 30th September, IHK chief minister apologized after his
government revealed the names of some 1,400 women raped in the violencehit state during the last five years. India tested nuclear-capable surface-tosurface Agni-II ballistic missile with a strike range of 2000 kms from the
Wheeler Island off Orissa coast.
Next day, Chidambaram said that his government is aware that
Mumbai underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, the alleged mastermind of the
1993 Mumbai serial blasts, is living in Pakistan. Indian air force deployed
Sukhoi Su-30 combat planes at the Jodhpur air base.
On 2nd October, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism
martyred four Kashmiri youth in Kupwara district. India and Afghanistan
will sign a strategic partnership document during Karzai's visit to India next
week, including Indian help to train Afghan security forces.
In Balochistan, BLA fighters shot dead one employee of an oil
exploration company in Harnai area on 28th September and wounded four
others. BNP leader was shot dead in Khuzdar. On 1 st October, four
passengers and two security personnel were wounded when a Quetta-bound
train was fired at in near Jaffarabad.

VIEWS
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On 28th September, Dr Haider Mehdi urged that we must stop

America, now! he wrote: On November 18, 1999, immediately after
General Pervez Musharraf took over the helm of affairs in Pakistan, this
columnist wrote a personal letter to him. The following is an extract from
that letter. Consider the accuracy of the prediction of the political-military
fallouts made over a decade ago. ...Americans have been conducting their
relations with Pakistan with specifically designed agendas. In the first phase,
Pakistan fought American political battles of anti-communismthis was
followed by Zias years, in engaging the Soviet Union in armed intervention;
and now the likelihood is that the Americans would want Pakistan to assist
them in destabilizing the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
As we enter the next millennium, the American and European
political obsession will be to destabilize Islamic countries (what they coin
now as extremism)... It is beyond the scope of Pakistani politics to define
whether the political regime in Afghanistan ought to be destabilized or not.
But, there is a certainty about one thing: Should Pakistan get involved with
Afghanistans internal affairs and carry out the American political agenda in
its newest form, the long-range consequences for Pakistan will be
disastrous. And the ultimate disaster has struck us. Read between the
lines: Admiral Mike Mullen has declared war on Pakistan. Has he not?
A simple question: Is Pakistan in a state of war now? The simple
answer is: Yes! Another simple question: Is Pakistan prepared for this
forthcoming eventuality of American aggression and direct military
intervention on its soil? The simple answer is: No! Yet another simple
question: What should Pakistan do to respond to the growing US
military threat?
We need to make multiple coordinated military and civil manoeuvres:
Pakistans armed forces should be immediately mobilized in Red Alert. We
should let our adversaries know, in no uncertain terms, that so far,
Pakistan has been patiently tolerant, in the interest of peace and political
reconciliations, of the low-intensity war conducted against it, both covertly
and overly for years by the Americans and their allies. But, in the wake of
Admiral Mullens recent testimony in the US Senate, the political and
military ground realities in Pakistan have completely changed. Pakistan will
have a zero tolerance military policy against any US aggressive initiatives.
The pre-emptive civil and military counter-effective strategic response to
future US military designs on Pakistan (which seem to be in an advanced
stage) is to make sure that the Obama Administration fully comprehends that

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Pakistans future military engagement with the US forces will turn the
ongoing war into a full-fledged military conflict, should the Americans
decide on yet another aerial or ground offensive in any part of its territory.
Pakistans top brass needs to tell the American President, in
unequivocal terms that the army is not for hire anymore; it will not fight
US-West proxy wars nor will it engage itself in waging aggression against
its own people at the behest of the US and its allies in the name of the socalled war on terror.
Let us play politics with America on the basis of our strength,
rather than be coerced into submission by its political, military and
financial aid threats. Let us remind the Obama Administration that it still
has 130,000 troops in landlocked Afghanistan whose present survival and
future safe exit depends on Pakistans generosity of political conduct and
goodwill and if the US insists on playing fire with us, we will play fire
with it. The Americans should have no doubt in their minds: We will block
NATO supplies, shoot down the next drone that violates our airspace and
respond to any of its military aggression with our full might. We are
equipped with military capability to confront any armed adventure against
our nation and this military confrontation will not be a zero sum game
the political-military odds will most certainly be tilted to our advantage.
So let us keep a humanitarian context in view: Let us invite the US to
join us at a negotiation table, and let us talk peace. Let us help America in
ending this vicious war that has been their making in the first place and
let us give the Afghans their country back. We need to make the Americans
realize now that they are not fighting a specific insurgency, but an entire
Afghan nation; they are fighting the Afghan people! It is about time that the
Talibans legitimate national aspirations be respected and their moral and
political rights recognized in an independent Afghanistan. Let us make USNATO leadership understand that even in a 100-year war, the Afghans will
not allow foreign military presence in their country.
Let us make Americans understand that they have failed in their
conceptualization of the 21st century global world and their capitalistic
corporate strategic goals do not sit well with the present-day enlightened
socio-political awareness of the masses. The American-Western dogma is
dead: Look at the economic failures, take stock of the continued free-market
crises and failings in capitalistic democracies. Stop indulging in counterrevolutionary wars: There is no room in the present-day world, in the interest
of the masses everywhere, to create more Afghanistans, Iraqs and Libyas.
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America, as the leader of the reactionary, neo-con and neo-imperialist

axis, needs to be stopped now if necessary, by force.
President Barack Obama needs to be told that, in the aftermath of
Admiral Mullens Senate testimony, Obamas re-election bid for the
second term largely depends on Pakistans goodwill and favourable
political conduct. Obama needs to take bold and valorous acts of political
statesmanship to opt for instant peace in Afghanistan, rather than to choose
another instant war against Pakistan. And Pakistan can help Obama in
attaining peace instantly at a negotiation table helped by the Haqqani
network and coordinated by the Taliban without which the President will
be part of an ugly American history in the year 2012.
And the final vital question: Is the Zardari-Gilani regime capable
of delivering this important message and able to communicate Pakistans
nationalistic point of view with required dignity, integrity, convincing
arguments, conceptual strength and tactical diplomacy to Obamas
administration? I am afraid the simple reality is: No.
They are Musharrafs protgs and incapable of comprehending
the looming crisis over Pakistan just as the General, a decade ago,
intentionally and consciously disregarded Pakistans national interest (which
was brought to his attention in my letter of November 18, 1999) all for the
love of personal power! So what needs to be done? An interim government
to deal with the political-military crisis coming our way in the next few
weeks! Perhaps, even in the following few days! Stop America, now!
S M Hali observed: The US administration has virtually read out
the Miranda warning to Pakistan. Miranda is the formal warning given by
the police in the United States to criminal suspects in a custodial situation
before they are interrogated to make the accused aware of and remind him of
his constitutional rights.
Admiral Mike Mullen, Leon Panetta and Jay Carney have virtually
issued Miranda warnings to Pakistan accusing it of supporting attacks by the
Haqqani network History is replete with wrongful US indictments. The
US attacked both Afghanistan and Iraq with apparent UN approval, but
under trumped-up charges But it must be understood that self-defence,
firstly, in both international and US law, must be clearly distinguished from
the use of force for revenge or punishment; States, like people, must not act
as vigilantes.
Secondly, in criminal law, self-defence may be invoked in the face
of an imminent threat of death or grave bodily harm The countries that
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plan wars in order to capture resources, conquer territories, or advance their

strategic interests or hegemonic designs never lack noble-sounding pretexts:
Self-defence, defending civilization, rescuing threatened national minorities,
and so on. After no weapons of mass destruction had been found to justify
the invasion of Iraq, the Bush administration argued that it was legitimate to
overthrow a brutal dictatorship in order to free the Iraqi people. But to allow
any country to make war entirely on false pretexts means throwing out
international law and replacing it with might is right.
Now, the US is threatening to throw its erstwhile most non-NATO
ally Pakistan to the dogs of war. It has already violated our sovereignty on
two accounts: First, by launching the drone attacks, and secondly, the May 2
attack to eliminate Osama. Pakistan needs to take its case to the UN;
however, this step may yield no results if former US Permanent
Representative to the UN John Bolton is to be believed: There is no such
thing as the UN. There is only the international community, which can only
be led by the only remaining superpower, which is the United States, when it
suits our interest and we can get others to go alongWhen the United States
leads, the UN will follow.
The US, therefore, should take cognizance that attacking
Pakistan wont be a cakewalk. It is a nuclear-equipped and battle hardened
country, which will defend itself or go down fighting. It is hoped and prayed
that good sense prevails in the US administration!
Next day, TheNation wrote: The serious threat of ground invasion
brought everyone in the country political parties of all shapes and hues, the
armed forces, the media, the intelligentsia and, indeed, every section of
society on one platform: to stand up together to defend the country under
all circumstances. The APC that would have representatives of the every
section of the public, thus, has this mandate to implement, to realize the
gravity of the situation and ignore their differences in the face of the
looming threat. The stand to emerge out of the deliberations should be
unambiguously clear, sending a strong message from a nation solidly
standing behind its armed forces in case any attack on the country and that
any adventurous attempt would be repulsed with force. The participants
should insist on creating a mechanism that would ensure that the decisions
of the APC do not go the way of the resolutions unanimously passed by the
joint sessions of the two Houses of Parliament.
Azam Khalil opined: Islamabad has correctly decided to call the
American bluff this time round, and Washington will, probably, have no
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choice but to resume bilateral relations, unless it decides to abandon this

region for good. Instead of taking things to a point of no return, it is in the
interest of both the Americans and Pakistanis to try to remove the misgivings
that have crept into their relationship and work out a solution. The US
administration must understand that its strategy of withholding aid to
Pakistan is not going to work, as similar methods were employed by
successive governments in their effort to keep it (Pakistan) out of the nuclear
club.
It is expected that the American policymakers will learn their lesson
in the art of diplomacy and stop raising hue and cry over a non-existent issue
because if they continue with the present tirade against Pakistan and the ISI,
Islamabad will be forced to spill the beans about USAs activities in the
region. After all, the ISI and the Pakistani government are privy to many of
its dirty secrets, which were employed during the Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan. For example, the militant groups, who are responsible for the
current mayhem around the world, particularly in Pakistan, are USAs
creation. Therefore, it must equally share the responsibility for the terrorism
that is taking place with regular intervals in Pakistan and elsewhere.
Washington could have pursued a positive line by ensuring that the training
camps and drug mafia/trade, which has flourished during Afghanistans
occupation, were eliminated.
Another issue that requires urgent US attention is the issue of
occupied Jammu and Kashmir whose resolution would mean the beginning
of a new era of peace and harmony in South Asia. Therefore, instead of
using negative tactics, the Americans should pursue positive prospects for
peace that exist in the region. One hopes that the coming days and weeks
will see normalcy returning in the Pak-US relationship. However, the
major burden would be on the US administration to put in place certain
concrete measures that are visible and acceptable to the people of Pakistan.
On 30th September, TheNation observed: Pakistans stand that it
would not tolerate any aggression against its territory, a threat that was
evident in the bitter diatribe of US army chief Admiral Mike Mullen and
Defence Secretary Leon Panetta launched against the ISI must have come
as quite a surprise to the Obama Administration. It had become
accustomed to a Pakistani leadership stomaching criticism quietly or
only responding in a perfunctory manner. Instead, it encountered the entire
nation virtually up in arms, demanding a firm and unequivocal
denouncement of the baseless and unsubstantiated allegations and a
challenge that should it dare step on its soil, it would be met with a matching
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response. Prime Minister Gilani and Foreign Minister Khar accused the US
of looking for a scapegoat to cover up its defeat in Afghanistan, and the
army and ISI warned it against any attempt at putting boots on Pakistans
territory. The convening of an APC and a special National Assembly session
to evolve a national response against the threat showed the leaderships
resolve to defend the country at all costs.
The nation stood united and the White House has blinked.
According to Washington Post, the Obama Administration is annoyed with
the Admiral and the White House, which had virtually endorsed his
statement earlier, now refuses to go along with his views about the ISI. The
Pentagon favours the sorting out of differences. The truth that without
Pakistans help, the exit from Afghanistan would be too difficult to achieve
has finally driven home. Yet, Admiral Mullen is calling for a tougher line
and has even gone to the extent of predicting that the partnership approach
with Islamabad that he had long championed would be difficult to revive. He
has nobody more to blame than himself!
The turn-around of the situation affords a golden opportunity for
Pakistan to get away from the lure of US friendship that has, previously
more than once, stabbed us in the back. A radical review of our foreign
policy is urgently called for. The people are looking up to the APC and the
National Assembly session to come up with its outlines.
M A Niazi wrote: It is, perhaps, not clearly understood in
Pakistan that the USA is facing two different pressures. One is that
America is not as clearly victorious in Afghanistan as it would like to be. It
needs a scapegoat, and a recalcitrant Pakistani military is close to hand. As is
to be expected of the military minds that have prepared the plan, the wishes
or abilities of the Pakistani people are not being taken into account. The
second is that the USA needs to withdraw to avoid defeat.
Perhaps, it is worth seeing for the Pakistani people, which have
been the allies who have tried to make the peace. First have been the
Chinese, and then the Saudis. The Chinese have expressed support for
Pakistan at the level of the Vice-Premier. While the Saudis have not sent a
visitor, they have received the man at the centre of the storm, the DG ISI, Lt
Gen Ahmad Shuja Pasha. While the Chinese have no love lost for the USA,
especially since its recent attempts to prop-up India against it in the region,
they do not want a war. The Saudis are shaken by the Arab Spring, and do
not want anymore trouble in the region, particularly involving Pakistan and
the USA, both of which it has seen as very close allies. Compared to them,
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Iran is readier for there to be conflict, but it too does not want American
boots on the ground in Pakistan.
The USA itself knows only too well the costs of combat in much
smaller countries with much weaker militaries. It does not want to get
involved militarily in Pakistan, and it is precisely against this day that it
prepared its agents of influence within the ruling elite of Pakistan,
military, political and bureaucratic. Instead of using this opportunity to
break with the USA, the President and COAS both had meetings with the
American Ambassador, and there is a clear attempt to defuse the crisis at any
cost. Unfortunately, that is a cost which will be paid by Pakistan. However,
the people must be clearly seen to back the ruling elite in its bid at defiance.
The Americans should realize that matters have reached this pass
because of its own boorishness. The USA seems to have discarded the
saying of the first President Roosevelt: Walk silently, and carry a big
stick. They seem now to prefer to make a lot of noise. One reason for the
current crisis is USAs refusal to allow Pakistan the role in a final Afghan
settlement that its legitimate interests demand. Another is the desire of US
military men to prevent Afghanistan from ruining their careers, after their
head, General David Petraeus, left them in the lurch with a secure job at the
CIA waiting for him. Though neither, even put together, seems a good
enough reason to go to war, the USA will have to decide whether it can
afford the appearance of disobedience by a nations elite, especially in a
region where it is on the verge of being beaten by a poorly armed, but
determined, national resistance. The legend of American invincibility, which
the Pakistani ruling elite has been pushing so hard, would be broken, and the
emperor would be shown to have no clothes.
S Tariq commented: Mr Bruce Reidel, a key figure in Obamas
advisory group, has said that Pakistans cocky stance stems from its
perception that the US is on the run in Afghanistan and that Pakistani
generals are holding a few aces in the present crisis. Mr Reidel is partially
correct, but his error lies in the part where he has masked reality with the
term perception. It is a known fact that Afghanistan is not the piece of cake
that the White House had assumed it to be if independent media reports are
to be believed (and there is no reason not to), then the NATO forces are
virtual prisoners confined to heavily fortified camps and any venture into the
outside world is executed with elaborate planning and air cover. The writing
on the wall is, perhaps, trying to say that maybe it is time for the US to let
Afghans be the masters of their own country and to get their boys home
speedily and safely. As to the aces mentioned by Mr Reidel we may or
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may not be holding many, but the one that we do hold is the national will to
stand up and destroy any aggressor, who violates our territorial integrity.
A friend, who is a well known academic in a British University, once
commented that Pakistanis were a strange people more like hornets.
They were full of apathy, until something profoundly threatening loomed at
their very doorstep. It was then that they stirred from their sleep and
exploded into action. If I was that threat, I would just run as far away from
them as I could, he added. The wakeup call referred to by my friend has,
perhaps, sounded; for I can hear stirrings where there was previously
slumber.
There is critical role too, in all that is happening, for Pakistanis
living in the United States. This sizeable and politically active community
must rise and play their part in drumming sense into Washingtons
policymakers. With election year approaching, this vote bank can be
effective in generating pressures and realization among the American public
that any incursion into Pakistans western borders would not only be costly
in terms of body bags, but will also be a dismal failure. I am sure; Mr
Obama would not like to add a debacle to his forthcoming election
campaign.
We have great faith in the ability of our armed forces to thwart any
aggression and what has appeared so far in the media reinforces that faith.
But this is a time when our national leadership must stand up, set aside
their differences and take decisions based on consensus and national interest.
More importantly, this is a time when the nation must set aside political,
ethnic and religious prejudices and become one. This is a time to unite, stand
up and be counted.
Next day, TheNation commented: The APC was a resounding failure.
It was not for seeking peace that all political parties of the country had
assembled in Prime Ministers House on Thursday. Some speeches like that
of Prime Minister Gilani did make a bold remark: the country could no
longer be pressured to do more. Such words the nation had heard in their
statements and press conferences. At the APC they were expected to
formulate a national response to the threat of invasion of Pakistans territory
given by the highest ranking military commander and the head of the
military establishment of the US. And that should have found a mention in
the formal resolution. It was not for giving peace a chance, whatever its
value in a different context, that they were mandated to put their heads
together for. The context demanded that our leaders affirmed, in
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unequivocal terms, the nations unflinching resolve to defend the country

under all circumstances and tell the US that if it ever dared launch an
aggression against us, it would not go unpunished.
It was expected that the leaders came out openly denouncing the
litany of baseless charges leveled against the ISI with the motive of
diverting attention from the Americans miserable failure in Afghanistan.
They ought to have told the world that the US was trying to make Pakistan a
scapegoat for its defeat in the 10-year long fight fought with the most
sophisticated war machine against scattered groups of gun-carrying
tribesmen charged with the spirit of independence and rank intolerance of
foreign occupation of their country. After all, the world was expecting a
formal word to that effect from the Pakistani leadership after what Foreign
Minister Khar had said at New York and Prime Minister Gilani had told the
local media.
But the resolution only pleased those who were either scared of
the US or wanted only to hush up the matter. COAS General Kayani said
at the conference, as quoted by some sources, that the Americans are
confused, they dont know what theyre doing. Theyve failed in
Afghanistan and they dont have too many options. It should have been
reflected in some proper language in the resolution. The drafters of the
original resolution, the Foreign Office, showed an utter lack of guts, unless
they were acting as mere stenographers, and of the revised one, a total
absence of direction.
It was unfortunate that some leaders lacked the required focus;
perhaps, they failed to rise above their political or personal biases; for it was
incomprehensible, given the threatening scenario looming large on the
horizon of Pakistan, that any participant would raise doubts that would
clearly be supportive of the Mullen-Panetta allegations against the ISI. He
was rightly advised by the COAS to wait, adding that he would separately be
briefed about the issue. To sum up, it was a sheer disappointment to see
our collective leadership, all to a man, digressing from the main issue.
The 13-point resolution that the APC put out after long deliberations is
simply a waste of paper. The height of our leaders pusillanimity is that the
word, US, is not even mentioned.
Tallat Azim wrote: The draft of the resolution was rewritten mostly
by Dr Shireen Mazari, in her capacity as PTIs Vice President in charge of
security and foreign policy and Chaudhry Nisar of PML-N with Babar Awan
mostly watching the legal phrase. Dr Mazari opted to type out the draft
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herself on a laptop and refused the services of a government

stenographer. (If only educational levels of our elected leadership allowed
it to work independently of the scores of helpers, writers, proof readers,
general advisors etc, we would lessen so many burdens on the exchequer
apart from achieving clarity of purpose, but thats a thought in passing).
In the ultimate analysis, it was Imran Khans stand on rewording
the resolution that brought about the better document. His five demands
that Pakistan completely reassess its US policy, end all military operations,
give up US aid, come clean on drones and ensure that all decisions taken at
the APC are enforced was adhered to. The DG ISI, in his briefing on the
reach and influence of the Haqqani network, denied that they have a base in
North Waziristan or that they are supported by the ISI.
While the APC was being conducted and no news was available as to
what was happening inside the meeting room, there were a lot of us the
ordinary citizens on the other side of the conference room, who were
asking ourselves in all seriousness if we would like to be rid of the US
influence. We were weighing up the consequences, in our minds, of there
being no aid. We were reminded of the 11 years, prior to 2001, when we
were sanctioned against and treated as untouchables. The verdict that most
of us reached was that we will survive nonetheless. There was a realization
that even though things will be worse off financially, such an eventuality
may bring about peace. And if you have peace, everything else is bound to
fall into place.
Inayatullah opined: The past record of the ruling party and its top
leadershipleaves little doubt that the commitments made in the
resolution would be fulfilled. Recall the Co-Chairmans solemn promises
to restore the Supreme Court judges and how the PML-N kept pursuing him
without any success. What made the PPP Chief yield were the Long March
and a nod from the Army Chief.
Again look at the parliamentary resolutions of 2009 and 2011, and
how a mockery has been made of the solemn pledges and how the Joint
Parliamentary Committee on National Security has been virtually reduced to
a farce. We all know where the power really lies. There is nothing in the
resolution to establish that the armed forces specifically are bound to
strictly adhere to the change in policy and consequent implementation of
the new approach.
Apart from the ruling partys past record of deviation from the
committed course of action and GHQs predominant position, there is the
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widespread acceptance at the international level of Pakistans alleged

complicity with terrorist groups. Whatever be our thinking or feeling, the
rest of the world (egged on by anti-Pakistan countries and elements)
considers that Pakistan is the epicentre of international terrorism. Admiral
Mullens latest remarks in an interview on Wednesday with the National
Public Radio merit notice. Said Mullen, he phrased it (his Senate statement)
the way I wanted it to be phrased and would change not a word. He
reiterated the charge of ISI supporting the Haqqani network financially and
logistically, a group which is intently focused right now on killing the
Americans.
While Nawaz Sharif was alert enough at the APC to seek the truth
about ISIs relationship with Haqqani, GHQs denial needs clarification. We
have to have convincing evidence and clearly spelt out facts, both for
ourselves and the world at large.
Because of the attendant compelling context and circumstances, both
the USA and Pakistan cannot afford open hostilities. The stand taken by
the politicians in favour of Pakistans army has persuaded the White
House to play down Mullens diatribe. It is, however, very much in our
own interest, if we come clean about our strategies and linkages with the
actors in the field in Pakistan and Afghanistan. To come out with the truth
about our interests and policy, we have to come to terms with our economic
and governance weaknesses and vulnerabilities. All this tall talk of selfreliance, curbing, corruption and not bothering about aid and strings
attached to it, will remain meaningless, unless we honestly and seriously
begin to put our own house in order. For that we need to have, inter alia, a
straightforward electoral setup that can provide a robust assurance of free
and fair elections.
It will help if a joint government and opposition high-level group
is established, including the PM, Finance and Foreign Ministers, PML-N
and ANP senior leaders, Imran Khan and Maulana Fazalur Rehman, which
may hold meetings with the top brass and develop a viable brief for
discussions with Washington and Kabul. Thereafter, the group members
should visit Afghanistan, UK, Turkey, China and USA with a view to
holding an extended dialogue with Congressmen and US administrations
senior functionaries. This initiative should be accompanied by public
diplomacy involving the media, intellectuals and civil society luminaries.
They should meet the makers and shapers of US policy and, in particular,
think-tanks, influential university professors and leading columnists. Funds

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should also be earmarked for buying time on popular TV channels in USA

and UK.
As stated earlier, we must know the truth, clearly identify our
interests, realize where we stand, take stock of our strength and
weaknesses, and formulate short and long-term policies and plans; and
using these facts and factors to formulate our agenda and brief for discussing
issues with foreign powers. Unless steps are taken to ensure the realization
of the letter and spirit of the APC resolution and some of the suggestions
made above, they will remain an empty rhetoric. Can Nawaz Sharif and
Imran Khan pin the PPP and the GHQ down to faithfully implement fully
the APC resolution?
Mohammad Jamil wrote: The nation was told that the objective of the
All Party Conference (APC) was to send a message to the US, in the wake of
threats and allegations about the ISIs involvement, in the recent attack near
its Embassy in Afghanistan. However, the conference adopted a 13-point
resolution, which has in fact diluted the message. The resolution, signed
by the leaders of all political parties, did not mention the Haqqani network
that was called a veritable arm of the ISI by US Joint Chiefs of Staff
Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen, nor did it make any direct reference to US
pressure on Pakistan to take military action against the Haqqanis. While the
military leadership, including ISI Chief Lt General Shuja Pasha, rejected the
allegations leveled by top US officials, it said that Pakistan wanted to
maintain cordial relations with all the countries of the world on the basis of
sovereign equality and mutual respect.
After discussing the recent events Jamil concluded: Pakistan should
try to get rid of the dependency syndrome and learn to live within its
means; only then it will be considered an independent and sovereign
country. Having said that, Pakistan should also try to improve relations with
Russia. In view of the drastically changed political landscape of the world
after 9/11, Russia would understand its position, and earlier compulsions of
being in the American camp.
On 2nd October, TheNation observed: Right on the heels of the all
parties conference President Barack Obama went on the air to assert that his
administration would continue to push Pakistan to do more to weed out
militants having safe havens within its territory. And now if our leaders bow
down before this declaration, it would constitute a slap in the face of our
entire political leadership that had at the APC held at Islamabad on Thursday
decided to go for the peace option rather than pursue the tribal militants with
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an armed action. The CIA reminded us of its approach by launching a drone

attack on Friday. Nevertheless, Washington appears to be confused at the
sudden turn of events from the quietly compliant attitude of our ruling
circles to a show of defiance and an American official was cited as saying
that there would be no US boots on the soil of Pakistan.
The reaction of the Pakistani public to the threat of invasion of the
countrys territory and the increased anti-American sentiment it created
might also have contributed to this softening. Mr Obama also called Admiral
Mike Mullens diatribe an expression of frustration at being not able to
persuade Islamabad to go after the Haqqani network. He also admitted that
Pakistans relationship to the militant Haqqani network was unclear, in
contrast with the Admirals emphatic remark that the Pakistan spy agency
had provided active help to the Haqqanis in their recent attacks against
American interests. Yet, Mr Obama maintained that Islamabad should
curb passive or active support to the Taliban. Admiral Mullen, on the day
of his retirement, stuck to his guns and accused Pakistan of exporting
terrorism to Afghanistan, though trying to mellow the charge down by
adding, there is no solution in the region without Pakistan and it was a
vital country in the war on terror.
Washingtons lowered tone of criticism is most likely because of
the need for Pakistan as a supply channel for NATO-led forces in
Afghanistan. It might be trying to have the Central Asian route and Mr
Obama seemed to have spoken to his Uzbek counterpart for this purpose, it
would be months before the route can materialize. Besides, it would be
much more expensive than Pakistans, something that might be too difficult
to bear for the faltering American economy.
Unfortunately, our politicians did not come up with a befitting
response to the threat of aggression and produced a wishy-washy
resolution that talked of giving peace a chance. However, there should be no
doubt in the minds of our rulers about the Americans intentions in the
region, which seen against the backdrop of their perception of China, our
close friend, could never be in the interest of Pakistan. It is too obvious to
ignore this fact from the US growing friendship with New Delhi. We would
have to devise a strategy in which we can frustrate the combined designs of
the US and India.
Jalees Hazir wrote: The APC resolution calls for the implementation
of previous resolutions of Parliament and the formation of a Parliamentary
Committee for the purpose. The government is criticized for not paying heed
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to the unanimous voice of Parliament, an institution that it doesn't tire of

upholding as a source of its power and the symbol of democracy. It is
believed that the present situation would not have arisen if it had done so. In
its unimplemented resolution, the joint sitting of Parliament had suggested
zero tolerance for drone attacks and had asked the government to shoot them
down and block NATO supplies, if the US persisted in its policy to attack
Pakistani territory with these unmanned aerial vehicles. The drone attacks
continued and, other than grumbling about it in hollow statements, the
government did not take any suggested step to stop the bombardment of its
territory and the killing of its citizens. Now the APC joint resolution has
reinforced the parliamentary resolutions and given them a new lease of
life. This is another positive outcome of the exercise.
And, of course, the rejection of foreign aid as policy is another
positive contribution of the APC. In fact, this is the single most important
point in its resolution, as it would create enough space for Pakistan to
formulate policies independent of the US diktat. So while the APC did not
come up to the expectations of the nation to address the challenges of an
openly hostile US in a more courageous and bold manner, it did play its role
in strengthening the momentum that is slowly but surely bringing us out of
the hypnotic curse of the crumbling superpower. The government would do
well to follow its recommendations with sincerity, rather than using it as an
eyewash, while continuing with its servile policies. Meanwhile, the nation
would wait for the historical moment when our leadership would be able to
raise a clear voice against the global badmash and its hegemonic imperialist
agenda for the world. Hopefully, we won't have to wait long!
General Retd Mirza Aslam Beg talked of Ajam Spring. After the
Arab Spring, now it is the Ajam Spring that is sweeping Afghanistan,
Pakistan and Iran (the non-Arabs). The Arabs revolted against their despotic
rulers, while the Ajamis have revolted against the global hegemons. The
resistance against the Soviet hegemony started in the early 80s, resulting in
its defeat and disintegration. The same mujahideen, later known as Taliban,
challenged the US hegemony and in a short period of 10 years have inflicted
a shameful defeat on it, which the Americans are not prepared to accept.
Hence, the Taliban are not willing to give them the safe exit, which they
gave to the Soviets in 1989. This is the dilemma that the Americans are
facing now, while the Taliban working on their new strategy have struck at
the political and military nerve centres of Kandahar and Kabul, putting the
occupation forces in a state of disarray.

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The new strategy started with the attack on the Kandahar jail, in
which over 500 of their hardened fighters escaped, who, together with the
lashkars, have carried out massive strikes on the American Embassy, and
NATO, CIA and Peace Committee headquarters at Kabul killing over 270
Americans in three months. With this, the CIA, which had been feeding
the Americans on false claims of victory, could provide no justification
and decided to pass on the buck to the Pakistani intelligence agency,
accusing it of supporting the Haqqani network and carrying out the attacks.
These accusations were followed by diplomatic warnings, intimidations and
outright threat of unilateral action against Pakistan. The pressure continued
to build up, creating a state of fear of the unknown.
Under this situation, in a televised interview aired on September 24,
2011, informing the nation of the impending threat and an urgent need to
take defensive measures, I had warned: Mobilize the armed forces now to
face the threat; prepare the nation to solidly stand behind them; call upon the
tribals to join the army; and, if Pakistan is attacked, carry the war into the
Afghan territory where the Taliban and the Afghan freedom fighters will
join us to eliminate the occupation forces, which would not be able to
face the furry of the Pak-Afghan surge. China and Iran are with us and
Russia would prefer to watch the fun.
The very next day, Pakistans armed forces moved into their battle
locations on the Pak-Afghan border. The political leadership also rose to the
occasion, mobilizing the public against the impending threat. As a result,
fear and despondency gave way to confidence and self-assurance to the
nation. Henry Kissinger and Sirajuddin Haqqani had warned the hawks
at Pentagon against adventurism in Pakistan, since it would expand
beyond control. The message was taken and dialogue was preferred. While
the timely action by the armed forces deterred aggression and has
emboldened our political leadership to come out with brave statements. But
the APC is out of place, while Parliament is the right forum to discuss issues
of national interests. However, unfortunately, Parliament has lost its lan
because two of its earlier resolutions on drones and the Abbottabad attack
are lying in the dustbin.
Under the circumstances, the best option for our political leadership
is to follow the lead given by the armed forces whose commander,
President Asif Ali Zardari, prefers to maintain silence. But behind this
silence is the diplomatic feat he has achieved. Alhamdulillah, Pakistan is not
alone and the credit goes to Zardari for raising the geopolitical security
cover for the country, i.e., China and Irans unflinching support in our hour
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of need. In so doing, Zardari has crossed the red line, as Bhutto did and
had earned the wrath of the hegemons. The Presidents life is in danger;
he better take care of himself.
Ten years back, I had warned General (retd) Pervez Musharraf on
September 24, 2001, in a meeting that his decision to join the American war
against the brotherly country Afghanistan was unethical and immoral, and
that it would cause great harm to Pakistan. Ultimately, the war would be
reversed on Pakistan with a dangerous fallout. And despite the odds, the
Taliban would emerge victorious and the Americans and their allies
would be defeated and their defeat would be worse than their defeat in
Vietnam. And you, as the President and Chief of Army Staff, will suffer
shame and disgrace for having compromised on the blood of thousands of
mujahideens, who have laid down their lives for the freedom of
Afghanistan. Time has proved that I was right.
These are historic moments and a turning point for the
Afghanistan-Pakistan-Iran struggle against global hegemony. It bonds
the three nations together for a common cause ultimately forming into a
union. It is the realization of my dream of strategic depth, which I first
spelled out to my formation commanders and the officers at the Rawalpindi
garrison on August 25, 1988: We are witnessing the dawn of a new era.
Afghanistan is free after the defeat of the Soviet Union. Iran has emerged
stronger after eight years of brutal war with Iraq and the Islamic Revolution
has consolidated. Pakistan has opted for democracy after 11 years of military
rule. This is the moment of triumph of freedom for all the three countries.
Freedom beckons us to unite and gain strategic depth to safeguard our
national security interests. So it has taken 30 years of turmoil, treachery,
brutal wars, and death and destruction to push the three countries together
into a common bond to provide the much needed depth of security in all its
dimensions. The sun is rising and we can feel the soft fragrant breeze of the
Ajam Spring comforting our tormented souls.
Dr Ghayur Ayub wrote: Tony Blair has reportedly said that Pakistan
is paying a heavy price for the mistakes of 1970s when it developed
religious schools which became the source of extremism. I don't know which
history books Mr. Blair has been reading but the facts on the ground were
different. Religious schools mushroomed in 1980s with the active support of
both the UK and the US. Pakistan is paying a price because in 1970s it
resisted American and British pressure not to proceed with nuclear
technology.

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In the context of Afghanistan, Gareth Porter wrote on 28th

September: As I reported in July, former Afghan Prime Minister Ahmad
Shah Ahmadzai told me that a group of Taliban officials he had met earlier
that month had said, once the Americans tell them we are ready to
withdraw, they would agree to have peace talks.
By late August, however, the last ambiguity surrounding the US
policy on troops in Afghanistan had been removed. The Telegraphs Ben
Farmer reported August 19 that the Obama Administration and Karzai
were close to an agreement that would keep up to 25,000 US troops,
including Special Operations Forces as well as US fighter planes and
helicopter gunships, until at least 2024.
At that point, the Taliban and Rabbani both knew that the HPC
had no power to negotiate a real peace settlement with the Taliban. It
should be no surprise, therefore, that the Taliban took advantage of the
opportunity to kill the credulous Rabbani. The only surprise is that Rabbani
and his advisors could have actually believed that the Taliban were giving up
their primary war aim so easily.
After all, the Taliban were continuing to show, month after month,
that they could strike at targets in most heavily protected zones in Kabul
and elsewhere and that their targets included prominent political,
administrative and security officials such as Rabbani.
When Karzais national security advisor, Rangin Dadfar Spanta,
revealed the outlines of the strategic partnership pact in early August, the
Deputy Chairman of the HPC, Abdul Hakim Majid, made a highly revealing
comment to The Telegraphs Farmer. He said he suspected the Taliban had
intensified their insurgency in response to the news that Karzai was
about to agree to allow the United States a semi-permanent military
presence in Afghanistan. That observation puts in sharp relief the profound
lack of realism of the popular assumption that a peace process could have
been underway in the context of the US-Karzai manoeuvring to take US
military presence off the negotiating table.
But we can now expect a cascade of stories for many months
blaming the absence of Afghan peace negotiations on the Rabbani
assassination rather than on a fundamental policy decision by President
Barack Obama to hold onto a semi-permanent military presence.
On 30th September, Camelia Entekhabifard commented: Though Mr
Rabbani often criticized the Karzai administration, he remained

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hopeful that the Afghan people would take advantage of the worlds
interest in their country to achieve peace before it was too late. We must
act before international donors stop caring whether or not we achieve
democracy or a higher standard of living, he told me. One day, the world
will no longer care and we will lose our support.
As a moderate who was a leader of the mujahedeen, Mr. Rabbani
served as a link between different factions of power in Afghan society.
Through active diplomacy, he persuaded his fellow mujahedeen to stand by
Mr. Karzai in spite of their differences. Now, with respected figures
blaming the president (and what they see as his nave support for dialogue)
for Mr. Rabbanis death, it will be virtually impossible for him to regain
their trust and restart peace talks with the Taliban. For the last nine years, the
only traffic around my house was from people coming and going to visit Mr.
Rabbani. In the wake of his murder, anyone walking along my street will
arrive at a dead end.
Next day, TheNation commented: Afghan President Hamid Karzai
has shown his animosity to Pakistan in his statement on Thursday that initial
investigations into former President Burhanuddin Rabbanis assassination
implicated individuals in Quetta. In an interview to an Afghan TV channel,
he said that Afghanistan would send a fact-finding team to Pakistan. It is
ironic that he should mention Quetta in this context, because this is the city
where he spent years living, receiving a stipend from the ISI, in exile during
the jihad against the Soviets. However, Mr Karzai should not try to live
this down by trying to be more loyal than the king. His remarks were
telecast the same day as Pakistan held an all parties conference to express
national unity in the face of US accusations which Mr Karzai was merely
parroting. His remarks about how Afghanistan might go to the UN seem to
reflect the way Pakistan called in the world body to investigate Ms Benazir
Bhuttos assassination.
Mr Karzai should also avoid attempts to curry favour with India
by such negative tactics, because the Indian stay in Afghanistan depends
solely on US wishes that it have a role there, and the USA will itself no
longer have a role there as soon as it is forced to withdraw. That withdrawal
will mean that President Karzai will himself need Pakistani support to
survive. He will not win that support by continuing to make baseless
accusations. Mr Karzai must not attempt to serve the USA in making
remarks which would invite it to take steps he thinks will leave him
unscathed.

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If the USA does attack Pakistan, it will have to do so out of

Afghanistan. That will mean that inevitably the locus of the war will be
Afghanistan as well as Pakistan. As President of a country already ravaged
by decades of war, Mr Karzai cannot contemplate such a prospect with
the ease he seems to have while making such intemperate remarks.
On 30th September, TheNation commented: Commerce Minister
Makhdum Amin Fahim in a meeting with Indian Trade Minister Anand
Sharma at New Delhi made a commitment, though not an agreement, to
double trade between the two countries. It is to be presumed that India
intends to carry over the surplus on the bilateral trade, and if the present
trend continues, it would have a surplus of $2 billion; presently it has a
surplus of $1 billion. No one would object to profits made on a fair trade,
but Makhdum Amin took a list of non-tariff barriers that India has erected,
and though he did not get an agreement to end them, he showed thereby how
India has built its large surpluses with neighbouring countries; by unfair
trade practices, which it would like to extend to Pakistan, so that it could
draw it into its neo-imperialist, mercantilist, system.
To this end, the two countries have also agreed to open a new
customs point at a place not yet announced. India has also announced the
end of its veto in the World Trade Organization to the European Unions
giving of some trade concessions to Pakistani textiles. This is not as great a
concession as it seems, because the Indian objection was likely to fail,
and the EU decision was likely to be upheld.
The basic point in trade negotiations with India is that they are taking
place at the Indian behest because it wishes to pretend to the world
community that its relations with Pakistan are basically normal, and there
are good reasons for further normalization. However, that should not detract
from the reality that it would not hold trade talks if its non-tariff barriers had
not ensured a trade surplus for it, and if that surplus did not help it pay the
costs of the occupation it maintains of Kashmir, whose people it has denied
their inalienable right of self-determination despite their six decades of
struggle.
The trade talks, though they might indeed be the first between
ministers after 35 years, form part of the composite dialogue between the
two countries, and have been meant more to satisfy a third party, the
USA, than achieve anything tangible. The old mantra of people-to-people
contacts has not yielded results, so now there is the hope the links of the
trade community would result in greater links being created. Though trade
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linkages have their own dynamic, they are not strong enough to overcome
the barrier created by Indias intransigence over Kashmir, even though there
has been an attempt to create an intra-Kashmir linkage through both trade
and people-to-people contact. Pakistan must be wary that these trade talks
are not misused by India to project to the world community a weakening by
Pakistan in its principled stand.
In another editorial the newspaper added: The International Court of
Arbitration has not issued a stay order against the construction of the
Kishanganga Dam and the reason given is that 80 percent construction work
on the controversial tunnel linking the dam with Wullar Barrage has been
completed. India had started the construction work on the 22km long tunnel
in 2008 in order to divert the water of River Neelum in brazen violation of
the Indus Waters Treaty to which it is a signatory. Despite Islamabads
repeated pleas and calls, New Delhi kept on building it, which then forced us
to take the issue to the International Court of Arbitration, where Special
Assistant to Prime Minister on Water Kamal Majeedullah pleaded the case
on behalf of the government. It is a pity that there he was hoodwinked by
the Indian authorities who proposed an out-of-court settlement and he
subsequently did not attend the vital court proceedings that were expected to
lead to a decision in favour of Pakistan.
During all this time, India doubled the pace of the construction
work and completed it to an extent where it had become difficult for the
court to issue a stay order. Now, if the court gives a decision in favour of
India, our water woes will increase substantially. It is a shame that merely
due to negligence of authorities that were supposed to plead our case most
forcefully, we have been unable to stop the construction of Kishanganga
Dam. Those responsible should be dealt with severely.
Next day, the newspaper wrote: The memories of unearthing mass
graves in the Indian-held Kashmir had not vanished that the states Chief
Minister, an Indian puppet, picked up the courage to offer an apology for the
rape of 1400 women, predominantly Muslim, in the Valley committed
during the past five years, obviously, by the Indian security forces stationed
there. This list does not include numerous cases of similar crimes committed
against women, who live in remote areas where the police would not even
register an FIR. This is one reflection of the atrocities that the occupation
forces have unleashed against the innocent Kashmiri people.
What is further agonizing is the fact that only one person has been
convicted on the rape charges. The list of these unfortunate women,
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including their parentage, was provided to the state legislature when a

member sought complete information about reports of sexual abuses by the
army and police personnel. Where are the international community and
all the champions of human rights who have kept mum over such a
heinous crime against women for so long? What is the United Nations and
its allied institutions doing? Moreover, why the Pakistan government has not
raised a hue and cry over this crime against humanity? It is better late than
never. Our Foreign Office must lodge a strong protest with New Delhi and at
all possible international forums.

REVIEW
Unanimous resolution passed in All Parties Conference left everyone
expressing apprehensions about its implementation, despite the fact that
there was hardly anything that would make material difference if
implemented. The fact that no direct mention of the US was made in the
entire text reflected the respect for the Master, not for the public sentiment.
The resolution repeatedly talks of peace and dialogue rather than
expressing resentment; what to talk of retaliatory or counter-measures. In
this very mindset, no formal protest was lodged. Munter, who should have
been declared persona non grata was honoured to have three meetings with
Foreign Secretary in 24 hours and audience with President of Islamic
Republic of Pakistan for hurling accusations at ISI and Army.
The mechanism of implementation has inbuilt flaw because of which
it would fail to work when so required. A parliamentary committee has to be
formed when National assembly meets next time and this committee would
meet on monthly basis. This would be too sluggish for coping with fast
changing situation.
The only point that will have any effect, if implemented, is the one
inserted on the insistence of some participants, i.e. implementation of
previous resolutions related to the drone launched missile attacks. Rest all is
what has been often said for the last six decades by civil and military rulers.
The mention of need to implement previous resolutions with reference
to drone attacks showed a glimpse of resolve. But, a drone attack within few
hours after adoption of resolution indicated that the US has no doubts about
the so-called resolve of the puppet rulers to pre-empt the US from acting as
it wishes. Political leadership, perhaps, would have averted at least this
attack by not adopting the resolution.
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It seemed that the democratic rulers are meant to issue visas to

terminators of CIA operating under the garb of diplomats. Similarly, the
Defenders of Pakistan are meant for secretly issuing permits to hunt human
beings inside Pakistan; an urge of the Americans developed during hunting
Red Indians that remains intact till today.
The Scoundrel, head of the largest political party in the ruling
coalition, stayed away from the APC. Perhaps his views did not matter,
which he was sharing with Sania Mirza at that very time. His predecessor,
Amin Fahim, who looked after the party when Zardari and his wife were
living abroad in self-exile, was in New Delhi to promote trade relations with
Manmohan Singhs government, which was bursting out of seams over
Mullens statement about ISI.
One must acknowledge that the Scoundrel and the Saint have once
again saved the day for continuation of their rule and emerged stronger
despite multiple failures in all spheres of governance. Cunningness of the
two, definitely, remained unmatched. They use Sindh Card to scare Army
and Judiciary and pull out Pakistan Card to rally the opposition political
parties behind them.
The Scoundrel has secured his job by pacifying the opposition parties
by letting them vent their anger through delivering speeches, redrafting and
adopting resolution. He kept the door open for the Master by talking peace
and dialogue; everything can be renegotiated and bargained afresh.
Finesse in card game played by the Saint-Scoundrel pair lied in the
Saint restraining the APC to the confines of diplomatic decencies for which
he used the threat of superpowers wrath and the Scoundrel quietly making
advances for patch up with his annoyed master.
At the same time he instructed Pakistani Haqqani in Washington to
write a column in US print media on his behalf. That write-up was meant for
public consumption in which the US administration was told not use aid for
blackmailing and not to consider Pakistani blood cheaper. These were the
things and few others like that which should have been said in the resolution.
4th October, 2011

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ORDER OR SUBMISSION
The Supreme Court gave its verdict on 6 th October in the case of suo
moto notice taken by the Chief Justice of a spate of turf war in Karachi in
which more than three hundred people, mostly innocent, had lost their lives.
PPP and MQM had closed their ranks on the eve of verdicts announcement
in anticipation of axe of justice falling upon them.
Their apprehensions were not unfounded because they knew better
than the judges of the Supreme Court the heinous crimes they had
committed for the control of mega city. The two scoundrels, resident and
absentee, were ready to defy any attempt at dispensation of justice. They

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must have been pleasantly surprised noticing that neither the heavens as
referred to by the CJP, or the axe as feared by the guilty party fell.
Next day, Zardari summoned PPP leaders of Sindh and representative
of Altaf Hussain, the Governor Sindh, to Islamabad. This get together on 8 th
October was meant to welcome the advice of the court and to work out a
plan to pre-empt any second thought by the judges about punishing someone
for which they seemed to have kept the door open.
The same day religious parties protest rallies across the country to
protest award of death sentence to the man who had killed Salman Taseer.
Electronic media, which tend to make breaking news out of some children
pelting stones observed complete silence over rallies, perhaps, in pursuance
of the code of conduct evolved by the enlightened media in which projection
of religious extremism has to be discouraged.

NEWS
On 3rd October, long hours of announced and unannounced power
load shedding pushed people to streets in various cities of Punjab. Violent
protests were erupted in Gujaranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Lahore, Multan,
Layyah and other cities and towns of the province, where provoked
protesters ransacked public and private property. Protesters blocked the
motorway at Lilla Inter-change, while due to traders strike, all markets
remained closed in Faisalabad.
In Gujranwala protesters blocked the roads and pelted stones on
various offices, during uproars, DSP and SHO and five other sustained
injuries. In Gujrat protesters burnt Gepco office. On the call of traders
bodies, there was a complete shutter down in Faisalabad. In Jhang PTI took
out the procession in front of DCOs office. A large number of people
participated in it.
Protests were also held in Karachi, Peshawar and Abbottabad. PML-N
MNAs wore black bands in National Assembly as mark of protest and also
staged walk out. MQM also criticized the government for its failing to solve
the problem of load shedding. KPK assembly urged centre to settle issues
with IPPs.
Federal Minister for Water and Power Naveed Qamar claimed that the
current wave of electricity load shedding will come to an end within couple
of days. He said that payments would be made to private power firms within

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two days. If the problem of circular debt is resolved, some 2, 000 MW of

electricity will add to national grid, he added.
Gilani directed the Ministry of Finance to immediately release the due
amount of PEPCO for onward payment to PSO for resuming full supplies of
fuel to the thermal power plants. Firdous Ashiq Awan said that at a time
when we are facing multiple challenges, the country needs unity but a
political party (PML-N) was trying to get political mileage from the
situation.
Nine people lost their lives from the dengue virus. Patients with high
fever continued to flock to different hospitals of the city. Residents
complained that the increased load shedding is only contributing to an
increase in the number of Dengue patients. This is a concern also shared by
the management of hospitals who say that load shedding is causing difficulty
in the treatment of patients.
Over a dozen suspects were taken into custody during Rangers
operation in Lyari and Malir overnight and police conducted house to house
search operation in Kati Pahari after some miscreants took police personnel
hostage in Orangi Town. In Lahore, Rs30 million were demanded for release
of son of Taseer.
EU Ambassador met Imran Khan; Khan stressed that the European
Union should ensure the holding of free and fair elections in Pakistan. The
LHC suspended LPG Production and Distribution Policy, 2011 which was
challenged by the LPG Association of Pakistan. TNRM held protest rally in
Lahore against court verdict against Qadri. Three ministers were among 14
MPAs of KPK who lost their seats for not submitting the declaration of
assets to election commission.
Next day, Supreme Court rejected governments plea for more time
over appointment of NAB chairman. The apex court ordered government a
quick appointment for the vacant post. The Additional Attorney General K K
Agha challenged a similar verdict of the apex court earlier through a review
petition.
Islamabad High Court issued notice to OGRA and Ministry of
Petroleum to submit their reply in a petition against increase in petroleum
prices. The petitions argue that increase in petroleum prices is a violation of
Article 9 of the Constitution. It prays the Court to declare the increase null
and void.

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The LHC suspended the sentence awarded by an anti-terrorism court

to former Sialkot DPO Waqar Chohan in the Sialkot lynching case and
granted him bail against the surety of Rs100,000. Another bench directed
NAB to return assets of Sharif family. In yet another case suspended
operation of the certain clauses of the new LPG (Production and
Distribution) Policy 2011, and issued notice for October 5 to the Chairman
OGRA on the petition filed by LPG Association of Pakistan.
Nawaz Sharif said that the government will have to face consequences
due to load shedding. He said that it seemed the rulers were deliberately
ruining countrys institutions. There was no letup in power load shedding
despite the regimes claim that 3,000MW have been added to national grid.
Protests continued across Punjab and some other parts.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the government performance, federal
ministers belonging to the PML-Q have submitted their resignations to the
party leadership. PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat presided over a party
meeting where the ministers severely criticized the government over its
failure to cope with the increasing load shedding that has sparked
countrywide protests.
On 5th October, leadership of PML-Q met with Zardari to convey the
reservations of PML-Q lawmakers, who assured to address their
reservations. After the meeting Shujaat Hussain said that the coalition with
PPP would remain intact. PML-Q and PPP decided to contest the next
general elections together, he said.
Late in the evening MQM returned to the haram of Zardari for the
good of country. MQM ministers will rejoin cabinets in the Centre and
Sindh. Earlier Gilani while speaking in National Assembly had declared that
agenda-less Opposition has been rendered isolated.
Nawaz Sharif offered talks on national issues and he urged Chaudhrys
to quit government for dialogue. He warned that continuity of PPP
government would bring disaster for the country. PML-N decided to stage
sit-in at Presidency on 6th October and coincidently, the Supreme Court will
be announcing verdict on suo moto case of killings in Karachi.
Aitzaz Ahsan supported the stance of PML-N led Punjab government
over the load shedding issue. Aitzaz said that the stance of Punjab regarding
the recent unprecedented spiral in the load shedding especially in Punjab
was justified. Punjab as compare with other provinces has suffered more
hardships. Meanwhile, death toll from dengue fever in Lahore rose to 153 as
eight more people, including a doctor, died of the disease.
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Next day, the Supreme Court of Pakistan issued its verdict in suo
motu case on Karachi targeted killing. Citing Quranic verses and Hadiths,
the CJ ruled Islam is a religion of peace and it doesnt allow killing innocent
people. He said target killing has become order of the day in Karachi, adding
that Sindh government took no measures to cope with extortion and targeted
killings.
Terence J Sigamony reported that the Supreme Court proposed dos,
donts for Karachi. The court directed the Sindh government to constitute a
high-level committee with the Sindh High Court chief justice as its head to
ensure that law enforcement agencies take indiscriminate action against all
those involved in unrest and violence.
The proposed committee be assisted by the chief secretary, the heads
of the security agencies. The chief justice of SHC shall convene the meeting
at least once a month to review the implementation of this judgment, and a
copy of the proceedings shall be transmitted to the Registrar of apex court
for appropriate orders by the bench at a later stage, if need be.
The bench observed that there are criminals who have succeeded in
making their ways into political parties, both that are part of the government
or are out of it. Such people, it said, were getting political and financial
support allegedly from such parties. The court also called for political parties
to end ties with criminal gangs. Failure to do so may entail consequences of
a penal nature against the party or person responsible, whether in office or
not.
According the judgment extortion is a normal practice and criminals
who claim their association with ANP, MQM, PPP, Jamat-e-Islami, Sunni
Tehrik, are collecting bhattha (extortion money), which, every day, runs into
at least Rs10 million and it is being charged from an ordinary shopkeeper,
rehriwala (push-cart peddler) to the top businessman by criminals who have
got the backing of the political parties.
The court observed that violence in Karachi this year and in the past is
not ethnic alone but is also a turf war between different groups having
economic, socio-politico interest to strengthen their position and
aggrandizement, based on the phenomenon of tit-for-tat with political, moral
and financial support or endorsement of the political parties.
The court said an application was lodged wherein documents were
filed to establish allegations against the sovereignty of Pakistan attributing to
Altaf Hussain. The court had pointed out to the counsel that he should have
filed affidavit of Dr Zulfiqar Mirza and also brought to his notice that instant
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proceedings are not adversarial but inquisitorial. However, Mirzas statement

in the newspapers has not been controverted (contradicted) by anyone,
therefore, the same will be presumed to have been accepted as it is held in
the case of Dr Mobashir Hussan v. Federation of Pakistan (PLD 2010 SC
265).
It declared that recent violence in Karachi represents unimaginable
brutalities, bloodshed, kidnapping and throwing away dead bodies and
torsos in bags; as illustration, indicating toll of 306 lives in one month;
detection of torture cells video of which has been produced; receiving bhatta
to strengthen the ranks of one group against the other; grabbing land; drug
mafia etc., destroying moveable and immovable properties of the citizens,
establishes that the fundamental rights of the citizens enshrined in Articles
9,14,15,18 and 24 of the Constitution have not been protected/enforced by
the provincial government. The court noted that the federal government has
also not protected Sindh province against internal disturbance, thus the
provincial government on this account, too, failed to carry out functions in
accordance with the Article 148 (3) of the Constitution.
It observed that in respect of banning any political party, including
MQM, against whom all the interveners mostly had voiced complaints is not
within domain of the Court at this stage as in terms of Article 17(2) of the
Constitution every citizen, not being in the service of Pakistan, shall have
the right to form or be a member of a political party, subject to any
reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the sovereignty or
integrity of Pakistan and it is the responsibility of the Federal Government to
act under Article 17 for action against any party violating this Article.
The court observed that no doubt the fear of reporting to some extent
is due to a lack of confidence in the administration and the police but that
confidence will have to be revived for the mutual benefit of all. It is for the
government to revive that confidence by not using the administration and the
police for political or private ends. It is now the bounden duty of the
government to continue with this status and not deflect the administration to
its own benefit in preference to the citizen.
It stated that to come out of instant grave situation of law and order in
Karachi, police force, being principal law enforcing agency, has to be depoliticized and strengthened so that they could, with full commitment,
dedication, zeal and zest, perform their bounden duty. The morale of the
police is low. Even honest policemen are demoralized. They are caught
between the devil and the deep sea. They are conscious of the fact that so
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many policemen who took part in the operations of 1992 and 1996 have
disappeared or have been eliminated.
The court further observed that to avoid political polarization and to
break the cycle of ethnic strife and turf war, boundaries of administrative
units like police stations, revenue estates, etc., ought to be altered so that the
members of different communities may live together in peace and harmony,
instead of allowing various groups to claim that particular areas belong to
them and declaring certain areas as NO GO Areas under their fearful
influence. Therefore in view of relevant laws, delimitation of different
constituencies has also to be undertaken with the same object and purpose,
particularly to make Karachi, a peaceful city in the near future. The Election
Commission of Pakistan may also initiate the process on its own in this
behalf.
It observed that Karachi is full of arms and ammunition of prohibited
and non-prohibited bores including licensed and illicit, therefore, Karachi
has to be cleansed from all kinds of weapons by adhering to the laws
available on the subject, and if need be, by promulgating new legislation.
It further said there is a need for a fresh comprehensive law to
eliminate and punish land grabbers and encroachers, as this is one of the
Karachis greatest problems. It is the duty of both governments to formulate
such law and initiate it in the appropriate assembly; and thereafter to
implement it fully without showing any favour or immunity to any person
whether a political favourite, ally or for any other personal or party
consideration.
The court reiterated that monitoring of the criminal cases should take
place in view of the observations made in the case of Sheikh Liaqat Hussain
(supra). Besides, the appointments of the Presiding Officers of the AntiTerrorism Courts should also not be delayed for any reason, as we
experienced during the hearing of the case that those appointments were
delayed for a period of nearly two years.
We direct that there must be no No Go Areas at all in Karachi, and
if any is found or credibly reported to the court the police or the Rangers,
required by the provincial government, shall take strong and decisive action
to eliminate it. The verdict said the police and Rangers are expected to
conduct the ongoing operation across the board without showing any favour
to any one and without being influenced from any quarter, be it political or
otherwise.

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The court directed that an independent and a depoliticized

investigation agency be deputed to conduct investigation of cases fairly,
honestly and without being influenced in any manner. Similarly, the
prosecution agency comprising competent prosecutors and the Provincial
Government/Executive must provide protection to the witnesses so that they
may depose against the perpetrators of crimes without any fear, enabling the
courts to decide cases against them in accordance with law. The prosecutors,
particularly for the Anti-Terrorism Courts should be appointed in a highly
transparent manner according to the Constitution and the law.
The Director General NADRA and the Inspector General Police,
Sindh, are ordered to set up a special joint cell with specialized officials and
experts along with sufficient manpower to establish several teams to visit on
the spot and identify illegal foreigners so that they may be dealt with strictly
in accordance with law after a proper hearing and opportunity to present
proof of their citizenship. They should attempt to conclude this exercise
preferably in one year.
The bench further directed that the IGP shall collect the record and
facts about the disappearance or elimination of all police and other officials
who took part in the Karachi operations of 1992 and 1996 or were witnesses
in ethnic or related crimes and present a report to the Court within the next
one month. It should also be mentioned whether their families were
compensated or not.
The provincial government shall place on record of the Court copies
of all judicial inquiries instituted in the matter of law and order in Karachi
since 1985. These shall be retained for perusal and for any necessary action
or appraisal of the situation at any time in the future, the court directed.
The court in view of the arguments disposed of suo motu proceedings
as well as Constitution Petition No. 61 of 2011 under Article 184(3) with the
saying of James Bryce that Our country is not the only thing to which we
owe our allegiance. It is also owed to justice and to humanity. Patriotism
consists not in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be
righteous as well as strongly.
Qamar Zaman Kaira appreciated the Supreme Court verdict and said
PPP-led government will implement the decision in accordance with law and
the Constitution. He added legal experts were busy examining the court
decision in detail to implement the same. Babar Awan, however, told a news
channel that he was yet to read the detailed judgment, and will be in a

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position to comment over it only when he had gone through the entire text.
Mirza was disappointed.
The MQM welcomed the Supreme Court verdict and vowed that the
party would keep supporting the efforts for bringing peace in Karachi. The
statement said the apex court verdict would help purge the city of criminal
elements and the ruling would help maintain lasting peace in the metropolis.
PML-N and JI lauded the verdict. JUI-F urged implementation saying the
verdict was based on facts. Jurists widely acclaimed the verdict. Citizens of
Karachi received it with mixed feelings.
PML-N flexed its muscle by leading an opposition rally and sit-in
outside President House, describing President Asif Ali Zardari as mother of
all the problems faced by Pakistan. PML-Ns Leader of the Opposition in
the National Assembly, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan led the joint opposition
rally attended by lawmakers of Jamat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, PML
(LM), PPP Sherpao group and score of independent candidates.
Nawaz Sharif arrived in Nawabshah to show solidarity with floodaffected people. He called for rallying behind him to save the country. The
government announced that load shedding has been ended as promised.
Zardari said no one can halt PPPs forward march and short-sighted people
wont succeed in shattering the coalition.
On 7th October, two dead bodies were found from Napier Road and
Sarjani Town in Karachi. Police recovered two abducted brothers from
Kalakot area of Lyari. Manzoor Wasan and AIG Saud Mirza scuffled during
a meeting called for reviewing law and order situation. Reportedly, Mirza
had accused Manzoor of interfering in administrative affairs of police and
seeking postings after accepting bribe.
Nawaz Sharif said that the government should ban all such political
parties who have militant wings and send references against them to the
Supreme Court. Addressing a press conference in Daulatpur, Nawaz said that
Karachi was a peaceful city but the peace was destroyed and those who are
involved in such heinous act, cannot serve the country. He alleged that the
present government is involved in spoiling the situation and that politics
should not be done at the cost of peace.
Religious and religio-political parties held rallies across the country to
protest against death sentence to Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, killer of former
Governor Salman Taseer and to press the government for his early release.
Sunni Ittehad Council leaders warned the rulers of long march to Islamabad
if Mumtaz Qadri was not released. The leaders also offered President Asif
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Ali Zardari a guarantee of full 5-year term to the PPP government in

exchange of release of Mumtaz Qadri.
Fourteen more people died of dengue fever, raising death toll to 206 in
Punjab. The Supreme Court delivered verdict on appointment of vice
chancellor of Bahauddin Zakria University; the court ruled that Governor is
bound to act on Chief Ministers advice. Hussain Haqqani issued a notice of
defamation to the Nawa-i-Waqt Group of Publications for publishing a
column that alleged that he is a US citizen.
Next day, Zardari expressed his resolve to implement the Supreme
Courts judgment on Karachis law and order situation in letter and spirit,
adding that it was the duty of the government to give protection to the lives
and properties of the citizens and this duty would be fulfilled at all costs.
Coalition partners developed differences over ministerial portfolios.
Pir Pagara threatened quitting government if ministries were taken from his
party. He said his party had struck an agreement with President Zardari,
Qaim Ali Shah was not a direct party. Pagara however said that Qaim
doesnt have any clear policy or political vision and the government would
be in trouble if the PML-F was left out, he added.
Imran Khan said that people will have to take to the streets for their
rights as being idle they will not able to bring change in the country.
Addressing a public meeting in Faisalabad he said there was 18 hour load
shedding and now it has decreased surprisingly. He added there was no
difference between animals and the people who rest in their homes,
experiencing injustices and raising no voice.
Altaf Hussain came down heavily on Nawaz Shasrif and accused of
duping flood affected people. He vowed to save government from all
destabilizing conspiracies. Five more persons died of dengue fever.
Chaudhry Nisars cousins joined PPP. Five policemen were among ten
injured in violent protest against killing of alleged criminal in Chiniot.
On 9th October, head of the Unification Block in the Punjab Assembly
said that his block will ask PML-N to dismantle the Punjab Assembly and
will join hands with the N-league if it agreed to do so. The regime felt jumpy
over loud thinking of dissolution idea about Punjab Assembly.
Nine people were killed in Karachi in incidents of violence. Police
and Frontier Constabulary in joint search operation, apprehended 50
suspects in the city. Dengue showed signs of retreat; no life was lost during

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day. Zardari proposed name of Admiral Fasih for NAB chairman; PML-N
wanted a neutral man.
Zulfiqar again declared the Federal Home Minister a liar and referred
to him as Shaitan Malik. Talking with media in Lyari, Mirza said that no
one could ban the Peoples Aman Committee which handed over all its
offices to him upon his request. Talking about the Supreme Courts decision
over Karachi situation he said that every loyal Pakistani is disheartened over
the judgment and he will issue 500,000 more weapons license if he is again
given portfolio of interior minister.
Shahbaz Sharif took serious notice of the Chiniot incident wherein
policemen allegedly had beaten and tortured women mercilessly. The chief
minister has ordered the police high-ups to submit a complete report of the
incident within 24 hours.

VIEWS
On 4th October, TheNation observed: It seems the whole country is
erupting in protests against the growing burden of load shedding, which
has increased dramatically Citizens protested the load shedding, which
also means that water pumps stop working, resulting, in turn, in the
interruption of the lifeblood of cities, water, at the very time students need it
to go to school or college, and workers to their places of work. Another
complicating factor has been that the province is in the throes of a dengue
epidemic, and the load shedding has meant that medical teams have to face
all sorts of difficulties in the discharge of their professional activities and the
patients' graver danger to their survival.
The reaction of the authorities, which is to use the traditional
administrative means of control, has apparently not worked. Handing
the situation over to the police has apparently not prevented enraged crowds
from attacking PEPCO offices or even banks, presumably because bills are
deposited there. The government had previously been warned that load
shedding had reached the point where it could provoke the kind of reaction
that had led to the Arab Spring. That has so far led to the overthrow of three
regimes, and may lead to more. The underlying problems of those countries,
in terms of overweening government pride and lack of future for the people,
are the same in both Pakistan and the Arab countries. Those warnings were
ignored, and the government allowed matters to linger on until they reached
the present pass.

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Apart from eliminating the circular debt issue in such a manner that it
does not recur, the government must make sure that these destabilizing
outages are brought to an end. It is not right that the government should
find itself threatened because of the lack of such a basic necessity that
electricity has become.
Next day, the newspaper added: The record load shedding that has
struck the nation with a vengeance these days has compelled the people to
stream out into the streets in increasing numbers. In sheer desperation, they
have been protesting for the past several days, not peacefully, not even just
noisily, but in a riotous manner, demonstrating their anger at the authorities
by burning a grid station, vehicles, tyres and buildings, pelting stones and
damaging property and blocking main thoroughfares anything that came
their way became their target. Watching the scenes of violent and rowdy
protests in the towns, which have been affected the most, it appears that
the entire nation has unleashed its wrath at the government for its
listlessness in the face of public suffering. As things threatened to go out of
hand, the powers that be woke up to pacify the crowds, with the Prime
Minister issuing orders for an immediate release of Rs11 billion to the
Ministry of Petroleum and National Resources to be passed on to the fuel
supply and power producing companies to set the electricity generation
process rolling.
With the shortfall between production and consumption crossing
8,000MW and resulting in shutdowns of between 14 and 20 hours, it would
have been unrealistic to expect that the situation would remain calm, even
though many a critic has been taunting the Pakistanis with words like a
sleeping nation It is a moment of serious reflection. The government
is proving a disastrous failure in every field of its responsibility. Experts
believe that given the will the power gap could have been bridged by now.
Had the old generating units replaced or repaired, work on the planned
power stations started and the hydel potential even partially utilized, the
nation would not have been suffering from the woes of blackouts. The
criminal neglect in ignoring the construction of big water reservoirs at
suitable sites like Kalabagh is a major reason for the lack as well as high
cost of electricity. National interests and, indeed, common sense demand that
setting aside provincial and parochial biases, the Kalabagh Dam project is
taken up without delay. The help of the Chinese, who are reportedly ready to
augment our hydel production capacity, should be immediately sought. And
work must begin straightaway on laying the required infrastructure for
receiving natural gas from Iran.
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On 6th October, TheNation commented on PML-Qs decision not to

break ranks with the federal government: What is really important is that
the PML-Q should join forces with the PML-N and together help steer the
country out of the mess it finds itself in. The aim should be to turn it into a
political force that it once was under the charismatic leadership of Quaid-iAzam. And let us not forget that it was with the element of unity that the
party was able to lead a movement that culminated in the formation of
Pakistan. The post independence break up of Muslim League into several
splinter groups and factions each with its own different manifesto that
prevails at present is but a sad reflection on the state of the party. It is for this
reason that various groups of PML should come under one umbrella. It is
heartening to note that PML-N has given feelers which indicate that it might
to willing to accept the Q-league back in its fold. Mian Nawaz Sharifs
statement that he welcomes PML-Qs decision to quit the government has
certainly raised the possibility of a rapprochement between the two forces.
Both the sides must put aside their personal differences or reservations
and instead stand on one platform to serve the nation in true sense of
the word. Certainly, not only they can become a strong opposition but
would become a force to reckon with in the next general election and can
hopefully achieve representation throughout the country. Muslim Leagues
resurrection into the party of Quaid-i-Azam in this time of trial and turmoil
would be a great blessing for the nation.
Next day the newspaper added: The governments policy of
reconciliation that in reality has so far proved to be nothing but politics
of loot and plunder, nepotism and favouritism to the utter neglect of
peoples interests or internal and external threats to the country has again
paid off. There is no longer any ambiguity about either the MQM or the
PML-Q being on board, again not that they are promised any good for the
suffering common man to come, but for their own self-interest. The MQM,
which has been part of the ruling coalition led by the PPP right from the start
when it had assumed power in 2008, both at the Centre and Sindh, and has,
more than once, opted out of it only to rejoin, has again had second thoughts
about its last decision to leave the government taken barely four months ago.
On Wednesday, it announced its intention to jump on the ruling bandwagon
again. As usual, both the federal and provincial governments did not accept
the resignations of its Governor as well as its Ministers. This time round,
however, there was one thing peculiar: after some hesitation, the MQM
succumbed to the government persuasion and let the Governor resume his
duty.

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The PML-Q, which had joined the coalition in May this year in the
hope that it would draw some benefit from being in the government,
appeared to be on the verge of quitting it on Tuesday, palpably because its
Ministers had felt outraged at the mounting power crisis in the country
appearing in the form of prolonged load shedding. Actually, their complaint
was that they were not given the importance that a coalition partner deserved
either in the distribution of cabinet portfolios or in taking into confidence
before important decisions are arrived at. Once they were assured that
their grouse would be addressed, they announced on Wednesday to stay
put.
The real beneficiary of all these manoeuvrings is the government and
the real winner President Zardari, who, in essence, rules the roost. The pity
is that had the coalition partners of the PPP acted on the politics of
principles, the predicament which the nation finds itself in at the moment
would have been spared. Unfortunately, the PML-Ns ruling fear that the
army might step into power and disrupt the process of democracy taking root
in the country put it on guard and did not let it play the role of a dynamic
opposition. But one would have wished that it had diligently worked for an
in-house change, and for this had kept its doors open to other parties,
including the PML-Q and other Muslim League factions, and forced the
government out of power or change its ways. However, now that the
government feels reassured of its stability, one would hope that all ruling
political parties would seriously strive to address the public grievances:
inflation, joblessness, load shedding, insecurity, poor health, education and
civic facilities.
On 8th October, TheNation observed: The sit-in in front of the
Presidency arranged by several political parties and surprisingly attended by
a PPP MNA who was particularly outspoken in his criticism of the
government is a clear proof of popular resentment against the Zardari
set-up. Indeed, Chaudhry Nisars comment that the people had voted
President Zardari into power to solve their problems, not to play political
games, is quite apt. The anger of the participants was largely directed at
official inaction against the scourge of load shedding, but anger was also
voiced against problems like unemployment and the deteriorating law and
order. Although the sit-in concluded peacefully, the next time around, it
could attract a greater mass of disgruntled men.
The pity is that rather than responding rightly by taking the
protest as a wake-up call, Mr Zardari indifferently remarked that his
government could not be toppled through sit-ins. Prime Minister Gilani
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also stated that those provoking the people to take to the streets could not be
called as leaders. He forgot that it is nothing but the problems of poverty,
inflation and above all debilitating load shedding that are causing people to
go up in arms. These protests and sit-ins must be taken seriously. The PPP
government must busy itself with solving outstanding issues on a warfooting.
In another editorial the newspaper wrote: The Supreme Court, while
pronouncing its judgment on the case about Karachis blood-soaked
situation of which it had taken suo moto notice, has ordered the authorities
to take certain specific measures, which if adopted would, once again, turn
the long suffering city into a peaceful thriving centre of trade and industry.
Both the provincial and federal governments were fairly and squarely
blamed for their failure to take effective steps to control target killings, the
extortion mafia and other ills that have bedeviled Karachis climate. The
police did not walk away with a non-guilty verdict; its performance was
regarded as unsatisfactory. The judges cited in their verdict the Joint
Investigation Teams report to the effect that all political parties with a stake
in Karachi were engaged in extortion and asked them to expel the criminal
elements from their ranks.
The 152-page ruling reached the heart of the problem, prescribed a
comprehensive solution within the provisions of the Constitution and One
cannot more agree with the SC that if the situation does not change, it
will be difficult to run the affairs of the government. Unfortunately, much
against the wishes of the Karachiites, Thursday, the day when the MQM
rejoined the ruling coalition, witnessed another round of daring murders
six, including two political workers. It might be just a coincidence, but once
all major forces join hands in the governance of the province, there should
be no doubt about peace taking hold. The government should take heed of
the fact that if democracy has to take root and flourish in the country, the
first requirement would be guaranteed security of life and property of all its
inhabitants.
Mazhar Butt from Karachi wrote: The Supreme Court judgment on
the Karachi killings was more of a commentary than a judicial order
and nothing new was said in it. We all know which parties and gangs are
involved in the killings. The people were expecting a ruling which would
order bringing the culprits to book. The criminal elements, which seem to be

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in hibernation mode currently, will continue to wreak havoc on the city

unless they are caught and severely punished.
Tariq Nazir Syed from Rawalpindi opined: In its verdict the Supreme
Court bench hearing the case mentioned the political parties involved in
extorting money from businessmen. However, the SC did not identify the
parties involved in the heinous crime of targeted killing and kidnapping for
ransom. Overall, the much awaited verdict was disappointing.
M Rafique Zakaria from Karachi observed: The same evening, as the
people of Karachi went to sleep after Supreme Courts judgment on Karachi
turmoil, four people were killed in the new spate of target killings and some
vehicles were torched as some religious party had given a strike call for
Friday 7th October 2011. Did anything change after the Supreme Court's
judgment? Or the things are yet to get worse in the days to come?
Inayatullah commented: Reverting to the Supreme Court judgment
on the Karachi killings and breakdown of law and order, the opposition and
in particular PML-N now, has more than adequate authentic material in
the shape of the court findings and directives and also in the Resolution
passed by the All Parties Conference, to prepare and publicize White
Papers on the governments performance and a blueprint of realistic
defence and foreign policies.
The federal government and the ruling party today stand thoroughly
exposed. They have failed to deliver, as found by the Supreme Court. They,
indeed, have remained unconcerned with peoples misery and the damage
done to industry because of a deliberate neglect of their duty to provide
electricity. The widespread power riots and the multiparty dharna in front
of the presidency has forced the government to take remedial steps. The
opposition, if it throws its weight intelligently and forcefully, can further
drive it into a corner and create condition for it to quit. Unfortunately, the
PML-N wasted more than three years in a wild goose chase, letting a master
tactician play ducks and drakes with impunity using power and pelf to keep
himself afloat and making a mockery of the Constitution and Parliament.
May one hope that the oppositions new resolve to dislodge a failed
government will not be a one-day tamasha, a flash in the pan, and that
there will be a well devised plan to sustain the campaign to achieve the
desired results.
The News wrote: Steadily, the degree of anger against an inept
government and more specifically President Asif Ali Zardari is rising.
The most vivid demonstration of this, in political terms, has come as the
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PML-N led by Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, persuaded other political parties to
join it in marching away from parliament and heading to the presidency. The
knowledge that the president was there at the time only added fervour to the
slogans demanding that he quit and asking what had been done to solve the
mammoth problems confronting the nation. Chaudhry Nisar also put the
same question to other parties in the alliance including the MQM and the
PML-Q. The opposition protest immediately follows the violent, nationwide
protests we have seen against power outages. In Sindh, addressing a large
rally at Sakrand, Mian Nawaz Sharif said that the government had no right
to waste resources which should be used to benefit the people. There can
obviously be no disagreement on this point. It is clear that anti-government
feelings are running high. Not many would disagree with either the opinions
expressed by Chaudhry Nisar or Nawaz Sharif. It is evident that these views
are shared by people everywhere. The developments in the coming days will
be interesting to watch.
But what is really frightening is the total lack of response from the
government. In his latest statement, the prime minister has asserted that all is
well and that the president should not be blamed for the plethora of
problems we face. If the top leadership is not even willing to acknowledge
that problems exist, and consistently dismisses all evidence that they do, we
are in even deeper trouble than we imagine. There can be no solutions till
there is an acceptance that very grave issues exist and that the
government needs to do something about them. Whether the PML-N efforts
to adopt a more forceful attitude to pointing these out succeed in somehow
getting things back on track and helping the process of reform remains to be
seen.
Next day, The News commented: Incidents of target killings
significantly decreased after the Supreme Court took suo motu notice of
killings in Karachi in August. This Thursday, the SC read out its verdict in
the case The Supreme Court explicitly blamed the failures and inaction of
the executive and provincial administrations for the violence in Karachi and
directed them to protect the city from future bloodshed and politicallysponsored crimes. But it became clear the very same day that the
government is not up to the task: target killings resurfaced in the Sindh
capital even as the chief justice was reading out his judgment, leaving at
least six dead, including activists of the MQM and the Sunni Tehreek.
The judgment has clearly not had the expected sobering effect on
the forces involved in the violence, even though the court has warned to
keep a watchful eye on the situation through a supervisory committee
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headed by the CJ Sindh High Court that will ensure that law enforcement
agencies take indiscriminate, across-the-board action against those involved
in causing disturbances in Karachi. But how much can be expected from the
federal and provincial governments when they comprise political parties that
have, according to the court itself, played their respective dark roles in
incidents of target killings, extortion and other crimes in Karachi? The
verdict has called for the government to make new laws on land-grabbing,
create an independent and depoliticized investigation agency to investigate
crimes, set up a special cell to deal with illegal immigrants, collect facts
about the disappearance of police officers who took part in the 1992 and
1996 Karachi operations, and pay compensation to the victims. Would it be
unfair to say these are all tall orders for this seemingly indifferent
government?
The verdict has asked the government to ensure smooth running of
economic and commercial activities in the city by taking steps against illegal
shutter-downs and strikes which paralyze life and cause losses of billions of
rupees. But just the day after the verdict, a partial strike was observed in
several parts of Karachi after a strike call by the Sunni Ittehad Council to
protest the conviction of Mumtaz Qadri. The Supreme Court also ruled that
the issuance of a large number of arms licences was one of the reasons for
unrest in the provincial capital. But on the very day the verdict was read out,
firing incidents were reported in Korangi, Landhi, New Karachi, Shah Faisal
Colony, Gulistan-i-Johar, Samanabad and a few other areas of Karachi, and
three public buses were set ablaze in the Korangi and Orangi Town areas. Is
this the governments idea of maintaining order? Can we expect anything
to change in Karachi? Just 24 hours after the SC verdict, it is difficult to
answer this question in the affirmative.
Jalees Hazir observed: The MQM is back in the fold of the coalition
government and would like us to believe that it has taken the decision in
national interest. Similarly, the PML-Q's reservations regarding the
government and the resignations of its ministers submitted in the last party
meeting, disappeared in thin air after telephonic assurances were given to the
party head by President Zardari. Once again, the government has a
comfortable majority in the National Assembly and the partners in power
are all set to benefit from cooperation
National Interest is the magic term employed by political
leadership of all hues to explain away their unexplainable somersaults
and marriages of convenience. Take the case of PML-Q for instance. Senior
leaders and parliamentarians from the party bitterly criticized the unpopular
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government and questioned the political wisdom of being a part of it. The
ministers belonging to the party were not happy for another reason; they felt
that they did not enjoy the power to run their ministries the way they would
have liked to and that they were being denied the instruments of power and
patronage that being in government brings with it. So what were the
assurances that President Zardari gave to Chaudhry Shujaat that convinced
him to shelve the reservations of his party and jump back into the
government's lap? Was he told that the PML-Q ministers would be given the
power, privileges and patronage possibilities that they were complaining
about? Or did the President enlighten him about secret rabbits in his magic
hat, policies that would make the PPP-led government popular and hence not
such a bad thing to be a part of?
For all we know, the discussion could have been about completely
different matters. The PPP critics would say that their conversation on the
telephone had nothing to do with either of the two issues, but revolved
around Moonis Elahi and his troubles, and what the government would do
to alleviate them. On the other hand, PPP jiyalas would swear by the
reconciliation charm of their big boss and talk about saving the system and
democracy from undemocratic forces. Reporters hobnobbing with those in
the power circle and armed with unnamed, but reliable sources would come
up with inside information and tell us a juicier story. Since the main
characters of the story don't feel accountable to the people they represent,
and do not feel that they owe the nation some explanation, the people of
Pakistan would be left to themselves to draw their own conclusions.
The contents of the dialogue between the PPP and MQM, and the
dynamics of their on-again, off-again cooperation is similarly left to the
imagination of shocked citizens, carefully decided in meetings between ace
negotiators conducted behind closed doors and clouded by a smokescreen of
statements that mean nothing. There is no word about Dr Zulfiqar Mirza's
serious allegations, no attempt by the MQM to clear itself of specific charges
he leveled against the party and no desire on part of the PPP to probe
Rehman Malik whose dubious role in the Karachi crisis was boldly
challenged by the former Sindh Home Minister. The two parties have
obviously come to some understanding about sharing power, but they
would not like us to know about the terms of that understanding. As
they play their power games, they would like an uninformed electorate to
have trust in them and play along.
Meanwhile, the opposition parties are divided due to their own petty
partisan interests and are unable or unwilling to agree on a national agenda
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that addresses the problems of governance So the democracy circus

continues, as the problems confronting the nation mount. The political
leadership continues in its power games that have lost all relevance to the
public and its issues. The political bosses are deaf, even to the conscientious
objectors within their parties, who bring their attention to their responsibility
to the people and the dangerous outcome of the games they play. And when
other, more democratically evolved institutions like the Supreme Court and
the independent media manage to bring a perspective informed by the
national interest into focus, they scuttle the possibility of acting in the
direction by drowning out these voices of sanity in their loud partisan
squabbles that are only aimed at point-scoring and furthering their petty
political objectives. Interestingly, they would like the citizens to swear by
democracy as an article of faith. Why would they?
The argument that our democracy has problems because it has been
interrupted too often does not hold. We need to look deeper into the
malaise of a system that is supposed to represent the interests of the
people, but ends up bolstering the fortunes of the political elite and its
privileged sponsors. After all, the system of democracy has had a smooth
sailing in the US. Yet, the Occupy-Wall-Street initiative has unleashed an
angry movement in that country against a system that the American citizens
feel doesn't represent them. The students, labour unions, the unemployed,
and the underprivileged and even conscientious citizens, who have not
suffered directly due to the pro-rich and pro-war policies of their democratic
government, are out on the streets to challenge a system that benefits a small
minority at the expense of the vast majority. It is unlikely that they could be
convinced that a few more elections would make things fall in their right
democratic place.
Sana Bucha wrote: The three musketeers are back together in the
government. Or would you rather I call them idiots? Indeed, the rising antigovernment discourse and the explosion of anti-Zardari rhetoric from
right-wingers and among some conservatives, is well deserved. However,
will this hysteria secure optimum result for the myriad problems confronting
the country? Sadly, simplistic attacks on President Zardari and his
governments initiatives or lack of are an insult to the audience. Rather
than engaging ourselves in substantive analysis and policy critique, we
have all become easy prey for mindless debate.
Yes, President Zardari is smart. He plays well. He has his coalition
partners exactly where he wants them. With him. The PML-Q an uneasy
alliance partner that was cleverly placed to replace the unpredictable MQM
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 is now a more permanent member of the PPP coalition club. But rules
apply: the member must strengthen the ruling government in
parliament and a seat-adjustment promise for the next elections.
In return the auspicious PPP club must ensure Moonis Elahis
freedom and make true on their promise of carving out lucrative ministries
for the members greedy lot. Meanwhile, for the MQM, the membership
fees has considerably been reduced while the fine has been paid by the
PPP club itself: a state ministry or two, a certain someone to be implicated
and kept in custody (preferably forever) and of course, a large (read: largest)
share in Karachi.
Analysts dismissed the PML-Qs resignations act as nothing more
than political posturing, while the MQM hoped people would buy their
ever sellable mantra: of rejoining the government in the national interest of
the country. For those who were hedging their bets on whether the MQM
would make a comeback the party has quit the coalition at least five times
before were richer Wednesday night. Let us forget the past, said
Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad in a joint press conference moments after the
news of MQMs return dominated the airwaves. Yes, Mr Governor. Let us
look beyond the target killings, which left hundreds of people dead and
forget that there ever existed a man called Zulfikar Mirza. Lets forge
ahead on a path that was laid out in blood a short while ago. Lets welcome
another round of an unholy alliance.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court, in its verdict on Karachi implicates
all political parties the PPP, MQM, ANP, Sunni Tehrik and Jamat-e-Islami
of their involvement in criminal activities. They have been asked to expel
all criminal elements from their parties rank and file. Other than making a
few observations and recommendations, it seems that the Supreme
Court has thrown the ball back into the governments court.
Speaking of alliances, guess who the new kid on the block has allied
with recently? Imran Khans new man: former governor of Punjab and expresident of the PML-Q, Mian Mohammad Azhar The friendly
opposition decided to go for an image makeover. Violent protests and
accusatory remarks became the order of the day. What started out as attacks
on offices and grid stations of Pepco and Lesco developed into a fiery war of
words between the ruling government and the PML-N. One spoke of inept
attitude of the ruling elite for regular wage earners, while the other accused
the first of not being able to rid Punjab of dengue.

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Those who vowed to safeguard democracy now took to the streets to

dismiss Zardari. That will help us overcome our power shortage for sure.
The government is ignorant on how to avert the crisis for good, but it
doesnt seem like the opposition has a plan either. Nor did those who
walked the extra mile behind Chaudhry Nisar. A principled stance always
comes second to show of strength. The party that has recently been attacked
by right-wingers on their friendly policy with India stance, now walked
together towards the presidency. Lastly, what is beginning to cause me great
concern is our collective hysteria in response to the governments lack of
enterprise. Would our people be better or worse off under the agenda of
directionless violent protests? I ask you.
Dr Farrukh Saleem observed: President Zardari can actually end
load shedding with the stroke of his pen. My friend, one of the best
economists I know, suggests taking out Rs150 billion from PSDP and
throwing it at Pepco. Let Rasul Khan Mahsud, MD Pepco, pump billions
into power producers and let power producers pay off oil companies. Lo and
behold, there will be no load shedding till the PPP wins at least a simple
majority in the senate election in March. Wasnt it Henry Kissinger who
said, ninety percent of the politicians give the other ten percent a bad
reputation?
Talking of politicians why do we have so few female politicians?
Answer: It is too much trouble to put makeup on two faces. And then we
have others who believe that a life spent making mistakes is not only more
honourable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.
Who says the PPP government doesnt listen? All that you have
to do is to come out, block roads, destroy government property and
burn old tyres. Pakistanis are frustrated and depressed. The PPP ought to
know that there is only a short bridge between individual frustration and
collective aggression. One thing this PPP government has learned is which
bridge to cross and which to burn. Some forty years ago I was told that
anybody could become president. It has taken me forty long years to believe
what I was told when I was younger. Thats just being slow, not stupid.
Collective aggression means chaos and anarchy. And thats exactly
what the Taliban are looking for. Hopefully our state has a plan because our
society does not. Can power riots become a trigger converting individual
frustration to collective aggression?
Paisa is important, how one earns it is not. Thats the failure of
society. Everyone in and around the president house is neither poor nor
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hungry. But Pakistanis away from the Constitution Avenue are getting poorer
and going hungry. Poverty and hunger are said to be parents of revolution.
We are a country with too many bombs and no ideas. Remember; there is
more dynamite in an idea than in many bombs.
What is our democracys future? Somalia or Turkey? A
revolution, I am told, is a struggle between the past and the future.
Democracy, once again, means that anyone can grow up to be president. And
anyone who doesnt grow up can be the prime minister. Yes, we have a
president and, yes, he has a plan. But, according to John Lennon, life is what
happens to you while youre busy making other plans.

REVIEW
As already mentioned in the beginning, the Scoundrel successfully
enticed PML-Q and MQM to be with him. They decided on 5 th October to
keep the ruling coalition intact with common objective of saving the
country facing numerous internal and external threats. The most ominous
threat that had been identified was the Supreme Court verdict scheduled to
be announced next day.
The two scoundrels leading PPP and MQM had hurried to close their
ranks and jointly tackle any untoward situation likely to be created by the
Supreme Court. It was a show of force by the criminals to send a message to
the judges of the apex court; watch out before announcing the verdict.
The verdict, the so-called verdict, was disappointing for those who
sought justice to punish and deter the criminals. What the Chief Justice read
out was more of a sermon by a conventional mulla of a jamia masjid rather
than a verdict written and read out by a Justice heading the apex court.
Like a soft spoken mulla he advised all the accused parties to
identify the killers and extortionists within their rank and file and hand
over them to law enforcement authorities for law to take its course. Laskari
Raisani was absolutely candid in his observation that it was more of
counseling than verdict of a court. It was not a court order but a set of
proposals.
The Chief Justice read out a lengthy charge sheet that included
heinous crimes most of which fell in purview of anti-terror laws. He also
referred to plenty of incriminating evidence produced before the court. But,
the court refrained from administering punishment to any of the culprits
making limitation of jurisdiction a pretext.
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The honourable judges ruled that to impose a ban on a particular party

was not in their powers. Yes, but incriminating evidence produced before the
bench, about political parties maintaining armed wings for killing opponents
and collecting extortion money, should have merited disqualification of such
parties. The only silver lining is that the door on such course of action has
been kept opened.
Similarly, the court ruled that at least one-third of police has been
enrolled on political basis and this law enforcement force must be depoliticized. This has to be done by provincial government led by Qaim Ali
Shah and Ishratul Ebad; honourable judges seemed to be having enough
sense of humour.
The court ordered the government to send references against those
who have been accused of conspiring against the federation. Quite
astonishingly, this advice came only hours after Afaq Ahmed of MQM-H
was arrested on the basis of ten year old FIR on the behest of Altafs MQM
against whom Zardari has to send a reference as advised by the honourable
Chief Justice.
The court also ordered investigation and filing of cases against those
who targeted and killed more than 150 policemen which had taken action
against MQM militants in mid 1990s. The judges clearly identified the cat
and the need to bell that but left it to Qaim Ali Shah to do the needful. One
can keep counting the anomalies in proposals made by the court that would
never be accepted by the Executive.
Soon after the announcement of the verdict, all the parties accused of
committing crimes in Karachi out rightly denied involvement of any of their
activists in any kind of crime. This was an expected stance to be taken by
them and it was not difficult to be anticipated by the learned judges at the
time of dictating golden words of the so-called verdict.
All the accused parties claimed that the verdict was, in fact, an
acquittal order by the court of all the charges against them. The main culprit,
MQM, was the first to welcome the court verdict, which meant that
prospects of verdicts implementation were quite bleak; of course, if there
was anything in it that the court wanted to be implemented.
The Registrar Supreme Court should put up to the Chief Justice video
recordings of all the panel discussions held on TV channels in the evening
after he had read out the verdict. Having watched those, his optimism
about implementation of the verdict, provided he had any, would evaporate
in thin air.
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The information minister of Sindh had ruled all that the Chief Justice
had said on 6th October were proposals or suggestions. In other words, he on
behalf of the government has refused to accept the contents of 152-page
document produced by the bench as court order; at best it was a working
paper, or a feasibility report. Gilani, the counsel of ANP, was prompt in
commenting that this verdict wont be implemented.
The Chief Justice was very right in saying during the hearing in
Karachi that justice would be done; let the heavens fall. Unfortunately, he
and his four companions ensured that sky did not fall whether the justice
was done or not. The fact remained that heavens had fallen before the start
of the court proceedings; not on the criminals but on innocent people of
Karachi.
The very next day, the resident don summoned his team to his
Islamabad den along with representative of the absentee don. The stated
intention of this gathering was to consider facilitation of implementation of
the verdict. The real aim can be inferred from the past record of respect
shown for the court verdicts.
They will sit together to find out ways and means to pre-empt the next
possible step by the Supreme Court possibility of which has been pointed
out by the constitution of a committee under Chief Justice of SHC. The
Scoundrel will try his utmost to keep his record unblemished by ensuring
that the proposals, or working paper, or feasibility report prepared by
Iftikhar and Company is not converted into a court order.
Anyone who shows some desire for implementing the Supreme
Courts verdict will be dealt with like AIG Saud Mirza. Reportedly, the
senior police officer objected to political interference in transfers of police
officers, which ended up in a brawl with Manzoor Wasan, home minister
Sindh. Resultantly, Mirza is likely to be reverted back the Centre.
To conclude, it can be said that in view of the constant ridicule of
court orders suffered at the hands Zardari regime in last two-and-half years,
the Supreme Court thought it wise to leave much of the matter to the
discretion of the Executive. Instead of attempting to scratch some ugliness
off the face of Executive the apex court has tried to save its face from
scratching; thus instead of giving an order it preferred to submit.
10th October, 2011

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ANWAR AL-AWLAKI
The United States proudly announced on 30th September that it has
killed Anwar al-Awlaki in drone-launched missile attack in Yemen. It
imperial hubris, however, restrained it from saying a word of thanks to its
stooge in Sanaa without whose cooperation the mission could not have
been completed. Nothing was said to Saudi rulers; the backers of Ali
Abdullah Saleh.
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Some of the American observers disapproved his extra-judicial

execution, despite he being a staunch practicing Muslim and a preacher; it
was due to the fact that he was a born-American. They did not condemn his
killing, but that having been done without going through due legal process.
As regards Muslim world not one raised his/her voice and accepted it like
the most subservient subjects of the imperial power.
Discussion on other issues was sidelined by this major visible
success of the Crusaders. Libya had new flag to mark its shift from defiant
to pliant state of the West. Russian and Chinese veto dampened the Wests
designs about Syria. Food shortage in East Africa was not a matter of
concern for the civilized world.

NEWS
Africa, constituting the southern flank of the Europe, was almost
completely secured. It might have remained a Dark Continent for its natives,
Niggers or Arabs, but for the Crusaders all lights in the continent had been
turned green. Ruler of Zimbabwe may have been source of some irritation,
but he being non-Muslim merited no punitive action.
Fighting erupted between troops of new rulers of Libya and diehards
of Kadhafi near the port of Sirte on 26th September. Next day, heavily armed
anti-Kadhafi fighters tightened their siege of Sirte as hundreds of terrified
civilians poured out of the city. Fighters loyal to the new government also
pounded the desert city of Bani Walid.
On 28th September, intense sniper and artillery fire from pro-Gaddafi
fighters prevented NTC forces from taking Sirte despite more than two
weeks of fighting and two full-on assaults. Libyas new rulers believed
fugitive ex-leader Gaddafi was being shielded by nomadic tribesmen in the
desert near the Algerian border. Next day, Libyan interim government forces
recaptured the airport in Sirte, amid mounting concern for civilians trapped
inside the besieged city. Sudans Vice President flew to Tripoli, the most
senior Sudanese official to do so since the change of regime in Libya.
On 30th September, snipers held the troops of new regime at bay from
the town of Sirte. Next day, it was reported that about 7,000 SAM-7 antiaircraft missiles from Gaddafis arsenal had gone missing. Libya had bought
20,000 SAM-7 missiles. On 2nd October, civilians fled the town of Sirte as
battles raged for control; the Red Cross warned of a medical emergency.
Next day, anti-Gaddafi forces claimed capturing the town of Sirte.
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On 6th October, Panetta said there is no clear set of conditions in Libya

that will trigger an end to the combat mission, but the operation will not be
over if serious fighting and threats to the population continue. Speaking after
a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Panetta said the ministers
agree that the decision will depend on whether forces loyal to ousted leader
Gadhafi are still able to attack civilians and whether the opposition forces
are able to provide security for the country as it moves to democracy.
Next day, Panetta met with troops at a naval air station that played a
key role in Libya. From this base on Sicily, NATO allies have launched
thousands of air missions, including flights by the Global Hawk surveillance
drone. He noted that when the Libya operation began, critics questioned
whether it was the right mission, the right time and the right force. He said
that critics have now been proved wrong by the coalition's success in
supporting the revolutionary forces that mounted a successful campaign to
oust Moammar Gadhafi.
On 9th October, forces loyal to Qadhafi were battling a relentless
NATO-backed air and ground offensive in the strategic city of Sirte, whose
fall is expected to set in motion preparations for elections and post-war
reconstruction. The noose seemed to be tightening around Qadhafi loyalists,
who have been attacked by TNC forces from three different directions.
In Egypt, pipeline in Sinai that supplies Israel and Jordan with gas,
was blown up on 27th September. Next day, it was announced that Egypts
first parliamentary elections would be held in 12 stages, including run-offs,
over a period of four months. Elections for members of the lower house and
upper house will be divided into three stages each with a run-off for every
stage. Voting will kick off on November 28.
On 30th September, protesters gathered in Cairos Tahrir Square for
what was billed as a mass rally to reclaim the revolution amid anger over the
military rulers handling of the transition. Next day, Egypts military chief of
staff Sami Enan met party leaders a day after protesters converged on
Cairos central Tahrir Square to demand reforms.
On 5th October, Army said it wont propose candidate in forth-coming
Egyptian election. Four days later, violent protests were held in Cairo and
Alexandria after an attack on a Church. The protesters threw petrol bombs at
security forces when stopped; four soldiers were among 23 people killed.
In Somalia, pirates hijacked a Malaysian ship on 28 th September with
crew on board which included six Pakistanis. On 4 th October, militants
detonated a truck bomb in front of the education ministry in Somalia's
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capital, killing at least 70 people and wounding dozens including students

and parents who were awaiting the results of scholarships. It was the biggest
attack in Somalia's capital since the al-Qaeda-linked group known as alShabab withdrew most of its forces in August amid an offensive by African
Union forces and a devastating famine.
Middle East continued suffering from its old and new pains. In Iraq,
a suicide bomber killed three people and wounded dozens in Kirkuk city on
29th September when he blew up his car outside a bank where police were
collecting their salaries. Next day, at least 18 people were killed and dozens
wounded when a car bomb exploded among mourners crowding into a
Shiite funeral in the city of Hilla. On 2nd October, two roadside bombs
killed seven anti-al-Qaeda Sunni militiamen north of Baghdad. Next day, 13
people were killed when soldiers raided a local government compound in
Anbar Province to free a hostage.
In Israel, police arrested a Hamas lawmaker on 26th September, who
had been hiding for more than a year in the ICRC offices in East Jerusalem.
On 1st October, Irans supreme leader rejected the Palestinians UN statehood
bid saying any deal that accepted the existence of Israel would leave a
cancerous tumour forever threatening the security of the Middle East. Two
days later, a mosque was torched in northern Israel.
In Syria, tanks pounded a town on 26 th September; injuring at least
three people in the central region of Homs. Two days later, tanks pounded a
town that had become a refuge for army deserters for a second day. At least
1,000 deserters and armed villagers fought tank and helicopter-backed forces
trying to regain control of Rastan, a town of 40,000, in central Syria.
Meanwhile a nuclear engineer was murdered.
On 29th September, Ankara asked Damascus to offer the Muslim
Brotherhood government posts in exchange for Turkeys support in ending
rallies in Syria; offer was rejected by Bashar al-Assad. Pro-regime
demonstrators hurled stones and tomatoes at US Ambassador. Next day, 11
people were killed in clashes with security forces in central Hama Province.
Europe dropped sanctions in resolution of Syria.
On 2nd October, Syrian opposition movements formed a united front
against President Bashar al-Assad's regime at a meeting in Turkey. Next day,
US claimed the fall of Syrian regime was a matter of time. On 5 th October,
Russia and China used their veto right and blocked a draft UN resolution
that threatened sanctions against Syria if President Bashar Assad's
government continued violence against the opposition in the country. On 7 th
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October, security forces opened fire at protesters in several parts of the

country, killing at least three people and wounding scores as thousands
marched in the streets calling for the downfall of Assad's regime.
President of Iran, Ahmadinejad on 6th October reiterated the
significance of adopting firm measures towards the country's progress,
insisting that the Iranian nation has no fear of repeated enemy accusations
against the country such as a plan to atomic bombs.
On 28th September, special court in Bahrain upheld life jail sentences
served on seven Shiite opposition leaders convicted of plotting to overthrow
the regime. Two days later, the UN human rights office voiced concern at the
harsh sentences handed down by a court in Bahrain to 20 medical staff, two
leaders of a teachers association and at least 32 other individuals. On 3 rd
October, Bahraini court sentenced 36 Shiites for up to 25 years in prison in
cases linked to pro-reform protests.
Seven al-Qaeda suspects were put on trial in Saudi Arabia on 2nd
October. Two days later, eleven policemen were among 14 injured in riots in
an eastern Shia-majority town.
In Yemen, rebel tribesmen claimed shooting down a jetfighter on 28 th
September. On 30th September, the US-born Anwar al-Awlaki was killed
with several other suspected al-Qaeda operatives, in an air strike which hit
two vehicles in Marib province. On 2nd October, government warplane
mistakenly bombed an army position in Abyan province, killing at least 30
soldiers and wounding many more. Next day, gunmen killed four soldiers in
the south.
On 4th October, mortar fire killed two Yemenis and wounded six in
Sanaa and north of it; a newly appointed general was killed by armed proopposition tribesmen in the mountainous region of Naham. Fourteen more
people were killed in other incidents, including air strikes. Next day, seven
people were killed and 22 wounded in bombardment in the south. On 8 th
October, Ali Abdullah Saleh said he is ready to step down within days but
would not hand over power to his foes.
Two days later, the New York Times reported that Awlaki was the first
American citizen who the White House authorized US agencies to kill since
the al-Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington a decade ago. Legal
experts who have long criticized a US government programme to kill
members of al-Qaeda abroad as a breach of international law say the killing
of Awlaki last month may also have broken US law.

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The 50-page memorandum completed in June 2010 reportedly

justified the operation despite an executive order banning assassinations and
international laws prohibiting such activity. The document was tailored
specifically to the case of Awlaki and did not seek to set a precedent for
similar such operations, according to the report. Awlaki was a legal target for
assassination because he was part of al Qaedas war against the US, he posed
a significant threat to US citizens and Yemeni authorities were not taking
steps to or were unable to bring him to justice, the document purportedly
found.
He had been implicated in a botched attempt by AQAP to bomb a USbound plane in 2009 and had contacts with a US Army psychiatrist who
killed 13 people at a US military base the same year. US authorities had
branded him a global terrorist and last year authorized his capture or
killing, but Sanaa had previously appeared reluctant to act against him.
Awlaki was eloquent in English and Arabic.
In Mainland Asia, angry China warned Washington on 4th October
that passage of a bill aimed at forcing Beijing to let its currency rise could
lead to a trade war between the world's top two economies. China's central
bank and the ministries of commerce and foreign affairs accused Washington
of politicizing currency issues and putting the global economy at risk after
US senators voted to start a week of debate on the bill. A day earlier, two
policemen were killed in bomb blast in Moscow.
In Europe, six Pakistani nationals were charged on 27th September
with planning an act of terrorism in Britain, as part of a plot that included
training in Pakistan, preparing for suicide bombings and constructing an
explosive device. A seventh man was being questioned. On 2nd October,
German authorities said they had arrested four alleged Islamists on suspicion
of illegally obtaining weapons.
On 9th October, more than 200 UK-based terrorists are currently
plotting to carry out suicide bombing attacks in Britain and are likely to
strike during next year's London Olympics intelligence chiefs have warned.
Government ministers have been briefed on the threat by senior intelligence
officers from MI5 and MI6 who claim the figure is a 'conservative estimate'.
The information is said to be part of a secret government report on the
enduring threat from Al-Qaeda and other Islamic terrorist organizations.
In America, a judge told Raymond Davis on 4th October to control
his anger and then charged him with assault. Earlier, the CIA spy, who was

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freed by the puppet regime in Pakistan after payment of blood money in

double murder case, had been detained when he picked up a brawl while
parking his car.

VIEWS
Comments on Yemen and Anwar al-Awlaki were predominant during
the period. On 27th September, James Carafano commented: President
Obama seems headed toward repeating the failed war-making strategies
of Kennedy and Johnson. His new strategy attempts war on the cheap. It
relies on drone strikes, SEAL Team 6 and other tiny footprint tactics.
These have their place, but over-reliance on them will create wars
in the shadows, with no accountability or transparency. Worse, other
countries wont see the US out front fighting to defend its interests and
uphold the banner of freedom. Allies will see only a nation leading from
behind, one that is, at best, uncommitted (at worst, indifferent) to their fate.
The presidents plan will dramatically hollow out our military,
relying instead on a phantom empire of intelligence to maintain US
security. That approach draws on the worse impulses of colonial rule and
the excesses of the US secret campaigns of the Cold War.
Candidate Obama often (and wrongly) painted President Bushs
counterterrorism strategy as a combination of dubious secret wars and openended big wars. Ironically, President Obamas new strategy promises to
turn that caricature into a reality. For all its missteps and mistakes, the
Bush strategy produced measurable successes: dozens of attacks on the US
thwarted; a sharp reduction in attacks against US targets abroad; an
insurgency crushed in Iraq, and a similar strategy showing promise in
Afghanistan. The strategy worked because it took the battle to the enemy
and demonstrated resolve, perseverance and initiative.
Obama is now reverting to a minimalist use of force and influence. It
has been tried before and proven anything but a prescription for peace.
Low-cost covert operations are insufficient to manage the world and
prevent bad things from happening. And when the really bad things do
happen, the nation finds itself unprepared to deal with them because our
military forces are hollow. Suddenly we must pay far more in blood and
treasure than our boutique defence strategy has saved. Future history books
will note that George W. Bush led us into expensive wars that could be won.

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But Obamas cut-rate strategy may well lead us into even bigger and
more expensive wars of uncertain outcome.
Khaled Ziadi wrote: Surely a revolution exacts a price and nothing
comes for free. But Yemens youth are fighting Salehs oppression and
aggression against them and they will maintain the unity of the country. On
Sunday they were killed in Change Square while singing Yemens national
anthem. It is obvious that Salehs government will not take any serious steps
towards a peaceful settlement of the crisis in Yemen, and nothing justifies
the recent violence by Salehs govt. The youth in Yemen proved to the world
their determination in favour of fighting terrorism while Salehs regime used
the terrorism bogey to get financial aid from the West.
I believe it is time for the international community to get involved
and help Yemen before it is too late. The world should strongly condemn
these crimes against humanity. It is really shameful and bizarre that the
Yemeni government uses violence and excessive power, then expresses its
sorrow and condemnation over its crimes in its response to the UN Human
Rights Council. It does not work this way.
I think Saleh lost his chance for safe exit and the International
Criminal Court should issue an arrest warrant for Saleh and his son over
the crimes against humanity committed against unarmed civilians in Sanaa,
Taiz and Arhab. Also Switzerland should freeze any assets belonging to
Saleh and his family, just like it froze the assets of the former presidents of
Tunisia and Egypt, Zine Al Abidine Bin Ali and Hosni Mubarak,
respectively.
The recent violence in Yemen should be an incentive for the
international community to break its silence, and the world should not
continue to ignore what is happening in Yemen. Without doubt,
international silence pours more oil on the fire and increases the chances of
military means being used to resolve the longest revolution in the Arab
Spring so far. It seems to be that Yemen is heading towards unending chaos
and instability.
Next day, James Spencer wrote: The presidents return, and reassumption of his presidential powers, may also be part of his strategy for
prolonging the ineffectual dialogue with the political opposition,
brokered by the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC). The president will
doubtless continue to delay and obfuscate: beginning negotiations over
again, or insisting on unacceptable preconditions. The call for elections, in
his speech on Sunday, fits this pattern exactly.
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But it is still strange that Saleh should need to return physically,

since his absence insulated him from immediate political pressure. It
may be, however, that he sees more political advantage in returning to the
fray judging that this is a particularly opportune moment to re-insert
himself into Yemeni politics and positioning himself as the only one who
can restore order
If Saleh and his cronies are to enjoy a peaceful and prosperous
retirement, they need to ensure that they hand over power to others
equally steeped in crimes against Yemenis. The extent of immunity from
prosecution in the GCC transition plan has yet to be defined: some regime
underlings will not be covered by it.
The fact that the Saudis allowed Saleh to return is equally
significant. Previous reports stated that the lavishness of the palace in which
Saleh recuperated was to encourage him to stay: the Saudis have a long
history of hosting dissident or exiled politicians.
Allowing him to return suggests that the Saudis are concerned
about the situation in Yemen, and would rather someone control part of it
than no one controls any of it. If so, it is likely that the Arab League and
GCC will continue to avoid examining or acting on Yemeni issues, to the
youth movements fury. Salehs return also suggests that the Saudis do not
have an alternative candidate to succeed him, on whom all factions of the
royal family agree. This puts Saudi Arabia in a similar position to the west.
Both of these key external parties might be willing to settle once again for
Saleh, especially if he is able to restore some modicum of public order or
demonstrate a counter-terrorist effect.
Where the two differ is that whereas a democratic candidate (of
whom there are several in the Diaspora) might serve the wests needs better
than another strong man, the Saudi royals regard a genuinely elected leader
of Yemen as threatening their own rule. While the president may have
initially believed that he could sit out the protests, pressure has built over the
last few weeks. In the event that it turns to civil war, Saleh is now on hand to
take charge of his forces in what bodes to be a catastrophic finale to his
presidency.
Mowahid Hussain Shah commented: Big powers get big and
remain big when they think big and act big. But when they are shackled
by domestic compulsions and petty politicking, then they become a figure
akin to Gulliver tied down by the Lilliputians.

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The US political culture today is polarized and strangulated by the

grip of narrowly focused special interests, as demonstrated through
Washingtons opposition to the Palestinian drive to seek statehood at the
UN. On the saga of Palestinian statehood, Israels Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu holds more sway in the US than President Barack
Obama. When the history of Americas decline shall be written and,
without exception, all civilizations do decline it shall be directly
attributable to the subordination of vital American concerns to vested
interests.
2011 has been a nightmare year for autocrats, with regimes in Tunis,
Cairo and Tripoli consigned to the dustbin. Unnerving, too, has been the
impact of the tumult in Yemen and Bahrain. Syria is similarly unraveling,
with its potentially explosive impact on Israel, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and
Jordan. The ripple effect of the slow motion shattering of the status quo
is spreading beyond.
The Turkey-Israel rift is a new dimension in the region. And Turkey,
by picking up the Palestinian banner, has hit a touchstone issue, which
defines Western-Muslim relations and tensions while, at the same time,
shaming the Arab autocrats as a bunch of do-nothing nitwits.
US policymakers long comfortable in dismissing critics of its proIsraeli policies as the violent extreme now find it harder to be that
dismissive about Turkey, which was presented as a secular moderate role
model. David Ben Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel, studied law in
Istanbul.
Israelis are worried. Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in
particular, in a New York Times article of September 22, warned Israel of a
future where it will find making reconciliation impossible. It also
underlines a vulnerability in US policy in that those it has tried to
cultivate in the Muslim world have been exposed as the least
representative of popular aspirations in the Muslim world.
The biggest casualty of US policy is the United States itself and its
isolation on the global stage. It is now incapable of being a neutral umpire.
Forty years ago, the late Senator Fulbright had warned that the US would
become a crippled giant.
The Palestinian cause is the grandmother of global issues.
According to the New York Times of September 23 during separate
meetings with Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General virtually every

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leader has brought up the need to solve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. No

justice there means no peace anywhere.
With much of the West Bank annexed, Jerusalem occupied, borders
unsettled, settlements expanding, the return of refugees thwarted and the
Palestinian people still uprooted, the two-state solution is effectively gone.
Chilling consequences loom ahead.
But, as far as the impostor leaders of the Muslim world are
concerned, they continue to pursue a course of personal gain for
themselves, their family and cronies. In doing so, they only represent
themselves and the few that follow their personal agendas and profit from
it.
On 2nd October, Shashank Joshi wrote: If you watch one of Anwar alAwlakis hundreds of YouTube videos, the first thing that strikes you is the
American accent in which he delivers his exhortations to fight, a residue of
his childhood in New Mexico. But its misleading. Awlaki spent his teens,
and his final and most influential years, in Yemen. And thats where the
aftershocks will be felt most strongly, just one week after President Ali
Abdullah Saleh returned from medical treatment in Saudi Arabia. In life, as
it may prove in death, Awlaki was probably more important to Salehs
political fate than he was to the global fighting movement.
The rise of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) presented a
strange opportunity for the Yemeni government. The groups ability to
threaten the US as with the underpants bomber of 2009, and last years
cartridge bomb plot meant that the US saw AQAP rather differently.
Yemen was seen almost exclusively through the lens of the war on terror.
Although Saleh sought to avoid looking like a Western puppet, he
quickly realized that this was an opportunity to siphon off millions in
US aid.
Thats why the death of Yemens bte noire, the so-called bin Laden
of the internet, has such curious timing. Pakistan, if you recall, has
perfected a technique whereby Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders are arrested or
killed days before a US senator is due to visit. Has Saleh lifted this trick?
Yemen is disintegrating because the President, through his family, is refusing
to give up power. Theres every chance the intelligence leading to
Awlakis death was supplied as an attempt at political survival.
It wouldnt be the first time he has told the US that only he can take
on the terrorists. After popular protests in March, Saleh simply withdrew his
elite units from the al-Qaeda-blighted province of Abyan to give Western
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leaders a taste of what might follow his ousting. If Awlaki was a victim of
Yemens faltering revolution, has Saleh therefore killed the goose that
laid the golden eggs? Last year, the President famously told a US diplomat
that the Americans were hot-blooded and hasty when you need us, but
cold-blooded and British when we need you. Even exploiting Awlakis
death may not save Saleh he is trying the patience of even allies like Saudi
Arabia. But his successors neednt worry about being abandoned. The US
has been rapidly escalating (frequently counterproductive) drone strikes in
Yemen over past months, partly out of concern that AQAP is building links
to Somalias main insurgent group, al-Shabaab. Perhaps the greatest danger
now is that Saleh persuades his outside backers that he is indeed their man in
Sanaa but, by clinging on, tears Yemen apart. The resulting opportunities for
al-Qaeda could make Awlaki pale into insignificance.
Michael Ratner asked: Is this the world we want? Where the
president of the United States can place an American citizen, or anyone else
for that matter, living outside a war zone on a targeted assassination list, and
then have him murdered by drone strike.
This was the very result we at the Centre for Constitutional Rights
and the ACLU feared when we brought a case in US federal court on behalf
of Anwar al-Awlakis father, hoping to prevent this targeted killing. We lost
the case on procedural grounds, but the judge considered the implications of
the practice as raising serious questions, asking: Can the executive order
the assassination of a US citizen without first affording him any form of
judicial process whatsoever, based on the mere assertion that he is a
dangerous member of a terrorist organization? Yes, Anwar al-Awlaki was a
radical Muslim cleric. Yes, his language and speeches were incendiary. He
may even have engaged in plots against the United States but we do not
know that because he was never indicted for a crime.
This profile should not have made him a target for a killing
without due process and without any effort to capture, arrest and try him.
The US government knew his location for purposes of a drone strike, so why
was no effort made to arrest him in Yemen, a country that apparently was
allied in the US efforts to track him down?
There are or were laws about the circumstances in which deadly
force can be used, including against those who are bent on causing harm to
the United States. Outside of a war zone, as Awlaki was, lethal force can
only be employed in the narrowest and most extraordinary

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circumstances: when there is a concrete, specific and imminent threat of an

attack; and even then, deadly force must be a last resort.
The claim, after the fact, by President Obama that Awlaki
operationally directed efforts to attack the United States was never
presented to a court before he was placed on the kill list and is untested.
Even if President Obamas claim has some validity, unless Awlakis alleged
terrorists actions were imminent and unless deadly force employed as a
last resort, this killing constitutes murder.
We know the government makes mistakes, lots of them, in giving
people a terrorist label. Hundreds of men were wrongfully detained at
Guantnamo. Should this same government, or any government, be allowed
to order peoples killing without due process?
The dire implications of this killing should not be lost on any of
us. There appears to be no limit to the presidents power to kill anywhere in
the world, even if it involves killing a citizen of his own country. Today, its
in Yemen; tomorrow, it could be in the UK or even in the United States.
On 3rd October, Peter D Feaver wrote: The news that US forces have
killed radical cleric Anwar al-Aulaqi marks an important threshold in
the war on terror. Reasonable people can disagree about whether this will
constitute a demoralizing blow to the global terrorist network aside from
bin Laden's successor, Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Awlaki was probably the most
prominent al-Qaeda linked figure at large or whether it will simply inspire
more martyrs to AQ's cause. And they can disagree about whether it was
legal/ethical for Obama to target an American citizen who was not convicted
in court, or whether the Obama administration is over-relying on targeted
drone strikes and is insufficiently attentive to the downsides. My own sense
is that this dramatic event will intensify the international debate about the
drone strikes and that the clamour could come to resemble similar
complaints about Gitmo and the interrogation of detainees in the first decade
of the war.
But I don't think reasonable people can disagree about two other
things: first, whether the Obama administration is treating this struggle as a
war and second, whether the Obama administration is across-the-board too
soft on terrorists. I should say they can't disagree about this any longer since
I understand why there were doubts before. Those doubts are hard to sustain
now.
First, it is clear that the administration views this struggle as a war,
whatever silly spin they tried out before regarding overseas contingency
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operations against man-made disasters. This latest drone strike is only

lawful under the laws of armed conflict (i.e. the laws of war), and even
then only under the particular (expansive) interpretation of the legal regime
that Bush invoked when he declared this a war. President Obama may be
squeamish about being explicit and clear in his rhetoric, and he is certainly
ambivalent about his role as wartime commander-in-chief and all of the
associated responsibilities that entails, but he has repeatedly ordered kinetic
action that can only be justified if one understands that America is at war
with an adversary that does not resemble the adversaries we used to fight in
so-called traditional wars. You can claim Obama should not be treating this
as a war, and you can claim that Obama has not applied the war-frame
consistently across the range of his policies. But there can be no doubt that,
at least in this one area, Obama views this as a war: He has to; otherwise he
has ordered unlawful actions.
Second, it is beyond dispute that in one important area Obama is
tough on terrorists, arguably tougher in this one respect than Bush.
Bush inaugurated the use of drone strikes in the war, but Obama
dramatically ramped up the pace, has been willing to sustain this pace
despite the corrosive effect it has had on our crucial partnership with
Pakistan, and now has been willing to cross another symbolic threshold with
this strike. And as was the case with the bin Laden raid, this strike reflects a
military unilateralism that rivals anything done in the Bush era.
Obama is, in short, the Rambo of drone warfare and so it is not
fair to accuse him of being soft on terrorists. This is a heavily caveated
assessment, for one of the differences between Obama and Bush is that Bush
developed a more coherent and systematic strategy and embedded the
kinetic dimension within that larger strategy (reasonable people can debate
how effective the Bush administration was in implementing that strategy).
Obama's overall strategy is not as coherent and systematic (cf. Iraq policy,
artificial and arbitrary timelines, inattention to mobilizing support, etc.). And
on some of his terror policies, the incoherence does seem tied in part to what
critics could consider softness. But there is no doubt that Obama, as he
promised during the 2008 campaign, has shown a vigour in deploying one
important weapon in his arsenal: drone strikes.
This strike doesn't mean that Obama is invulnerable to campaign
critiques about his handling of the war on terrorism, let alone critiques about
his handling of national security more broadly. But it does mean that his
Republican challenger will have to develop a sophisticated critique, and
can't rely on the kinds of caricatures that were so effective against, say,
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Dukakis, or even Carter. There are plenty of areas where one could argue
that Obama has been too soft, but when it comes to kinetic military action,
Obama presents a more complex picture and so will warrant a more nuanced
critique.
Jonathan Masters commented on targeted killing policy of the US.
The United States adopted targeted killing as a tactic to pursue those
responsible for the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The Pentagon
and the Central Intelligence Agency have employed the controversial
practice with more frequency in recent years, both as part of ongoing combat
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in counterterrorism efforts in
Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia.
Since assuming office in 2009, Barack Obama's administration has
escalated targeted killings, primarily through an increase in unmanned drone
strikes on al-Qaeda and Taliban leadership, but also through an expansion of
US Special Operations kill/capture missions. The successful killing of
Osama bin Laden in a US Navy SEAL raid in May 2011 and the drone strike
on al-Qaeda's number two Atiyah Abd Rahman, in August 2011 are prime
examples of this trend. The White House points to these outcomes as
victories, but critics continue to condemn the lethal tactic on moral, legal,
and political grounds. Despite the opposition, most experts expect the
United States to boost targeted killings in the coming years as military
technology improves and the public appetite for large-scale, conventional
armed intervention erodes.
What are targeted killings?
According to a UN special report on the subject, targeted killings are
premeditated acts of lethal force employed by states in times of peace or
during armed conflict to eliminate specific individuals outside their custody.
Targeted killing is not a term specifically defined under international law,
but gained currency in 2000 after Israel made public a policy of targeting
alleged terrorists in the Palestinian fighters. The particular act of lethal force,
usually undertaken by a nation's intelligence or armed services, can vary
widely-from car bombs to drone strikes to special operations raids. The
primary thrust of US targeted killings, particularly through drone strikes, has
been on al-Qaeda and Taliban leadership networks in Afghanistan and the
remote tribal regions of Pakistan.
What are the legal considerations surrounding US targeted killings?
The Bush and Obama administrations have sought to justify targeted
killings under both domestic and international law. The Obama
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administration expounded its stance most notably in March 2010, stating

that the United States remains in armed conflict with al-Qaeda, as well as
the Taliban and associated forces, in response to the 9/11 attacks, and may
use force consistent with its inherent right of self-defence under international
law. The White House asserts that the US right of self-defence, as
enumerated in Article 51 of the UN charter, may include the targeted killing
of persons such as high-level al-Qaeda leaders who are planning attacks,
both in and out of declared theatres of war. The administration's posture
includes the prerogative to unilaterally pursue targets in states without their
prior consent if that country is unwilling or unable to deal effectively with
the threat.
The US raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, is
demonstrative of the Obama administration's policy, which some have
condemned as a violation of national sovereignty, given that Washington
chose not to notify Islamabad of the incursion. Philip Alston, the former UN
special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions,
condemns the US claims of self-defence as overly expansive, stating that if
other states were to claim the broad-based authority that the United States
does, to kill people anywhere, anytime, the result would be chaos. Matthew
Waxman, a CFR expert on international law, says that while the strike on bin
Laden would normally be a violation of state sovereignty, the US
government is well within its rights to use force on foreign soil without
consent if there is an overriding necessity of self-defence.
As a matter of domestic law, the legal underpinning for US
counterterrorism operations and the targeted killing of members of the
Taliban, al-Qaeda, and its affiliates across the globe is the 2001
Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), which the US
Congress passed just days after 9/11. The statute empowers the president to
use all necessary and appropriate force in pursuit of those responsible for
the terrorist attacks.
The United States has had an official ban on peacetime assassinations
since 1976; however, targeted killings are not subject to the prohibition
because of the AUMF, insofar as US responses to the events of September
11, 2001, are concerned. In addition, by classifying terrorism as an act of
war, rather than as a crime, the government is not bound by the legal
constraints of due process.
CFR national security expert John B. Bellinger says the law is in
need of a significant update. The 2001 AUMF is ten years old now and
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getting a little long in the tooth-still tied to the use of force against the
people who planned, committed, and or aided those involved in 9/11, he
says. The farther we get from [targeting] al-Qaeda [e.g., al-Shabaab in
Somalia], the harder it is to squeeze [those operations] into the AUMF. As
of August 2011, Congress is debating a 2012 National Defence
Authorization Act that seeks to drop any reference to 9/11 in the AUMF and
reaffirm a state of armed conflict (Politico) with al-Qaeda and associated
forces.
The United States maintains that targeted killings are consistent with
law of war principles, chiefly those of distinction and proportionality. In a
2010 speech, Harold Koh, legal adviser of the US Department of State, said
distinction requires attacks be limited to military objectives, and that
civilians and civilian buildings not be targeted. Proportionality, he added,
prohibits attacks expected to cause undue collateral damage relative to the
military advantage gained.
What methods of targeted killing does the United States employ?
Drone Strikes
Targeted attacks launched from unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones,
have ballooned under the Obama administration. A study undertaken by the
New American Foundation reports that in his first two years of office,
President Obama authorized nearly four times the number of strikes in
Pakistan as President Bush did in his eight years. The report, which relies
solely on media accounts of attacks, claims that some 225 strikes have been
launched since 2009, killing somewhere between 1,100 and 1,800 militants
(as of August 2011). While alternate reports (BIJ) also document the
escalation in drone strikes in recent years, the accounting of militant and
civilian deaths can vary widely depending on the source.
Traditionally the CIA has managed the bulk of US drone operations
outside recognized war zones, such as in Pakistan, while the Defence
Department (DOD) has commanded operations in established theatres of
conflict, such as in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya. But in some instances, the
drone operations of both the CIA and DOD are integrated, as in the covert
drone campaign in Yemen (WSJ), where the United States is marshalling
counterterrorism forces in the wake of recent political unrest.
Kill/Capture Missions
Since President Obama assumed office, the Pentagon has also
increased the use of special operations raids (aka kill/capture missions) from
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675 covert raids (ArmyTimes) in 2009 to 1,879 so far in 2011. According to

the Pentagon, approximately 84 to 86 percent of these night raids end
without violence (National Journal). NATO officials report that the target is
successfully killed or captured (Wash Post) 50 to 60 percent of the time. As
conventional US forces begin to drawdown, the role of counterterrorism
operations, and in particular these kinds of special missions, will become
prominent, says ISAF commander General John Allen.
The covert raids are directed by an elite element within the US
military known as Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). The
clandestine command draws top personnel from groups like the Navy
SEALs and Army Delta Force and maintains a direct relationship with the
executive branch. JSOC has tripled in size since 9/11 and currently operates
in a dozen countries. Jeremy Scahill of The Nation writes: The primacy of
JSOC within the Obama administration's foreign policy-from Yemen and
Somalia to Afghanistan and Pakistan-indicates that he has doubled down on
the Bush-era policy of targeted assassination as a staple of US foreign
policy.
What are the political implications of US targeted killing?
A prominent criticism of US targeted killings, and of drone strikes in
particular, is over the issue of collateral civilian deaths. Some official
Pakistani sources claim that seven hundred innocents were killed in 2009
alone, while US government sources claim that fewer than thirty civilians
were killed from May 2008 to May 2010. Writing in Foreign Affairs, Peter
Bergen says the more salient question is, What impact has the drone
program in Pakistan and, by extension, that in Afghanistan? Violence in
Pakistan has risen sharply since the drone campaign began, according to the
US National Counterterrorism Centre, however Bergen adds that a number
of factors could have contributed to these increases. Other critics suggest
targeted killings are counterproductive and a bane to US Pakistan
relations. Imran Khan, a member of the Pakistani opposition, says that
drones strikes and similar US tactics breed more terrorism.
Civilians and local governments also condemn night raids as
culturally offensive, given that US soldiers enter homes in the dead of night,
with women present, and utilize dogs (which are viewed as impure) in their
search. Afghan President Hamid Karzai (Wash Post) has called for a
reduction in these covert missions and demanded that local soldiers take
over the role.

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Proponents of targeted killings say the civilian death toll is

exaggerated for political purposes and claim drone strikes and night raids
remain the most effective and discreet tactics in pursuing militant leaders
and their networks, especially as the United States begins to seek a smaller
military footprint in the region.
Daniel L. Byman of the Brookings Institution says that targeting top
terrorists like bin Laden removes charismatic and pragmatic leaders who are
difficult to replace. In addition, by targeting an Organizations lieutenants, it
is possible to exhaust the terrorist group's bench. CFR's Micah Zenko says
that while drone strikes are an effective military tactic, military victory is
not tantamount to political success. He says that while a policy of
leadership decapitation can reduce a group's capacity, it neither ruptures
group cohesion nor ideological commitment.
What is the future of targeted killings?
Blowback from civil liberties and human rights groups is likely to
grow in direct proportion to any increase in targeted killings. Organizations
such as the ACLU and Human Rights Watch have raised pointed questions
regarding the perceived lack of accountability and transparency. Others
question if the United States is setting a negative precedent that will be
invoked by other nations (Wash Post) acquiring similar technology, such as
China and Russia. CFR's Bellinger expects targeted killings to become much
more politically provocative given the Obama administration's current
posture, and asks if drones will become Obama's Guantanamo?
Nevertheless, analysts point to several factors indicating that an
expansion of US targeted killings in the near term is likely. Drone strikes
and special operations raids put fewer Americans in harm's way and provide
a low-cost alternative to expensive and cumbersome conventional forces.
This alternative is further enhanced given the probability of future cuts in the
defence budget and a waning public appetite for long, expensive wars.
The rise of the so-called non-state actor, operating in loose
transnational networks, as the principal threat to US national security also
lends itself to an expansion of US targeted killings. Other experts say
technological advances, including precision-guided munitions and enhanced
surveillance, have given the United States a greater ability to target these
particular individuals while reducing collateral damage. In July 2011,
Obama's chief counterterrorism advisor, John Brennan, provided a portent of
things to come: Going forward, we will be mindful that if our nation is

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threatened, our best offence won't always be deploying large armies abroad
but delivering targeted, surgical pressure to the groups that threaten us.
Targeted killings are integral part of Americas secret war for which it
has established the terror network in 120 countries. Nick Turse talked of this
on 5th August, which should make an appropriate reading when read with the
above. He wrote: Somewhere on this planet an American commando is
carrying out a mission. Now, say that 70 times and youre done ... for the
day. Without the knowledge of the American public, a secret force within
the United States military is undertaking operations in a majority of the
worlds countries. This new Pentagon power elite is waging a global war
whose size and scope has never been revealed, until now.
After a US Navy SEAL put a bullet in Osama bin Ladens chest and
another in his head while storming his compound in Pakistan, one of the
most secretive black-ops units in the American military suddenly found its
mission in the public spotlight. It was atypical. While its well known that
US Special Operations forces are deployed in the war zones of Afghanistan
and Iraq, and its increasingly apparent that such units operate in murkier
conflict zones like Yemen and Somalia, the full extent of their worldwide
war has remained deeply in the shadows.
Last year, Karen DeYoung and Greg Jaffe of the Washington Post
reported that US Special Operations forces were deployed in 75 countries,
up from 60 at the end of the George W Bush presidency. By the end of this
year, US Special Operations Command spokesman Colonel Tim Nye told
me that number will likely reach 120provides striking new evidence of a
rising clandestine Pentagon power elite waging a secret war in all
corners of the world.
Born of a failed 1980 raid to rescue American hostages in Iran, in
which eight US service members died, US Special Operations Command
(SOCOM) was established in 1987. Having spent the post-Vietnam years
distrusted and starved for money by the regular military, special operations
forces suddenly had a single home, a stable budget, and a four-star
commander as their advocate.
Since then, SOCOM has grown into a combined force of startling
proportions. Made up of units from all the service branches, including the
armys Green Berets and Rangers, Navy SEALs, Air Force Air
Commandos, and Marine Corps Special Operations teams, in addition to
specialized helicopter crews, boat teams, civil affairs personnel, para-rescue
men, and even battlefield air-traffic controllers and special operations
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weathermen, SOCOM carries out the United States most specialized and
secret missions. These include assassinations, counter-terrorist raids, longrange reconnaissance, intelligence analysis, foreign troop training, and
weapons of mass destruction counter-proliferation operations.
One of its key components is the Joint Special Operations Command,
or JSOC, a clandestine sub-command whose primary mission is tracking and
killing suspected terrorists. Reporting to the president and acting under his
authority, JSOC maintains a global hit list that includes American
citizens. It has been operating an extra-legal kill/capture campaign that
John Nagl, a past counter-insurgency adviser to four-star general and soonto-be Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director David Petraeus, calls an
almost industrial-scale counter-terrorism killing machine.
This assassination programme has been carried out by commando
units like the Navy SEALs and the Armys Delta Force as well as via drone
strikes as part of covert wars in which the CIA is also involved in countries
like Somalia, Pakistan and Yemen. In addition, the command operates a
network of secret prisons, perhaps as many as 20 black sites in
Afghanistan alone, used for interrogating high-value targets.
From a force of about 37,000 in the early 1990s, Special Operations
Command personnel have grown to almost 60,000, about a third of whom
are career members of SOCOM; the rest have other military occupational
specialties, but periodically cycle through the command. Growth has been
exponential since September 11, 2001, as SOCOMs baseline budget
almost tripled from $2.3 billion to $6.3 billion. If you add in funding for
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it has actually more than quadrupled to
$9.8 billion in these years. Not surprisingly, the number of its personnel
deployed abroad has also jumped four-fold. Further increases, and expanded
operations, are on the horizon
A former SEAL who still sometimes accompanies troops into the
field, McRaven expressed a belief; that as conventional forces are drawn
down in Afghanistan, special ops troops will take on an ever greater
role. Iraq, he added, would benefit if elite US forces continued to conduct
missions there past the December 2011 deadline for a total American troop
withdrawal. He also assured the Senate Armed Services Committee that as a
former JSOC commander, I can tell you we were looking very hard at
Yemen and at Somalia.
During a speech at the National Defence Industrial Associations
annual Special Operations and Low-intensity Conflict Symposium earlier
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this year, Navy Admiral Eric Olson, the outgoing chief of Special Operations
Command, pointed to a composite satellite image of the world at night.
Before 9/11, the lit portions of the planet mostly the industrialized
nations of the global north were considered the key areas. But the
world changed over the last decade, he said. Our strategic focus has shifted
largely to the south ... certainly within the special operations community, as
we deal with the emerging threats from the places where the lights arent.
To that end, Olson launched Project Lawrence, an effort to
increase cultural proficiencies like advanced language training and better
knowledge of local history and customs for overseas operations. The
programme is named after the British officer, Thomas Edward Lawrence
(better known as Lawrence of Arabia), who teamed up with Arab fighters
to wage a guerrilla war in the Middle East during World War I. Mentioning
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Mali and Indonesia, Olson added that SOCOM now
needed Lawrences of Wherever. While Olson made reference to only 51
countries of top concern to SOCOM, Nye told me that on any given day,
Special Operations forces are deployed in approximately 70 nations around
the world. All of them, he hastened to add, at the request of the host
government.
According to testimony by Olson before the House Armed Services
Committee earlier this year, approximately 85pc of special operations
troops deployed overseas are in 20 countries in the CENTCOM area of
operations in the Greater Middle East: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran,
Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan,
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates,
Uzbekistan, and Yemen. The others are scattered across the globe from
South America to Southeast Asia, some in small numbers, others as larger
contingents
Its no secret (or at least a poorly kept one) that so-called black
special operations troops, like the SEALs and Delta Force, are conducting
kill/capture missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Yemen, while
white forces like the Green Berets and Rangers are training indigenous
partners as part of a worldwide secret war against al-Qaeda and other
militant groups. In the Philippines, for instance, the US spends $50 million a
year on a 600-person contingent of Army Special Operations forces, Navy
Seals, Air Force special operators, and others that carries out counterterrorist
operations with Filipino allies against insurgent groups like Jemaah
Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf.

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Last year, as an analysis of SOCOM documents, open-source

Pentagon information, and a database of Special Operations missions
compiled by investigative journalist Tara McKelvey (for the Medill School
of Journalisms National Security Journalism Initiative) reveals, Americas
most elite troops carried out joint-training exercises in Belize, Brazil,
Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Germany, Indonesia, Mali, Norway, Panama, and
Poland.
So far in 2011, similar training missions have been conducted in
the Dominican Republic, Jordan, Romania, Senegal, South Korea, and
Thailand, among other nations. In reality, Nye told me, training actually
went on in almost every nation where Special Operations forces are
deployed: Of the 120 countries we visit by the end of the year, I would say
the vast majority are training exercises in one fashion or another. They
would be classified as training exercises
With control over budgeting, training, and equipping its force,
powers usually reserved for departments (like the Department of the Army
or the Department of the Navy), dedicated dollars in every Defence
Department budget, and influential advocates in congress, SOCOM is by
now an exceptionally powerful player at the Pentagon.
With real clout, it can win bureaucratic battles, purchase cutting-edge
technology, and pursue fringe research like electronically beaming messages
into peoples heads or developing stealth-like cloaking technologies for
ground troops. Since 2001, SOCOMs prime contracts awarded to small
businesses those that generally produce specialty equipment and
weapons have jumped six-fold As outgoing SOCOM chief Olson put it
earlier this year, SOCOM is a microcosm of the Department of Defence,
with ground, air, and maritime components, a global presence, and
authorities and responsibilities that mirror the Military Departments,
Military Services, and Defence Agencies.
Tasked to coordinate all Pentagon planning against global terrorism
networks and, as a result, closely connected to other government agencies,
foreign militaries, and intelligence services, and armed with a vast inventory
of stealthy helicopters, manned fixed-wing aircraft, heavily-armed drones,
high-tech guns-a-go-go speedboats, specialized Humvees and Mine
Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, or MRAPs, as well as other state-ofthe-art gear (with more on the way), SOCOM represents something new in
the military.

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Whereas the late scholar of militarism Chalmers Johnson used to

refer to the CIA as the presidents private army, today JSOC performs
that role, acting as the chief executives private assassination squad, and
its parent, SOCOM, functions as a new Pentagon power-elite, a secret
military within the military possessing domestic power and global reach.
In 120 countries across the globe, troops from Special Operations
Command carry out their secret war of high-profile assassinations, low-level
targeted killings, capture/kidnap operations, kick-down-the-door night raids,
joint operations with foreign forces and training missions with indigenous
partners as part of a shadowy conflict unknown to most Americans. Once
special for being small, lean, outsider outfits, today they are special for
their power, access, influence, and aura.
That aura now benefits from a well-honed public relations campaign
which helps them project a superhuman image at home and abroad, even
while many of their actual activities remain in the ever-widening shadows
Americans have yet to grapple with what it means to have a special force
this large, this active, and this secret and they are unlikely to begin to do so
until more information is available. It just wont be coming from Olson or
his troops. Our access (to foreign countries) depends on our ability to not
talk about it, he said in response to questions about SOCOMs secrecy.
When missions are subject to scrutiny like the bin Laden raid, he said,
the elite troops object. The militarys secret military, said Olson, wants to
get back into the shadows and do what they came in to do.
On 5th October, Abubakr Al-shamah commented: Al-Awlaki is very
much a product of the USA. Born and partly-raised there, he knew the
country well. However, the Americans have also done a very good job in
building up his al-Qaeda profile too. For however many times an
American says it, al-Awlaki was never the head of al-Qaeda in the
Arabian Peninsula. He was never the next Bin Laden. Sure, he was a
member of the group based in Yemen, and he was a media-savvy
propagandist for the group, changing from his more moderate pre 9-11
persona. But it was the Americans who have built him up into something he
never was. Whilst American officials were rushing to congratulate each
other over the killing of al-Awlaki, with Rick Perry even speaking positively
about Barack Obama, most Yemenis have never heard of him. If anything, it
is only the more westernized English speakers who have heard of the
ideologue, and that message coming mostly from the Western press.

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Adam Baron, a freelance journalist in Yemen, hits the spot when he

mentions in a tweet that his Arabic teacher had asked him whether al-Awlaki
was a journalist. The irrelevance of al-Awlaki to Yemenis is one of the few
things that unites pro and anti-Saleh people. Al-Awlaki was primarily
known in the English speaking world because that was his thing, he
spoke in English and gave al-Qaeda a weapon to use in their attempts to
gain the support of Western Muslims.
In Yemen itself, however, many Yemenis see AQAP as a
smokescreen created, or at least aided, by Salehs regime to garner
support from the West. Fingers are already being pointed to the suspicious
coincidence of al-Awlakis death occurring a matter of days after Salehs
return to Yemen.
A sign for the Americans that they have to deal with Saleh? Or an
indication that the regime knew where al-Awlaki was all along? Suspicions
grow when it becomes clear that the battalion fighting AQAP militants
in Abyan are affiliated to defected General Ali Muhsen, and they were
only relieved, after three months, by forces that were again mostly affiliated
to Ali Muhsen.
Yemenis have more important things to worry about than Anwar
al-Awlaki. Those who have spent months on the streets protesting against
President Saleh are happy that Obama has recognized them, but they want to
see real action come as a result. Their daily chats do not concern Inspire
Magazines latest issue, but how they are going to continue living in a place
where power cuts have now become endemic, fuel is either non-existent or
prohibitively expensive, protesters are getting shot on the streets, and civil
war seems around the corner.
It is worth noting that the Yemeni youth movement is the Wests
best hope for the fight against extremism in Yemen. As part of the wider
Arab Uprisings, it is proof that change for the better does not need to come
with a suicide bombers belt. Yemenis raise banners proclaiming that they
are against terrorism in their protests, and the world should pay attention to
that as well as the consequences of ignoring that, rather than an apparent
New Mexico born super-villain, whose flock have never heard of.
Next day, David Ignatius commented: Heres the trickiest
counterterrorism puzzle for US policymakers: How do you stop al-Qaeda
from attacking the American homeland without getting bogged down in
protracted wars against insurgents?

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One answer would be to establish deterrence in the long war against

Islamic extremism, like the standoff that developed between the United
States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The Soviets were
obviously a far bigger adversary, but the basic logic is the same: Both sides
have deadly weapons, but if you dont shoot at us, we wont shoot at you.
The Obama administration hasnt declared any such neo-deterrence strategy,
but you can see the outlines of one emerging in the administrations
unannounced targeting policy for armed Predator drones, which have been
Americas deadliest weapon against al-Qaeda.
The latest illustration of the drones precision power came in
Fridays attack on Anwar al-Awlaki, a leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian
Peninsula. The strike over northern Yemen, which followed days of silent
surveillance, killed Awlaki and Samir Khan, the editor of an al-Qaeda online
magazine called Inspire. Both were US citizens.
But in recent weeks a subtle limit has emerged in drone policy:
Despite calls by some US officials for drone attacks against the training
camps of AQAP and al-Shabab, the al-Qaeda affiliate in Somalia, neither has
been targeted. Thats a deliberate policy decision aimed partly at
preventing the spread of a Taliban-style insurgency to new theatres,
such as Yemen and Somalia.
The United States claims it has legal authority for such so-called
signature strikes on training camps of al-Qaeda affiliates, under both the
congressional Authorization for Use of Military Force passed in September
2001 and the international law of self-defence. This broad legal authority for
targeting was outlined by John Brennan, the White House counterterrorism
chief, in a Sept. 16 speech at Harvard
This calibrated approach has reassured key US allies, such as Britain,
that have large Muslim immigrant populations and were worried about the
blow-back from US campaigns against al-Qaeda affiliates. There was
concern that it was a blanket approach, concedes the US official. I asked the
Obama administration official about the due process problem. On what
basis does the United States issue what amounts to a death warrant against
an American citizen, such as Awlaki? The official answered that reviews are
conducted by an inter-agency committee of lawyers, and also by a
committee of deputies of all key departments and that strike orders require
unanimous agreement. Thats only partly reassuring; a more rigorous legal
process would be better, such as the secret court that rules on foreignintelligence requests for search warrants.
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Whats good about the evolving drone policy is that it recognizes

the need for limits. We dont have enough drones to kill all the enemies we
will make if we turn the world into a free-fire zone. And theres something
important in the hint of a deterrence strategy: This is how wars end in the
part of the world where al-Qaeda arose through a balance of mutual
restraint that makes a de facto truce possible, even between the most bitter
enemies.
On 10th October, Bruce Ackerman wrote: It has been a week since a
drone attack rubbed out Anwar al-Awlaki, whose copious English-language
sermons, YouTube videos, and anti-Western screeds served as a powerful
vehicle for radical war on the Internet. But a steady flow of leaks is only
now revealing the scandalous way in which Awlaki, a US citizen, was
targeted for assassination.
The revelations should shock even those who believe that a fairminded reading of the law and evidence provides a strong basis for
killing Awlaki. For it is becoming increasingly clear that the White House
conducted nothing resembling a fair-minded process. Only three years ago,
President Barack Obama repudiated John Yoos secret torture memos; but he
is now repeating the same mistake and is making a worse blunder. This
time around, he not only relied on another secret Justice Department memo
to support his general bombing campaign in Yemen, but he also pinpointed
Awlaki as a target on the basis of a scandalous process lacking all legal
authorization.
At least this is what the leaks flooding the media suggest. We cant
know the truth of these rumours from authoritative sources, and this itself
is testimony to the scandal we are witnessing. Obamas fellow citizens cant
begin to judge his actions on the basis of the shallow news releases and
public commentaries provided by his spokespeople and rumours only
make the situation worse. But given Obamas repetition of Bush-like
scenarios, it isnt enough to insist that the White House should immediately
provide us with suitably edited versions of the relevant documents. Obama
should also support fundamental reforms that credibly assure Americans
that the White House will never again be the site for legal rubberstamping and arbitrary kill orders.
Lets begin with some of the facts leaking out of the administration.
According to Reuters, American citizens like Awlaki arent targeted
directly by the president or politically responsible officials. The job is
delegated to midlevel operatives in the White Houses National Security
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Council (NSC), who then send their recommendations on to a panel of NSC

principals comprising a shifting group of cabinet officers and intelligence
chiefs, depending on the particular mission involved. We do not know how
much information the principals receive or how much time they spend
weighing the evidence. But such a transient body isnt a suitable forum for
making life-and-death decisions about Americans. At the very least, the fate
of fellow citizens should be determined by a seasoned group of decisionmakers whose judgments are honed by deliberation over time.
This is all the more true because the president himself plays a
passive role. The NSC informs him of its targets, and he is free to reject
them, but he is protected from making the final decision - perhaps to provide
him with deniability in case the Yemenis or others get testy.
NSC staffers + transient principals + passive president = death. No
law or regulation sets out this formula, nor is there even a public record of
the existence of the NSC panels. If the Office of the White House Counsel
knew what was going on in the Awlaki affair, it should have intervened
immediately; and if it didnt, why didnt it?
The present case exhibits the dangers of the current jerry-built
system. Nobody suggests that Awlaki was one of al-Qaedas leading
military strategists. His real weapon was his impassioned anti-American
sermons also known as freedom of speech and free exercise of religion.
To avoid blatant unconstitutionality, NSC staffers tried to show that the
preacher had moved beyond speech and had become involved in operational
missions. But, according to the leaks, as reported by Reuters, officials
acknowledged that some of the[ir] intelligence ... was patchy.
Presidential apologists might point out that the federal courts refused
to intervene when Awlakis father tried to challenge the constitutionality of
the White Houses targeting decision, calling it a political question. But
judicial deference doesnt imply that the president can do whatever he likes.
On the contrary: If there is no judicial review, it becomes especially
important for the White House to assure fundamental fairness. There is
no other check on political oppression or sheer incompetence.
Up to this point, I havent challenged the administrations larger
claim that, putting aside the decision to target Awlaki, it had the
congressional authority to send drones over Yemen in the first place. But the
legal basis for its wide-ranging use of drones is remarkably weak. Shortly
after Sept 11, 2001, Congress certainly authorized force against any terrorist
group that planned, authorized, committed, or aided the 9/11 attacks. But
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Awlaki belonged to an organization, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula,

that didnt even exist at the time. Indeed, its increasingly tough to say that
Congresss 2001 resolution authorizes the United States continuing
activities in Afghanistan and Pakistan, given Americas recent decimation of
the original al-Qaedas fighting capacity.
Or so Ive recently argued on this site. Perhaps the administrations
secret Justice Department memo contains a convincing refutation of my
challenge to its drone attacks in Yemen and elsewhere. But there is no
point shadowboxing until the administration deigns to tell its many legal
critics why they are mistaken. Thats why Ive concentrated my fire this time
on the decision to target Awlaki in particular, rather than repeat my critique
of its expanding war on terror throughout the world.
My point is that nothing like the NSC process should ever be
used again to kill an American. If another citizen is ever targeted, it should
only be after an extensive debate in Congress, leading to the statutory
creation of a serious legal procedure designed to eliminate the obvious
abuses revealed in the Awlaki case. Because ultimately, isnt preserving
American democracy what this is all about?
Some other issues also remained under focus. On 28 th October, Arab
News wrote: The Syrian people need to know that they have the worlds
support at this time. It cannot be the same type of support as given to the
Libyans, military intervention. With the countrys complex communal mix,
that could have catastrophic results. The crisis has to be handled
differently and as Chinas foreign minister rightly said at the UN on
Monday, very carefully. Sanctions, which China and Russia however
oppose, are the best avenue of support and of bringing the crisis to an end.
They may just force the Assad government to realize that the only way
ahead is through dialogue and reform. Otherwise the country is on a oneway path to self-destruction. Repression is not going to work. All it does is
make the situation worse.
On 30th September, John V Whitbeck commented: If Palestine's
membership application were to be defeated by a united Western front, the
world would be confronted by a fundamental clash of the West against the
Rest, resurrecting memories of the most arrogant and contemptuous periods
of Western imperialism and colonialism and confirming the belief, already
widespread in the Arab and Muslim worlds, that the Judeo-Christian
world is at war with the Muslim world.

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Of course, it is within the power of one man to prevent this ugly

scenario from playing out. Are the prospects of a few more votes for
himself and less campaign money for his eventual Republican opponent
really more important to America's multi-racial president than preventing a
long-running clash of civilizations, cultures, races and religions and
permitting indeed, promoting progress toward a more peaceful, just and
harmonious world? The world should find out in the coming weeks.
On 2nd October, Patrick Cockburn commented: Bahrains military
court has sentenced 20 doctors, nurses and paramedics who treated
protesters injured during pro-democracy rallies earlier in the year to up to 15
years in prison. The defendants say they were tortured during
interrogation to extract false confessions.
The harsh sentences, handed down by a military judge, are likely
to anger Bahrains Shia Muslim majority and torpedo hopes of dialogue
between them and the reigning Sunni al-Khalifa dynasty. The courts action
may be a sign that hardliners within the royal family have taken control,
since King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa has made a number of conciliatory
statements which have been followed by intensified repression
Human rights groups described the sentences as a travesty of
justice. Philip Luther, of Amnesty International, said: These are simply
ludicrous charges against civilian professionals who were working to save
lives. The detained doctors say they were beaten, hooded and deprived of
sleep to force them to say they had deliberately let patients die and had
exaggerated injuries by pouring blood over the injured. In a separate case,
the military court passed a death sentence on a man found guilty of killing a
policeman by running him over in Sitra district during the demonstrations.
Ali Salman, the leader of al-Wifaq, the main Shia political party, said
that the medical professionals sentenced yesterday alleged they had been
tortured. He said he suspected that hardliners within the royal family were
using the trials to send a message to [President] Obama, who last week
at the UN called on the Bahraini government to negotiate with al-Wifaq. He
believes that hardliners were reacting to a successful boycott of by-elections
last weekend to replace 20 al-Wifaq MPs who had resigned in protest from
the parliament. He said the turnout had been only 17 per cent.
Mr Salman says any dialogue with the government would have as its
aim the freeing of all those jailed since the demonstrations began. It is not
clear how many people out of the 1,400 originally detained in Bahrain are
still in jail, because the authorities have often refused to provide information
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about those arrested. Human rights groups believe that 38 people have been
killed, four of whom died under torture Cockburn seemed to have
forgotten that Bahraini rulers have the backing of The Crusaders and they
could afford doing what they did for the security of American fleet stationed
in the island.
On 4th October, Soumaya Ghannoushi observed: In a telling
statement, Major General Mamdouh Shaheen, a council member, offered a
glimpse into the militarys mind, when he declared: We want a model similar
to that found in Turkey...Egypt, as a country, needs to protect democracy
from the Islamists, because we know that these people do not think
democratically. Ironically, this is the same worn out justification that has
been incessantly churned out by Arab dictators to legitimize despotism and
repression for decades. And, incidentally, what this top officer intends by the
Turkish model is not its latest version, but the pre-AKP model that crippled
political life in the country from the end of World War I to the early 2000s.
The Generals statements made to the Washington Post may be greeted
warmly in London, Washington, Paris, or Tel Aviv, anxious to prevent any
meaningful change from taking place. Whether in suits or in uniforms, the
interests of the regions autocrats seem destined to converge with those of
the great western powers. And in this unholy marriage of internal and
external obstructers of genuine reform lies the tragic plight of democracy
and democrats in Arab lands.
Andrew Wander talked of food crisis in East Africa. If it is easy to
see drought coming, it is no more difficult to spot those likely to suffer
its effects. By targeting the poorest and most vulnerable communities with
special support, governments can drastically reduce the number of people
who need emergency aid when the rains fail.
Fair government investment is a key part of this protection. Traveling
through East Africa, it is painfully obvious that many of the places hit
hardest by the current crisis suffer from a lack of state spending. It is no
coincidence that where roads end, hunger begins. World governments
intent on tackling hunger must urgently work to address this
inequality.
The price of food is another factor that has pushed thousands of
people into hunger this summer. That too is something that in many
contexts, governments are able to influence. The careful use of emergency
food reserves can bring prices down, and by limiting the use of food export
bans, global spikes in food prices can be better managed.
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Finally, we must engage to end conflicts. It is not just bullets that

kill in times of war; the food shortages resulting from conflict often leave
people hungry and desperate. Vigorous diplomatic engagement to provide
space for humanitarian aid in conflicts, and ultimately to bring them to an
end, is a vital part of any serious plan to make hunger a thing of the past.
Hunger crises do not appear overnight; such situations are a long
time in the making. By acting early and thoughtfully, their worst effects can
be mitigated. Meanwhile, as we watch the current wave of hunger ruin
millions of lives in the East Africa, we must fight the temptation to see it as
a natural disaster, like an earthquake or tsunami stretched in slow motion
over many months. This dangerous misconception absolves governments of
their responsibilities in preventing widespread hunger. Nature may have
pulled the trigger on this crisis, but mankind loaded the gun.
On 7th October, TheNation commented: With the two veto-wielding
powers, Russia and China, casting negative votes in the UN Security
Council against a resolution calling for strict measures against Syria over its
crackdown on anti-government protests, the US and France that eagerly
spearheaded the move have been rightly rebuffed. The US Ambassador at
the UN was outraged and staged a walkout. Indeed Chinas Ambassador
rightly argued that sanctions or threats would further deteriorate the situation
in Syria and gave the example of Libya where he said the passed resolution
had been misused. There is no disputing the comments of the Syrian
representative who complained that the US has been using the power of veto
to protect Israel, even though the Jewish entity is involved in human rights
violations.
It is good to see the US frustrated in its designs to have the
backing of the UNSC resolution in its efforts to further destabilize Syria
as part of its strategy of installing there a regime hostile to Iran and
submissive to Israel. Islamabad should take a cue from the Russian and
Chinese votes and launch a diplomatic drive to highlight the Indian security
forces atrocities in occupied Kashmir and argue for an early and only
acceptable solution of the Kashmir dispute, i.e. to elicit the choice of the
people through the right of self-determination, as mandated by the UN
resolutions.

REVIEW
The review is restricted to Anwar al-Awlaki and that too has been
based only on the Western sources of information. In any case not much is
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available in the Islamic world because intellectuals therein avoid writing

about those who preach Islam. They virtually disown such preachers.
Review begins with his bio-data paraphrased from information posted
in WikiLeaks. Anwar al-Awlaki (also spelled Aulaqi) was born in the United
States on April 22, 1971 and died in drone attack on September 30, 2011. He
was a Yemeni-American imam, who was an engineer and educator by
training.
According to US federal government officials he was a senior talent
recruiter and motivator; involved with planning operations for
the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda. His sermons are alleged to have helped
motivate at least three attacks inside the United States. He was the first US
citizen to be added to a list of persons approved for targeted killing by
the CIA. With a blog, a Facebook page, and many YouTube videos, he had
been described as the bin Laden of the Internet. Barack Obama alleged that
Awlaki was the leader of external operations for al-Qaeda in the Arabian
Peninsula.
Al-Awlaki allegedly spoke with, trained, and preached to a number of
al-Qaeda members and affiliates, including three of the 9/11
hijackers, alleged Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan and alleged
Christmas Day bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab; he was also allegedly
involved in planning the latter's attack. It must be noted that he was not
direct involved in any of the above attacks against Americans. [All the
attackers seemed to have expressed respect for him because of his lectures
on Islamic concept of jihad.]
According to US officials, al-Awlaki was promoted to the rank of
regional commander within al-Qaeda in 2009. He repeatedly called
for jihad against the United States. In April 2010, American President
Obama approved al-Awlaki's targeted killing, an action unsuccessfully
challenged by al-Awlaki's father and civil rights groups. [None of the
allegations against him were proved in any court of law, nor could these be
proved for want of evidence and thus the decision about his extra-judicial
killing.]
Al-Awlaki was believed to be in hiding in Southeast Yemen in the last
years of his life. The Yemeni government began trying him in absentia in
November 2010, for plotting to kill foreigners and being a member of alQaeda, and a Yemenite judge ordered that he be captured dead or alive.
The US deployed unmanned aircraft in Yemen to search for and kill
him, firing at and failing to kill him at least once, before he was killed in a
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drone attack in Yemen. Anwar al-Awlaki left behind a series of blog posts,
interviews and sermons in which he urged Muslims to engage in jihad
against the United States. He left fans of his online video sermons in little
doubt as to where he stood on a range of issues he considered important to
Muslims from the sacred duty to engage in jihad to the holiness of fighting
obesity.
Coverage of Awlaki's assassination, which was announced by Yemeni
defence officials and hailed by Barack Obama, has given news networks the
chance to roll out footage of the preacher's American-accented calls for
jihad, which are credited with inspiring a series of terrorist attacks.
Most of those attacks by Awlaki's YouTube disciples ended in failure
like the 2009 plot to take down a jet over the United States by a bomber with
explosives in his underwear and the poorly-made car bomb left near Times
Square in 2010 but the cleric also traded emails with the US Army
psychiatrist who killed 13 in a shooting spree at Fort Hood and met two of
the hijackers involved in the 9/11 plot before those attacks.
One of his most direct, English-language statements endorsing terror
attacks on Americans surfaced in a March, 2010 audio recording, parts of
which were broadcast by CNN at the time. An audio message from Anwar
al-Awlaki, broadcast by CNN, explained: With the American invasion of
Iraq and continued US aggression against Muslims, I could not reconcile
between living in the US and being a Muslim, and I eventually came to the
conclusion that jihad against America is binding upon myself just as it is
binding on every other Muslim To the Muslims in America, I have this to
say: How can your conscience allow you to live in peaceful coexistence with
a nation that is responsible for the tyranny and crimes committed against
your own brothers and sisters?
In another video statement, posted on jihadist forums in November,
2010, Awlaki was even more direct about what he said was the imperative
for Muslims to kill Americans. As the Associated Press reported at the time,
Awlaki told jihadists in that Arabic-language video: Don't consult with
anybody in killing the Americans; fighting the devil doesn't require
consultation or prayers seeking divine guidance. They are the party of the
devils.
Jarret Brachman, a former West Point terrorism expert who monitors
jihadist Web sites, once called Awlaki one of the most popular Englishlanguage jihadist shaikhs out on the circuit today. Brachman also explained

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that one part of Awlaki's appeal was that he had a great sense of humour
and his sermons were often fun.
Once American officials became aware of the importance of Awlaki's
online sermons, they worked hard to have as many of them removed from
the web as possible. In November 2010, YouTube responded to a letter from
a US congressman who spent perhaps too much time scouring the web,
Anthony Weiner, by removing many of Awlaki's most inflammatory
sermons.
While his fans continue to upload copies of the sermons, the result is
that little of what Awlaki had to say about US foreign policy is now available
on the video-sharing site. But, since Awlaki tackled a wide range of other
issues over his career, a YouTube search still brings up recordings like the
one in which he detailed his thoughts on Obesity and overeating in Islam.
Traces of his thought can still be found on other media-sharing websites
perhaps less susceptible to pressure from US officials. More than an hour of
Awlaki preaching about Dreams in the Quran and Hadith, is still available
on HalalTube.
Two interviews from late 2001 show that Awlaki's sermons were far
less radical when he lived and worked in the United States. In the immediate
aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, as American journalists sought out moderate
Muslims to take the temperature of the community in the United States,
Awlaki was interviewed by both PBS and the Washington Post.
When al-Qaeda launched attacks on the United States, Awlaki was
preaching at the Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia. After
it was revealed that three of the hijackers had attended services at his
mosque as they prepared to strike, Awlaki was questioned by the Federal
Bureau of Investigation. The 9/11 Commission report later noted what it
called the remarkable coincidence that Awlaki had met at least one of the
hijackers at two different American mosques, one in San Diego and the other
in Virginia, before the attacks.
A 2009 PBS video report on Awlaki's influence on the Fort Hood
gunman included archival video of him discussing the 9/11 attacks during a
sermon in Virginia just after the event. In that 2001 sermon, Awlaki said that
the killing of American civilians in those attacks was not justified, but, he
added, neither was the killing of any Afghan civilians. [He committed a
heinous crime by equating a civilized Americans with Afghan savages.]
Washington Post interviewed Awlaki in 2001. After his death, Fox
posted more footage of this interview with the preacher, which shows him
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driving around Virginia talking about the war in Afghanistan. Fox recalled: I
spent the day with Anwar al-Awlaki for a Washington Post video about
Ramadan in 2001. It was a few weeks after 9/11 and Ramadan coincided
with the beginning of the war in Afghanistan. The Post asked me to produce
as feature that could help educate readers about Islam. Al-Awlaki was the
head of one of the biggest mosques in the Washington, D. C.
I remember having near total access with him. I arrived at his house
before dawn and stayed late into the evening with him as he broke fast at a
friends apartment. I met his kids and wandered around his suburban
Virginia house trying to get good shots of him. We drove together in his
minivan and sat together during prayer time. He was under investigation at
that time and would leave the US about six months after the interview, but
was open and accommodating with me and my colleague Eleanor Hong.
Most of my questions were not about the war or his personal views,
but it came up. Watching the raw footage now, it's interesting how carefully
he chose his words. He was worried about civilian casualties in Afghanistan
and delicately defended the Taliban, comparing their mistakes to abuses by
the Northern Alliance, which the US was allied with during the war.
After he left the US in 2002 for Yemen, joining family there, Awlaki
took considerably less care to avoid offending American sensibilities.
Following the Fort Hood shootings in 2009, for instance, before his popular
English-language blog disappeared from the web, Awlaki wrote a post
headlined, Nidal Hassan Did the Right Thing, in which he argued that the
army psychiatrist's shooting spree had been entirely justified: Nidal Hassan
is a hero. He is a man of conscience who could not bear living the
contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting
against his own people. This is a contradiction that many Muslims brush
aside and just pretend that it doesn't exist.
Last year, Roshonara Choudhry, a 21-year-old student who stabbed a
member of the British parliament, Stephen Timms, because of his 2003 vote
in favour of the Iraq war, told London police that she had been radicalized in
part by listening to Awlaki explaining stories from the Koran and explaining
about jihad online. According to a transcript of her interrogation, Choudhry
explained the impact of watching more than a hundred hours of Awlaki's
sermons on YouTube.
Answering a question by interrogator about who guided to look for
the videos of people and how they become Muslim, Roshonara said: No
one, I just found them really interesting... I became interested in Anwar al337

Awlaki's lectures because he explains things really comprehensively and in

an interesting way so I thought I could learn a lot from him and I was also
surprised at how little I knew about my religion so that motivated me to
learn more...
What all has been said or written about Awlaki in western media since
his martyrdom relates to two aspects of his personality. One, he belonged to
that class of true Muslims which is staunch believer of the Islamic concept
of jihad. In other words, he did not belong to that enlightened moderate
breed that upholds Islam minus jihad. Two, he was equally strongly
convinced about unjust and cruel nature of US policy practiced in Islamic
world entailing widespread perpetration of death and destruction.
These are the only two established facts about the charges against the
man on the basis of which the Dajjal of our times has approved his extrajudicially execution. There is no proof that he had actually participated in
any attack on the US interests. His only fault was that he had the courage
to exercise his basic right of freedom of expression.
He could speak about these two topics very convincingly because of
having in depth knowledge, firmness of belief and the command with which
he could converse. It was because of this that the literate, but less informed
people in search of truth, willingly and readily became his followers.
His sermons had certainly motivated scores of young Muslims to wage jihad
and some of them did so in whatever manner they could in small groups or
in their individual capacity. And, they did it without any fear of the
consequences which accrues from the firmness of belief and righteousness
of the cause. Those who could be apprehended by the Crusaders mentioned
his name from whom they drew inspiration; that is the secret of him being
part of the so-called al-Qaeda Network.
The case of Roshonara Choudhry, a 21-year-old student who stabbed a
member of the British parliament because of his 2003 vote in favour of the
Iraq war, strengthens this argument. She was not radicalized merely
because of listening to Awlakis lectures on jihad, but because of her
personal knowledge of what Bush and Blair and their ilk did was far more
atrocious than any of the so-called terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda.
Awlakis episode proves as to why the rulers and intellectuals in
Islamic world have stopped uttering a word supporting the concept of jihad.
They know the punishment of committing this crime. Therefore, they do not
want to invite the wrath of America and be target of their flying killing
machines.
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11th October, 2011

BONDED LABOUR-III
Gilani had identified at the time of Mullens accusations against ISI
and Pakistan Army that Americas problem is that it can neither live with
Pakistan nor without it. His diagnosis was deliberately restricted to one half
of the whole; it was also true for the other half in Islamabad.
The cause of this ailment, however, slightly differs in two cases. The
US compulsion is that it can not get mercenary services at a cheaper rate
than these were rendered by Pakistani military. Pakistani rulers think they
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cant survive without US dollars, the flow of which must continue

irrespective of the cost.
Notwithstanding the public posturing, the two sides had never ignored
these ground realities. Grossman came to Islamabad, met Zardari, Gilani
and Kayani and held press conference with Hina. In ideal state of
relationship Gilani would have replaced Hina on behalf of Zardari.
During Grossmans presence in Islamabad for few hours CIA
launched two drone attacks. Show of ruthless military prowess is the
strongest element in American argument. This is devoid of sanity or logic;
yet it works in the case of ruling elite like the one in Islamabad. They seem
inclined to render bonded labour.

NEWS
On 3rd October, Hina Rabbani Khar rubbished the allegations that
Pakistan had not done enough against extremists and reminded US that the
Frankenstein was its creation. Khar, while talking to CNN pointed out that
the war against terrorism was being fought in the region with joint
cooperation between the US and Pakistan. Hitting back at allegations that
Pakistan had not done enough in the war on terror, she said even US needed
to do certain things.
The Parliamentary Committee on National Security said to the United
States that neither Pakistani government nor its people will tolerate the
presence of US army on their land. The meeting of the committee was held
at the Parliament House with its Chairman Senator Raza Rabbani in chair.
Nawaz Sharif again declared Zardari a danger to the democracy in
the country. He said despite numerous sacrifices in the war on terror the
pressure on Pakistan has been increasing. He said the parliament was
insulted by not implementing its unanimous resolutions. He accused the
government of cheating in getting the resolutions signed but not
implementing those. Zardari said implementation of decisions taken in All
Parties Conference will be ensured.
On 5th October, Abbottabad Commission questioned family of Osama.
Three NATO tankers were set on fire in Machh. US Defence Secretary Leon
Panetta said Pakistan has been asked to take action against the Haqqani
network. He also said the US cant afford to cut relations with Pakistan.

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Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney talked tough on

Pakistan, accusing Islamabad of playing both sides in the war in
Afghanistan. He said it's unacceptable that Pakistan is going after the
Taliban within its borders in some cases and helping it in others.
With its safe havens inside Pakistan, the Haqqani network poses a
threat to NATO forces in Afghanistan, said top NATO official Fogh
Rasmussen in Brussles ahead of the NATO ministerial meeting. He said
NATO was encouraging the Pakistani government and the Pakistani military
to deal with safe havens in the border region.
Next day, three US men were stopped from entering Peshawar.
Reportedly, Obamas National Security Adviser secretly met General Kayani
in UAE to press for operation against Haqqanis. Kayani ruled out any more
military operations. He especially mentioned that South Waziristan operation
was not on the cards. But, he warned of matching response to cross border
aggression from the West. He asked the government to establish its writ in
areas already cleared.
Barack Obama called Pakistan an effective partner in the war on
terrorism, but voiced concern over its military and intelligence communitys
ties to unsavoury characters. Obama said the United States and Pakistan
were cooperating on a whole range of issues and that recent successes
against al-Qaeda-linked forces in the region would not have been possible
without Pakistani help. He, however, also threatened to snap strategic ties
with Pakistan, if it failed to come up to the expectations of the US.
The commission set up to probe Abbottabad incident allowed Osama
Bin Ladens family to move abroad freely. Justice (Retd.) Javed Iqbal said
the commission has recorded the statements of Osamas family and there is
no more need of the family. Commission also directed filing of high treason
case against the doctor who carried out fake vaccination campaign.
On 7th October, Corps Commanders met and discussed five major
issues that have remained of concern, i.e. North Waziristan operation, recent
troops deployment in Chitral and Upper Dir, Quetta unrest, Karachis
security situation and APC outcome on the Pak-US relations. They decided
not to launch a military offensive till the weather conditions improve by
March next year.
Kayani and Gilani met Zardari to discuss Pak-US relations and
security situation. The troika discussed the recent statement of Obama and
situation of Pak-US relations. They agreed to continue war on terror, but to
limit military action to hot pursuit operations only.
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Gulbadin Hikmatyar said that the US was responsible of all the

problems facing Pakistan. He said Pakistan was being blamed despite the
fact that the country facilitated US attack on Afghanistan. He added that the
US troops were in Afghanistan because of Pakistans help.
Obama said Pakistans contribution to war on terror. US media
reported improvement in Pak-US ties. ISI has arrested some al-Qaeda
operatives recently and allowed their interrogation by CIA. Pakistan has also
stopped protesting over drone attacks. Washington was, however, concerned
about its negative images among the Pakistanis, vowing to use its diplomatic
assets and aid to turn the tide, the State Department said. Munter met Hina.
On 8th October, a NATO oil tanker was burnt in Jamrud. Islamabad
police foiled terrorism attempt in the Federal Capital after seizing huge
cache of weapons from a car; the driver was arrested. Police arrested three
Germans and their Pakistani driver near Dina; the detainees were employees
of a foreign NGO. Pakistan reached out to Saudi Arabia and Yemen to
arrange for the repatriation of Osama bin Laden's three wives and their
children, according to Pakistani intelligence and security officials.
White House spokesman said amid reports of improved counter-terror
collaboration between the two sides that the cooperation we have with
Pakistan is extremely important in terms of our national security objectives,
in terms of protecting Americans, in terms of taking the fight to al-Qaeda,
and that's why we continue to work with the Pakistanis and try to build on
that cooperation.
Next day, a policeman was killed after house of DPO Bannu was hit
by rockets. Police mobile was ambushed by miscreants in Speen Qabar area
near Peshawar; a miscreant was killed in the exchange of fire. Four militants
were killed and a security personnel sustained injures in a clash between
security forces and militants in Mangaltan area in Swat. Hundreds of
militants attacked a border post in Upper Dir; 15 attackers and a soldier were
killed. White House said Obama never said that some elements in the ISI
were helping al-Qaeda.
On 10th October, the toll of militants killed in cross border attack was
reported 30; more than 200 Afghans had taken part in the attack. Police
arrested a terrorist, Qari Inayat, on the basis of a tip off from a held terrorist.
Next day, KPK Governor escaped rocket attack at a public gathering in
Orakzai agency; one person was killed and four wounded. Eleven more
militants were killed and several others injured in fresh clashes near the PakAfghan border in Upper Dir.
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Panetta expressed concern over Pakistans link to Haqqani Network

and increase in Pakistans stocks of fissile material. Pakistan and US signed
$49 million pact for the special chamber system of F-16 fighters. The
officials from the two countries have confirmed the agreement and said that
more deals are expected in near future. Meanwhile, payment of $2.5 billion
Coalition Support Fund remained pending.
On 12th October, Pakistan rejected the new nuclear treaty for ban on
production of fissile material. Five vehicles carrying US and French
nationals were stopped at Karachi Toll Plaza; one of those was asked to
return as it did not have the NOC. Bashir Bilour said no talks with Taliban,
come what may! Government of Pakistan banned export of POL products to
Afghanistan. Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said the US is waging war in
Pakistan against militants, referring to a covert campaign the CIA steadfastly
refuses to publicly confirm.
Next day, ten people including important militant commander were
killed and several others injured in two separate strikes by a US drone in
North and South Waziristan Agencies. Eight militants were killed and five
wounded in clashes in Orakzai Agency. Police seized a huge cache of arms
from two cars and arrested four persons at Golra toll Plaza in Islamabad.
Four NATO oil tankers were set ablaze near Shikarpur.
On 14th October, a US drone strike killed four suspected militants in
North Waziristan; it was third such attack in 48 hours. Three persons were
wounded when a NATO oil tanker was fired at near Quetta. A US embassy
vehicle hit a motorcycle resulting in injuries to a young; Kohsar Police took
the vehicle in their custody and registered a case. However, the lady driving
the vehicle was allowed to go as she enjoyed diplomatic immunity.
Meanwhile, the US prevailed over Zardari regime and CDA handed over
illegally constructed bunker building in Islamabad to the Embassy.
Next day, US missile strike killed at least six suspected militants in
North Waziristan. Nine people were killed in Bir Mal area near Wana, South
Balochistan in helicopter attack. According to al-Jazeera TV this was an
attack by NATO helicopters. Ten militants were killed and four wounded in
a strike by PAF jetfighters in Orakzai Agency. One police official of Special
Branch was shot dead in Peshawar.
The US should move to a policy of containment for Pakistan, holding
its Army and intelligence branches accountable, and taking appropriate
action against any ISI official found to be aiding terrorism, a former CIA
officer said. Names of such officers should be placed on wanted list.
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An influential American Think Tank urged the Obama Administration

to freeze aid to Pakistan until it takes actions against perpetrators of the US
embassy attack and helps shut down the Haqqani insurgent network.
Washington Post reported that Obama Administration has given three
options to General Kayani. These options were discussed on September 29
which included Abbottabad-like raids.
On 16th October, a NATO helicopter entered into Chaman area of
Balochistan and went back after a 15-minute flight. Afghan authorities
closed the Chaman border for an hour as NATO officials carried out their
illegal visit to the border area. The violation of Pakistani airspace has
increased over the past few days. Hussain Haqqani said Pak-US relations
faced some serious challenges but both the countries were working to
overcome these challenges.
In Afghanistan, three people were killed in two bomb blasts in
Kandahar on 3rd October. Siraj Haqqani said the US was pressing for him to
join Afghan government. He categorically stated that it was not responsible
for killing Burhanuddin Rabbani and attacks in Kabul have no links with the
ISI. Siraj Haqqani told BBC Pashto service in an audio interview to written
questions that his network was not linked to Pakistan's spy agency, the ISI.
Next day, Afghanistan accused Pakistan of refusing to co-operate with
investigations into the killing of Burhanuddin Rabbani. On 5th October,
Karzai said partnership with India not aimed at Pakistan. Afghan
Ambassador met General Kayani and was reportedly leaving for Kabul with
an important message. Wall Street Journal exposed US secret meeting with
Haqqanis. Six people were arrested after an alleged plot to assassinate
Afghan President was foiled. The news came following a string of
assassinations of key Karzai allies.
Next day, two people were killed when militants fired at a bus near
Kandahar. Hundreds of Afghans marched in Kabul on the eve of tenth
anniversary of invasion of Afghanistan and to condemn the US as occupier.
On 7th October, Karzai told the BBC the failure to provide security to the
Afghan people has been his government's greatest shortcoming. But, he said
NATO and the US must share the blame for failing to deal with the Taliban
and accused Pakistan of supporting the insurgency.
US Major-General John Toolan said Quetta Shura would not dare
enter Afghanistan for fear of being killed or arrested. He said that in Sangin
where a commander and 30 of his fighters surrendered yesterday to an
American general and the governor of the province. Former German general
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said US Afghan mission has failed; Taliban would take over within six
months of pullout of occupation forces.
On 8th October, NATO said that at least 25 insurgents were killed in
air strikes and gunfire during the largest coordinated insurgent attack on
military bases in the eastern Afghan province of Paktika. The attacks
targeted US-led troops near the border with Pakistan. One soldier was lightly
wounded when a car bomb exploded about 300 metres from the outer wall of
Combat Outpost Margah.
Russia will not agree to US military presence in Afghanistan after the
expiry of a UN Security Council mandate, Russian envoy to NATO Dmitry
Rogozin said. Kabul government demanded that Washington increase
pressure on Pakistan to act against insurgents using its soil to attack
Afghanistan, saying Afghans were running out of patience. Karzai held talks
with US regional envoy, Marc Grossman, in Kabul and warned Pakistan
there were some connections between its intelligence services and
extremists.
On 10th October, Six people were killed in double bombing targeting
road construction workers in the Dangam district of Kunar province. A UN
report said prisoners in some Afghan-run detention facilities were tortured,
but that was not the result of government policy. Next day, Taliban bombers
targeted and killed an Afghan tribal elder and six of his bodyguards in the
province of Kandahar.
On 12th October, Hillary wanted to explore peace with Haqqani
Network. Two days later, US-led military coalition is considering moving
more forces to eastern Afghanistan to protect Kabul from Pakistan-based
insurgents, said the coalitions new commander.
On 15th October, four militants were killed when they attacked US
base in Rakha District of Panjshir; two other persons were killed in the
failed attack. An Estonian soldier was killed in Helmand. Next day, Afghan
troops claimed killing three suicide bombers in Gardez area.
Karzai arrived in New Delhi on 4th October and signed a partnership
deal with India in a move bound to raise suspicion in Pakistan at a time of
apparently shifting alliances in unstable South Asia. According to a strategic
deal India will training and arm Afghan military and police.
Speaking at a press conference with Indian Prime Minister, he stressed
again that terrorism and radicalism were being used as an instrument of
policy against our citizens; a reference to Pakistan. Singh said the deal
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creates an institutional framework for our future cooperation. He said that

India stands by Afghanistan in its journey of peace and that the people of
Afghanistan deserve to live in peace without outside interference.
Next day, the US welcomed the strategic partnership agreements
between India and Afghanistan during the New Delhi visit of the Hamid
Karzai. But, Washington saw no Indian role in Afghan peace process. On 6 th
October, 36 Indian fishermen were held along with their boats.
On 10th October, Indian Supreme Court suspended the death sentence
awarded to Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone gunman captured alive during the
Mumbai terror attack, saying it would wait to hear the petition challenging
his conviction. Next day, India released 12 Pakistani prisoners after
completion of their sentences. The prisoners were handed over to the
Rangers on the Wagah border. Manmohan Singh saw serious threat to
nuclear security in South Asia.
On 12th October, companion of Anna Hazare was beaten by Hindu
extremists over his statement in favour of Kashmiris. Hina said in National
Assembly that decision to accord status of most favoured nation has been
taken in principle. Next day, Hindu extremists attacked supporters of Anna
Hazare on second consecutive day.
Four people were killed in incidents of firing in various towns of
Balochistan on 3rd October. Next day, at least 14 people of Hazara were
killed and seven others injured when armed men opened fire on a bus in
Quetta. Law enforcement agencies cordoned off the area and started search
operation. Raisani government was condemned for not providing protection
to Hazaras. Ruling MPs wanted Governors rule. Meanwhile, a labour
inspector was shot dead in Khuzdar.
On 5th October, at least 70 suspected people were arrested in
connection with massacre of Hazaras in Quetta during raids conducted by
police. Meanwhile, two policemen were among five people killed in
incidents of violence. Malik blamed neighbouring countries for unrest in
Balochistan, but directed action against Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.
Next day, six people were killed in incidents of violence across the
province. On 7th October, Punjabi section officer was shot dead in Quetta
and his son wounded. One person was killed in landmine blast in Dera
Bugti. IGFC said India is using Afghan soil for Balochistan sedition.
On 8th October, a judicial magistrate issued arrest warrants of former
home minister Balochistan in murder case of Akbar Bugti. Next day, a bomb
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blast partly damaged a Railway Bridge near Quetta. Four missing persons
were found dead in Khuzdar and Pasni area.
On 11th October, talking after the passing-out parade of 5,000 Army
recruits from Balochistan, the prime minister said his government was ready
to hold talks with annoyed Baloch people and he was ready to go to their
doorsteps. He accused foreign hand in Balochistan unrest; offered 20,000
jibs to youth and pledged progress on missing persons.
On 13th October, JUI-F opposed the opening of US consulate in
Quetta as it would aggravate the situation in the province. Two days later, Dr
Mazar Baloch, President Pakistan Medical Association Balochistan,
succumbed to injuries; he was shot at and wounded in Quetta yesterday.
On 16th October, a woman was shot dead in Quetta and a dead body
was found in Kech area. Families of missing persons held a rally in Quetta,
Maulana Fazl-Ur-Rahman warned that the US is attempting to create
insecurity in Baluchistan in a bid to destabilize the region, similar to what it
has done in the Northern Waziristan province.

VIEWS
On 3rd October, Los Angeles Times wrote: Of course, the relationship
between Washington and Islamabad is by now so poisonous that it's
reasonable to ask whether that still matters. We think it does. Although
Pakistan has been unhelpful when it comes to fighting militant groups such
as the Haqqani network that threaten American troops but not Pakistanis, it
has provided valuable assistance against groups such as the Pakistani Taliban
that threaten both countries. A rupture in relations would probably inflame
anti-US sentiments in Pakistan. It would greatly complicate the movement
of troops and supplies to Afghanistan and cut off valuable intelligence
cooperation. It would degrade the ability to carry out drone attacks. Despite
his frustration, even Mullen acknowledges that the relationship with
Pakistan must be salvaged.
A week after Mullen's testimony, top US officials involved in Middle
East policy began distancing themselves from his remarks, with unnamed
officials telling the Washington Post that the admiral had overstated the
case against the ISI. This may reflect a split within the Obama
administration about how to deal with a crucial ally. That's an enormous
challenge, but it's critical for both sides that they heal the rift.

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Next day, Javid Husain opined: The American attempt to bludgeon

the Taliban into submission through military means is doomed to failure.
The military effort in Afghanistan must be accompanied by political
initiatives to open the doors for national reconciliation and a negotiated
settlement in Afghanistan. It also follows that Pakistans role must be limited
to encouraging the Taliban to go to the negotiating table in the interest of
durable peace in Afghanistan. Thereafter, the Afghans themselves must take
charge of their destiny free from foreign interference. Further, it does not
make any sense for us to launch military operations against the supporters of
the Afghan Taliban in our tribal areas, while we are encouraging the Afghan
parties to go to the negotiating table. We must, however, distinguish between
the Afghan Taliban, who constitute a legitimate Afghan political group
struggling for power in Afghanistan, and al-Qaeda which is, undoubtedly, a
terrorist organization with international agenda. Our cooperation with the
US to root out al-Qaeda and its affiliated terrorist groups should be
continued with greater vigour than before.
In short, our Afghan policy should be rooted in an objective analysis
of the ground realities, continued diplomatic engagement with the US and
abstinence from provocations. The policy of self-reliance is a prerequisite
for such a policy. It remains to be seen whether our political leadership
has the sagacity and courage to come to grips with the internal and
external challenges confronting the nation. Their failure to do so, and rid
the country of corruption and the economic ills from which it is suffering,
will condemn it to irrelevance in the emerging global scenario.
On 5th October, S M Hali commented: In the wake of US warnings
on the Haqqani network, there was a dire need for Pakistani
policymakers to project their case not only to US policymakers, but also to
the world to present the truth about the group, out rightly rejecting
Washingtons allegations against the ISI for having links with it. In this
regard, evidence should have been sought from the US to prove their
allegations.
The much touted APC did take place, but the end result was far
from the expected results. Whereas the crisis became evident due to the
warnings and threats emanating from the US based on false surmise and
precepts, yet in the resolution released at the end of the conference, its name
did not even appear in print. The bellows and snarls of all our leaders came
to naught when it was time to stand up and be counted. The begging bowl,
which has become a millstone around our neck, was to be smashed and
foreign aid was to be rejected so that we could make use of this adversity to
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unite and stand on our own feet, but none of it was even pledged. It is
remarkable that politicians of various political parties sat together for better
than one-third of the day and tried to reach a consensus on providing a
roadmap on how to take the bull of terrorism and US blackmailing by the
horns. However, neither were the terrorist acts condemned, nor a course
charted to lead Pakistan out of the shark infested waters and deal with
America.
The undercurrent and general whisperings in Pakistan indicate
that the US and India are trying to destabilize the republic. The
credibility of these undertones can be substantiated by consecutive terror and
sectarian attacks taking place in Karachi, Peshawar and Mastung-Quetta, in
which precious lives have been lost. Pakistani analysts and commoners
openly blame CIA and RAW for their involvement in these terrorist attacks.
Sponsoring terrorist activities inside Pakistan by foreign hands is not only
painful for the people, but also arousing anti-US feelings.
The people of Pakistan perceive that over the past few years, CIA
has been able to cultivate its own intelligence sources and have
successfully established independent networks of information having
intelligence value. These include religious parties, political leaders, social
outfits and non-state actors, including terrorist organizations. Thus, CIAs
meddling in our internal affairs is leading to increased anti-US emotions in
Pakistan. To improve US image requires the winning of hearts and souls that
entail its policy review, as opposed to the use of coercive and reproving
approaches to put more pressure on Pakistan. The roar of the mouse,
unfortunately, got drowned in the crescendo of selfish motives of the
politicians.
On 7th October, M A Niazi observed: It is possible to see the
government as experimenting with various mechanisms, as it had previously
held joint sessions of Parliament on national security issues; this time it was
trying, among other purposes, to drum up support for the armed forces, but
an APC implies that Parliament is not sufficiently representative. That
also implies the belief that the elections which called Parliament into
existence were not honest. A corollary is that Parliament is not the place, or
at least not sufficient, to win support for the armed forces.
This implies that the government and the armed forces believe that
the nation can only be mobilized by the parties. It further implies the belief
that 1965 resulted in a successful war, because the armed forces and the
people were united, while in 1971, the peoples not supporting the armed
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forces led to the loss of East Pakistan. That the battlefield is now nuclear
appears not to have been taken account of. Similarly, the USAs readiness
to attack Pakistan should also take account of a potentially nuclear
battlefield between the two countries, neither of which has made a no-firstuse pledge. The USA, probably, does not contemplate an invasion of
Pakistan, but it would certainly like to eliminate its nuclear arsenal on this
excuse.
It should also not be forgotten that the USA would like a wedge
driven between the armed forces and the people. This is not just directed
at immediate targets, such as a potential conflict with Pakistan, though it
would be useful there, but also at the plan to deprive Pakistan of its nuclear
deterrent, and to disintegrate it. It would also help the US plan to prop-up
India, as a regional counterweight to China to break the link between the
Pakistani people and its armed forces, because it sees the armed forces as the
biggest bulwark against this plan, which means Indian hegemony over the
region.
The government faces a dilemma. It believes that currying
American favour is what keeps it in office. But this policy distances it
from the people at a time when elections are around the corner. It should be
noticed that the US cannot engage in a full-scale invasion of Pakistan, but it
can probably, from its bases in Afghanistan, use Special Forces to attack
targets in Pakistan, like the Abbottabad raid in which Osama was killed. The
government will have to choose between its own interest, which seems to be
actually the interest of Zardari, and the national interest.
Dr Haider Mehdi wrote: In my opinion, Washingtons accusations
against Pakistan have, in fact, offered us a window of opportunity to
correct our foreign policy discourse and set up a new direction to our
alliances with the US, NATO, Afghanistan and the rest of the global
community.
First and foremost, instead of denying Pakistans link to the
Haqqani network, we should make it clear to Obamas administration
that we have a historical-political association with them. We should remind
Obama that these are the same people, who were American
mujahideen/heroes against the Soviets.
Two: Pakistan can use its influence with the network for bringing
the Afghans and the Americans to a negotiation table. If the US gives
peace a chance, it would greatly enhance Obamas popularity domestically
and guarantee his re-election for the second term.
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Three: The Afghan war is unwinnable because it is against an entire

nation and people its expansion into Pakistan will not be in the interest
of Americas long-range regional and global objectives. It is time to put
the war behind and treat Pakistan as an ally in seeking peace.
Four: Pakistan must immediately disengage itself from the war
and stop all military operations all over the country. Pakistan needs to
clearly tell Obama that the war is not our war and it is in the States national
interest to stop this destructiveness against our own people. We have had
enough of it no matter if financial aid is cut or not.
Five: Pakistan should make necessary military preparations to
respond to any likely US/NATO aggression. It also needs to tell the US to
stop drone attacks on its territory.
Have we not had enough of concealed deceptions in the name of
democracy! Now that the APC theatrics are over, the curtain has fallen on
the stage where the Zardari-Gilani regimes political charade was being
played out. Now let us get to work on some real issues.
On 9th October, TheNation wrote: With the US and Pakistan vowing
to go different ways in dealing with the so-called war on terror, their
relations are turning sourer by the hour. At a news conference held at the
White House on Thursday to mark the 10 th anniversary of the invasion of
Afghanistan in the vain pursuit of decimating al-Qaeda, President Obama
not only boasted about having pushed the Taliban out of its key
strongholds, but also pointed a finger at Pakistan for complicating
Washingtons war strategy. Turning a blind eye to the reality on the ground
in Afghanistan that almost every informed person is telling the world, he
claimed that his forces were closer than before to defeating al-Qaeda and its
network. His other view included: despite possessing the required might,
the Americans are ending the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in a responsible
manner; and the US has proven the point that it is not fighting against
Islam anywhere in the world. Hardly have heads of state taken stands
that reek of such outlandish untruths! But then, with Obama insisting that
killer Raymond Davis had diplomatic status, the international community
would not, perhaps, be so much surprised at the utter falsehood of his
remarks. The world would rather go along the reading of the situation by
German General Harald Kujat, the man who planned the Bundeswehrs
mission in Afghanistan and oversaw it: the mission has been a failure, and
the Taliban will regain power within months of US withdrawal. That is the
reality that is making the US uneasy and that Obama wants to hide.
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At the same time, the US own former top General in charge of the
war has also come out with the truth: the Americans began the war with a
frighteningly simplistic view of the country and even 10 years lacked the
necessary knowledge. General McChrystal says, Most of us me included
had a very superficial understanding of the country and history. The
conclusion is obvious: if one does not know the lie of the land one is
entering, the job of fighting the enemy would be difficult and victory
impossible.
Meanwhile, as Pakistans corps commanders meeting at GHQ firmly
stick to the stand, no more operations, the political leadership
wholeheartedly sides with the armed forces. A meeting of the Troika
President Zardari, Prime Minister Gilani and COAS General Kayani
insisted that they would implement the all parties conference decisions,
whose essence was solution through peaceful means. Time has revealed
the chicanery of the superpower and the truth behind its words of long and
abiding friendship though hardly any Pakistani has ever been taken in by
these glibly uttered deceptions, except perhaps, the leaders and their coterie
of West-leaning rich class. Under no circumstances, Pakistan should
compromise its own interests for the sake of maintaining such a fake
friendship. If the US takes the foolhardy step of turning its guns towards
Pakistan, it would find itself in a worse quagmire than it has encountered in
Afghanistan.
Imran Malik opined: In a worst case scenario, the US could isolate
Pakistan diplomatically and get it declared a state sponsor of terrorism and
the Pak Army and ISI as terrorist organizations. That would be an
unacceptable direct attack on Pakistans centre of gravity. It would also be a
big comedown for Pakistan, from being a major non-NATO ally to a
despised terrorist state in a jiffy! (Such can be the unfathomable vagaries
and inconsistencies of USAs policies!) But then can the world countenance
a nuclear weapons capable terrorist state; one that is backed by world class
professional armed forces and an ace intelligence agency? Is it prepared to
deal with one? Such an inanity would have global implications
destabilizing and radicalizing countries in The centre of gravity of the
Afghan situation lies in the US-led forces - remove them without the job
completed and the whole Afghan system will collapse inwards onto itself
critically destabilizing the whole region-dj vu 1989!
The US must leave the region, but through an orderly well planned,
well thought out, regionally coordinated plan. The US, Pakistan and
Afghanistan must work out a comprehensive joint roadmap for the APR for
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the present and the post-US 2014 eras. The roadmap should lay down the
conditions that must obtain for a US withdrawal and give broad
guidelines for helping Afghanistan evolve a just, honourable and equitable
domestic political dispensation. It must ensure an Afghanistan that is
independent, secure and at peace with itself and within the region. It must
pacify, neutralize and rehabilitate the militants. Vital interests of
Afghanistans immediate neighbours must be secured too!
The US and Pakistan must agree to a new common strategic
direction, a new understanding and fresh terms of engagement so
essential to peacefully managing this transition. Any unilateral disjointed
approaches by the US, Pakistan or Afghanistan will lead to unmitigated
disaster and continuation of this unbearable status quo ad infinitum!
Movement ahead on this strategic crossroads will determine the future of the
APR. The US and Pakistan could march in-step, as allies or continue on
divergent axes. The world awaits that decision with abated breath!
S Iftikhar Murshed wrote: The APC was prompted by the current
standoff between Pakistan and the US. This has been a crisis in the
making since June last year with the presentation of a study at the Carr
Centre for Human Rights Policy at Harvard Universitys Kennedy School of
Government. The report cited both Taliban and Haqqani commanders as
conceding that the ISI controls the most violent insurgent units, some of
which appear to be based in Pakistan. It also alleged: Insurgent
commanders confirmed that the ISI are even represented as participants or
observers on...the Quetta Shura and the Haqqani command council.
The allegations are dubious, but nevertheless serious. The
question that arises is whether the Pakistani embassy in Washington did
anything to set the record straight or was it waiting for the strains in the
Pakistan-US equation to come to a head with the attacks on the US embassy
and NATO headquarters in Kabul on Sept 13 and American troops in
Wardak on Sept 11? Whatever the answer, initiating negotiations with the
TTP will not result in peace with honour and will only further isolate
Pakistan, despite all its sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.
Next day, TheNation observed: Pakistan's military sources have
roundly debunked the report emanating from Washington that Pakistan
has withdrawn the demand for putting an end to attacks on its territory
launched by CIA-operated drone airplanes. There has been no such
development. Islamabad firmly adheres to the policy that these attacks must
stop. Not only do they violate Pakistans sovereignty, but also prove far
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more harmful than beneficial in hunting down the terrorist operatives.

Besides, the remark attributed to Director of National intelligence James
Clapper that the intelligence and security agencies of the two countries are
rebuilding their ties is quite unwarranted since contacts between them have
been continuing, as before. Both regard al-Qaeda as their common enemy
and are cooperating in eliminating it.
The US, it appears, takes the Pakistani public as quite nave and State
Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland wants them to believe that the
series of accusations and threats against Pakistan coming from several top
US administration officials, including President Obama himself, do not
suggest that the US has launched an anti-Pakistan campaign. Against the
backdrop of defaming Pakistan the intense diatribe against the ISI and
earlier instances of Washingtons patently false notion about Islamabad not
being fully cooperative in the war on terror, contained in the words, do
more it is not hard even for the meanest intelligence to see what the US is
actually driving at. In fact, the impression given by and unnamed US
official that Pakistan has dropped its objections against drone attacks is
nothing but part of a brazen disinformation campaign.
It should be abundantly clear to our political as well as military
leadership that the carefully orchestrated campaign of allegations against
our country is in sheer bad faith. We must remain firm in our resolve
about no more military campaign and no tolerance for drone attacks. A
serious effort must be made to redirect the course of our foreign policy that
would help protect and promote our national interests instead of continuing
to befriend a duplicitous country.
Khalid Iqbal wrote: An American writer, Wayne Madsen, recently
claimed: Pakistan is next on the target list of nations that will soon be
feeling the military muscle of the US...unlike other Muslim nations that have
been subjected to its military intervention, including Afghanistan, Iraq,
Somalia, Yemen, and Libya. Pakistans ultimate prize for the West is its
nuclear weapons arsenalThe plans have been coordinated between the
CIA, RAW and Mossad. The US always wanted to get to Pakistans nukes.
Moreover, President Lyndon B Johnson once said: Wars can be lost, but
election must be won. In a spree to win the elections, he went so ballistic
that the Vietnam war spun out of American control and Johnson had to
abdicate his right to contest the second term. In the footsteps of Johnson,
Obama is following similar trajectories.

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Obama, Biden, Hillary, Mullen, Petraeus and Panetta, who are in

the habit of firing threatening salvos, need to be realistic and understand
that the Americans, as well as the world, cannot be fooled by such rhetoric
again and again. America must take the initiative by publicly abandoning its
aims to retain bases in Afghanistan and indicate its firm commitment to exit
out at the earliest.
Islamabads vision about Afghanistans future pegs around a
peaceful polity; whereas Washington is looking for a turbulent
Afghanistan. Further Pakistan is seeking a self-governed Afghanistan,
which could take care of its security; whereas America wants an Afghanistan
that is perpetually dependent on America for its security and economic
survival. Hence, both the countries are on a point of strategic divergence.
At least until Obama loses elections, Pakistan is up against an
insidious psyche. American military threat is real and serious. Our military
leadership needs to upgrade the readiness structures and refine response
procedures to thwart American misadventures through special operations.
Likewise, the political leadership needs to specify clear and precise rules of
engagement shoot to neutralize all intruders.
Momin Iftikhar opined: For the obsessed American soldiers and
diplomats, the presence of anti-Pakistan terrorist factions on the Afghan
side evokes no concern, while the consequence for Pakistan are painful to
the extreme. The Afghan based terrorists are attacking Pakistani posts with
impunity and are extending their activities to the major cities in Pakistan.
Lack of action by US forces has permitted the anti-Pakistan Taliban element
to rule the roost in Nooristan and Kunar provinces. It is worth recalling that
on the pretext of cutting down its casualties, the American Army has pulled
out its troops from the former, while only maintaining a nominal writ in the
latter. This has permitted Maulvi Fazlullah of Swat fame to fill in the
vacuum, as a major warlord commanding a force of a thousand fighters
equipped with advanced weapons and state-of-the-art communication
equipment. The US-induced freedom of action has even allowed him to
overshadow the local Afghan Commander Dost Muhammad, who is
constrained to accept a subordinate position in an area considered the hub of
anti-Pakistan activities.
The northern Kunar province is the domain of the TTP affiliated
Maulvi Faqir Muhammad who, commanding around 400 terrorists, has led
attacks in the Bajaur area of Pakistan. In fact, the area between Kunar River
and the border has become the hub of anti-Pakistan operations. Faqir
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Muhammad is known to be operating FM radio stations on the Afghan side

of the border to raise funds and recruits and create anti-Pakistan frenzy. In
the southern parts of Kunar province where ISAF works in close conjunction
with the local administration, injured terrorists of the TTP receive
medical treatment in the government run hospitals. Wali Muhammad is
the key TTP commander here, enjoying the support of intelligence agencies
of India and Afghanistan.
Nangarhar province is the abode of Mangal Bagh, the infamous
terrorist leading Lashkar-i-Islam, who is raking trouble in Khyber as well as
Aurakzai Agencies. Qari Bashir operates from Logar and Kabul, PaktiaPaktika-Khost provinces are infested with TTP elements affiliated with
Hakimullah Mehsud, while Brahamdagh Bugti supported clan stationed in
Kabul is closely supervising and directing the activities of insurgents based
in Kandahar, Helmand and Nimroz provinces.
Juxtaposed with the US demands upon the overstretched Pakistan
Army to expand its operations into North Waziristan, is the amazing
nonchalance with which the American military leaders in Afghanistan
treat the presence of key anti-Pakistan terrorist commanders and their
forces in the areas adjoining border with Pakistan. Sustained by liaison
provided by intelligence agencies hostile to Pakistan, this presence is
malignant, leading to the loss of Pakistani lives among both civilians and
those in uniform. Pakistan has all the right to demand of US to neutralize the
presence of these anti-Pakistan outfits on the Afghan soil. If the US can hold
Pakistan to ransom over the Kabul attack, it itself has a lot to explain for the
failure to curb terrorism emanating from areas in Afghanistan where it holds
the sole responsibility for control. Or does it think that Pakistani blood
comes cheap?
On 12th October, S M Hali observed: Today, Karzai and the West are
acknowledging India for donating about $2 billion to Afghanistan. But they
are forgetting that Pakistan has hosted about five million Afghan refugees
for 20 years. If it costs $5 per day to feed and clothe each Afghan refugee,
the arithmetic is quite clear. Additionally, Pakistan enables the transit of
goods from its ports to Afghanistan free of cost. Due to the high cost of food
items there, tons of it is smuggled from Pakistan across the Durand Line,
which has added to the countrys woes. If all these factors are taken into
consideration, Pakistans contribution and sacrifices far outnumber anyone
else. Keeping this in view, Peter Preston, a British journalist and author,
said: The real victim of Bush's great 9/11 folly is Pakistan. It might have

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been a buoyant nation today, joining India and China at world economic
forums. Instead it is a failing State.
Playing along with New Delhi, Karzai outlined his vision for a
borderless South Asia modeled on the European Union in which a traveler
could have breakfast in Amritsar, lunch in Lahore and dinner in Kabul. He
imagined an idyllic future in which Afghan grapes will be able to reach
Delhi in a lorry as delicious and fresh as they are in Kabul or Kandahar.
Either it was navet or extreme craftiness on his part to make such
projections is hard to understand. But for a man who dare not venture out
of his palace, and whose minder - the US - is not safe either because of the
daring attack on the US Embassy and NATO headquarters that took a
massive toll of lives, is having utopian thoughts of a United States of South
Asia.
The prospects for peace in Afghanistan and Pakistan are intertwined.
However, President Karzais baseless blame game and his dangerous
liaison with India are detrimental to the peace process and regional
stability. If the US endgame in Afghanistan is at hand, Karzai would be
better served to be fair with Pakistan - his true benefactor.
Two days later, TheNation commented: US Defence Secretary Leon
Panettas words, We cannot resolve issues of Afghanistan without solving
the issues of Pakistan uttered at an address on Tuesday, exude a sense of
unmixed deceit and insincerity that would raise perceptive readers
eyebrows for the brazen lie they contain. May one ask Mr Panetta that if
that is what the United States has been feeling, which of Pakistans issues
have it helped resolve since at least 9/11? Are we anywhere nearer the end of
Kashmir dispute with India? Has Washingtons chosen friend to serve as a
bulwark against the ineluctable rise of China as a power of unrivalled
strength that it dreads would end its overlord-ship of the world, given up the
idea of turning Pakistan into a desert and stopped usurping its share of water
guaranteed under the Indus Waters Treaty?
On the contrary! On the one hand, its mollycoddling of New Delhi
has made it ever more defiant of international law and agreement to the
detriment of Islamabad. On the other, under its pressure, Pakistans weak
and self-serving leaders the US has foisted upon this nation are doing
their best to frustrate the Kashmiris struggle for freedom from the
Indian stranglehold. Turning a blind eye to the atrocities the occupation
forces are committing on them, our leaders are showing increasing readiness
to ignore the existence of this core dispute and develop relations with New
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Delhi through unwarranted trade concessions. And India feels further

emboldened to disregard its commitments on waters emanating from Held
Kashmir.
There are a host of other questions to ask Mr Panetta, besides the
above two And if both Mr Panetta and Ms Clinton keep harping on the
theme of our inaction or hobnobbing with the Haqqanis, how come are they,
in the same breath, advocating US-Haqqanis dialogue? Somehow, in the
face of a shameful defeat the US has suffered at the hands of Afghan
resistance, rational approach to issues has deserted its policymakers.
While they want us to launch an armed action against the Haqqani group,
which has not done us any harm, at the same time they negotiate with the
same group even though they accuse it of killing their and their allies
soldiers. It is about time the hawkish policymakers in Washington, like Mr
Panetta and Ms Clinton, accepted the reality on the ground.
On 15th October, the newspaper wrote: General Kayani is reported
to have bluntly refused to go along the US demand of action against the
Haqqanis. By his refusal, he not only upheld the resolution adopted at the
APC, but also reflected the sentiments of the general public, which believes
that the ruling leadership too readily toes the American line. At the press
conference which Mr Grossman addressed with Foreign Minister Khar, the
two leaders stressed the importance of relations between Pakistan and the
US and that their dialogue would continue. When he met Mr Zardari,
Grossman was told to exercise restraint in making public pronouncements in
order to overcome the trust deficit; for verbal assaults and finger-pointing
between the two countries only served the militants interests.
Secretary Hillary Clinton has counseled Pakistan not to become part
of the Afghan problem, but part of the solution. She knows full well the
problems, which we are beset with and their causes. General Musharrafs
unfortunate decision to jump on the war on terror bandwagon has bought us
economic woes in place of a fast developing economy, acts of terrorism
where they were unheard of before and in the process, we have also lost no
less than 5,000 soldiers and 35,000 civilians. We have paid in blood for this
war and continue to search for a solution which will end it, but that can
only emerge when the occupying foreign forces leave Afghanistan and let
Afghans democratically rule their country as they would wish.
Zaheer Bhatti opined: The All Parties Conference (APC) held on
September 29 in Islamabad has sent a powerful message of civil-military
solidarity to the world, rejecting any undue pressures or threats to the
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sovereign State of Pakistan. The forum has demonstrated maturity, poise and
dignified restraint in its reaction to the nervous frustration and fury foulmouthed by all and sundry in the US administration. You have tried the
senseless war path; now let us give peace a chance is Pakistans message.
The US and its NATO allies need to recognize the ground realities in
Afghanistan after their decade-long senseless military campaign, instead of
crying wolf over the Haqqani network, which 10 years down the line has
emerged even stronger as a veritable arm of the Afghan Taliban and
not the ISI. It happens to be in control of the majority of Afghanistan a
fact publicly testified by the ISI Chief. Also, only a mad cap could insist
upon Pakistan to take them on when the collective might of the allied force
could not.
Inayatullah observed: These days Marc Grossman is in Pakistan
There is much that Pakistan can talk about by way of reminding the
United States to correct its behaviour. While it has gone all-out to appease
and please India, entering into long-term economic and defence partnership
deals, including the nuclear bonanza, it has been reluctant to provide even
limited trade facilities or enter into an investment agreement with Pakistan.
The way it thrust the comparatively small aid package on Pakistan in the
shape of a condition-ridden legislation (and how only a fraction of the
money has been actually released) is a stark demonstration of the way it has
been treating us. Many years ago, President Bush condescendingly talked
about the Reconstruction Industrial Zones in FATA. Not only little has been
done to implement the idea, there is hardly any mention of it in the talks
frequently held for cooperation between the two countries.
It is good that we are beginning to realize that we can no longer
continue to play the role of second rate mercenaries. Kayani rightly told
Grossman and the ISAF Chief that Pakistan would not allow itself to be
pushed to do things against its own interests and plans. It is also time
Islamabad tells Washington not to godfather Indias unacceptable role in
Afghanistan. The USA and its Western and Indian allies have already
charted a course for this region. Pakistan needs to hold consultation with
China, Turkey and Iran to neutralize the harmful parts of the envisaged
strategic architecture.
On 5th October, TheNation commented that Sirajuddin Haqqani, the
operational commander of the Haqqani network in Afghanistan, has
denied that it is involved in the assassination of Burhanuddin Rabbani. In an
interview to the BBC broadcast on Monday, Mr Haqqani also denied that the
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network received support from the ISI and claimed that the USA was
pressing it to join the Afghan government. The denials strengthen those
made by various branches of the Pakistan government, while the disclosure
about the USA illustrates what it wants in North Waziristan, where it has
been pressing for a military operation, as well as how completely it
determines matters for the Karzai government, down to determining which
parties would be suitable allies for it
It is noteworthy that the USA wants the Pakistan army to carry
out an operation in North Waziristan, while it itself holds talks with it.
Though Mr Haqqanis statements are not supported, except partially by
similar ones from senior Pakistani officials, they make sense, for if the USA
wants the Haqqanis to join the Afghan government, it must have a stick to
accompany the carrot of government, that being the operation it desires.
In this situation, Pakistani options become very limited. The
question does not become one of carrying out the operation or not, but
the entire alliance with the USA becomes questionable. If the USA is
talking to the network to the extent of bringing it into the Afghan
government, that would also make useless its objections to the Haqqani
network, that it has killed American troops. The only way out for Pakistan is
to break off an alliance which is also unpopular and earns the government
discredit, even if it thinks the Americans keep it in power.
Next day, Azam Khalil commented: Karzai, who is known for his
pro-Indian stance, has been deliberately trying to provide more space to the
Indians, in spite of the fact that there is no border between Afghanistan and
India. Whereas the Americans have, reportedly, refused to close down the
terror camps that are managed and financed by the Indians to spread
insurgency in Pakistan, especially Balochistan and FATA. This has, indeed,
messed up things in the war-torn country to a great extent, and that is why
Washington and New Delhi are deliberately targeting Pakistan army and the
ISI that is, to malign them in the international arena.
The Americans are aware that Pakistan has suffered both in men and
material in the ongoing war on terror. Therefore, when they withdraw their
forces from Afghanistan, they should keep in mind that it (Pakistan) will
not compromise on its vital strategic interests. The unity showed by the
politicians in Islamabad should be enough for the US policymakers to
realize that we are determined to safeguard our interests.
Likewise, Karzai must understand that he may lose all relevance
after the US/NATO troops leave the country. He can only survive with the
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support of American troops but what will happen after they leave. Therefore,
annoying Pakistan at this stage will neither benefit him, nor his country in
the long run.
Keeping this in view, the Americans and the Karzai government must
listen attentively to what Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said about
the building up of a consensus among the political forces in Afghanistan,
including negotiating with all factions of the Taliban. He reminded them that
the policy of dialogue, development and deterrence could help to maintain
peace and harmony in the region. He showed the countrys determination to
continue to fight against terrorism, and so the talk of Pakistan supporting
the Haqqani network does not hold water.
Also, Islamabad has made it clear that it was in Pakistans interest
that peace and stability return to Afghanistan. Otherwise, the current turmoil
that has spilled over into Pakistan in the form of acts of subversion and
sabotage will continue to take a heavy toll. Further, it will always support
the Afghan government, if it initiates a dialogue with all factions of the
Taliban. In case, the door to peaceful negotiations is opened only for
selective groups, it would mean that there will be no peace in
Afghanistan. There will also be a danger that the extremist forces gain
ascendancy over the country (Afghanistan); a situation that could lead to
unknown dangers, which will not be in the interest of the world, especially
Pakistan.
Washington Post wrote: US policy aims at inducing both Pakistan
and the Taliban to reconcile themselves with the political order Washington
has created in Afghanistan, including a government whose relations with
Islamabad are often frosty, and a large, NATO-trained army. Yet the Obama
administration has repeatedly underlined its intention to withdraw US troops
from the country by 2014. That gives the Taliban a powerful incentive to
wait and Pakistan a reason to hedge
It is possible, of course, that a coherent US policy could include
both a drive to destroy Taliban capabilities including its leaders safe
havens in Pakistan and an attempt to broker a political settlement. The
Posts David Ignatius recently reported that some US officials believe hardline members of the Haqqani clan are staging attacks in order to undermine
potential negotiations, and want Pakistans help in eliminating these
irreconcilable elements.
Still, just as Pakistan can be fairly charged with failing to adopt a
clear or constructive vision of Afghanistans future, the United States
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appears stranded between its military and diplomatic strategies, and between
its goals of entrenching the current Afghan order and leaving the country
within the next 40 months. This is particularly true when it comes to what is
really wanted from Pakistans military and civilian leaders. Is the goal to
push Pakistan into attacking the Haqqani group and other Taliban factions
based on its territory? Or is it to broker a political settlement between those
groups and the government of Hamid Karzai, with Pakistani participation?
In fact it has become increasingly clear that the Taliban is uninterested
in a political deal as the recent assassination of Mr. Karzais chief
negotiator brutally demonstrated.
It follows that US policy should be focused on destroying the
insurgents leadership while offering rank-and-file militants
opportunities for reintegration. The message to Pakistan should be onedimensional and clear: Eliminate the sanctuaries or expect stepped-up US
efforts to do so. The way to end Islamabads double game is to clarify US
strategy.
Margherita Stancati observed: Fresh from announcing that a years
worth of peace talks with the Taliban have come to naught, Afghan President
Hamid Karzai is turning his mind to longer-term projects. In a speech in
New Delhi Wednesday, Mr Karzai outlined his vision for a borderless
South Asia modeled on the European Union in which a traveler could
have breakfast in Amritsar, lunch in Lahore and dinner in Kabul.
Mr Karzai, on the last day of an official trip to India, imagined an
idyllic future in which Afghan grapes will be able to reach Delhi in a lorry
as delicious and fresh as they are in Kabul or Kandahar. In his vision,
South Asia will no longer be a region filled with violence, anger and
aggression but a prosperous and peaceful one. If Western Europe, a
region that had been plagued by war for centuries, could achieve that, what
is stopping South Asia from doing the same? After all, Europe has a bigger
history of conflict than us, reasoned Mr Karzai.
An added bonus for South Asia, he said, is that it can count a shared
culture that runs deep from Urdu poetry to Bollywood. Ask any Afghan
and they will tell you about Shah Rukh Khan; ask any Pakistani and they
will tell you about Indian songs, Mr Karzai said. This is the foundation we
have. Although Mr Karzai seemed convinced that South Asia is more
assembled and united than other regions there are several reasons why a
United States of South Asia is not going to work at least not for a very
long time.
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The biggest obstacle to Mr Karzais utopian vision is that the regions

two most-populous countries just dont get along This hasnt stopped
Mr Karzai from seeing beyond the existing geopolitical tensions. He
seemed convinced that his vision could become a reality in the not-so-distant
future: As a retired citizen of Afghanistan I can also be a retired citizen of
South Asia that is my dream. Considering Mr Karzai is already 53, he
better get going.
On 10th October, Scott Tankel observed: Though the Taliban remain
operational and continues to press forward in their battle against foreign
troops, NATO forces now report that much of the tactics they are
currently witnessing from the Taliban have resembled acts of
desperation. Todays attacks, despite their threatening and deadly nature,
involve tactics such as suicide missions and high profile attempts at
undermining Afghan civilians sense of security. These attacks are not
designed to effectively win a war against foreign troops, as evident by the
attack on the US Embassy, in which only 10 Taliban insurgents were
involved, far too few to actually take down the structure. Instead, they are
designed to show the Coalitions weakness and inability to properly secure
the country, undermining the hearts and minds campaign and damaging the
transition process.
Despite these successes, Coalition troops are still encountering
fierce resistance, and Afghanistan remains an enormous money pit for
the international community. With the death of Osama Bin Laden and
several other high-ranking Al-Qaeda officials, it may be possible to change
the course and the tone of the Afghan war. It would be wise for the US to
frame Bin Ladens death as an overall military victory, offering an outlet and
an excuse to abandon the fight against the Taliban and exit Afghanistan as
gracefully as possible.
Bin Ladens death provides the US an opportunity with an
excellent potential exit strategy from the war. By returning to the primary
purpose of the war the defeat of al-Qaeda instead of continuing to
restructure the mission in order to secure and rebuild Afghanistan, US forces
need to seriously consider withdrawal in spite of the Taliban situation.
Initially, the removal of the Taliban was included as a war objective because
of their refusal to hand over bin-Laden and dismantle terrorist training
camps. The coalition forces have largely accomplished both of these goals.
The relationship between al-Qaeda and the Taliban was heavily based on the
relationship between bin Laden, Mullah Omar. However, not all of the
Taliban leaders had positive impressions of Laden or his organization. On
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numerous occasions, senior Taliban leaders expressed their distaste for

Qaeda, its tactics and its ideology. As recently as 2008, the Taliban
expressed its desire to sever ties with Qaeda while in discussions with S
Arabia to help end the conflict.
The US, and more importantly, the Afghan government, must be
willing to enter into concerted negotiations with the Taliban if any
semblance of stability is to be restored to the country. Additionally, a
successful withdrawal of armed forces simply cant be accomplished
unilaterally. Leaving Afghanistan without an agreement from the Taliban
would be an enormous waste, as the country would most likely descend into
further chaos and bloodshed. Afghan security forces are currently incapable
of preventing a complete Taliban takeover, which is why it remains in the
USs interest to pursue an Afghanistan in which there is some type of powersharing agreement in place between the Karzai Government and the Taliban.
At the moment, another viable option hasnt presented itself.
A dual approach strategy must be utilized, on the one hand finding
NATO forces exerting continuous military pressure on the Taliban, while
simultaneously promoting open negotiations and reconciliation talks in order
to stabilize the country. Opening a dialogue with the Taliban may enable a
power sharing deal within the Afghan government, giving coalition troops
the opportunity to withdrawal under a banner of significant. The simple fact
is that the Taliban has never been an enduring strategic threat to the United
States, and it may still be possible for US and NATO forces to exit
Afghanistan.
On 15th October, Eamonn Mccann opined: There is no democratic
mandate for the war and no reason for hope that it will attain its objectives,
whatever those are these days After 10 years of war, neither the US nor
British government has been able to point to a single significant
achievement. George Bush gave the Afghan war the codename Operation
Enduring Freedom. Today, its Operation Enduring Failure.
On 3rd October, TheNation commented: It is not without reason that
we keep warning our leadership that India is an inveterate enemy of
Pakistan. As New Delhi finds Islamabad facing a threat of aggression from
the US, it has stepped forward to exploit the situation, not inconceivably
without the active encouragement of the Americans. According to a report
carried by the Times of India, it has brought forward, at the closest base to
the international borders with Pakistan, a squadron of 16 military aircraft to
compound our security concerns. These aircraft can carry all types of
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weapons and fly at the fantastic speed of over 2000km an hour. On the
western border in Afghanistan, the American surrogate and Indian friend
President Hamid Karzai does not miss an opportunity to make matters worse
for us. He has launched a furious tirade against Pakistan accusing it of
involvement in the murder of former Afghan President Burhanuddin
Rabbani, who was also the main man organizing peace negotiations with the
Taliban. Mr Karzai is so obsessed about toeing the US line that he would be
ready to cloud the issue, mindless of the Afghanistan's own interests. Mr
Karzai is trying to tell the world that the Taliban would accept any solution
of the Afghan tangle that Islamabad agrees to; since their sanctuaries and
operating places are in Pakistan. Thus, his cynical observation that he
would talk to Pakistan for finding a solution and not the Taliban.
Pakistan is up against an acute challenge of multiple dimensions.
Apart from internal problems, by no means easy to surmount, external
dangers constitute a real existential threat to the country. The US, with all its
might and that of its 40-odd allies, stands helpless in the face of a badly
equipped resistance, after having fought for 10 years. Desperate in defeat, it
wants to get out of Afghanistan. At the same time, it wants to give the
impression of an honourable exit. To meet this objective, it has adopted twin
strategies: to achieve a peaceful settlement through talks with the Taliban;
and, secondly, to blame Pakistan for the civil war that is most likely to ensue
on its departure owing to the ethnically distorted power-sharing arrangement
it is trying to bequeath to the Afghans.
There is dire need to remain vigilant against the evil designs of
the forces arraigned against us. One would have thought that Mr Karzai
would think in the long-term interests of his country and would not pick up
quarrels with Pakistan. He should know that Pakistan, with a larger
population of Pashtuns than Afghanistan, cannot remain unconcerned if a
post-US dispensation discriminatory against the Pashtuns is tried to be
imposed on his country. As for the Indian hostility towards Pakistan, the less
said the better. The US feels frustrated at the looming failure of its designs
against China because its adventure in Afghanistan fell through and is trying
to take its frustration on Pakistan. We have to squarely confront these forces
and given the sincerity of purpose can ward off the danger.
Momin Iftikhar wrote: Pakistans fundamental objection to
Kishanganga is that it involves diverting the water of Neelum River
through a 21km long tunnel towards the Wullar Lake to generate 330MW
power. This is manifestly not allowed by the IWT. The powerhouse located
near Bunkot would deliver the water through a Tail Race Tunnel into Bonar365

Madmati Nullah; another tributary of River Jhelum that outfalls into Wullar
Lake. This diversion is against the provisions of the IWT and has not only
serious consequence for the 969MW power generation capability of
Neelum-Jhelum Hydro-electrical Project, but will also reduce the water
supply for agriculture in the areas of Azad Kashmir, which are dependent on
the Neelum River flow. Since the entire flow of river is required to operate
the hydroelectric project, the curtailed current will result into less than
optimum operation of the project. It is estimated that the diversion of water
towards Wullar Lake will reduce flow into Pakistan by 27 percent.
The quantity of water flowing into Pakistan is estimated to fall from
154MAF (million acre feet) to about 140MAF per year. This will leave
unutilized a significant portion of the Mangla Dams storage capacity. Also,
the diversion of the flow of Neelum River will result into the drying up
of the riverbed downstream of the Kishanganga Dam for significant
periods of time. According to the available data, it is estimated that the dry
spell is likely to extend to eight months per year. The lack of water is going
to have an adverse impact on the agriculture in over thousands of acres in
Azad Kashmir, which are dependent upon the flow of River Neelum, besides
causing damage to the environmental aspects of flora and fauna nurtured by
the rivers flow in the Neelum Valley.
Since 1992, Pakistan has wasted 20 valuable years in prolonged
bilateral negotiations with India to pursue its legitimate concerns about
the Kishanganga Project before referring the case to the International Court
of Arbitration. The stay granted by the court, which prohibits India from
constructing any permanent structures on or above the riverbed of
Neelum/Kishanganga River is only a temporary reprieve; it cannot be
termed as victory, as India has been allowed to retain the water diversion
arrangement it has constructed so far.
Even as Pakistan has a strong case to plead, no complacency can
be afforded. For the future, Pakistan must devise ways and means to defeat
the Indian three-tiered strategy that entails; insisting on a bilateral
framework of talks without intending ever to settle it on any but Indias
terms; foot dragging to induce fatigue and tiredness; and creating facts on
ground by proceeding with the construction work knowing fully well that
these violate the provisions of IWT and presenting Pakistan and the World
Bank adjudicators with a fait accompli.
On 6th October, TheNation commented: The agreement Afghanistan
signed with India which placed its defence training in the hands of India will
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prove destabilizing for the region More important, this agreement was
signed between one country, India, which the USA has recently befriended,
and another, Afghanistan, which the USA directly occupies. This agreement
is thus the first example of how the USA would like to bend the region to
its wishes, and shows not just how the USA wants to reward India, but also
how it wishes Afghanistan ultimately to approach it, through India. The USA
intends India to be its regional counterweight in the region to China, which it
sees as a rival. It is because of this that it wants India to have a role in
Afghanistan, even though it has no intrinsic interest there. The agreement
that has been made will not just create an interest, but place it in the Indian
hands that are most likely to promote American interests, its defence
establishment.
Pakistan is interested in the deal not just because Afghanistan is
a neighbour, but because its large Pakhtun population creates a
commonality with Pakistan, which has its own Pakhtuns in large numbers.
However, the Indian training of Afghan defence forces and police is a
reminder that the current Afghan regime, the one which the USA set up, is
primarily the inheritor of the Northern Alliance, the Tajik body whose
leadership spent its exile during the anti-Soviet jihad mostly in India. Since
that leadership transferred virtually wholesale onto the Afghan security
forces as its leadership, the agreement makes it easier for them to follow
their inclination towards India. It also provides India an artificial role in
Afghanistan, something it only needs if it plans to throw its weight around,
and in the process destabilize not just South Asia but also Central Asia.
Pakistan should take this agreement as one more sign of the
change that has taken place, and should point out to the USA that if it
continued to patronize India, it would be backing a power that posed an
existential threat to Pakistan, as India wished to undo the partition. Pakistan
must use this agreement as one more reason to end its own unequal alliance
with the USA, which is not just backing India, but permitting Afghanistan to
pursue policies unfriendly to Pakistan.

REVIEW
Nawaz Sharif complained that the regime has once again cheated and
got a resolution adopted in APC. One has lost the count of number of times
he cribbed of having been deceived, cheated or trapped. It may be reflecting
on the cunningness of the Scoundrel, but it confirms beyond any doubt that
the turnip brothers are goons (stupid).
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Without recounting the number of times the turnips of Raiwind Farm

have been made fool by the Saint and Scoundrel, it may be said that the last
APC was a hat trick in which the pair defied the wisdom behind an
American saying. They belied the words that you cant fool all the people
all the time.
First, after coming to power they collected all the party leaders and
adopted a resolution that opposed drone attacks, threatened cutting logistics
of NATO and urged revision of Pak-US ties. Secondly, soon after
Abbottabad raid a marathon joint session of the Parliament was held to adopt
a similar resolution. Third resolution came after Mullens outburst against
ISI and Pakistan Army.
All the three resolutions failed to earn any respect from Zardari
regime. In fact, these were treated like tissue paper; used for cleansing and
then thrown into dustbin; the types which one doesnt use hand but press its
lever with foot to lift the lid.
In doing that the Saint and Scoundrel proved a point each to their
subjects in Pakistan and their masters in Washington. To the people and
party leaders of other political parties the duo conveyed that they might say
anything but rulers word is the one that matters. To their American masters
they proved that nothing could dent their faithfulness.
It was because of this unflinching commitment to the masters that
Americans, despite fuming with anger, sent Mr Grossman to Islamabad.
There was nothing unusual in his interaction with Pakistans civil and
military rulers, except that at the end of his visit he had to address the press
conference with Hina instead of Gilani.
Soon after his visit, British press had reported the contents of a letter
written by Zardari to Obama Administration with reference to Abbottabad
raid. In that letter he had expressed apprehensions of a military coup and
sought help from America to stop Army from staging a coup and in turn he
had pledged to rein in ISI according to the wishes of the Crusaders.
This letter revealed nothing new about Zardari, but confirmed two
things. Zardari, as per the secret terms on which the NRO deal was
negotiated has assurance of outside help against any inside threat to his
regime, especially which comes from Army. ISI and Army are fully aware of
this off the record guarantee.
In the past Army has stepped in far less grave situations. This time it
has been reluctant all along. Many reasons are quoted for Armys hesitation.
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Some of these in brief are; the Supreme Court judgments, constitutional

amendments passed by the Parliament and General Kayanis love for
democracy.
The real reason is seldom mentioned even by the most inquisitive
analysts. That is the threat of the Crusaders; the promoters of democracy,
especially in Islamic world. Army has not thought of toppling the regime
despite its dismal performance, because that would be even more dangerous
for Pakistans solidarity and integrity.
Zardari can invoke the unwritten provisions of the deal, under
which he and his wife had promised to deliver more, in case he is kicked out
of Presidency by a military boot. The US would love to help the democracy
for which it would invade Pakistan to restore democracy; with or without
performing the ritual of UNSC resolution.
The second thing that has been confirmed by this letter relates to the
Abbottabad Raid. This US incursion into Pakistan has been carried out with
explicit approval of Zardari regime. The manner in which both Saint and
Scoundrel had reacted after raid showed that they were fully prepared for the
news about the US attack.
The conduct of Zardari regime since coming into power indicates that
it could have not only consented to the US incursion but also provided
enough intelligence for the operation that was to cause aspersions on the
Pakistan military. After all, Rehman Maliks private security company in
England has been working closely with Blackwater.
More evidence that corroborates the above findings and inferences
relates to the regimes policy towards India and Afghanistan. The incumbent
government intends moving leaps and bounds to improve relations with
India (on Indian terms) for which the US has been pressing since Musharraf
era. Similarly, Karzai has been the chief guest at the installation ceremony
of Zardari.
Zardari is also a puppet like Karzai; perhaps he agreed to serve the
masters command on much cheaper terms. In fact, he and earlier his wife
had volunteered to deliver more in masters holy war. In that sense, Zardari
could prove far more harmful to Pakistanis as compared to Karzai has been
for his countrymen.
The horrendous magnitude of that can be imagined from what Karzai
has done and continue to be doing to the Afghans just to be Mayor of

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Kabul and wear green robes. His masters in occupation of Afghanistan are
perpetrating terror by night, killing his countrymen by the dozens.
Reportedly, about forty raids on the average are carried out every
night as part of the counter-insurgency strategy. The people are rounded up
and one or two of them are separated on the basis of intelligence and
executed on the spot or taken along for torturing to extract more intelligence
for more raids. Remember, Zardari has promised to deliver more.
17th October, 2011

SPRING AT HOME
The civilized world that has been using fertilizer of democracy in
other lands for blossoming of colourful springs in the recent past, at last saw
a spring setting in at home. This spring has yet to be given an affectionate
name as presently it is referred to as Occupy Wall Street movement and
elsewhere in the civilized world it bears local names.
This spring has germinated from the injustices dispensed by the
capitalism. The Indignants taking part in the protests began with focusing
on the banks where accumulated money is handled. They ignored the real
culprits, to whom that money belonged. In fact, their movement was being
funded by some of these culprits with the intention of steering it to a
favourable direction not risking it to go astray.

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The beneficiaries of the capitalism seemed quite confident that these

unwanted blossoms would peter away sooner than later. Meanwhile, they
had good news from the edge of Sahara; Gaddafi was killed by the proxy
warriors of the Crusaders. The rulers in the Western capitals were quite
jubilant over the sight of blood stained face of dead Gaddafi.

NEWS
With the killing of Gaddafi the Muslim states of North Africa were
now subjugated by the West one way or the other, though according to
western media they were now ready for enjoying the fruits of freedom and
democracy. The fruits will be no different from those with which Afghanis
and Iraqis have been blessed.
Tunisia had the taste of the freedom on 14 th October when police
had to fire tear gas at hundreds of people demonstrating against a private
television station accused of blasphemy for airing a film with an image of
God. On 23rd October, Tunisians voted in their first free elections nine
months after their revolution sparked the Arab Spring. An Islamist party is
predicted to win the most votes but fall short of a majority in a new 217member assembly that will rewrite the constitution and appoint a caretaker
government after decades of autocratic rule.
In Libya, 17 fighters were killed in Bani Walid on 10 th October. Next
day, fighters of new regime seized the police headquarters in the centre of
Sirte. Canada reopened its embassy in Tripoli. On 13 th October, new regime
claimed capturing Gaddafis son. New regimes forces took control of Bani
Walid on 17th October, overcoming resistance by Gaddafi loyalists after a
six-week siege. Next day, Hillary went to Tripoli to hold victory march.
On 20th October, Gaddafi was killed as new leaders declared they had
overrun Sirte, the last bastion of his long rule, sparking wild celebrations
that eight months of war may finally be over. Reports said he was captured
alive and bundled on to a truck; the fighters of NTC claimed they found him
hiding in a hole, and shot him when he tried to escape. His death confirmed
that he kept his pledge made with his supporters that he will die fighting
and will never flee his land. His son Seif was also reported killed.
Reuters was told that Gaddafi was captured wounded in both legs at
dawn as he tried to flee in a convoy which NATO warplanes attacked. NATO
said its aircraft fired on a convoy near Sirte earlier, but would not confirm
reports that Gaddafi had been a passenger. The capture of Sirte meant
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Libya's ruling NTC should now begin the task of forging a new democratic
system. NTC fighters said there were a large number of corpses inside the
city.
The civilized world celebrated his death. David Cameron described
it as an occasion to remember his victims, while hailing it as a chance for a
democratic future for Libya. Obama praised Gaddafis death as a warning
to authoritarian leaders across the Middle East that iron-fisted rule
inevitably comes to an end and as vindication for his strategy on Libya.
Nicolas Sarkozy said Gaddafis disappearance was a major step
forward in the battle fought for more than eight months by the Libyan
people to liberate themselves from the dictatorial and violent regime.
Angela Merkel said Gaddafis death left the way clear for a new, peaceful,
political start to move swiftly towards democracy. Silvio Berlusconi said
now the war is over. The Vaticans number two, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone,
prayed for peace in the country and democracy. European Union said it
marks the end of an era of despotism. Ban Ki-moon called for national
unity and reconciliation, not revenge.
The Council of Muslim Theologians Ebrahim Bham said it was ironic
that Gaddafis death was being celebrated by the same people who worked
with him. Arabs saw Gaddafis death as message to rulers. The bloodied
corpse of Gaddafi will send a clear message to other Arab leaders who are
battling to stay in power against the will of their people, some Arabs said;
names of Syrian Yemeni rulers were mentioned.
Next day, the burial of Moammar Gaddafi was delayed for further
investigation. UN said images of his last moments have raised questions as
to whether he was captured alive or dead. According to reports Gaddafi was
dragged wounded, bloody but alive from his vehicle, only to be announced
dead by his captors, shrouding his death in mystery and casting a disturbing
pall over their victory. South African President Jacob Zuma said slain
Gaddafi should have been handed to the international war crimes court after
his capture.
South Africa's ruling party's young wing saluted Libya's slain former
leader calling him an anti-imperialist martyr and a fighter against the
decolonization of the African continent. Brother leader resisted imperialist
domination of the African continent and never agreed to the continued
draining of natural resources from beneath African soil That he was killed
in combat is an inspiration to many freedom fighters across the continent
and the world, particularly to the generation of economic freedom fighters.
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Russia said a convoy carrying Gaddafi posed no danger to civilians

when attacked by NATO jets and questioned other circumstances of the
Libyan strongman's violent death. Foreign Minister Lavrov added sternly
that Western leaders were premature in celebrating the veteran dictator's
death because its circumstances breached basic international law. Lavrov
said he heard French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet say that the NATO
jet firing the missile that took out Gaddafi's vehicle intended to stop and not
destroy the convoy.
While NATO denied the fact and said it was unaware that Muammar
Gaddafi was traveling in a convoy struck by alliance aircraft near Sirte the
previous day. At the time of the strike, NATO did not know that Gaddafi
was in the convoy, NATO said in a lengthy statement. We later learned
from open sources and Allied intelligence that Gaddafi was in the convoy.
In a statement dated from its Naples headquarters, the alliance said it had
now had the opportunity to conduct a post strike assessment of yesterday's
strike and could provide the following picture of events. NATO aircraft
struck 11 pro-Gaddafi vehicles at around 1030 GMT on Thursday that were
part of a larger group of approximately 75 vehicles manoeuvring in the
vicinity of Sirte.
NATO's post strike assessment revealed that approximately 10 proGaddafi vehicles were destroyed or damaged, it added. We later learned
from open sources and Allied intelligence that Gaddafi was in the convoy
and that the strike likely contributed to his capture. The statement ended by
refusing to detail which countries supplied which of the planes involved in
the strikes.
NATO ambassadors discussed winding down the alliance's sevenmonth air campaign in Libya following the death of Muammar Gaddafi and
the fall of his last bastions. I will be recommending conclusion of this
mission to the North Atlantic Council of NATO in a few hours, Admiral
James Stavridis, commander of US European Command, said on Facebook.
An extraordinary 24 hours in Libya, he added. A good day for NATO. A
great day for the people of Libya.
On 22nd October, military commanders in the city of Misrata said that
no post-mortem would be carried out on the body of Gaddafi despite
concerns over how the toppled dictator died. An American organized
international legal team, whose assistance has been arranged through
Gaddafi family members and friends, has accepted the obligation to
represent Seif al Islam against charges filed by the International Criminal
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Court and to represent him in any legal proceedings that the NTC
government may bring against him in Libya. Seif was previously reported
dead.
In Egypt, deputy prime minister resigned on 11th October over clashes
that killed 25 people, mainly Coptic Christians, amid mounting anger at the
ruling military and called for the premier to quit. In Sudan, attackers killed
three UN peacekeepers in an ambush at a refugee camp in Darfur region on
11th October.
In Somalia, al-Qaeda donated food, money and clothes to Somalis on
15 October. Next day, Kenyan troops crossed the border into Somalia to
attack Islamist Shebab rebels they accused of being behind several recent
kidnappings of foreigners. A Pakistani trawler was rescued from pirates by
Combined Maritime Forces.
th

On 17th October, five soldiers were killed when a drone crashed on

their barrack in Somalia. Reportedly, about 100 people have been killed in
drone attacks in last couple of days. Next day, car bomb exploded near the
site of meeting involving two Kenyan ministers in Mogdishu; at least two
persons were killed. On 21st October, sporadic shooting rang out in
Mogadishu; three people were killed, a day after Islamist rebels displayed
dozens of dead bodies said to be African Union and government troops.

Middle East remained in the smouldering mode. In Iraq, on 12th

October, a slew of bombings targeted police in Baghdad, including blasts by
two suicide bombers who tried to ram their vehicles through police station
gates; 28 people died and dozens more were wounded in the carnage. Next
day, ten people were killed in two bomb blasts in Baghdad. On 15 th October,
a brigadier and a colonel of intelligence agency were shot dead in Baghdad.
Two days later, seven people were killed and eight wounded in bomb
blast in the capital. On 22nd October, US President said all American troops
will leave Iraq by the end of the year. The decision came after Iraq failed to
agree to legal immunity for a small residual force that Washington had
hoped to keep in the country to train the army and counter the influence of
neighbouring Iran. On 23rd October, Hillary Clinton warned Iran not to
interfere in Iraq after President Barack Obama announced all US troops will
leave Iraq by year end. She said it during a visit to Tajikistan.
Israel used tanks to kill a Palestinian in northern Gaza on 10 th
October. Next day, The UN human rights office called on Israel to stop
attacks by settlers against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank,

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citing a spike in violence in recent weeks resulting in serious physical injury,

property loss and damage. Israeli forces demolished for the third time a
mosque in a remote Bedouin village in the Jordan Valley.
On 18th October, Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, was freed in exchange of
thousand Palestinians out of which 477 were released. Three days later,
Israeli Prime Minister was ready partially to freeze West Bank settlement
building if it would bring Palestinians back to direct talks, but the
Palestinians said they were unaware of any such offer, and said that anything
short of a full freeze would not be acceptable.
Iran released two of six Iranian filmmakers on 10 th October, who
were arrested last month on accusations of working for the BBC. The fate of
the four other filmmakers arrested at the same time was not reported. Next
day, The US claimed arresting two persons conspiring to kill Saudi
Ambassador in Washington on the behest of Iranian government.
On 12th October, Obama Administration planned to leverage charges
that Iran plotted to assassinate Saudi ambassador to isolate the Islamic
republic and lobby for the imposition of new international sanctions as well
as for individual nations to expand their own penalties against Iran. Iranian
Airline was subjected to sanctions. Iran dismissed US claim as evil plot.
On 16th October, Ahmadinejad rejected the US accusations of a plot to
assassinate Saudi Arabias ambassador to the United States. Two days later,
Britain froze assets of five Iranians over alleged plot to kill Saudi
ambassador in the US.
On 21st October, Turkey urged the United States and Iran to avoid
escalating tensions following the allegations that Iranian agents plotted to
kill the Saudi ambassador to Washington. Ahmet Davutoglu said he did not
believe Iran would engage in such a plot but added that the United States
insists it has evidence for it.
On 22nd October, Ahmadinejad slammed the US involvement in the
Middle East saying that the US must realize that the era of colonialism is
over, adding that it is weakening and hated in the region and should keep
out of its affairs. The Iranian president said that although killing cannot be
justified under any circumstances, this does not mandate outside intervention
in internal affairs.
On 10th October, at least 31 people were killed across Syria in the
latest wave of clashes between gunmen believed to be army deserters and
troops loyal to President Assad. Next day, Syria rejected demands for it to
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join the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal, release political
prisoners and allow unrestricted access to aid groups and medical workers.
It, however, agreed with calls for it to disavow torture, respect freedom of
expression and investigate deaths of thousands of peaceful protestors
On 13th October, 14 people were killed by security forces. Next day,
forces killed at least 12 people as they fired on rallies supporting army
defectors opposed to a crackdown that the UN said has cost more than 3,000
lives. On 15th October, three more people were killed as Syria moved for
new constitution and Arab foreign ministers decided to discuss the situation.
On 16th October, security forces opened fire on a funeral procession
for an activist in the oil-rich city of Deir Ezzor as they pressed a crackdown
on dissent. Next day, army defectors killed nine soldiers, four in a bombing,
as the unrest sweeping Syria edged closer to all-out armed conflict and the
UN chief urged an immediate end to the bloodletting.
On 18th October, security forces used tanks to kill 25 in the town of
Homs. Three days later, Syrian security forces killed 18 civilians, 15 of them
in the city of Homs, where the death of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi
galvanized mass protests. Mass demonstrations, called in celebration of the
dramatic end of Gaddafi and in the hope that President Bashar al-Assad will
be the next to fall, spread across the central city. On 23rd October, European
Union leaders prepared to slap more sanctions on Syria failing a halt in the
regime's violence against dissenters.
Turkey launched air strikes inside Iraq on 19th October, after PKK
fighters killed 24 Turkish soldiers in the deadliest attack in decades. Two
days later, Turkey and Iran pledged to cooperate in the fight against Kurdish
militants, as thousands of Turkish troops pressed ahead with an air and
ground offensive for a third day. The counter-insurgency operation against
separatist fighters from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was
concentrated on both sides of Turkey's border with northern Iraq. Hundreds
of Turkish soldiers were hunting PKK fighters around the Zab river areas a
few kilometers inside Iraqi territory, security officials said. On 22 nd October,
Turkish military killed 49 Kurdish rebels in offensives in southeast Turkey
and across the border in Iraq.
On 11th October, UN human rights office said it is deeply distressed by
the recent execution in Saudi Arabia of 10 men, eight of whom were
foreign migrant workers, and called on the country to establish a moratorium
on the use of the death penalty. The eight Bangladeshi migrant workers were

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beheaded in public in the capital, Riyadh, after they were found guilty of
killing an Egyptian in 2007.
On 13th October, Saudi Arabia said it was weighing its response to an
alleged Iranian plot to assassinate its ambassador in Washington that has
increased tensions between OPEC's two top oil producers. Iran had called
the accusations a fabrication designed to hurt its relations with its
neighbours.
In Yemen, Awlakis son was among seven people killed in US drone
attack on 15th October. Ten protesters were killed and 30 wounded in Sanaa.
Next day, Yemeni troops shot dead eight people in the capital as they
attempted to block a new bid by activists in 10 months of protests against
veteran Saleh.
On 17th October, eight people were killed and 27 wounded in the
overnight street battles in Sanaa, which saw tribes and troops opposing
Saleh ranged against loyalists. Two days later, two people were killed and 15
wounded when a man hurled a hand grenade in a local market in the south
Yemen region of Lahij.
On 21st October, tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets
of Sanaa to demand the resignation of veteran President Ali Abdullah Saleh,
galvanized by the death of Libya's Muammar Gaddafi. The president's
supporters held a counter-demonstration in Sabine Square in the south of the
city, which is controlled by loyalist troops.
On 22nd October, ten people were killed in clashes in Sanaa. Next
day, thousands of Yemenis took part in a protest calling for President Saleh
to be put on trial; five demonstrators were wounded when their march left
Change Square and came under fire after reaching a zone controlled by the
president's forces. And a man was killed and six passers-by were wounded
apparently by stray bullets in a nearby neighbourhood.
In Far East, troops clashed with communist rebels in Philippines on
10 October leaving a soldier and eight guerrillas dead. On 18 th October, 12
soldiers were killed, 11 wounded and 10 went missing in a clash with MILF
Five days later, suspected rebels shot dead three soldiers and five rubber
plantation workers in the latest violence that has killed dozens in the south.
th

In Mainland Asia, state-run Chinese daily said on 16th October that

the agreement signed by India with Vietnam to explore oil in the South
China Sea is a reckless attempt to confront China, warning that Beijing
may have to take actions to show its stance.
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Amnesty International asked Canadian authorities on 13th October to

arrest Bush, the former President of United States of America, and try him
for ordering torture of prisoners in war on terror. Bush is expected to attend
an economic summit in Canada.
The protests against the unjust capitalist system inspired by Americas
Occupy Wall Street and Spains Indignants, spread across globe on 18 th
October, especially in Europe where these turned violent. The outbreaks of
violence marred an overwhelmingly peaceful protest, targeting 951 cities in
82 countries across the planet. It was the biggest show of power yet by a
movement born on May 15 when a rally in Madrids central Puerta del Sol
square sparked a worldwide movement.
Protesters burnt cars in Rome where tens of thousands marched under
a security lockdown. Groups of protesters smashed shop and bank windows
and set alight two cars near the Roman Forum as they headed to a large
square in front of St John Lateran basilica for a rally. Only One Solution:
Revolution! read one placard at the protest.
Anger over unemployment and opposition to the financial elite hung
over the protests, which coincided with a Paris meeting of G20 financial
powers pre-occupied by the euro-zone debt crisis. Young people are right to
be indignant, Bank of Italy chief said to journalists on the sidelines of the
Paris talks. Theyre angry against the world of finance. I understand them,
said the 64-year-old economist, adding: We adults are angry about the
crisis. Can you imagine people who are in their twenties or thirties?
Scuffles broke out in London where about 800 people rallied in the
financial district by Saint Pauls Cathedral, raising banners saying: Strike
back!; No cuts! and Goldman Sachs is the work of the devil! Police
blocked them from heading to the London Stock Exchange and pushed back
against lead marchers.
In New York, where since September 17 several hundred people have
occupied a small park in the financial district, organizers called a rally in
Times Square. The protesters declared victory morning when New York
authorities at the last minute postponed the evacuation of their camp. But a
march to nearby Wall Street ended in scuffles and 14 arrests when protesters
ignored police instructions to remain on the sidewalks so as not to impede
traffic.
Protests were also reported from Madrid, Zurich, Geneva, Athens,
Brussels, and Sarajevo in Europe and from Denver, Seattle and San Diego in

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the US. Elsewhere, rallies were held in Johannesburg, Hong Kong, Tokyo
and Sydney against the unjust capitalism. On 16th October, thousands of
Occupy Wall Street protesters flooded New Yorks Times Square to oppose
an economic system that the activists say isnt providing for the 99 per cent
of American citizens; police arrested 92 people.
On 23rd October, Hertz (a motor company) at Seattle-Tacoma
International Airport decided to fire26 Somali Muslim drivers for refusing to
clock out for daily breaks during which they normally pray. Eight of the 34
signed the clock-out agreement and have returned to their jobs.

VIEWS
On 12th October, Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote: Somalia is suffering
from the most severe drought and famine in the last 60 years, which has
already resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people and endangers
the lives of 750,000 more Somalis. This crisis tests the notion of
civilization and our modern values. It reveals, once again, that it is a basic
human obligation to pursue international cooperation and solidarity to
provide solace for those suffering from natural and man-made disasters.
It is not realistic to consider Somalias plight as caused solely by a
severe natural disaster. We cannot ignore the fact that, in addition to the
drought, the international communitys decision to leave Somalia to its
own fate is also an underlying factor causing this drama. Twenty years of
political and social instability, lawlessness, and chaos have added
enormously to the problems in Somalia. The horrifying truck bombing of the
Transitional Federal Governments ministerial complex on October 4 is just
the latest evidence of this. The international community must not respond to
this act of terrorism by retreating from Somalia, but by redoubling its efforts
to bring aid to its people.
Nobody with common sense and conscience can remain
indifferent to such a drama, wherever on Earth it may be and whichever
people have to bear it. Our urgent intervention as responsible members of
the international community can contribute to the alleviation of the Somali
peoples distress. However, the establishment of lasting peace and stability
will only be possible through long-term, far-reaching, and coordinated
efforts. Turkey mobilized last month to help end this suffering. We consider
this solidarity a humanitarian obligation toward the people of Somalia, with
whom we have deep historical relations. Many of our institutions, NGOs,
and people of all ages have made an extraordinary effort to alleviate the
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suffering of women and children in Somalia. We are proud of the sensitivity

and cooperation displayed by the Turkish people during the holy month of
Ramadan. In the last month alone, approximately $280 million worth of
donations for Somalia were collected in Turkey. The Turkish peoples
generosity has served as an example to other donor countries as well as the
international community, offering hope for the resolution of the crisis in
Somalia. The Turkish government has also moved decisively to help
alleviate this humanitarian crisis. Turkey took the initiative to hold an
emergency meeting of the executive committee of the Organization of
Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at the ministerial level on August 17. At this
meeting, which was attended by the president of Somalia and high-level
representatives from 40 member countries of the OIC, $350 million was
committed to help relieve the famine in Somalia, and the participants agreed
to increase this amount to half a billion dollars. The Turkish Red Crescent is
also standing shoulder to shoulder with international aid organizations and is
working to meet the needs of those in all the camps in the Mogadishu
region.
Following the emergency meeting of the OIC executive committee, I
along with a number of Turkish ministers, some members of parliament,
bureaucrats, business people, artists, and families visited the country on
August 19 to tell the people of Somalia that they are not alone. We visited
the camps. We tried to give hope and encourage people who live in very
different conditions from ours. We took note of the lack of such a highlevel visit from outside of Africa to Somalia for the last 20 years, and
informed the international community of this fact.
Turkey has decided to launch a major humanitarian effort to
help restore normalcy to Mogadishu. To this end, we are preparing to
provide assistance in the fields of health, education, and transportation. We
will inaugurate a 400-bed hospital, provide garbage trucks for the streets of
Mogadishu, build a waste-disposal facility to burn the accumulated garbage
in the streets, pave the road between Mogadishus airport and the city centre,
renovate the parliament and other government buildings, dig water wells,
and develop organized agricultural and livestock areas. Our embassy, which
will be opened in Mogadishu shortly and headed by an ambassador who is
experienced in the field of humanitarian aid and familiar to the region, will
coordinate these activities.
By supporting the restoration of peace and stability efforts, we will
work with the Transitional Federal Government and other institutions in
Somalia in order to launch the development process of this shattered
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country. To this end, we expect all Somali authorities to demonstrate an

extraordinary effort in unity, integrity, and harmony.
The success of aid operations is directly linked to the establishment
of security. The withdrawal from Mogadishu of armed elements in the alShabab organization is clearly a positive development for security in the
region. But this is not sufficient. Moving the Somali-related UN offices
currently located in Nairobi to Mogadishu will be a positive step to support
this process and one that should be taken without delay. Neighbouring
countries such as Ethiopia and Kenya bear a special responsibility
regarding the restoration of peace and stability in Somalia. The
Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the African Union will
also share this responsibility, and Turkey supports them in their tasks. In line
with the Djibouti peace process, Somalias Transitional Federal Government
should intensify efforts at reconciliation by maintaining dialogue with all
fighting groups and pledge prosperity, brotherhood, order, and prosperity in
return for peace. The military contribution provided by Uganda and Burundi
within the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to prevent chaos
and terror deserves appreciation. With this opportunity, I would like to issue
a call to all neighbouring countries, including Eritrea, to increase their
existing efforts for the establishment of peace and security in Somalia and to
enhance long-term regional stability.
In Turkish culture, it is believed that something good will come out
of all bad experiences. In Somalia, too, this disaster can mark the
beginning of a new process by focusing international humanitarian efforts
and global attention on the plight of the region. However, this situation will
only be sustainable if we continue to be sensitive to the needs of the Somali
people.
The tears that are now running from Somalias golden sands into
the Indian Ocean must stop. They should be replaced by hopeful voices of
a country where people do not lose their lives because of starvation and
where they express their eagerness to develop and restore peace and
stability. Regardless of which culture we come from or where we live, I am
confident that our common heritage as human beings will motivate us to
ease the suffering of Somalia.
Linda Heard argued in favour of continuation of military rule in
Egypt. Without a stable economy, democracy is worth nothing as we see
now in the Mother of Democracy Greece which is on the point of
bankruptcy. While I fully empathize with Egyptian sentiments and their
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impatience to throw-off the yoke of state control, I feel their hurry to

democracy is ill placed. In countries where democracy works even
imperfectly it took centuries before a semblance of personal freedom
could emerge. It wasnt that long ago when British women were barred
from voting and African Americans were forbidden from getting on the same
buses as whites.
For the sake of all Egyptians of all faiths and from all strata of
society, the best solution would be for the military to remain in charge
for, say, three years giving the countrys finances time to stabilize, new
parties to form and allowing voters to familiarize themselves with the issues
at stake. In the meantime, the military rulers should maintain security
without being heavy-handed, root out corruption, improve educational
standards, get the unemployed back to work and create an investor-friendly
climate. The main problem is that the military would first need to convince
the people that it has their best interests at heart and will relinquish the reins
of power on the promised date. No easy task!
Next day, Justin Raimondo commented: Fake, fake, fake Im
talking about the latest anti-Iranian propaganda coming out of
Washington, which claims the Iranian Revolutionary Guards were involved
in a plot to take out the Saudi ambassador to the US and blow up both the
Saudi and Israeli embassies. The narrative reads like a formulaic melodrama:
two Iranians, one a naturalized US citizen, purportedly approached someone
they thought was a member of a Mexican drug cartel according to the
indictment, it was a sophisticated drug cartel, not the plebeian sort and
proposed paying him $1.5 million to murder Adel al Jubeir, the Kingdoms
ambassador in Washington oh, and by the way, the Iranians supposedly
said: Are you guys any good with explosives?
The key to understanding just how fake this story is can be found
in the New York Times report, which informs us: For the entire operation,
the governments confidential sources were monitored and guided by federal
law enforcement agents, Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the
Southern District, said in the news conference. So no explosives were
actually ever placed anywhere, he said, and no one was actually in ever in
any danger. Translation: the whole thing is phony from beginning to end.
This is another one of US law enforcements manufactured antiterrorist triumphs, where the feds set somebody up, fabricate a crime out
of thin air, and then proceed to solve a case that never really existed to
begin with. This has been the general pattern of our anti-terrorist operations
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in the US since the beginning because finding and catching real terrorists
is much too hard, at least for our Keystone Kops. Instead of going out and
actually, you know, looking for the Bad Guys, and then apprehending them,
they lure some unsuspecting Muslim immigrant into a trap, and spring it
when the time is right. The long narrative spun by the indictment tells us
everything but what we really need to know, which is: how is it that these
two Iranian terrorists just happened to meet up with a Mexican drug cartel
assassin who just happened to be a long time DEA informant? I guess that
would be giving too much away: far better to spice up the story with scary
details, such as the conversation between one of the alleged plotters and the
informant, in the course of which the former says: If you have to blow up the
restaurant and kill a hundred Americans.
The credibility rating of this story, taken on its face, is close to
zero. Lets say the Iranians really were plotting to kill the Saudi ambassador
on American soil: would they contract it out to the Mexican Mafia, send all
kinds of traceable money wires from Iran to the US, and not care if they
killed a hundred Americans in the process of achieving their goal? Or would
they send some fanatic, who would not only do it for free but also eliminate
himself (or herself)? This flimsy cock-eyed tale is so transparently fake that
its an embarrassment to the United States of America. Cant our spooks do
better than this?
This fabrication marks a new trend in the field of anti-Iranian
war propaganda. Previously, the War Party was relying on the same
technique they used in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq: the old weapons
of mass destruction gambit. The big problem with that is its old, and tired:
no one believes it anymore. Once burned, twice shy, as the saying goes. This
latest lie is a fresh angle on a continuing theme, merely substituting Iran for
the traditional bogeyman known as al-Qaeda.
That this story involves the Mexican drug cartels, and Attorney
General Eric Holder proclaiming that were going to hold the Iranian
government accountable, has got to be some kind of sick joke: after all,
here is a man who stood by and watched while US law enforcement agents
let guns travel over the US border to arm those very same cartels. Is this
coup for the Justice Department the pay-off for that harebrained scheme
and when is Holder going to be held accountable?
That our government would float a narrative like this without
any apparent regard for the basic rules of fiction-writing create
believable characters who do believable things is Washingtons way of
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showing contempt for the Iranians, the American people, and anyone else
who stands in the way of their war agenda. They dont care if its not
believable. They think Americans will swallow anything, that were too busy
trying to survive day-to-day, these days, to inquire much further than the
official account. And of course our brain-dead media, which is reduced to a
chiefly stenographic role, isnt going to ask any inconvenient questions.
This story is very scary not because its credible, or believable,
because it is neither. However, its the most frightening story Ive heard in
quite a while because it shows that the US government is bound and
determined to go to war with Iran, no matter what the consequences.
Throwing caution to the winds, our rulers have decided to go all out against
Tehran all the better to mask our current economic malaise under the
damage done by the tripling and quadrupling of oil prices. This way, Obama
can blame our crashing economy on Tehran, rather than his own discredited
policies and sideline the Republicans, who have been criticizing him for
being soft on Iran. The making of American foreign policy is all about
domestic politics. By preparing the country for war with Iran, Obama will
not only defang the GOP, but also appease the all-important Israel lobby,
which has been beating the war drums for years. What Obama and his gang
are hoping is that the American people are too tired, too beaten down, and
too broke to care enough about this latest exercise in war propaganda to
question it. Certainly the mainstream media, which is Obamas loudest
cheering section, isnt about to question it.
Here is where the administration has probably miscalculated:
people are just angry enough to wonder why now? Theyre just broke
enough to resent being asked to pay for yet another holy crusade overseas.
And theyre just tired enough that gets reported as news day after day to
start asking all kinds of uncomfortable questions about this latest offering by
the Washington fable factory.
The Americans are already backing away from the assertion that the
Iranian government is directly responsible for the actions of these two
individuals, averring that top Iranian officials didnt necessarily now what
was going on. As the details of this case become known, Holders story is
going to start unraveling like a substandard sweater.
The Diplomat asked Iran analyst Michael Rubin for his take on US
accusation against Iran of planning to detonate an explosive device to kill
the Saudi Arabian ambassador. He straight away said: Presumably, a

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decision like this would extend to the very top of the Iranian leadership? He
was then asked: How do you expect the US to respond?
Rubin gave a lengthy reply before concluding: A few years ago, I
tried to address the issue of how to determine rogue behavior in Iran in an
article, and have since lectured on the subject for the US military and
intelligence communities. Long story short, what diplomats often dismiss
as rogue operations are celebrated by the Iranian government, with the
perpetrators and hit men even getting promotions. When there are true rogue
operations in the Iran, the perpetrators, however, often face the firing squad,
no matter how politically connected they are. I would certainly expect the
US government to respond with a whole host of greater sanctions, perhaps
even sanctioning Irans central bank. If the White House or the State
Department resists such a move, Id expect Congress to demand more robust
actions. Theres a possibility that there could be a small military
confrontation. The United States always has one or two aircraft carrier strike
groups in the Persian Gulf. During the Reagan administration, the United
States used our navy to target Iranian oil platforms. This time, the Pentagon
could choose other targets, including elements of Irans nuclear programme.
So, will these claims have any bearing on discussions over Irans nuclear
programme?
Too often in the international community, questions about Irans
nuclear programme are theoretical. Diplomats discuss the programme as if it
was simply a national programme when, in reality, command and control
would be far more precise. If the Quds Force is willing to act so
ideologically and provocatively as to target Washington DC, then it would
be fair for policymakers to ask who would have custody, command, and
control over any theoretical Iranian nuclear bomb. If the answer to that was
the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or the Quds Force, then I would
expect those who over the past few years have advocated diplomacy to
resolve the nuclear question to begin to consider a more robust menu of
options. This is the evil design behind the Mexican tale.
On 14th October, Pepe Escobar observed: No one ever lost money
betting on the dull predictability of the US government. Just as Occupy
Wall Street is firing imaginations all across the spectrum piercing the
noxious revolving door between government and casino capitalism
Washington brought us all down to earth, sensationally advertising an
Iranian cum Mexican cartel terror plot straight out of The Fast and the
Furious movie franchise. The potential victim: Adel al-Jubeir, the

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ambassador in the US of that lovely counter-revolutionary Mecca, Saudi

Arabia.
FBI Director Robert Mueller insisted the Iran-masterminded terror
plot reads like the pages of a Hollywood script. It does. And quite a
sloppy script at that. Fast and Furious duo Paul Walker/Vin Diesel wouldnt
be caught dead near it Holder added that the bombing of the Saudi
embassy in Washington was also part of the plan. Subsequent spinning
amplified that to planned bombings of the Israeli embassy in Washington, as
well as the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Buenos Aires.
The Justice Department has peddled quite a murky story
Operation Red Coalition (no, you cant make that stuff up) centred on one
Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old holding both Iranian and US passports and
an Iran-based co-conspirator, Gholam Shakuri, an alleged member of the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corpss (IRGC) Quds Force.
Arbabsiar allegedly had a series of encounters in Mexico with a DEA
mole posing as a Mexican drug cartel heavy weight. The Iranian-American
seems to have been convinced that the mole was a member of the hardcore
Zetas Mexican cartel, and reportedly bragged he was being directed by
high-ranking members of the Iranian government, including a cousin
who was a member of the Iranian army but did not wear a uniform.
On top of it, he told the DEA mole that his Iranian government
buddies could come up with tons of opium for the Mexican cartel (an
Afghan connection, perhaps). Then they discussed a number of violent
missions complete with Arbabsiar bragging about bombing a packed
Washington restaurant used by the Saudi ambassador. Holder
characterized the whole thing as a $1.5m murder-for-hire plan. Arbabsiar
was arrested only a few days ago, on September 29, at JFK airport in New
York. He allegedly confessed, according to the Justice Department. Shakuri
for his part is still at large.
Holder was adamant: The United States is committed to hold Iran
accountable for its actions. Yet he stopped short of stating the plot was
approved by the highest levels of the Iranian government. So what next?
War? Hold your horses; Washington should first think about asking the
Chinese if theyre willing to foot the bill (the answer will be no).
Predictably, the proverbial torrent of US officials came out with
guns blazing, spinning everything in sight. An alarmed Pentagon will be
increasing surveillance over the Quds Force and Irans actions in Iraq,
Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf. Former US ambassadors stated that, its
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an attack on the United States to attack this ambassador. Washington is

about to impose even more sanctions against Iran; and Washington is
urgently taking the matter to the UN Security Council. What next? An R2P
(responsibility to protect) resolution ordering NATO to protect every
House of Saud minion across the world by bombing Iran into regime
change?
Ali Akbar Javanfekr, a spokesman for Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, at least introduced a little bit of common sense. I think the
US government is busy fabricating a new scenario and history has shown
both the US government and the CIA have a lot of experience in fabricating
these scenarios ... I think their goal is to reach the American public. They
want to take the publics mind off the serious domestic problems theyre
facing these days and scare them with fabricated problems outside the
country. Iran has not even established yet that these two characters are
actually Iranian citizens.
The Iranian government which prides itself on a logical approach to
diplomacy would have to have been inoculated with a terminal Stuxnetstyle foolishness virus to behave in such a counterproductive manner, by
targeting a high-profile foreign policy adviser to King Abdullah on
American soil. The official Iranian news agency IRNA described the plot
as Americas new propaganda scenario against Iran.
As for the Washington mantra that Iran has been insinuating itself
into many of the struggles in the Middle East, thats undiluted Saudi
propaganda. In fact its the House of Saud whos been conducting the fierce
counter-revolution that has smashed any possibility of an Arab Spring in the
Persian Gulf from the invasion and repression of Bahrain to the rash preemption of protests inside Saudi Arabias Shia-dominated eastern provinces.
The whole thing smells like a flimsy pretext for a casus belli. The timing of
the announcement couldnt be more suspicious. White House national
security advisor Thomas E. Donilon briefed King Abdullah of the plot no
less than two weeks ago, in a three-hour meeting in Riyadh. Meanwhile the
US government has been carrying not plots, but targeted assassinations
of US citizens, as in the Anwar al-Awlaki case.
So why now? Holder is caught in yet another scandal on whether
he told lies regarding Operation Fast and Furious (no, you cant make this
stuff up), a federal gun sting through which scores of US weapons ended up
in the hands of here they come again Mexican drug cartels.

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So how to bury Fast and Furious, the economic abyss, the 10 years of
war in Afghanistan, the increasing allure of Occupy Wall Street not to
mention the Saudi role in smashing the spirit of the Arab Spring? By
uncoveringal-Qaeda style plot on US soil, on top of it conducted by evil
Iran. Al-Qaeda and Tehran sharing top billing; not even Cheney and
Rumsfeld in their heyday could come up with something like this. Long live
GWOT (the global war on terror). And long live the neo-con spirit;
remember, real men go to Tehran and the road starts now.
Patrick Cockburn wrote: The claim that Iran employed a used-car
salesman with a conviction for cheque fraud to hire Mexican gangsters to
assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington goes against all that is
known of Irans highly sophisticated intelligence service The problem
is that the US government has very publicly committed itself to a version of
events, however unlikely, that, if true, would be a case for war against Iran.
It will be difficult for the US to back away from such allegations now.
Could the accusations be true? The plot as described None of this
makes sense. The IRGC is famous for making sure that responsibility for its
actions can never be traced to Iran. It usually operates through proxies. Yet
suddenly here it is sending $100,000 (63,000) from a known IRGC bank
account to hire assassins in Mexico.
The beneficiaries from such a plot are evident. There will be those
on the neo-con right and extreme supporters of Israel who have long
been pressing for a war with Iran. In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and
Bahrain have been vociferously asserting that Iran is orchestrating Shia prodemocracy protests, but without finding many believers in the rest of the
world. Their claims are now likely to be taken more seriously in
Washington. There will be less pressure on countries like Bahrain to
accommodate their Shia populations.
In Iraq, the US and Britain were always seeing Irans hidden
hand supporting their opponents, but they could never quite prove it. It
was also true, to a degree never appreciated in the US, that Washington and
Tehran were at one in getting rid of Saddam Hussein and installing a Shia
government. There were points in common and a struggle for influence. The
same has been true in Afghanistan, where Iran was delighted to see the antiShia Taliban overthrown in 2001.
Some Iran specialists suggest there might be a rogue faction
within the Revolutionary Guard, but there is no evidence such a body

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exists or of a convincing motive for it to be associating with Mexican

gangsters.
Next day, MJ Rosenberg wrote: The only good news here is that we
have past experience to guide us. But for the lies and manufactured
evidenced that led us into Iraq we might not have reason to be skeptical
about the case the government laid out yesterday and which the usual
suspects are already joyously citing as reason to get tough with Iran (as if
that country is not under onerous sanctions already). Here is Reuel Mark
Gerecht, one of the leading cheerleaders for the invasion of Iraq, warning
that the supposed plot justifies a US attack on Iran. The White House needs
to respond militarily to this outrage. If we dont, we are asking for it, he
writes. (Not very different from what he wrote in 2002 when he said that if
President Bush follows his own logic and compels his administration to
follow him against Iraq and Iran, then he will sow the seeds for a new, safer,
more liberal order in the Middle East.)
But for the lies and manufactured evidence that led us into Iraq,
we might actually accept the idea that the Iran plot is thoroughly genuine
and in no way linked to the determination of so many inside our government
and out of it who are hell-bent on war with Iran and who would do anything
they can to achieve it. Fortunately, however, and this may be the only
fortunate thing about the Iraq war, the Iraq experience taught us to be
skeptical, especially of anything and everything championed by the hawks.
So lets go slowly here. If the plot turns out to be both real and sanctioned by
powerful people in Tehran, a strong response of some kind is warranted. But
first lets make sure.
The neocons drop bombs now and ask questions later approach
has been thoroughly discredited. How stupid would we have to be, then, to
allow the same gang to lead us into yet another reckless war, one that would
be infinitely more deadly? Count me among the skeptics.
On 16th October, Benjamin Dangl wrote: Massive buildings tower
over Wall Street, making the sidewalks feel like valleys in an urban
mountain range. The incense, drum beats and chants of Occupy Wall
Street echo down New York Citys financial district from Liberty Plaza,
where thousands of activists have converged to protest economic injustice
and fight for a better world.
As unemployment and poverty in the US reaches record levels,
the protest is catching on, with hundreds of parallel occupations sprouting
up across the country. It was a similar disparity in economic and political
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power that led people to the streets in the Arab Spring, and in Wisconsin,
Greece, Spain and London. Occupy Wall Street is part of this global revolt.
This new movement in the US also shares much in common with uprisings
in another part of the world: Latin America.
This report from Liberty Plaza connects tactics and philosophies
surrounding the Occupy Wall Street movement with similar movements
in Latin America, from the popular assemblies and occupation of factories
during Argentinas economic crisis in 2001-2002, to grassroots struggles for
land in Brazil. Benjamin described the protests in Argentina in late 2001 to
create a new society out of the wreckage of the old.
He observed that for many people in Argentina and the US,
desperation pushed them toward taking matters into their own hands.
During the Argentine crisis after occupying the factories and businesses,
many workers then ran them as cooperatives. They did so under the slogan,
Occupy, Resist, Produce, a phrase borrowed from Brazils Landless Workers
Movement (MST), which has settled hundreds of thousands of families on
millions of acres of land through direct action.
After drawing parallel of Occupy Wall Street with South American
protests Benjamin added: The organization and activities filling Liberty
Plaza in New York are part of a working community where everyone is
taking care of each other and making decisions collectively. During a
recent visit, a kitchen area in the centre of the park was full of people
preparing food for dinner with donated cooking supplies. Other spaces were
designated for medical support, massage therapy, sign-making and
meditation. One area was for the organization of recycling and garbage;
people regularly walked around the park sweeping up debris and collecting
garbage.
A massive Peoples Library contained hundreds of books along the
side of the park. As with the cooking, sign-making and medical supplies, the
movement had received donated materials and support to keep these
operations thriving. Occupy Wall Street also has its own newspaper, the
Occupy Wall Street Journal, copies of which were being handed out in
English and Spanish editions on nearly every corner of the park. A media
centre where various people sat around computers and cameras provided
ongoing coverage of the occupation.
Within this community were pockets of areas with blue tarps and
blankets where people were resting and sleeping, having meetings or simply

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holding home made signs on display. Singing, drumming, chanting, guitar

and accordion playing were also going on in a wide array of places.
Ongoing meetings and assemblies, with hundreds to thousands of
participants, dealt with issues ranging from how to organize space in the
park and manage donated supplies, to discussions of march plans and
demands. Police outlawed the use of megaphones, so people at the park have
just been relaying what others say during these assemblies by repeating it
through the layers of the crowd, creating an echo so everyone can hear what
is said.
Benjamin quoted certain specific anecdotes and the concluded: These
types of encounters and activities were happening constantly in the
ongoing bustle of the park, and underscore the fact that this occupation,
now nearly into its third week, is as much of a community and example of
participatory democracy as it is a rapidly spreading protest.
As the late historian Howard Zinn said, it is important to organize
ourselves in such a way that means correspond to the ends, and to organize
ourselves in such a way as to create the kind of human relationship that
should exist in future society. That is being developed now within this
movement, from the leaderless, consensus-based assemblies, to the
communal organization of the various food, media and medical services
organized at the occupation.
Similarly, movements across Latin America, from farmer unions in
the Paraguayan countryside to neighbourhood councils in El Alto, Bolivia,
mirror the type of society they would like to see in their everyday actions
and movement-building. As Adeline Benker, the 17-year-old student at the
Wall Street occupation said, echoing the struggles from Argentina to the
Andes and beyond: We need to create a change outside of this system
because the system is failing us.
Next day, Ryan Devereaux observed: You don't have to be an expert
economist, an activist or an academic to understand the movement. The
number of Americans living in poverty has climbed to a historic 46.2
million, including one out of six of the nation's children, while the top one
per cent is holding onto more than a fifth of the nation's income. Banks have
received massive bailouts, but the 'hood is still poor. Rural communities are
still struggling. Tuition rates continue to rise while students suffocate under
the burden of onerous debt. Meanwhile, billions in taxpayer dollars are being
funneled into unconscionable wars on terror and drugs, while profiteers in
the defence and criminal punishment industries rake in billions. These are
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the kinds of inconsistencies the Occupy Wall Street movement purports to

oppose. They are grievances reasonable people would agree are profound.
When it comes down to it, Occupy Wall Street is much bigger than
the police versus protester narrative. Significant as those encounters have
been and will continue to be, confrontations with the police are only one
piece of the puzzle. What we are witnessing in New York City, and across
the country, looks less like a protest and more like the birth of a new
movement for economic justice. It appears to be a genuine attempt by a
justifiably frustrated public to establish a new democratic framework and
replace the existing one. If that is the case, then confrontations with the
Praetorian Guard of the status quo and its elite benefactors is hardly a
surprise. The police exist in large measure to maintain the existing order. In
the eyes of Occupy Wall Street's supporters, that order has failed too many
for too long and must be replaced. Some amount of friction between the two
groups in this relationship is all but inevitable...
Thus far, the occupiers have handled police encounters with
intelligence and poise. Not only have the crackdowns further emboldened
and politicized many within Occupy Wall Street's ranks voices of the
movement have used the attention to spread their message to the world,
garnering a growing stream of supporters. The demonstrators have remained
peaceful in the face of violence, and have continually reached out to the
police, reminding them that the status quo they defend has its eyes on their
pensions too, and that their job is to protect people and justice. These
conscious efforts have earned the movement credible moral high ground
in the minds of many.
But the ongoing occupation in Lower Manhattan is facing real
hurdles. The limited space at Liberty Plaza, which is now filled with people
more and more each day creates serious challenges. Many demonstrators
are agitating for expansion. It's not about being in Liberty Plaza,
Richardson quipped. It's about taking Liberty Plaza out into the world.
Occupiers who have been there from the beginning are dealing with an
influx of new supporters seeking to get involved. While increasing
attendance has led to impressive professionalization in dealing with a
number of logistical needs, there are increasing concerns about security
issues, organizational efficacy, the decision-making process, and burnout among veteran participants.
If Occupy Wall Street's deft handling of the NYPD in recent weeks is
any indication of the movement's capacity to learn, adapt and react, however,
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there is reason to believe that this demonstration of mass political

engagement can overcome its challenges, present and future.
David Ignatius wrote: Whats intriguing about the eruption of
Occupy Wall Street is that its so similar to other populist movements that
are demanding change in nearly every major region of the world. You cant
help but wonder if we arent seeing, as a delayed reaction to the financial
crisis of 2008, a kind of global spring of discontent.
Obviously, circumstances differ: The anti-corporate activists gathered
in Manhattans Zuccotti Park have a different agenda than the demonstrators
in Cairos Tahrir Square, or this past summers rioting street protesters in
Britain and Greece, or the anti-corruption marchers in New Delhi. These
movements mostly lack leaders or clear ideologies, so theyre hard to
categorize.
But the protesters do share some basics: rejection of traditional
political elites; a belief that globalization benefits the rich more than the
masses; anger about intertwined business and political corruption; and the
connectedness and empowerment fostered by Facebook and other social
media.
This neo-populism is all the more striking because it seems to
transcend traditional political boundaries. The Tea Party movement may
wear conservative colours, but it arose as a protest against elites in
Washington and on Wall Street who were seen to be profiting at the
expense of everyday people. Occupy Wall Street comes at these same issues
from the left, but the two movements have much in common.
The Arab Spring is the worlds most potent populist movement,
sweeping away governments in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. These uprisings
began as leaderless explosions of indignation blurring the usual lines of
capitalist and socialist, Muslim and Christian. These cleavages have
returned, especially in Egypt. But the core of the revolution there remains
a rage against traditional elites.
Protests in Europe have the same note of mass indignation. In
Greece, Italy and even France, you see the anger of the middle class that
their debt-enfeebled governments cant deliver on welfare-state promises. In
some countries, such as Britain and Germany, there is unrest, too,
among growing immigrant populations that are not tethered to national
cultural or political norms

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These movements seem to have a common indignation toward

leaders who are failing to maintain social justice along with global
economic change. Thats certainly true in America, where the Tea Party and
Occupy Wall Street both rage against a financial elite that stumbled into a
ruinous recession - and then got bailed out by a Washington elite thats in
hock to special interests. The Tea Party, especially, tapped the bedrock
American mistrust of big banks, which dates to Thomas Jefferson and
Andrew Jackson. Growth and prosperity would restore public confidence, as
in the past. But this time, the anticipated recovery and deflation of popular
anger still seems a few years away.
Europes neo-populism will surely increase, as countries struggle
with painful economic adjustments. Population is declining in most of
Europe, which means there will be fewer young workers to pay for the
pensions of retirees. To regain competitiveness and solvency, wages and the
quality of life will have to decline in many European countries. Meanwhile,
according to a recent study by the National Intelligence Council, by 2025
Western Europes Muslim population could increase to 25 million to 30
million from the current 15 million to 18 million, causing additional strains.
Theres no sign yet of a new European political leadership that can
accomplish the necessary rewrite of the social contract.
Much of the worlds neo-populist anger is justified, given the
greed and folly of recent years. What worries me is the echo of the 1930s,
a similar period of economic change and dislocation. When the traditional
business and political leaders seemed to have failed during the downturn of
the 30s, populist indignation veered sharply right and left toward
dangerous movements that expressed national indignation at the point of a
gun. America was lucky then to have had, in President Franklin D
Roosevelt, a charismatic politician who could rehabilitate the center. And
now? Not so lucky.
On 20th October, James Harkin commented: Journalists love spectres,
and the Occupy movement which has spread from Wall Street to Europe
seems like the beginning of something fresh and ominous. Theres a lot of
anger on the streets at the moment, one young man outside St Pauls
Cathedral told the BBC. Given the paltry numbers, he wasnt sure it was
going to change the world, but it was good and necessary to be there all the
same. Im glad to be here, he said.
Good for him. Any protest is better than nothing, but if theres one
thing thats shocking about these demonstrations, its how weak and
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inarticulate they were. Fine to speak up against greedy bankers, but

without any other political arguments who needs arguments when you
have Facebook? it rather seems like youre damning the millions who
lived off their loans in the first place. And why would they want to do that?
As the fog of mainstream economics clears, it turns out that the
growth miracle of the past few decades has been built less on new
technology but on asking ordinary people to work harder and longer, and
then take on part-time work to make ends meet. If the annual income of the
median American household had continued to grow at its post-war rate, for
example, it would now be over $90,000. But sometime in the last few
decades it got stuck at a paltry $54,061. With real wages stagnant,
ordinary people on both sides of the Atlantic are now being asked to
tighten their belts even further at a time when theres little work to go
around.
If anything, its shocking how little anger there is on the streets. But
maybe thats understandable, given the tenor of the protests. Its lovely to
imagine a world without greed, but no one ever built a movement
without appealing to the real interests of ordinary people. Its not hard to
think of what those interests might be. Financial re-engineering, fictitious
profits, inflated home prices; our economic managers had been living
beyond their means, kept afloat on a line of cheap Chinese credit because the
rate at which our economies had been growing jobs and productivity had
been slowing for decades.
The banks were only the beginning of it. Unless these new anticapitalists find a way to hitch their demands to the interests of the rest of
the population the 99 per cent they claim to speak for theyre stuck in a
self-righteous bubble. And until they do so, their tirades against greed reek
of the worst kind of Victorian self-righteous puritanism. It used to be that
workers occupied factories, but now these sons and daughters of the
bourgeoisie have seen fit to occupy the space outside a church. If theres a
spectre haunting capitalism today, its nothing more than its own selfloathing.
On 22nd October, Mark Lawson observed: Symbolically and crucially,
the footage of Gaddafis capture and assault was shot not by a crew but by a
crowd on cell phones. TV or newspaper editors who ethically decide to
bin the most distressing images know, unlike their predecessors, that the
views will be generally available elsewhere and that curiosity will draw a
large part of the audience there.
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But the risk is the development of a culture of death porn. For me,
as a simple moral position, Gaddafi merits as much privacy in his final
extremities as did his victims in the Lockerbie bombing: a germane example
from the past of a time when the media by common consent suppressed
horrific images in the cause of taste and privacy.
The issue is most acute for newspapers because a front page (either
paper or online) is designed to take readers unawares and attract the
curiosity of passing trade. Unlike in television, no warning can be given of
what is about to be seen, although, for me, the standard warnings given by
broadcasters yesterday (images which some viewers may find offensive)
were inadequate for the leap in morbid detail that some of these pictures
represented. Though having largely caused the problem by making editorial
control of questionable images so much harder to impose, online media may
also be best placed to solve it. The most potentially upsetting images could
be kept from general bulletins and front pages and restricted to online boxes
which, like the curtained-off sections of art galleries, allow admission only
to those who know what they are getting. Even presidents, Bill Clinton once
pleaded, deserve a private life. Even tyrants, I would argue, deserve a
private death.
Fatima Kanji wrote: Jubilant celebrations were seen all over Libya
last night following the killing of Muammar Gaddafi. It must be noted from
the outset, that this piece of writing does not seek to defend Gaddafis
regime. It seeks to pose a series of questions that have arisen since
hearing the news of his killing, some of which remain unanswered.
The first question surrounds the indecorous pictures and videos of
Gaddafis corpse on various international news channels including the BBC:
something, which profoundly shocked me. The second, although slightly
premature to form any solid conclusions, are those surrounding the legality
of Gaddafis death. However, to discuss this topic so prematurely without all
the facts would do it an injustice.
The capture of Gaddafi and his subsequent execution was well
recorded by the media and the public. What I found most disconcerting
was this manner in which the western media handled the footage it had
been provided with. Not only were pictures of Gaddafi repeatedly shown on
TV and posted on the websites of all mainstream UK newspapers, but also,
The video of his corpse was disarmingly stuck on the replay button on Sky
News, CNN, Al-Jazeera and the BBC (to name a few). Of course, this is

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nothing new. Although this was seen to a lesser extent during Saddam
Husseins hanging, it still had the full support of western governments.
Should I have sat back and accepted this acclamation as a part of
war: the trophy of victory again? I spoke to numerous people about this.
Most of them informed me to do just that. Accept it. Accept that it was a
part of war and that is just what happens. But I couldnt do it. It just
didnt sit right with me. Living in the age in which we do, with all the
human rights folly that our governments are quick to state when western
interests are at stake, this at the very least seemed incredibly distasteful.
Parading videos, particularly on a national state news channel (BBC News)
of a dead man, while his corpse was at the mercy of the rebels seemed
abhorrent. I suppose I at least expected more humility from the BBC.
Would we have allowed this to happen if it were one of our
own? To, at the very least, symbolically desecrate an individual in such a
manner on the one hand, legitimized by our sense of moralistic superiority
and orientalist views, prejudicing the other whilst ignoring the fact that our
governments had at times, solicited support from Gaddafi, makes a mockery
of the principles we so highly regard ourselves party to.
Was all of this morally just? Gaddafi had run a tyrannous system of
rule for over 4 decades. Can we therefore be selective in our application of
the rule of law? Should Gaddafi have been tried? Well, yes. Radovan
Karadzic is being tried. Slobodan Milosevic was tried. Charles Taylor also
(currently awaiting judgment). Arent the values that we stringently
expropriated and impelled into our International criminal justice system, the
same values that we seamlessly pride ourselves in and attempt to export
worldwide? The same values that we are all hoping forms the bedrock of
Libyan democracy? Yet before the cement had even solidified into a strong
foundation, it had been fouled from the outset: NATO had provided the
rebels with legitimacy for their actions, and even supplied them with
weapons. Start as you mean to go on, right... I hope not.
Washington Post commented: The death of Moammar Gaddafi,
which prompted jubilation in Tripoli and relief in Western capitals on
Thursday, must be seen as the beginning and not the end of Libyas
transformation. The elimination of the dictator reduces the chance of a
prolonged insurgency against Libyas new authorities, who have pledged to
create a liberal democracy and hold elections in eight months. But what
remains is a shattered country piled high with dangerous weapons, lacking

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legitimate institutions or civil society, and vulnerable to tribal, regional,

sectarian and even racial rivalries.
The good news is that, in the time it took to depose Mr Gaddafi,
the Libyan opposition created a Transitional National Council
recognized by 80 governments and prepared an ambitious but reasonable
transition plan. Its leaders have pledged to form a new administration after
Mr Gaddafis downfall and not to serve in the future government. Civil
society groups, free media and political parties have begun to form in the
eastern half of the country, which has been free since last winter. And the
new government should soon be able to draw on tens of billions of dollars in
reserves held by foreign banks.
The threats begin with the more than two dozen rebel militias
that participated in the fighting and that now coexist uneasily in Tripoli
and other cities. Not all have been integrated into the chain of command
under the transitional council; some commanded by Islamists have received
their own weapons and funding from the Persian Gulf emirate of Qatar,
according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. The often-undisciplined
militias have abused and even tortured prisoners and suspected Gaddafi
supporters, Human Rights Watch reported. Mr. Gaddafi himself may have
been killed after having been captured on Thursday.
Added to this volatile mix are huge stockpiles of weapons,
including thousands of surface-to-air missiles and chemical arms,
acquired by the Gaddafi regime. Many have been unsecured for weeks, and
some have already been smuggled across Libyas borders. The Obama
Administration rightly has focused on this problem, dispatching civilian
contractors to help track down the weapons and dedicating $40 million to
the effort.
Consistent with the administrations policy of following rather than
leading in Libya, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clintons visit there
Tuesday came months after those of European counterparts. But it turned out
to be timely, as Ms Clinton conferred with Libyas new leaders just 48 hours
before Mr. Gaddafis final downfall. Ms Clinton recognized the scale of
the challenges: Now the hard part begins, she told interim Prime
Minister Mahmoud Jibril. But the US assistance she offered was modest:
some medical aid and scholarships for students in addition to the weapons
hunt. Libyan leaders are eager for a more active American role, recently
telling visiting senators that the transitional council would pay for a US
training mission for security forces. The administration should respond
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positively: Libyas stabilization under a democratic government could help

tip the broader wave of change in the Arab Middle East toward those
favoring freedom. Would you see the US taking the lead in terms of
rebuilding this country and helping; a Libyan student asked Ms Clinton.
The answer should be yes.
TheNation opined: The American claim that with the departure of
Col Muammar Gaddafi from the scene, the rule of dictatorship has come to
an end in Libya and that the Libyans would now be able to lead their
lives in accordance with democratic values is simplistic and inaccurate.
Several countries in the Arab and Muslim world have seen a transition;
where the US and its allies, or elements helped by them, have recently
succeeded in toppling governments. In reality, conditions are deliberately
created to justify direct intervention by the US and the coalition of the
willing, as in Afghanistan and Iraq, or to funnel support and arms to
encourage elements hostile to local governments to launch movements to
bring them down, as in Yemen and Libya.
All the while, the message being promulgated is that this is being
done to set the citizens of these countries free from autocratic rules. But the
realities on the ground point to the contrary. Neither have the people of
Iraq been enjoying the fruits of democracy since Saddam Hussein's fall,
nor is there any sign or possibility of Afghanistan seeing a true
democracy any time in the foreseeable future. In both countries, the US has
built military bases to retain its hold and exercise control of their vast natural
resources and extend its influence in the region. Efforts are not being spared
to weaken these countries by dividing them into smaller independent states
as in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.
Col Gaddafi did not, of course, rule like a democrat, but that would
hardly have been of any concern to the US and the West; in fact, dictators
invariably fit in with US foreign policy rather well. Democracies have the
disadvantage of having to respond to the wishes of the people and national
interests while conducting the affairs of the state and relations with foreign
countries, and the people of these countries. The truth is that it was Col
Gaddafis defiance of the West was the reason for his stature in the
Muslim world. He ruled Libya for 41 years to the satisfaction of his people,
save for a small dissident minority. During this period the country relied on
its own vast resources of oil and avoided borrowing money from any of
international financial institutions which exercised more than necessary
control over its internal dynamics. Col Muammar Gaddafi died unarmed and
wounded, in his hometown Sirte, along with one of his sons and 20
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supporters; fulfilling his promise that he would not leave his own country till
death. His death after seven months of struggle against the rebel force which
counted the NATO air force as part of its defence, is a cause of concern. A
dangerous precedent is set where without trial or procedure heads of
government are declared guilty and shot while wounded and unarmed. This
is not acceptable, especially where a former US President, guilty of war
crimes, goes free.
Next day, The Week wrote: For Libyans, Moammar Gaddafis bloody
death marks the end of a 42-year era of repression. Will the future be better?
Libya celebrated the capture and death of long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi
with gunfire and jubilation on Thursday. But when the sun finally rose on a
Gaddafi-free society on Friday, lots of questions faced the National
Transitional Council (NTC), Libyas many tribes, and even Libyas
neighbours. Libya will travel a long and winding road to full democracy,
President Obama said Thursday. But nobody is sure how long or winding
the road will be, or if it will really end in democracy. Here, four theories on
whats next for Libya.
1. Libya can now build a democracy: Gaddafis death is a highly
valuable prize that should deflate the loyalist resistance and trigger the
formal transition period... to democratic elections and a new constitution,
says Stefan Wolff in Reuters. Libyans, possibly for the first time ever, have a
real shot to determine the kind of country they want to live in, making
Gaddafis overthrow the only successful uprising of the Arab Spring to
date. Thankfully, says The Washington Post in an editorial, the NTC used
the past few months to prepare an ambitious but reasonable transition plan,
and Libya has the oil wealth to make it work.
2. Libya will descend into civil war: Without hatred of Gaddafi to
hold it together, Im afraid the opposition is going to start fighting among
themselves now, American Enterprise Institute scholar Michael Rubin tells
USA Today. Im afraid its going to be a far bloodier period in Libya.
There are lots of tribal and ethnic divisions, but Libyas biggest threat now is
the East-West rivalry, says Peter Gelling in Salon. The Benghazi-based
Eastern fighters claim to be the real heroes because they started the
uprising, but the Misrata-based Western faction won the bloodiest battles.
Theyve already been jostling for power, and they all have guns: The Libyan
conflict may be far from over.
3. Weve helped create an Islamist enemy: The most problematic
fallout from Gaddafis death, says Ed Husain at the Council on Foreign
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Relations, is the emergence of Islamist extremist and Salafist hardliners

from within the ranks of the Libyan rebels. Islamist groups have been the
biggest winner elsewhere in the Arab uprisings, and they may not welcome a
secular government. Were looking at Gaddafi being replaced by a straight
Sharia regime populated by al-Qaeda elements, says Robert Spencer in
Jihad Watch. The new America-backed regime will end up being even more
anti-American than Gaddafi was.
4. This will reignite the Arab Spring: The humiliating death of the
regions longest-reigning dictator will provide a fillip for those who seek to
build democracy and the rule of law elsewhere in the Arab world, says The
Economist. Neighbouring Egypt and Tunisia are on a rocky path to holding
Arab Springseeded elections, and Syrians are bravely standing up to Bashar
al-Assad. Gaddafis demise will give them all a big boost. The gruesome
end to Africas self-anointed King of Kings will certainly unnerve rulers
and energize pro-democracy forces, says Paul Koring in The Globe and
Mail. But if it leads the despots to fight harder to retain power, the Arab
Spring might turn into a bloody winter.
Christopher Preble commented: The death of Muammar Gaddafi is
good news in that it should enable the United States to immediately
terminate all military operations in Libya, and to turn over responsibility for
security in the country to the recognized leaders of the new government.
Gaddafis death does not validate the original decision to launch
military operations without authorization from Congress. The Libyan
operation did not advance a vital national security interest, a point that
former secretary of defence Robert Gates stressed at the time.
Gaddafi could have been brought down by the Libyan people, but the
Obama administrations decision to overthrow him may now implicate
the United States in the behaviour of the post-Gaddafi regime. That is
unfair to the American people, and to the Libyan people who can and must
be held responsible for fashioning a new political order.
As we ponder the welcome news of Gaddafis capture, we should
also recall the lessons from Iraq, and as they have played out in Libya. The
fall of Baghdad in April 2003 did not signal the end of the Iraq war;
likewise, the capture of Tripoli by anti-Gaddafi forces in August 2011 didnt
end the fighting there.
I worry, too, that just as the capture of Saddam Hussein in
December 2003 didnt end the Iraq War that pro-Gaddafi forces will
continue to resist the new government there. All Americans hope that that is
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not the case, that the fighting will cease immediately, and that the new
leaders in Libya can quickly set about to reconcile the differences between
the many Libyan factions, and US military personnel can turn their attention
to matters of vital concern to US national security.
Mohammad Khan Sial from Karachi wrote: The whole Pakistani
nation must salute Col Qaddafi who was made martyr on Thursday
October 21, 2011 by USA and NATO sponsored forces as he refused to avail
chance to leave his own country in order to save his precious life. He was
arrested alive and was later killed brutally in the custody of the new
government. He was a personal friend of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and following
his foot prints; he refused to leave the country and preferred to die on his
own soil.
It is very unfortunate our young generations do not know what
he did for Pakistan, Islamic world, Arab world and African world in
order to keep them united. For the cause of Palestine his services cannot be
neglected. He tremendously helped Pakistan by providing finance in making
first Islamic Atomic Bomb. It was shameful act that some people are now
demanding to change the name of Qaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
The USA as well as NATO had no right in any circumstances to
violate the sovereignty of another country. The revolt was sponsored by
them and till last day of Qaddafi, NATO aircraft continued the
bombardment. IF USA and NATO are allowed to see system prevailing in
other countries of their own choice and use force for this purpose, there
would only be turmoil in the whole world. On the day of the death of
Qaddafi, there was another news item on Pakistani TV channels quoting
USA authorities that it would now provide arms to opponent groups in Arab
world. If USA and NATO are well wishers of the Islamic countries, why
dont they take firm action against Israel that is occupying Arab territories
since 1967 and has refused to vacate or accept UN Resolutions.

REVIEW
The end of Gaddafi was written on the wall the day UNSC passed a
resolution according to the dictates of the Crusaders. The resolution
mandated the NATO forces to protect the Libyan civilians from the tyranny
of a dictator. NATO had already concluded that it could only be done by
eliminating the tyrant.

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Therefore, the killing of Gaddafi, like that of Saddam, sprung no

surprise. It, however, proved once again as to why the rulers in Islamic
world prefer to be the puppets of the West. There is no wisdom in calling
spade a spade and getting killed in the process.
The Crusaders victory in Libya was largely due to the doctrine of
proxy war which has been refined and tested in this phase of the Crusades.
The proxy warriors from within the country to be targeted are motivated,
rallied, organized, funded and supported. The real incentive rests in them
replacing the incumbent rulers using pretext of democracy.
The secret of success of this doctrine lies in its commensuration with
the psyche of Muslim masses, which having been deprived for centuries are
attracted by very ordinary incentives. Resultantly, they frequently get
cheated; they get rid of one yoke and walk into another, in other words from
tyranny of dictators to tyranny of democratic rulers.
The beauty of the doctrine lied in its application. The killing of
Gaddafi was welcomed or quietly accepted by Muslim rulers, though the
deceased was one of them. Another beauty was that Muslims were killing
Muslims; not only killing but dancing over dead bodies. This is the ultimate
success of indoctrination.
While the West enjoyed the fragrance of blood-soaked blossoms of
Arab Spring, there was sprouting of some flowers in their own backyards.
The capitalist regimes, western media and intellectuals have not yet given
any name to this anti-capitalism spring.
Capitalism is unjust and cruel economic system; its exploitive in
nature. Exploitation is done under the protection of political system called
democracy that allows exercise of basic human rights in accordance with
laws made to suit politically and economically privileged classes.
These laws often care less about humane and moral obligations, such
as in case of free competition and free trade. These do not care about the less
privileged and the weak in the society. The system exploits the working
classes through incentives and bonuses when markets show bullish trends
and dump and discard them when it is bearish by resorting to lay-offs.
Communism and socialism were evolved in revolt against this and
other such exploitive systems. These being reactionary in nature are
suppressive in nature. These tend to curb and discourage even healthy
competition. Too much control by the state authority is contradictory to
human nature.
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Islamic economic concept, like those for all other ways of life,
prescribes the middle path. It permits unrestricted earning while abiding by
the prescribed moral codes. It discourages accumulation of wealth to ensure
continuous circulation of capital.
It commands that certain fixed percentage of wealth is taken from the
rich and distributed amongst the poor; Zakat and Ushr. It encourages added
flow of wealth from privileged to unprivileged through voluntary donations;
Sadqa and Khairat. It thus creates balance between restrictions imposed by a
set of codes and freedom to exercise so-called basic human rights.
24th October, 2011

DO IT IN DAYS
Hectic activities took place on either side of Durand Line before
Hillary Clinton arrived in Islamabad. In Afghanistan, the occupation forces
launched a major operation by the name of Operation Knife Edge in
provinces adjacent to two agencies of Waziristan. NATO said Pakistan was
part of the operation being carried out, but it took no action against Maulvi
Fazlullah as requested by Pakistan.

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In Pakistan, Army briefed Standing Committees of Senate and

National Assembly in GHQ on security issues. Corps commanders met to
discuss strategy. Then, Hillary arrived in Islamabad to announce that a
major offensive was under way against Haqqani militants in eastern
Afghanistan and Pakistan must act to remove safe havens on its side of the
border; within days and weeks, not months.
This compelled Imran Khan to say that the US is now perceived as a
bigger enemy in Pakistan than India. And rather surprisingly, Hamid Karzai
vowed to stand with Pakistan in case of war with the US, but he did not
allow the suspense to last for long: he retracted from remarks made in an
interview by Salim Safi.

NEWS
In Pakistan, nine FC personnel were killed and four others sustained
injuries when militants ambushed them in Akakhel area of tehsil Bara on 17 th
October. Four militants were also killed in the ambush. Two children were
among three killed in mortar fire. Rehman Malik said al-Qaeda and Taliban
have plans to abduct Bilawal. Occupation forces in Afghanistan amassed
troops across Waziristan.
Pakistan resented Afghan and US-led forces inaction against Maulvi
Fazlullah, whose group is responsible for a deadly spate of cross-border
raids, while NATOs secretary-general called on the West to continue its
close cooperation with Islamabad despite US claims that Pakistan was
assisting insurgents in Afghanistan. The cross border attacks killed about
100 members of Pakistans security forces.
New York Times reported that American and Afghan soldiers near the
border with Pakistan have faced a sharply increased volume of rocket fire
from Pakistani territory in the past six months. Since May, the escalation in
cross-border barrages has fueled frustration among officers and anger among
soldiers at front-line positions who suspect, but cannot prove, a Pakistani
government role; Pakistani officials have repeatedly denied.
Washington Post observed that amid growing American frustration
with Pakistan's handling of militancy, the government appears less willing
than ever to challenge insurgent groups and is more inclined to make peace
with them. Pakistani officials have repeatedly rejected the notion of robust
military action against insurgents based in its tribal belt and instead called
for truces.
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Next day, two persons were killed in missile attack on a shrine in Bara
area. Rehman Malik said some extremists contacted the government, but
talks will be held with only those Taliban who lay down arms. Two NATO
oil tankers were burnt near Mastung.
Army briefed Standing Committees of Senate and National Assembly
in GHQ on important security issues. General Kayani assured that the
borders were secure and he wanted consensus on NWA operation and drone
strategy. ISPR said regular army and FC have been sent to border areas with
Afghanistan to stop militants' attacks on our check-posts, border villages and
kill our civilians.
Qazi Hussain Ahmed said that Pakistan was facing stiff pressure for
launching operation against its own people, which may further enhance the
unrest among the masses. He said the country is passing through multiple
crises, adding that the sole solution to these problems is the public uprising.
On 19th October, at least five security forces personnel sustained
injuries when a planted remote control bomb went off in Jandola. Six
militants were killed as security forces pounded suspected hideouts of the
militants in central Kurram Agency. NATO said Pakistan was part of
Operation Knife Edge being carried out in areas across Waziristan.
General Kayani warned the United States not to take unilateral action
in Pakistani area of North Waziristan, a Parliamentarian who attended the
briefing told the media. On the eve of Hillarys visit to Pakistan Hussain
Haqqani said that keeping in view the ongoing circumstances and to bring
the relations to normal both Pakistan and United States will have to iron out
their differences.
Next day, at least 34 militants, three troops and six civilians were
killed in a clash between the security forces and militants in Malikdin Khel,
Shlober areas of tehsil Bara. The Balochistan route being used for NATO
supplies in Afghanistan through Chaman border was declared most
dangerous after an estimated 112 attacks on the NATO tankers during which
254 vehicles were burnt and 50 people killed in the last three years.
Hillary Clinton said a major offensive is under way against Haqqani
militants in eastern Afghanistan and Pakistan must act to remove safe havens
on its side of the border. Corps commanders met to discuss strategy on the
eve of high-level US delegations arrival in Pakistan. Prime Minister Gilani
met and told the American delegates led by Hillary Clinton to respect the
sentiments of the Pakistani nation as expressed in the recently passed APC

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resolution, which called for seeking peaceful resolution to the unending

conflict through initiating dialogue with the militants.
Disagreements between the coalition partners on the war on terror
should not undermine the strategic relationship which is vital for the
promotion of mutual interests of the two countries, said the prime minister.
Both the sides urged on the importance of the positive messaging in public
diplomacy to promote an enabling environment between the two countries.
On 21st October, hundreds of troops, equipped with heavy arms and
backed by tanks, entered the areas of Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency. a major
operation against the militants has begun resulting in massive shifting of
local families to safer places. Maulvi Fazlullah vowed to return to Swat to
wage war. At least three people were killed and a woman was injured when
terrorists assaulted house of a tribal leader, member of peace body, in
Mohmand Agency.
Hillary, CIA Director Petraeus and General Martin E Dempsey, the
new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, planned to push their Pakistani
counterparts to make a definitive choice between fighting terrorists and
supporting them. She came to tell Pakistan no more double games.
Pakistan and the US military commanders have agreed to act against militant
sanctuaries at respective sides of Pak-Afghan border while disagreement
over Haqqanis presence in North Waziristan Agency still persisted.
Hillary met Hina and said she agreed with General Kayanis remarks
that Pakistan was not Iraq and Afghanistan rather it was a sovereign country
and had lot of issues to discuss. She said that US wanted to eliminate
Haqqani network, adding that she had in-depth discussions with Pakistani
leadership ranging from bilateral issues to threats arising from extremists.
Next day, security forces arrested 15 suspected militants and
recovered ammunition from them during a search operation in Malik Din
Khel area of tehsil Bara. Dr AQ Khan terming visit of US Secretary of State
Hilary Clinton to Pakistan as part of US agenda has suggested that US
should leave Afghanistan to avoid becoming a laughing stock.
On 23rd October, Hillary said Pakistan and the US will work together
towards peace and security in Afghanistan and asserted that Washingtons
policy was to fight, talk and build as she appeared to have toned down her
rhetoric against Islamabads conduct. Fazlur Rehman urged upon all the
defunct militant outfits of the country to quit the way of violence and take up
a political struggle for the acceptance of their genuine demands.

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The US is now perceived as a bigger enemy in Pakistan than India,

Imran Khan said, while voicing concern that his country is petrified it
could be bombed every time a terror attack takes place in India, US or
Europe. Imran Khan further said that no amount of confidence-building
measures will help India and Pakistan if intelligence agencies from the two
countries interfere in each other's business.
Next day, the Frontier Corps took into custody 47 Afghan nationals in
Pishin for their illegal entry into Pakistan. Hillary asked Pakistan to go after
terror funds and curriers and warned of consequences if failed to contain
terrorists. On 25th October, people continued fleeing from areas affected by
operation in Khyber Agency. Four people were killed in bomb blast in
Lower Dir. Obama Administration dismissed the possibility of a war with
Pakistan after Afghan president pledged to support Islamabad if such a
situation ever arose, saying, its not going to happen.
Next day, two NATO helicopters violated air space over North
Waziristan. Pro-government tribal elder was killed in Tank area. Four people
were killed in grenade attack at arms shop in Orakzai Agency. Twelve
people were wounded in bomb blast in Peshawar. Afghan militants attacked
in Bajaur Agency and killed a tribal elder and member of peace committee.
SHO and ASI were dismissed in Kharotabad tragedy.
On 27th October, five militants, including Maulvi Nazirs brother,
were killed in two drone attacks in South Waziristan. Imran Khan criticized
the regime for backing drone strikes. Jemima donated cameras to tribes to
capture damage caused by US drone attacks. Fourteen people were wounded
in a bomb blast in Peshawar. Four NATO armoured vehicles and two
trawlers were burnt in Khyber Agency.
Speaking before the US Congressional panel Hillary mentioned
militants safe heavens in Pakistan and the need to close them. She
demanded swift military action against militants but vouched for
continuing only civilian aid to Pakistan. A US general said Pakistan allows
insurgent fire on US troops. BBC joined the US in hurling accusation at
Pakistan Army and ISI by saying that these institutions armed, supplied and
protected Taliban and al-Qaeda. Pakistan Army, reportedly, mulled legal
action against BBC.
Next day, victims of drone attacks participated in Grand Jirga
arranged in Islamabad. Imran Khan termed drone hits a matter of shame for
Parliament. He condemned PPP and PML-N for keeping mum over killing
of innocent people in drone attacks. Suicide bomber killed pride of
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performance police officer in Nowshera. US Congress report said Pakistan

was being pushed closer to China for US hostile attitude towards it and
because of closer Indo-US ties.
On 29th October, peace committee member was shot dead in D I Khan.
Pakistan Army urged NATO action against safe heaven of militants in
Afghanistan. Gilani urged the world community to help shift the three
million Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan back to Afghanistan, to stop
illegal cross border movement and prevent spread of the crippling Polio
disease. Gilani told a press conference that the world seemed to have
forgotten the plight of millions of Afghans who were living in shanty makeshift homes and camps in Pakistan for years.
Next day, six people were killed in drone attack in North Waziristan.
Three soldiers were wounded in road side bombing. A terror suspect, former
SSG soldier, was held in Okara. Driver and cleaner of NATO oil tanker were
kidnapped in Machh area.
On 17th October, a suicide bomber targeted a commander in spy
agency, wounding six intelligence officials and killing a child in Faryab
province of Afghanistan. Next day, Afghan security forces and their
NATO allies launched a new push against Haqqani network along the
troubled Pakistani border in Waziristan. Pakistan was informed about the
Operation Knife Edge. Reportedly, Burhanuddin Rabbani had sought ban on
drone attacks.
On 19th October, two NATO and five Afghan soldiers were killed in
roadside bombing in Herat. NATO and US forces saw a marked increase in
infiltration into Khost, Paktia, Logar and Wardak provinces from Pakistan,
to launch attacks on the capital. The first 200 French soldiers left
Afghanistan starting troop withdrawals announced three months ago by
Paris as part of NATO plans to wind down its combat mission by 2014. Next
day, NATO claimed killing 115 militants in a week-long operation in Kunar.
On 22nd October, Afghan troops backed by NATO-led coalition forces,
killed 24 Taliban and captured 10 others in joint operations in Kabul, Ghazni
and Kandahar provinces. In an interview to Geo TV Karzai said Afghan
people will be standing with Pakistan and their Pakistani brethren if any one
including US and India attacked it. He said that though they had complaints
against Pakistani establishment, but they (Afghanis) could not forget the
hospitality, brotherhood and support the Pakistani brethren extended to them
during their exile during the Afghan war.

409

Next day, Afghan interior minister escaped attempt on his life in

Parwan. On 24th October, NATO forces claimed killing and capturing more
than two hundred militants in the ongoing operation in provinces adjacent to
Waziristan. Hundreds of Afghans rallied in Kabul urging their government
not sign strategic partnership agreement with the US. Hamid Karzai sought
to distance himself from controversial remarks made in an interview in
which he said Afghanistan would back Pakistan against the US if the two
ever came to blows.
The fate of the US-sponsored November 2 Istanbul Conference on
Afghanistan would not be more than an agenda setting exercise for Bonn
Conference, scheduled for December 5 as none of major Afghan resistance
groups including Taliban and Haqqani Netwrok would participate.
On 25th October, Haqqanis refused to take part in peace talks which
are not led by Taliban Shura. The US said it wont force anyone for peace
dialogue. Next day, ten people were killed and more than twenty wounded in
blast of a fuel tanker outside the largest US base in Afghanistan. The blast
occurred after the tanker was attacked and bombed.
On 29th October, a suicide car bomber killed 13 American troops in
the Afghan capital in the deadliest single ground attack against the NATOled force in 10 years of war in Afghanistan. He attacked a bus carrying
American soldiers. Three Australian soldiers were killed by an Afghan
soldier in a separate incident.
Praising India's constructive role in reconstruction efforts in
Afghanistan, the Pentagon in a report told the US Congress that New Delhi
has expressed an interest to help strengthen the capabilities of the Afghan
National Security Forces. Next day, a government official, former Taliban
shadow governor was wounded in roadside bombing in Kandahar area.
On 17th October, government of India gave the go-ahead to
deployment of Brahmos cruise missiles in Arunachal Pradesh. This will be
India's first offensive tactical missile deployment against China. The three
Brahmos missile regiments raised so far have been deployed in the western
sector to counter the Pakistan threat. This will be the fourth regiment.
Next day, attacks by Hindu extremists on his supporters brought Anna
Hazare to his Hindu senses; he vowed to fight Pakistan on IHK. On 20 th
October, Jamaatud Dawa strongly criticized the government for its
principled decision to give India the status of the Most Favoured Nation,
and said it would adversely affect the independence movement in occupied

410

Kashmir and have serious implications for Pakistans national security. The
Pakistan Paindabad Conference also opposed the government decision on
MFN status. PML-N also warned government against solo flight.
On 21st October, Pakistan pulled off a win against Kyrgyzstan in the
contest for a non-permanent seat on UNSC; India voted for Pakistan. Two
days later, an Indian military helicopter was forced to land in Skardu and its
four-member crew was taken into custody for violating Pakistani airspace.
All of them were freed after hotline contact.
On 25th October, three policemen were wounded in grenade attack in
IHK. Reportedly, Washington helped immediate release of Indian helicopter.
Next day, five people were wounded in grenade attack in IHK. On 27 th
October, Indian security forces arrested hundreds of people in Srinagar and
surrounding areas after spate of violence and to sabotage Black Day
activities. On 28th October, Pakistan tested Hatf-VII Stealth cruise missile.
In Balochistan, two FC soldiers were killed and two wounded in
remote-controlled bomb blast in Awaran on 17 th October. Next day, several
people were injured in a blast in Pashtoonabad, Quetta. Rehman Malik said
that no conspiracy to destabilize the country would be allowed to succeed
adding Balochistan is the arm of Pakistan and all efforts are being made to
ensure peace in the province adding that talks would be held with only those
militants who have disarmed.
On 21st October, seven people were killed and five wounded in
incidents of violence across the province. Two days later, two security
personnel were shot dead in Duki. On 25th October, a security person was
among two killed in Quetta and Margat in incidents of violence. Next day,
FC check post was attacked in Panjgur.
On 27th October, six people were wounded in landmine blast in Dera
Bugti. Next day, the court of judicial magistrate issued arrest warrants of
Musharraf and Shaukat Aziz in Akbar Bugti murder case. On 29 th October,
JUI-F leader was shot dead in Panjgur.

VIEWS
On 18th October, TheNation commented: The sudden massing of
hundreds of American troops across the North Waziristan Pak-Afghan
border, equipped with gunship helicopters and other heavy weaponry,
backed by a well-stocked airbase nearby, has sent alarm bells ringing among

411

the tribesmen on either side, and put the Pakistan security establishment
on full alert, which has confined itself to saying that it is monitoring the
development. According to press reports, entering the Gurbaz area of
Afghanistans Khost province during the night between Saturday and
Sunday, US soldiers are seen occupying hilltops and monitoring the border
region. They have not only imposed a curfew in Gurbaz, but also started
house-to-house searches, it is believed to get hold of militants who, they
identify as part of the Afghan resistance. The Ghulam Khan-Khost Road has
been closed to traffic, with the result that 900 trucks and vehicles carrying
passengers have been stranded. Among the trucks are quite a large number,
which have NATO goods loaded on them.
The Gurbaz tribesmen inhabiting either side of the border are
extremely worried about the passengers on board the stranded vehicles
because most of them belong to their tribe. The atmosphere is charged
with tension, while the concentration of foreign troops has made the
tribes living in North Waziristan uneasy. The traditional spirit of pride,
valour and resolve to defend their homeland at any cost, from all persons
seen as invaders will be running high. Well-known tribal elders, Malik
Mamoor Khan and Malik Nasrullah Khan, though confident that the
Americans would not attempt an invasion North Waziristan especially in
light of their unsuccessful, inconclusive decade of experience in
Afghanistan, have expressed similar views. It will be a blunder on their part
if the Americans enter North Waziristan, said one of them; the other
asserted that the tribesmen would never allow any foreign force to step foot
in their land.
The development will make many hark back to the recent press
reports of warnings of invasion that top military leaders in the US have been
noticed to issue, one after the other. The setbacks the US forces have met in
Afghanistan have not been received well in the States by ordinary US
citizens. It appears that desperate attempts to salvage the reputation of
the forces are being executed by the US establishment and Obama
Administration. Their 'imminent' exit from Afghanistan must be conveyed to
the world at all costs as a victory. With these factors in view, our leaders
must be wary. Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar, has already issued a
warning to the US not to test Pakistans patience on drone attacks. The
Minister should also take immediate note of the alarming development of
troop concentration on our border; which constitutes a direct threat to our
sovereignty, going well beyond that perpetrated by the drones. Should any
foreign troops attempt an invasion, the nation holds the expectation of its
412

armed forces to defend the country at all costs. In case the Americans and
their NATO allies launch a short-sighted, foolish adventure against our tribal
lands, they will have to be instructed in the etiquette of observing
sovereignty by our Armed Forces.
Next day, the newspaper wrote: The Pakistan Army has requested the
Afghan authorities to arrest Maulana Fazlullah and hand him over The
Maulana and his supporters have relocated to Kunar and Nuristan
provinces in Afghanistan, and are now trying to return to Swat via
Chitral and Dir, according to DG ISPR, Maj Gen Athar Abbas. Meanwhile,
the Afghan National Directorate of Security spokesman has flatly denied
even the relocation. It should be noted that the Nuristan area is considered
crucial to the success of the TAPI gas-line, and is the centre of its sceptics
doubts about the ability of the Kabul government to provide security.
This should be viewed as an example of the hypocrisy of the
Karzai regime, which is only being prevented from collapse by the US
backing which sustains it. After all, the Karzai government was quick to
claim there was a Pakistani hand in the assassination of Professor
Burhanuddin Rabbani, and to say it would send over a team to Pakistan to
make arrest, but it was making no movement in the case of Maulana
Fazlullah, who was responsible for actual combat against the Pakistan army.
This disclosure shows that the claims about Professor Rabbanis assassin
were meant merely to cover the Afghan governments own failure to nab the
people really responsible for the assassination.
If the Karzai government was sincere, and not so cloying desperate to
curry Indian influence, it would move on Maulana Fazlullah, and only
afterwards make any claims about Professor Rabbanis assassins. Pakistan
should also be aware that its alliance with the USA has not helped it avert
accusations like those made about Professor Rabbani, or those about the
Haqqani network, nor has it helped it get Afghanistan to cooperate on such
issues as Maulana Fazlullahs. It, and particularly its ruling class, should
inquire into the causes of US allies, such as Karzai's regime, continue to
persist in being unhelpful to yet another (as yet) 'ally' of the US. Could it be
that it is only in our war dictionary that we are called allied? Indeed, the
noise from beyond our borders citing Pakistan as the 'problem' instead
of the solution have increased. None seem to be acknowledging of the fact
that the US' average citizens quality of life in the past decade of war has
remained largely the same. The same cannot be said of the average Pakistani
citizen. The only solution is to end an alliance which does not give any

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credit to Pakistan for its struggles and seems to display no respect for or
interest in furthering Pakistani national interests.
On 22nd October, TheNation commented: One could not help but note
that the American delegation led by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
seemed somewhat apologetic and perhaps even a little ill at ease during the
meeting with Prime Minister Gilani, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar
and COAS General Kayani. The realization at the back of their heads that
Pakistan had come of age, since it was instead asking the Americans to do
more to eliminate terrorist sanctuaries inside Afghanistan was obvious. The
tone and tenor of the delegation sometimes echoed frustration as they
made attempts at asserting themselves on our leaders. Prime Minister
Gilani in no uncertain terms rebuffed the notion that Pakistans sovereignty
would be allowed to be taken for granted. He snubbed the Americans again
when he told them about the APCs resolution and the firm reaction it
demanded in the case of Americans continuing with their aggressive designs.
This firm resolve of the leadership particularly Mr Gilani was not lost on
Secretary Clinton who later in the day remarked that Pakistan could bring
the Haqqani network and other outfits on to the conference table.
Secretary Clintons statement that Blackwater was not directly
working in Pakistan should remove doubts about the presence of the agency
on our soil. Likewise, a fact that proves that the US has no regard for
civilian loss of life was her refusal to express remorse at the deaths
caused by drone attacks. While according to US media claims, only 2.7
percent of the total fatalities of 9,000 are estimated to be militants, it is
obvious that even out of this 2.7 percent; the percentage of actual operatives
killed is far less. A large number of those killed are innocent men, women
and children.
The US has an unfortunate history of having propped up leaders
like Bhutto, Sukarno, Ben Bella, Qaddafi, Shah of Iran and later when they
refused to toe the American line, they were made horrible examples of.
As the US is now pressurizing Pakistan to take on groups which were not
long ago bred and reared by the Reagan Administration the same order
seems to be in play. Such a double standard in dealing with the world - one
rule for yourself and another for everyone else - is the root cause of the
reputation of mistrust and dislike that the reputation of the world's only
Superpower enjoys nowadays.
Inayatullah wrote: Hillarys first meeting last night (Thursday) was
with the Prime Minister where COAS General Kayani and DG ISI Pasha
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were also present. This was just a curtain raiser with a lot of rhetoric dished
out from both sides. Give peace a chance, said Gilani. Also, respect the APC
resolution; why not, responded Madam Clinton. The US acknowledges the
value of the message contained in the resolution; USA recognizes
Pakistans contributions in the fight against terrorism. She also referred to
the role Pakistan has further to play to take care of the militants who launch
attacks against us and Afghanistan in Kabul and other places. In addition,
she would like Pakistan to help in the negotiations with the Taliban.
There shall be tough talking in the subsequent meetings with the
President and the military authorities. General Kayani has already
unveiled his mind. He is not willing to go on toeing the line given to
Pakistan. Pakistans concerns and interests have to be fully safeguarded.
The carrots of aid no longer will cajole or lure GHQ and the Government of
Pakistan. The stick may not be able to coerce Rawalpindi and Islamabad to
do Washingtons bidding.
How will Uncle Sam react to the firm stand taken by the Army
Chief? Can the USA afford to launch operations inside Pakistan? Even if its
moves are restricted to intrusions by the Afghan forces, how will it help
achieve the three objectives Hillary has in view? If Pakistan is pushed to the
wall, how can the proposed regional architecture be constructed on the basis
of the Istanbul, Bonn (and Chicago) conferences?
While analyzing the fluctuating contours of the Pakistan-US
relations, one needs to make a note of the changing relationship between the
Pentagon and the GHQ. The US appears to be moving away from the
earlier strategy of seeking to secure its objectives via Rawalpindi, as the
present military top brass is no longer willing to work as mercenaries.
Washington is veering round to relying more on a democratic civilian set-up.
The current ruling elite could be conveniently manipulated. It is weak and
vulnerable. It has failed to manage internal affairs. It is inclined to lean on
external support. The elections are not too far off.
An increase in American military presence in Pakistan is bound
to evoke a sharp reaction. Is a destabilized Pakistan good for US interests
in this part of the world? It is time an extended dialogue is opened with
Washington, which takes into account Washingtons objectives and
Pakistans reservations and interests.
If Washington is so keen to enter into serious negotiations with the
Taliban, why should it object to Pakistan talking to the so-called militants
and insurgents active in Pakistan? Can Pakistan afford to further fuel the
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fires of revenge attacks and mounting insurgency? How long can the
military go on fighting the aggrieved Pakistanis in the tribal areas? Too
much of valuable funds have been thrown into this raging fire. Imran Khans
voice needs to be heeded. Peace must be given a chance. Let the APC
resolution guide our thinking and behaviour.
Next day, TheNation commented: Perhaps, the single most important
outcome of the talks held between Pakistan and the US military chief and
intelligence agencies heads at Islamabad on Thursday and Friday was the
Americans assurance that their forces would not cross the border into
Pakistan. That has set to rest, for now, fears that NATO forces could attack
North Waziristan if Pakistan did not take on Haqqani groups militants
which, the US believed, were located there
Strangely, while there was no-border-crossing assurance, Secretary
Clinton warned Pakistan it had days and weeks to launch operation (against
Haqqanis). She acknowledged, though, the truth of COAS General Kayanis
riposte to her threat that Pakistan would have to pay a very big price if it
did not send its troops into NWA. General Kayani had said that Pakistan was
neither Iraq nor Afghanistan, and the US would have to think 10 times
before attacking it. However, as both sides agreed on making surgical strikes
at militant hideouts, they seemed to be closing the gap between their
differences. The crackdown on militants in Khyber Agency by Pakistan, and
across the border in Khost, Paktia, Kunar and Nuristan by the combined
forces of the US, NATO and Afghanistan killing or arresting dozens of
militants are also proof of a patch-up. A Pak-US agreement that would
also alarm the entire nation was enhanced drone attacks on NWA
through intelligence cooperation. Yet, the drone strikes, operation in
Khyber and surgical strikes clearly defy the decision of the recent all parties
conference of giving peace a chance.
It is quite evident that our political and military leadership has
not thought through the consequences of accepting US pressure and
keeping the option of armed action alive. The government should take heed
of the counsel of its allies who suggest that we should built relations with
China and Russia in view of the US designs in the region and the changes
that are occurring in the global power balance. As we claim to be a
democratically governed country, we must listen to the peoples call
unanimously and clearly voiced through the APC, which reflected the
various political points of view prevailing in the country. Decisions should
not be taken in compliance with the wishes of a foreign power whose

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motives towards us and the region as a whole are doubtful; they ought to be
Made in Pakistan.
Jalees Hazir opined: If Pakistan is to proceed on the path outlined
by the APC resolution, it will have to disentangle itself from such
meaningless diplomatic exercises that only serve to distract us with
meaningless discussions and weaken our resolve. Except for paying lip
service to the possibilities of negotiations with the Afghan resistance, the US
has basically stuck to its guns. While we waste our time trying to line up
resistance leaders for fruitless discussions with a two-faced occupying
power, it will continue to push ahead with its original plans. It would take
more than a frank exchange of views to make the global bully rethink its
goals in Afghanistan.
As was obvious from the joint press briefing by Foreign Minister
Hina Khar and Clinton, the US would like us to tag along with it at Istanbul
and Bonn, playing a 'constructive' role by staying on the same page. That
would be unfortunate. For peace in the region, it would be far more
productive for Pakistan to strongly articulate its position in light of the
APC resolutions at these forums and push for a peace and reconciliation
process in Afghanistan that results in an end to the American occupation
there. The need for a hectic diplomatic effort to enlist the support of
Afghanistan's immediate neighbours for countering the US designs for the
region is urgent.
Faisal Qureshi wrote: If America had any real interest in settling this
region, it would force a settlement of the Kashmir dispute through a
plebiscite. If America was sincere with Pakistan, it would stop
manipulating our downfall through leaders who are really just agents of
disaster planted through the NRO or other deals brokered in (or by)
Washington. America claims they give us billions of dollars in aid; if it
really wanted to help Pakistan, it would invest directly in infrastructure,
hospitals, power generation, and things that matter, instead of greasing
palms of corrupt leaders, who are loyal not to the people of Pakistan, but to
their personal investments and children in the West.
Failing to do so poses a real problem not just for Pakistan, but also
for those meddling in its affairs. Pakistan may be small, militarily ill
equipped, led by weaklings intimidated by the US, but it has a unique
ability to form some very key alliances, which are capable of becoming a
formidable power, if the need ever arises.

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On 24th October, Khalid Iqbal opined: Putting the jigsaw pieces

together, Pakistan has a real military threat from America to counter;
and the onus to defend rests with its armed forces. But the chances of an
invasion of Pakistani land are remote. Sporadic fireworks are the more likely
facet of operations to embarrass the military leadership. The mainstay of
American operations would be the air component of its armed forces. Hence,
Pakistan Air Force needs to harness all its resources to thwart airspace
violations.
Pakistans political leadership should continue to strive for bridging
the gap between the Haqqanis and America, for a smooth transition between
the two. It stands committed to an Afghan-led political process for stability
and peace in the war-torn country. No other country than Pakistan has
greater stakes in a stable and secure Afghanistan. However, it needs to
improve its credibility by shedding the impression that it is fighting an
American war. This could be done by detaching our Afghan policy from that
of America. In the context of Afghanistan, Pakistan and America are
certainly on a point of strategic divergence; nevertheless, common grounds
should be explored in the areas of tactical convergence.
Two days later, S M Hali opined: Despite the fact that Washington
has agreed with Islamabad, it will have to abandon three of its
preconditions: Its insistence that the Taliban should denounce al-Qaeda, lay
down arms and spurn violence, and accept that the US tailored Afghan
constitution. Pakistan is well aware of the Afghan culture and sensitivities to
which the US appears to be oblivious. Arms are part of the personal attire of
an Afghan, like the baseball cap is to an American. Additionally, any
constitution cobbled for the Afghans by the US will remain unacceptable to
the Taliban; they will accept only a constitution that is formulated by them.
General Petraeus has been advocating hitting the Taliban hard by use
of force and compelling them to approach the negotiation table. Indeed, this
strategy is flawed. To start with, the NATO, ISAF and Afghan forces have
been facing the ignominy of defeat in Afghanistan; so political strategy
should be in lead and not military strategy. The US concept of
establishing a strong Afghan National Army (ANA) is also based on
incorrect precepts; the plan envisages an estimated expense of $6 to $8
billion annually. The weak and battered Afghan economy will be unable to
sustain the outlay. Therefore, a financially viable plan should be considered
with the cost not exceeding a billion dollars annually. Certainly, without an
effective and operationally sound ANA, the country will slide back into
anarchy and chaos sinking the entire region into deeper morass.
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The mist is clearing, to some extent, but Washington should not

push Islamabad in a direction it is not likely to take in Afghanistan,
which is to force Pakistan to crackdown on the Haqqanis, but ignoring
Maulana Fazlullah in Afghanistan.
On 27th October, Abdullah Buzkurt wrote: The US did not listen to
Pakistans suggestion for a politically negotiated settlement when the
Taliban was weak and ready to compromise; the window of opportunity is
long gone. The Taliban is still strong in Afghanistan and is not willing to cut
a deal now that US disengagement is near, and the American public has
turned against the administration for its lengthy involvement in Afghanistan.
In case things go terribly wrong when the day of reckoning comes,
Washington needs a scapegoat to blame. Being the usual suspect, Pakistan is
a perfect candidate for that scenario.
The background for the scenario was already set up in the aftermath
of the Raymond Davis incident and the killing of Osama bin Laden in the
Pakistani city of Abbottabad via unilateral action. Now they are turning up
the final scenario by bringing up the Haqqani Network, which was
funded and supported by the CIA for many years during the Cold War era.
The feeling here in Islamabad is that even if the outstanding issues were
resolved during bilateral talks, the US will come with new excuses to whip
Pakistan. I do not blame them, as we have seen lately, that the Americans are
throwing everything into the basket to lay the blame on Pakistan and
conducting a media blitz campaign to put pressure on this nation, not to
mention coercion policies the US employed on economic and military fronts
to twist arms here.
But this ill advised policy may backfire on the US because other
Muslim allies and partners will think twice now in engaging with the US
fearing that one day they may be left out in the cold, despite sacrifices and
sincere effort made for the common cause. Lessons learned in Pakistan may
have far-reaching implications beyond the region and ultimately may end up
hurting US interests more than originally anticipated.
On 30th October, TheNation wrote: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf Chairman
Imran Khan has said it is matter of shame for Parliament that the drone
attacks by the USA are continuing. He said this while addressing the
culmination of a rally by PTI in Islamabad against the drone strikes, which
he accused of causing civilian casualties in large numbers. A Waziristan
Grand Jirga which he attended at an Islamabad hotel the same day, called on
the UN and the Supreme Court to intervene, while Pakistans Permanent
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Representative to the UN, Hussain Haroon, in a comment to a private TV

channel, said that Pakistan could raise the matter provided the government
so instructed. However, the government is as careful to avoid giving such
instructions as it is careful to avoid telling PAF to shoot down the drones.
The silence of the Pakistan government on this issue leads to the conclusion
that Mr Khan drew at his rally that the continuing strikes meant that the
USA was paying no attention to the unanimous resolution by Parliament
calling for their end. As Mr Khan pointed out, the resolution called for
NATO supply routes to be disconnected if the USA carried out any further
attack, was just a piece of paper.
Mr Khan did tell the Jirga that the war could only be won if
Pakistan pulled its military out of the tribal areas, but he did not mention
that Pakistan should also talk to those it called militants. The paradox of
American behaviour must be noted, where it sees itself as having every right
to talk with militants itself, but presses Pakistan to conduct ever-widening
operations against them, to the extent that it is willing to accuse Pakistan of
complicity with the Haqqani Network, even though it itself is engaged in
sporadic talks with it. Mr Khan also pointed out at the PTI rally that both the
major parties had failed to do anything about the drone attacks.
As that is true, these two parties can only counter this if the PPP was
to end its almost complete dependence on the USA, and was to adopt a
stance more consistent with national interest and the PML-N its desire to
win US favour. This means breaking off an alliance cumbered by the
overweening boorishness of the other, which has brought Pakistan violations
of its national sovereignty and the killing of its citizens. This protest should
also provide a reminder to the major parties that the alliance they are
pursuing with such single mindedness, with the USA, comes at the cost
of Pakistani lives. The USA should also be aware that in arguing the case
against the attacks, Mr Khan is not being anti-American, but merely
conveying common sentiment among the Pakistani people.
On 18th October, Chris Rogers observed: Every night throughout
Afghanistan, international forces launch kill/capture raids on Afghan homes.
Over the past two years, the use of night raids, particularly by US Special
Operations Forces, has skyrocketed-increasing at least five-fold since
February 2009, indicating an important tactical shift by US and international
forces in Afghanistan. With the withdrawal of international forces
approaching, this shift likely foreshadows the future of military operations in
Afghanistan. But these operations continue to be marred by weak

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accountability and transparency, secrecy in targeting, and substantial popular

backlash, which will have significant long-term consequences should the
United States and its allies remain so reliant on such raids.
My organization, Open Society Foundations (OSF), in partnership
with the Afghan organization The Liaison Office (TLO), recently released a
report that examines the impact night raids have had on Afghan civilians. We
found that International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) reforms,
primarily through two tactical directives, have on the one hand resulted in
significant improvements in how the raids are planned and executed,
resulting in reduced risk of civilian casualties, greater accuracy in selecting
targets, reduced property damage, increased use of Afghan National
Security Forces (ANSF), and more respectful treatment of women during
operations.
But our report also found that despite these reforms, improvements
have not won much support from Afghans, because theyve been
overshadowed by the dramatic surge in the number of night raids and
perceptions among many Afghans that abuses go unpunished.
Speaking with victims of night raids, a major complaint continues
to be accountability. Despite some improvements, ISAF responsiveness to
claims of civilian harm from night raids remains weak. Because the vast
majority of raids are carried out by US Special Operations Forces the least
transparent forces operating in Afghanistan its exceedingly difficult to
follow up on specific cases of civilian casualties or wrongful detention. In
many cases, a strong presumption on the part of ISAF and US officials that
night raids are accurate often means that allegations of civilian casualties
and targeting mistakes are simply not trusted. Investigations are infrequent,
findings are not typically made public, and compensation for victims is,
based on our interviews with officials and Afghan civilians, uncommon.
What may in part explain the dismissal of such allegations of civilian
harm in night raids is the definition of who can be targeted in such
operations. Our report on night raids documents a substantial widening of
the net, which has resulted in the detention of significant numbers of
civilians. In a single three-month period earlier this year 1,900
individuals were detained, most of whom were eventually released,
raising questions about whether they should have been detained in the first
place.
We also documented a number of large-scale detention or clearance
operations in which multiple compounds or entire villages were
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cordoned off, and male civilians indiscriminately rounded up for

screening and questioning. In October 2010, for example, US Special
Operations Forces raided Otmenzey village in Kunduz and detained 80-100
men and boys overnight in a mosque. According to witnesses, they used
masked informants and indicators such as beards to pick out individuals for
further questioning at a Special Operations detention facility.
All were eventually released. To the Afghans we interviewed, this
makes night raids look more like indiscriminate intimidation, not
specifically targeted, intelligence-driven actions. While intelligence
gathering is critical, using night raids to arrest and interrogate civilians
without clear justification often causes unnecessary harm or trauma,
provoking backlash and undermining international forces legitimacy.
Targeting policies and practices have profound implications for
civilians in Afghanistan. Throughout the country, militants can exercise
significant control over peoples lives. Many have little choice but to interact
with militants, provide food, water or shelter to insurgents living in or
passing through their villages. As one man from Kandahar told us, Our
entire district is controlled by the Taliban. There is no government or
Americans here. We have to have contacts with the Taliban...they come to
our homes and take lunch and dinner by force. But such incidental and
often coerced contact with insurgents does not convert civilians into
combatants or justify targeting and detaining them in military operations.
This blending no doubt presents international forces with an immense
challenge in distinguishing civilians from fighters; yet this difficulty is
precisely why a workable, clear, and legally sound definition of who is
targetable in operations like night raids is so necessary. But secrecy
continues to shroud how precisely targeting works in night raids and
how individuals are ultimately singled out for detention or death.
There are also serious legal concerns raised by expanded use of
night raids, particularly those that detain individuals for intelligencegathering purposes. Given that night raids are military operations, not law
enforcement actions, under international law such force should generally
only be used against combatants-not against civilians who arent members of
the insurgency or directly participating in hostilities. Intelligence value alone
is not generally sufficient grounds to detain individuals and certainly not
justification for launching military attacks on their homes and endangering
their lives. This does not mean that the US military cannot detain people, or
question those who may have valuable information. However, where those
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individuals are not clearly combatants, the kind of force used in military
operations and applicable Rules of Engagement (ROE) are inappropriate.
Instead, law enforcement-style operations and rules of force should apply.
There is also evidence that insufficient consideration is given to
alternatives to night raids, such as conducting raids in daytime hours or
simply requesting individuals to voluntarily submit to questioning. With
Special Forces and intelligence personnel increasingly in the lead, night
raids may be a strongly preferred tactic not because of a lack of feasible
alternatives, but because it is what these forces are good at. The availability
and particular expertise of Special Forces, as well as their relationship to
intelligence officials, biases commanders in favour of this tool-leading to an
over-reliance on such raids and underestimation of their true costs.
As targeting and detentions broaden, we also found that many view
raids as increasingly indiscriminate, arbitrary, and unjust, contributing
to popular backlash that is readily exploited by militant groups. Such
blowback, especially as it accrues and is inevitably politicized over time,
also imperils the legitimacy and credibility of U.S. and international forces,
as well as longer-term peace building efforts. Among political leaders in
Afghanistan, this blowback exacts an enormous toll on diplomatic relations,
undermining progress on key issues like the US-Afghan strategic
partnership, which will govern US forces involvement beyond the 2014
pull-out date.
There is a disturbing parallel between these concerns and those
surrounding drone strikes across the border in Pakistan, which have also
increased dramatically in recent years The dramatically expanded use of
both night raids and drone strikes foreshadows a troubling, dangerous
future for US counterterrorism and counterinsurgency.
These tactics bring the conflict directly into the homes of more and
more civilians, and as our report on night raids documents, efforts to
improve conduct are often overshadowed by the sheer increase in the
number of operations as well as continued perceptions of impunity.
Despite the fact that violence against civilians is still
disproportionately carried out by the Taliban, expanded night raids will
almost certainly have an outsized impact on Afghan feelings toward
foreign forces. Without stronger accountability, less secrecy, and more
creative thinking about how to effectively engage and protect civilians, the
long-term impact of such operations will more likely than not undo any
short-term tactical gains.
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Jeffrey Simpson wrote: Predictions are always risky, and often

wrong. But heres one offered in the face of those cautionary words: After
foreign troops leave, Afghanistan is likely to descend once again into
some sort of civil strife between Pashtun insurgents in the south and other
ethnic groups spread across the country. Afghan societys fundamental
cleavages, therefore, havent disappeared. Theyll either play themselves out
in conflict or in negotiations from which Westerners will be excluded.
One man who believed in the possibility of negotiations, former
president Burhanuddin Rabbani, was recently assassinated. He had been
sufficiently trusted by the Talibans former enemies, and by a few members
of the Taliban, to be an interlocutor. Now hes dead, and so are the peace
feelers.
A decade after US-led military intervention began, the insurgency
remains active and lethal The Karzai government is widely considered
corrupt to the core. Proceeds from the drug trade grease some of that
corruption and assist the insurgency. The government and its Western allies
are incapable of stopping the opium trade. Eradicated areas increase; so do
areas under cultivation.
The spin-doctoring around the Afghan mission has been relentless
from the beginning, in Canada and elsewhere. Leaked cables recently
revealed to nobodys surprise the fixation of the Harper government and
the military with the wars public relations. The spin no longer fools the
observant. Western nations are entering their final phase in Afghanistan,
having distended their military and aid budgets. Theres little to show for
their involvement, relative to their expenditure of blood and treasure.
And the countrys ethnic and religious schisms endure, as do
suspicions of foreigners and their intentions. Afghanistan remains the
playground for Pakistan, India and Iran. The timeless intractability of a
country that only Afghans can understand has shown itself again immune
from the ministrations of outsiders with all their money and might, good
intentions and hubris.
On 24th October, Johnny Barber wrote about his visit to Americanistan
(Afghanistan). Excerpts are reproduced: To most of the population, peace
is impossibility. Most feel a turn toward more violence is inevitable.
Possibilities of peace are not part of the dialogue, few are even willing to
voice the words peace or nonviolence. Most people only talk about
selecting the best of several very poor possibilities and all of these options
are militaristic ones. People are being squeezed between the insurgency and
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occupying powers. For some, especially in Kabul, the best of the poor
choices is continuing on the path of US occupation. The sense of
hopelessness is palpable; people feel there is no way out. Harun, a young
Pastun tells us: Perhaps Afghans just need to suffer more.
Not a single sector of public or private life is running properly.
Tension is high. The people may appear unwelcoming and angry, because
they are. Hakim tells us you may see people in a heated argument end it by
laughing. In order to diffuse the tension of the moment, they shift to a joke.
Attacks in Kabul are on the rise We are told that it might be best
to avoid following a routine. Do not travel alone. Do not go out at night.
Do not linger outside of our car, or our apartment. Its best not to draw
attention to ourselves. We are reminded that not only do Afghans distrust
foreigners, but also, many have come to hate us over these ten long years.
Ten years. Untold numbers of deaths, 200 billion dollars (or is it 300
billion?) spent on eradicating the Taliban, eliminating a safe haven for alQaeda and stabilizing Afghanistan, to date, all lost causes. The Karzai
government is either despised or mocked. The people recognize it for
what it is, a puppet regime that is not responsible to the Afghan people, but
to outside forces. Corruption is rampant and crushing poverty is everywhere.
Allegiances shift easily as desperation and greed drive people to make
decisions based on possible cash rewards.
Nothing works. The education system, the health care system and
the public works systems are in tatters. The various police forces, even in the
safest sections of Kabul, cant (or wont) stop the violence. The Red Cross
states that Afghanistan is more dangerous now than at anytime in the last 30
years. You cant drink the water from the tap; electricity goes off and on in
rolling blackouts; the sewer system is archaic, with open trenches of raw
sewerage running through the streets. There is no garbage collection. Two
hundred billion dollars spent, and there is little to nothing to show for it.
Family systems are in tatters as well
Americas continuing involvement is a difficult issue. If you believe a
common thread of American exceptionalism, that America is good and only
wants what is best, bringing democracy, freedom and human rights to
the people of the world, when do we relent? If nothing is going right in
Afghanistan and our presence only brings more militarization and more
misery, when is it time to leave? Under the exceptionalism model, America
cant lose, or surrender; it is simply too shameful to admit mistakes, too
embarrassing to admit that the worlds most advanced military cannot
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achieve its objectives in a country already devastated by years of war. Few

choices remain except to stay the course.
If you believe another common thread of American discourse,
Afghanistan is only getting what it deserves. Harbouring the terrorist
group responsible for 9/11 bears a heavy price tag. But ten long years have
passed. The Taliban are not defeated, and it is getting harder to define who,
exactly, the Taliban are. If a farmer picks up a weapon to defend his land and
his family, he is defined as Taliban. If a local worker in the CIA office in
Kabul begins shooting employees, he is Taliban. This is not necessarily true.
Some tribes have resorted to violence against all outsiders. They do not
differentiate among NATO forces, American forces and Taliban forces; they
defend themselves against them all. As the situation deteriorates and the
international community continues to defend its presence here with lies,
distortions and intransigence, hatred grows. Hopelessness grows. People
with no ties to religious fundamentalism resort to violence and are then
added to the list of Taliban. Hakim says with a smile: Soon, everyone in
Afghanistan will be labeled Taliban.
People in the US are misled, fed a rote formula of religious
fundamentalism fuelling insurgency because they hate what we represent.
The Afghan people do not hate what we represent; they hate what we do to
their families, their community, their tribes and their country. I do not blame
them. Retaliation and retribution only assure us that future acts of violence
are inevitable. When President Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize, he
schooled us on why Martin Luther King was naive, why violence was a
necessary component of fighting terrorism. He did not school us on how
state violence creates terrorists and ensures continuing cycles of mayhem.
Now seems a good time for a joke. Ryan Crocker, the new
ambassador to Afghanistan recommends more of the same. In an interview
with the Wall Street Journal, he states, The Taliban needs to feel more
pain before you get to a real readiness to reconcile. The interviewer did
not question this subtle ridiculousness; perhaps he was too busy laughing out
loud.
So, the current dynamic is a lose/lose situation for America as
well as Afghanistan. American children continue to be deprived of basic
health care, education and food safety as money flows endlessly into the
open pit of American militarism. American defence contractors continue to
benefit. Our elected officials, proving they are tough on terrorism get reelected. The Afghan people continue to suffer. Afghan children will be
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deprived of the same things as Americas children, but to a degree 100 times
worse. Hatred will continue to fester. Out of necessity, Afghans will become
masters of comic timing.
America is not, and will not be safer for the misery imposed on
Afghanistan. In closing, here is a final joke to diffuse the tension. It is still
funny, though it has been repeated ad infinitum by Americas politicians and
pundits: America is winning in Afghanistan.
Two days later, TheNation observed: Afghan President Hamid Karzai
has done something which heads of state normally do not do, but which is
nothing less than habit for him: retract remarks he had made earlier.
However, it was probably only a matter of time before President
Karzai's weak knees buckled under the pressure from the US. His
retraction of his statement, which was being viewed with favour in Pakistan
and Afghanistan, of supporting Pakistan in case of an attack from India or
the US, has been retracted. His spokesman relied on the standard politicians
excuse of the remarks being misinterpreted. Though President Karzais
remarks were based on the sound historical experience of the Afghan refusal
to attack Pakistan during its wars with India, the remarks obviously did not
sit well with the USA, which no doubt expected from the President whose
chief patron it has been, or India, which has developed an interest in
Afghanistan precisely because it does not want it neutral during any war it
imposes on Pakistan.
The original remarks were probably made so that President
Karzai could remain relevant to Afghans, who are only too well aware of
the difference between a neighbour with which there are deep bonds of
friendship and an occupying force. However, the retraction came when, on
more sober reflection, President Karzai realized that he had threatened the
support which kept him in office. At the same time, the USA should realize
that President Karzai was merely reflecting not just an Afghan resolve to
stand by Pakistan, but also unease at the constant killings of innocent
Afghan civilians by US and NATO forces.
Because of the US-dependent nature of the Karzai regime, Pakistan
should neither take comfort from Mr Karzais original remarks, nor be
shocked by this retraction. Pakistan must rest its policy on what has been
lacking since the Musharraf era: principles. We will also have to end our war
alliance with the USA, for the sake of our own survival and to stop suffering
the indignity of daily threats and insults which are becoming more and more
difficult to stomach.
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On 21st October, Muhammad Javed wrote: The US bid to bring

Afghanistan out of its historic isolation, shapes up in the form of the new
Silk Road concept, which will economically gel the region into a single
trading zone from Uzbekistan to Iran through Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Hence, the recently concluded MFN status upgrade for India fits in the
bigger picture, as a conciliatory move both towards the US and India. It is an
unusual favour extended by Pakistan without solid quid pro quo in Kashmir,
Siachin, Sir Creek or prohibitive Indian tariff regimes imposed on Pakistani
goods. Pakistans leadership seems to be bending under unceasing
external pressure and internal political heat.
Six days later, TheNation commented: If there is any truth in a news
agency report that Pakistan has decided to back out of the Iranian gas
pipeline deal and, instead, import 500MW of electricity from India, it is
clear that our rulers, much to the nations dismay, have no shame. It
comes as a rude shock to know that the government has the gall to defy both
the Parliaments and all parties conference declarations, which clearly
enjoin upon it to chalk out a course of action that rejects the concerns of
foreign influence interfering in the pursuit of Pakistans national intere4sts
The government has valid arguments to refuse US pressure in discontinuing
the Iran gas pipeline project, it must make them heard.
Khalistan Calling observed that Indo-Afghan agreement goes beyond
development After discussing the issue it concluded: The Indian rulers must
remember a seventeenth century line from Don Quixote (1605) before they
lose their pants in Afghanistan, and sacrifice Sikh soldiers of the Indian
Army as cannon fodder in vain, which reads: To withdraw is not to run
away, and to say is no wise action, when there is more reason to fear than to
hope. With the election of Pakistan to the UN Security Council, with
Chinas support, despite Indias best effort to derail Pakistans candidacy, has
changed the geopolitical situation on the ground in Afghanistan. India
should fear the revenge of the warlike Afghan Pukhtuns who have
dispatched many an Imperial power to their doom.

REVIEW
Hillarys visit to Pakistan was preceded by Operation Knife Edge
launched in Afghan provinces west of Waziristan. This was an act of
showing intent about Haqqani Network and also telling its non-NATO ally,
Pakistan that it has to do the same, or perhaps more than that, on its side of
the Durand Line.
428

Pakistan obliged partially by deploying regular army and FC troops

along Afghan border. ISPR said the deployment was to stop militants
attacks on our check-posts, but in fact it was done in connection with
operation launched against Haqqanis. Americans had never done such thing
whenever Pakistan carried out major operations in Bajaur, Mohmand,
Orakzai, Kurram or Waziristan areas. In some cases they even pulled back
the troops to allow the militants to escape.
Apart from her usual bad-mouthing for Pakistan, Hillary dolled some
breath fresheners during her stay in Islamabad. She exonerated Pakistan
(regime) from involvement in Abbottabad Raid and acknowledged that it
caused lot of embarrassment to Pakistan (Army). She in an important U-turn
denied any involvement of ISI in Kabul attacks.
She also appreciated APC resolution but insisted on military operation
against Haqqani Network without mincing her words. She laid down the
time frame by saying within days and weeks, not months. The threat of
operation inside Pakistan also remained in place when she insisted that it
would be done with or without you.
Analysts have been pondering over various options available to the
US to act inside Pakistan. Out of those the most feared one of boots on
ground was ruled out by Hillary. Two other options related to air strikes and
proxy war in addition to clamping of sanctions to pressurize rulers in
Islamabad.
Drone strikes have been carried for years now, which can be
intensified and augmented with strikes by fighter-bomber warplanes and
even heliborne operations could be carried out by US Special Forces. The
most dangerous is resorting to proxy war which too has been going on for
quite some time.
The recent success of the Crusaders in Libya through proxy war could
encourage them to try it in Pakistan for which they have placed enough CIA
operatives in Pakistan through courtesy Zardari regime. These agents have
certainly cultivated a large number of Pakistanis using the dollar incentive
and the same can be used for seducing criminal elements and nationalist
activists in various parts.
It can be said that the US is playing double game in Afghanistan as
well as Pakistan. In Afghanistan, by pressing military action against Haqqani
Network the US wanted to cause division within Taliban. In Pakistan, by
separating military and civilian aid it wants to put all the blame on Army and
ISI for reasons too obvious.
429

31st October, 2011

COMBUSTION POINT
The political atmosphere has almost reached the boiling point. Using
technological phrase it could be said that it was almost touching the mark of
combustion point. This could be attributable to rampant corruption by the
rulers and denial of good governance to the ruled.
The Saint and the Scoundrel read the situation correctly and at last
decided to solve the problem of load shedding using the magic wand of
releasing hard cash to electricity generating companies, which they had
been setting aside for rainy days. It proved that the power shortage was a
deliberately created hardship as part of the democratic revenge. The
damage they so caused have been incalculable.
430

The PML-N, which has been fighting as frontline soldier to defend the
system, had to change its stance in view of the boiling anger of the masses.
The party launched Go Zardari Go campaign, but it appeared to have
missed the bus as it took long to read the public sentiment and inadvertently
allowing time to the regime to entrench.
Meanwhile, opponents of PML-N have been using dengue and Imran
Khan for teasing it. Resultantly, what should have been a battle against the
regime of Saint and Scoundrel turned out to be a bout between Nawaz and
Imran when their respective parties decided to hold rallies in Lahore within
three days.
This meant that once again pressure could be relieved off the regime
by the safety valves provided by MQM (deliberately) and PTI
(inadvertently). At least Saint and Scoundrel hoped it to be so as was evident
from the no change in their indulgence in plundering of national resources.
This would be quite unfortunate.

NEWS
On 10th October, the Speaker of Sindh Assembly received the
resignation sent by Zulfiqar Mirza in August and was pleased to accept that.
This happened after Mirza returned from abroad to reinstate Peoples Amn
Committee and reiterating accusations against Altaf; MQM had sought
action against Mirza. He also went to Kingri House to get Pir Pagaras
blessing.
A petition was filed in the Supreme Court against Zulfikar Mirza and
Hanif Abbasi for attempting to create ethnic division. A meeting of the PPP
senior leadership was held in the Presidency; Zardari and Gilani presided
over. Peoples Amn Committee was formally banned from operating.
PML-N and MQM members exchanged harsh words over issues
relating to allegations of Dr Zulfiqar Mirza and controversy shrouding
Ayesha Ahad Mailks marriage with Hamza Shahbaz Sharif. With its
presence after joining the government benches, the members of MQM raised
the issue that was directly concerned with a PML-N legislator from Lahore.
LHC barred Pervaiz Elahi from an election rally in Sahiwal. He was
to address the rally in connection with PP-220 (Sahiwal-1) by-polls. The
court also summoned the PML-Q candidate Pir Muzaffar Shah Khagga and
District Police Officer (DPO) Sahiwal on October 15th.

431

Former chief justice LHC Khawaja Muhammad Sharif will appear

before Islamabad High Court to defend and challenge the death conviction
handed down by the Anti-Terrorism Court to Mumtaz Qadri in late governor
Punjab Salman Taseers murder case. Pindi District Bar President said
Khawaja Sharif has filed his relevant documents to contest Qadri's death
sentence in the federal high court.
Dengue virus claimed seven more lives in Lahore. At least four people
were killed in incidents of violence while 39 suspects including three target
killers were apprehended during joint search operation in Karachi. The
Supreme Court reserved verdict on Sindh floods. The court observed nonimplementation of flood committees recommendations as cause of this
years flooding. Railways suspended 115 trains.
Next day, the IHC stayed the execution of death sentence of Malik
Mumtaz Hussain Qadri handed. Accepting the application challenging the
death penalty of Qadri filed by his counsel, the court sought reply from the
federal government. Khawaja Muhammad Sharif, ex chief justice of LHC
acted as counsel for Qadri.
The LHC sought detail of foreign assets of 15 Pakistani politicians
including, Zardari and Gilani. Barrister Iqbal Jafri had filed an application in
the LHC, seeking court orders to bring back the assets of Pakistani
politicians in foreign countries. The application noted that there was
unemployment and inflation in the country and bringing back the money in
the country would help improve the economy.
The Opposition in the Punjab Assembly moved a privilege motion
against the parliamentary leader of the Unification Block Tahir Ali Javed.
The motion moved called for debate on Tahir's statement. Leader of the PPP
Shaukat Basra called CM Punjab more dangerous than Dengue adding that
the conspiracy for the advocated dissolution of the Assembly was hatched in
Raiwind.
The University of Karachi conferred an honorary degree of Doctorate
on Interior Minister Rehman Malik. The honorary doctorate degree was
awarded at a special Convocation held at Governors House here. Sindh
Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad, who is also the Chancellor of the KU, conferred
the degree on the minister.
PPP and PML-Q agreed over distribution of Sindh cabinet portfolios.
According to a local private television report, PML-Q ministers and advisers
have been agreed to return their portfolios to Muttahida Qaumi Movement

432

MQM. Meanwhile, Zulfiqar Mirza seemed top have mustered support of

some members of Sindh Assembly.
The Railways management decided to close 54 short-distance
passenger trains besides another due to the shortage of fuel and 102 trains
were shut down due to lack of locomotives. Hundreds of PR workers could
not get their salaries. Top management had to face embarrassment when they
could not get time to meet President Zardari.
On 12th October, PML-N observed black day to mark the 12 th
anniversary of military coup by General Musharraf. While addressing the
participants outside the Parliament House, Nawaz said that had he not been
ousted the fate of the country would have been changed. He added that the
people were protesting against load shedding, inflation and other crises but
the rulers were reluctant to change their attitude
Gilanis cabinet found the solution to load shedding; two weekly dayoffs to help save power, marriage halls would be closed at 10 pm, shopping
malls and commercial plazas would be closed after sunset, electricity
consumers seeking new connections would have to deposit two months bills
in advance and street lights and sign board bulbs would be replaced by saver
bulbs. The approved suggestions would be presented to the Council of
Common Interests for the final approval.
Black day was observed in Karachi University over award of degree
of doctorate to Rehman Malik. Kamran Khan spared lot of time in defending
VC Karachi arguing that the award was fair. At least six persons, including a
criminal, were killed in incidents of firing here in Karachi.
Next day, National Assembly turned into a virtual combat ground
when Nisar Ali Khan used offensive words and members of MQM
vehemently reacted. Muttahidas Sajid Ahmed and N-Leagues Abid Sher
Ali exchanged hot words and were about to come to blows. Meantime, Nisar
warned they not be taught democracy here, as there is a party with no
elections within.
Nomination of Admiral Fasih Bukhari as NAB chairman was
challenged in Lahore High Court. PML-N rejected the appointment Fasih
Bukhari; leader of the Opposition wrote a letter to Prime Minister in which
he said that Opposition had not been consulted for the appointment to a
high-profile slot and the appointment was not acceptable to it. He said a
panel of three names should have been suggested and the Chief Justice
included in consultations.

433

Three more patients lost the battle against dengue. Two patients died
in Lahore while one in Hafizabad. According to reports, 98 target killers,
who have accepted killing more than four hundred people, have been
arrested in Karachi in last 50 days. The Punjab Cabinet decided to delay
local bodies polls for another six months. PML-Ns Khagga won the PP-220
by-election defeating his rival PML-Q and PPP-backed Khagga by twenty
thousand votes.
On 14th October, Chief Justice LHC constituted full bench for
implementation of the court orders regarding action against the prime
minister under Article 6 of the Constitution and halt political activities in the
Presidency; hearing of the cases will start from the next week. A fourmember bench of the Supreme Court referred Deedar Hussain Shahs case to
Chief Justice for constituting a larger bench to hear his review petition.
Minister for Railways said billions of rupees were required to run the
affairs of Pakistan Railways and transform it into a profitable entity. Former
railway minister, Shaikh Rashid decided to stage sit-in at Lahore Railway
Station to protest the destruction of railways.
Dengue fever continued to haunt Lahorites as seven more people lost
their lives, taking the death toll to 249. Prof Faisal Masood has said that had
Punjab Government not taken effective steps against dengue, there was a
threat of great damage and 20-25 thousand people could lost their lives. The
Opposition faced defeat in Punjab Assembly at the hands of the Treasury, as
it failed to maintain quorum in the House and the Speaker had to adjourn the
session without completing the agenda set for Assemblys sitting.
The nation will face another electric shock as NEPRA increased
power tariff by Rs3.04 per unit. Imran Khan said that majority of Pakistanis
are fed up of the policies of so-called democratic government and wanted
change and in ongoing circumstances no power can stop people's revolution.
Next day, opposition parties in Punjab Assembly held a protest rally
from the Assembly to the Chief Ministers House and staged a sit-in against
criminal negligence of the Punjab government in controlling the dengue
outbreak in the province, which resulted in deaths of more than 200 people.
Shahbaz Sharif announced compensation of Rs500,000 for kin of those who
died of dengue.
Lahore district and session Court reserved verdict on acquittal plea by
Moonis Elahi the main accused of NICL case. The recent increase in power
tariff was challenged in Lahore High Court. Anti-Terrorism Court dismissed

434

acquittal pleas of two police officers accused of failing to provide adequate

security to the slain Benazir Bhutto and destroying vital evidences.
Zardari rejected all observations of Opposition leader on appointment
of new NAB Chairman, but thanked him for participating in the process on
consultations. The Presidency issued the notification for appointment of
Admiral Fasih. PML-N decided to launch Go Zardari Go drive.
The 25-year old plane hired by PIA for $5 million was yet to make
inaugural flight. Imran Khan said that political mafia has occupied the rule
in the country for the last six decades and corrupt politicians support each
others rule in hard times.
On 16th October, Prime Minister said that those aspiring for coming to
power through short-cuts should know that the assemblies would not be
dissolved and the next elections would be held in 2013. He boasted it was
the PPP government which resolved the issue of third-term prime ministership of the PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif.
Altaf Hussain said that Pakistan was beset with external threats but
'MQM will protect the country from harm by joining the armed forces and
foiling these conspiracies'. He vowed to land in Lahore, whenever he
decides to return to Pakistan and MQM to contest elections from all
constituencies.
Khurshid Shah, on behalf Zardari, assured Zulfiqar Mirza that present
Nazim-led local government system would not be retained. He told Mirza
not to go against the party line as it was harmful for the government as well
as the party. Shah met with Mirza at his residence in Karachi where over a
dozen members of Sindh Assembly and some ministers of ruling PPP were
present with the dissident leader.
Rehman Malik appealed the youth of Karachi to cooperate with
security forces who were trying to bring peace to the city. At least 62
suspects including three alleged extortionists were apprehended during raid
in Korangi and Hijrat Colony areas of the city. Senior leaders of PPP sped up
their efforts to reconcile differences, reservations of volatile PPP dissident
from Sindh, Dr Zulfiqar Ali Mirza.
The opposition parties urged the government to form a committee to
implement resolutions of All Parties Conference. Fasih Bokhari was
appointed as Chairman National Accountability Bureau, according to a
notification issued by the Ministry of Law.

435

Eight people including two children died due to epidemic diseases and
flood related accidents in the past 24 hours in Badin. Dengue continued to
claim the precious lives as six more people died at different hospitals of
Lahore. Some reports said death toll in Punjab has reached 331 while
number of dengue patients has crossed the 16,500 figure.
Next day, the Supreme Court rejected a petition filed by the
government against decision of the LHC for postponing policy about import
of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). The government had submitted the petition
for reviewing the LHC verdict against policy devised for importing LNG.
Fasih Bokhari summoned files of all pending cases, including three
corruption references against Nawaz, Shahbaz and other Sharif family
members. This move of NAB chief soon after assuming the charge of his
new assignment could lead to a new political and legal contest between the
PPP and the PML-N as the latter has announced to go to court against the
NAB chairman appointment. Sharifs filed a writ petition in the LHC
requesting it to quash the NAB corruption references filed against them and
their family members as illegal, mala fide and without lawful authority.
Prime Minister told the NA that his government has written a letter to
NA speaker requesting her for the list of nominees for constituting a
parliamentary committee on APC. Responding to the severe criticism of
Leader of Opposition for not constituting parliamentary committee even
after passing of over a fortnight, the PM told the house that this
parliamentary committee would oversee progress on the implementation of
APC resolution.
Unpaid employees forced suspension of Pakistan Railways (PR)
operations at many stations across the country as they blocked engines by
lining themselves up on the tracks, disrupting schedule of many trains. The
protests were also fuelled by suspension of electricity and gas supply to
railway colonies in different cities over non-payment of bills. Zardari
advised the government to release funds within seven days for payment of
salaries and pensions to railway employees.
On 18th October, LHC stopped NAB court from action on references
against Sharifs. The SHC reopened the May 12 case and adjourned the
hearing for an indefinite period. Iqbal Kazmi had pleaded before the court to
reopen the May 12 constitutional petition.
Opposition leader, Nisar, said that Zardari and Pakistan cannot go side
by side; adding Zardari is bigger criminal than Musharraf. Nawaz Sharif,
while addressing a huge gathering of flood affected people in Shahdadpur,
436

said that his party will rid the people of Sindh from 'Daku Raj' and people of
the country from the corrupt government. Imran needed 200 honest people
for bringing change in Pakistan. Addressing a public gathering in
Gujranwala he vowed to introduce new Local Bodies system in the country.
Fazalur Rehman said that PML (N) should take decisions with the
consultation of all opposition parties to assure consensus among them. He
said that the launching of campaign against government is the personal
decision of PML-N. If it continues solo flight, then JUI-F would not
comply with these kinds of decisions.
The government in a bid to quell rousing protest by Pakistan Railways
employees issued one billion rupees for payment of the salaries. Gilani
became the third ruler to perform foundation laying ceremony of Bhasha
Dam. In his speech he blamed the politicians for misleading the public on
Kalabagh Dam. Four people were shot dead by gunmen in Karachi. Six
people died of dengue fever in Punjab.
Next day, Nawaz Sharif said that he has never seen such a corrupt
government throughout his life. Nawaz said while addressing a public
gathering in connection with the launch of Go Zardari Go movement in
Dera Ghazi Khan. Nawaz said during his visit to the flood-hit areas of Sindh,
he realized that the government does not exist there. Earlier he had accused
MQM of bringing militancy in politics.
Haider Abbas Rizvi said that MQM didnt require any clearance of
any kind from Nawaz Sharif. Reacting to recent statement of PML-N he
alleged that terrorism took roots during the Zia regime and PML-N has
banned outfits as its militant wings. Rizvi said that it was actually Nawaz
Sharif who was responsible for worsening of the situation in Karachi.
Babar Awan said while addressing a public meeting in Sargodha that
PPP always solved problems by evolving consensus on issues and did not
believe in autocracy. He talked of plots being hatched against the democratic
government of Pakistan Peoples Party and boasted of PPPs history which is
full of gallantries.
On 20th October, Latif Khosa said that corruption of Sharif brothers
would be exposed through an independent commission and those creating
hurdles in Accountability bill would not escape from prosecution. The
Governor said worst type of dictatorship was in place in Punjab in the name
of democracy.

437

Railway labour unions once again launched protest in Lahore due to

non payment of their salaries. Resolution demanding Saraiki province was
submitted in Punjab Assembly by opposition parties. Meanwhile, six more
people died of dengue fever.
Next day, a session court exonerated Moonis Elahi in NICL fraud
case. Q-league workers chanted slogans in favour of their leader. Former
FIA Additional Director General Zafar Qureshi had carried out investigation
into the case and produced 22 witnesses, including eight bank employees in
the court. Gilani congratulated Gujarati Brothers on telephone.
ECP suspended the membership of 231 parliamentarians due to the
non-submission of their annual financial statements with the Commission.
According to the official figures, 103 MNAs of the total 342, 53 MPAs in
Punjab, 28 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 23 in Sindh, 13 Senators and 6 MPs in
Balochistan have not submitted their financial statements.
Fasih Bokhari gave clear instructions to all the officers deputed both
at headquarters and regional offices to deal with the cases on merit and no
case against any person should be instituted on political grounds.
Meanwhile, dengue claimed five more lives in Lahore.
On 22nd October, Opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar challenged the
appointment of Fasih Bukhari as Chairman NAB in the Supreme Court. The
opposition leader through his lawyer Muhammad Akram Sheikh advocate
filed a petition in the Supreme Court raising at least 17 legal points.
Latif Khosa said that he was mulling over asking Chief Minister to
take fresh vote of confidence from the Punjab Assembly as he dont enjoy
majority in the provincial assembly. He then said why he should do so as
Shahbaz isnt the legitimate CM. He added that a case against Shahbaz
Sharif eligibility was pending in the Supreme Court.
Protests by students against errors in results forced the authorities to
cancel the Intermediate Part I results of four education boards in Punjab, and
it was decided that results of all eight boards will be rechecked. The decision
came after students surrounded the buildings of concerned boards in Lahore,
Multan and Faisalabad, while enraged students ransacked the offices of
Gujranwala Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education.
Dengue fever claimed five lives in Lahore while a patient passed
away in Chichawatni. Like-minded were divided over alliance with PML-N.
FIA decided not to appeal in Moonis case. Sunni Ittehad Council held a big
rally in Karachi for release of Qadri. Teachers of KU passed a unanimous
438

resolution against award of degree of doctorate to Rehman Malik and

demanded its cancellation.
Next day, Police claimed arrested two high-value slayers, who killed
some 252 people, following a shootout near the shrine of saint Abdullah
Shah Ghazi. Identified as Zakir Hussain alias Adeel Agha or Yasir Dada and
Gull Mohammad alias Gullu, the killers were said to be affiliated with a
political party (MQM).
On 24th October, Nusrat Bhutto was buried in Gahi Khuda Bux after
conferring of Nishat-e-Imtiaz and Madr-i-Jamhooriyat title. Jawai-iJamhooriyat had complete control of her burial as he kept the Bhutto family
at bay from the proceedings. PML-N and PTI rejected PPPs call to postpone
their respective rallies.
The judge who awarded death sentence to Qadri was shifted to Saudi
Arabia along with his family Vatican City would have been safer.
Unidentified gunmen fired at vehicle of a CID sub-inspector, killing two
people and wounding another in Chakra Goth area of Korangi.
Next day, the Supreme Court issued notices to Secretary Interior, FIA
DG, FIA Lahore Director, Assistant Director (Legal) and AGP for not
cooperating with ex-additional director general FIA Zafar Qureshi, who
headed the team that was probing the NICL scam. The FIA DG was directed
to explain why he had not complied with the court order and countersigned
the investigation documents.
Zafar Qureshi informed the court that he had submitted three reports
on 4, 22 and 29 September regarding the NICL financial scam. In the reports
he pointed out that Secretary Interior Khawaja Siddique Akbar, FIA DG
Tahseen Anwar Shah, FIA Director Lahore Waqar Haider and AD (Legal)
Zulfiqar Ali, despite repeated requests, did not cooperate with him therefore
he could not complete the investigation.
The former ADG FIA stated when he sought the original report
carrying details of foreign accounts of Moonis Elahi from the director
general; he said the report had been lost. However, he said no action was
taken against any official responsible for missing of the report. He said that
FIA DG and Secretary Interior created hurdles during the investigation,
which benefited the main accused Moonis Elahi.
Zafar Qureshi said he had written to Interpol asking when the account
of Mohsin, Beenish and Moonis were opened in the UK and when the
money was transferred to their accounts. He said FIA Director Lahore Waqar
439

Haidar and Additional Director (Legal) Zulfiqar Ali gave benefit to Moonis
by de-freezing his two accounts having an amount of Rs20 million on fake
letters. He said the legal team of FIA pleaded the cases in the court halfheartedly.
The court was also informed that Moonis was separated from the
regular trial and set free through another court. The Chief Justice addressing
Azam Khan said if the government by bifurcation got release the main
accused then also start the trial of other people involved in the case as they
were languishing in the court. The court was informed that all main accused,
who have been declared proclaimed offenders in the case, are in London.
The FIA Director (Legal) said that Habibullah Warraich along with her four
daughters has gone to England from Karachi despite the fact that the LHC
had put their names on the ECL.
The CJP said why not the NICL cases be assigned to NAB as the FIA
DG behaviour is very non-cooperative. Attorney General for Pakistan
Maulvi Anwar-ul-Haq informed the court he has no knowledge of the
present situation because the reports were not provided to him. Babar Awan
said that he didnt want to press the case of Moonis as the Special Banking
Court had acquitted him.
Chief Justice AJK High Court Ghulam Mustafa Mughal was injured in
a life attempt when he was walking near his residence. He was shifted to the
CMH for treatment. One more died of dengue in Lahore. Shahbaz stressed
long-term policy to eradicate dengue.
On 26th October, the Supreme Court constituted a commission headed
by Justice Retired Rehmat Hussain Jafferi to probe the negligence of the
authorities in non-completion of rental power projects which have caused a
major loss to the national exchequer. It also said that the commission could
acquire services of any expert in probing the matter and concerned ministries
would extend support. During the proceedings the court rued the chaotic
affair of probes. Chief Justice observed that tainted persons were made
secretaries and FIA was not showing any progress. He also remarked that
every institution was infested with corruption.
IMF predicted 6.5 percent fiscal deficit and projected growth rate at
2.6 percent and inflation 14 percent. Railway pensioner died of heart attack
while waiting through the night in a queue in front of a bank; Zardari sought
report. Gilani created four more ministries. PHC sentenced MNA Zafar Baig
Bhatani for three years in jail on corruption charge. Five more killed by
dengue, but decline in cases was noted.
440

Next day, the Supreme Court sought details of the average capacity of
the electricity produced by RPPs in the last 60 days; money paid to them in
advance; the date of operation and production of electricity; total amount so
far paid and the cost per unit charged from the consumers. The court decided
to manage inspection of RPPs machinery. Meanwhile, TTP commander was
among five held in Karachi.
On 28th October, Shahbaz led massive Go Zardari Go PML-N rally
in Lahore. He wanted Zardari to be hanged up-side-down for what he has
done to Pakistan. Babar Awan held a lengthy press conference to condemn
Shahbaz for using foul language for the President and resorted to using the
same for Sharif Brothers. Imran Khan termed PPP-N confrontation a mock
fight and he vowed to make Punjab and KPK as strongholds of PTI.
Hearing suo moto notice case of non-payment of pensions to
Railways employees the Chief justice remarked that it showed bad
governance. Another bench heard RPPs case during which the Chief Justice
said if former minister Raja Pervaiz wanted to appear to give his version the
court would allow him, but the culprits have to be prosecuted.
Next day, Jahangir Badar described PML-N rally as a sign of danger
for democracy maintaining PPP wont allow third murder after the murder of
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Benazir. Prime Minister came down hard on the
political leaders, who were trying to take political mileage by blowing up
everything out of proportion and confusing the masses. He urged them to
shun street protests and adopt constitutional method.
The Sindh government lifted ban on rallies for two days in Karachi to
allow the MQM to take out rally in support of Asif Ali Zardari. Party offices
of PML-N were attacked in interior Sindh and Altaf Hussain was unleashed
in urban Sindh.
Newly appointed Chairman NAB Fasih Bokhari turned down two
names sent to him by a close confederate of Zardari to be forwarded to
Ministry of Law to fill the slot of Prosecutor General NAB. A close buddy of
Zardari, who is keeping a close eye on the working of the ace accountability
department in the country, had recommended a couple of names to Chairman
NAB but to his utter astonishment the newly appointed Chairman turned
down both these names with the remarks that he would prefer some neutral
person for the job. Is it a planted story?
In yet another bid to gag Zafar Qureshi he was implicated in a
criminal case. PPP decided to approach Shujaat regarding Faisal Salehs
anti-government stance taken in RPPs case. Pepco was dissolved to resolve
441

load shedding problem. PPP-backed Yasin Azad defeated Rashid A Rizvi to

win election for SCBA chief. Azad said Judiciary-worshippers have been
defeated.
On 30th October, the Scoundrel in Exile showed solidarity with
Scoundrel in Power by organizing a rally in his support in his stronghold
where this ritual has become a routine and can be performed on short notice.
This rally was especially arranged on the request personally submitted in
meeting with Altaf in London. PPP leaders of Sindh participated in the rally
and thanked MQM for arranging the show. Altaf in speech condemned
Sharifs for using foul language for his buddy and then did the same for
them.
Almost simultaneously with MQM-PPP show in Karachi Imran
Khans PTI held a massive public rally in Lahore where he warned the rulers
to declare the assets or be prepared for civil disobedience. He proclaimed
that change has come amid tsunami of enthusiasts. Imran vowed to bring
back the looted money, end Thana and Patwari culture. He offers the US
help in pullout from Afghanistan.
Imran left for China on invitation of the Chinese government.
Shahbaz saw country turning into Tahrir Square. Firdous urged Punjab
government to focus on good governance. Meanwhile, at least three people
were killed in separate incidents in different localities of Karachi.

VIEWS
On 11th October, TheNation observed: The nomination indicates that
the government is reverting to the model of selecting a high executive
official, as was the last Chairman, Naveed Ahsan, instead of a retired judge,
like Mr Justice (retd) Shah. Apart from Admiral Bokhari, the others under
consideration were all retired judges of the Supreme Court. Though the
Admiral is not an ex-bureaucrat, he must be counted among them in respect
of NAB. The process of consultation requires the Leader of Opposition to
give his input not just on the specific appointment, but also on the type of
organization that person will develop. NAB is a relatively new organization,
and whether the Chairman comes from the Executive or the Judiciary will
determine what type of organization NAB is to become.
However, the dispute between the government and opposition cannot
go on forever, and in the judgment removing Mr Justice (retd) Shah from
office, the Supreme Court indicated that it could act as the final arbiter.
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However, though neither is acting thus as irresponsibly as it appears to,

Government and Opposition should do their best to avoid a deadlock. This
would only be possible if the government was to regard the process of
consultation with the Leader of the Opposition not as an imposition
forced on it by the Supreme Court, but as an integral part of the process.
After all, this consultation does not apply to almost all government
appointments, so the power of the Executive remains unrestricted. Also, as
NAB is to investigate and even prosecute wrongdoers in government even
when they go into opposition. Indeed, that is the reason why the government
of the day should be careful to make the constitutionally mandated
consultation: they might be in the Opposition when next the appointment
opens up. It is particularly useful for an organization mandated as NAB is, to
investigate and prosecute corruption charges against all government
servants, including elected officials.
In another editorial the newspaper wrote: A report in Nawa-i-Waqt
revealing that there is an acute shortage of trains and planes which has added
to the misery of passengers is a sad reflection on the deteriorating state of
affairs in Railways and PIA. These government-run so-called public
transport organizations have become white elephants to all intents and
purposes. While the Railways is only left with 75 rickety engines against a
need of at least 1000 engines, the national flag carriers fleet consists of 30
ramshackle aircrafts, most of which are not even technically fit to get
airborne. These ageing aircrafts are taken to the technical experts every other
day and left at the mercy of the engineers whose poor technical know-how
only serves to put the safety of the passengers into jeopardy. For PIAs
credibility the last straw was the recent incident in which an aircraft flew off
without the backup generator; the disaster was averted by making an
emergency landing. The daily financial losses owing to successive
managements have turned this organization into a real liability.
Railways currently led by an inept minister present an equally
pathetic picture. During the past four years, there is not one instance of a
train that either pulled out from the station or reached its destination in time.
No one in the power corridors seems to bother about the dilemma of
hundreds of thousands of passengers who need this cheap and safe source of
travel. It is worth pointing out that Railways is an artery that links various
parts of the country. Indeed it is rightly seen as a basic organ that holds the
key to territorial unity of the federation. Therefore, under the circumstances
of the sort there should hardly be any doubt that its current neglect is
part of a conspiracy to create fissures inside the country on parochial
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lines in order to weaken the federation and specially sever the links
between various provinces particularly Sindh and Punjab. Reports have been
circulating in media for a long time now highlighting the state of affairs in
both these organizations but the fact that nothing has been done from
concerned quarters only confirms the perception that a deliberate destruction
of our institutions and organizations is underway.
Next day, TheNation commented: It is quite strange that the PPPs
top brass including President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani in
Islamabad on Monday stated that in league with their allies they would foil
conspiracies against them. They particularly blamed the opposition for
scheming to topple the government before the Senate elections. In the
same vein President Zardari stated that the opposition was also afraid of PPP
victory.
To begin with, it is but nonsensical to assume that the PML-N has
been trying to dislodge the government. If this was the intention, it would
have long been able to achieve this goal as it had a number of opportunities.
For more than three years, it had been criticized as friendly opposition
merely because it did not become part of any move to derail democracy,
although at times it was quite harsh in its criticism of the federal
government. Hence, there is reason to believe that the PML-N has been
opposing the government while remaining within its constitutional and
democratic parameters and in no way has been hatching conspiracies as
President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani would have us believe.
Secondly Presidents contention that the opposition is afraid of PPPs victory
is ridiculous to say the least. In this point in time, the entire countrys
populace is up in arms. Whether it is load shedding crisis, inflation, decay of
national institutions, corruption, Balochistan conundrum or deteriorating law
and order situation, the governments callous neglect has generated an untold
amount of public anger. Demonstrations virtually on every nook and cranny
of the country only speak volumes about the sentiment on the street. This
popular outrage provide a good idea of what is going to happen in the
upcoming elections at least so far as the fate of the PPP is concerned. The
perception therefore that the PPP is its own worst enemy cannot be
discarded. By following anti-people policies, it is digging its own grave.
Indeed if the election commission is reformed in true sense of the word, in a
way that it can rule out the possibility of registration of bogus votes (whose
number was estimated to be in millions), the public would be able to elect
rulers of their choice. That will be the day of reckoning for the PPP.

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On 19th October, Dr Haider Mehdi opined: Nations go into political

oblivion only by self-destructive conduct. If any harm comes to Pakistan
or if it faces an existentialist threat, it can come only from within. The
fact is that a massive mismanagement of state affairs and the failure of its
national institutions a governance process that is directly linked to the
management performance and the political conduct of national managers is
underway. The questions that arise are: Does present-day Pakistan face a
leadership crisis? Does it face a political management exigency? Is it faced
with injudicious, dangerous and crucial political misjudgments, critical
misconduct and undemocratic political behaviour of its ruling elite?
The fact of the matter is that todays Pakistan is going through a
period of deliberately manufactured, inexpediently imposed and
purposefully managed political-financial crises that are being explicitly
engineered by its ruling PPP regime and the strategic long silence of the
main opposition leaderships. It is said that Asif Ali Zardari is an extremely
determined individual. People, who know him well, say that he knows how
to play his cards right, and he is consistently focused on the use of political
power and manipulative tactics in the pursuit of his personal objectives. He
is known to subscribe to the notion that the end justifies the means. The
grapevine has it that Asif Ali Zardari once said that he wants to be the richest
man in the world. To own and control the entire Pakistani industrial and
commercial network will make his dream come true if hes not already one
of the richest men on the planet.
The countrys national industrial and commercial infrastructure is in
absolute financial crisis: Pakistan Railways is shutting down, PIA is winding
up, the energy sector has unending problematic, the power grids are shut
down, WAPDA is under immense debt, the steel industry is incurring
tremendous losses, the national industrial sector is in a nosedive, the national
debt has increased manifold, the education and health sector funds are
depleted, water resources are exhausted, dams do not generate enough
electricity and domestic water taps do not run, gas is unavailable and kitchen
stoves cannot be ignited, cars mostly have empty tanks and so on, and so
forth. And yet, the PPP apologists allude to the political genius and the
master politicians that the incumbent regime has produced so far to
serve the common citizens of their country. Ironic, is it not?
The economic and financial failure of all national commercial and
industrial enterprises, being purposefully engineered by years of planning
by the top PPP leadership, is aimed at total privatization. The President
has already hinted at setting up private boards to acquire and run the
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management of major national institutions such as the railways and the

energy sector. Soon, in all probability, the PIA will cease to exist and a
private airline company will take over its worldwide routes. If the PPP
regime survives any longer, every national asset in Pakistan will go on sale.
Recently, the Zardari-Gilani regime was able to instantly resolve the
energy crisis (of course, though, temporarily), terror and slaying were
stopped in Karachi, ASF salaries were increased overnight by the President,
the victims of terror were promised cash compensations and the political
reconciliation process with the MQM went into top gear. On the other hand,
the main opposition party, the PML-N after 3 years became aware of the
PPPs massive political-financial mismanagement and is now staging
dharnas and chanting Go Zardari, go. It is frightening to realize that
Pakistans traditional political leaderships have been holding back on all
these vital national issues to use as trump cards to score wins in their
political battles for the March 2012 Senate election all at the public
expense. Arent these shameful and contemptible political tactics?
Imagine the enormity of the political witchcraft vehemently practiced
by the ruling class and its leadership. Consider the inhumanity, the
unprecedented unethical and immoral approach to political
management and the torturous inflicting of political deceit and power
against the common citizens of Pakistan. Is it not criminal conduct against,
in fact, open contempt of an entire nation and its people?
The entire ruling class and its leadership inside (and outside) the
ruling janta consider the common people of Pakistan as sacrificial lambs to
be slaughtered at the appropriate time chosen at their own discretion for
their personal motives and political objectives. That is Pakistans ultimate
national tragedy. Stop slaughtering the lambs now!
On 22nd October, Muhammad Azhar Khwaja from Lahore wrote: It is
about three and a half years now that the PPP is ruling our country with the
slogan of democracy is the best revenge. However, one finds hardly
anything democratic in its rule. All the decisions are taken in the President's
House which is the hub of all political activities against the sanctity of the
office of the President. According to the constitution, the head of the state
should be above the party politics even if he belongs to a particular political
party. Unfortunately, the President is openly violating this clause of the
constitution and running the country through his close associates or
buddies of PPP with his two strong henchmen Dr Babar Awan and Dr
Rehman Malik, the interior minister. Everything in the country is haywire.
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When any of the governments wrong action is protested either on the roads
or their wrong step is pointed out by the media or suo moto notice taken by
the Supreme Court, there is always a U-turn and then the decision is
reversed by the government. After taking their decision back, they call it: It
is the beauty of democracy.
The public observes following follies in this government and
enquires the rulers why it is so:
No key appointment is made on merit. The corrupt, close relatives and
friends are being obliged on key jobs.
The corrupt and inefficient so found are being given unnecessary and
obvious protection.
There is no check and balance in any of the government departments.
Law and order situation in the country is the worst so far in the history
of Pakistan. Yet no one is resigning.
The major institutions like Wapda, Pakistan Steel Mills, PIA,
Railways, OGDC, PCB, Banks etc are being headed by the
incompetent and corrupt people and all are running in loss rather these
have been grounded to almost complete halt. There is over all
deterioration in every field.
Teachers, railway workers, KESC employees, government nurses,
lady health workers etc are not getting their salaries for the last many
months.
Due to load shedding of gas and electricity millions of workers have
either become jobless or have been shown the door.
With skyrocketing prices of utility and food items, there is tremendous
increase in street crimes, dacoities, loot and murders.
People affected by the devastating earthquake of Oct 2005 and floods
of 2010 and 2011 have yet not been rehabilitated and some are dying
of hunger. The aid items have found their way into the markets. No
one is there to investigate as concerned people are getting their share.
There is rampant corruption in every government department and one
has to grease the palm of concerned official to get his/her work done.
No one is there to check it.

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With all the above weak areas, the government feels they are
doing a great job instead of resigning as they have failed to govern the
country. With such an oppression and deep economic recession, one finds no
change in the royal living style of the rulers. Each meeting is followed by
lavish lunch or dinner, frequent traveling in personal official planes within
and outside the country, protocol cavalcades comprising hundreds of
vehicles with each VVIP whenever they move out, sending parliamentarians
abroad for medical treatment or on orientation tours, importing bullet proof
limousines for each federal minister or any of the party worker who feels
insecure from the terrorists and there are hundreds of other hidden
expenditures which is not known to the public. This shows how much
concern our rulers show towards the poor masses. It is a great shame for the
rulers and the famous adage of Nero was playing the flute while Rome was
burning fits very well for our rulers.
On 25th October, TheNation commented: Reacting to PPP leader
Nusrat Bhuttos death, her granddaughter Fatima Bhutto said that her death
should not be used as an occasion for politics. The condolence statement by
her mother, the late Mrs Bhuttos widowed daughter-in-law Ghinwa,
reminded everyone of the estrangement within the family, which had
apparently seen the late Murtaza Bhutto pitted against Asif Zardari. Ms
Fatima Bhuttos statement that they were the legal heirs of the late Mrs
Bhutto and that her body should be handed over to them also reminded the
general public that one of the issues created by Mrs Bhuttos death was
that of the inheritance of her estate, which included her own inheritance
from her husband, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The estate must be distributed in
accordance with the law of the land, which would be, in accordance with the
family laws and the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance would see the
fulfillment of any bequests made by will up to a third of the entire estate,
followed by the distribution of the remainder to the four children. As only
one child survives, the children of the rest, her grandchildren, would be the
inheritors in their stead. Though Muslim law excludes grandchildren in the
event of a surviving uncle or aunt, in this case the change made by the
Muslim Family Laws Ordinance will apply, and where Murtazas children as
well as Benazirs (not to forget Shahnawazs only issue, a daughter) would
have been excluded from the inheritance by Sanam, now the only surviving
child, they are all now inheritors.
The estate can be assumed to be substantial, consisting of both
gifts received by Mrs Bhutto from her husband while she was First Lady of
Pakistan, and then her share of his estate as his widow. Normally, because
448

one son-in-law had become President, there would be every hope of a

smooth distribution, but as there is already a dispute within the family,
which has its origins in a dispute over the political inheritance of Zulfikar
Ali Bhutto, her estate is expected to become a bone of contention. Ms
Fatima Bhuttos remarks should be seen within this context, prompted as
they might be by natural love for the deceased mother of her murdered
father.
As Ms Fatima Bhuttos remarks should have alerted him, and as his
children are involved as the heirs of their late mother, President Zardari will
need to handle this issue with great delicacy, and should involve family
friends if need be, to manage an amicable settlement of the issue. He, indeed
everyone involved, should remember that settling such a matter with
dignity and amicability is in the better interests of all concerned
parties.
Two days later, the newspaper wrote: Another tale of the government
obfuscation has prompted the Chief Justice of Pakistan to remark that the
court knows how to have its orders implemented. His remarks came in the
course of the latest hearing of the NICL case, in which former Additional
DG FIA, Zafar Qureshi, investigating the case, claimed that non-cooperation
by the department had prevented him from carrying out the task This has
been prompted by the various acts of the federal government, which has an
interest in ensuring that the recent acquittal of Ch Moonis Elahi in the
case is made to stick. Ch Moonis is the son o0f Ch Pervaiz Elahi and one
reason why the PML-Q, of which Ch Pervaiz is the Punjab chief, entered an
alliance with the PPP in the federal government.
The government obfuscation is considered part of a pattern; the
governments defiance of the Supreme Court has been noted, right from the
time of the refusal to implement decisions on the various scams, such as the
present, as well as the Haj scam, in which a minister from the Prime
Ministers hometown had to resign and the Prime Ministers son was
interrogated also. The repeated reminders of the highest court in the land that
it could have its decisions implemented point to a solution so terrible, that
the court prefers not to name it clearly. It would be best if the government
avoids this risk.
It would also do well to remember that it represents the Executive
just as the court represents the Judiciary, and just as the court takes a long
view, the government should realize that, even when it no longer holds the
reins of power, the Executive will remain. The Executive of that time may
449

try to prosecute its opponents, and the Judiciary will then be its main hurdle,
where it tries to go beyond the law. The Executive should no create
precedents for the future, or provide examples which some future Executive
might misuse. Therefore the government should not try to throw hurdles
in the way of the Supreme Court, or any other, and should do its best to
implement its orders in their true spirit.
On 28th October, Azam Khalil commented: The two events to be held
in Lahore are bound to affect the PPP at the federal and provincial levels.
The party cadres have already been instructed to organize themselves and
start preparing for the 2013 elections. Against this backdrop, the PPP will
try to resolve the issues that are faced by the people and some
significant progress is expected not only in the management of load
shedding, but also streamlining of other vital State organizations like the
Railways, PIA, Pakistan Steel, etc.
The question is: Whether the people opt for political stability or go
for the other options, which is to vote into power those elements who have
not been tested before. Most political observers would place their bets on
another coalition setup keeping in view the present status of various political
parties in the country. This would mean another weak government. However,
if social unrest increases before the elections, the danger of antidemocratic forces creeping back into power cannot be ruled out. This is
a situation that the politicians must avoid and to do that they will have to
devote their energies to strengthen democracy because that remains the best
bet for the people, economy and Pakistan.
Muhammad Azhar Khwaja from Lahore wrote: The death of former
First Lady of Pakistan Mrs Nusrat Bhutto All said and done, one feels sad
about the lady who remained bedridden for the last about 10 years in a
foreign country and no one in the country especially her near and dear ones
felt the need of bringing her to Pakistans hospitals where world renowned
doctors work. The present PPP government which is ruling the country for
the last about four years also never thought of bringing her back to Pakistan
for personal attention and VVIP treatment. This extraordinary ceremony for
her on her death gives rise to some speculations and the intelligentsia feels
that it is just to gain some political mileage or for some ulterior motives.
With all the respect to the deceased former first lady, one asks what
contribution she had made for the progress or prosperity of Pakistan?
Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah, the sister of Quaid-i-Azam was given the title of
Madr-i-Millat during her lifetime like her brother Mohammad Ali Jinnah
who also was conferred the title of Quaid-i-Azam during his life time.
450

Begum Raana Liaqat Ali Khan was also first lady and governor of Sindh
besides her ambassadorial assignments but was never conferred any title.
We expect the government not to overdo things to score political
mileage. They should have followed the normal family tradition and the
dead body should have been received by her immediate family members and
buried in their family graveyard in Garhi Khuda Bukhsh. This extraordinary
official mourning and declaring one day as public holiday has cost the
national exchequer billions of rupees. The expenditure on the use of
helicopters, other transport and manpower on security with impunity is
unimaginable and does not behove well with cash starved country.
Next day, TheNation commented: Federal Housing Minister
Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat might have wished to run with the hare by
pursuing his petition before the Supreme Court about the Rental Power
Plants (RPPs), while running with the hounds, by joining the Federal
Cabinet with the rest of his PML-Q colleagues, thereby becoming the only
person to have been a member of both the Musharraf-era and the PPP
Cabinets. Be that as it may, his appearing before the Supreme Court to argue
his case personally only serves to highlight the agony felt by the ordinary
citizen at the load shedding enforced by the government, and which it
only ended after the populace erupted into protest. Mr Faisals revelations
were astounding, showed the government in a poor light, and shed light on
the RPPs, which had been its solution to the power crisis. On Thursday,
when he continued his arguments, Makhdoom Faisal spoke about the age of
the RPPs, prompting Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad
Chaudhry, heading the two-member bench, to remark that the court was
looking for an expert to conduct on-site inspections.
The Makhdooms argument that due diligence was not carried out by
the federal government is an almost sure indication of something that he
was careful to avoid doing, pleading his membership of the Cabinet, that
someone was making money through corruption. This impression was
further strengthened by his noting the transfer of a Water and Power
Secretary, prompting the Chief Justice to remark that this was not the first
instance of an officer doing his job honestly, being transferred or suspended.
What Chief Justice Chaudhry did not say was that such transfers might
mean that money was not being made by someone who could arrange
the transfer.
The next general election is around the corner, and the government is
facing an opposition campaign based on the very shortages the RPPs were
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supposed to remedy and on the corruption that allowed them to become part
of the problem, and not of the solution as planned. The circumstances do not
allow it the luxury of awaiting the outcome of the case. The energy shortage
problem must be solved, and immediately, if it is to have a positive impact
on the electorate before the general election. The issue of Makhdoom
Faisal appearing before the court against his own government is an
issue that can be taken up with him himself, or the leaders of his party, as
he is part of the coalition, not of the PPP.
On 30th October, David Wood observed: The new Pentagon report is
the latest in a series of semi-annual reports mandated by Congress since
2008. In contrast to past reports, this one does not use the phrase fragile
and reversible to characterize progress in the war. That, said the senior
official, was a deliberate effort to suggest that US initiatives in Afghanistan,
including the clearing out of Afghan safe havens, seizing of Taliban arms
caches and disruption of their supply lines to Pakistan, are having a
permanent effect.
Although the new Pentagon report is more upbeat, it reflects the
generally dismal security trends detailed in independent assessments of
the programs in the war. A report by the International Crisis Group, for
instance, examined security incidents around the country as well as progress
in building Afghan security forces and governmental capacity. The report
concluded that the US-led intervention in Afghanistan is failing. Time is
running out before the international community transfers control to Kabul by
the end of 2014, and many key objectives are unlikely to be achieved by
then, the report said.

REVIEW
The petitions on issues related to poor governance have virtually
flooded the court rooms of superior judiciary. The regime, however, seemed
unperturbed as long as activities of judges of the Apex and High courts
remained restricted to court rooms and it stood fast on not implementing any
verdict that could hamper the process of democratic revenge.
When hard pressed by the street agitation it could release some funds
to cool the tampers temporarily and buy more time for its activities. It did so
to end the load shedding of electricity, but having done that it had second
thought of such unprofitable use of public money. It thought of curtailing all
activities involving electricity consumption.

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The Executive has not implemented a single verdict in letter and spirit
and instead has scored numerous successes in its confrontation with
Judiciary. The courts depend entirely on forceful prosecution for
enforcement of law and that has been denied by the Executive, because in
most cases it has been the accused. Therefore, the blind-folded judges have
been groping in the dark.
The Executive has also made other moves to isolate the superior
judiciary. It has worked on drawing the Bar away from the Bench and
recently a candidate supported by the regime has been able to defeat
judiciary obsessed candidate for top slot of the SCBA. It has also been able
to woo the lower judiciary.
A session judge saved yet another Prime Minister for bright future of
Pakistan by acquitting Moonis Elahi in NICL case. His acquittal proved that
dispensation of justice depends largely on the Executive (the rulers).
Judiciary is just one of the tools in this context, which is tasked to redress
once a wrong has been committed and that too within the parameters spelled
out by the laws of the land and evidence produced before it.
The judiciary is dependent on the Executive even to play that limited
role in the vast sphere of dispensation of justice in the society. Without an
elaborate arrangements for enacting just laws, enforcement of laws so
legislated, producing flawless prosecution once a law has been breached and
implementing court orders once a verdict has been passed; it is impossible to
dispense justice.
Without the incessant support of the Executive the courts of justice are
rendered mere courts of law. The manner in which the Executive tempered
with evidence in Moonis Elahi case, which could be called Moonis vs Zafar
Qureshi, proved that Executive can render the courts incapable of even
acting as courts of law.
Resultantly, Executive has been emboldened to tread the path of
confrontation. The continuous defiance has pushed the Superior Judiciary on
to back foot. The Chief Justice of Pakistan, despite frequent boasting to the
contrary, has not been able to punish a single politician on the charges of
corruption. Perhaps, he too gave more weightage to the law of necessity than
the law of land.
That was why that during the hearing of RPPs case, the Chief Justice
cautioned the federal minister Faisal Saleh Hayat when he told the court
about the magnitude of corruption by saying that what he said could become
part of the court verdict. The Honourable Chief Justice created an
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impression as if all that is said in the court does not influence the judges
decision-making. Factors out of the court could be more influential.
When criminals are in abundance in rank and file of the Executive,
such caution becomes essential for the judges interested in continuing
serving the country; whether the justice is dispensed or not. In such
circumstances the people will find justice elusive even in the presence of
honest judges.
The dispensation of justice has been odd; as odd as has been evident
from Raymond Davis going scot-free after killing two Pakis at a busy
market place and Qadri getting two death sentences for killing one. And the
judges in either case getting guaranteed security; one proceeding on long
leave and the other shifted to Saudi Arabia with his family.
Hopes for change were revived when three rallies were held in Lahore
and Karachi in as many days and PTI had put up better show as compared to
PML-N and MQM-PPP combine. Whereas the MQM rally in Karachi was a
well-practiced ritual more like a drilled out compulsory parade, the PTI rally
in Lahore was reflective of raw sentiment of masses in search of a leader.
This rekindled the hopes for change of people like Roedad Khan.
1st November, 2011

ARTICULATED AUTUMN
The ongoing upheaval in the Arab World that took new turn in the
beginning of this year and was given a deceptive name of Arab Spring has
been in fact articulated by the imperialist West in a manner that it promises
nothing more than an indefinite extension of autumn over Arab lands. It is an
exercise to install more compliant puppets where so required.
The plan in North Africa is almost nearing its implementation and that
has allowed the West to pay more attention to Syria and Iran while mopping
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up the pockets of resistance in the conquered lands. Once again the

incumbent puppets in the Arab World were complying with the instructions
of their western masters.
The next goal of the Crusaders has become clear. Assad of Syria will
be targeted for which Arab League has already started the spade work by
suspending membership of his country. Once regime change in Syria is
completed Iran will be isolated and thus become easy prey.

NEWS
As already said the mission in North Africa has almost been
accomplished without shedding a drop of Whitemans blood. The events of
last four weeks are briefly enumerated. On 5 th November, a series of bomb
and gun attacks targeting police stations, mosques and churches left 63
people dead in northeastern Nigeria and about 100 injured. Most of the
casualties were police officers. Three suicide bombers drove a stolen SUV
toward a Joint Task Force headquarters, but could not get through the gate.
On 25th October, Islamist En-Nahda Party led in initial official results
of polls in Tunisia by winning 15 out of 39 seats. The party prepared for
post-poll talks to form government. Three days later, clashes were reported
after En-Nahda victory in elections.
In Libya, 53 Gaddafi loyalists were slaughtered on 24th October for
the watering of Arab Spring. Transitional government declared national
liberation. Islamic Sharia law will prevail in liberated Libya and any existing
laws that contradict it will be abolished, new leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil said.
Next day, Gaddafi and his son Mutassim and his defence minister
were buried secretly at unknown place. Seif was sighted near Niger border.
More than hundred people were killed in fuel tank blast in Sirte. Spain
decided to pull out its troops from Libya. NTC requested extension of NATO
mission for one month.
On 26th October, Libya requested for extension of NATO mission till
end of the year. Next day, UNSC ended mandate for NATO operations in
Libya. On 28th October, ICC was reported to be in contact with Seif for his
surrender for trial. Three days later, NATO chief visited Libya.
On 1st November, Abdel Rahim al-Keib, an academic and wealthy
businessman who is a native of Tripoli, was elected interim prime minister
in a public vote carried out by the members of the National Transitional
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Council. He pledged his interim government would set respect for human
rights as its priority, as the UN warned against the proliferation of arms
looted from Gaddafi's huge stockpile.
Next day, Ban Ki-moon visited Libya; his first since the uprising that
ousted Gaddafi. On 3rd November, Pakistan recognized new regime of Libya.
On 12th November, two people were killed in clashes between pro-Gaddafi
and pro-government groups in Tripoli.
On 16th November, Niger said that Muammar Gaddafi's son Saadi
would remain in the country until a United Nations travel ban on him was
lifted, despite Tripoli's request for his return. Three days later, Saif al-Islam
was arrested, claimed NTC justice minister.
In Egypt, thousands went on strike in Egypt on 25th October
demanding reforming of institutions and better pay. Two days later, Egypt
released US-Israeli spy in exchange on 25 Egyptians held by Israel. On 17 th
November, hundreds of Coptic Christians marching in Cairo came under
attack by assailants throwing stones and bottles and 25 people were injured
in subsequent clashes. They were marching to demand justice for the
Christian victims of a clash with soldiers in October that left at least 25
people dead, most of them Christians.
On 18th November, about 50,000 protesters flocked to Cairo's Tahrir
Square to press Egypt's military rulers to transfer power to elected civilians
after the cabinet launched a move to exempt the army from parliamentary
oversight. The protesters chanted Islamic songs while others handed out
flyers demanding the withdrawal of the constitutional proposal and that
presidential elections be held no later than April 2012, instead of at year end
or in 2013.
Next day, clashes erupted between riot police and protesters in Tahrir
Square after police dispersed a sit-in by demonstrators demanding the ruling
military transfer power swiftly to a civilian government; one person was
killed and several wounded.
On 26th October, Southern Sudan banned teaching in Arabic. Three
days later, at least 75 people were killed in southern Sudan in clash between
troops and tribal militia. On 1st November, Sudanese government forces and
militias were accused of killing and raping civilians in Blue Nile state.
On 10th November, Southern Sudan accused Khartoum of carrying out
air strike on a refugee camp killing nine and wounding 20 people. Next day,
South Sudan's army said that a cross-border attack by Sudanese troops on a
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military base in oil-producing Upper Nile state left 18 fighters dead and 73
wounded. The Sudan Peoples Liberation Army said it expects more attacks,
claiming Sudan intends to try and capture the south's oil fields.
In Somalia, at least three people were killed in sporadic shooting in
Mogadishu on 24th October. Next bay, two foreigners were kidnapped. On
27th October, four people were killed in rocket attack in northern Kenya;
Shebab urged attacks in Kenya. Next day, three persons were wounded when
a bomb planted by Somali militants hit a vehicle of Kenyan soldiers.
On 29th October, Kenyan Army Chief said his troops would stay in
Somalia as long as needed. Two days later, five people were killed in
Kenyan air strike in Somalia. On 1 st November, Kenya decided to probe
reports of civilian deaths in an air raid against Shebab rebels. Two weeks
later, a remote-controlled bomb hit a police vehicle in Kenya's Dadaab
refugee camp near the border with Somalia. Kenya has been plagued by a
wave of attacks since it sent hundreds of soldiers into neighboring Somalia.
On 17th November, grenade attacks killed a child and wounded nine
other people in Mogadishu, as Islamists rebels warned Kenyan forces of
hellfire if they did not pull out of the country. The al-Qaeda linked fighters
said they had fought back Kenyan troops on Tuesday during battles in
southern Somalia's Lower Juba region.
Ethiopian and Kenyan officials met for talks on bolstering the African
Union force protecting the Somali government. The talks took place at a
meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa, a day after
Kenya said it was willing to deploy soldiers for the AU Mission for Somalia
(AMISOM).
The Crusaders have now time to focus on Middle East to achieve
the remaining objectives like the one achieved in Iraq, which has been left
to bleed continuously. On 24th October, five people were killed in incidents
of violence Baghdad. Two days later, nine people were killed and twenty
wounded when a car bomb targeted army patrol in Mosul.
On 27th October, 18 people were killed in two bomb blasts in
Baghdad. Next day, at least 35 people were killed and 71 wounded in series
of bomb blasts and shootings across Iraq. On 29th October, five people were
killed by gunmen near Baghdad. Two days later, five people were killed in
bomb blast in Diyala Province.
On 3rd November, a suicide and a car bomber attacked anti-al-Qaeda
militia in Baquoba killing five militiamen. Two days later, five people were
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killed in incidents of violence across Iraq. On 6th November, ten people were
killed and forty wounded in three bomb blasts in Baghdad. On 9th November,
US forces handed over the control of Balad Air Base to Iraqi forces.
Five Palestinians were killed by Israel in an air strike in Gaza Strip on
29 October. Next day, a spiraling round of Israeli air strikes and rocket fire
from Gaza claimed the lives of nine Palestinian militants and one Israeli
civilian; four other Israelis were injured. On 31st October, Palestinians
admitted to UNESCO as full member; the US stopped funding to the
organization.
th

On 2nd November, Israel test fired missile. Next day, two Palestinians
were killed in air strike in northern Gaza. Israel also stopped contributing for
UNESCO. On 10th November, racist slogans were sprayed over gravestones
in an old Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem where Zionists planned to build a
museum.
On 14th November, a Palestinian was killed in Israeli air strike as the
UN urged Israel and Palestinians to start dialogue. Next day it was reported
that France's consul to the Gaza Strip, his wife and 13-year-old daughter
were injured during an Israeli air strike on 13th.
President of Iran said on 24th October that the era of nuclear bombs
is over; Ahmadinejad attacked the countries stockpiling atomic weapons as
politically and mentally retarded. On 1st November, Iran sent a letter to the
United States seeking an apology over allegations of an Iranian
assassination plot on US soil.
On 6th November, Israeli President Shimon Peres warned that an
attack on Iran was becoming increasingly likely. Next day, Ahmadinejad
warned of the consequences of attacking Iran. He said Israel may do
anything it wants, but nothing can save it from being wiped out.
On 8th November, Iran's Deputy Interior Minister said that no security
problem threatens the proposed Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project. Next day,
Russia strongly criticized the release of the latest report by the IAEA on
Iran, describing it as a source of a new increase in tension over Tehran's
nuclear program.
On 10th November, the countrys supreme leader said, after Israel
warned the world must act to prevent Tehran getting nuclear weapons, Iran
will respond with full force to any attack or even any threat of military
action. Khamenei said the message was directed at Irans enemies,
especially America and its stooges and the Zionist regime (Israel).
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Next day, Leon Panetta warned that military action against Iran could
have unintended consequences in the region. While a military option must
be kept available, it might not result in really deterring Iran from what they
want to do, he said at a Pentagon press conference. On 13 th November, two
Kuwaitis were arrested in Abadan, southwest Iran, on suspicion of spying
and illegal entry.
As regards Turkey, a woman suicide bomber killed two people in
Ankara on 29th October. Kurdish rebel was shot dead after he had hijacked a
ferry with 24 on board on 12th November. Next day, Turkish warplanes
bombed border area in Iraqi Kurdistan; damages were not reported.
US pulled out its envoy from Syria on 24th October. Next day, seven
soldiers were killed in attack on a convoy in the northeast. On 26th October,
fifteen people were killed in violence in across the country. Next day, three
people were killed in two incidents of violence.
On 28th October, Syrian militants demanded no-fly zone over the
country. Next day, Assad said in an interview with The Sunday Times that
any western intervention against Syria could cause 'an earthquake' that
would 'burn the whole region'.
On 1st November, Syria and the Arab League agreed on a roadmap to
end the violence. The Arab League was expecting Syria to respond to
proposals to end bloodletting. Arab foreign ministers were due to hold a key
meeting in Cairo. Next day, Syria accepted an Arab League plan, during a
ministerial meeting at the organizations Cairo headquarters. The peace plan
called for the release of people detained as a result of the recent events, the
withdrawal of forces from towns and districts where there have been armed
clashes, and the granting of access to the Arab League, and Arab and
international media.
On 3rd November, twenty people were killed despite assurance of
peace. Next day, Syrian troops killed 17 people as demonstrators,
denouncing despots and tyrants took to the streets to test the regime's
commitment to an Arab peace deal calling for an end to violence.
On 5th November, seven people were killed in Syria and authorities
freed 553 detainees. Head of the Arab League warned that the failure of an
Arab-brokered plan to end the violence would have disastrous consequences.
Five days later, a soldier was among 12 killed in clashes across Syria.
On 11th November, Syrian security forces killed 11 people in Homs as
protesters called on the Arab League to suspend Damascus's membership in
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response to continued violence. Next day, Arab League suspended Syrian

membership until President Assad implements an Arab deal to end violence
against protesters, and called for sanctions and transition talks with the
opposition. The US welcomed the move.
On 13th November, five more people were killed. Massive pro-regime
crowds vented their anger in Damascus as international pressure mounted on
Bashar al-Assad after an Arab League decision to suspend Syria over its
bloody protest crackdown. The people want Bashar al-Assad, yelled
demonstrators gathered at Sebaa Bahrat Square, also chanting patriotic
slogans. Footage broadcast by state television showed another massive rally
unfolding in Omayad Square, also in the capital. Meanwhile, Obama was
pressing China and Russia for exerting pressure on Assad.
Next day, at least 70 people were killed, including more than thirty
soldiers in an attack by rebel soldiers who have joined opposition. On 15 th
November, Turkey urged Assad to stop bloodshed in Syria. The Arab League
contacted opponents of Assad, a day after violence claimed 70 more lives.
The League asked opposition groups to draw up their plans for a power
transition, as a prelude to a wider gathering on Syria's future planned by the
Cairo-based body.
On 16th November, Syrian army defectors attacked a string of military
bases near Damascus, including an intelligence complex on the outskirts of
the capital, in the first such reported assault on a major security facility in
the eight-month uprising against Assad. There was no immediate report of
casualties, and the area where the fighting occurred remained inaccessible.
France recalled its envoy.
Next day, rebel troops hit offices of Syria's ruling party, a day after a
daring raid on an intelligence base that prompted Russia to warn that its
longtime ally risks full-scale civil war. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
said the global community should call on all sides in Syria to stop violence,
including the opposition.
On 18th November, Syria accepted in principle an Arab League plan
to permit 500 observers into the country to verify whether the regime has
taken measures to protect civilians, according to a senior Arab diplomat.
Syria has requested amendments to the protocol before signing it.
Meanwhile, 12 more people were killed.
Next day, eleven people were killed in a crackdown against activists,
despite a deadline by the Arab League for Damascus to take steps to end the
bloodshed. Russian warships entered Syrian territorial waters in an
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aggressive move designed to prevent any NATO-led attack on the country

under the guise of a humanitarian intervention. Russia has stepped up
efforts to defend Syria.
The Gulf Cooperation Council urged member states on 13 th November
to exercise caution and vigilance after Bahrain announced that it has
broken up a cell planning attacks. Bahraini judiciary had wasted no time in
blaming Iran. The Sunni-ruled Arab monarchies of the Gulf have repeatedly
accused mainly Shiite Iran of meddling in their internal affairs and of
inciting Shiite-led protests.
In Saudi Arabia, a woman was jailed on 29th October for 15 years for
her links with al-Qaeda. On 16th November, former head of Saudi Arabia's
intelligence services said that a military attack on Iran aimed at halting its
nuclear program could have catastrophic consequences and only strengthen
Tehran's determination to make an atomic weapon.
Seven people were killed on 24th October in incidents of violence
across Yemen. Next day, fifteen people were killed in fighting in Sanaa;
Saleh assured the US that he would quit as per plan. On 28 th October, a
woman was killed and five persons wounded in violence in Sanaa.
On 30th October, five people were killed by pro-government Yemeni
troops; meanwhile two jetfighters were set ablaze in blasts in Sanaa Airport.
Three days later, at least 18 people were killed and more than 40 others
wounded in renewed clashes in Yemen's capital and its second city. On 11 th
November, at least 13 people were killed fighting in the city of Taiz, a day
after a UN envoy began a new mission to push President Saleh to quit under
a Gulf peace plan.
On 13th November, Yemeni forces and allied tribesmen killed ten
militants in attacks across the country as a visiting United Nations envoy
met with embattled President to push for a solution to the country's political
crisis.
In Far East, two policemen were injured and up to 20 people
arrested in clashes between authorities and anti-capitalism protesters in
Melbourne on 24th October. Nine days later, suspected insurgents killed six
people in a bomb and gun attack in Thailand's south. On 14 th November, ten
people were killed in bomb blast in Yangon.
In Europe, Serbian police arrested 17 people on 29th October in the
southwestern Muslim-dominated district of Sandzak, on suspicion of links to
an Islamic extremist who opened fire on the US embassy in Sarajevo. On
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15th November, four British nationals of Pakistan origin were arrested in

Birmingham during a major counter-terrorism operation. The police said that
suspects were allegedly raising funds in the UK and got terrorist training in
Pakistan. On 19th November, a London court charged them with terrorism
offences.
In America, Wall Street protesters moved their fight from the street
to the court on 3rd November. On 15th November, the protesters were evicted
from Wall Street by police for reasons of health and sanitary reasons. On 17 th
November, several hundred Occupy Wall Street activists rallied in New York
promising a major show of strength on the movement's two month
anniversary and after police shut down their tent camp.

VIEWS
On 25th October, Hamid Dabashi opined: The body now in possession
of NTC authorities is not just the remains of a fallen dictator to be violated
freely on the battlefield of a cruel history. It is also the body-politic of future
Libya. The triumphant euphoria of Libyans feasting on their victory, richly
deserved, must not be marred by the undignified pictures of abusing the
image they will most remember and tell their grandchildren for an entire
history yet to unfold.
Treat Gaddafis body with dignity not because he deserved it; but
because the Libyan people need it. They must commence the rest of their
history with a sense of self-dignity, of triumphant pride. That self-dignity is
now determined by how they will treat the dead body of Colonel Gaddafi.
Treat that body not as the fallen tyrant deserved, but as the future of your
children deserves
Let the pictures and videos of a proper burial and a dignified resting
place for Colonel Gaddafi fill the schoolbooks in which future generations
of Libyans will read their Arabic alphabet and learn the dignity of their
parentage. The man was a relic, a frightful echo from a past, a monster
not entirely of his own making. Heads of state, who in some cases enabled
the dictator, are now rejoicing in his downfall.
How unseemly were the scenes of US President Obama, or UK
Prime Minister Cameron, rejoicing in Gaddafis downfall. But as Omar
Mukhtar says in a key scene in the late Mustapha Akkads Lion of the Desert
(a film about rebels fighting the Italian invasion of Libya) when refusing to
kill a captured Italian soldier: they are not our teachers.
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Obamas administration still has to answer for the American weapons

sold to Gaddafi when he was in power. There are even darker tyrannies in
Bahrain and Yemen that Obama helps keeping in power. And his chief
ally in the region, Saudi Arabia, is not exactly the beacon of liberty.
These are the days from which the foundational myth of the future
Libya is made. Future generation of Libyans, the children of these very
Libyans that have earned their freedom, demand that Gaddafi be buried
properly, with dignity befitting a head of state. Let the dignified burial of
Gaddafi be the farewell ceremony for NATO. Libyans owe NATO nothing.
NATO just destroyed the weapons that Europe and the US had sold
Gaddafis regime.
The dignified burial of Gaddafi would also be a signal to the
world at large that the Arab Spring is in charge of its own destiny that
Arabs and Muslims will not join Obama and Cameron in rejoicing the
demise of a postcolonial monster created by European colonialism and
American imperialism in the first place. American and British professors at
Harvard, Princeton, Johns Hopkins, and London School of Economics
beatified and celebrated the monster lucratively. It is imperative for the
future of the Arab Spring that the hopes and aspirations of these revolutions
determine the course of action rather than the NATO alliance who will be
paving the way for European and American oil companies.
The proper burial of Colonel Gaddafi would also provide a signal to
other remaining dictators in the region. They too must see a safe and sane
way out of their bloody deeds. They too must be given the chance to
recognize the world has changed that we are not going to repeat the
vicious cycle of one brutal downfall after another. All the tyrants of the
region must be able to see a dignified way out, without NATO
intervention.
As Obama, Cameron, and Sarkozy think of how to turn the Arab
Spring around and to their advantage, and as European and American oil
companies think of the lucrative contracts shining forth from Tripoli,
Libyans, Arabs, and Muslims, must think of the enduring sense of
dignity that the Arab Spring has in store for the future of their children.
Bury Colonel Gaddafi in a manner befitting the dignity of Libya, the pride of
Arabs and the faith of Muslims.
Two days later, Mowahid Hussain Shah commented: The grisly fate
of Gaddafi is a graphic sample of the perils of over accommodation

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abroad and over oppression at home. He tried to fit in when his usefulness
had expired. The Arab establishment, too, found him expendable.
Mahmood Mamdani Observed: Whereas the fall of Mubarak and Ben
Ali directed our attention to internal social forces, the fall of Gaddafi has
brought a new equation to the forefront: the connection between
internal opposition and external governments. Even if those who cheer
focus on the former and those who mourn are preoccupied with the latter,
none can deny that the change in Tripoli would have been unlikely without a
confluence of external intervention and internal revolt.
The conditions making for external intervention in Africa are
growing, not diminishing. The continent is today the site of a growing
contention between dominant global powers and new challengers. The
Chinese role on the continent has grown dramatically. Whether in Sudan and
Zimbawe, or in Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria, that role is primarily
economic, focused on two main activities: building infrastructure and
extracting raw materials. For its part, the Indian state is content to support
Indian mega-corporations; it has yet to develop a coherent state strategy. But
the Indian focus too is mainly economic.
The contrast with Western powers, particularly the US and France,
could not be sharper. The cutting edge of Western intervention is
military. Frances search for opportunities for military intervention, at first
in Tunisia, then Cote d Ivoire, and then Libya, has been above board and the
subject of much discussion. Of greater significance is the growth of
Africom, the institutional arm of US military intervention on the African
continent.
This is the backdrop against which African strongmen and their
respective oppositions today make their choices. Unlike in the Cold War,
Africas strongmen are weary of choosing sides in the new contention
for Africa. Exemplified by President Museveni of Uganda, they seek to gain
from multiple partnerships, welcoming the Chinese and the Indians on the
economic plane, while at the same time seeking a strategic military presence
with the US as it wages its War on Terror on the African continent. In
contrast, African oppositions tend to look mainly to the West for support,
both financial and military. It is no secret that in just about every African
country, the opposition is drooling at the prospect of Western intervention in
the aftermath of the fall of Gaddafi.
The analyst dwelled on the issue before concluding: Dark days are
ahead. More and more African societies are deeply divided internally.
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Africans need to reflect on the fall of Gaddafi and, before him, that of
Gbagbo in Cote dIvoire. Will these events usher in an era of external
interventions, each welcomed internally as a mechanism to ensure a change
of political leadership in one country after another? One thing should be
clear: those interested in keeping external intervention at bay need to
concentrate their attention and energies on internal reform.
Thomas C Mountain wrote: Black Libyans by the racist paramilitaries who now rule Libya. Bodies of black men hanging from
highways. Bound and tortured bodies of Africans dumped along the
roadsides. Am I talking about Libya or Louisiana? And all under the
approving eye of the first Black President of the USA.
The lynching of Africans in Libya has been so bad that African
leaders across the continent have been forced to raise their voices in
protest. When the President of Nigeria, the USAs unofficial enforcer in
West Africa leads an African wide outcry against the lynching of his citizens
in Libya one would assume that it was heard in the Obama White House.
With the murder or expulsion of most of Libyas African migrant
population well on its way came the massacre and ethnic cleansing of tens of
thousands of Black Libyans. And all the while Barack Obama and his
band of criminal cohorts in the western capitals and television news
channels strung together words like pro-democracy, freedom fighters
and liberation to describe the orgy of looting and lynching being carried
out.
When Black Libyans took up arms to defend their families and
homes from the Libyan lynch mobs they found themselves the
beneficiaries of pro-democracy high explosives, delivered from on high
by a freedom loving NATO air force. Bombed from on high, lynched on
the ground, the only choice is flee for your lives and that is what hundreds of
thousands of Black Libyan have been forced to do. And all under the
approving eye of the first Black President in the White House.
Should we be surprised at such serpentine behaviour by the first
Black President? Isnt this the guy who raised over $500 million to help him
buy the White House, with $300 million of that from Wall Street? Isnt this
the guy who surrounded himself before his election with the very worst
criminals from the Clinton White House such as Anthony Lake, Susan
Rice, Gayle Smith and Eric Holder? But isnt Barack Obama supposed to
know what its like to be a black man in America? Didnt he used to attend a

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militant black church where the minister preached the Lords damnation
upon the racist and genocidal rulers of the USA?
The brutal truth is that, like the shepherds dog taken as a pup
from its mother to suckle at the tit of a sheep, Barack Obama spent
those most critical teenage years being the only black kid in a school of
thousands (Note; this writer attended the same school as Barack Obama,
Punahou, some half a dozen years before him). Punahou is one of the most
elite schools in the USA, founded in Hawaii by Yankee missionaries who so
famously brought the bible and took the Hawaiians land. Today Punahous
alumni include names that adorn the headquarters of multinational
corporations like Dole Foods.
Barack Obama discovered what the white man wanted to hear
from a black boy at an early age and apparently never forgot it. From
Punahou eventually to Harvard, Obama learned what the elite needed to hear
if you wanted to get ahead even if it meant black is white, up is down and
wrong is right. So today we have the spectacle of a son of an African, the
first Black President in the White house, broadcasting his approval for all the
world to see that Libya or Louisiana, if lynching Africans is what it takes,
God Bless the USAand no where else.
On 28th October, M A Niazi opined: With Gaddafis passing, not
just Libya is at stake, but the whole Arab Spring. With Gaddafi, there
have now been changes of regime in the eastern half of the Maghreb. Algeria
and Morocco in its West remain. However, the fate of Syria, on the
Mediterranean littoral, remains unclear, the USA has, probably, kept the Gulf
under the monarchs it has always preferred, and one of whom Gaddafi
replaced. Libya has always been crucial to Europe, right to the time the
Phoenicians developed Carthage, now Tunis, and it challenged Rome
through Hannibal. Libya was the Roman province of Cyrenaica before the
Arabs brought it into Islamic rule.
One of the fears being expressed is that Libya might travel down the
Islamist path. That was a worry that Gaddafi also had, with one aspect of his
regime being a suppression of all sources of dissent, which in the Libyan
context meant a lot of Islamic parties too. But while Egypts Gamal Abdel
Nasser had been openly secular, his heir as the font of Arab nationalism,
Gaddafi, showed an Islamic inclination, though unorthodox in some
practices. That is also a worry that the PPP government in Pakistan,
headed by Mrs Bhuttos handpicked son-in-law, has. That this is an
ultimately American worry shows that the passing of those icons of the
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1970s that the problems of the past have been merely repeated in the
present.
Next day, Seumas Milne commented: What is now known, however,
is that while the death toll in Libya when NATO intervened was perhaps
around 1,000 to 2,000 (judging by UN estimates), eight months later it is
probably more than ten times that figure. Estimates of the numbers of
dead over the last eight months as NATO leaders vetoed ceasefires and
negotiations range from 10,000 up to 50,000. The National Transitional
Council puts the losses at 30,000 dead and 50,000 wounded.
Of these, uncounted thousands will be civilians, including those
killed by NATO-backed forces on the ground. These figures dwarf the
death tolls in this years other most bloody Arab uprisings, in Syria and
Yemen. NATO has not protected civilians in Libya it has multiplied the
number of their deaths, while losing not a single soldier of its own.
For the western powers, of course, the Libyan war has allowed
them to regain ground lost in Tunisia and Egypt, put themselves at the
heart of the upheaval sweeping the most strategically sensitive region in the
world, and secure valuable new commercial advantages in an oil-rich state
whose previous leadership was at best unreliable. No wonder the new British
defence secretary is telling businessmen to pack their bags for Libya, and
the US ambassador in Tripoli insists American companies are needed on a
big scale.
But for Libyans, it has meant a loss of ownership of their own future
and the effective imposition of a western-picked administration of Gaddafi
defectors and US and British intelligence assets. Probably the greatest
challenge to that takeover will now come from Islamist military leaders on
the ground, such as the Tripoli commander Abdel Hakim Belhaj kidnapped
by MI6 to be tortured in Libya in 2004 who have already made clear they
will not be taking orders from the NTC. No wonder the councils leaders
are now asking NATO to stay on, and NATO officials have let it be
known they will take action if Libyan factions end up fighting among
themselves.
The Libyan precedent is a threat to hopes of genuine change and
independence across the Arab world and beyond. In Syria, where
months of bloody repression risk tipping into full scale civil war, elements of
the opposition have started to call for a no-fly zone to protect civilians.
And in Africa, where Barak Obama has just sent troops to Uganda and
France is giving military support to Kenyan intervention in Somalia; the
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opportunities for dressing up a new scramble for resources as humanitarian

intervention are limitless.
The once savagely repressed progressive Islamist party An-Nahda
won the Tunisian elections this week on a platform of pluralist democracy,
social justice and national independence. Tunisia has faced nothing like the
backlash the uprisings in other Arab countries have received, but that spirit is
the driving force of the movement for change across a region long
manipulated and dominated by foreign powers. What the Libyan tragedy
has brutally hammered home is that foreign intervention doesnt only
strangle national freedom and self-determination it doesnt protect
lives either.
On 29th October, Scott Horton commented: As Muammar alGaddafis corpse rotted in a Misrata meat locker, Barack Obamas gambit on
Libya was being widely acclaimed in Washington as a foreign-policy
success and a politically daring one. The US presidents own secretary of
defense and key military advisors, after all, were against the operation; many
of his Republican critics, meanwhile, had advocated for a more forward
American military role, reminiscent of Iraq. Spurning both, Obama opted for
a carefully calibrated effort that emphasized the support of key allies,
enabling a popular uprising that steadily peeled away support from a loud
but teetering dictator. In the end, the effort cost no American lives and less
than $2 billion, which Sen. Lindsey Graham reports the Libyans are willing
to repay. The future remains unclear about the sort of government Libya will
see in Gaddafis wake but its quite clear that the operation burnished the
reputation of the United States with Libyas population, as was evident by
the American flags hoisted in Benghazi and Tripoli last week. Compared
with the cost and doubtful outcomes in both Iraq and Afghanistan, the
Libya campaign looks for now, at least like a stroke of genius.
But seen through the lens of the law, the victory is a distinctly
Pyrrhic one. When he was elected, Obama promised an America that, in a
sharp break from its very recent past, would lead by example and
reinvigorate its respect for the rule of law, both at home and on the
international stage. Obamas conduct of the war in Libya points to a White
House that is perhaps more cautious than its immediate predecessor in
foreign military exploits, but just as assertive in the area of executive
prerogative. It is a gloomy precedent and one that will make necessary
humanitarian actions in crises such as Syrias less, not more, likely to
happen.

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Scott discussed two separate levels of legality; the domestic and

international. At domestic level Obama Administration had by-passed the
US Congress as it did not seek its approval. At the international level both
the US and NATO had deliberately and blatantly acted beyond the scope of
UN Resoution; yet Scott exonerated both barring accusing them for minor
infringement.
He concluded: While much of the military operations in Libya
were plainly within the mandate of Resolution 1973, some aspects
exceeded it. For instance, attacks fairly early in the conflict targeted
command-and-control centres of the Gaddafi regime. Such steps would be
routine in wartime and would plainly be authorized under the laws of armed
conflict. But its not so clear that they were authorized by Resolution 1973,
the authority of which rested on the doctrine of responsibility to protect
(R2P): the notion, adopted by the UN in 2005, that intervention is justified
to protect a civilian population from harm, even at the hands of its own
leaders. After all, strikes were mounted against military positions far away
from the attacks on civilians and with no apparent linkage to them.
Moreover, as the war progressed, the posture of the fading Gaddafi regime
became increasingly defensive.
The final weeks of the campaign put this in sharpest perspective,
as Gaddafi and his final core group of retainers withdrew to his hometown of
Sirte, ultimately fleeing in a convoy that was fired upon by NATO aircraft
and an American Predator drone, destroying two vehicles.
Libyan authorities have denied an independent autopsy that
might show conclusively the cause of Gaddafis death which may have
been shots fired after he surrendered and was in rebel custody but the role
played by NATO in his final moments points to the near perfect inversion of
the mission. Instead of protecting civilians from attack by Gaddafi and his
forces, they were attacking a fleeing and clearly finished Gaddafi.
At this point, some members of the Security Council clearly feel
they got suckered. They voted for a resolution to protect the people of
Benghazi from slaughter and saw their authority invoked to depose Gaddafi
and install a new government. That will have consequences for future
humanitarian crises. Russia and China have now blocked Security Council
resolutions targeting Syria. Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has made
clear that Russia supports demands for reform in Syria and abhors the use of
violence against demonstrators, but has been equally clear that Russia
cannot risk a repeat of the Libyan example.
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NATOs operations in Libya began as a valid demonstration of the

use of military force to protect civilians. But they evolved quickly into an
exercise in regime change. In the wake of Libya, the Security Council is
unlikely to embrace another R2P operation anytime soon. And that is bad
news for the people of Damascus and Hama, as well as for advocates of the
responsibility to protect.
Massimo Dalema opined: Only by fully understanding the
demands and grievances of these Arab revolutionaries will the West be
able to give the region appropriate support and this support is critical.
The Arab revolts have not been directed against the West on the contrary,
they have been fed by Western democratic principles and values but they
could yet produce a reactionary backlash.
There are three preconditions that Europe and the United States
must meet to ensure the prevention of such a scenario. First, Western
countries support must be unambiguous. The Arab peoples must see clearly
that the EU and the US genuinely intend to sustain Arabs demands for
democracy, freedom of speech, and economic opportunity. In short, the
regions people must have evidence of the Wests interest in establishing
their right to human dignity and higher standards of living
The second precondition for encouraging peaceful political
development in the Arab world, which applies to the EU in particular, is to
approach the Mediterranean region with the same resolve that was brought
to Eastern Europe at the end of the Cold War In practical terms, the EU
needs to offer its Mediterranean partners major concessions on market
access, financial aid, and migration policy. It must greatly reduce the
technocratic aspects of its approach to external action, and at the same time
make its relations with southern Mediterranean countries a top priority
The third precondition for Western credibility in the Mediterranean
region is to take a genuine step towards resolving the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict. Thus far, this has been the chief obstacle to stronger partnerships
between Western countries and the Arab world. The EU and its member
states must commit themselves to finding a viable strategy to end a conflict
that is now well into its seventh decade.
The Arab spring offers an extraordinary opportunity in this regard
The US, or Obama at any rate, seems to be moving in the right
direction, despite the round of applause that greeted Israeli Prime Minister
Netanyahus uncompromising speech before the US Congress last spring. In
contrast, the EU is once again showing itself to be irresolute and riven by
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internal divisions on both the Israeli-Palestinian peace process (or lack

thereof) and the Arab upheavals.
The same incoherent approach has in the past undermined the EUs
efforts to project a credible foreign policy, ensuring that Europe is all too
often perceived as feeble and inadequate. If Europe does not want to be
marginalized in international affairs, it must quickly develop a strategic
response to the Arab Spring, underpinned by a compelling vision of the
future of the Middle East and North Africa.
On 31st October, Sikander Ahmed Shah observed: From a human
rights perspective, especially in the light of genocide and crimes against
humanity recently committed in Rwanda, Bosnia and Sudan, the right of
humanitarian intervention seems at first to be the right course of action.
However, in practice, such a right is often exercised unilaterally or by a
small group of States, acting with ulterior motives, with little regard for
the interest of civilian populations, who they claim to be protecting. Many
states contradictorily hold the right applicable in certain circumstances and
not in other similar situations. Such behaviour is destabilizing and retards
international peace and security.
Recently, the principle of State sovereignty has confronted
numerous challenges. Religion, globalization, human security and
international trade have all tested the norm and have facilitated its evolution
in different ways. At times, this transformation has been positive, while, in
other circumstances, a contrary determination can be made. However, if
humanitarian intervention is to be an acceptable norm of international law,
numerous safeguards have to be incorporated in international law before this
right can be exercisable. This would most certainly require changes in the
UN Charter and the international law governing the use of force.
Furthermore, the necessary mechanisms must be put in place to
more effectively determine facts, in order to establish State
responsibility. This would, in turn, require a State to contract away other
forms of sovereignty that even States, which actively advocate for the right
of humanitarian intervention will find difficult to agree to.
If the right of humanitarian intervention was exercisable
immediately at the discretion of any State, then humanitarian
imperialism would, most probably, be the result. Then, the US
conducting drones strikes and armed operations deep inside Pakistan to
extirpate alleged terrorists and militants on the premise that Pakistan has

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failed in its responsibility to protect its citizens would become easily

justifiable under international law.
Next day, Mohammad Jamil commented: It is an open secret that the
US and its allies had financed Libyans freedom fighters certainly not
out of their love, but to avenge Gaddafis arrogance and hatred against
the West in the past. However, the Libyans have now entered a more critical
and uncertain stage with the gigantic task of grand national reconciliation, as
they are no homogenous polity. They are divided by tribal affiliations and
antipathies and also by an East-West wedge. Furthermore, the new fissures,
like growing tensions between the religious and secular forces and between
the natives and exiles are coming to the fore inimically. The worse part is
that there is no popular leader on the scene with nationwide respect to
reconcile the schisms harmoniously to make for a cohesive order. The
National Transitional Council of Libya, too, is just a hotchpotch of varied
interest groups with no leader with a commanding voice, who could unify
the country.
It has to be mentioned that presently Libya is in the grip of a variety
of militias and fighters groups, who possess weapons that are either stolen
from government warehouses, or generously provided by the US. Now, it is
almost impossible to collect the weapons from those groups, as was the case
after the Afghan war in the 80s. It is, against this backdrop, that more than
150,000 US and NATO forces have not been able to rein in the militants.
Anyhow, the Iraq and Afghan wars have already drained Americas
resources and its economy is in dire straits. More so, the recent protests that
started with the Occupy Wall Street Movement, in the US and other
countries, portend gloom and doom. Recently, the police in New York
arrested more than 70 protesters, including dozens in Times Square, as part
of a month-long global demonstration against what the agitators call
corporate greed. In Rome, the police fired teargas and water cannons when a
group from hundreds of protesters taking to the streets began smashing
windows and lighting fires. So, the leaderships of the US and West should
heed the lessons of history; otherwise they will also be consigned to the
dustbin of history.
On 2nd November, Linda S Heard wrote: We do know that cracks are
appearing within the Syrian military. The number of defections is
increasing as individual soldiers rail against orders to shoot at protesters
with live bullets. There are believed to be sectarian divisions within the rank
and file and disagreements among the military elite. Defectors are crossing
the border into Turkey where they are being hosted and given free rein to
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build a Free Syrian Army. This opens up the question of whether either a
military coup or civil war may be on the cards.
If Assad thinks the problem is just going to go away on its own,
hes deluded. There will come a tipping point from where there is no return
that will translate into either foreign intervention with an apocalyptic result,
a bloody civil war or an army takeover. Such misery could be avoided if he
goes into voluntary exile, while there is still a country that will take him,
leaving the Syrian people free to pursue their dreams of democracy and
freedom. That would not only be an act of true patriotism but would also
give him the opportunity to live out the rest of his life in security and
comfort. Power may be addictive but as Gaddafi learned to his cost, its no
friend to a man who lies in a cold, unmarked grave, hated by all.
On 10th November, Azam Khalil observed: According to media
reports, the Israeli government is preparing for war against Iran and
large-scale civil defence exercises are being conducted in the country.
But recently, Defence Secretary Leon Panetta had requested the Israeli
leadership to keep Washington aware about its plans against Iran. This
means that the Americans, instead of pressurizing it to not consider war as
an option, has, in fact, encouraged it to carry out its sinister designs against
the people of Iran.
Here, it is important to point out that in case the Islamic countries do
not come out with a united response, or take a stand against the US and
Israel, the duo will continue to pursue their policy of unilateralism that
includes military aggression against weaker nations. Hence, the Islamic
bloc must consider to build economic barricades against both the US
and Israel. Undoubtedly, collectively they will be able to damage their
economies by at least raising the cost of oil. It must also be remembered that
nearly 90 percent of the money earned by these oil-rich States is either
reinvested in the Western world, or kept in foreign banks by their ruling
elite.
It is time for the Islamic countries to look for other options and
utilize their wealth accordingly. For example, a beginning can be made by
establishing state-of-the-art universities in Muslim nations, rather than
doling out donations to American and other Western educational institutions.
Similarly, training and research in the field of science and technology should
be a priority, which will help provide independence to these countries in the
real terms. Presently, while the clouds of war are getting thicker and darker
by the day, not a single Muslim country has openly condemned the much
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anticipated Israeli attack on Iran. Certainly, this attitude of the governments

in these countries will not be tolerated by the people. Already puppet
regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen, have been toppled for following a
pro-American policy in their countries.
One feels that the Government of Pakistan should call an emergency
OIC meeting on this issue with a one-point agenda. That is to avert the
much anticipated war between Israel and Iran. Pressure should also be
brought on Tehran to negotiate with the international atomic body and open
up its nuclear facilities to reassure the world that it is not pursuing the
manufacture of nuclear weapons. In case Pakistan succeeds, it will be a great
achievement for the Muslim world.
However, if no effort is made and the war is thrust on Iran by
Israel, the entire political and economic scene of the Arab world is
bound to change with prospects of extremism taking root in many countries
becoming an unpleasant possibility. Therefore, it is expected that before the
Americans and Israelis undertake this new adventure, they will analyze the
short and long-term repercussions that will emerge out of the war. Already
there is not much support for the Obama Administration among the people
of several Muslim States, and in case of a war, this hatred will increase.
One hopes that wisdom will prevail and other options that are
available will be completely exhausted before the eventuality of a war is
even considered. However, with the present state of affairs and the
Bolshevik attitude of the American administration, coupled with the gungho attitude of the Israeli government, the world may see another war
that will be to no one's benefit.
Next day, Dr A H Khayal commented: Under capitalism in a
backward country, the population gets divided into two classes: The
ruling class and the working class. (The ruling class includes the
industrialists.) The working class works to live. The ruling class lives to
consume what the working class creates
In order to rule, the rulers must have a majestic lifestyle. They
must have majestic houses. They must eat majestic dishes. They must drink
majestic drinks. They must wear majestic wear. They must move about in
majestic cars. When sick, they must fly abroad for getting majestic
treatment. When the working class laments that it cannot pay for the
majestic lifestyle of the rulers, the rulers console the working class by
asserting that whatever they are spending, they are spending in the larger
interest of the nation.
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Nothing kills a worker like capitalism in a backward country. In

such a country, the working class must live wretchedly. It must live in
wretched hovels. It must eat wretched grub. It must drink wretched ditch
water, etc. When it is asked: Why it lives so wretchedly? It reveals that it
does so only in the larger interest of the rulers.
Karl Sharro opined: It is perhaps a sign of these uncertain times that
our perception of the Arab uprisings has been accompanied by a deep sense
of anxiety. While the uprisings provided the most inspiring examples of
political change we have witnessed for a long time, they have also been
perceived from the beginning as fragile revolutions. This apparent
contradiction fits with the wider political context that the uprisings were
born into and that impacts on how outside observers and the Arab people
demanding change perceive them. This is the paradox of the Arab uprisings:
the apparent resurgence of political agency in an era in which the nature of
that agency is understood primarily through its limitations.
Lets be clear about the context of those uprisings. What we are
witnessing is the collapse of the old order not the birth of a new one.
This collapse represents the loss of legitimacy of long-standing authoritarian
regimes that have become utterly vacuous. It comes as a consequence of
their failure to introduce democracy and development. Simultaneously, it is
indicative of the weakening of the role that they have played as part of the
post-cold war American order and the decline of that regional arrangement.
The collapse of the post-colonial order has revealed a political void which
the various uprisings are attempting to fill, yet they appear to be unable to
summon the authority to do that conclusively despite the courage exhibited
by protestors in countries like Syria and Yemen.
In a manifestation of the paradoxical nature of the Arab uprisings,
their three most widely celebrated aspects now prevent them from
making any further progress. Those three aspects are that the uprisings are
leaderless and organic; that they do not adhere to any conventional political
platform and lastly that they are peaceful. While there are exceptions within
the different countries, for example the Egyptian uprising was far more
organized than it was assumed and Libya quickly turned into an armed
rebellion, they do broadly represent common aspects of the uprisings.
Those three aspects combined represent an internal limitation
and they impact on the uprisings chances of success and ability to
dismantle the old regimes and replace them with democratic systems. The
lack of strong and authoritative leaderships has weakened the uprisings
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ability to produce coherent demands and mounting serious bids for power.
Nowhere is this clearer than in Syria where opposition leaders have made a
virtue of their reluctance to assume control. The lack of clear political
objectives and ideas has also acted as a barrier to the spread of the uprisings
and to encouraging more people to join up. The lack of vision is the
strongest barrier for the spread of the popular discontent, as many still
perceive the uprisings as a leap in the dark...
It is likely that in the absence of the political clarity and the
competent leaderships emerging, the uprisings will carry on at a slow
and protracted pace and they will face many setbacks along the way. What
we are witnessing is a failure to transform the raw revolutionary matter,
the individual sacrifices and acts of bravery, into a political force for change.
What is urgently needed to put the uprisings on the right track is a
realization that acts of revolutionary change can only be meaningful if
carried out autonomously and in pursuit of self-determination. It is time to
claim back the responsibility for the uprisings.
Arab News observed: Published: The Syrian state security machine
almost certainly now knows that it is fighting for its life. But even such
ruthlessly efficient bodies as the police and military have a physical limit to
what they can endure, as they are rushed like fire-fighters from one part of
the country to another to confront fresh protests. There are no official figures
for the number of security force personnel and pro-government militias who
have been killed. But it is clear that among members of the security forces,
ordered to fire upon their fellow citizens, there has been a collapse in
morale, and desertions. These men have become the armed bandits of
which the regime has complained from the beginning.
The dilemma facing Assad and his government is that the harder
he uses heavy force to try to end the protest, the larger and louder
become the demonstrations. Even supposing the Syrian security forces
finally prevailed and the streets were cleared of protesters, it would be an
ugly, angry Syria a country where trust has entirely broken down and a
new flash point for public anger would not be far away. Only an immediate
end to violence and genuine commitment to serious dialogue with protesters,
as urged on Assad by the Arab League, can produce any real solution.
The Guardian commented: An attack on Iran would of course be
madness. It really is time to drop the pretence that Iran can be deflected
from its nuclear path. It really is time for Iran to drop the pretence that it is
not on that path. It really is time for the United States to recognize that there
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is no military solution. And it really is time for both America and Israel to
put aside the idea that they can stop history with high explosives, cyberattacks, sanctions and assassinations. To all intents and purposes Iran already
has a nuclear weapons capacity, with the only question being when it will
deploy or be ready to deploy, which is an important distinction weapons
in usable numbers.
Governments ought now to be focusing not on the lost cause of
what can be done to impede Irans nuclear efforts, but on how a nuclearcapable Iran will fit into the Middle Eastern security landscape. How will
such an Iran live with Israel, and how will Israel live with it? The two will
remain enemies, that is for certain, but enemies can have certain prudent
relations. Neither wants to disappear in a cloud of nuclear dust. They will
have to adjust, not only to the realization that they could destroy each other
but to complex shifts in their status
It is possible, perhaps probable, that Israel will find the end of its
nuclear monopoly hard to accept psychologically but less than disastrous
in real terms. Iran, by contrast, could find that nuclear weapons status solves
nothing in particular, and brings no great accretion of influence in its
dealings with its neighbours.
That could be a blow, especially after such a lengthy and costly
investment of national resources. But both Israel and Iran have made a
habit of distracting themselves from their most difficult problems by
puffing up the spectre of external enemies. A nuclear step change just
might provide a moment to think again. That might also be true regionally. If
neighbouring states were to conclude that pursuing the bomb had brought
Iran no marked advantage, they might be cautious about emulating Tehran.
It does not do to be Panglossian about nuclear weapons. Any spread
of them is dangerous, and arguments that they sometimes buttress security
are vulnerable to the counter that they only have to be proved wrong once.
The nuclear non-proliferation treaty is flawed, yet there is no case for
discarding it. But we surely have passed the point where the risk
represented by Iranian weapons can be eliminated. The priority must be
to contain it, to set what rules can be set, and to prepare to live with it.
Joseph Massad wrote: While the US may not fear Israeli nukes,
Israels neighbouring countries and their civilian populations have for
decades been (and continue to be) terrorized by them; and for good reason.
Once Obama learns this lesson, the people of the region will reconsider US
credibility about its alleged concern about nuclear proliferation.
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On 14th November, M J Rosenberg wrote: Christmas did not arrive

early for the Bomb Iran crowd. Over the past several weeks,
neoconservative hawks were gleefully predicting that the International
Atomic Energy Agencys new report on Irans nuclear program would
provide the spark needed to ignite and justify a US or Israeli attack.
Sadly for them, the report did no such thing and the issue has been
overshadowed by other stories. In fact, there was so little new in the IAEA
report that Iran experts who had been scheduled to do media spots
discussing the issue were told not to bother coming in Risenberg
dwelled on recent hue and cry over Irans bomb.
He then added: Netanyahus hysteria about Iran, and his repeated
threats to attack its nuclear facilities, would if the shoe was on the other
foot almost surely cause Israel to preemptively attack Iran. Obviously, the
Iranians, whom the neocons invariably describe as insane, know the
difference between Bibis bloviating and real threats. Nonetheless,
repeatedly threatening Iran, as Netanyahu does, is dangerous business.
In any case, Netanyahus acolytes here think in the same apocalyptic
terms he does. Journalist Jeff Goldberg, one of the most outspoken
advocates of invading Iraq in 2003, wrote this week about Iran: The
Israeli case for preemption is compelling and has been for some time. The
leaders of Iran are eliminationist anti-Semites; men who, for reasons of
theology, view the state of the Jews as a cancer. They have repeatedly
called for Israels destruction and worked to hasten that end, mainly by
providing material support and training to two organizations, Hamas and
Hezbollah.
Obviously, this kind of language is designed to ensure that there is
no dialogue, that in fact, the enemy is Hitler. Always Hitler. And, in
Netanyahus case, its always 1938. But its not 1938, Iran is not Nazi
Germany, and Israel with 200 air, land, and sea-based nuclear missiles is
nothing like the Jewish communities of Europe that, without weapons or
allies, were annihilated by Nazi Germany. As former Mossad chief Ephraim
Halevy put it recently: The State of Israel cannot be destroyed by an Iranian
attack, but an Israeli attack on Iran would produce turmoil in the region for
100 years.
To put it simply, an attack on Iran by Israel or the United States
would embroil the Middle East in war, threaten the worlds oil supply and
economy, likely unleash a massive missile attack by Hezbollah on Israel,
jeopardize 100,000 US troops in the Middle East, solidify the Iranian
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regimes waning support among the population, and still only delay the
Iranian nuclear program by a few years. Insanity. So whats to be done about
Iran?
An attack will not deter whatever motivation Iranians may have
for a nuclear bomb. In fact, an attack is one way to ensure that the Iranians
do get a bomb (to protect themselves from future attacks). And further
sanctions, which AIPAC has made a litmus test for campaign support, will
only hurt ordinary Iranian citizens without affecting Irans nuclear
program.
There is only one way to deal with Iran and it is the one we have
never tried: Unconditional, comprehensive negotiations. No, not the kind
of baby-step talks both sides occasionally propose, but real negotiations that
put everything on the table: Irans nuclear program, Israels refusal to sign
the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Irans threats against Israel and its
unremitting hostility to it, Iranian support for terrorist groups such as
Hezbollah and Hamas, US attempts to overthrow the Iranian regime and our
support for the assassination of its civilian scientists, and, finally, Irans role
in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Only comprehensive negotiations will end the Iran crisis without
plunging the region, and possibly the world, into war. Only successful
comprehensive negotiations can provide both Israel and Iran with the
confidence to get off a course that could lead to mutual destruction. Nothing
else will work and everything else has been tried.
Franklin Lamb observed: There appears to be a Tell Tale Heart
paranoia settling in among some NTC elements who believe that if there
is one Gadhafi supporter left in Libya it might mean the return of his ideas
for Libyas role vis--vis the West and its re-colonization of Africa plans,
control of Libyas natural resources and its relations with the rapidly
changing Middle East.
Even Libyas NATO-managed NTC members are worried that they
may be investigated by the International Criminal Court after its prosecutor
said allegations of crimes committed by NATO in Libya would be examined
impartially and independently. Some western lawyers currently in Libya
who are here to help victims of NATO crimes are oddly being approached by
members of the new regime for discussions relating to the possibility that the
ICC may come after them. This is also one of the reasons why rumors that
Saif al Islam is about to surrender to the ICC are false. Saif is being
advised to wait and rest because the ICC case will collapse as more facts
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of NATO crimes surface. Former Libyan officials in hiding are also well
advised to stay safe if possible as time may be on their side. Government
officials of countries bordering Libya are being advised to allow sanctuary
for supporters of the former Libyan government and to refuse extradition
requests because activity currently taking place in The Hague may well preempt a war crimes investigation.
Tunisia is today under great pressure from NATO not to change
its mind and not to decline the NTC extradition request for Libyas
former Prime Minister Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi. NATO is concerned because
American lawyers recommended last month that Baghdadi apply for UN
political refugee status with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to try
to prevent his extradition from Tunisia. On 11/11/11 the UN acknowledged
receipt of Dr Baghdadis petition.
Other reasons the NTC and NATO are concerned is that there is
currently being undertaken in the Hague an encompassing internal legal
review of all incidents in which NATO bombing or other NATO or NTC
actions caused civilian casualties. An American led team is nearing
completion of its six month investigation which is expected to be forwarded
to the ICC and made public soon.
A main reason former interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril
resigned recently, and others will, is the pressure he has been under
from Islamists and many others who remember his record as the former
regimes Minister of Justice and Jibrils concern that he may be investigated
himself by the ICC for many decisions he has made over the past eight
months that are now coming to light. Following his statement about how
Muammalr Gadhafi was killed after he was taken into custody alive, which
constituted a clear war crime, Jibril is now claiming that it was not him who
gave the order to assassinate Gadhafi or even his former friend, General
Younnis, but rather as he explained at a news conference yesterday, amid
snickers from assembled journalists, that a third party maybe a State, or a
President or leader in any way who wanted Gaddafi killed, so as not to
reveal the many secrets that only Gaddafi could have known. Jibril did not
have to mention that Gadhafi knew many secrets about himself and other
NTC officials and he is not alone among NATO and NTC officials in fearing
an ICC investigation. It is this atmosphere that is significantly fueling the
Terror across Libya.
Rania Abouzeid opined: Predictably, Syrias representative to the
Arab League, Youssef al-Ahmad, slammed the bodys illegal decision,
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describing it as a violation of its charter and an indication that it served a

Western and US agenda, the state-run Syrian news agency reported. In an
undiplomatic moment, he also allegedly called Araby and Thani pigs and
traitors, according to Arabic satellite channels.
Name-calling and finger pointing aside, the question is what happens
next? The Qatari foreign minister urged Syrias fragmented opposition to
meet in Cairo over the next three days to discuss how they can have one
opinion. The Syrian National Council (SNC) was recently formed as an
umbrella organization, but it has been marred by infighting and breakaways.
Although the SNC has yet to be recognized by most states (apart from
Libyas new leaders), the Arab League went further than it has gone before
in anointing the Syrian opposition council as the legitimate representatives
of the opposition. This is if everything goes okay, Thani added. If the
killing stops. But if the killing doesnt stop, we have to come back and see
where we are going. That may include seeking assistance from the United
Nations to help rein in Assad, a move that could echo international military
action against Libyas Colonel Muammar Gadhafi. But once again, the
League shied away from the specifics, although Thani stressed that arming
the Syrian opposition was not on the table for now. Nobody in the League
is talking about arming [the opposition], or creating a no-fly zone.
Not one member mentioned these. The mechanisms will be
considered on the 16th. Will the international community specifically
Russia and China, which have prevented a UN resolution against Syria
now take cues from the Arab League and move more firmly against Assad?
That remains to be seen. But one thing is definitely clear: the Arab deadlines
are becoming shorter. Syrias Baathist regime which has been in power for
five decades now has four days to act.
On 16th November, Marwan Bishara wrote: There is no doubt that the
situation is precarious and any sort of intervention, direct or otherwise, could
indeed lead to further escalation. That is why the decisions of the Arab
League should not pave the way towards a United Nations Security
Council resolution authorizing foreign military intervention on the
Libyan model.
Although an increasing number of Syrians are asking for international
protection, it is not clear how enforcing a no-fly zone could help improve the
situation in Syria or rebuff the repression. Needless to say, Syria is not Libya
and the situation there is not conducive for such an intervention.

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On the other hand, sceptics are right to ask why Libya involved a
UN/Western intervention, Syria an Arab intervention, Yemen a Gulf role and
Bahrain an exclusively Saudi military role! This does smack of a double or
quadruple standard.
That, however, is the nature of politics in the region and it is far from
ideal. Indeed, the Middle East and the Arab world in general are still
marred with counter-revolutionary forces that try to either undermine the
popular will or exploit them for more of the same cynical political and
strategic calculus. Otherwise, why dont the Arabs take similar strong and
courageous steps (to cite Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general), when it
comes to Yemen, where more than 2,000 civilians have been killed, not to
speak of Palestine whose inhabitants continue to suffer from occupation and
oppression?
This is why it behooves the Arabs as a whole to insist on resolving
their problems locally or regionally within the Arab fold when possible.
The public pressure would need to mount in order to find Arab solutions to
Arab problems. Intervention from the outside, notably military intervention,
could only lead to further suffering, break up and chaos.
Further Arab isolation of the Syrian government coupled with
domestic pressure and their insistence that the Syrian government fully
implements the Arab initiative and paves the way towards a transition of
power might be challenging, but remains the least harmful and most
constructive way forward.
Next day, Osama Al Sharif wrote: The Arab Spring has changed the
geopolitical realties of the entire region. Syria is in a state of transition and
President Assad holds the key to the future, but only ephemerally. To
believe that his military and mercenaries can stem the tide of popular
protests and take the country back to the old days of oligarchic one-party
rule is both nave and dangerous.
On 19th November, The National editorial read: For its part, Libyas
National Transitional Council (NTC) has gone out of its way to reaffirm
its authority. But its efforts to play down the recent fighting are
unconvincing. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that many of the
armed factions are made up of young men, whom NTC leader Mustafa
Abdul Jalil has accused of behaving irresponsibly. Ill-tempered they may
be, but few would fault them for treating official demands to disarm with
suspicion. Self defence is obviously a primary concern.

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Further complicating the security picture is the formation of a

national army. Tribal leaders from Zintan and Misurata are vying for
command, raising questions about the inclusion of other factions from
elsewhere in the country. While the revolution may be over, a new conflict
may be emerging in Libya: the struggle for the countrys unity. Many cities
need major rebuilding, while civil institutions will have to be built from
scratch. But this nation-building will not be possible before true
reconciliation and stability are achieved. In post-Gaddafi Libya many have
said the right things. It remains to be seen whether actions will speak
louder.
Jonathan Steele wrote: The need now is for international mediation
before it is too late, with an agenda for a democratic transition that would
include guarantees of status and protection for all minorities, including the
Alawites from whom the ruling elite comes. The risk of a vengeful
takeover by the Sunni majority is too great.
To demand the Assad familys departure is counter-productive unless
an amnesty is offered. Why would they want to cede power peacefully
when faced with the precedents of Mubarak (trial and imprisonment) and
Gaddafi (lynching)? At least the international criminal court has not come
into the act, which would make the crisis even worse.
There were signs at the Arab League meeting in Rabat on Wednesday
that the organization may be having second thoughts about its hasty
suspension of Syria last Saturday. The decision was unconstitutional
because only a summit of Arab leaders can call for a members
suspension, and the demand must be unanimous. Now the League has
delayed implementing it. It has given Syria three days to accept civilian and
military monitors to check the situation.
If that were to become a serious effort at mediation, so much the
better. The best model is the agreement that ended Lebanons civil war,
reached after talks in Taif in Saudi Arabia in 1989. Although it was
negotiated by the various Lebanese parties and interest groups, Saudi
sponsorship and support were important.
Whether Saudi Arabia can play a similar role today is doubtful.
The Obama administration seems bent on an anti-Iranian mission in which
toppling Syrias Shia-led regime is seen as a proxy strike against Tehran.
The Americans are working closely with the Sunni forces of Saad Hariri in
Beirut, who are still smarting from their loss of control of the Lebanese
government this spring.
483

Turkey tried mediating this summer, but its effort was treated by
the Assad regime as duplicitous because Turkey was simultaneously
helping the Syrian opposition to organize in Istanbul. Torn between a desire
for good relations with its neighbour Iran as well as with Arab Sunni
regimes, Turkey has gone over fully to the anti-Assad side. US pressure and
Washingtons renewed willingness to turn a blind eye to Turkish military
incursions against Kurdish guerrilla bases in northern Iraq may have played
a role.
In theory the UN could mediate, but its efforts to broker an end to
Libyas civil war had no support from western members of the Security
Council. With their anti-Assad, no-amnesty stance they seem just as
unwilling to seek peace in Syria. Russia alone has had the wisdom to support
dialogue and give a strong message to that effect when Syrian oppositionists
visited Moscow.
The Arab League could yet appoint a group of eminent
independent Arabs to listen to all sides in the Syrian crisis and seek a
new Taif. The team would have to include Shia as well as Sunni members.
But first the Arab League needs to reject the anti-Iranian hysteria that the
US, Israel and the Saudis are stirring up along the Gulf. The abyss of all-out
civil war in Syria is far more real. And it is very close.
Aijaz Z Syed apprehended: As Israel steps up the beating of war
drums on Iran with the politicians in the US competing with each other to
woo the Zionists, can Obama afford to be left behind? So promising more
effective sanctions against an already much punished country over the past
33 years, he thunders all options are on the table, reminding one of Ws
rhetoric. So much for the audacity of hope!
The irony of it all may not be entirely lost on the Nobel laureate
president. But with the re-election battle fast approaching and all Republican
hopefuls, except Ron Paul and Herman Cain, promising to hit Tehran, how
can Obama appear weak on national security? The rejection of the
Palestinian state was part one of the strategy for the Jewish vote and money.
An attack on Iran would seal the pact with the devil.
Next day, Neve Gordon observed: Regardless of whether Netanyahu
and Barak are already set on launching an assault, the media hype and the
portrayal of Iran as constituting an existential threat to Israel surely help to
produce the necessary conditions for a military campaign. What is
remarkable about this saber rattling is its abstraction. Not a single analyst
noted that entering war is easy but ending it is far more difficult,
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particularly if on the other side stands a regional power with vast

resources and a well-trained military (unlike Hamas or Hezbollah). And, of
course, no one really talked about the likelihood of a gory future or what
kind of life we were planning for our children. This kind of abstraction
makes war palatable, providing a great service to the war machine.
Marc Lynch wrote: Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians packed
Tahrir Square today (Nov 19) demanding an end to military rule. Islamists
and non-Islamist forces combined forces on the eve of Parliamentary
elections in a show of popular strength demanding a real, rapid transition
from military rule to democracy. The size of the turnout and the unity of
the message will send a strong, and incredibly important, message to the
Supreme Council of the Armed Forces: it should not delay a transition to
civilian rule, it should back off from its proposed pro-military supraconstitutional document, and it should stop its abuses of military courts and
emergency law
Todays protest has produced all three of those key ingredients.
Hopefully, this will force the SCAF to respond positively to the key
demands withdrawing or fundamentally revising the constitutional
principles document, moving the date for the Presidential election back to
April 2012, clearly committing to an end to military rule, and putting a stop
to the abuse of military courts and emergency law. That would go a long
way towards helping make the upcoming elections a positive step towards a
democratic Egypt rather than a tragic missed opportunity.

REVIEW
Islamists victory promised change for better for the masses in
Tunisia. But, behind the scenes the Crusaders must be leaving no stone
unturned to ensure that any future ruling setup remains submissive to the
West. The plans to carve out such setup must be working as the winning
party has not yet been subjected to demonizing propaganda.
In Libya, focus is now on war crimes committed by the NATO and
criminal elements hired as mercenaries. Previously, the focus was on crimes
committed by Gaddafi and his son Seif. The major shift is in the intent,
which to start with was to try Gaddafi and his son through ICC.
But, after Gaddafi fell as victim to war crimes jointly committed by
NATO and their mercenaries the shift came. The priority now is to cover up
485

or condone these crimes committed by and for the civilized world. Multipronged efforts have been launched through diplomats and inquiry
commissions which would underplay the gravity of the crimes committed
NATO and its mercenaries and they will be exonerated sooner or later and if
needed the trial of Gaddafis son could be used for bargaining.
The recent uprising of Arab masses was most vibrant in Egypt, which
led many to believe that things in Arab World were changing for better. But,
its hijacking was in itself a master stroke. In a brilliant counter-revolutionary
move Hosni Mobarak was replaced by Army generals and thus continuation
of the status quo was ensured,
Syria is in the eye of the storm along with Iran and Pakistan. America,
Europe, Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and other Arab rulers appeared to have
reached consensus to bring regime-change in the country; only Russia,
China and Iran seemed to be coming in their way. Assads removal would
make it possible to disarm Hezbollah and Israel to carry our air strike against
Irans nuclear installations.
As Muslim countries kept falling before the Crusaders like nine pins
the Zionist Israel was itching to target nuclear installations of Iran. Its
leaders saw the time was ripe for fulfilling the long standing desire of
denying the Islamic Republic the nuclear capability. Iranian leadership has
not faltered under increasing pressure; the support from Russia and China
has helped them in this context though Saudi Arabia appeared to be in
agreement with Israel.
In Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh kept stalling the demands of his Arab
brothers for his exit from power. The recent visit of UN representatives also
failed to make any progress. The secret of his perseverance lied in the fact
that America and Saudi Arabia were in no hurry primarily for the reason that
they have not yet found suitable replacement.
20th November, 2011

486

MEMO TO MULLEN
Notwithstanding the stated purpose of APC Resolution Zardari regime
had strived to please its US masters. The wording of the resolution had left a
lot to be desired despite draftswoman-ship of Shireen Mazari but as regards
its implementation the regime was very clear about what to do well before
calling the APC. Zardaris front man, Haqqani had already done that through
a secret memo.
The exercise was aimed at defusing anti-US public sentiment with the
hope of scrounging some dollars from miserly Mother-in-Law. In blatant
contradiction of the contents of the Resolution, of late, the faithful Zardari
has been reported to have assured his US Masters of action against Haqqani
Network.

487

On Indian front, he was moving faster to implement directives of the

US regarding improving relations. This was so because having cordial
relations with India suited his own strategy as well. Whereas humiliating
Army facilitated humbling it, friendship with India could provide
justification to cut the Army to size.
While improving relations with India Zardari seemed to be
implementing the instructions of Hillary in letter and spirit. He was ensuring
materialization of MFN status for India in days and weeks, not months.
When apparently every thing was moving as per Zardaris desires something
happened which caught him unaware.
For reasons yet to be found Pakistani American businessman Mansoor
Ijaz, who was used for sending a memorandum to Mike Mullen seeking US
help in keeping Pakistan Army in check from toppling his regime, let the cat
out of the bag. In the follow up ISI has reportedly collected sufficient
evidence which could facilitate breaking on Zardari-Haqqani Nexus.

NEWS
In Pakistan, four people were killed in drone attack in North
Waziristan on 31st October. KPK minister escaped attempt on his life in
Kohat. On the sidelines of Commonwealth meeting in Australia, Prime
Minister said that Pakistan supports military actions against terrorists and
extremists to safeguard its own interest and for global peace. Next day, the
US urged that intelligence provided to Pakistan should not leak to Haqqanis.
On 2nd November, 13 persons were wounded by remote-controlled
bomb hit the vehicle of a tribal leader near Peshawar. Two FC soldiers were
killed and two wounded in militants attack in Mohmand Agency. Next day,
three militants were killed in drone attack in North Waziristan. Levyman
was killed by militants in Kurram Agency. US Senator Ackerman said
Pakistan Army isnt US ally; it has been mercenary from day one.
On 4th November, the US has dropped aid to Pakistan from $1.5
billion to $1.1 billion this year. The administration said how much is
provided next year is uncertain but the administration is committed to
robust, multi-year civilian assistance. In a policy shift stemming in part
from increasing deaths of Pakistani civilians, the CIA tightened the rules on
drone strikes in Pakistan, especially after US military and diplomatic
officials complained of damage to the fragile Pak-US relationship.

488

Pakistan dubbed a US media report regarding safety and security of its

nuclear assets as a mere laughingstock, saying it was handiwork of the same
lobby that wants to establish Pakistan as an irresponsible state. The
Atlantics Jeffrey Goldberg and National Journals Marc Ambinder had
reported that nuclear bombs capable of pulverizing entire cities should
probably be kept in a safe place, but in Pakistan these are transported in
civilian-style vans through busy traffic.
Next day, five soldiers were killed in an ambush laid by militants in
North Waziristan. Hina said that Pakistan was firm on its earlier stance that
drone strikes were uncalled for and counter-productive. She was asked to
comment on media reports that USA had told Pakistan that from now
onwards it would carry out such attacks with prior knowledge of Pakistan.
On 6th November, one person was wounded in blast of a device in a
car Landikotal. A woman was killed and three others injured when a group
of armed militants intruded from Afghanistan into Bajaur Agency and
launched an attack. Next day, ANP leader Hanif Jadoon and his gunman
were killed in suicide attack in Swabi; his son was among seven wounded.
On 8th November, it was reported that a 16-year-old Pakistani named
Tariq Aziz traveled to Islamabad from his home in North Waziristan to
attend a Waziristan Grand Jirga an official meeting the following day to
discuss the impact of drone strikes on local communities in Pakistan. Aziz
had come after he received a phone call from a lawyer in Islamabad
offering him an opportunity to learn basic photography to help document
these strikes. Three days later, Aziz and his cousin were killed. I dont see
the logic and reasoning in killing two young boys, human rights lawyer
Shahzad Akbar said. He planned to sue the CIA for killing innocent civilians
through drone attacks in Pakistan.
Next day, Hussain Haqqani said Washington must understand that
Pakistan was not playing a double game with America. Washington Post said
Zardari has pledged to support action against Haqqani Network. US
Embassy warned its citizens to avoid movement in Peshawar.
On 10th November, six people were killed in a clash between militants
and tribal Lashkar in Khyber Agency. Keeping up pressure on Pakistan to
strike at militant groups in North Waziristan, US warned if Islamabad does
not become a part of the solution, it could be branded as part of the
problem. The US Under Secretary of Defence for Policy, said US was
engaged in a very candid and intensive discussions with Pakistan about
how they can together deal with some of these groups.
489

Next day, Commander CENTCOM, General James N Mattis, called

on General Kayani. The two military leaders discussed bilateral issues with
special emphasis on improving coordination between ISAF and Pakistan
Army at Pak-Afghan border. On 12th November, Policeman was killed in
roadside bombing near Shabqadar.
Lashkar-i-Jhangvi Commander Dr Arshad and his accomplices had
abducted an army Maj named Muhammad Haroon from Mandi Bahaudin
and brought him to Pir Chunbbal Hills in the Salt Range where other
terrorists were also present. The terrorists learnt that four MI officials were
on mission to locate them to secure the release of the kidnapped major.
The terrorists reportedly were demanding release of 20 terrorists
arrested during military operation in the tribal areas along the Afghanistan
border. But smelling the threat, they found and killed these four MI officials
as well as the kidnapped major. Police and security forces in a search
operation recovered their dead bodies.
Hafiz Gul Bahadur, head of his own faction of Pakistani Taliban
threatened Pakistani government to tear up a peace accord and turn his
fighters against the Islamabad. He criticized the government for allowing the
US to carry out drone attacks in North Waziristan and said the council of
militant groups would no longer hold talks with the government. Hafiz Gul
Bahadur has an unofficial non-aggression pact with the military.
On 13th November, security forces clamped curfew on various parts of
North Waziristan border region for an indefinite period. At least 16 people
were killed and nine injured in two separate attacks in Khyber Agency. The
first attack was in the Sipah area in which a mortar shell was fired at a
house, killing at least eight people including three children and injuring two
others. Shortly after this a blast was reported at a market place in the Tirrah
Valley which killed eight local militiamen who are fighting against militants
in the area and injured seven other people.
The candidates seeking Republican Partys presidential nomination
for the November 2012 election were split in their foreign policy debate on
how to deal with Pakistan. Texas Governor Rick Perry declared that he
would eliminate the billions in US foreign aid to the country. I dont trust
them, Perry said. But Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, a member of the
House Intelligence Committee, and Rick Santorum, a former senator from
Pennsylvania, disagreed, suggesting that such a policy was reckless.
Meanwhile, Australia blocked another shipment to Pakistan, because
according to observers Pakistan is considered threat to global security.
490

Next day, four FC soldiers were killed and four wounded in a clash
with militants in Bara area. Three militants were killed in Mohmand Agency.
Air Chief said PAF has flown more than 5,500 strike sorties over the
countrys troubled tribal regions since May 2008. He was sharing PAFs
experience in the Air Chiefs Conference in Dubai. He, however, admitted
that military operations were no solution to FATA problem.
Referring to the article written by Manzur Ijaz about post-May 2
developments, Shah Mahmood Qureshi said had his claim been wrong
Zardari would have taken a legal action against him. He also urged the
Supreme Court of Pakistan to take notice of the correspondence between
Zardari with American authorities. Earlier had made similar remarks in his
speech at Minar-e-Pakistan
On 15th November, seven suspected rebels were killed in drone strike
in Miranshah Bazaar, part of the town of Miranshah. At least 28 militants
were killed and over dozen injured during clashes with Pakistan Army in
Orakzai Agency. The forces shelled militant hide outs in the area.
General Kayani called on Zardari. It wasnt a routine ritual conducted
to show civil-military solidarity whenever the regime is under pressure.
General Kayani asked Zardari to remove Hussain Haqqani immediately. He
has also demanded of the president to appoint a national security advisor for
coordination who would be more powerful than foreign minister and
Pakistans envoy to United States. Later, Zardari asked Munter to come over
for guidance on the matter.
The Presidency remained mum over its decision of not inviting any of
the services chiefs at the reception hosted in honour of Turkmenistans
President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov by Zardari on Monday. General
Khalid Shameem Wynne and Air Chief were not in the country, but other
two commanders were present in the country. According to ISPR sources,
General Kayani was not invited at the reception while there was no official
account relating to the invitation to the Chief of Naval Staff.
Next day, five US drones fired up to 10 missiles into a compound in
the Baber Ghar area of South Waziristan, killing 15 to 18 fighters in the
deadliest such American strike in three months. The target was a base of
Pakistan Taliban. Death toll in Orakzai Agency operation rose to 35,
including a major. At least six people were killed and another two injured as
a suicide bomber detonated his jacket targeting a vehicle carrying peace
committee members in Tirrah Valley.

491

NATO oil tanker was torched near Chaman. Three suicide bombers
blew up their explosives-laden vehicle when they were challenged by police
on the seafront of Karachi, two policemen were also killed. Zardari, Gilani
and Kayani discussed Hussain Haqqani issue. Late at night Hussain Haqqani
tendered his resignation.
On 17th November, drones fired four missiles at a home in North
Waziristan near the Afghan border, killing eight alleged militants in the third
such strike in as many days. Army scaled up military operation against the
miscreants in the North Western belt amid repeated attacks on security
forces that appeared to have resulted in dozens of causalities. At least 30
militants were killed and 10 other sustained injuries in clashes between
militants and security forces in Orakzai Agency.
Anti-Terrorism Special Court in Swat acquitted three sons of Mualana
Sufi Muhammad, the chief of banned Tehreek-Nifaz-e-Shariat Muhammadi.
The TNSM chiefs sons put up solid evidence against the charges to which
they were convicted a couple of years back, it is learnt. Meanwhile, at least
22 militants were killed and several others injured during clashes with the
Pakistan Army in Upper Dir.
Investigators reported that the explosives used in failed suicide
bombing in Karachi were of the kind never used before and some the parts
used in the bomb were of US origin. Letter from the government to US
officials against army chief and ISI echoed in the National Assembly and
Zardari was made target of sever criticism by opposition. Mullen accepted
receiving a memo of Zardari through Manzur Ijaz; previously he had denied
receiving such letter.
Next day, seven militants were killed in Kurram Agency; three
persons including a woman and a child were killed when a mortar shell
landed at their house. A soldier and eight militants were killed in a clash in
Orakzai Agency. Six militants and a soldier were killed in a clash in Bara
area. NATO oil tanker was blown up near Jamrud and a driver was killed in
firing at NATO container near Sibi. A suspected foreign terrorist blew
himself up with a hand grenade during a search operation conducted by
Rangers in Karachi.
Nawaz Sharif demanded of the government to form a Chief Justiceled inquiry commission over an alleged memorandum sent to the former US
joints chiefs of staff committee by Zardari, seeking Washingtons help to
stop a coup by the Pakistan Army. PTI urged suo mot notice by the Chief

492

Justice. State Departments deputy spokesman refused to comment on news

of Husain Haqqanis resignation, saying it is Islamabads internal matter.
Hussain Haqqani, who previously had given different excuses about
delay in his trip to Islamabad, now said that his traveling is subject to
clearance from his doctor. Reportedly, delay is on the behest of Presidency
as some of Zardaris advisers have counseled him not to take any action
against Haqqani because he would become next target. State Department
Deputy Spokesman refused to comment on news of Haqqanis resignation.
On 19th November, at least 12 militants were killed and four wounded
in raids by Pakistan Army gunship helicopters in Orakzai Agency. A top
Pentagon official warned that the US would consider a range of options if
Pakistan does not address issues related to extremism seriously. Before
flying to Pakistan for his clarification Hussain Haqqani held a sitting with
US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Marc Grossman and
discussed changing political scenario in Pakistan.
Nawaz Sharif said that his party would move the Supreme Court if the
issue of secret memo was not resolved. He reiterated that an inquiry should
be carried out into the issue and the National Assembly could look into the
matter. He said a commission headed by Fakhruddin G Ibrahim could also
be formed into to matter.
Prime Minister said that it would be premature to decide the memo
issue before the arrival of Husain Haqqani, but gave the assurance that the
matter will be taken to its logical end and the national interest will be
ensured at all costs. Talking to journalists at the Walima reception of KPK
Governors son he termed Army and ISI more patriotic than Opposition.
Supreme Court was moved to set up a Judicial Commission to probe
the issue of memo allegedly written by Mansoor Aijaz. A petition in this
regard has been filed at Lahore Registry pleaded the court to declare
Mansoor Aijaz an unfavorable person until the probe into the alleged letter
written to USs top military officer Mike Mullen is completed.
Next day, Zardari gave Husain Haqqani an opportunity to appear
before a joint meeting of civil and military leadership on 21 st November to
explain his role in the alleged memo controversy. Reportedly, Haqqani, a
close aide of President Zardari, had also agreed to face any inquiry.
Some people raised their eyebrows on the nature of meetings between
Haqqani and Zardari saying these meetings should have been official rather
than informal, which they believed made these meeting more fishy in
493

character. Earlier, the envoy was given the full protocol and security when
he arrived at Benazir Airport and he would stay at President House for
security reasons.
Meanwhile, Mansoor Ijaz told a private Pakistani news channel that
he had met ISI DG Lt Gen (R) Ahmad Shuja Pasha in London last month
and had handed the forensic evidence regarding involvement of Ambassador
Haqqani in the memo issue. Mansoor Ijaz has once again accused Hussain
Haqqani of lying despite revelation of all the facts of Memogate.
Mike Mullen himself has confirmed that he had received the letter,
Mansoor said in an interview to an Indian TV. Answering a question, he said
that Haqqani was under immense pressure. Talking about Zardari, Mansoor
claimed that though he had not dictated the memo himself but whatever
Haqqani did he did it with President Zardaris approval. I did write the
memo but my position was merely that of a typist, I only wrote what
Haqqani dictated, it was not my job to oversee the memo, he remarked.
Addressing to a public meeting at Faisalabad, Nawaz Sharif with
reference to the letter sent to Mike Mullen said that Pakistan was being
destroyed for personal interest. Mr Zardari country will not run this way,
you are hurting our sovereignty, he said. He gave nine days to sort out the
memo issue failing which PML-N would go to the Supreme Court.
Talking to media in Lahore, defence minister said that Hussain
Haqqani was part of the prime minister team and if the envoy was found
guilty, the PM house would be directly responsible for the conspiracy. He
said Mansoor Ijaz was a conspirator and he had been involved many
conspiracies against Pakistan.
Meanwhile, at least ten militants were killed and four injured during
operation in Orakzai Agency. Six bullet-riddled dead bodies were recovered
from Bara area. Three NATO oil tankers caught fire when some unknown
miscreant opened fire on convoy in Dasht area of Mastung. One person was
killed and four arrested in Karachi; they are linked to attack on Saudi
Consulate in May. Ten people were injured in a bomb blast in a mini cinema.
In Afghanistan, five people were killed when bombers struck UN
and US offices in Kandahar on 31st October. Next day, Kyrgyzstan wanted
US air base closed. India planned to build Iran-Afghanistan rail link. In
Istanbul, Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to cooperate in investigation into
the murder of Burhanuddin Rabbani. An important MoU on Conduct of
Mutual Exercises and Training Courses between the militaries of Pakistan,

494

Turkey and Afghanistan was signed by Army chiefs. Another agreement

signed by three countries among their interior ministers was protocol
between the three countries on training cooperation. These agreements were
attempt at countering agreements signed by Karzai in New Delhi.
On 2nd November, Istanbul regional conference adopted a declaration
envisaging a broad range of effective confidence building measures to
promote a secure and stable Afghanistan in a secure, stable and prosperous
region. According to the declaration adopted by 11 ministers, besides
representatives of 29 neighbouring countries of Afghanistan known as Heart
of Asian Countries, they also agreed on a number of CBMs in political,
security, economic, educational and cultural fields.
The Istanbul conference jointly hosted by Turkey and Afghanistan
also envisages guarantees of territorial integrity, sovereignty and refraining
from the threat or use of force to resolve disputes. The participants also
discussed guarantees for non-intervention and non-interference in the
internal affairs of other states and peaceful settlement of disputes in
accordance with international law.
Next day, two guards were killed in suicide attack on logistic
company in Herat. On 5th November, Major General Peter Fuller, a top US
commander in Afghanistan was relieved of his duties after criticizing Karzai.
General had said that Afghan leaders were corrupt and isolated from reality.
Next day, eight people were killed in suicide attack in a mosque in Baghlan.
On 8th November, eight people were killed in insurgents action. Next
day, up to 70 Taliban fighters were killed after trying to attack a foreign
troop base in Paktika province. An Afghan soldier killed three Australian
soldiers in Uruzgan Province. On 10th November, a British soldier was killed
in Babaji district in the south. Three Afghan policemen were killed and three
US soldiers wounded in Taliban attack in Khost. Taliban were expected to
attend peace moot in Germany.
Next day, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to further enhance
cooperation to ensure peace, security and stability in the region when Gilani
held an hour-long meeting with Karzai. Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs was
sentenced for life by a military court. Gibbs was accused of terrorizing as the
leader of what prosecutors call a rogue group of soldiers that targeted
civilians in Afghanistan, who were accused of murdering Afghan villagers,
planting weapons on them and cutting body parts off to keep as war trophies.
On 12th November, eight civilians were killed when their bus was hit
by a roadside bomb in Laghman province. Two days later, a suspected
495

suicide bomber was shot dead in Kabul. On 16 th November, NATO air strike
killed 27 insurgents in Nangarhar province after they opened fire on an
international military patrol. There were no coalition or Afghan civilian
deaths reported.
Karzai wanted the United States and NATO to agree to stop carrying
out night raids on Afghan homes, hand over control of detention centres to
Afghan troops and disband international bodies as pre-conditions to Kabul
signing a strategic partnership with Washington. He said this on day one of
the four-day loya jirga which he had convened to secure backing for a
strategic partnership deal with the United States currently under negotiation
which will govern American involvement in Afghanistan after the deadline
for the exit of foreign combat troops by the end of 2014.
Next day, two British soldiers were killed when a roadside bomb hit
their armoured vehicle in Helmand province. They were the 39th and 40th
British soldiers to die this year in Afghanistan. Insurgents fired a rocket near
the venue of a major meeting in the Afghan capital Kabul discussing the
controversial presence of US troops after NATO combat forces leave in
2014. The strike in Kabul, which was claimed by the Taliban, wounded one
person but highlighted lingering security fears at the four-day loya jirga.
On 18th November, four children were killed when a shell landed near
their house in Nangarhar. Next day, two Afghan policemen were shot dead
by NATO troops in southwest Afghanistan. Loya jirga backed US deal but
opposed permanent military presence of US troops in the country.
On 2nd November, federal cabinet gave approval to the proposal of
giving Most Favourite Nation status to India and enhancing trade
relations with the neighbouring country. The cabinet was given briefing by
Amin Fahim about the outcome of his recent visit to India. The cabinet
witnessed severe criticism on granting status of MFN to India by some of
the cabinet members. These ministers were of the view that Kashmir cause
could be damaged by granting MFN status to India.
Next day, senators slammed giving MFN status to India under US
pressure. The US showed willingness to sell F-35 fighter planes to India. On
5th November, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said that Army had been
taken on board before cabinets decision on granting MFN status to India.
Next day, Syed Ali Geelani rejected grant of most-favoured nation status to
arch rival India by Pakistan under pressure from the United States. He urged
Pakistanis to rise and compel their government to withdraw the decision.

496

On 8th November, after having assured Pakistan not to raise any

objection to trade concessions accorded by EU to secure MFN status; India
got that task performed by Bangladesh. In a diplomatic finesse Bangladesh
obliged India by objecting to grant of trade concessions to Pakistan.
Next day, a court sentenced 31 Hindus to life imprisonment for killing
dozens of Muslims by setting fire to a building during one of India's worst
rounds of communal violence in Gujarat nine years ago. Judge ST
Srivastava acquitted 41 others of murder for lack of evidence. Those
convicted by the court can appeal against the verdict in a higher court. In
Maldives, India's foreign minister said that a trust deficit with Pakistan was
shrinking; a clear sign of warming relations between the neighbours.
On 10th November, Gilani and Singh met at regional summit in the
Maldives and claimed their often strained ties were improving. The time
has come to write a new chapter in the history of our countries, Singh told
reporters. The next round of talks should be far more productive and far
more practical-orientated in bringing the two countries closer. Gilani said
that all issues were discussed during their one-hour meeting including the
contentious issue of Kashmir. Singh termed his Pakistani counterpart as man
of peace which was not liked by Indian media. The US hailed the meeting.
Next day, Indias Supreme Court expressed shock at the number of
Pakistanis being held in Indian jails without charge. At least 250 Pakistani
nationals are held, some for many years, with one case involving a prisoner
behind bars for more than 40 years. The court ordered the government to file
a comprehensive report on the prisoners within two weeks.
On 12th November, Singh said Pakistan Army was on board for peace
talks, but any progress would depend on action taken on Mumbai dossiers.
Next day, it was reported that Indian armed forces were pressing for
achieving their aim of inducting around 900 helicopters in the coming
decade. Helicopters in the pipeline include 384 light-utility and observation,
139 medium-lift, 90 naval multi-role, 65 light combat, 22 heavy-duty attack,
15 heavy-lift, 12 VVIP, five maritime early-warning and 86 Dhruv advanced
light helicopters. Presently, IAF is moving towards finalizing a second
contract with Russia for another 59 MI-17 helicopters after the phased
delivery of the first 80 began in September.
Indian exports to Pakistan are on the rise though it has yet to be
granted MFN status whereas Pakistani exports to India have downward trend
despite its earning MFN status years back from New Delhi. The real

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problem has been that Pakistani exporters cannot get access to Indian
markets because of the non-tariff barriers created by Indian bureaucracy.
On 15th November, Pakistan agreed during meeting between
commerce secretaries of two countries in New Delhi to give market access
to Indian goods soon so as to give meaning to MFN status. India o
successfully test-fired an advanced variant of nuclear-capable Agni-II
ballistic missile with a strike range of 3,000 km.
On 17th November, Taliban while criticizing the government for
giving MFN status to India dubbed the decision against the integrity of
Pakistan and the Kashmir cause. We would not tolerate Hindu infidels on
the Pakistani land and option of attacking Indian trade convoys would be
considered.
In Balochistan, five militants were among nine killed in a clash with
tribal peace force in Dera Bugti on 31st October. Next day, six people were
killed in incidents of violence across the province. The Balochistan High
Court ordered that all the accused in the Nawab Akbar Bugti murder case,
including Musharraf and Shaukat Aziz be brought back. The orders came
during the hearing of the murder case of Nawaz a week after a local court
issued arrest warrants for Musharraf and Shaukat Aziz.
On 2nd November, at least two FC Soldiers were killed and two injured
when their convoy was targeted by road side bombing in Naseerabad area.
Two more bullet-riddled bodies were recovered from Mastung and Quetta.
Next day, convoy of Shia pilgrims returning from Iran was attacked Lakpass
near Quetta.
On 4th November, a Judicial Magistrate in Quetta issued arrest
warrants of Jam Muhammad Yousuf, former Chief Minister of Balochistan
in murder case of Nawab Muhammad Akbar Khan Bugti. Two electric
pylons were blown up in Naseerabad. Next day, a suicide bomber blew
himself up in Quetta near a worship place of Hazara community. Dead body
of a journalist was found in Khuzdar.
On 12th November, a woman and a boy were wounded in remotecontrolled bomb blast that targeted police in Dera Murad Jamali. Two days
later, bullet-riddled dead body was found in Kuchlak. In an unusual
decision the US granted political asylum to a Pakistani journalist from
Balochistan, Siraj Ahmed Malik. On 16th November, three people were
killed in incidents of violence across the province.

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VIEWS
On 1st November, Javid Husain observed: The main positive outcome
of Hillary Clintons visit to Pakistan was the agreement to work out
modalities and the sequence of the peace process in Afghanistan that is
Afghan-led. Pakistan has agreed to facilitate talks with the Taliban through
tri-logue involving the Afghanistan government, the US and Pakistan. It
remains for the officials of the countries concerned to flesh out the details of
the work plan for such talks, particularly their format, participants,
objectives, etc. Hopefully, the planned conferences in Istanbul to be held
tomorrow and in Bonn early next month would result in the finalization of a
generally acceptable work plan for the peace talks in Afghanistan.
Hillary Clinton arrived in Islamabad with a tough message expecting
Pakistan to work with the US in fighting the militants, talking with them and
building the region with particular emphasis on denying the Taliban safe
havens in FATA. By the time she left Pakistan, there was increased
recognition of the difficulties that Pakistan faced in overt military action
against the Taliban because of security considerations and the need to
commence talks with the Taliban. The American emphasis is now more on
squeezing the Taliban than on overt military action against them. This
makes sense, as explained earlier. Clintons visit definitely helped in
defusing tensions between the two countries. However, all is still not well, as
was made amply clear by the complaint made publicly by ISPR a few days
ago that Pakistan had not been taken into confidence about the Afghan peace
process and its objectives. One gets the same impression from the continued
complaints by the US generals about Pakistans alleged support to the
Taliban.
Undoubtedly, Afghanistan has become a major stumbling block in
the strengthening of Pakistan-US relations. The need of the hour is for
Islamabad and Washington to reach an agreement not only on their vision of
the future of Afghanistan, but also on the modalities for realizing that vision
through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process. A lot will depend
on the success of the two sides in working out mutually agreed operational
strategies to persuade the various Afghan parties to join the negotiations for
national reconciliation. Till that is done, Pakistan-US relations will remain
subject to strains.
Muhammad Javed observed: The USAs change of posture
towards Pakistan is a tactical manoeuvre to reduce visible tensions.
However, it will continue pulling other more covert levers of influence in
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Pakistan to impose its will. Pakistans weak economy, bad governance,

issues of corruption, political uncertainty and polarization, socio-ethnic
divide and sectarian and religions extremism, render it vulnerable on many
counts. Continuation of psychological and propaganda campaign across the
information channels is designed to create conceptual confusion and
debilitating perceptual schisms. All the three major players, i.e. the US,
Pakistan and Afghanistan, are under severe strain. So far, Pakistan had
followed or reacted to the US design. It has to develop its indigenous,
independent and holistic design and pursue it more proactively. It must
distinguish and deal with freedom fighters in Afghanistan, resistance group
located in Pakistan and rogue extremist elements destabilizing it internally,
separately.
So far, Pakistans counter terrorism policy and capacity has been
miserably deficient, divided and incoherent. It needs to develop an all
integrated and comprehensive system to effectively engage and neutralize
extremism within. Karachi and Balochistan are still smouldering. The
internal scene needs major corrections and conciliation.
The respite accorded to Pakistan is, therefore, going to be shortlived. Pakistan can squeeze the HN through troops deployment at nodal
points, logistic disruption and restricting money trail, but its influence
cannot be all compelling. Simultaneous with the squeeze, the HN-Mullah
Omer combine will have to be engaged through interpersonal, political and
diplomatic channels as well.
Essentially, Pakistan, its army and intelligence agencies have the
ability to facilitate a broad-based mechanism, which can become the basis
for Bonn + 6 and Chicago conferences. The Istanbul congregation can only
give broad outlines and basis for all parties to remain engaged. The
continued absence of mujahideen from such forums will render it ineffective
and lopsided. Pakistan can act as the bridge, which can span the deepening
schisms. The US and the world are grudgingly accepting Pakistans
centrality to a regional peace construct. This crisis also has hidden seeds of
opportunity embedded in it for Pakistan.
Next day, TheNation commented: According to a press report
datelined New York, both President Asif Ali Zardari and COAS General
Ashfaq Parvez Kayani have given an assurance to the Americans that
Pakistan will be acting against the Haqqani network. This assurance was
given to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her recent visit to
Islamabad. Such an assurance, if given, goes against the unambiguous and
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unanimous resolution of the all parties conference held on September 29 in

the wake of the threatening remarks made by Admiral Mike Mullen. In sum,
the APC decided, in the words of its resolution, to give peace a chance.
The army, which has so far been pleading its inability to proceed against the
militants of the Haqqani group, was part of the APC in the first instance and
in the second of the assurance that has apparently been given.
There is little doubt that at the moment the Pakistan Army has an
over-extended presence on the Pak-Afghan border, apart from the fact that it
deploys a sizeable force on the Indian side of the border. It must take into
account that any further military action would inevitably either make the
eastern flank of the country vulnerable or thin out its deployment in the
FATA region. This would be dangerous in either event, besides the fact
that success does not lie in simply announcing the launch an operation.
With the possibility of talks open, there seems to be no immediate
reason for the Pakistan Army to take up arms against the Haqqanis in
North Waziristan. The Army has also gone on record suggesting to
Washington time and again that it should engage the Taliban in negotiating a
peace settlement and post-withdrawal course of action to follow in
Afghanistan. In fact, the Americans have taken this advice and are doing just
that. Secretary Clinton herself has acknowledged behind the scenes, that
these negotiations were being conducted through the intercession of the ISI.
This is precisely the strategy which we too should be following. Military
operation presents many an odd against Pakistan, not excluding the
militants backlash in the form of a heightened incidence of suicide attacks
in the country.
A severely negative public reaction is also certain. The widespread
feeling in the country is that our army should not, under any circumstances,
open a new front, as the option of concluding a settlement through peaceful
means can still be exercised. We must also remember that a spokesman of
the Haqqanis had, some time back, stated that in case of a war between the
US and Pakistan, the group reserved the right to decide which side to
support. We should be working on a solution that envisages a peaceful
Afghanistan, living in harmony with Pakistan and its neighbours, as the final
outcome of the war on terror and that can only be achieved through talks.
On 6th November, TheNation commented: The CIAs revised policy
on drones attacks has once again brought to the fore the disturbing question
whether these pilot-less aerial strikes that have so far killed nearly 3,000
tribesmen, an overwhelming percentage of them innocent Pakistani citizens,
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are being carried out with the consent of our ruling leadership Reportedly,
the hue and cry raised in Pakistan following the mounting death toll of
civilians created differences between US diplomatic circles, the military and
the CIA, with the former two stressing a review of this policy and the CIA
sticking to its guns. Finally, President Obama had to intervene to resolve the
issue. The change only relates to attacks that could jeopardize the lives of
militants sympathizers along with militants themselves. It stipulates prior
notice to Pakistan of these strikes, called signature attacks. The
personality attacks i.e. which could entail the death of a militant would be
privy to no such notice. Concerns about the violation of sovereignty thus
still stand unaddressed. Pakistan must not hesitate to demand an end to all
types of drone attacks.
Another report also reveals a sharp cut, as much as of $400 million
out of $1.5 billion, in the US civilian aid to Pakistan under the Kerry-LugarBerman Act. Without going into an examination of American logic behind
this decision and its justification, or lack of it, we should be looking at it as
an opportunity to rescue our economy from the addiction to aid. A country,
rich in human and natural resources, can surely tap them given the will.
What the Pakistani ruling classes need is that will!
In another editorial the newspaper wrote: If the report appearing in
the latest issue of the American magazine, The Atlantic, that Pakistans
nuclear weapons were transported in minivans, was true, it would be truly
frightening. Butthe report does not seem to be an attempt to report as to
provide a backing chorus to those who are desirous of eliminating
Pakistans nuclear deterrent, achieved at high cost and by hard work and
perseverance, by its nuclear scientists. This desire is fuelled by those most
fearful of our nuclear ability, i.e. India, which has found that deterrent a
hurdle in its attempt to establish hegemony over the region, following US
encouragement in helping it fulfill its wish to emerge as a regional
counterweight to China. It would also help India in achieving its ambition of
reversing partition. India wants Pakistan to fear its nuclear weapons and its
solution is to deprive Pakistan of this deterrent and it has succeeded in
enlisting the USA to help in this effort.
Such reports are also utilized by certain lobbies within the USA
to create circumstances where it can cut aid, as it has tellingly done.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's utility as an ally in its war on terror appears
unreduced. It may also be time for Pakistan to stop accepting as gospel free
reports in the US media and demand the US governments to distance
themselves from such malicious tactics. It bears mentioning that India, with
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its numerous nuclear accidents and patchy nuclear safety record never finds
mention in the American press.
Pakistan should need no further evidence that it is time to
withdraw from the alliance in the war on terror. The ruling elite must
overcome its fascination with the USA, and their desire for its support, and
pay attention to the real wishes of the Pakistani people, and come out clearly
in opposition to its war which started out as being described as a 'crusade', in
the guise of a war on terror.
On 11th November, TheNation commented: President Zardari is
supposed to have committed to an American delegation that his government
would work to eradicate the Haqqani network The President should not
have made this commitment, and the excuse that this was necessary to
maintain the relationship with the USA does not hold water, as the
relationship is supposed to serve Pakistans national interest, and that is not
to be made subordinate to any favours which go contrary to its interest.
Obviously, when the President makes a commitment of that sort, it is to be
taken seriously, but it is one he should have avoided. However, he should
keep in mind the wishes of the people of Pakistan, who are already inclined
to ending the alliance with the USA, especially since the war on terror
means a war on Muslim countries, complete with occupation of their lands
through military force.
The President should not mince words even with US
administration officials, let alone congressional delegations, and should
make crystal clear that Pakistan has no intention of launching a military
operation which will only serve US interests, and not Pakistani. If he
equivocates about this, he will not only send incorrect signals to the USA,
but also to the Pakistani people. The assumption that they do not understand
the compulsions of foreign policy may be correct, but in the case of the
USA, and participation in its war on terror, they know what they want, and
they are right.
Five days later, the newspaper wrote: After carrying out 5,500 strike
sorties to quell the menace of militancy in the FATA region during the past
three years and a half, the Pakistan Air Force authorities have come to the
conclusion that military operations are just not a solution Air Marshal
Suleiman said that over 10,600 bombs, 80 percent of them laser bombs, had
been used and 4,600 targets destroyed. That became possible with the help
of ever more sophisticated equipment, but not without suffering a loss of a
number of helicopters. Yet the desired objective of removing the terrorist
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threat could not be achieved. The obvious lesson to draw from this
experience is that an insurgent force adopting guerrilla tactics is a hard nut to
crack. There is no point in bombarding or, for that matter, attacking with
drones an evasive enemy. These acts, as they also involve the murder of
innocent civilians, only tend to swell the ranks of terrorists. And,
especially as the Pashtuns or Afghans are known for their brave and fearless
defence of independence and a culturally inbuilt hatred of a foreign
occupying force, the task of defeating them becomes all the harder
Somehow, the US would not admit this impasse in fighting to a
win, even after the surge in drone attacks as well as in troops had failed to
stem the tide of suicide bombings taking place right in the heart of their
strongholds in Afghanistan. However, the desperate attempts for an
honourable exit from the war tell the real story. That is why the keenness to
gather together the so-called good Taliban at the negotiating table! But since
the American strategy continues to retain the military option, in fact it
stipulates dialogue taking place side by side with armed action; it is not
likely to make any worthwhile headway. This fatal flaw would have to be
removed before the Taliban could come round to negotiating a peace
settlement that must entail an unconditional and total withdrawal of foreign
forces, leaving it to Afghans to work out their own future.
On 18th November, TheNation commented: The most controversial
memo, allegedly written on behalf of President Asif Zardari and delivered to
former Chairman US Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Mike Mullen, is
causing ripples in Islamabad and Washington The matter heated up
once again when Mansoor Ijaz released to the press 38 SMS messages
exchanged with him on his Blackberry cell phone. But what has made things
worse for Mr Zardari and Mr Haqqani is a confirmation by Mike Mullens
spokesman that he did receive the memo but paid no heed to it. Hussain
Haqqani, while addressing the embassy staff on Wednesday afternoon,
revealed that he has sent a letter to President Zardari expressing his
agreement to quit the office. Meanwhile, in an interview to the Washington
Times, Haqqani said at no point he was asked by President Zardari or
anyone in the Pakistan government to draft a memo and at no point he
drafted or delivered a memo. He also stated that he might visit Islamabad
some time next week.
Diplomatic and political observers here are of the view that given the
nature of the issue that has brought the civil and military top brass in a
confrontational mode, Haqqani would not return to Pakistan in the near
future. It appears that Gen Kayani, who met the President twice and Prime
504

Minister once during the past 48 hours wants to reach the bottom of this
scandal while the President would like to save Haqqanis skin if at all he
had acted on his advice. It wont take long before the actual situation is
known to the public.
Next day, the headline of TheNation read: Out of bottle, memo genie
confronts Zardari. Its staff reporter wrote: President Asif Ali Zardari is
facing one of his most serious political crises after former US joint chiefs of
staff chairman Mike Mullen confirmed Thursday he had received a message,
allegedly relayed from the president days after the Osama bin Laden raid,
pleading for help to prevent a military coup in Pakistan.
The memogate scandal was full blown on Friday with the
publication of the treacherous yet disputed memo, showing that Zardari
regime had literally gone to the extent of compromising national
security in wanting and offering selective cleansing of national security
institutions, particularly the ISI, and offering help against the existing
leadership of both al-Qaeda and Taliban These revelations have sparked a
fresh political storm in Pakistan and if proved authentic, it would reinforce
politically toxic charges that the government is colluding with the United
States against the interests of the country and its army.
The sensitivity of the situation led PPP to call a meeting of its core
committee on Friday and deciding to investigate the matter and punish the
culprits, if any. Sources said the party stalwarts termed the situation grim
and said that the opposition was taking advantage of the circumstances and
attacking the government on this front. President Zardari directed PPP
leaders to effectively counter the oppositions propaganda Some
analysts have speculated that President Zardari himself could be in danger if
charges that he approved the memo gain traction. The target is not me, the
target is President Zardari and Pakistani democracy, Haqqani was reported
as saying.
Speaking via telephone from Washington, Haqqani told a private
news channel that he was due to board a direct flight to Pakistan on Friday
evening. He reiterated that he never drafted or had any one draft a memo
In an exclusive interview with The Cable, Mansoor Ijaz alleged that Husain
Haqqani was not only the author of the memo, but the architect of the
entire plan to overthrow Pakistan's military and intelligence leadership,
and was seeking US help
The Cable, which obtained the document at the centre of the
controversy, confirmed that the memo is authentic and that it was
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received by Mullen Ijaz has claimed repeatedly that the memo came from
a senior Pakistani official close to Zardari and was given to Mullen through
a US interlocutor close to the then-serving Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman.
TheNations editorial read: The content of the memo that then US
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, Adm (retd) Mike Mullen, has admitted
receiving from Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz, purportedly
sent at the behest of President Asif Zardari and Pakistani Ambassador to the
USA, Hussain Haqqani, would have amounted to a flagrant propositioning
of the US. If sent with the Presidents consent, the making of these demands,
though not accepted, would amount to a surrender of sovereignty that would
render any government liable to charges of treason
The memo is itself an indictment and seems to attract treason
charges. If the alleged link to the President is shown, he will have much to
answer for. However, so far there has only been a trading of charges. What is
needed is for Parliament to thrash out the whole matter, probably in the kind
of joint session that originally looked into the Abbottabad raid. In its own
way, this memo affair is as serious a threat to Pakistani sovereignty as the
raid itself proved to be. There is an immediate need to give President
Zardari, Ambassador Haqqani and Mr Mansoor Ijaz, the opportunity to clear
their names. This must be done at the highest possible forum and at the
soonest.
Tallat Azim wrote: The truth, somehow and in the ultimate
analysis, has such a way of emerging from the securest depths that it
sweeps away all the camouflages and clever cover-ups. The rumblings,
which were continuously being heard since the damaging article in the
Financial Times by Mansoor Ijaz that appeared on October 11 this year, have
sent huge shockwaves to the Presidency. The ongoing, one-on-one meetings
at the President House are a testimony to this fact. It was a brilliant tactic to
use Mansoor Ijaz, who has a track record of offering services to go-between
the American and Pakistani governments, and who is not held in very high
esteem by many here, so that denial of complicity with him is believable, if
the need arose. But it failed because the MI kept the evidence and the
probing eyes of those whose job it is to remain informed have seen it
The realization that we have placed in power those who care very
little for the dignity and self-respect of the countrys image is actually, a
2011 moment for us. Among our own selves we can question, criticize and
refute any policy of any institution of the government and thats acceptable.
But to send a memorandum like the one in question to a superpower is
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utterly unforgivable. It cannot be overlooked or forgotten. The Supreme

Court must examine the evidence and take this issue to its logical conclusion
so that the fuller and clearer picture emerges
The sacking or resigning of Hussain Haqqani alone, as our
Ambassador to the USA, is not going to cut it. There may not be enough
black and white evidence to show that the memo had the Presidents
approval, but it is clear to even those who are certified dimwits that HH
could not have done this by his clever little self. It is too serious a matter.
Just when the President thought he had situations on all fronts in his control,
with particular reference to the MQM, PML-Q, PML-N, some superpower
(no reference to the USA) has moved the goal posts again. The year, full of
the most unexpected happenings, promises to end on the same note. Who
could ever have thought that two of the cleverest political minds that this
country has yet seen, and two which have really made all other established
leaders look so silly at times, could have left such a trail, if the MI does,
indeed, have incriminating and irrefutable evidence.
On 20th November, TheNation commented: The political crisis in the
country following the revelation of a secret memo sent to Admiral Mike
Mullen, who held the post of US army chief on May 2, soon after which the
memo was delivered, appears to be coming to a boil. The government has
vehemently denied that the memo had been sent at the behest of President
Asif Zardari as has Ambassador Hussain Haqqani in Washington any
knowledge of it. Nevertheless, as the Admiral has himself acknowledged
that it was, indeed, received by him, there is no room for doubt in the reality
that it exists. The mystery about who sponsored it or whether it was
drafted by US national Mansoor Ijaz on his own initiative needs to be
unraveled.
The memo solicits US role in changing the complexion of Pakistan
militarys security setup and, if the Americans were willing, they were also
to be invited to violate Pakistans territorial sovereignty and take military
action against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban within Pakistan and even monitor
our nuclear assets matters involving the security of the state and highly
sensitive not only to our armed forces, but also the people across the entire
spectrum of society. Understandably, it could not have failed to cause
strains in relations between the government and the armed forces,
notwithstanding Information Minister Firdous Awans facile observation that
the two were on the same page. Besides, there is widespread public anger
and resentment.

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The memo has also raised a storm of protest from the opposition
Ambassador Haqqani is reported to have left the US for Pakistan, in
response to Prime Minister Gilanis instruction, to clarify his position and
throw light on other aspects of the case. The issues raised in the memo
constitute a serious violation of the Constitution, pointing a finger at the
President. Therefore, it is in the governments own interest to come clean
with them. Mere removal of the Ambassador, which is expected by certain
political circles or any explanation from him, would not settle the dust.
Mansoor Ijaz, the key figure in the story, has volunteered to come to
Pakistan to provide evidence of his version. A non-partisan body, as
suggested by Mian Nawaz Sharif, ought to be immediately constituted with
a clear mandate to find the truth. There is no escape from it.
Next day, Ikramullah observed: Initially, the issue was not given
much importance, as if it was not worthy of any comment whatsoever.
Therefore, the concerned authorities, both in Islamabad and Washington,
assumed that the storm raised by Ijaz was unlikely to cause any serious
damage in the absence of concrete evidence. However, he seemed to have
resolutely stuck to his stand and, with the passage of time, the media in the
US and Pakistan played a significant role in their quest for the truth.
Earlier, several attempts have been made by Pakistans civilian
government to bring the ISI under the Interior Ministry, headed by Rahman
Malik, and clip the GHQ It was, therefore, natural that once the cat was
out of the bag concerning the memos text released by Ijaz the
military leadership would not sit idly. Despite adamant denials by
Islamabad, it would probe into the memo controversy.
In addition, since Admiral Mullen knew the man in Rawalpindi, who
is behind the probe, better than any one in Islamabad (i.e. the civilian setup),
he admitted receiving the memorandum. However, he saved his skin, and
also of the Obama administration, by stating that he did not take it
seriously.
Consequently, the treasonous memo is no longer a secret document;
it has revealed the horrendous form of communication assumed to have
originated from the highest dignitary of the State. Undoubtedly, it is not a
one-man show and all those involved in the conspiracy must be punished in
accordance with the law of the land.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has promised to set up an
independent inquiry commission to find out whether it is a conspiracy
against one or more dignitaries, or an attempt to create differences between
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highly important State institutions responsible for national security,

independence and sovereignty of the country. For this, Haqqani was
summoned by Islamabad to explain his role in the unpleasant incident, while
DG ISI Ahmad Shuja Pasha met with Masoor Ijaz in London. Indeed, it is
an issue that cannot be kept on the back burner like so many other
issues being probed by commissions and tribunals, which have failed to
produce worthwhile results. One example is the assassination of Shaheed
Benazir Bhutto.
Since the devastating memo may have far-reaching implications for
the country, there is enough reason to identify all those responsible, bring
them before a competent and impartial tribunal and apply to them the
penal sanctions provided by the law. According to some constitutional
experts, Memogate needs to be fully probed on the lines of Watergate
and the guilty must be brought to book under Article 6 of the Constitution,
which deals with high treason.
On 31st October, Patrick Cockburn discussed the reasons why Army
was reluctant to face truth about Afghanistan. Having discussed that he
concluded: There were other important reasons for British failure. Brigades
were sent on six-month tours, far too short. Commanding officers seemed to
want their stints to be marked by a career-enhancing military effort, with
little connection to actions before or after. British policy was very much
militarized, unlike the North West Frontier during British rule of India where
military force was only a last resort. Self-regarding and misleading lessons
were drawn from counter-insurgency in Malaya and Northern Ireland, which
were wholly different from Iraq and Afghanistan.
A major source of weakness was that the most important reason for
the British to deploy the Army in both these wars was to demonstrate to
Washington that Britain remained its most important ally. Everything else,
including operational success, was secondary to this aim. Both Tony
Blair and David Cameron have maintained a pretence that Britain is fighting
to maintain in power a democratic Afghan government.
The reality is that the representatives of this government are
often warlords engaged in extortion, corruption and kidnapping. Afghan
police are notorious for stealing money, consuming drugs and raping young
men and women passing through their checkpoints. Four years after the
British arrived in Sangin, a local farmer was quoted as saying: the Taliban do
not even have a bakery that they can give bread, but still most people

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support the Taliban thats because people are sick of night raids and being
treated badly by the foreigners.
Khalid Iqbal wrote: Realizing the failure of unilateral approach,
America is working on a number of multilateral regional approaches to
resolve the Afghan puzzle. American General John Allen recently indicated
that Afghanistan needs a regional, not a national solution. Moreover, the
United Nations is contemplating a plan for a joint security arrangement in
the region, on the yesteryears model of Commission on Security and
Cooperation in Europe. Perception has it that NATO also has something on
cooperative security and development that could be unveiled at the May
2012 Summit on Afghanistan.
As regards regional countries, most of them yearn for good
neighbourly ties with Afghanistan. They have taken initiatives in
individual as well as collective capacities like, TAPI, Uzbekistan-Iran
railway line, provision of Uzbek electricity to northern part of Afghanistan,
and Pakistans proposed fast cargo railway line to connect Pakistan to Iran
via Afghanistan. However, the efforts to take all six immediate neighbours
on board as a structural entity have not yet succeeded; the region's
accomplishments on Afghanistan have been more of bilateral achievements,
rather than multilateral ventures.
Distant neighbour India has been going overboard to dominate
Afghanistan. It is among the largest foreign donors in Afghanistan having
dumped nearly $2 billion over the last 10 years. In the garb of these projects,
India has clandestinely positioned its trained soldiers on the Afghan soil.
Firms engaged in development and social sector works employ ex-Indian
servicemen for these assignments. The presence of ex-combatants in a
country where acquisition of weapons is not a problem, alongside a shady
agreement on the usage of an air base in Tajikistan reveals Indian ambitions
to succeed America as neo-colonizer of Afghanistan
He concluded: There would be many episodes of one step forward
and two backward. Too many actors and interests are crisscrossing the
paths. After her visit to Pakistan, Hillary visited Uzbekistan to allure it to
allow passage of lethal war materials, destined for Afghanistan. Indeed, it
was a move to sideline Pakistan. It is refreshing that despite tempting
incentives, the Republic of Uzbekistan continues to hold on to its principled
stance of not allowing the passage of ISAF and NATO military supplies to
Afghanistan.

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Pakistan is keen to participate in any regional arrangement that could

result in the stability of Afghanistan. In this context, Turkey, too, is playing
a commendable role. All eyes are set on the next weeks events in Istanbul.
However, no regional initiative under any brand name is likely to succeed
which does not include China, as an active participant. Especially, the
concept of New Silk Route would be a non-starter sans China. And
Pakistan should not be expected to become a party to any American scheme
to encircle or isolate China.
On 2nd November, Dr Farooq Hassan wrote: The confusion in
Washington about what to do in Afghanistan is self-evident. Clinton
contended, in her latest testimony to the Congress that US interests
demanded that this be done; this stand fails to evaluate, whatever the
interests of the local powers that may be. A foreign policy made solely on
the interests of one power cannot be simply said to be sound, if the interests
of the other are prima facie fundamentally at variance with it. Instead of
producing longevity in foreign policy, the potential of a sudden blasting of
the situation remains high.
Doctrinally, in terms of historiography, it was a mistake which
brought the Soviet Union to it knees in this region. The Iraqi experience, too,
should have amply demonstrated the impulsive attachment that the local
people have towards indigenous independence. As such, there can be no
doubt that the US policymakers are really confused in their approach in
this region: With Iraq in the West and Afghanistan and Pakistan in the East,
the US demands a moral and a strategic quid pro quo for its huge
expenditures on the present local political setup. Without taking into account
the history of the people, such naivet is bound to backfire. I also doubt if
the policymakers are aware of the implications of the two Afghan Wars
fought by the British in 1842 and 1843?
Next day, TheNation wrote: The Pakistan-Turkey-Afghanistan
summit at Istanbul which concluded on Tuesday, the 6th in the series held in
search of a durable solution to the Afghanistan tangle, reached certain
vital and far-reaching decisions. The three leaders, Presidents Asif Zardari,
Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Gul who hosted the meeting, discussed the pros
and cons of the various options to restore peace and security to the troubled
land and the region. A regional solution by building a comprehensive
partnership between the three countries was what they believed held the key.
In this context, the three Presidents discussed the possibility of constituting a
commission of Foreign Ministers to identify the regions problems and
prepare a programme of action to resolve them
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Besides, yet another irritant that had recently erupted between Kabul
and Islamabad, adding to the quite a few already existing, was debated and
the stage was set for its removal. The Afghan accusation that Pakistan has
been responsible for assassinating former President of Afghanistan, Prof
Burhanuddin Rabbani has already been vehemently denied. The two
countries further agreed to evolve a cooperation mechanism to investigate
the matter further. The murder particularly disturbed Afghan leadership.
President Rabbani was also the leading figure involved in an exercise to
persuade the Taliban to sit on the negotiating table to settle contentious
issues to make for an honourable exit of the foreign troops. Hopefully, as the
truth behind the death comes out, it would help dissipate the clouds of
distrust between Pakistan and Afghanistan and create the realization that it is
in the interest of both countries and the region as a whole to develop a
relationship of deep and sincere understanding.
On 4th November, the newspaper added: The Istanbul Declaration
issued at the end of Wednesday's conference of Afghanistan neighbours and
regional states, contains 23 points for all the participating countries to act
upon. The declaration lays out a tall order, as the measures it envisages relate
to almost the entire gamut of relationship between states covering political,
security, economic, educational and cultural fields. However, if these,
confidence building measures (CBMs), were to be put into effect in all
sincerity, resolving inter-state contentious issues on the way, there is little
doubt that they would achieve the purpose for which the conference was
convened i.e. to achieve security and stability for Afghanistan and thus the
region. The climate of mistrust and suspicion that currently prevails
between some of these countries, would automatically give way to
friendly and helpful exchanges. To evaluate progress on the Istanbul
Declaration, a ministerial level meeting is to be held at Kabul in June next
year.
The CBMs envisage guarantees of territorial integrity, sovereignty
and refraining from the threat or use of force to resolve disputes and
cooperation in combating terrorism. The Pakistan-Afghanistan Transit Trade
Agreement was cited as a model for the rest to follow in order to promote
trade across the region. There was a call for the participation of the private
sector to boost regional development. To expand intra-regional commerce
and tourism, the need for a relaxation of visa regimes and rules at border
crossings of regional states was felt. While the conference supported the
Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project (TAPI) and
the Central Asia-South Asia electricity scheme (CASA-1,000), designed to
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bring electricity from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Pakistan and

Afghanistan, sadly, there was no mention of the Iranian gas pipeline that
would be the most beneficial for Pakistan both in terms of cost and
easier access.
President Karzai, in his address, struck a discordant note, as he talked
of sanctuaries outside Afghanistans borders, maintaining that cooperation
from neighbours, especially from Pakistan, was essential to ridding the
country and the region of the menace of terrorism and restoring peace. The
Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister rightly urged the world community to
ensure that Afghanistan was free from foreign interference. The Afghans
must decide their own future and there must be respect for Afghanistan
sovereignty. No doubt, these are prerequisites for a lasting peace making for
progress and prosperity of the region.
On 6th November, General Retd Mirza Aslam Beg observed: In the
scheme of things, many a wrong have been corrected through Divine
interventions to maintain social balance on earth. In the recent past, there are
two such examples of corrective measures. Germany under Hitler, drunk
with the notion of superiority of the German race, tried to conquer the
world and disturbed world peace, yet within a period of 15 years, the
disorder so created, was corrected, through Divine intervention, i.e., the
coalition of nations. Similarly, in 1990, encouraged by the break-up of the
Soviet Union, Bush, launched The Crusades against the Muslim heartland
to establish USAs supremacy over the world, claiming that the 21st century
belonged to America, but through Divine intervention, balance was
restored, within a period of 15 years, at the hands of the ragtag Afghans.
The US ambitions and pride now lie buried, in the stony sands of
Afghanistan, while the Islamic surge is sweeping the region, soothing our
bleeding hearts and wounded bodies.
The Afghan Taliban, now are the winners and enjoy the right to
lay down the conditions for peace, yet the same old game of 1990 is being
played to deny power to them. The Muslim world has suffered immensely
during the last 30 years, but has stood firm, inflicting defeat on the Soviet
Union, USA, EU, Israel and India. The struggle, thus, has created the
Global Islamic Resistance and New Centres of Power have emerged,
which have a vital role in determining the geopolitical and social order, in
the region.
The Islamic Resistance grew from the Afghan soil, under the
Divine mandate, against the occupation forces, with a message, which is
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explicit and finite: Why should you not fight in the way of Allah for those
men, women and children, who, being weak, are being oppressed and are
crying: Our Lord! Rescue us and send redeemers to protect us from the
oppressors (Al-Nisa, Ayah 75).
In response to the call, over 60,000 believers from over 70
countries of the world converged, in support of the Afghan freedom fighters
(CIA Report), and defeated the Soviets. Ostensibly, they were supported by
the USA, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and others, but a decade later between
2001 to 2011 without any outside support, they have humbled the mightiest
of the mighty. The Afghan resistance calls itself The Shadow Army, and
like a shadow, it extends itself, withdraws and appears again and
remains elusive. It is a non-state force, which is mission-oriented and not
concerned with the domestic matters of the country, where it operates; it
poses no threat to others and melts away when occupation is vacated, as it
did in 1990 when the Soviets retreated from Afghanistan.
The Unity of Pakhtuns against foreign aggression provided the
bedrock of resistance, extending from Karachi to the Hindukush
Mountains. It enjoys the support of 24 million Pakistani Pakhtuns and 17
million Afghan Pakhtuns. Their resistance draws strength from their
traditions and belief, and love for freedom. They remain undefeated and a
source of strength, both for Pakistan and Afghanistan. Their will to resist and
defeat, thus, is considered a great threat to USAs strategic interests in the
region, as David Kilcullen, former US National Security Advisor President,
had said.
The Shia Crescent extends from Iran to Iraq and Bahrain, including
the sizeable minorities in Syria, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, and is a force to
be reckoned with. The Americans are frightened of the rising power of
Iran and have tried to suppress it through sanctions and threat of war,
but have failed. It has since been demonized, as a threat to the neighbouring
Sunni countries, who have purchased US military hardware worth over $150
billion to face the Iranian threat.
In reaction to the atrocities committed on the Muslims, particularly
during the last 30 years and killing of over six million innocent men, women
and children, they have sought protection under their faith, resulting into a
strong surge of Islamic thought sweeping the entire region. For example, the
moderate Naqshbandi Silsila, which had remained suppressed since World
War I, now is sweeping the entire region, from Turkey to Damascus and
Turkmenistan. Similarly, the moderate Qadria Silsila is sweeping the region
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from Egypt to Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, Somalia and the Middle Eastern
countries. This surge is shaping the so-called Arab Spring into Islamic
movements, in Egypt, Libya, Somalia, Morocco and Yemen. A more
orthodox Islamic culture has emerged in Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. Such is
the emerging reality determining the contours of the Islamic Order,
against the forces of oppression and State sponsored terrorism.
Pakistan has suffered immensely due to the war between the
Global Islamic Resistance and the occupation forces in Afghanistan.
Apart from death and destruction, its economy is shattered, law and order
has deteriorated and its armed forces are engaged in a running battle with its
own tribal, which have a deep impact on domestic politics, turning it into an
aberration of a civilized society.
There are dozens of religious parties in Pakistan, divided on the basis
of sect, ethnicity and varying schools of thought, which have failed to give
a clean and decent way of life, Islam promises. And out of this
disorderliness has emerged the class of the so-called emancipated majority
almost 70 percent of the population, bereft of the Islamic teachings and are
demanding a secular order. Yet, the oppressed Pakistani nation carries the
burden of the commitment it made to its national purpose in 1947: To strive
for a democratic order, based on the principles of Quran and Sunnah. Time
and again, the nation has affirmed its commitment to its national purpose
and has voted mainly for the moderate parties, rejecting the fundamentalists,
because its objective is in sight and the fundamental direction is correct.
While the domestic politics is warming up, there is a brutal race for power
and money, by the business stakeholders, which spells disaster (IbneKhaldun). This precarious situation, thus, places greater responsibility
on the people of Pakistan, our courts of justice and the armed forces, to
act and redeem the situation.
On 14th November, Asif Haroon Raja opined: Under the given
circumstances, it is the moral right of every patriotic Afghan to resist the
occupiers and push them out. Freedom fighters are justified to attack
foreign targets in Afghanistan whenever opportunity comes their way.
It is no easy job to attack the adversaries which are hugely stronger.
Having taken extraordinary measures to keep themselves safe and secure,
occupiers are chasing the militants like hungry wolves and are using all
means to kill them. If both sides are fighting and killing each other, why
is the US complaining that Taliban attack them? As long as ISAF stays in
Afghanistan, it should expect attacks and must not grumble.
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As far as Karzai regime and its security apparatus are concerned,

Afghans siding with the aggressors are collaborators and fall in the
category of traitors. They are principally responsible for the misfortunes of
Afghanistan and its people. Unlike the Taliban who fought their way right up
to Kabul at their own, Northern Alliance took the easy way of inviting
outsiders and becoming party to the slaughter and destruction. Karzai
heading a non-Pashtun government of feudal lords and drug barons is seen
as a puppet of US. He is looked down upon by Afghan Pashtuns as well as
non-Pashtuns. It will not be possible for him to remain in power after the
departure of foreign troops. Hence, unlike Nur al Maliki who took a firm
stand that all foreign troops must vacate Iraq by end December 2011; Karzai
is still in two minds and has reportedly given his tacit approval for extended
stay of backup force of US. His regime has accepted western model
constitution and democracy, well knowing that great majority of Afghans are
conservative and religious and western system will be unacceptable to
them.
The US also must be realistic that it will be unworkable to impose
western model upon deeply Islamic state of Afghanistan. Moreover, why
should the Americans imprudently expect the winning Taliban to lay down
their arms, knowing that every Afghan values his personal weapon as his
most precious possession, which he will not part with even at the peril of his
life! It was possible if the Taliban had been decisively defeated. Now that
victory hope is out, it will be in fitness of things if the US stops playing dirty
games and tricks, creating one Frankenstein monster after another, making
lame excuses and blaming others by indulging in evil habit of lies and
deceit. It should come clean and talk to the Taliban honestly without
irrational demands and with an open heart.
Two days later, Javid Ahmad observed: There are many
contradictory views and misconceptions about the reconciliation
process, and whether and to what degree to engage the Taliban as the United
States assumes a non-combat and/or support role. While Afghanistans
reconciliation and reintegration process, ostensibly led by the High Peace
Council, provides an official address for peace talks, it lacks the
inclusiveness and national support necessary for successful implementation.
The High Peace Council has become a talk show of incompetent
representatives picked personally by President Karzai and has been largely
unsuccessful in addressing the fears of most Afghans. While the
reconciliation process is meant to achieve a timely and constructive peace
deal with the Taliban, it also plays a crucial role in the transition process and
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supports the responsibility of both Afghan security forces and leadership.

Afghanistans current transition process is designed to produce better
governance, catalyze economic development, and institutionalize the rule of
law ahead of the 2014 US withdrawal deadline. If the reconciliation with the
Taliban does not materialize or fails, there will be no successful security
transition.
Another impediment and an apparent challenge to the peace talks
at Bonn next month is the realignment of anti-Taliban constituencies in
the north of Afghanistan. This opposition includes primarily non-Pashtuns
Tajiks, Uzbeks, and Hazaras who all fought against the Taliban under the
umbrella of the Northern Alliance in the 1990s. Vigorous critics of both
President Karzai and the Taliban, these elements believe they have the most
to lose from any negotiated peace deal and strongly oppose any talks with
the Taliban. It is widely believed that these groups will put together a unified
voice to oppose and challenge the current reconciliation process in next
months conference. This belief was solidified last Friday after the former
Afghan Vice President Ahmad Zia Massoud a younger brother of the late
anti-Soviet and anti-Taliban resistance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud
announced the formation a new political movement known as Jabha-e-Millie-Afghanistan (the National Front of Afghanistan). The movement that
includes several key leaders of different minority groups has already taken a
potent stance against the current Afghan government by denouncing and
boycotting the upcoming Jirga.
Many Afghans also doubt that the conference can elicit increased or
perhaps sincere regional support and commitment from neighbouring
countries. While the 2001 Bonn conference was successful in bringing
together a large alliance and laying out a plan and groundwork for a peaceful
and stable Afghanistan, one of the mistakes it made was ignoring regional
countries and not curtailing their interference in Afghanistan. This gave
Pakistan (and other external elements) a free hand to continue covertly
supporting and providing sanctuary to subversive groups, including the
Taliban and the Haqqani Network in Afghanistan, resulting in the killing of
many Afghan, American and NATO soldiers. The Bonn conference next
month is a good opportunity to garner and ensure such kinds of regional
pledges and commitments with sticks and carrots.
In light of the difficulties and looming uncertainties ahead, it is
unclear whether another Bonn conference will help Afghanistan
positively shape its future. While there is no silver bullet for Afghanistans
ills, next months meeting will at least provide an opportunity for the United
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States and NATO to lay out a functional roadmap ahead of and beyond 2014
for a successful political, security and economic transition, good
governance, peace and reconciliation, and rule of law.
There is also still time to ensure that the conference is truly
representative of all Afghans, including different ethnic and social
groups, to decide their uncertain future. It is equally important for Bonn+10
to ensure an authentic political will and sincere commitment to peace
building in Afghanistan, and for Afghans to constructively engage in nation
building process in the years to come.
On 17th November, David N Philipps commented: The dark side to
US counterinsurgency tactics was on graphic display last week when
Army Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs, of the 5thStryker Brigade, was convicted in a
military court of three counts of murder, attempted murder and other
charges, while deployed in Afghanistan in 2009.
He and other soldiers shot unarmed Afghans or killed them with
grenades, planted AK-47s on them to make them look like legitimate
enemy targets, then cut off fingers as trophies. Ultimately, 12 soldiers
from Gibbs platoon were charged in a rash of wrongdoing ranging from
murder to smoking hashish.
The platoons crimes are a stubborn byproduct of a
counterinsurgency strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan that relies on small
groups of troops clearing and holding modest pieces of ground a single
valley or village and providing simple services to locals like cooking fuel
and clean water.
The kind of soldiering is a far cry from conventional warfare.
Troops are ordered to be more like cops walking the beat, or even
community organizers, than traditional warriors. The idea is to forge
relationships with civilians that will eventually root out enemy fighters. And
often it works. Once fully implemented in Iraq in 2008, counterinsurgency
tactics led to a monumental decrease in violence.
Philipps dwelled on this aspect and then concluded:
Counterinsurgency may be the best way forward for US forces in
Afghanistan. It is hard to see any other way. But if the military keeps
putting small teams of young soldiers in isolated communities, expecting
them to do everything except what they are trained to do, we will almost
certainly have more murders like those in the 5thStryker Brigade.

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The military excels at fixing problems, even ones as tricky as this. In

the last decade, all branches have made huge strides in everything from IED
detection to dealing with combat stress. When it comes to taking on the
problems of units like the 5thStryker, the first is to recognize that what
happened is not an aberration, but an inevitable toxic byproduct of
counterinsurgency warfare.
Ronald Neumann wrote: Afghan fears about security are growing,
and now overshadow complaints about corruption (still a major
problem). Afghans in the areas of heavy combat in the southwest, south and
east show much lower levels of confidence in security than their
counterparts in other parts of the country. Suicide bombers are increasingly
rattling the confidence of city dwellers, who have more negative views of
security than do villagers. More than half of the respondents say they fear
for the safety of themselves and their families, a statistic that would
presumably be higher if some of the excluded sample points had been
included. More worrisome still, the number of respondents showing such
fear has not declined from 2010 to 2011, and in eastern Afghanistan, where
the Haqqani Network is predominant, such fear is rising.
There are also growing concerns about freedom of expression in the
country a concern that reflects somewhat negatively on the Afghan
government and warlords, but is specifically linked by many respondents to
poor security and fears of the Taliban. The survey lays bare the great deal of
doubt that Afghans see about the Taliban being rolled back, even in the areas
where direct confrontations with US and international forces have
diminished substantially. Concerns about and resentment of the
behaviour of foreign troops are also a growing problem. There are wide
variations on these views even in different districts within provinces, so it is
a mistake to say the survey flatly challenges NATO views of success but
counterinsurgency is as much about psychology as about statistics. These
perceptions are a cause for concern that military analysts need to consider.
Ultimately, for all of the negatives in this survey, there are many
areas of optimism as well. America has twice ignored Afghanistan, after the
withdrawal of the Soviet Union and after our initial success in 2001. And
twice we have paid substantially in blood for our loss of attention. Before we
give up and declare everything hopeless, we need to look closely at how
much has been achieved in the eyes of Afghans, and what that means in
terms of the possibilities that still exist to succeed. But we need to look
equally clearly at the negatives, the places where Afghans remain or have
grown more sceptical, and think of corrective actions, even as international
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forces redeploy within Afghanistan and eventually withdraw. In doing so,

the Asia Foundation survey is an important document, but only if we are
willing to think in terms more complicated than slogans.
Next day, Robert Grenier observed: The US clearly does not intend to
abandon Afghanistan. A careful parsing of President Obamas statements,
reinforced by vague NATO pronouncements concerning post-2014
engagement, make clear that the US will retain sufficient military force to
preclude a Taliban victory over the Kabul regime, while sustaining its ability
to strike at terrorist safe havens on either side of the Durand Line. Real
international confidence in American resolve to meet its stated goals in
Afghanistan, if there were any, might affect calculations in New Delhi,
Islamabad, Miranshah and Quetta in ways useful to American designs.
American mendacity in promoting a victory narrative, however, is
undermining its credibility, raising serious questions about its stayingpower, particularly in Taliban and thus placing its aspirations further out of
reach.
US Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns extolled the results of
Istanbul as the first clear, region-wide statement of support for Afghanistan
in this time of transition and reconciliation. Part of his statement was
correct. Transition in Afghanistan is under way and inevitable.
Reconciliation is a long way off, and will not be materially affected by the
Istanbul process.
In the end, the various players in Afghanistan and the region will
conduct themselves on the basis of clear facts on the ground. Once the US
has completed its fall-back in Afghanistan, things will find their own level,
politically and militarily, and the actors in this drama will craft their policies
to suit. Perhaps then, progress toward a political solution can be made.
Meanwhile, burdened by the guilty knowledge of their real intentions in
South-Central Asia and the reasons for them, the Americans are showing
clear signs that their transition in Afghanistan will be far more rapid
than previously advertised. Perhaps the best news in Afghanistan is that
2014 is likely to come early.
On 1st November, TheNation commented: At the end of the
Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOG) Summit in Perth, Australia,
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani not only supported the extension of the
tenure of Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamlesh Sharma of India, but
actually seconded the Indian proposal. Mr Gilani thus may have pleased a
foreign audience, but this gesture of friendship not only failed to bring closer
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any solution to the Kashmir issue, which is the core issue between the two
countries, but also to change Indian attitudes towards Pakistan, leaving them
as hegemonic as they ever were.
This gesture was supposed to reciprocate recent Indian gestures,
which include a promise to withdraw (though so far not the actual
withdrawal) its appeal against the European Unions relaxation of trade
restrictions against Pakistani products and its extension of support for
Pakistans membership of the United Nations Security Council. Indias
appeal to the World Trade Organization was as sure of rejection as any
attempt to prevent Pakistans membership of the Security Council, to which
it was elected, as a result of a rotation agreed well in advance, by a
consensus of countries, not by Indian fiat.
The real mistake was not to have opposed Mr Sharmas original
election as Secretary-General, which took place four years ago, when
Shaukat Aziz was Prime Minister, but Gen Pervez Musharraf as President
was running things. Unless a Secretary-General has blotted his copybook, a
second term is almost inevitable. Still, that might be a reason for not
being strenuous in opposition, though not for actually seconding a proposal
that can only militate against Pakistans interests, which is not just attacking
through its refusal to resolve the Kashmir issue, but also through the
building of illegal works in violation of the Indus Waters Treaty.
The latest development is disturbing more because it shows Pakistani
leadership's warped judgment, but also because Mr Sharmas re-election
could have been stopped short of a major diplomatic campaign by
Pakistan, which should have been undertaken long before the summit.
The summit was not used by Pakistan as it should have, to show Indian
duplicity over Kashmir, even though the UK, which has a special position in
the CHOG Summit, as the former colonial power, had a major role in
creating the problem, and has a special responsibility for its just solution,
giving the Kashmiri people their right of self-determination, as expressed in
a UN-supervised plebiscite.
Three days later, the newspaper added: The federal cabinets
approval does not change the fact that MFN status would only benefit
India, allowing it to increase its trade surplus with Pakistan, which ran at a
billion dollars last year. It should also not be forgotten that India has erected
a variety of non-tariff barriers against imports and practices an oldfashioned, but vigorous mercantilism that seeks to maximize its trade
surplus, by any means available.
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The PML-N MNA Khurram Dastagir, the Chairman of the National

Assemblys Standing Committee on Commerce, pointed out that his
committee was not taken on board and hinted at the real reason for a
decision so obviously against the national interest. His reference was
towards the intervention of foreign interlocutors, such as the USA which
are of the view that dialogue with India will be good for peace between
the two nuclear-armed neighbours. This, despite the fact that the dialogue
process has seen a wealth of evidence of Indian intransigence and a refusal
to negotiate it has shown just a single-minded pursuit of its own interests.
Other political parties have reacted negatively to the idea, as have trade
bodies.
MFN status for India is an undeservedly advanced idea, and
unless it vacates its illegal occupation of Kashmir, Pakistan should, on
principle and by the dictates of honour, not grant it. Indeed, even now, the
cabinet is unhappy with the decision. It has hinted at the mechanism to
overrule the Commerce Minister. However, the present dispensations
unquenchable desire to please has apparently reached the point where it will
readily fall in with plans to establish Indian hegemony in the region, as
evidenced by decision-making such as this.
On 5th November, the newspaper added: The idea of according
MFN status to India should not have been entertained in the first place.
If the government was under pressure from the US, it ought to have at least
left it to Parliament to decide. Among those who have been shocked at the
governments folly was also PTI Chief Imran Khan. He has rightly
demanded that the government's decision must be taken back. The storm of
popular resentment against the Zardari camp will further erode the
credibility of those at the helm. The government has basically shown that it
can act in undemocratic ways with impunity. Those saying that the history of
wars with India should be ignored need only look towards New Delhi's
activities in Afghanistan.
Appeasing India at the cost of our national interest will only
encourage it to act like a regional bully. Past governments have tried that
only to be disappointed by the lack of change in the Indians' attitude. If trade
relations are to be strengthened at all, or India is to be granted MFN status,
the Kashmir issue's settlement in line with UNSC resolutions should come
first.
Two days later, the newspaper observed: Foreign Minister Hina
Rabbani Khar has spoken for the Pakistan Army in saying that it was among
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those state institutions supportive of the governments decision to grant Most

Favored Nation (MFN) status to India, while talking to the press on Saturday
at the State Guest House in Lahore. This contrasts with earlier reports that
the Army was not happy with the decision. However, assuming that Ms Khar
is correct, and her logic, that the Army is a state institution, the obvious
question arising is why the Army shares the view that India is a friend
with whom trade relations should be normalized? If it indeed shares this
view, the next logical step is to ask whether the vast military budget, which a
poor country is hard put to meet and only does so at great cost, is justified. It
should not need a reminder, but in this context it seems necessary, to
mention that the budget is made available by the nation on the assumption
that it is used for protection and defence against India, not for the USAs war
on terror, which seems to be its present preoccupation. This seems to be
especially true now that forces have been moved from the western border to
the eastern, where they are engaged in the war on terror.
The government is apparently bent on giving India MFN status,
and it seems that it will not face any internal opposition. Even though
this measure has been proposed by India and, according to the opposition,
has been imposed on Pakistan through international pressure in pursuit of
promoting India in the region as a counterweight to China. It appears from
Ms Khar's statement that the army is not opposed to this measure, which
meets Indian wishes to establish mercantilist hegemony in the region, and to
extend its trade surplus with Pakistan. It should not be forgotten that this
surplus indirectly creates the fiscal space through which India maintains its
illegal occupation of Kashmir.
The Federal Cabinet has announced the decision to grant India MFN
status, but our erstwhile neighbour has been complaining that it has not in
fact been granted. If this is true, there is still time to avoid taking a step
that will only destroy Pakistans industry by opening the floodgates to its
goods. This might be upsetting for the US too, but even they must realize
that Pakistan will pursue it's own national interest first. For that, the army, in
keeping with people's expectations of it, should have objected to such a step
being taken.
On 10th November, the newspaper wrote: Scarcely had India agreed
to withdraw the appeal it had filed before the World Trade Organization,
against the European Unions decision to give Pakistani imports preferential
treatment because of the record monsoon floods it had suffered in 2010, that
Bangladesh filed a similar appeal. It must not be forgotten that the Indian
appeal had been filed virtually as soon as the concession was made, and was
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withdrawn as a gesture meant to make less unpalatable Pakistans grant of

Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India. However, the MFN status
grant has run into serious trouble in Pakistan, where it is seen as a step
whereby Pakistans industry would not only be destroyed, but serving Indian
interests while damaging Pakistans. Even though the cabinet had approved
the grant of MFN status, it had not yet been actually given, so the
Bangladeshi appeal has been filed to the WTO by the traditionally proIndian Hasina Wajid government. This step would not only provide
evidence of the pro-Indian, anti-Pakistan nature of the present Bangladeshi
government, but it also shows how India had kept this card up its sleeve, and
how it intends to force Pakistan to give it MFN status.
It is now apparent that the Indian appeal was not given up just
because MFN status, without moving even a finger on the Kashmir dispute,
was on offer from Pakistan, but because India also knew that there were
other appeals it could lodge, if needed. The EU decision was not made
solely because of the floods, but also because of Pakistan's role in the war on
terror. Pakistan had asked to receive preferential treatment on this count, but
the EU seemed to make the trade concessions for the floods, and in the shape
of a one-year relaxation rather than the permanent relaxation requested.
Because of the temporary nature of the measure, the Bangladeshi
appeal does not have a good chance of being accepted. Bangladesh itself is
also already subject to concessional duties from the EU. Pakistan needs to
handle the situation very wisely, because while it must take its own
national interests with all due seriousness it should also not antagonize
Bangladesh needlessly, especially in a situation where India had forced the
action upon it. More importantly, those who look favourably upon India
should note how deep its hatred of Pakistan runs, and remember that after
Bangladesh, India has other countries which have not filed appeals, even
though they were mentioned at the time of the EU decision as being likely to
file an appeal.
Next day, the newspaper commented: Good spirits and optimism
were on display as the Prime Ministers of Pakistan and India, Yousuf Raza
Gilani and Manmohan Singh, came out of their one-hour long meeting that
took place between them on the sidelines of the 17 th SAARC summit being
held in Addu, Maldives, on November 10-11. However, notwithstanding
their satisfaction expressed before the media, it seems that little of
substance was achieved during their meeting. In all likelihood, it was
nothing more than a reiteration of the respective stands of the two sides on
the various issues of contention and an expression of intent to solve them. If,
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as Mr Gilani maintained, all the issues between them and he listed a whole
lot of them, with Kashmir bringing up the rear, were discussed, the
discussion can only have been perfunctory. The next round of talks to turn
out to be more productive (and) more result-oriented; were the consoling
words of the Indian Prime Minister to the inquisitive minds among his
audience.
One could, however, detect the favour of according the Most
Favoured Nation status by Pakistan to India, lurking behind Dr Singhs
remark, We have wasted a lot of time in acrimonious debate, it is time to
write a new chapter. New Delhis persistent effort to get that status has been
no secret; for, that would open the floodgates of export of Indian goods to
Pakistan, thus helping boost its industrial and agricultural growth. Islamabad
had so far stalled for two very potent reasons: the unresolved dispute of
Kashmir forcibly occupied by India; and the need to protect its own
industry.
`
But the governments turnaround should not suggest that it
enjoys public support. It amounts to the betrayal of the Kashmir cause as
well as the local business community. The presentation of a resolution at the
UN General Assembly for the recognition of the right of self-determination
as human rights was to assuage the perturbed feeling of the people of
Pakistan and Kashmir The point to note here is that despite the virtually
perfidious move by the current Pakistan government, the people in Indian
occupied Kashmir have not given up; the slogan of Pakistan Zindabad
continued to resound in the valley on Eid day. That should be a lesson to
India that for all the atrocities its security forces inflict on the people to keep
its grip on them, they are determined to opt for Pakistan.
On 14th November, TheNation observed: There has been a strong
countrywide reaction against the government decision to grant the Most
Favoured Nation status to India While Pakistan has been trying to
please India in whatever way possible offering confidence building
measures, continuing to participate in rounds of purposeless dialogue and
now according the MFN status, to cite some moves at appeasement India
has never responded with positive gestures. Back from the just concluded
SAARC summit at Maldives, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh where he
spoke in conciliatory terms, calling Prime Minister Gilani a man of peace,
reverted to New Delhis previous stance. He could not rely on one mans
assurance of peace, and saw no possibility of visiting Pakistan till it had
effectively dealt with the terrorism menace.

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It is, indeed, shocking to note that the present adherents of the

party whose founder, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, had sworn to fight India for a
thousand years to liberate the illegally occupied Kashmir, should be meekly
agreeing to give it the MFN status. Our policy for long had been, and with
potent reasons, not to do any trade with our ingrained enemy till it had
settled the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the wishes of the people of
the state, as ascertained through a UN-sponsored plebiscite. Unless that
principle is accepted by India, there should be no question of granting any
favour to India; nor would it go down with the people of Pakistan and
Kashmir whose long-time determined leader Syed Ali Geelani has plainly
said that it would seriously jeopardize the Kashmiris interests.
Next day, Inam Khawaja opined: The history of negotiations between
these two neighbors from 1947 to date clearly shows that they have been
unable to improve the relations and solve any of the problems souring their
relations. The basic impediment is the fact the successive generations of
Indians do not accept an independent Pakistan and continue to strive for
Akhand Bharat. They dont seem to tire of saying; We are one, We have
a common culture and so on totally ignoring the fact that Muslim literature,
music, art, architecture, dress and cuisine are poles apart and has nothing in
common with the Hindu literature (even the scripts are totally different) art,
architecture, dress and cuisine are poles apart (even the method of serving
food is different).
In July 2001 during the hype created by the Agra summit the
Indian media continuously harped on confederation, especially the JainTV and Doordarshan. Some of the commentators said if the Berlin wall
could be demolished and North and South Vietnam could unite why cant
India and Pakistan? In fact this view was supported by the BJP led Indian
Government. Mr Vajpayee the Indian PM met the political leaders of various
political shades before the summit to arrive at a political consensus. Mr M S
Yadave (ex-PM) immediately after the meeting talked of Confederation.
Even Mr L K Advani proposed Confederation between the two countries a
few days before the summit.
Once again the Indian media is harping upon the same old theme
though in subdued terms. The fact is that the Indian leaders even after
sixty four years do not accept partition and consider the establishment of
Pakistan a great tragedy. Jaswant Singh in his book states
The development of the Pakistan specific Cold Start Doctrine on 28,
April 2004 at the Army Commanders Conference which envisages initiating
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offensive operations either as pre-emptive strikes or initiate offensive

operations straightaway without giving Pakistan, the time to bring
diplomatic leverage in play is basically designed to undo Pakistan which has
been Indias aim from the beginning. Today over seventy percent of Indias
defence forces are deployed against Pakistan. All these meetings, the
exchange of pleasantries, signing of Most Favoured Nation Agreements,
visa softening etc. mean nothing. India moved its Rapid Strike Force from
Central India to Punjab only few months ago I want know why? Is this an
omen for peace, amity and friendly relations or is it the reincarnation of
Shiva Ji.
On 16th November, S M Hali opined: Pakistan, unfortunately, is
bending backwards to appease India and make friends with it. We are
mercurial in our behaviour as a nation; either we hate fervently or love
ardently; it seems that there is no middle of the road for us Pakistan,
indeed, has taken a giant leap of faith by granting the Most Favoured Nation
(MFN) status to India. Prime Minister Gilani confirmed the decision after a
meeting with Dr Manmohan Singh, during the SAARC Summit at
Maldives.
New Delhi has been aspiring to achieve this status, whose pros and
cons have neither been thought thoroughly by the leadership in
Islamabad, nor proper infrastructure with the private sectors
participation has been placed at the Wagah border or a container yard
established, either loading and unloading space expanded or a full-fledged
online banking facility, quarantine department and other labs set-up. The
trade balance, undoubtedly, is already in Indias favour due to the non-tariff
barriers. India granted the MFN status to Pakistan to comply with the
principles of World Trade Organization (WTO) regime in 1995, while
Pakistans reluctance in reciprocating so far was consequential owing to the
trade imbalance reservations. It had been insisting that an increased trade
relationship can play a vital role in normalizing the political relationship
between the two countries, perhaps, brushing the Kashmir issue under the
carpet.
Also, it is distressing to know that, reportedly, at Indias behest,
Bangladesh appealed to the WTO not to grant the Generalized System
of Preferences (GSP) to Pakistan, as it would affect its textile export to the
European Union and other countries. Bangladesh filed the petition,
expressing the fear that it would be badly affected if the proposed GSP
facility was granted in Pakistans favour. Although this move is akin to
stabbing Pakistan in the back, our leadership is oblivious to the conspiracies
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being hatched against the State and is bent upon following the US diktat,
that is, to improve ties with India. Despite this, India tried to scuttle
Pakistans proposal for peace in Afghanistan, during the Istanbul
Conference, by making counterproductive suggestions.

REVIEW
The major event in the context of Pak-US relations has been the
debate over a letter that was delivered to former Admiral Mike Mullen on
10th May through a businessman of Pakistani origin. According to Mansoor
Ijaz the memorandum was drafted and delivered by him on the request and
approval of Hussain Haqqani, Pakistani ambassador in Washington.
The review begins with reproduction of the memorandum that was
meant for BRIEFING FOR ADM. MIKE MULLEN, CHAIRMAN, JOINT
CHIEFS OF STAFF. The contents of memorandum leave no room to doubt
the evil designs of the originator, which in this case is Zardari regime.
However, some words of the memo are printed in bold to urge the readers to
pause and ponder.
During the past 72 hours since a meeting was held between the
president, the prime minister and the chief of army staff, there has seen a
significant deterioration in Pakistans political atmosphere. Increasingly
desperate efforts by the various agencies and factions within the government
to find a home ISI and/or Army, or the civilian government for assigning
blame over the UBL raid now dominate the tug of war between military
and civilian sectors. Subsequent tit-for-tat reactions, including outing of the
CIA station chiefs name in Islamabad by ISI officials, demonstrates a
dangerous devolution of the ground situation in Islamabad where no central
control appears to be in place.
Civilians cannot withstand much more of the hard pressure being
delivered from the Army to succumb to wholesale changes. If civilians are
forced from power, Pakistan becomes a sanctuary for UBLs legacy and
potentially the platform for far more rapid spread of al Qaedas brand of
fanaticism and terror. A unique window of opportunity exists for the
civilians to gain the upper hand over army and intelligence directorates
due to their complicity in the UBL matter.
Request your direct intervention in conveying a strong, urgent and
direct message to Gen Kayani that delivers Washingtons demand for him
and Gen Pasha to end their brinkmanship aimed at bringing down the
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civilian apparatus that this is a 1971 moment in Pakistans history. Should

you be willing to do so, Washingtons political/military backing would
result in a revamp of the civilian government that, while weak at the top
echelon in terms of strategic direction and implementation (even though
mandated by domestic political forces), in a wholesale manner replaces
the national security adviser and other national security officials with
trusted advisers that include ex-military and civilian leaders favorably
viewed by Washington, each of whom have long and historical ties to the US
military, political and intelligence communities. Names will be provided to
you in a face-to-face meeting with the person delivering this message.
In the event Washingtons direct intervention behind the scenes can be
secured through your personal communication with Kayani (he will likely
listen only to you at this moment) to stand down the Pakistani militaryintelligence establishment, the new national security team is prepared,
with full backing of the civilian apparatus, to do the following:
1. President of Pakistan will order an independent inquiry into the
allegations that Pakistan harbored and offered assistance to UBL and
other senior Qaeda operatives. The White House can suggest names of
independent investigators to populate the panel, along the lines of the
bipartisan 9-11 Commission, for example.
2. The inquiry will be accountable and independent, and result in
findings of tangible value to the US government and the American people
that identify with exacting detail those elements responsible for harboring
and aiding UBL inside and close to the inner ring of influence in Pakistans
Government (civilian, intelligence directorates and military). It is certain that
the UBL Commission will result in immediate termination of active
service officers in the appropriate government offices and agencies found
responsible for complicity in assisting UBL.
3. The new national security team will implement a policy of either
handing over those left in the leadership of Al Qaeda or other affiliated
terrorist groups who are still on Pakistani soil, including Ayman Al
Zawahiri, Mullah Omar and Sirajuddin Haqqani, or giving US military
forces a green light to conduct the necessary operations to capture or kill
them on Pakistani soil. This carte blanche guarantee is not without
political risks, but should demonstrate the new groups commitment to
rooting out bad elements on our soil. This commitment has the backing of
the top echelon on the civilian side of our house, and we will insure
necessary collateral support.
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4. One of the great fears of the military-intelligence establishment is

that with your stealth capabilities to enter and exit Pakistani airspace at will,
Pakistans nuclear assets are now legitimate targets. The new national
security team is prepared, with full backing of the Pakistani government
initially civilian but eventually all three power centers to develop an
acceptable framework of discipline for the nuclear program. This effort
was begun under the previous military regime, with acceptable results.
We are prepared to reactivate those ideas and build on them in a way that
brings Pakistans nuclear assets under a more verifiable, transparent regime.
5. The new national security team will eliminate Section S of the
ISI charged with maintaining relations to the Taliban, Haqqani network,
etc. This will dramatically improve relations with Afghanistan.
6. We are prepared to cooperate fully under the new national
security teams guidance with the Indian government on bringing all
perpetrators of Pakistani origin to account for the 2008 Mumbai
attacks, whether outside government or inside any part of the government,
including its intelligence agencies. This includes handing over those
against whom sufficient evidence exists of guilt to the Indian security
services.
Pakistan faces a decision point of unprecedented importance. We,
who believe in democratic governance and building a much better
structural relationship in the region with India AND Afghanistan, seek
US assistance to help us pigeon-hole the forces lined up against your
interests and ours, including containment of certain elements inside our
country that require appropriate re-sets and re-tasking in terms of direction
and extent of responsibility after the UBL affair.
We submit this memorandum for your consideration collectively as
the members of the new national security team who will be inducted by the
President of Pakistan with your support in this undertaking.
The fact is that contents of the memorandum and revelations made
subsequently through publications of edited telephonic conversations had
little to do with Pak-US relations. It was more pertinent to Zardari-Haqqani
nexus endeavouring to exact democratic revenge aimed at harming ISI and
Pakistan Army and in the process also please their American masters.
All the points enumerated in the memo cause negative impact on the
security of Pakistan. These were too serious to be ignored by the military
command responsible for the defence of Pakistan. Even General Kayani

530

cannot afford deferring appropriate response, despite the fact that he was
obliged by Zardari by granting three years extension.
Reportedly, before giving him extension Zardari had accorded
audience to Kayani during which the General was reminded about contracts
given by Army to his near relatives. This was done to warn the general not to
try to get out of his shoes (boots). It was also to tell him that you and me
are birds of same feather and lets have good time flying together.
Even if this is true, the general could not, or could not be allowed to
by senior commanders, turn his face other way. Once the ISI collected
sufficient evidence, the COAS went to the Presidency on 15th November to
discuss revelations made by Mansoor Ijaz. It should have been embarrassing
for any Supreme Commander of the armed forces to be confronted with
evidence by his subordinate, which casts aspersions on his conduct, but
President of Pakistan is moulded of different material.
The General demanded sacking of Hussain Haqqani as ambassador
knowing full well that Zardari was the mastermind behind this episode. He
must have left this aspect to the good judgment of Zardari, again knowing
full well that the Scoundrel that happened to be his boss has nothing but
evil sense.
He obliged the General by seeking resignation of Haqqani, who
complied immediately, but at the same time he said that he had done that to
silence the enemies of democracy in Pakistan. He also denied forcefully of
any involvement in writing the memorandum to Mike Mullen.
He argued that why should he have chosen a man with dubious
reputation like Mansoor Ijaz when he as ambassador could do it at his own.
On the face of it the argument was convincing. But when seen in the light of
what the former spy master, Hamid Gul said the Haqqanis argument
becomes untenable.
Gul said that Mansoor was chosen for easy denial if so required
subsequently. Similar views were expressed by Ayaz Amir, who ruled that
language used in memo and scripts could not have been fabricated by ISI or
NDU. Riffat Hussain observed that concessions promised in the memo
regarding ISI and Army have similarities with ideas published in Haqqanis
book. M Mallick was of the view that for performing such errands only men
with dubious reputation would be selected.
The experience of more than three years tells that in Zardari regime
Haqqani enjoys complete freedom of action. He was exempted from
531

consulting foreign minister or even prime minister on two issues: to keep the
American Masters happy and Army/ISI under check through the Masters.
To this end the Masters must be persistently requested to keep the two
(Army and ISI) busy in war on terror and at the same time keep pressing
them for doing more and more. In addition, while doing so opportunities
must be created where these could feel embarrassed and humiliated so that
they always remain on the back foot.
Some of the incidents that can be quoted in this context, apart from
Abbottabad raid, are attempts to control ISI; influx of CIA agents through
liberal visa policy on insistence of Haqqani; Kerry-Lugar Bill and
Raymond Davis episode. Abbottabad raid had been a big humiliating blow
on these two enemies of democracy
From the above it can be credibly inferred that this blow was
delivered by Americans with the connivance and intelligence provided by
Zardari regime using expertise of Rehman Malik. That was why, both
Zardari and Gilani were jubilant over the success of Abbottabad operation.
It was a big blow in the scheme of democratic revenge that pushed ISI
and Army at the lowest ebb of reputation in their existence. Hussain
Haqqani, whose views about Army are well known, decided to avail the
unique window of opportunity to please the Masters and rub the two
enemies of democracy into dust. As he was enjoying freedom of action, he
did what has been now revealed by Mansoor Ijaz
What follows from now on relates to grant of MFN status to India,
which too is aimed at cutting these enemies of democracy (ISI and Army) to
size. The cordial relations, irrespective of their cost, will eliminate the
justification to maintain a large Army and spy network.
Zardari regime formally obliged the US by according the Most
Favourite Nation status to India in a meeting of a federal cabinet after it was
briefed by Amin Fahim about the outcome of his recent visit to India. The
great Makhdum, told his fellow ministers that this gesture would be in
Pakistans national interest. This was as credible a justification as he had put
forward while returning Rs200 million which someone had deposited in his
account by mistake.
He was actually acting in the capacity of Khadim, a new role
assigned to him by Zardari to be at the service of Uncle Sam. Some of his
colleagues expressed serious reservations. They feared that this could
damage the Kashmir cause, apart from having negative impact on trade
532

balance. They too must have pretended because they should have known that
no such thing as Kashmir cause or trade balance existed in Zardaris
priorities.
Obviously, their reservations were ignored because India had assured
not to block Pakistans access to European market. This wishful illusion did
not last for long. India, quietly, got that task performed in a diplomatic
finesse; Bangladesh obliged India by objecting to grant of trade concessions
to Pakistan.
The regime termed it unexpected diplomatic move on the part of
Bangladesh; instead of accepting that it had failed to read that trade interests
of India and Bangladesh had coincided and demanded blocking of Pakistans
entry into the European arena. It was a clear failing on the part of
Makhdum downgraded to Khadim.
Media had mixed response to this unholy embrace Zardari regime.
Some TV channels considered another embrace more important than this.
Express TV anchor was unhappy over a Pakistani (Muslim) actress and an
Indian (Hindu) actor shown love-making on the side of a swimming pool.
The anchor was unduly bitter about the fruits of people to people
contact for promotion of which TV channels had strongly pleaded for
improving Indo-Pak relations. Perhaps, this anchor too was pretending and
was availing the occasion only to show the video footage repeatedly.
There is no doubt that a Pakistani actress, dressed in green and white,
must have been unbearable for her countrymen, but this should not have
been used to pitch a religious scholar against Ali, who is better known as
Begum Nawazish. It was disgusting to listen to Ali, who rejected restrictions
imposed by Islam on the conduct of individuals.
One could only wish that the anchor had cared for decorum of
discussing religion. One could only wish he had heard what Mian
Mohammad Bakhsh had said: khasaan the gall aamaan agey hargiz mool na
karma; mithi kheer paka kutian agey tharna.
It carried the same message which Allama Iqbal had politely conveyed
by translating and quoting Bhartari Hari in the beginning of his book Bal-iJabreel. But, who cares about Mians Saif-ul-Malook or Iqbals Bal-i-Jabreel
in the age of enlightenment.
After his cabinet approved MFN status for India, Prime Minister
Gilani went to Maldives and claimed to have opened new vistas in Indo-Pak
relations. He told media men that he had discussed almost every issue from
533

Kashmir, terrorism, trade, water to visa regime; a subject Zardari regime is

good at.
The magic wand suggested by him for improving bilateral relations
was that all differences should be shunned. Was he hinting at acceptance of
status quo on all disputes with India? The truth is that Indian leaders have
made the successors of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to lick what the founder father of
PPP had been spitting at their country.
To conclude, it ought to be said that the revelations made by Mansoor
should be no breaking news for the ISI or anyone who knows the Scoundrel
and his front man. The question is; will the Army and ISI avail this
opportunity to fix the Zardari-Haqqani Nexus?
Circumstances are in favour of the evil forces behind which the Devil
stands firmly. The Scoundrel and his team have already sidetracked the real
issue within the issue of memorandum. That issue within is that Haqqani is
not the real culprit; he is just one messenger in the chain of three; the other
two are Mansoor Ijaz and James Jones. The real culprit is Zardari and he is
not only being ignored but by virtue of being President assumed the role of a
judge.
On the other hand, the noble forces, which seemed to have annoyed
their God, must endeavour to please Him, repose trust in Him and settle the
matter now. Failing which, they beware that the next attempt by the Devils
party could be decisive and fatal.
21st November, 2011

534

RAY OF HOPE
The superior judiciary of Pakistan kept pretending that it was
dispensing justice. During the period it heard two major cases in addition to
suo moto notice of Pakistan Railways. In NICL case the apex court kept
beating the trail of the snake called Moonis Elahi that had made his escape
good. In Rental Power Plants scam the court, however, ordered recovery
Rs4.5 from one company, but no culprit was punished.
Earlier, a British court had sent three Pakistani cricketers to jail on
charges of corruption as if reminding Pakistani judges how important
punishment is, apart from recoveries, in dispensation of justice. The message
escaped the notice of ever vigilant Chief Justice of Pakistan, who lectured
the participants of NDU advising them to stay away from corridors of civil
power, allowing the democratically elected people to enjoy fruits of their
efforts. He also reminded them of the consequences as per Article 6 of the
Constitution, if ever they dared disrupting democratic dispensation.
On political front, Zulfikar Mirza kept irking the Scoundrel in Exile
whose gang in Pakistan complained to the Resident Scoundrel to restrain his
buddy. Mirza went to England to give evidence to London Police for the
crimes committed by MQM chief in and outside Pakistan, including the
murder of Imran Farooq.

535

Amid the gloomy atmosphere of Pakistan Imran Khan appeared over

the horizon as ray, nay, as Star of Hope. He has challenged the forces of
status quo, which have started closing their ranks against him. These forces
were trying to portray him as corrupt as are they.

NEWS
On 31st October, Chief Justice remarked Pakistan is stepping back
rather than moving ahead despite being a nuclear state. He gave these
remarks while hearing of suo motu notice of non-payment of pension and
salaries to railway employees. The CJP observed corruption had destroyed
railway department.
Former Railway minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said the present
management is responsible for destruction of railway department. Railway
technical staff has been sent on leave forcibly and grade-16 employee has
been allowed to work in place of grade-19. Railway scrap has been sold out
at throwaway rate and influential persons are occupying railway land, he
told. Situation in railway can be improved if illegally occupied land is
recovered, he submitted.
The CJP remarked what a plight of railway was that a bulb costing
Rs400 had been purchased at the rate of Rs700. How such type of corruption
would be contained, he questioned. The electric cable which was laid up to
Khanewal had been stolen due to negligence. CJP directed that cases against
corrupt officers be sent to NAB. The hearing of the case has been adjourned
till November 10.
In RPPs case, Director Pepco on the instruction of the court
submitted a comprehensive statement. The Chief Justice after the
examination of the statement said that criminal negligence was committed in
awarding RPPs to the companies, as the projects were given in haste. He
said why have the government experts ignored the facts of gas shortage and
increase in fuel prices, due to which many companies are failed to generate
power to its full capacity.
Justice Khilji Arif Hussain said that the electricity produced from
Karkey cost Rs44 per unit. Khawaja Tariq Rahim, representing the Ministry
of Water and Power, defended Karkey high rate per unit saying the Karkey
has not been given letter of credit for fuel. He added if the company
generates power more than 151MW, which is producing presently, would
cost it less and the price per unit would come down to Rs22 per unit. He said
536

due to economic slowdown the fuel could not be provided to the company so
that they could generate electricity to its full capacity of 231MW. Justice
Khilji said when the government was aware that it could provide fuel for
producing only 51MW then why had it contracted with Karkey for 231MW
generation?
The Chief Justice asked Tariq Rahim it was not always good to
defend, but the government has to appraise the court why was so much
concession granted to Karkey. He said that the money was paid to Karkey in
advance, while the cabinet gave its approval after three months.
While hearing the petition filed by Senator Muhammad Ali Durrani
regarding recovery of billions of dollars from the accounts of Pakistani
politicians, bureaucrats, army generals, judges and businessmen the Chief
Justice said that though the title of the petition has been changed but no
amendment is made in its body. Justice Khilji Arif Hussain stated the
objective of the petitioner is noble and if he really wanted to help the
country in recovery of national wealth from foreign banks then he should
raise the issue in the Parliament as well.
American news media gave prominent coverage to Imran Khans huge
anti-government rally that was termed as a signal of political shift in
Pakistan. The Washington Post said, Tens of thousands of people massed to
listen to the cricket star-turned-politician in a surprising show of force that
could energies calls for anti-government protests.
Imran Khan said that country has undergone a big shift of opinion as
sapling of change has been planted and with nutrition of efforts to restore
peace and economy of country it would soon start bearing fruit. To a
question regarding political alliance with PML-N, he said that PTI could
consider the proposal if Nawaz Sharif would fulfill the demand of making
his assets public. He also said he could consider forging an alliance with
PML-N if the top leadership of the party declares their assets.
Senator Mushaidullah said PML-N was not bound to PTI Chairman
Imran Khan demands of declaring assets details but could consider dialogue
with him in the larger interest of the country. He said that PML-N leaders
have already declared their assets and further demands were uncalled for.
Unidentified gunmen fired shots at the office of PTI situated in Lahore some
window panes of the office, while PTI activists escaped the attack unhurt.
Motorcycle PTI rally was held in Jacobabad. Aftab Sherpao has said
Asif Zardari is bigger dictator than Pervez Musharraf and he has failed to
deliver democracy pledged by him. Meanwhile, three people, including a
537

leader of a religious party were killed and two others injured in incidents of
violence in Karachi and three more dengue patients died in Lahore.
Next day, the Supreme Court on Tuesday observed that Rental Power
Projects (RPPs) awarded in violation of the rules and in non-transparent
manner could be canceled. Chief Justice said: We have to see whether Pepra
rules were followed and there was transparency in award of the RPPs
contracts. We will not allow national wealth to go waste.
Shahid Hamid, counsel for Walter International, informed the bench
that five out of 19 RPPs were assigned without advertisement, which
included Naudero I, Naudero II, Karkey-II, Techno E and Abbas Steel.
However, the Federal Cabinet approved these projects, he added. The CJP
remarked deviation from Pepra rules would not make it legal even if was
approved by the Cabinet or Parliament. He said issuing projects without
advertisement was clear violation of procedure.
The counsel said that the companys owner David Walter, whose
business of RPPs was in 14 countries, wanted to stay in Pakistan, adding this
shows how much Walter loves Pakistan. Justice Khilji Arif Hussain
remarked, Our people dont love this country then how a US businessman
could love Pakistan. Justice Khilji said it seemed the RPPs contracts to
some companies were awarded through backdoor channel.
The Chief Justice inquired from Shahid Hamid that Naudero-I started
trial in July 2011 but broke down in October 2011. Hamid said there was no
flaw in the machinery but it broke down due to grid fluctuation of 132KV
wire. Faisal Saleh contended that after the closing down of plant, Naudero-I
continued to receive payment. Khawaja Tariq Rahim, counsel for Ministry of
Water and Power, and Hamid denied that.
He conceded that there was non-compliance of some of the Pepra
rules. Khawaja Tariq Rahim said a person against whom the apex court
ordered action in the LNG and Capital Development Authority cases was
appointed secretary in a ministry headed by Faisal Saleh Hayat. The Chief
Justice said the apex court orders are flouted; adding non-implementation of
the court judgment would promote anarchy. Faisal said he had been targeted
unnecessarily, saying appointing secretary was not his authority.
Pakistan decided not to take up the final $3.7 billion tranche of an
IMF loan package after rejecting strict reform demands. PPP and MQM
agreed to draft new Local Bodies system 2011 in Sindh province. They said
that that the New Local Government System 2011 will be finalized before
November 6. PIA doubled its fares for domestic flights, what the insiders
538

termed a way, to open the window for the other airlines to make their
business flourish on said routes.
On 2nd November, Minister for Railways expressed annoyance over
non-release of funds in the federal cabinet meeting, saying that he would
prefer to quit if the previous pledges for funds were not fulfilled. However,
an official spokesman of the minister talking to TheNation denied that the
minister had warned of resigning.
Next day, British Judge sent three Pakistani cricketers and their agent
to jail over charges of spot-fixing and bringing bad name to game of cricket
and their country. The let down nation felt sad but satisfied over punishment
of some corrupt; the regime however decided to provide legal help to the
criminals.
At home, Raja Riaz said that he had been wrongly implicated in gas
theft case to damage his political standing. He claimed that SNGPL
disconnected gas supply to his paper factory as a result of some
misunderstanding. Meanwhile, electricity rates were increased by Rs1.77 per
unit and dengue virus claimed four more lives in Lahore.
On 4th November, Commissionerate system was revived as Local
Government Ordinance 2001 expired. Despite several rounds of talks, both
the ruling coalition partners PPP and MQM failed in evolving the consensus
formula of new Local Government system. Meanwhile, a banker was killed
in firing at the car of a former judge of the Supreme Court in Karachi.
In what appears to be a step towards dividing Punjab into two
provinces, Prime Minister disclosed that PPP has created a separate
organization for South Punjab for an effective organization of the party. As
Rehman Malik expressed concern about corrupt cricketers, the jail-mates
of Salman and Asif booed them for letting down Pakistan.
Next day, an ATC Rawalpindi indicted seven persons including former
CCPO Rawalpindi Saud Aziz and former SP Rawal Town Khurram Shahzad
in the Benazir Bhutto (BB) murder case. The accused denied the charges
against them on which the court instructed to present witnesses in the next
hearing on November 19.
Prime Minister Gilani challenged the rival political parties to try their
utmost to topple the government and said his party believes in democracy
and no force can topple the government. PPP and MQM failed to reach a
decision to put in place administrative system in Sindh, resulting in lapse of

539

LG ordinance and restoration of Commissionerate system. Observers termed

it yet another master-stroke of Zardari.
Chief Justice of LHC passed orders for withdrawing of judicial work
from two judges forthwith after they were found guilty of corruption,
dishonesty and misuse of judicial authority. Zardari told the PCB to help the
corrupt trio of cricketers. Shoe was hurled again at Musharraf near London.
On 6th November, over a dozen former federal ministers, including
Jahangir Khan Tareen, Ishaq Khakwani and Owais Khan Laghari, have
showed their willingness to make an alliance with PTI. They will formally
announce this decision soon after Eidul Azha in a press conference with PTI
chairman Imran Khan. Chairman PTI predicted that a change would take
place on the political scene some time during the next year. Meanwhile, PPP
and MQM agreed on interim LG system for Sindh. Mirza and Wasan
exchanged allegations of corruption.
On Eid Day, G A Bilour said change of ministry wont be acceptable.
On 8 November, Zulfiqar Mirza will reach London on November 12 and
meet investigation officers of Scotland Yard on November 14. He will
produce evidences against MQM and its chief Alatf Hussain for their
involvement in crimes. Meanwhile, Wasan termed Mirza don of
extortionists. Shahbaz Sharif said the plunderers and looters of the country
would have to make accountable for providing basic amenities to the people.
He was addressing an Eid gathering at model colony, Shahbaz Nagar, made
for the residents of the Katchi Abadis in Faisalabad. Meanwhile, Waleed
Iqbal, grand son of Allama Iqbal joined PTI.
th

Next day, PML-N rejected the governments invitation for dialogue,

saying talks would only be held on early election. Altaf Hussain urged youth
to bring revolution; no matter under which flag they unite. Rangers arrested
32 suspects in different parts of Karachi during last 24 hours. Mirza
threatened to get hold of Wasan and thrash him on roadside.
On 10th November, the Supreme Court heard the suo moto notice case
of non-payment of pensions and salaries to the railways employees.
Chairman/Secretary Pakistan Railways Javed Ahmed submitted that a
comprehensive plan has been chalked out for the rehabilitation of out-oforder locomotives for which they needed Rs28 billion. The Chief Justice
dismissed the report and remarked that with Rs28 billion the new Railways
Department could be established and they need that amount for the repair of
the engines. The court allowed former federal minister for Railways Sheikh

540

Rashid and Senator Zafar Ali Shah to become party in Railways

rehabilitation case.
Next day, Imran Khan reiterated his stance that free and fair elections
are impossible under Zardari and if any attempt is made to rig elections, PTI
will go for civil disobedience across the country. He said this while
addressing media persons at the residence of Masood Sharif Khattak, who
joined PTI. Reportedly, divisions have emerged among PTI ranks on the
issue of inclusion of traditional politicians in the party. One group is
opposing taking in the old faces while another is supporting their entry citing
their electoral potential.
Nawaz Sharif urged the masses to brace up for the change, saying that
giving more time to the corrupt rulers was not in countrys interest. He was
talking to a PML-N overseas delegation. London Police said two persons
were arrested in Karachi in connection with murder of Imran Farooq. They
had traveled to UK on student visa. Sindh Police has said nothing about
arrests made two months ago. Five people died of dengue fever.
On 12th November, Chief Justice said any step taken by the armed
forces without the direction of the federal government would be considered
unconstitutional. Addressing to the participants of National Defence
University course, the Chief Justice said that the Supreme Court declared in
its July 31 verdict that anybody who would violate the constitution would be
considered as traitor.
A group of disgruntled PPP legislators from Multan is going to form a
bloc in Punjab Assembly in protest against wrong party policy and
leaderships discriminatory attitude towards them. A PPP legislator from
Multan, Malik Muhammad Abbas Raan announced to form forward bloc,
claiming support of some 20 party MPAs from the southern region. Zardari
wanted removal of dissident voices.
PML-N warned army and ISI to stop supporting PTI. Gilani said that
the Federal Government did not need to show muscles to prove its strength
through rallies. Gunmen attacked police in Rawalpindi district courts and
made their escape good along with three detainees; four people were killed
in the firing.
Next day, Gialni warned the Opposition that unconstitutional steps
against an elected government would not be tolerated. His governments
reconciliatory policy should not be construed as weakness, asking the
elements looking for change to move no-confidence motion in the

541

parliament or launch impeachment process against the president. But he

cautioned all this should come in light of the constitution.
Imran Khan said that both PML-N and PPP want continuation of
status quo in the country. Announcing the PTIs next rally in Karachi, he said
it would be an effort to shun ethnic divisions among the dwellers of the
countrys biggest metropolis. In an interview to CNN-IBN Imran said that
the Kashmir issue has the potential of taking Pak-India relations back to
square one. He said the matter should be set aside for future as the two
countries work on confidence-building measures. It is the only issue that is
stopping the two countries from getting closer, he added.
On 14th November, Shah Mehmood Qureshi resigned from partys
basic membership as well as from the National Assembly seat and asked the
members of the Parliament, particularly from Opposition, to follow the suit
and launch struggle for fresh elections. Talking to media persons outside the
Parliament House Qureshi said he would spell out his future political course
at a public rally to be organized at Ghotki on November 27.
He gave a long charge sheet of failures on the part of government
which included: burying political philosophy of Benazir Bhutto; turning the
Parliament into a redundant entity; non-implementation of unanimous
resolutions adopted by Parliament and APC; indifference towards arresting
the killers of Benazir Bhutto; failure in reviving the economy; failure to
revive various state entities like Pakistan Railways, PIA, Wapda and
Pakistan Steel Mills;
He urged all the MPs, particularly those from Opposition benches,
who felt pain for the sufferings of the people to resign and launch struggle
for the fresh public mandate to serve their cause. He demanded future
elections under neutral interim setup and independent Election Commission.
Chief Justice sought opinion of the AG for transferring the
investigation of the alleged huge scam in NICL from FIA to NAB and also
summoned the detail of Moonis Elahi case. During the proceeding, the Chief
Justice hinted that all the cases in NICL scam would be sent to NAB and
prima facie if any officer is found involved in the case then the action could
be taken against him as well. The court also directed the AG to submit
details regarding the foreign visit of Moonis Elahi, the main accused in the
in NICL scam.
Babar Awan dispelling the impression that Moonis Elahi case was not
heard properly. The court inquired from the AG and director (legal) FIA why
the certified copy of the judgment of Special Judge Banking Court in
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Moonis acquittal was not acquired so far. The AGP did not respond to the
court query when asked whether the government wanted to challenge the
release of Moonis Elahi.
Zafar Qureshi informed the court that on 12-10-2010 he was asked to
probe NICL scam, when he was Director FIA, Lahore. He said after the
arrest of Habib Ullah Warraich there was too much pressure on him to
release him, but he refused. He said therefore he was transferred, but on the
intervention of the Supreme Court when he resumed investigation into NICL
he arrested manager Al-Tahoor. He told that again pressure was exerted on
him to release the manager of the company.
He said he has no personal interest in the case and added that neither
he received cooperation from the DG FIA nor Interior Secretary in the
investigation. The former additional DG FIA said: My and my familys lives
are in danger. A fake FIR has been registered against me at Golra Police
Station on 27th October 2011 that I have not given plot to former SP Raja
Ayub in the housing scheme of National Police Foundation as an MD NPF.
He said that the Moonis Elahis name was on the ECL, besides that he
was sent abroad. He said Director Lahore, who has been made in-charge of
the team probing the NICL, has on a fictitious letter got defroze Rs20
million bank accounts of Moonis Elahi. He said that still Rs420 million have
to be recovered from Mohsin Warriach and other accused.
Wasim Sajjad prayed to the court that Zafar Qureshis application in
which he had alleged that Ch Shujaat Hussain, Pervaiz Elahi, Wajahat
Hussain, Moonis Elahi and Mohsin Warriach should be held responsible he
if dies unnatural death. He said that the remarks in application are biased
against his clients and the purpose of it to defame the Chaudhrys family. He
requested that Qureshi should tell how he developed the notion that above
persons after his life. Zafar Qureshi informed the court that he can share the
information about the matter only in in-camera session.
Qaim Ali Shah snatched the portfolio of Jails Department from PPPs
provincial minister Sadiq Memon. Memon was among the provincial
ministers and MPAs who held meetings with partys dissident leader Dr
Mirza. Agriculture expert, Jamshed Iqbal Cheema joined PTI.
Next day, Chief Justice ordered the FIA Director and Assistant
Director (Legal), Lahore, to return money or go to jail, while hearing the
NICL scam case. They had defroze worth Rs20 million bank accounts of
Moonis Elahi. The court said the amount was defrozen without assigning

543

any reason or justification, knowing well that matter was pending in the
court.
The amount was frozen during the tenure of Zafar Qureshi, before his
suspension in April this year. The court observed that the record of the order
to defreeze Rs20 million was not available even in the FIA Zonal Head
Office, Lahore. The order will remain in the scrutiny of the judicial review,
said Justice Hani.
The Chief Justice expressed concern that despite apex courts
direction, the FIA has not updated National Accountability Bureau about the
case. The court allowed Justice (Retd) Ghulam Rabbani to continue holding
the inquiry into giving advertisement in print and electronic media
criticizing the superior courts. Attorney General Maulvi Anwar-ul-Haq
informed that Justice Rabbani before his retirement heard the case in his
chamber and recorded the statement of four persons.
Waseem Sajjad, who appeared on behalf of Chaudhrys, argued Ch
Shujaat Hussain liked the idea of Justice Tariq that the matter regarding
Zafar Qureshi should be resolved amicably outside the court. He said Ch
Shujaat had no personal grudge against Zafar Qureshi. The Chief Justice
said if both the parties agreed upon it then they would dismiss the case.
Another bench said only 100 megawatts electricity was being
generated despite billions of rupees were paid to RPPs. The Chief Justice
said that nobody was bothered about national wealth as it was being wasted;
Supreme Court will not tolerate wasting national wealth, he remarked
reiterating that government had no policy regarding RPPs. He said that the
court would not spare those misappropriated the money.
Khawaja Asif said that his party members might tender their
resignations from the National Assembly within two months. Qamar Zaman
Kaira termed the elements trying to hinder Senate election as foes of
democracy and he slammed Shah Mehmood Qureshi. He said that all the
elections would be held in time and by polls would also be conducted soon
on the Qureshis constituency.
S M Qureshi accused Zardari of putting pressure on him to accord
diplomatic status to Raymond Davis. Dr Israr Shah and Nabeel Gabol of
PPP met Imran Khan. SHC accepted bail plea of MQM-Hs leader Afaq
Ahmed and ordered government not to arrest him again. Dr Mirza left for
London via Dubai with evidence against MQM and Altaf including the case
of murder of Imran Farooq; he asked the people of Pakistan for his success.

544

On 16th November, MQM leaders met PM and CM Sindh to convey

their concerns over display of weapons by guards of Mirza, according of
official protocol to him and departure of Sharjeel Memon along with him to
London. The real concern remained unstated, i.e. stopping him from
exposing MQM and Altaf Hussain. Earlier Gilani had stated in the
Parliament that Dr Mirza and We are part of the same family and we own
each other. Altaf Hussain rejected allegations leveled by Mirza.
The complainant, Khalid Hussain, who got registered a case against
MQM-H Chief Afaq Ahmed and his four party activists for kidnapping and
torturing him last month, was wounded in an incident of firing near his
residence located in Landhi area.
Renowned educationist and former advisor to chief minister Punjab
Pirzada Rahat Quddusi joined PTI. Tareen Group was told to join as
individuals not as a group. Nawaz Shaif said that he will definitely meet
Shah Mahmood Qureshi. He said that PML-N will support the revival of
Bahawalpur State.
The Federal Cabinet decided to devise a joint political strategy by
taking all the coalition partners onboard to effectively respond to those
political parities, which want political change before Senate elections. The
regime planned to increase the power tariff by four per cent in the first
phase, as it has to further increase the tariff by some eight to 10 per cent
during the ongoing financial year.
Next day, Chief Justice ordered the power companies, which have
failed to produce electricity, to return 14 per cent mobilization advance with
mark-up. Reshma Rental Power Plant returned Rs2.5 billion, which it took
as 14 per cent mobilization advance. However, the Chief Justice questioned
who would pay 16 per cent mark-up on the mobilization it obtained and
ordered the Reshma to return the mark-up money. Managing Director of
Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) Rasul Khan Mahsud informed
the court that he had written letters to the banks for return of guarantee
payment, but they paid no heed.
The CJP inquired how the banks could refuse to return advance
payment. The PEPCO official informed the court that the WAPDA paid
Customs duties of the machinery imported for RPPs project. The Chief
Justice remarked what kind of projects those were that WAPDA paid the
taxes for them. He said if the machinery for RPPs came into the country in
the name of WAPDA then it should not go back. The MD PEPCO said many

545

companies besides receiving 14 per cent mobilization advance have not

produced electricity.
The court asked the MD PEPCO why you have not taken action as
you are also criminally liable. Rasul said there was energy crisis in the
country and there was no other solution except RPPs, adding, but the fuel
was not given. The Chief Justice said that you have proved it with fact and
figures.
Federal Minister for Housing and Works and PML-Q central leader
Faisal Saleh Hayat argued he has no personal interest in the case, but when
he had seen the whole nation was in darkness and the government was doing
nothing then he wrote a letter to Chief Justice. Dispelling the impression that
Cabinet had approved the RPPs, he said there was no fault of Cabinet as it
approved what the Ministry of Water and Power submitted before it, adding,
the Ministry has misled and submitted wrong summaries before the Cabinet
as regards RPPs. The RPPs should be cancelled as these were approved in
violation of Cabinet decision, he said.
Faisal said out of 19 RPPs five plants were given to Iqbal Z Ahmed,
while the National Bank of Pakistan ex-President Ali Raza, who sanctioned
loans for RPPs was rewarded with LPG contracts. He said the government
does not have money to provide fuel to IPPs but ready to pay Rs95 billion to
Karkey and Reshma power plants Rs 60 billion to Karkey and Rs35 billion
to Reshma over five years. He said the cost of IPPs per megawatt is $0.3
million, which the government did not finance but ready to pay $2.2million
per megawatt to the rental companies that after 5 years will take back their
plants machineries with them.
Khawaja Asif informed that Nandipur and Chicho Ki Malian projects
total power generation capacity is 950MW and per megawatt would cost
$750,000. He said though the power production by these plants is expensive,
but the plants are Pakistans assets.
The PML-Q leader said as stated by Akram Sheikh that Karkey, which
is Turkish company and Turkey is friend of Pakistan and love its people. He
said if this is true then they should gift this plant to Pakistan as the UAE has
done. The UAE government gave power plant to Pakistan free, but that plant
could not be installed yet. He prayed to the court that besides canceling the
contract all the people, involved in irregularities and non-transparency of
RPPs, should also be punished.
Anwar Kamal, amicus curiae arguing the case said Karkey instead of
signing agreement with Private Power Infrastructure Board (PPIB), to whom
546

it had submitted bids, signed agreement with Lakhra Power Generation

Company Limited, which is a violation. He said that Federal government has
no power to lay down any guidelines, which are inconsistent with the
NEPRA Act. He said it was written in the rules that if the companies failed
to comply their contract would be terminated. He said instead of terminating
the contracts their time of CODs were extended.
Prime Minister met Chaudhry Shujaat and stipulated action against
Faisal Saleh Hayat. Gilani said he was being pressed by his party leadership
and members to act against Mr Hayat who petitioned a case in Supreme
Court against his own government for corruption and mismanagement in the
setting up of RPPs. The PM said the housing minister was free to carry on
with the case but not before resigning from his current portfolio.
Four newly-appointed judges of the Supreme Court were sworn in and
the Registrar wasted no time in fixing the date of hearing of appeal against
NRO verdict on 21st November which had been pending for want of
minimum of 17 judges in the bench.
MQM delegation met Zardari; Farooq Sattar conveyed to the
President the concerns of MQM about the statements and actions against
their party by some elements associated with the PPP. The President assured
the MQM delegation that the PPP valued its partnership with the MQM and
added that this partnership would continue in future as well.
Zulfiqar Mirza handed over evidence against the MQM to the
Scotland Yard. Mirza along with Lord Nazir Ahmed met the anti-terrorism
branch officials of the Scotland Yard at a police station located in Western
London. Later, he told media that he had offered assistance in the Imran
Farooq murder case, which had been accepted by the Scotland Yard. He was
accompanied by Lord Nazir. Meanwhile, two of the briefings by Mirza were
disrupted by men planted by MQM.
Qaim Ali Shah said that Peoples Party has nothing to do with Zulfiqar
Mirzas acts. He announced suspension of MPA Imdad Pitafi from party
membership saying it was message for friends. Sharjeel was summoned
back from London and served a notice. On return he said he went to London
on private visit.
Nawaz Sharif while talking to media at Sukkur Airport said corruption
was everywhere and no one was taking action against corrupt officials, but
he said time has come to get rid of Zardari regime, which has provided
nothing except problems to the people. Earlier, speaking at Shikarpur, he
demanded bringing the killers of Hindu doctors to justice, saying the
547

government has failed in protecting lives of the people. Raja Riaz dubbed
PML-N as Zina-League over sex scandal of Dost Mohammad Khosas.
Imran Khan while fearing the possibility of rigging in the elections to
be held under Zardari-led PPP warned that rigging attempts would invite
bloodshed. He made this warning while addressing a Press conference at his
residence on Thursday on the occasion of joining of several former
Parliamentarians and district leaders into the PTI, who belong to District
Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib and Jaranwala. Musharraf said PTI chief Imran
Khan is the best of the lot of politicians.
On 18th November, Sindh Assembly passed a resolution moved by
MQM, condemning derogatory remarks against Altaf Hussain and Zardari;
the Scoundrel in Exile and Resident Scoundrel. Earlier, Zulfiqar Mirzas
name was included in the resolution, but it was deleted in the last moment
after talks between MQM and PPP.
Reshma Rental Power Company deposited Rs4.68 billion in the
national treasury after Supreme Court issued a stern warning to pay back all
the money paid to it in advance with interest within 24 hours. Prime Minister
ruled out any unconstitutional change in the country. Qureshi invited Imran
at Ghotki public meeting. Imran Khan said PPP and PML-N will soon join
hands against him.
Next day, the Federation decided to engage former law minister Dr
Babar Awan in the NRO review petition. Sharjeel Memon clarified that there
was no pressure on him for tendering resignation from his office, adding that
he would continue friendship with Zulfiqar Mirza.
Zulfiqar Mirza said that Altaf Hussain has inflicted more damage on
the country than Osama bin Laden and expressed his regret over Britains
harbouring a killer. I do admit I stood with Zardari for many years.
Leading him (Zardari) to right path is not my duty, he said, adding that he
was in no position to hang President Zardari.
He said that one day all members of the party would be compelled to
tender their resignations from the party if it did not show tolerance and
respect to democracy in the party and their point of view. He said that
Sharjeel Memon was ousted as Minister which is unconstitutional step of the
party because the Information Minister had only traveled with him.
On 20th November, PML-N put up matching show at Dhobi Ghat
(place for washing dirty linen), Faisalabad. Though Nawaz avoided direct
attacks on Imran his aides, however, especially Nisar Chaudhry, hurled
548

accusations of corruption at Imran while mentioning his farm house near

Islamabad.
Senator SM Zafar said that time has come for the accountability of
rulers of the country. MQMs Rauf Siddiqui wrote a letter to British Prime
Minister seeking ban on Zulfiqar Mirzas activities in London. Fiery Mirza
continued his war of the word with MQM, threatening that he would move
to international court of justice if justice was not served.

VIEWS
On 4th November, M A Niazi wrote: Just as the PPP was originally a
party of rebellion, so is the PTI today. But whereas the PPP campaigned on
the latest Western ideology of leftist, the PTI wants an Islamic identity, and
this is what has caused both the PPP and the PML-N to believe that it will
cut into PML-N votes. The PML-N as it stands has inherited the 1947
Leaguer who now constitutes the anti-PPP vote, and is opposed to the
anarchy and disorder it represents. The PPP voter is not just against
authority, or in favour of the PPPs socialism, but also likes the disorderly
style. The PTI, by having pop musicians perform at the rally, did not
just do something politically expected, but also appealed to the PPP
voter.
The PTI, by doing the things that appeal to the PPP voter, while
working in the PML-N stronghold, seems to be doing something that the
PPP itself apparently cannot do, which is fight it in the urban centres of
Punjab. At the same time, the PPP seems to be depending on the MQM for
the urban centres of Sindh, which was symbolized by the rally in Karachi,
while Imran was having his. That indicates how much the PPP has given up.
It began as a party strong in the urban area, though it never was strong in
Karachi. Now it seems to be concentrating on areas where it has a proven
track record of winning, rural Sindh and South Punjab.
Imran would have been in politics for nearly 20 years, by the time of
the next election. Compared to the last person to have taken the country
(then West Pakistan) by storm, Bhutto, he has not made much progress,
perhaps, because while Bhutto could stake his claim in a politically empty
arena, Imran found two already established parties occupying the space
he wanted. One rally may well be no indication of what is to come, but
though Imrans shoulders may be broad, the PPP should not rely on them to
do what it cannot. Also, the PPP should remember that Imran wants to

549

replace it was well as the PML-N, and would not want to play the role in
Punjab that the MQM seems content to play in Sindh, of being a sort of
urban adjunct of the PPP.
A R Jerral opined: Imran Khan was generally taken by his
opponents and opinion makers politically of no significance. He was
dismissed, as a cricket icon with little political maturity. It was generally
said that leading a team, building a hospital or establishing an educational
institution does not compare with running a country. However, the Khan one
saw and heard at the podium of the rally was a different personality; a
mature and confident leader, who understood the maladies haunting this
nation. He spoke on problems besetting the country with maturity and
confidence, which conveyed a definite message that can potentially be
translated into concrete action plans.
Jerral discussed the points mentioned by Imran in his speech and then
concluded: Khan has, indeed, arrived with a loud bang and its
reverberations are being felt across the political spectrum of Pakistan. If
he can give a political programme, which ensures the rule of law and dignity
of life in the country, he has it made. We, the silent majority, need security;
affordable and cheap justice; quality education for our children, which
prepares them to progress in life; and opportunities to earn an honest living.
We need reasonable ease and comforts where we can make something of our
lives and can claim with pride that we belong to a dignified nation where no
Rambos can come and flout our laws and society. It is a tall order. If he can
deliver this, the entire nation would follow him even to hell. Now, PTIs
Chief needs to be specific and definite in his programmes and should work
in that direction.
There is one danger though. He has challenged the forces of status
quo. These forces are not going to take it lightly. The last time when
another Khan had threatened them, they responded with the military might.
They can go the same route again. Our history shows that the martial laws,
in Pakistan, were a mixture of the military and the feudal, and were later
joined by city elites. The political forces, in fact, used it to stem the social
change that the masses needed. These forces will launch a vigorous counter
effort to defeat the force of change. The time ahead will be critical for
Pakistan in its internal political dynamics.
On 6th November, Jalees Hazir commented: To begin with, the party
will have to do the hard work of building upon these ideas (expressed by
Imran in his speech) and coming up with detailed blueprints on each one
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of them (to walk the talk). That is where the leader will have to take a
backseat and bring in the experts and technocrats, who understand and agree
with the PTI goals. Economists whose understanding goes beyond IMF
tranches and World Bank loans must prepare a comprehensive strategy to
deal with the withdrawal systems that will set in once these drips come off.
Similarly, foreign policy experts must be ready with a diplomacy-strategy to
deal with the consequences of saying goodbye to the global bully, who
doesn't know how to take no for an answer and who is most likely to create
problems for us when we decide to walk away. What PTI needs are
comprehensive plans and strategies complete with details and not just
slogans about its policy direction. And the time to do it is now. The PTI
leadership should not wait till it achieves its goal of forming the
government.
The party must focus on translating its popular support into
electoral success by creating a crop of trained political workers, who
could take on the entrenched political parties in elections, matching their
knowledge of the electoral process and with the ability to counter the many
tricks they have perfected to steal elections. The PTI has done useful
groundwork by exposing the bogus votes on electoral lists, and it must
strengthen its efforts to make the electoral process free and fair. Other than
pushing for the reform of the process, a political cadre well-versed in the ins
and outs of elections is essential to achieve that goal. With Imran Khan's
towering personality leading the show, there is danger of PTI becoming
another personality cult. This calls for democracy within the party and
inculcating the spirit of collective leadership whereby decisions are taken
within a consultative and democratically elected institutionalized party
structure.
On 11th November, Tariq Kashmiri observed: The news of the failure
of autonomous bodies, attached departments and other government
functionaries are far from few. However, the most unfortunate experience
of this PPP government is that they seem to be indifferent towards some
of the very vital challenges faced by Pakistan. Agreed that they inherited a
huge baggage of problems from the decade-long military rule, but what is
most appalling is the fact that there is not even a thought to put things right.
While it is evident that one of the major issues in the next elections will be
that of governance, the PPP regime is not interested in any effort to deal with
the issues. One-by-one the public sector corporations are defaulting and the
PPP governments response to the problem is; post a notoriously corrupt
person as head of the already fading organization.
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Also, it is time now to break the myth that the PML-N is the sole
custodians of the anti-PPP vote. First of all, there is no ideological
distinction between the two leading political parties of Pakistan. Gone are
the days when the PPP was the torchbearer of anti-establishment, anti-samraj
politics in Pakistan. While the PML-N never had any clear ideology; no
matter how vociferously they claim, it is hard to believe that they have
revolted against the establishment. Shahbaz-Nasirs nocturnal rendezvous
with the top brass is a case in point. Both parties have no clear economic
agenda, foreign policy guidelines or governance features. As with the PPP,
one can fault the PML-N on so many grounds; the reality is that there is no
marked difference between the two parties.
Those who believe that the PPPs vote bank is intact, or will
remain unaffected, are living in a fools paradise. Imran, in his October
30 speech, very rightly said that this party is not Zulfikar Ali Bhuttos party
anymore. The job that even Ziaul Haq could not do is being done by the
present PPP leadership. Undoubtedly, the PPP will suffer badly in Punjab,
Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is not mere speculation; the omens are
not good for the PPP. Their voters were either from the very poor segments
of society, or liberal minded democrats, who want Pakistan to be a
democratic, modern and pragmatic State. The leadership has failed its core
support groups. They are now looking towards alternates; in Imran they see
a ray of hope.
The problems that Pakistan is facing today require a leader, who
can inspire the masses. Who is charismatic enough to channel the energy of
youth into meaningful and productive human resource? Imran has the
personality, patience and charm to motivate people. I think it is time for the
change of guards; the citizens of Pakistan are no longer ready to give another
chance to the tested lot, we need a fresh start with no baggage. We need an
honest man at the helm; our country cannot afford to take another chance
with the corrupt, inefficient and incompetent lot. We need hope and we need
change, those in doubt must remember that hesitation is not a trait required
at the defining moments of history. May Allah save Pakistan from the
coalition of robber barons!
Next day, Economist wrote: As a magnificent fast bowler, Imran
Khan terrorized batsmen. Now a politician, he told an adoring crowd late
last month that one of his feared in-swingers would knock out both President
Asif Zardari of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the main
opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif. The next general election is due by early
2013 but likely to be called before that, possibly as early as the spring
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Mr Khan dreams of leading a mass movement of motivated

Pakistanis calling for an Augean clean-up of the countrys abysmally corrupt
politics. He adds a strong dose of conservative (though not radical) Islam to
the mix. Meanwhile he calls for Pakistan to walk away from its stormy
alliance with the United States and the war on terror: America, not the
Islamist militants, is to blame for the regions violence and instability.
The message now resonates among urban, middle-class types such as
those at the rally in Lahore. Many had not previously engaged in politics.
But Mr Khan also attracted others, from mullahs to lorry drivers. Now no
longer so young himself he turns 59 this month Mr Khan seems to
appeal especially to 18 to 30-year-olds, who make up a quarter of the
population of 177m
Mr Khans appeal is that of an anti-politician, someone not part
of the oily system. Raising funds from the public, he built a university in a
rural area and a cancer hospital where rich and poor are treated. It gives him
a moral standing above the countrys tawdry politicians. And also, say his
critics, a Messiah complex
Messiahs are not enough in Pakistans electoral system, where
elections are won constituency by constituency, and party machines are all.
The two established parties have formidable organizations. Their candidates
have the connections to provide constituents protection from predatory
police and the vagaries of the local courts. Mr Khan wants to overturn these
corrupt relationships. But his own political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
(Movement for Justice), has only ever managed to win a single seat. Mr
Khan predicts a political tsunami carrying him to power. But unless he
shows a firmer grasp of both organization and policy, the countrys
brilliantly awful politicians will continue to milk state funds to run their
regional fiefs. Arif Nizami, the editor of Pakistan Today, says that one
blockbuster rally does not mean that the political game has changed.
Mr Khan faces a dilemma over whether to field political outsiders
at the next election or bring familiar faces into his party. They would
help pull in some votes, says Cyril Almeida, an analyst, but would alienate
those seeking a new politics. An alliance with Mr Sharif would almost
guarantee election victory. Yet, for now, Mr Khan is squarely targeting Mr
Sharifs core supporters in the east of the country.
Opinion polls still have Mr Sharif well out in front. But they also
indicate rising support for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. One unpublished survey

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in the summer put its national support at an astonishing 20%, which is level
with Mr Zardaris PPP and only eight points behind PML-N.
The poll showed that Mr Khan also has support in the north-west,
though more so in the non-Pushtun areas there. Ethnic Pushtuns, who have
borne the brunt of extremist violence, appear to be put off by what they
see as his weak stance against militants, the poll found. They are not
swayed by Mr Khans message of hope. But in Lahore last month a lot of
people seemed to believe that things can improve, and the Khan bandwagon
rolls on.
Tallat Azim observed: The emergence of a third force in politics was
the main topic of conversation in the city of Karachi as well over the Eid
holidays. People have been taken by surprise at the show of support for
PTI in Lahore and, at least, are no longer dismissive of the party as an
entity. They dont quite know what to put the finger on to account for this
change except the usual backing of the establishment and do not any longer
make predictions of this party being contained to 10 seats in the National
Assembly, as was their wont in the recent past. They also wait for PTI head
to take a clearer stand on the issue of religious extremism. PTI, if nothing
else has to its credit the disturbance of the comfort of those who thought
they and their families would continue to misrule us for ever! As a fall-out
and only by default, some attention may finally be paid by all parties to the
interests and well-being of the common citizens who hold in their hands the
power to elect whomever they please. Pakistanis have been led up the garden
path by every leader they have ever loved and pinned their hopes on thus far,
except Quaid-i-Azam. As Imran Khan wallows in the lime light currently, he
must plan on how not to fail them, if they decide to repose their trust in
him.
Zaheer Bhatti commented: Oration not being Imran Khans forte, he
nevertheless exuded sincerity and commitment at his historic Minar-ePakistan display on 30 October, heralding that someone of reckoning had
emerged on the political horizon of the country making headlines
worldwide. One saw the political pundits who had been so far mentioning
the Khan only in passing, suddenly making an about-turn in their analysis
and billing him as consequential
For Imran Khan and Company, the challenge lies in not merely
mustering support but to thwart and counter this sinister influence by also
reaching out this warning to the masses in a virtual door-to-door campaign.

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No one doubts Khans sincerity and commitment but he needs to do the

following to clinch the issue:
A sizable work force needs to be raised and fanned out across the
country to unfold his manifesto and implementation plan at public
meeting, to every household because public meetings will only
supplement and help consolidate the gains of the actual outreach.
The popularity projections of various polls conducted so far placing
Imran ahead of others are all urban based and can be very misleading
in a society in which majority of the population lives in the rural
areas. That is where he needs to concentrate.
Bhutto had behind him a political legacy and a measured performance
during his stint in the Ayub government, plus the trauma of
segregation of East Pakistan which weighed heavily on the minds of a
shattered nation looking to hold on to any straw; hence the popular
support. Imrans challenge is greater, as he has to galvanize a people
in total disarray.
Since traditional biradari system in the rural areas will continue to
matter, as seen during elections in Azad Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan and
by-polls in various constituencies across the country, an electoral
alliance with like-minded parties would be inevitable, and one hopes
Imran is chastened not to alienate anyone and keeps his options open,
remembering that there are no angels including himself in any society.
In proving that his party truly stands for the people and democracy,
not just by word of mouth but in deed, he needs to cast off the
impression of being a one-man show and prove his democratic
credentials.
No revolution can be expected without a fair election, and
nothing will change without ensuring an independent election
commission appointed with the indulgence of the Supreme Court, the armed
forces assisting it in conducting the polls process, and certainly not leaving it
to the manoeuvrable local administration. The time to move the Supreme
Court is now.
Inayatullah opined: In this depressing state of doom and gloom,
Imran Khan has emerged as a beacon of light and as a possible saviour.
He enjoys excellent credentials. He as the captain of the cricket team won
the World Cup and has been successfully running the internationally

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acclaimed Shaukat Khanum Hospital. His partys recent massive public

meeting at Minar-e-Pakistan, very well attended by the youth, has suddenly
changed the political climate.
Imran Khans declared agenda to root out corruption and clean up
stables has been hailed by the people of Pakistan. His promise to rid the
country of the American imperial hold and stop fighting their war, has
struck a responsive chord amongst the people of Pakistan whose antiAmerican sentiment is already on the rise.
The Tehrik-i-Insaaf chief suddenly finds himself wooed, and lionized
by young and old carries a tremendous responsibility to steer himself,
and his party away from the choppy waters. Since the public meeting in
Lahore, he has been to China. Japan too has extended an invitation to him.
The American Ambassador has been asking for some time for a meeting.
Scores of leaders belonging to different political parties are rushing to join
his party. Much will depend on how he reconstructs his party, taking in new
members, how he responds to overtures for alliances and how he redesigns
his agenda.
Because of Imrans rise in popularity, PML-N much more than the
PPP will suffer a diminishing of its supporters in the forthcoming
elections. This will redound to PPPs advantage. But PPP itself will not
escape damage. A wiser Nawaz Sharif should have struck a cordial
relationship with Imran as essentially PML-N goals are not much at variance
with those of the Tehrik-i-Insaaf. PML-N has played its political cards
poorly and has only to blame itself for the isolation it finds itself in today.
In addition to being clean, Imran is different from most of other
party leaders in his views about the American war against terrorism.
How he translates his approach into a viable strategy remains to be seen.
How this will affect PakistanUS relations will be determined in due
course.
A marked feature of Imran is his persona as a good Muslim. He
regards Iqbal as his spiritual and intellectual guide. This aspect of his
personality may not be viewed favourably by the liberals of Pakistan. It, on
the other hand, is bound to endear him to the masses and the religious
groups.
On 13th November, Faisal Qureshi commented: Captain Kirk is
trapped on a planet, and he screams the name Khan loudly. This is a very
popular scene from the 1982 Star Trek movie The Wrath of The Khan. 30 th
October 2011. Imran Khan stood on a stage, facing thousands of people,
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with a gigantic Pakistan flag in the backdrop, and his wrath for those in
power was loud and clear. Khan boldly went where no man had gone before.
He challenged the status quo of Pakistans leadership successfully. Without
any doubt, Pakistans Khan had finally arrived.
The sights and sounds at Minar-e-Pakistan that evening were
powerful enough to put the fear of God in any sensible politician being
challenged by hundreds of thousands of people singing the national anthem,
and chanting change, in one voice. But have they actually scared anyone?
Within hours of his very successful Jalsa, Imran Khan told the press that an
alliance with Nawaz Sharif is possible if the latter declares his real assets.
Soon after, Imran Khan met with Jamat-e-Islamis Syed Munawar Hasan to
reportedly discuss an alliance.
I asked a senior member of PML-N, if PTIs epic jalsa had sent
shivers down their spine. He laughed and said it will take more than one
jalsa to break down an entity as strong and deep-rooted as Mr Nawaz Sharif.
He went on to say that inclusion of old faces in PTI is leaving gaping
holes in its defence, through which the whole movement will collapse,
and the Khan will be embarrassed.
Since then Imran Khan has rejected the possibility of alliance with
any corrupt party, and yet made the tall claim of fielding 1000 candidates
across the country, in the next general elections. In my humble opinion,
without making alliances with existing players, individual or group,
there is no way PTI could be in a position to even think about forming a
government. Does that mean all hopes for change in the current state of
affairs are lost?
Yes, if Imran Khan falls into the trap of old-school politics, and form
of election. No, if he comes up with real change, which may include a
change in the whole system. But how would he bring the change unless he
is in power, which he cant be without the change? Catch-22?
PTIs only conclusive demand, declaration of real assets, is
completely intangible and stands no ground. Millions of dollars have already
been wasted by various versions of Ehtasab Bureau Real change needs
tangible demands. Today, with the force of millions of young Pakistanis
behind him, Imran Khan wields the power to make those demands and effect
real change. He holds the key to force even constitutional changes, new laws
to be written and implemented, and all without actually taking office.
Millions of people, standing under the one flag of Pakistan, could actually

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force a change in the mode of election, which is the biggest hindrance for
any new leader to reach the corridors of power.
With the power of people behind him, Imran Khan can carve his
way right through the obstructions that are forcing him to make weak
statements like the ones mentioned above. I think, PTI should not jump into
the existing arena and take on old professional players in a game no one can
possibly win. They will all gang up under the guise of mufahimat and
coalition, and destroy any effort to dismantle their endless grip on power, at
any price. We have already seen bloodshed on our streets caused by the same
power game. Imran Khan needs to have faith in the promising youth of
Pakistan, who have the courage and will, to turn the tide. All they need is
encouragement, guidance, a plan, and a leader. PTI needs to offer new
solutions, a revolution of sorts.
In conclusion I would say that Imran Khan is standing at a moment
when history is being written. Fate has given him a clean sheet of paper,
with a pen only his hand can hold. Opportunity has opened wide, a door to
Pakistans prosperous future. If he fears the moment, he will only fumble.
But if he believes in the power of the wave behind him, and holds his
position strong, he writes history in his own hand-writing. Imran Khan
needs to overcome the temptation to play old games. Instead he needs to
rewrite the game.
Next day, A R Jerral commented: change that is being talked
about needs to be spelt out clearly; how that will be achieved and how
that will affect the masses and in what timeframe it would be brought
about. In the absence of a clear roadmap people will assume what change
will usher in and build their own hopes and dreams. Till now the change
seems to be removal of Mr Zardari only. There are no clear plans of a system
change; only PTI chairman has hinted in this direction when he talked of
change in thana- patwari culture. This system is a bye-product of our clanclass based political culture which thrives on patronage and protection for
mutual benefits. General Musharraf had introduced local governments
loosely patterned on western county system; it did not survive for long after
his removal from office. The political tussle one observed in Sindh on this
issue is well known. Any change that will disturb the status quo will be
resisted vehemently.
Past political experience has amply demonstrated that no political
party ever returns to the legislative bodies with absolute majority; they seek
partners to form governments. And the demands of coalition partners cannot
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be ignored. Even when there was absolute majority PPP in 1970s and
PML-N in 1980s they could affect no change in the system because the
members hailing from influential political families were averse to any
change. In Pakistan a change for the positive political system beneficial
to the common man will always remain elusive and at best a political
slogan to attract the vote bank.
On 15th November, Javid Husain commented: Imran Khan has
attracted a lot of attention lately because of his well-attended and successful
public meeting in Lahore. He vows to end corruption and to bring about a
change in the system of governance to redress the grievances of the people.
Unfortunately, however, he has failed so far to expand his views beyond
slogans to detailed policy measures in political, economic,
administrative, security and foreign affairs to achieve the goals that he
and PTI have set for themselves. One also does not see any visible change in
his life style in line with the policy of austerity and self reliance that our
country needs. It is, therefore, premature to pass a judgment on his future
prospects. He must understand that mere slogans will not produce the
desired results.
Finally, Imran Khan claims that he wants to change the status quo for
the betterment of the people. It appears, however, from the people gathering
around him that he is increasingly relying for support on the forces
which are the mainstay of the status quo or tainted with corruption.
There is also the allegation (admittedly unsubstantiated so far) that he is
being propped up by the military, which represents the status quo, to divide
and rule the political forces. One wonders, therefore, how in such a scenario
he alone will be able to bring about the revolutionary changes that the
country needs. For him to have any chance of success in the realization of
his stated goals, he will have to align sooner or later with like-minded
political forces. A solo flight by him will be a sure recipe for failure.
Mohammad Jamil opined: It is indeed a good beginning, but Imran
Khan will have to come out with his programme vis--vis political
reforms, administrative reforms, judicial reforms, economic reforms, and
how those will be implemented to improve the lives of teeming millions. It
is too premature for the TIP of talking about alliances, and it should strive
every nerve to build up party cadres, which has not been done so far. Imran
Khan should not look for the heavy weights, because men of substance are
more important. And he has quite a few of them Ahsan Rashid, Hamid
Khan, Farooq Amjad Mir and Naeem-ul-Haq etc. It is in fact program of the
party and the credible leadership that inspires the people to vote for that
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party. Imran Khan will be able to mobilize the people in the big cities and
get him a respectable representation. He must understand that more than 62
per cent people are living in towns, villages and tehsils the bulk of it living
in the serfdom of landed aristocracy, sardars, pirs and overbearing local
power-wielders. He has to chalk out a strategy to take on them as well
industrial robber barons.
Imran Khan has to build up a vibrant party organizational structure to
convert the wave into vote, which is indeed a very arduous task. No less
importantly, he has to give pointed specificity and detail to what he has on
offer for the masses. He should inform the nation in unequivocal terms as
to what sort of relationship Pakistan will have with the US. And whether he
would ask America to vacate the bases including the one at Jacobabad?
Secondly, what steps he envisages to revive the economy and make Pakistan
self-reliant with a view to getting rid of the dependency syndrome. Thirdly,
he should make public the measures to end mismanagement, waste and
corruption in the government and semi-government organizations like the
PIA, Pakistan Steel Mills, Oil and Gas Corporations and Railways to avert
the losses of more than Rs.1,000 billion annually to the exchequer. Finally,
he should as his team to mull over the options that Pakistan should survive
in the event America slaps biting sanctions. No doubt, it is an arduous task;
but given the will and determination of Imran Khan, it is possible.
TheNation wrote: Listening to Imran Khans views on Kashmir,
expressed in an interview with Karan Thapar of the CNN-IBNs Indian
channel on Sunday, one was, for a moment, apt to ask oneself: Do my ears
deceive me? But then soon one realized that it was, doubtless, the PTI
Chairman who was declaring in explicit terms that he would go along with
President Zardaris point of view on the Kashmir dispute with India and
leave it to the next generation to settle. Right now, the two neighbours, he
thought, needed to develop trade relations and put in place confidence
building measures to raise the level of mutual trust. However, in the same
breath, he called Kashmir the core issue between the two countries and
believed that any terrorist incident happening in India, whether through a
militant group in the disputed state or elsewhere would undo the positive
effects of the CBMs and the commercial ties. Strange, rather confused
logic, for putting on the backburner a dispute which should be the first
issue to be put out of the way for real and lasting trust to take root.
Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan has slogged for a good 15
years to reach the landmark of public recognition, and all this while he has
been known for maintaining consistent, principled positions on fundamental
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issues the country was confronted with. He is an untried figure in politics,

but has demonstrated an uncompromising opposition to the loot and plunder
and bad governance the current political setup was widely accused of.
Though the rumblings of his arrival on the scene has been heard for quite a
while, the mammoth crowd that assembled in the grounds around Minar-ePakistan, Lahore, at the end of the last month put the seal of his coming of
age as a politician who could carry a sizeable section of the electorate with
him a worrisome prospect for already established parties. However, it
seems that the urge to get into power has taken hold of him and, in his
impatience, he is out to garner as many votes as possible, even at the cost
of principles to which he has for so long adhered. By advocating promotion
of trade with India to the neglect of Kashmir, he intends to win the hearts of
MFN lobby. With PTI casting its lot in favour of MFN to India, all
mainstream parties, except Jamaat-i-Islami and some other religious parties,
have joined hands on this issue. The Azad Kashmir Prime Minister (PPP)
has made the comment that the MFN is worrying only the media and
Punjab.
With one miscalculation, Imran Khan may have down in public
estimation. There is yet time for him to think. The nation has become sick
of having leaders who are ready to make compromises for the sake of power;
it can stand no more of them. Even if he succeeds in coming into power on
the score of the politics of compromises, history would not forgive him for
losing the chance to lead the country to a successful path.
Next day, the newspaper commented: Those who entered politics by
joining Imran Khans Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) had done so. Now is the
turn of those who belong to some other party. However, contrary to
expectations, the trickle that might become a flood has not occurred in
the PML-N, whose voters are targeted by the PTI, but in the PPP.
Though Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi has not formally joined the
PTI, it is a virtual certainty he will do so on November 27, announcing it at
his Ghotki public meeting. He has already completed the preparatory moves,
which include resigning from the PPP and from the National Assembly.
Though he is a more recent vintage, Makhdoom Shah Mehmood is not the
only ex-minister to be scheduled to join the PTI. Also joining, and in fact
preceding him, are Khwaja Muhammad Khan Hoti, now an ANP MNA, and
Nisar Muhammad Khan, now in the PML Likeminded. Qureshi and Hoti
make it seem that Imran will harm the PPP more than the PML, for Hoti was
a provincial minister for the PPP, and only joined the ANP after crossing the
floor. However, Nisar Muhammad Khan seems a leakage from the PML.
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The departures and the destination provide similar lessons to both the
PPP and the PML-N, the immediate impact has been on the PPP, as it has
lost two sitting MNAs, one its own, and the other its allys, Makhdoom Shah
Mehmoods being from Multan means that his organizational skills and
vote-gathering potential will be used in the Southern Punjab areas which the
PPP (already a little optimistically) regards as its territory, and where it is
agitating for a new province. Both the ruling PPP and the PML-N (in
Punjab) have not got rid of the miasma of misgovernance which is giving
Imran Khan his chance. It is not the corruption issue alone which is the
reason, but the combination of inflationary domestic policies with a
foreign policy that hardly differs from abject surrender. Time is short, but
the PTI is new, so the two parties, which have hitherto dominated national
politics, still have time to reform themselves and not leave the field open for
the PTI.
Shah Mehmood, Hoti and Nisar bring a new challenge to the
PTI, how to handle those who are coming to it not because they agree with
its programme, but because they believe it will take them to power. This is
the challenge that was faced by both major parties after they came into
being, and which perhaps have led to their present situation. However, while
not an unalloyed blessing, the PTI would probably prefer to have this
problem than the one it had before, that of having no experienced politicians
on board.
Dr Sania Chaudhry opined: The next election is in the offing, as
uncertainty looms over the continuity of the government studded with
allegations of corruption and bad governance. The present government
has so far managed to linger on, but will it be able to enter into the fourth
year of its tenure, only time will tell. Apparently, the government seems to
be blessed with a cats nine lives. But will the civil disobedience agitation
promised by Imran Khan during the rally be implemented and effective in
contrast to the lame claims of the PML-N leadership to remove the ruling
duo. The next major challenge for Chairman PTI Imran Khan will be at the
time of allotting election tickets to the party members. Will the efforts of the
supporters, who have stood behind their leader in all thick and thin since the
inception of the party, be rewarded or will traditional politicians prevail and
contest elections under its banner? These are serious challenges faced by the
leadership of PTI in the coming days. The people of Pakistan are looking at
Tehrik-i-Insaf as the last hope for the survival of the country and the manner
in which its leadership will handle these challenges will be the decisive
factor in establishing PTI as the third option in the next elections.
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On 18th November, TheNation opined: It seems that former Sindh

Home Minister will cause the MQM more grief. Its reaction to his presence
in London, his impending address to the UKs House of Lords, and the
presence of Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon, has been to ask its
senior ruling partner to explain. Dr Mirza has apparently created more waves
after leaving the cabinet than within it, and his attacks on the MQM have
created the impression that his address to the UKs Upper House will be
directed against MQM chief Altaf Hussain, who has been there in exile since
1993. Mr Memons being with him lends credence to the belief that Dr
Mirza is operating with the blessings of President Asif Zardari, and
through the Sindh government. This has made Altaf Hussain call President
Zardari by phone, and a ministerial MQM delegation met Prime Minister
Yousuf Raza Gilani who assured them that an investigation into the matter
would be held. Though the Gilani government would remain in office if the
MQM was to leave, it would do so only because of the support of the PMLQ. The MQM has twice left the government before, and only PML-Q
support prevented the collapse of the government. After the second return,
which also included the resignation of Sindh Ministers and the Sindh
Governor, it was generally thought the MQM would remain in the coalition
until the time came for fresh elections, but the attacks on Altaf Hussains
person had not been made, and the refusal of the PPP to take action against
Dr Mirza had not raised suspicions within the MQM that he was acting
within the blessings of a higher authority.
The PPP must now count the cost of its clinging to both the MQM
and Dr Mirza. It must not be forgotten that it was he who left the Sindh
cabinet; he only had his portfolio changed. The MQM itself has been
cautious in acting against Dr Mirza, who has accused it of involvement in
the target killings which plagued its stronghold of Karachi, an accusation
that cannot be dismissed because of the portfolio he held, but the PPP has
found that the alliance also means that the commissionerate systems
restoration was very much a bone of contention between the two allies. As a
result, there were a number of flip-flops by the government over the issue,
which added uncertainty to an already difficult situation.
The PPP must adopt a clear policy, and if it indeed supports Dr
Mirzas views, it should make this clear. The MQM should also make its
own position clear, and it should take a decision whether or not it can
continue in office. Whatever it decides, the government must respect it.
Dr Farooq Hassan commented: The country owes the greatest debt to the
present judiciary, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar, for the revival of the
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rule of law. He stood between Musharrafs dictatorship and the democratic

forces. So, it is worthwhile to emphasize the personal contributions of our
CJ in this epoch-making struggles, in which the majority of the lawyers
stood beside him.
It is a matter of record to remember that the CJ said: The judges of
higher courts have written in their code of conduct that any judge who will
take another oath under another the PCO will be guilty of treason. The
participants of NDU were reminded by his observations that the Supreme
Court declared in its July 31 verdict that anybody who would violate the
Constitution would be considered as traitor. Thus, with the international
scene moving rapidly in which we find all kinds of bad actors having a
time of their lives, it is difficult to predict with certainty what may
actually happen.
But it is certain that President Zardari has much to fear from this
uncertainty not only there is the lingering fear of the corruption cases
Switzerland about money laundering, which he was able to thwart despite
the orders to the contrary by the Supreme Court in the NRO judgment, and
for the recent disclosures about his role in allowing the drone attacks to
continue and the question relating to the controversy surrounding the
Mansoor Ijaz affair. The other major factor is the emergence of Imran, which
must send shivers the spine of many such evil actors of today.
Dr A H Khayal wrote: Democracy in a backward country is a
concubine of the moneyed class. Pakistan is a poor country. Elections in
Pakistan are hornifica1ly costly. Logically, the masses must keep themselves
away from such elections. But they dont do so. There is a reason. The
masses have become so much addicted to their misery that they cannot live
without becoming more and more miserable. Their misery is their only asset.
As human beings naturally desire to increase their assets, so our miserable
masses desire to increase their only asset which is misery. And this they
cannot do without sending the members of the moneyed class into
Parliament. The elected rich do not disappoint their poor electors. They
generously add to the misery of their electors. Our masses achieve their
ambition of becoming poorer than the church mouse through the national
democracy.
Our elections are a very expensive affair. Only extremely rich
Pakistanis can afford to jump into the election fray. He who is financially
impotent is ineligible for the election bout. His voting right is a mockery
of the ballot box. When an illiterate voter affixes his thumb impression on
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the ballot paper and drops it into the ballot box, his misery for the next five
years is guaranteed. The poor voters way to hell is paved with the ballot
box. In a poor country, nothing can ensure the general misery like
democracy.
We have various administrative systems. Unfortunately, all these
systems are generally dishonest systems. These systems are the creation of
our political system. The political system of a country is the mother of all
other systems. If the mother-system is corrupt, it cannot give birth to honest
systems. If we want to get rid of our dishonest systems, we must hang
the mother, i.e. we must hang our democracy.
Next day, Aamir Ghauri wrote: As if Pakistan was not big enough
an arena for his wily political showmanship, former Sindh home
minister, Zulfiqar Mirza landed in London midweek to take on the
Muttahida Qaumi Movement supremo, Altaf Hussain, who has found a
secure home in Britain ever since he put in an asylum application here in
1992. Mirza seeks Hussains extradition if charges of serious criminality
are proven against the MQM leader with the help of documentary material
he has brought with him and plan to share with the British police.
Mr Hussain, his party and party men are seriously perturbed by
Mr Mirzas coming to Britain to say the least. Mirza, on the other hand is
enjoying playing the matador and the bull at the same time. His British
itinerary is being updated on hourly basis and British Pakistanis who thrive
on the daily dose of political talk shows on Pakistani satellite channels are
lining up to hear him out. So far, he is confirmed to have penciled in
multiple public speaking engagements in London. Others are scheduled in
Luton, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and High Wycombe. He has
already spoken at the House of Lords and Oxford University to packed
houses. His detractors were duly present on both occasions and have already
lost keenly contested shouting matches.
Speaking exclusively with this scribe, Mirza explained the reason
behind his coming to London I told him that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf
leader Imran Khan had also come to London a few years ago with similar
resolve and commitment to take a legal course against the MQM on similar
charges, and after consulting lawyers, addressing public meetings returned
home without success. Mirza was unmoved
But why focus on MQM only when the whole country is facing a
meltdown? Is his tirade against Muttahida a sideshow only to distract
attention from the rampant corruption and inefficiency in Islamabad
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where his benefactor benefits from his focus on the peripheral party?
Because, he said: There is no other party which kills its own members if they
dare oppose the leader. Once they have spoken against the leader, MQM
members do no return home on two feet; they are carried on peoples
shoulders to a graveyard. They blame the establishment for action against
them. I challenge them to name the killers of Azeem Ahmed Tariq, Badar
Iqbal and Razzaq Khan all senior MQM men killed by their comrades.
The former Sindh minister has a bone to pick with the British
government too for providing sanctuary to Muttahida leaders and men.
I am at a loss why this modern, egalitarian and equitable country is
knowingly and willingly harbouring criminals, murderers, rapists of highest
order. Saying MQM men were facing thousands of case of heinous nature
like murder or grievous bodily harm but allowed to let go by the infamous
National Reconciliation Order of Pervez Musharraf
Mirza said he was pressurized to shut up and stay put: Different
tactics were used to silence me. We eastern men are vulnerable to pressure of
our beloved wives. I was pressured from that corner too. But I only thank
Allah who gave me courage to stay the course and continue to seek what I
needed He said it was sad that some people still talk about the propaganda
that he was waging the anti-MQM jihad on the behest and backing of
President Zardari or Army Chief General Kiyani or ISI chief.
Haaris Ramzan observed: Even though Imran is not a career
politician, yet I find truth in whatever he says. At this juncture, it is
important to define the term politician, as the nation remains unclear. In
accordance with the traits of the present political leadership, the term refers
to an individual who is an opportunist, considers idealism obsolete and
realism the art of life, short-term gains are more important than national
glory, education immaterial, integrity lesser than vested interests; the list
goes on and on.
What these politicians fail to realize is the presence of integrity
and credibility in a leader. Having been proven corrupt members who had
plea bargained, individuals with fake degrees are the worst elements of the
society that must be condemned to teach a lesson to the future generations.
All the political parties must realize that having such people in their ranks
would never serve their cause, if any.
In contrast, Imran Khans Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) has inducted
people of highest repute and integrity. Many of his team members, such as
lawyers, businessmen, doctors and other professionals, have tremendous
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achievements in their professions and are highly respected by the people. I

as an ordinary citizen would like to rest my fate in these self-made souls,
with credible career paths and achievements. His team is young and new, yet
it has all the important elements that are significant for success.
The October 30 jalsa at Minar-i-Pakistan was not merely a
congregation of political workers, but a true representation of the people of
Pakistan. I being a lawyer and an active participant of the judicial movement
was in a commanding position to decipher the difference between those who
came for a change and those with vested interests. Among the gathering of
more than 200,000, were the rich and the poor and they all were
disciplined and united with a faith that Imran would lead them out of the
miseries that have been inflicted on them for the past many years.
Inayatullah saw cracks in status quo: In this bleak scenario created
by a preposterous traditional politics, overtime, rays of hope have now
emerged. The foremost of these bright lights is the higher judiciary presided
over by a brave and diligent Pakistani, who defied a dictator and blazed a
new trail for the supremacy of law in this lawless land. Its resplendent
performance in taking the politicians and ruling elite to task has on the one
hand, exercised a check on the governments arbitrary and wicked use of
authority; while, on the other, provided strength to the sane and healthy
elements of society. The Supreme Court, indeed, has emerged as a force to
reckon with against the evils wrought by the corrupt rulers politicians,
businessmen and bureaucrats.
One may also take note of the phenomenon of certain
conscientious and bold individuals, who have sparked new thinking,
wholesome ideas and initiatives. Mention may be made of Marvi Memon,
who has challenged the status quo and proved her point by resigning from
her party and the National Assembly. Her contribution, as the harbinger of
change for the better, merits notice and appreciation. Shah Mehmood
Qureshi, too, has shown courage and sagacity in the way he quit the ruling
party and highlighted its unacceptable behaviour. His utterances are an
indictment of the iniquitous ways of the party and its top leaders.
Another intrepid politician, who has suddenly hit the headlines, is the
PPP faithful and a Zardari buddy, Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, the erstwhile Home
Minister of Sindh. His fearless crusade against the MQM has created
quite a stir. He has accused them of deliberate acts of violence and
lawlessness. He is currently in London to provide evidence in support of his

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accusations. He has also exposed the ruling partys hypocrisy of partnership

with the alleged evildoers.
Another surprising development has been the highly incriminating
statements made by a Cabinet Minister against the governments blatant
corruption at the Supreme Court and providing details of its wrongdoings.
Topping such individual initiatives is Imran Khan, head of the Pakistan
Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI), whose Lahore jalsa shook the foundations of the
countrys traditional politics.
He reflects the frustrations and the promise of the youth of
Pakistan. His movement for justice challenges the status quo and provides a
new vision for the future. How he mobilizes the new factors and forces
generated by globalization and the communication revolution (blossoming
into YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc) will determine the thrust of his partys
intervention. A lot will depend on how he addresses the temptations to
accept the electable status quo candidates, and also the maverick winning
horses, and builds up a team that is underpinned by a wide consensus, meets
the expectations of the youth and how he relates himself to external
pressures. Presently, everything he says or does is being seen critically by
watchful eyes both inside the country and abroad.
Another agent of change is our alert and wide awake media. The TV
channels have done the yeomans job in exposing the governments faults
and follies, and made a vital contribution towards the process of change. The
latest scandal about the memo delivered to Admiral Mullen and the role of
our man in Washington is another pointer to the urgency of a change of
leadership. How the change is processed (and how the top brass relates
itself to it, reconciling to civilian supremacy) will, to a large extent,
determine the character and course of events to come.
S Tariq wrote: The account that follows is based on what was
narrated to me by my young relative mentioned in the previous paragraph,
who drove from his house in DHA, parked his car at his in-law's house in
Gulberg and accompanied by his cook took a rickshaw for the rally venue.
In describing the event, I have deliberately left out the contents of what was
said by the key speaker and have focused instead on the mood of the people,
who flocked to catch a glimpse of him, hear his voice and go home with
hope in their hearts.
The area around the Pakistan Monument was an ocean of heads
heads of every age and gender with a preponderance of educated youth.
There were families and unaccompanied females, but there was no
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harassment, no eve teasing, and no leering. The great difference between

this crowd and the one that is usually seen at such events was the
uncanny discipline and absence of cheap slogans there was instead a
seething enthusiasm and fervour visible on every face. A family standing
nondescriptly amongst the crowd turned out to be the key speakers own kin,
who had refreshingly refused a grandstand location close to the stage. And
when the tall figure of the man from Mianwali took the rostrum, there was
no bulletproof glass protecting him.
I was witness to another show of Imran's supporters before the sit-in
in front of Parliament. Driving home from Aabpara, I saw a long line of
coasters and wagons, bedecked with flags drawn up on the left of the road.
Already irked by such 'processions' and what they do to traffic, I muttered an
oath and carried on. What I saw amazed me the vehicles were carrying
youth, many of them lugging laptops and a line of young men was
courteously keeping the right lane open to traffic in one of the most
disciplined displays of civic sense and discipline, witnessed in a political
party's jaloos. I noticed another difference in this crowd they were all
happy in being there.
As someone who has seen politicians and martial laws ruin this
country, I can smell a change in the air a change where the corrupt are
likely to be brought to justice and liars made to stand up and receive what
they deserve. Our two mainstream political parties sense this too and though
unwilling to admit it, are deeply concerned about its consequences. For if
such a change does come, it will sweep them into the darkest chapters of
national history. For the people of this 'Land of the Pure', the event at
Minar-i-Pakistan has brought hope, but it is hope that is plagued by the
question if this is really salvation - at last?
On 20th November, TheNation commented: Former Sindh Home
Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza has carried his fight against the MQM to the
UK Since the UK is where MQM chief Altaf Hussain has sought political
asylum, the MQM is much perturbed by these attacks. The Pakistani
community in the UK is apparently anxious to hear him speak, according to
an interview he gave to this newspaper, and he is scheduled to speak in
London, Luton, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and High Wycombe. Dr
Mirza in the interview denied acting at the behest of anyone, and said
that he was acting only according to his conscience. However, the MQMs
ally, the PPP, the party to which he belonged until he left its Sindh
government, has not disowned him, raising suspicions that he is acting on

569

the behest of the Presidency, what with him being a very old friend of the
President.
It is perhaps a sign of how casually the PPP is treating the whole
matter, and there has been no real sign of it accepting that, at the very least,
Dr Mirzas outbursts have threatened its central government, which relies on
the MQM to strengthen its majority, which would be razor-thin without it.
He has turned to the UK government only because he must not have
been satisfied with the attention his charges had been given at home.
The government should have given the charges a proper investigation at
home. Because it did not, it now has no justification for preventing him from
seeking to build opinion in the UK so that it is inimical to the MQM. Apart
from justification, there is also the undeniable fact that if, as the Supreme
Court has held, political parties are involved in Karachis target killings, any
light that Dr Mirza, Home Minister when they were going on, sheds
deserves to be taken seriously. He also maintains that there has been a
significant decline in governance, particularly in the failure to fulfill
promises made by the PPP to the people. If the PPP had launched a proper
investigation into Dr Mirzas charges, it would have avoided this criticism
from him at least.
Dr Mirzas charges are serious and criminal, but relate to domestic
politics. Quite apart from the governments duty to ensure that dirty linen
should not be washed in public, there is a need to ensure that Pakistani
politics is carried out in Pakistan, not abroad. The PPP government
should immediately carry out an investigation, for Dr Mirzas charges
deserve no less.

REVIEW
As said earlier the superior judiciary remained busy in pretending to
be dispensing justice in a country where ruling elite is involved in all kinds
of criminal activity. The judiciarys determination to dispense justice has
deterred no one as was evident from ever increasing criminal acts and
neglects.
This is because of superior judiciarys undue focus only on suo moto
notices, admonishing and ordering recoveries. In RPPs scam it ordered
Reshma to return billions, but did not send a single person behind to the
bars. What a justice by the so-called independent and honest judges in

570

Islamic Republic of Pakistan where principally hands of an ordinary thief

should be imputed?
In the case of suo moto notice of Pakistan Railways affairs Chief
Justice did not think beyond non-payment of pensions to its retired
employees. It did not occur to him even for a while the crucial significance
of Railways for the armed forces in defending the country from foreign
aggression.
The status of Chief Justice demanded that some ideas, other than pay
and pension, should have flashed in his mind as the matter had to be seen at
much higher spectrum. Why a sick ANP politician is in charge of the
Railways? Why he insists on having this ministry? Does it have any link to
ANPs history of partys pro-India mindset? Does it fit in the scheme of
exacting democratic revenge from Pakistan?
The superior judiciary preferred beating the trail of Moonis Elahi
rather than pondering over hurdles in dispensation of Justice. The regimes
unwillingness to punish the corrupt has been the major cause of
embarrassment for the nation in general and judiciary in particular.
The case of cricketers involvement in match-fixing explains the
point. Had the accused been proceeded against and punished by the Pakistan
Cricket Board in accordance with the laws in vogue the nation would have
been saved from disgrace to which it was subjected to by a British jury. The
legal proceedings in Pakistan and punishment of the culprits would have
even been commended by the outside world.
But, it wasnt done, allegedly, due to the involvement of officials of
the cricket board and they did not risk splashing of muck at their faces.
These top officials were directly linked to the politicians ruling the country.
The top was also guilty of not identifying a conspiracy to trap Pakistani
cricketers and cautioning the players accordingly.
Match or spot fixing is common in all sports. The cricket is afflicted
with it for more than a century. It is also known that players of almost all the
teams indulge in illegal fixings. India, where the last one-day world cup was
held, is the hub of betting and match-fixing. The patrons of this gambling
den wanted India to win the world cup and trapping of Pakistani players and
their subsequent banning was part of the plan for that victory.
The administrators of cricket affairs should have arranged strict
surveillance of its players, unless of course, it was not part of the regimes
policy to appease India as per wishes of Indias strategic partner. Anyhow,
571

the CJP should have drawn some inspiration from the decision of Justice
Cooke and pick up the courage to cook the geese of some corrupt political
spot fixers.
On political front, Zulfikar Mirza has waged jihad against MQM
leadership because he has reasons to believe that they have held the province
of Sindh hostage. He started the holy war single-handedly, but failed in
mustering sufficient support from PPP because his party leaders priorities
differed.
He then shifted the venue to London after he was encouraged by the
support from Pakistani expatriates, especially Lord Nazir. He has handed
over incriminating evidence to London Police, but MQM leaders in Pakistan
seemed unperturbed and in London they arranged disturbance wherever
Mirza went to speak. The secret of their confidence can be inferred from the
manner in which the investigation of Imran Farooqs murder has been
carried out, which lends itself to suspicion that British government is
covering up the real killer.
That means that it is abetting in the criminal activities that target the
people which have abandoned Altaf Hussains MQM. The Europeans and
Americans provide shelter to such trouble-makers in Islamic World as a
matter of policy. This nexus between Brits and Altaf supports the revelations
made by Mirza recently. Zardari is also on board for his own reasons.
Imran Khan has vowed to bring change amid gloom of status quo. By
holding a public meeting at Minar-i-Pakistan he has thrown the cat among
the pigeons of status quo. But, to achieve his stated goal he has to do more
than throwing cats here and there. He has to make arrangement to translate
public support into votes and convert his ideas into policies and plans and
find people capable of implementing those.
He must defer international exposure, like the interview he gave to
Indian journalist Karan of CNN-IBN. Looking back it must have dawned
upon Imran that the questions asked by Karan were aimed at scratching out
the weaker aspects of Imran and his party rather projecting him as a
politician capable of playing significant role at national level.
Imrans actions also do not commensurate his stated goal. He has
vowed to bring change at national level and for that ousting PPP and its
allies from power through elections is mandatory. Therefore, he should focus
on the PPP, but instead he and his party leaders seemed to be targeting PMLN as if the aim is to replace PML-N government in Punjab.

572

He should also avoid blame game against individuals and restrict his
remarks to issues. This will also mean a healthy change in politics, though
Pakistani politicians speak the whole truth only when they criticize their
opponents and for that reason they should be encouraged to indulge in this
activity notwithstanding the language they use. At least their instinct to
speak truth would remain alive.
22nd November, 2011

MEMO TO MULLEN II
In response to Prime Minister Gilanis orders Hussain Haqqani
reported back in Islamabad but in his own time and style. On arrival he did
not go to Foreign Office, or Prime Minister House, or even his own house;
instead he went straight to his boss residing in the Presidency. Like
Haqqani, Gilani too was in no hurry and preferred to stay in Lahore to attend
his sons post-marriage ceremonies
During the week the war on terror was fought primarily between civil
and military leadership of Pakistan. Both feared that the other was a threat to
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its existence. Military relied for its defence on the means it has, but the civil
regime had preferred to beg the Crusaders for protection against threat from
Mosque and Military.
But, on night between Friday and Saturday the holy war turned to its
true colours. Occupation forces in Afghanistan attacked border posts in
Mohmand Agency killing 24 soldiers including two officers. Munter, who
was treading Sunehri Mosque with his officials with boots on, was
summoned to Foreign Office to receive a protest over NATO forces
unprovoked attack, which he was kind to accept over a cup of tea.
The attack did not fall in the category of mistake committed in the fog
of battlefield. The post attacked was a headquarters of an infantry company
located two kilometers inside of the border on reverse foothill with two
outposts on hilltops. These were well known to Americans as flag meetings
had been held there. Moreover, the area had been cleared of militants.
Maria Sultan said it wasnt carried out by NATO troops, but Special
Forces operating under CIA. The aim was to iron out differences on
Afghanistan in Yankee style. It could have been also in resentment over
dismissing their Haqqani instead of handing over Haqqani they wanted.
Irrespective of the motive, the attack was unprovoked and blatant violation
of all international conventions.
Despite the fact that it was a naked aggression, an act of international
terrorism, veteran soldiers like Tallat Masood cautioned the government
against any hasty action. The advice was not needed as the regime does not
believe in hasty action except in indulging in corruption. However, it had to
do something to preempt the public reaction. Therefore, DCC met for
dusting the turnips.

NEWS
In Pakistan, at least 11 terrorists were killed and 25 wounded in
operation conducted overnight in Kurram Agency on 21st November. A
captain and a lieutenant were killed and 11 soldiers wounded in clashes in
Orakzai Agency; 26 militants were also killed. Fourteen FC soldiers were
martyred including a major and a subaidar while 16 were wounded in an
ambush by the extremist elements in the Musa Khel district. Australian
Prime Minister warned Pakistan that it must do more to counter terrorism
and extremism, especially on its borders with Afghanistan.

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James Jones confirmed that he had delivered the memo to Mullen

given by Mansoor Ijaz. Haqqani spent a quiet day as Gilani was busy in post
marriage ceremonies of his son; Haqqanis wife vowed to sue Mansoor Ijaz.
Munawwar demanded trial of Zardari and Haqqani over memo. ISPR denied
news report which alleged that the Pakistan Imran Khan met US
Ambassador Cameron Munter in the presence of DG ISI; PTI also denied.
Government intermediaries have held talks with the TTP in recent
months exploring ways to jump-start peace negotiations, intelligence
officials and a senior militant commander said. The discussions are focused
on the South Waziristan region on the Afghan border and could be expanded
to try to reach a comprehensive deal.
The Taliban made several demands including the release of prisoners,
said the commander. As a confidence building measure, the Pakistani
Taliban released five officials from the countrys Inter-Services Intelligence
agency who were kidnapped in Baluchistan province, the officials and the
commander said in the interviews.
Next day, six shops were blown up by militants in Orakzai Agency.
FC soldier was gunned down in Khyber Agency. Two people were killed and
three policemen were among seven wounded in bomb blast in Mardan.
According to reports a senior Taliban commander said that they had
announced ceasefire to hold peace talks with Pakistan. Army denied reports
about peace talks with the Taliban and said any peace initiative would be
taken by the government.
Hussain Haqqani lost his job to face a detailed inquiry over
allegations of seeking Washington help in reining in Pakistan Army and
premier intelligence agency ISI. The critical step came after Mr Haqqani
held a prolonged meeting with President Zardari, Prime Minister Gilani,
Army Chief Gen Kayani and ISI chief Gen Pasha. A spokesman for the
prime ministers office said Haqqani was asked to resign.
He pleaded not guilty in his briefing to the leadership and handed over
his blackberry telephone and relevant documents. He said he had nothing to
do with the memo and was ready to face any inquiry. Haqqani also said, on
his Twitter account: have much to contribute to building a new Pakistan free
of bigotry & intolerance; will focus energies on that.
PM House spokesman said that all concerned would be afforded
sufficient and fair opportunity to present their views and the investigation
shall be carried out fairly, objectively and without bias. Observers say the

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development has opened the doors for some more high level changes. Some
questions may be referred even to the president and the prime minister.
The political parties gave cautious comments on the memo
controversy but on one point all the politicians were having a consensus that
if found guilty stern action should be taken against all those found involved.
G A Bilour said there was no need of inquiry into memo issue. Legal
fraternity was divided over the inquiry into Memogate scandal after the
resignation of Hussain Haqqani.
Mansoor Ijaz welcomed the high-level probe. White House said it had
not received intimation about Haqqanis resignation. His services as great
friend of America were commended which would be remembered for long.
Earlier, Munter had said memo issue is Pakistans internal affair; the US
supports continuation of democratic system in Pakistan and supremacy of
Constitution. Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney said that
Pakistan was in danger of becoming a failed State.
On 23rd November, nine militants were killed in a clash in Orakzai
Agency; six soldiers were wounded. Militants attacked a police station near
D I Khan, killing two officers and wounding seven others. NATO oil tanker
exploded after it hit a roadside bomb and a school was blown up in Khyber
Agency.
Imran Khan said that President was responsible for the memogate
issue. Former information minister and PPP leader Sherry Rehman was
appointed as Pakistan Ambassador to the United States by Prime Minister.
She vowed to defend countrys case at all forums and not to take dictation
from anyone.
PML-N postponed its November 25th public meeting at Gujranwala
after the resignation of Ambassador Hussain Haqqani. The party filed a
constitutional petition in the Supreme Court with regard to the memo
controversy. Nawaz Sharif in his petition begged for summoning all the
respondents in person including President, Federation though Secretary
Interior, Secretary Foreign Affairs, former ambassador to US Hussain
Haqqani, Mansoor Ijaz, General Kiyani and Lt Gen Ahmad Shuja Pasha for
explaining the detestable, despicable and the treacherous memorandum.
Advocate Arshad Jadoon filed the petition under article 184(3) of the
Constitution, seeking an inquiry into the issue.
The PML-N chief requested the court to unearth the dreadful
conspiracy, which ridiculed and maligned, demoralized and terrorized to
destroy the invaluable and valiant Armed Forces of Pakistan to trade away
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the sovereignty of the country and to barter away the existence and future of
Pakistan. The petition further pleaded that the person responsible or involved
in initiating the process of memorandum or authoring it or providing any
assistance in the process and the one who approved the act must be
identified.
Nawaz contended in his petition that the memorandum is mutinous,
treasonous, shocking, repulsive and harrowing for any patriotic Pakistani.
He said that an article of Mansur Ijaz was published in Financial Times more
than forty days ago but not a single defamation notice was served to the
newspaper and others for publishing the story and nor even a protest was
lodged by government of Pakistan.
He contended that the memorandum threatened the foundation and
future of Pakistan by trading away its sovereignty for petty personal gains.
He said that despite his demand no steps have been taken by the competent
authority to set up any independent committee or commission to look into
the matter.
Next day, the National Assembly witnessed heated debate on the
memo controversy between treasury and opposition benches as the PML-N
demanded a clear stance of the government over the resignation of Hussain
Haqqani. Fakhruddin G Ibrahim filed a petition on behalf of Nawaz Sharif
for placing Hussain Haqqani on ECL.
Gilani laughed off threat to government and said that if required, the
PPP government would look towards people not the Army. Hussain Haqqani
through internet said that he resigned for saving the democracy. Secretary
defence was changed, reportedly on the demand of Army.
A petition was filed in the LHC challenging Sherry Rehmans
appointment as Pakistan ambassador to the United States. Petitioner said that
Sherry Rehman being a member of the National Assembly could not be
appointed to any government post. Moreover, she had also presented an
amendment bill to the Blasphemy Act over which the LHC was hearing a
petition seeking her disqualification from the assembly.
On 25th November, PML-N boycotted the National Assembly session
in continuation of its walkout over the controversial memogate. Cameron
Munter said that Pak-Iran gas pipeline project is not a good idea,
suggesting that Pakistan should get the required gas from Turkmenistan
instead. He also advised Pakistan to open up to India. Munter also
apologized for one officer of his officials entering in Sunehri Mosque in
Lahore without removing his shoes during ambassadors visit to the mosque.
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Next day, at least 25 security personnel including 2 officers, were

martyred and 15 wounded in unprovoked firing by NATO helicopters on 3
Pakistani check posts in Mohmand Agency. NATO planes shelled 3 check
posts including Salala, and Bolder late Friday night. Sources said that 25
security personnel including one Major were killed and 15 were injured. The
ISPR spokesman said NATO helicopters resorted to unprovoked firing.
Pakistan suspended NATO supplies and lodged strong protest with the
US and NATO. Pakistan also issued a strong worded memo (not through
Mansoor Ijaz) to the US State Department on this count while NATO has
said the matter is being investigated.
Army Chief strongly condemned the NATO attack and ordered the
military to make arrangements to retaliate such irresponsible action
befittingly. Prime Minister cut short his visit to Multan to protect Pakistans
sovereignty. Zardari asked for the detailed report. Asfandyar held a press
conference after a long time to condemn attack by NATO jetfighters and
gunship helicopters. In reply to a question regarding memo he was all praise
for Hussain Haqqani.
US-led coalition forces issued a statement offering condolences to
any members of the Pakistan security forces who might have been killed or
injured. The alliance forces say it is investigating an incident that occurred
along the border, in which its helicopters were accused of killing 25
Pakistani soldiers.
Defence Committee of Cabinet (DCC) met at night and decided to
immediately close the NATO/ISAF logistics supply lines and asked the US
to vacate the Shamsi air base within fortnight. It also asked review of all
arrangements with the United States and NATO, including diplomatic,
political, military and intelligence activities.
Washington has not publicly acknowledged operations at Shamsi base,
but images said to be of US Predator drones at Shamsi have been published
by Google Earth in the past. The airstrip is in Balochistan province. Pakistan
had reportedly given the US military logistical support at several bases after
joining the US-led war on terror in the wake of the September 11, 2001
attacks.
COAS conveyed to the NATO Secretary General on 'hotline' that
Pakistan Army stops its cooperation with the US-led NATO and its allied
forces in protest over this incident, according to intelligence sources.
Reportedly, the Pak-US intelligence information exchange saw complete halt
hours after the attack.
578

The DCC noted that NATO/ISAF attacks were also violative of their
mandate, which was confined to Afghanistan. Pakistan had clearly conveyed
to US/NATO/ISAF its red lines, which constituted an integral element of
Pakistan's cooperation that was based on a partnership approach. The attack
on Pakistan Army border posts is totally unacceptable and warrants an
effective national response, the DCC added.
Political Agent Mohmand Agency Amjad Ali Khan said the entry and
exit points of the Mohmand Agency are sealed in order to avoid any
untoward incident. He said that security agencies, paramilitary forces and
tribesmen were trying to bring the security situation under 'control' on
account of protests launched by some ethnic tribes against the NATO attack.
The sub-tribes of Mehsud and Wazir clans including Burki, Manzai,
Utmanzai, Marwat, Wali Khel and Ahmad Zai as well as Orazkai, Shinwari,
Afridi and Mohmand tribes staged protests in Ghalanai the headquarters of
Mohmand Agency. Influential tribal chieftain Malik Subaidar Safi led these
protests. Talking to The Nation, Safi demanded of Nato and the US an
unconditional apology, financial compensation for the killed and injured
Pakistani soldiers, payment for damages done to the military check posts and
the US assurances that they would never launch this kind of rampage again.
Brigadier Mahmood Shah, former chief of security in the tribal areas.
So far, Pakistan is being blamed for all that is happening in Afghanistan,
and Pakistan's point of view has not been shown in the international media.
He called the attack unprovoked and said Pakistan should respond by
shooting down NATO aircraft and keeping the supply lines closed. Other
analysts, including Rustam Shah Mohmand, a former ambassador to
Afghanistan, said Pakistan would protest and close the supply lines for some
time, but that ultimately things will get back to normal.
Prime Minister contacted Nawaz Sharif, Chaudhry Nisar, Imran Khan
and others to discuss NATO attack. Imran addressing a public meeting in
Shuja Abad once again demanded quitting the war on terror. Earlier Zardari
directed Hussain Haqqani to initiate a legal action against Mansoor Ijaz over
memo scandal.
Seven militants were killed in a clash with security forces in Masozai
area of Kurram Agency. Four security personnel were also injured. So far
more than 100 militants were killed by security forces during the last two
weeks in different parts of Kurram tribal belt. Ten troops, including a major,
also embraced martyrdom. Seventeen Uzbeks were arrested in Chaman.

579

On 27th November, the funeral prayers of 24 Pakistan Army soldiers

and officers martyred in NATO air strikes were offered in Peshawar. COAS
attended the funerals, but Supreme Commander of armed forces, Prime
Minister and Defence Minister preferred to stay away. Rehman Malik said
that the supply of NATO had not been suspended rather it had been stopped
permanently.
NATO's secretary general Rasmussen offered condolences to Gilani
over the death of 24 Pakistani soldiers, describing the apparent NATO air
strike as a 'tragic unintended incident.' He said NATO remained strongly
committed to work with Pakistan in order to avoid a repeat of such tragedies
and to ensure Afghanistan does not once again become a safe haven for
terrorists.
ISAF spokesman said that the Mohmand attack by NATO-ISAF
helicopters was in response to a call by ISAF ground forces in the area who
called for help when they were attacked. Spokesman Jacob made the
disclosure while refusing to give details of the incident. If his statement is
correct it means that US/NATO ground forces were already in the area and
when they were trapped or confronted they called for air support which
came and killed Pakistan Army troops and officers.
He repeatedly said that he was waiting for the result of investigations
and once the full picture was available he would comment. He also declined
to give a time line for concluding the investigation and said it will take its
time. We have to go through the process and have to talk with Pakistani side
and find out what led to the incident, he said. He said he regretted the loss of
life but did not offer any apologies until the probe was completed.
In a joint statement, Leon Panetta and Hillary Clinton offered their
deepest condolences and said they backed NATOs intention to investigate
immediately. Clinton, General John Allen, the US commander in
Afghanistan, and the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General
Martin Dempsey, called their Pakistani counterparts to discuss the situation.
All these leaders pledged to remain in close contact with their Pakistani
counterparts going forward as we work through this challenging time.
General Jacobson told BBC that it was highly likely that the air
strikes caused the Pakistani casualties. Several American and allied military,
diplomatic and intelligence officials contacted on Saturday said it was
unclear what threat, real or perceived, led to the air strikes or why the allied
aircraft fired on the Pakistani troops.

580

Former Pakistani diplomat, Maleeha Lodhi, who has served twice as

ambassador to the United States said in an e-mail message: The relationship
is on a much more slippery slope now. This is as close as you can get to a
rupture. Pakistan canceled several scheduled meetings this weekend with
visiting American officers, sessions aimed at quietly rekindling training and
other cooperation between the two militaries that was shelved after the Bin
Laden raid.
Turkish Foreign Minister called Hina Rabbani Khar on telephone to
express solidarity with the people and Government of Pakistan on
NATO/ISAF attacks. Davutoglu assured FM Khar that Turkey as member of
NATO would ask for an impartial inquiry into the attacks. He added that loss
of Pakistani soldiers was as painful as losing Turkish soldiers.
Hundreds of enraged people took to the streets across the country,
burning an effigy of Barack Obama and setting fire to US flags. The rallies
were organized by Opposition in major cities of the country, where
opposition to the governments US alliance is rampant. Meanwhile, at least
18 militants and one security personnel were killed and 15 militants
sustained injuries in ongoing operation launched by security forces in
Kundital area of Orakzai Agency.
On 22nd November, two NATO soldiers were killed in southern
Afghanistan. One died in an insurgent attack and the other was killed in a
roadside bombing. Two days later, seven Afghan guards working for a
private security company were killed in Farah province when Taliban
militants attacked a convoy carrying goods for NATO; 10 vehicles were also
destroyed in the attack. On 27th November, a British soldier was killed in
roadside bombing in Helmand.
On 21st November, India was worried over the fast changing
situation in Pakistan in the wake of what has been termed the Mansoor Ijaz
Memogate scandal, the Hindu newspaper reported. However, the newspaper
said in India's assessment, at the moment a military takeover to prevent the
country slipping into turmoil is highly unlikely. Meanwhile India asked the
US to correct Kashmir map.
Next day, the US State Department removed maps of India and
Pakistan from its website saying these had inaccurate depictions of divided
Kashmir. This was done in response to Indian demand. On 26 th November,
on the third anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai attack, India reminded
Pakistan it was still awaiting decisive action against perpetrators of the

581

crime, and said evidence provided by it was sufficient to prosecute those

behind the inhuman act.
In Balochistan, at least five people, including three security personnel
were killed in an attack apparently targeting Chinese engineers in Dera Bugti
area on 22nd November; Chinese engineers remained safe in the attack. On
27th November, two bullet-riddled dead bodies, including one of Baloch
missing person were discovered from Lasbela and Quetta towns.

VIEWS
In the context of Pakistan, TheNation commented on 22nd
November: Reportedly President Zardari has given Mr Haqqani a chance to
meet with a panel of military and civilian top brass, including the Prime
Minister. The Ambassador has reportedly told the President that he had no
hand in the entire episode, and his wife and media advisor to the President
Farahnaz Isphani stated that they are ready to go to move court against these
accusations. She even stated that her husband would surrender his laptop for
forensic examination.
On the other side of the spectrum, Defence Minster Ahmed
Mukhtars statement that if the memo story turns out to be true, it should be
the Prime Minister and not the President who should be held responsible, is
important. The reason that he gave was that Mr Haqqani was part of the
Prime Ministers team. One wonders what could be the motive behind
this rather strange statement. Is he trying to give the impression that the
President has immunity? However the matter is not that easy, it seems. The
entire issue directly concerns our sovereignty and it is important that the
mystery should be unveiled, facts told to the public and the culprits taken to
task. It makes ones hair stand on end to read the contents of the memo. The
text of the conversation between Mr Haqqani and Mansoor Ijaz published by
a national daily may hold a vital clue to the entire puzzle. If it turns out to be
true it can unravel the whole conspiracy. Now after the admission of General
James also, that it was indeed Mansoor Ijaz who gave him the memo, yet
another piece of the puzzle has been joined and the picture emerging is quite
alarming.
Our national security, sovereignty and the future of the civilian
government is at stake. If the truth is not found out within the next few days,
a serious jolt will be dealt to civil-military relations, further increasing the
trust deficit and will ultimately destabilize a democratically elected
582

government. Indeed with the conspiracy taking new turns and twists, and
everyone jumping into the fray, one cannot help but recall an old adage we
all are crooks when found out.
Next day the newspaper wrote: Prime Minister Gilani has accepted
the resignation of the Pakistan Ambassador to US, Mr Hussain Haqqani
However, it is not clear who initiated the memo and at whose behest it
was sent. Mr Haqqani hotly denies any knowledge about the memo at all,
but Mr Ijaz equally strongly alleges that it was on the Ambassadors
initiative that he had passed on the memo to the American authorities. The
second point in the memo is about inviting the US involvement into the
internal affairs of Pakistan, while the third, greatly exercising the minds of
the people, is the question about the reality of the situation vis--vis the
government-army relations soon after the May 2 Abbottabad raid i.e. was
there any real danger of the military staging a coup which had led to the
seeking of US intervention?
In order to set the record straight, the government should, without
losing any time, constitute a judicial commission, as demanded by some of
the opposition political forces in the country, to hold a thorough inquiry into
this highly scandalous memogate. Under the conditions prevailing in the
country, a judicial inquiry alone would be considered credible by the
public. The terms of reference of the inquiry should be clear enough about
exposing the characters involved in the dirty affair. And all of them should
be taken to task without fear or favour. If the commission concludes that the
memo is suggestive of a case of high treason, they should be tried in a court
of law and, if found guilty, awarded the prescribed punishment.
Rameeza Majid Nizami opined: Mr Haqqanis resignation,
tendered to the Prime Minister instead of the Foreign Minister, will be
misinterpreted as an admission of guilt which it is not There are three
main aspects of Memogate to be considered. One is the route of delivery,
authenticity and authors of the memo; in short, the logistics. The second is
the open invitation of American cooperation in implementing the manifesto
of the memo. The last and perhaps most important are those manifesto aims
themselves, which have not been examined as closely as they ought to be.
While the first and second are being touted as the justification for the
top brass fury at Mr Haqqani and other authors of the memo, the third is a
fascinating description of a civilian government struggling against a military
which has traditionally dominated it, as witnessed by history.

583

One resignation does not answer questions about the primary

reason the memo was authored, as mentioned in the opening paragraph:
assigning blame and military complicity with respect to the Osama Bin
Laden episode and an opportunity for civilians to gain the upper hand.
Accusations of complicity or incompetence rose after May 2 against the
military are still as pertinent as ever and perhaps less likely to be answered
now than they were pre-Memogate.
Another concern voiced in the memo was brinkmanship aimed at
bringing down the civilian apparatus. With the token removal of Mr
Haqqani, will these accusations be investigated or we will be still
remaining mired in the intricacies of Mr Mansoor Ijazs fascinating BBM
chat style?
As in the memo, an independent inquiry into the allegations was
indeed ordered, but where are the results? Will its findings be made
public, and if indeed any complicity or incompetence is identified, would the
Pakistani people really be enraged by the termination of active service
officers so convicted?
The army was not the only one embarrassed and enraged by the
May 2 raid. People who were most critical of the violation of sovereignty
were equally, if not more, critical of an army, which to them had also
embarrassed them, drawing on nearly half the national budget and yet being
hoodwinked by the worlds most wanted terrorist a few miles from the
Pakistan Military Academy. Such questions were also raised within the
ranks, who may desist in vocalizing this sentiment though not all did but
the disappointment is most definitely there throughout the order of the
army.
Handing over of al-Qaeda top leadership, with the exception
perhaps of Sirajuddin Haqqani would similarly hardly be contentious if
portrayed as a victory to the Pakistani people, who simply wish to avoid
being implicated in a further incompetence or complicity scandal or
suffering a boots on ground humiliation by the enthusiastic Americans with a
carte blanche invitation to proceed.
Pakistans nuclear assets and their framework of discipline as
mentioned in the memo are similarly confusing, given that they are secured
with the aid of 100 million dollars of American assistance. The Americans
concerns over their security appear to have been raised in the memo in the
post-Musharraf political landscape. What exactly was so reassuring

584

during the previous Army Chiefs tenure is unsatisfactory now? Does

Mr Haqqanis resignation answer this?
Restructuring of our intelligence structure in terms of direction
and extent of responsibility after the OBL affair is not simply an
American demand are we now comfortable that concerns about such
responsibility have been satisfied and addressed to our contentment?
Mr Haqqanis loss to the Zardari government is no more than
collateral damage in a skewed relationship always acknowledged as such,
but somehow still shrouded in mystery. The first round of names put forward
to replace Mr Haqqani in Washington includes former Lt Gen Jehangir
Karamat, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, UN Ambassador Abdullah
Hussain Haroon, former ISI chief Gen Ehsan, former ambassador Dr
Maleeha Lodhi, and Presidents General Secretary Salman Farooqi. It does
not take the formidable intellect of an analyst to see how and where this list
was drawn up or to know who has put whom in their place, in this round.
Mohammad Jamil wrote: Haqqani in his book Pakistan between
Mosque and military, had analyzed and traced the origins of the
relationships between Islamist groups and military, and disparaging Pakistan
and its army. One would not know on whose behest the memo was written to
Mike Mullen, which would only be known after the investigation. However,
the CIA hand behind this memo to create fissures between the civil and
military leadership cannot be ruled out.
Indeed, Ijaz Mansoor is as dubious character as Hussain Haqqani is.
However, there is a perception that even if Haqqani can prove that he is not
involved in memo scandal, his role in issuing visas to CIA operatives and his
book in which he demonized Pakistan and its institutions were enough to
deserve his sack. Having said that, the US statement in the wake of
accusations against Hussain Haqqani is intriguing. The US State
Department stressed the need to continue the democratic process in
Pakistan, when Ambassador Hussain Haqqani had just left for Pakistan
three days ago to appear before a parliamentary committee to try and put a
lid on the memogate scandal. We clearly support the democratically
elected government of Pakistan, as well as its constitutional processes, State
Department spokesman Mark Toner told a briefing in Washington
It really is puzzling to comprehend, in the first place, what
instigation or provocation was it that impelled Mansoor Ijaz to break
the confidentiality of an act that on his own assertion was undertaken in
utter secrecy, to which, apart from him, only two other Pakistani
585

personalities were a privy and no Pakistani institution, including the foreign

office, was in the loop. Then what was it that led him to spill the beans and
after so many months? It doesnt look quite a straight matter. The firm
positions that the Pakistan military leadership has taken on certain issues,
particularly on a military operation in North Waziristan, has put Washington
in a huff, as it expects unarguably not defiance but obedience from
Pakistans every state arm.
An independent high-level, high-powered probe under the Supreme
Courts oversight must be instituted unfailingly to know the truth and the
whole truth. The probe must have investigative access to the top. There
can be no holy cows when it comes to the nations sovereignty, solidarity
and dignity. And no diplomatic niceties should be allowed to stand in the
way of unraveling the entire truth. A complete harmony between the states
civil power and military power is of utmost import to face up to the dire
challenges confronting the nation internally and externally.
In another editorial TheNation added: Pakistans intelligence officials
and a senior commander of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have,
reportedly, revealed to the Associated Press that the two sides have been in
negotiation with each other for the past six months. For the present, the
talks were concentrated on striking a peace deal in South Waziristan but, if
successful, their mandate would be extended to cover the entire tribal belt to
reach a comprehensive settlement
At this stage, a tribal elder involved in the peace process said, it is a
very difficult stage and despite the three rounds that took place in the past
two months, there had been no progress. Having joined the US-led war on
terror, Islamabad finds itself in a tight cornerthe catch is the US, itself
keen to secure peace in Afghanistan through talks, is opposed to Pakistan
following the same route and keeps putting its pressure on for militarily
checking the militancy scourge, even for launching an armed action in North
Waziristan, which, Pakistan believes, is not the source of terrorism and, thus,
against our national interest to incur the enmity of the tribesmen there.
Under these dire circumstances, we have no other option but to
pursue our own interests, whatever the outside pressure, if the cycle of
violence has to be reversed and life to return to a secure and normal
condition. Only then, would we be able to set the ball of economic
development rolling.
On 24th November, TheNation commented: Hussain Haqqanis exit
and Sherry Rehmans appearance on the diplomatic scene must not let
586

anyone assume that the memogate scandal has now been hushed up or that it
will simply fade from public memory. Whatever their political, social or
religious affiliations, Pakistanis will not be ready to forgive someone who
seeks US help in reining in the army and the ISI, even though Pakistanis
are all agreed that the military must be subservient to a democratically
elected government. Neither the media, with the modern tools of easy recall
of the facts, nor the opposition parties will allow the government to brush
these sensitive issues under the carpet.
Irrespective of whether the memo has been crafted by some vested
interests to besmirch the name of the President and see the end of Mr
Hussain Haqqanis term of office at Washington, or whether all Mr Mansoor
Ijaz claims is true, the truth must come out. And, as argued in these columns
yesterday, the best and most credible way to get at the truth is to
constitute a high-level judicial commission to thoroughly examine the
evidence of the case and reach an impartial conclusion. Sadly, the society in
Pakistan has been so corrupted and politics so polarized that the people
would doubt the credentials of those other than the higher judiciary which,
for all its unenviable record of the past, has emerged as a credible
institution
The situation, charged with emotion, calls for an urgent
announcement about the constitution of an impartial investigation
committee with full mandate to ensure that the PM House spokesmans
assurance that the investigation would be carried out fairly, objectively and
without bias is fulfilled. The sooner the matter is made clear to us the
better!
Azam Khalil wrote: The government should not dither, or try to
defend anyone unnecessarily, and establish a bipartisan panel so that no
fuss is created after the inquiry has been completed. In case Ijaz acted as a
lone ranger with ulterior motives, or was working for those elements who
want to weaken Pakistan's security apparatus, he must be taken to task and
made an example for others. Hence, whoever inquires into this issue must
have enough teeth so that they can inflict maximum pain on the offenders.
Moreover, the opposition must wait for the verdict of the Inquiry
Commission, which will be established soon; they should refrain from
politicizing this issue. It is also the duty of the opposition parties, as much as
that of the government, to make an effort to find out the truth, and identify
the culprits and expose their sinister designs against Pakistan. It will not be
conducive to democracy, if anyone tries to pre-empt the governments
587

efforts. Therefore, the best course for everyone in the present scenario
remains the virtue that goes along with patience and tolerance because only
then a proper decision can be taken on an issue, which has the potential to
rock the boat of democracy in the country.
As far as the military establishment is concerned, it would be
appropriate if they conducted themselves in a more discreet manner and
cooperated with the Commission to resolve the mystery. This can only
happen, if it hands over the evidence, provided by Mansoor Ijaz, to the
Commission. It can also provide its viewpoint, along with its analysis, so
that there is an appropriate outcome of the probe, which will then be
accepted across the country. Consequently, this inquiry will provide a vital
example of bipartisan cooperation on all important national issues in the
country.
Next day, M A Niazi observed: The memo was not very long, but it
has brought Pakistan face to face with some very basic questions.
Foremost is the role of the armed forces in Pakistan. Almost equal is the role
of the USA in Pakistani politics. The whole affair is predicated on the USA
being able to intervene in Pakistani politics. Since the present government
has its US-friendliness as one of its claims, the dispute is thus about whether
it is more able to serve the USA, or the armed forces. An interesting aspect is
that the USA chose this moment for the controversy to blow, for it was given
life by important confirmations from American officials. Mullen, in
particular, went back on his initial denial.
The government would clearly prefer not to have this crisis join the
ones created by Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Zulfiqar Mirza, but it cannot
brush it under the carpet. The cost of protecting the President from the
consequences of his actions clearly extends into his present tenure, and the
PPP has to decide if the national interest, which lies in a full
investigation into what happened, is somehow below any party interest,
which needs the matter to be hushed up. Why the USA wants this matter in
the public eye now should give those of its friends in office food for
thought.
Dr Farooq Hassan wrote: Lets briefly traverse the legal provision,
which is, in fact, in the Constitution itself; Article 6, High Treason:
(1) Any person who abrogates or subverts or suspends or holds in abeyance,
or attempts or conspires to abrogate or subvert or suspend or hold in
abeyance, the Constitution by use of force or show of force or by any other
unconstitutional means shall be guilty of high treason.
588

(2) Any person aiding or abetting [or collaborating] the acts mentioned in
clause (1) shall likewise be guilty of high treason. [(2A) an act of high
treason mentioned in clause (1) or clause (2) shall not be validated by any
court including the Supreme Court and a High Court.]
(3) Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) shall by law provide for the punishment of
persons found guilty of high treason.
Another constitutional provision, which has direct bearing on this
matter of grave national significance, is mentioned here. Article 5 of the
Constitution says:
(1) Loyalty to the State is the basic duty of every citizen.
(2) Obedience to the Constitution and law is the [inviolable] obligation of
every citizen wherever he may be and of every other person for the time
being within Pakistan.
In sum, the combined effect of these twin constitutional portions is
that the acts which constitute criminal offences of this kind aim to apply
directly to anyone, who aims to subvert the Constitution and is as much
culpable as who actually does so by force. Also, aiding or abetting this antiState conduct is equally proscribed.
Furthermore, inviting another foreign power to actually do so by the
use of might, howsoever defined, is equally a grave act of heinous
proportions. Lastly, the Constitution mandates every one to remain loyal to it
and the State. Forget about Mir Jaffer and Mir Sadiq; what has
happened in this case is an act of almost unbelievable treachery by those
responsible for safeguarding the countrys independence and sovereignty.
Let me thus conclude by submitting that should the government fail to do so,
it will be in the dock as well.
Mohammad Akram Sheikh opined: The outcome of the Haqqani
Memorandum of May 10th has traveled far beyond its intended
destination. While Ambassador Hussain Haqqani had to be summoned to
appear for a probe before the Trioka and answer their questions, one of the
most outstanding features of this episode was that on October 22, 2011,
General Pasha undertook a visit to London for personally collecting
evidence from Ijaz Mansoor, rather than deputing one of his deputies to do
this.
The involvement of President Asif Ali Zardari will only depend
on the testimony of Ambassador Haqqani and attendant circumstances,
although there is no denying the fact that the incumbent President has been
589

indirectly trying to achieve what has been directly set out in the memo of
May 10th
Having elaborated various aspects he turned to petition filed by PMLN. It is incumbent on the Supreme Court to carry out the burden of
such investigation and award the consequential relief prayed for. The
question is looking at the Constitution, whether such an exercise is possible,
except through an investigation by the Supreme Court?
It has not been denied by a stalwart jurist in the PPP that the
President or any one committing an offence of a heinous nature is not
immune from accountability and could be tried like President Bill Clinton or
President Nixon. Chaudhry Aitzaz Ehsan, the Member of CEC and a
longstanding member of the party, has publicly said before the electronic
media that President Zardari could be investigated though he could not
be prosecuted for the offence as of now. But can any other agency under
the control of the federal government be expected to investigate highly
placed individuals, and make genuine attempts to unravel the truth?
It cannot be denied that in Pakistan there is no institution like An
Independent Counsel in the US. The challenge to the appointment of Mr
Fasih Bukhari as Chairman NAB and, even otherwise, the NAB having been
rendered a toothless body by the incumbent regime after the notorious NRO
and before that a biased persecution/witch-hunting agency against the
opposition by General Musharraf.
Looking at the investigation by FIA of cases like NICL and
others, the fate of investigation into the controversial memo is not
difficult to imagine, therefore, the only way possible to reach the truth rests
in the exercise of the authority by the Supreme Court under Article 184 of
the Constitution read with Order XXXII, Rule (9) and Order 33 of the
Supreme Court Rules, 1980. While Order XXXII, Rule (9) empowers the
Supreme Court to order local investigation by a Commissioner or
Commission appointed by the Supreme Court, Rule 33 removes all fetters on
the powers of the Supreme Court to issue any direction in matters of practice
and procedure for a just and fair inquiry. The Supreme Court could appoint
former Chief Justices, Judges, former Presidents, Prime Ministers or men of
impeccable integrity as members of this Commission to carry out the probe
and report its finding to the honourable Supreme Court and if as a
consequence of such probe it finds out that any person including President
Zardari has been instrumental in the crafting and transmission of the memo
of May 10th in any manner whatsoever, then the Supreme Court has
590

undoubted jurisdiction to pass any consequential order to the federation for

any consequential action that it may consider proper. The federation is
reputed to have been very reluctant executioner of the Supreme Courts
judgments, while the Supreme Court is conscious of this defiant behaviour.
The apex court has also been reluctant to pass an order picking up a
direct clash with this government, despite its deliberate defiance of Supreme
Court orders and because of its commitment to constitutional governance.
But suppose President Zardari is found, to have conspired in the
issuance of this memo, which straightaway throws out the countrys
sovereignty and undermines its institutional integrity, would the Supreme
Court still continue to exercise caution and judicial restraint?
On 26th November, Inayatullah opined: Ambassador Hussain
Haqqanis exit has opened the door for a lot more exposures emerging from
the twists and turns of the curious Memo to Mullen episode. Many
questions call for answers:
Was it appropriate and prudent for an Ambassador to attempt to
manoeuvre a deep involvement of a foreign power in his countrys
internal affairs?
Was he doing it by himself or was he a cats paw in undertaking a
risky venture?
Knowing the record of the chosen go-between, did he foresee the
possible adverse fallout and act of betrayal?
Was it realistic and right to expect that Admiral Mullen would take up
the matter and do something to initiate action on the lines proposed?
What motivation did Mansoor Ijaz have in agreeing to pick up
Haqqanis plan to tame the military in Pakistan?
What pushed Ijaz to turn his guns on Haqqani? Considering that he as
a pro-active American citizen welcomed the idea of furthering US
interests in Pakistan to the extent of effecting a paradigm shift in the
civil-military relations, or was it something in the nature of a personal
tiff between two over-smart individuals that caused the switch?
As Haqqani was known to be the Presidents man and dealt directly
with him as Ambassador, how come at the crunch time questioning of
his conduct, the venue was not the presidency, but the Prime
Ministers House. It was the Army Chief and head of the ISI, who

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confronted him with the evidence of his involvement in preparing and

dispatching of the memo (based on the hard material provided by Ijaz
to Lieutenant General Shuja Pasha when the latter met him in
London). The President and Prime Minister found themselves driven
to yield to the demand for the Ambassadors resignation. Haqqani
with all his wits and eloquence was cornered and failed to defend
himself successfully.
Haqqanis removal on the spot has been followed by a quick
replacement in the person of Sherry Rehman. Will Haqqani get
another assignment - he having served the President so very faithfully
for so many years?
What has been the attitude and stand of the US government during
these high drama developments? How come there was no serious
move in Washington to provide comfort and some indication of a
benign inclination for Haqqanis interests he having done so well for
the US concerns relating to Pakistan. One may, as samples, recall his
services to the US government when he went out of the way to help
negotiate the Kerry-Lugar legislation and supported the move to bend
it against Pakistans sovereignty as well as the militarys standing and
operations, and later when he was irresponsibly issued a large number
of visas to dubious American nationals without a proper security
check.
Will Sherry Rehman whose tenure as Ambassador will be a little more
than one year, make any appreciable contribution towards repairing
the strained relationship between USA and Pakistan?
Presently, Haqqani is stated to face three probes. One in the
Supreme Court. Another by a Committee, which the Prime Minister says he
will be appointing soon. And third, possibly, by the Parliamentary
Committee on Security headed by Raza Rabbani. The Supreme Court case is
pregnant with serious political implications. The PML-N in this case is bent
upon dislodging the PPP government by targeting President Zardari by
linking the Ambassadors mind-boggling misconduct to the presidency.
One has to remember that the core issues primarily relate to: (a) the
civil-military relations in Pakistan; and (b) the US-Pakistan relations with
respect to Washington-Islamabad and Washington-Rawalpindi connections.
The discernible impact of the memo episode has resulted already in: (a) the
weakening of Zardaris position he being already a target of Imran Khan

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and Nawaz Sharifs recent political thrusts (Sherrys appointment is also

suggestive of his willingness to yield to political advice from outside the
presidency); (b) a further hardening of the Pakistans military attitude
towards the government in Islamabad; and (c) adversely affecting the PPPs
political standing in the eyes of the people of Pakistan based on the
generalized feeling that the President was in cahoots with the Ambassador to
bring about a furtherance in the process of Pakistans subservience to USA.
When viewed in the light of Army Chiefs disinclination to take over
power in Pakistan with the NRO review case reopening, the possibility of
moves aimed at Zardaris past misconduct and with Imran Khan and Nawaz
Sharif launching a public campaign against his misdeeds and the
shenanigans of the PPP government, the chances are that the country will
be moving rapidly towards new elections. The Supreme Court findings in
the NRO case and the way facts and arguments mould the minds and moods
of the judges; will contribute considerably towards raising the publics
feeling and demand for a change in the political scene.
The two core issues, namely the question of civilian supremacy and
the US connection to it as well as the tortuous nature of US-Pakistan
relationship, will remain largely unresolved for quite sometime to come.
There is every possibility of a better and stronger government emerging
from the elections in Pakistan. Such a government will be in a position to
forge a more realistic and balanced relationship with the USA. The other
question of the top brass abdicating its entrenched position altogether (with
so many economic and social, widespread, interests and stakes) will take
many years to resolve.
There are lessons to be learnt in Pakistan from Turkeys
remarkable experience spread over more than a decade, as to how the
present political government led by an upright and farseeing leadership has
managed to bring about a wholesome change in the body politic and the
countrys standing in the comity of nations.
Aijaz Z Syed opined: What is fascinating to distant observers like me
though is the fact that the whole debate on the issue has been focused on the
question of authorship of the memo and why someone like Ijaz was used to
seek the US help when direct communication lines were open with
Washington. What are his motives in blowing the whistle now after acting as
the go-between in this whole saga? If he is his masters voice, whats it his
masters hope to achieve with these disclosures? These questions will haunt
Pakistan for some time to come.
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But more important than these questions, methinks, is the content of

the memo. In a classic case of missing the forest for the trees, the whole
emphasis has been on the medium, in this case Haqqani and Ijaz, rather
than the message they carried. There has been little discussion about the
damning contents of the memo and the absurdity of an elected government
plotting against the state and offering national sovereignty on a platter to a
foreign power.
Haqqanis departure was imminent. No tears will be shed for
him. Lets not forget though he was only a messenger or stenographer as
someone aptly put it. What about those who dictated the message? Would
such betrayal of national interest and honour be thinkable elsewhere? Given
the mess Pakistan is already in, the army and opposition may not like to
upset the applecart just yet. But would the people forgive and forget the
perfidy of the political class? Only time will tell considering the ephemeral
nature of public memory.
Be that as it may, this is a moment of reckoning for Pakistan and
its people. The key to Pakistans continuing political instability and
bankruptcy of its institutions is its overdependence and slavish reliance on
foreign masters and allies. The Pakistanis have in much of their history lived
with the two As the overambitious Army and an overbearing America.
Imran Khan may be oversimplifying the issue when he blamed the US aid to
be the root cause of Pakistans ills. But theres something indeed there in the
argument of the leader everyone seems to be eagerly awaiting. As Iqbal, the
ideological father of Pakistan according to some, would warn: Aye tair-elahoti uss rizq se maut achi/jis rizq se aati hai parwaz mein kotahi. (O bird
soaring in the sky, death is better than feeding on the prey that fetters your
flight!)
Isnt it about time Pakistan set itself free and made a fresh start in a
new direction? Pakistan needs to rediscover its independence of spirit. US
drones kill innocent people on a daily basis but you dont hear a whimper
from those in power. With its potential and resources and its people more
than half of whom are young are its most precious asset Pakistan deserves
better than the current lot of self-serving politicians. The popular anger and
outrage that the Memogate has provoked should be channelized to build
a new, truly free Pakistan.
Next day, TheNation commented: The crisis in Pak-US relations
continues and has spread to the rest of NATO, when a NATO helicopter
attack on a Pakistani check post, Salala in Mohmand Agency, martyred no
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less than 25 Pakistani troops Not only are the casualties much higher, and
involve some of very high ranks, but relations with the USA are now
bound to worsen. The initial doubts about the location of the border are not
enough to explain the incident, for the check post is no less than 2.5
kilometres inside the border.
It would be a mistake for the government even to contemplate the
withdrawal of the ban. It should also be noted that the militants, whom the
USA holds responsible for the tension in the region, have fought the
Pakistani armed forces because they are on the American side of the War on
Terror, but have never inflicted such heavy casualties on them in a single
attack. For the USA, or NATO, to expect that an apology would serve, as
before, to wash away its crime, and allow supplies to flow as usual, will be
an error. To contemplate a restoration would be to invite an even bigger
disaster. It would also show to NATO that the government does not care for
the lives of its soldiers. It has already shown a supreme indifference to the
fate of its civilian citizens, but such casualness towards its military forces
would be unprecedented.
The stopping of NATO supplies should be a starting point, with a
swift movement to disengagement from the USAs so-called War on
Terror, the logical next step. The government thinks that adherence to the
USA would cause it to continue in office, but it should disabuse itself of that
notion. It is up to Pakistan to show that it regards its own citizens lives with
importance equal to, if not greater than, some other states.
General Mirza Aslam Beg termed Haqqanis act as part of
Washington-London memogate conspiracy. He opined: The secret memo
was drafted in Washington by Pakistans Ambassador Hussain Haqqani (now
retired), who dictated the text to the American businessman, Mansoor Ijaz.
Both flew to London on May 10, where they met with the UK Chief of
Defence Staff, Sir David Richards, obtained the seal of approval and flew
back to Washington where the memo was handed over to National Security
Advisor General James Jones, who delivered it to Admiral Mike Mullen. It
contained the hybrid plan for regime change in Pakistan. In this sordid
game of conspiracy, however, the very important link of New Delhi is
missing to complete the triangle of conspiracy.
In order to implement the plan, the findings of Abbottabad
Commission were to be manipulated in the same manner as the 9/11
Inquiry Committee, which promptly blamed Osama bin Laden and alQaeda for the tragic incident and punished them by launching a full-scale
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war on Afghanistan. Also, the war-torn country was punished for giving
refuge to Osama and his followers, and it continues with no end in sight.
The Commission, therefore, was expected to blame the army high
command and ISI for their failure to intercept the intruding Americans,
who allegedly killed Osama on Pakistani soil. Thus, under the cover of its
findings, it would have been easy to remove both the Army Chief and DG
ISI. Then the new national security team would takeover and place its
loyalists at all important assignments, creating harmony between the civil
and military leadership that is presently lacking. If the plan succeeded, it
would support the new AfPak policy and facilitate the US and NATO troops
withdrawal from Afghanistan under a safe exit.
A safe exit, however, for them could be possible only with the
permission of the new government to conduct sweeping operations in North
Waziristan, and dismantle the Haqqani network and terrorist bases. America
would then be able to talk to the Taliban from a position of strength and
establish loyalist civilian governments in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The
conditions would then be conducive to gaining legitimate access to
Pakistans nuclear assets, handing over of Pakistanis to India blamed for the
Mumbai terror attack, and a policy shift in Pakistans relations with India,
which meant that Islamabad accept Indian hegemony in the region and shift
the bulk of its forces from the eastern to northwestern borders with
Afghanistan. Further, develop good neighbourly relations, trade and
commerce by granting the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India. The
utopian regime, thus, established could find a person no better than
Haqqani to maintain the best of relations between Pakistan, India and
the US.
Beg went on to mention: The UK Chief of Staff arrived in
Islamabad on November 22 and met PM Yousuf Raza Gilani to lobby
for Haqqani, Whereas Haqqani has rendered his resignation to the President
saying that the memogate scandal was a conspiracy against Pakistan and
demanded full investigation into the matter to find the real culprits.
He discussed more details of the conspiracy in which he surprisingly
exonerated Zardari of any involvement identifying Haqqani as the sole
mastermind. He then concluded: At this juncture, it is the responsibility of
the government, opposition, civil society, courts and armed forces to
steer the movement in the right direction. Indeed, destiny beckons them to
be positive and pragmatic to play their historic role.

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On the context of Afghanistan, M K Bhadrakumar observed on 22nd

November: Washington couldnt have felt comfortable with Karzais fiery
speech at the loya jirga on Wednesday when he posed as a staunch
nationalist who is at loggerheads with the Americans. For establishing his
nationalistic credentials, Karzai said words that have since become the butt
of jokes in the Kabul bazaar: Even if old, sick and feeble, a lion is still a
lion. Other animals in the jungle are afraid of even a sick lion and stay away
from him. We are lions, the United States should treat us as lions, and we
want nothing less than that. We therefore are prepared to enter into a
strategic agreement between a lion and America.
A lion hates a stranger entering his home; a lion dislikes a stranger
trespassing its space, a lion does not want his offspring taken away at night.
The lion does not allow parallel structures to operate, the lion is the king of
his territory and he governs his own territory. The lion has nothing to do
with others in the jungle.
Then he added: They [US presence] bring us money; train our
soldiers and police, and provide security for the home of the lion. The lion
does not have leisure time to do all these things. They should protect his
surroundings but should not touch the lions home. They should protect
the four boundaries of the jungle.
Karzai seemed acutely self-conscious that the Afghan people
would not take kindly to a ruler who is so obviously the puppet of a
foreign power. Shuja Shah was put on the throne by the British in 1839 out
of sheer gratitude for concluding Kabuls first and only strategic pact with
an imperial power, but could not remain in power when the British left.
The saving grace is, perhaps, that Karzai is intuitive. He chose to
make the short trip from his presidential palace to the venue of the jirga by
helicopter. On the conclusion of the meeting on Saturday, when he returned
home, two additional helicopters were also deployed as decoys.
Two days later, Robert Dreyfuss commented: Doomsday scenarios
notwithstanding, its increasingly widely recognized that a political
settlement of the Afghan conflict must include some viable deal with the
Taliban, their allied insurgent groups. Earlier this year, there was hope that
the Taliban might well participate in the upcoming Bonn conference, and
even though it now appears that that wont be the case, its possible that the
Taliban and the so-called Haqqani network led by Sirajuddin Haqqani might
be present on the sidelines at Bonn, in some form or other.

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The United States is trying to induce both groups to negotiate,

and US special envoy Marc Grossman has been shuttling back and forth
among regional powers to win support for a deal. An American official told
the Washington Post that the purpose of the Bonn meeting is to come up
with a framework for a settlement. What we want to do is provide an
international basis of support for a political outcome in Afghanistan, the
official said; though its a tall order to say the least.

REVIEW
Discussions and debates; comments and analyses of memorandum
scandal produced more questions than answers. Most of the questions were
not out of curiosity to find truth, but framed to confuse seemingly a clear-cut
case in which an attempt was made to commit a criminal act against the state
of Pakistan and its security institutions.
Most questions aimed at muddling the situation. Whenever Zardari
regime faces a difficult situation it tries to create confusion, for the reason
that it provides a pretext for dragging feet. In this case it was also meant to
divert attention away from the real culprit. It is not possible to review all the
questions currently asked in search of truth, or those floated by design to
hide it. However, attempt will be made to answer some of these questions.
Zardari, the Don of the gang, gave Haqqani sufficient time to prepare
his defence for which he must have also told Haqqani all that was known to
ISI. He was not confronted with tentative charge sheet as per schedule. The
delayed meeting with the top four was held in the wake of possible scenarios
being visualized by observers.
Tallat Hussain of Dawn TV portrayed some scenarios. Scenario One:
if the memo proved correct then Zardari would be implicated. Who would
proceed against Zardari and Haqqani and how? What will be the fate of
Gilani government? What role PML-N, PTI and other parties would play?
Scenario Two; if the memorandum proved fake then what would be
the fate of COAS and DG ISI? In case both are sacked, how would the Army
react to sacking of its Chief. Will the opposition parties accept the finding
that memorandum was fabricated? How will government and opposition
react if not the finding is not accepted?
Scenario Three; the memorandum proved correct but Haqqani owns
responsibility exonerating his boss of any involvement. In that case, will the

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COAS and DG ISI be able to continue serving under Zardari? Will they not
press for finding out the boss? How will the political parties react to this?
Scenario Four; arguing that prevailing situation in the country and the
region does not permit wasting time and efforts in determining the veracity
of the memorandum; therefore put the dust over it and move on in the best
interest of Pakistan. If so, will Zardari, COAS and DG ISI continue working
in harmony? Will the opposition parties accept that?
Feedback through media provided Haqqani and his boss wide choice
for opting for a line of defence. Zardari and Haqqani got sufficient time to
deliberate over pros and cons of all the lines. Zardari also availed the time to
approach Mansoor Ijaz to shift his stance on involvement of boss and
apparently he obliged well before the meeting of the four.
Haqqani resigned as per well-deliberated and carefully chosen line of
defence. He pleaded not guilty, but resigned to facilitate impartial inquiry
according to Gilani and to save the democracy as claimed by Haqqani. The
regime will now have time to leave no stone unturned in delaying the
finalization of probe while concealing or distorting evidence.
Like Mansoor Ijaz, media too has been approached and some channels
have started playing the favourable tones. Experts have been activated to
float questions to create doubts that could facilitate brushing the issue under
the carpet. Things seemed to be moving in right direction.
There is a long list of questions being asked and attempts made to
answer those. To find credible answers, it must be recalled what has been
said previously more than once. All this must be borne in mind when
confronted with any question.
The interests of the Crusaders and forces of democratic revenge
coincide in the context of Pakistan Army and ISI. Both want to subdue these
institutions and cut them to size. Humiliation could help keeping them
subdued and improving relations with India could provide pretext to trim, if
not cut them to size.
The United States has been pushing the Army deeper and deeper into
the quagmire called war on terror. It has been perpetrating terror inside
Pakistan using drones and dollars and through courtesy India and
Afghanistan and then pressing Army to carry out counter-terrorism
operations.
The persistent do more demands in themselves have been quite
humiliating. Whenever Army needed respite, it was accused of not doing
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enough. It was also accused of harbouring the terrorists and protecting their
infrastructure on Pakistani soil.
All this happened between Pakistan Army and the United States,
while the democratic government stayed on the sidelines, not idly, but
playing its own evil role. It was done quite cunningly. Zardari regime gave
complete freedom of action to Army, just as Hussain Haqqani was given to
pursue second prong of the strategy.
The government left matters of war on terror and related aspects of
defence and security in the domain of foreign affairs entirely to the military
commanders. Therefore, most of the differences that cropped up with the US
in the course of fighting the war were obviously contested by the Army
commanders. This was the scarlet strand of Scoundrels strategy.
Frequent cropping up of differences was proof that civilian
government was compliant but Army was the major hurdle in achieving the
US goals. Hence, the treatment meted out to Army and Civil government by
the US grossly contrasting in essence. Of late, the former was treated like an
enemy, whereas love for the democratic government showed no
diminishing signs.
The strategy was pursued vehemently and bore the desired results.
The resolve with which it was implemented has to be judged from the
happenings in the last three and a half years, e.g. sabotaging all peace deals
between militants and Pak Army; targeting ISI and Army through US
legislation; flooding Pakistan with CIA agents; handling of Raymond Davis
case; Abbottabad operation in connivance with the civil government; and so
on. This strategy kept the Army humiliated and humbled and too preoccupied to think of any anti-democracy mischief.
Haqqani, as ambassador in Washington was given freedom of action
for a different reason. To understand that it has to be remembered as to why
was he chosen for the job. He had two qualifications; the links he had
established in the US, especially with think tanks of neocons and his
political philosophy.
As political philosopher he despises dominance of religious forces
and armed forces in Pakistan. The very title of his latest book Mosque and
Military in Pakistan speaks of his love, nay, hatred for both. This mindset
brought PPP and him close to each other.
Benazir had chosen him for the job thinking that he could be
instrumental in seeking US help to keep Pak Army under control. Zardari
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stuck to her choice, which was a rare exception, but fitted well in his
scheme. Zardari not only appointed him as ambassador but gave him full
freedom of action to ensure that Army was kept under thumb.
He was answerable to none except Zardari. He ignored the foreign
minister and even prime minister. His evil genius was reflected in arranging
influx of Blackwater and CIA agents; drafting of Kerry-Lugar Bill; writing
and arranging space-booking in a leading newspaper for Zardari to
congratulate US soon after Abbottabad Raid; and so on.
His evil instincts did not die with his resignation. He claimed that he
had resigned to save democracy in Pakistan. The devil did not refrain from
mischief; he tried to create an impression that if he had not resigned military
coup was imminent. Previously, while leaving for Pakistan he had vowed to
devote his life to fight bigotry. Gilani fanned similar suspicion when he said
that if required, the PPP government would look towards people not the
Army.
While bearing in mind the recalled events of the past one has to
discreetly watch the role played by some sections of media which boast of
being pro-democracy merely on the basis of its anti-Army stance. These
sections of media and analysts invited by them have been working overtime
to downplay the gravity of offence committed against Pakistan by Hussain
Haqqani and his unnamed boss.
To quote, Hamid Mir devoted his one hour programme Capital Talk
in arguing that Haqqani was forced to resign because he is a civilian;
whereas military men go unpunished for committing similar crimes. His
list of similar crimes included terror attacks on GHQ and Mehran Naval
Base. He also included Abbottabad raid in the charge sheet against military,
which was carried out by the Americans against the family members of
Osama with the connivance of Zardari regime.
His colleague Najam Sethi has been devoting his Aapas Ke Baat for
the defence of Hussain Haqqani and his boss. Why Sethi did that was
understood considering that he has spent a few weeks in Washington
courtesy US-funded programme, but Hamid Mirs incentive remains unestablished. May be he was putting his weight behind a journalist colleague
out of professional loyalty.
After this brief resume it is time to comment on few questions, though
former ambassador Inayatullah has candidly dealt with mpst pertinent
questions. It is asked: did Haqqani act in his individual capacity? Did he

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draft the memorandum on orders of Zardari? Did his constitutional boss

(Prime Minister) have any clue of his criminal act?
In view of the foregoing it can be said that he acted in accordance
with the wishes of Zardari, who has been constantly feeling the prick of
bayonet at his back. Even if he had acted on his own the government of PPP
is responsible. He was there in Washington as its representative. All his
actions and statements were reflections of official policy.
Next question asked is: Why bother about contents of memo when
Mullen had not taken it seriously? Mullen had lied as said earlier. His own
attitude towards Pakistan Army and ISI had turned drastically hostile since
May and so was the case of top officials of US Administration, US
Congressmen and US media. Mullen and other top officials had accused
Pakistan Army of harbouring Haqqani (Sirajuddin) Network.
Another question is: Why create hype over statements of a dubious
character like Mansoor Ijaz? These geniuses asking this question forget that
credibility of Hussain Haqqani in the context of Army and ISI is in no way
better than Mansoor. And, it is this common characteristic that had drawn the
two close to each other. This question can be answered by another question:
Why no one has sued Ijaz in a court of law?
Why give undue importance to a non-paper; not signed by any one?
The anonymity of the memorandum is exploited to exonerate Haqqani and
his boss. Here too they tend to overlook that there is no signed paper under
which the US carry out drone attacks frequently and there is no signed or
even written document under which thousands of containers and tankers
traverse entire length of Pakistan carrying logistics for occupation forces in
Afghanistan.
Was it a sting operation? Those who dub it as such claim that this was
hatched to get Hussain Haqqani removed as if he was doing commendable
job as ambassador in the best interest of Pakistan. Mansoor is dubbed as CIA
agent who had been working against defence institutions of Pakistan, but so
has been Haqqani doing.
Was it a conspiracy? Conspiracy line is the most favourite line of
defence of Zardari regime. They say it has been leaked to cause rift
between civil and military leaderships of Pakistan as if these relations had
been most cordial prior to the leaking of the memorandum.
The memo was sent at a time when WikiLeaks was at its peak. It was
more of WikiPour than Leaks. If regimes emissary was so caring about
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harmonious civil-military relations, he should have thought about

repercussions of its leaking at any later stage.
It is asked: What is wrong with seeking civil governments dominance
over military? It is also argued that all the ills were because of military
dominance in matters of foreign relations and security. Those who say this
completely ignore the capacity aspect. Major political parties lack the
arrangements within to evolve policies in this regard. Once they acquire that
capability there will be no problem for politicians to have control over
military or, in other words, for military to cede the control they enjoy.
In any case, what kind of logic, wisdom and patriotism is reflected in
taking away the control from Army and handing that over to the Americans
in exchange of perpetuation of their rule in Pakistan? And, what about
Zardari continuously fearing Army and feeling chilling sensation of bayonet
touching his spine? What about the NRO deal under which Zardaris wife
had promised to deliver more than Musharraf.
Yet another question is: There was no threat of military coup on May
10, then how come the need for this memorandum? The aim of initiating the
memo wasnt to pre-empt any military coup but to deliver knock out blow
for exacting democratic revenge from Army and ISI which were at their
weakest in the wake of Abbottabad Raid.
The regime wasted no time in appointing new ambassador to
Washington. Gilani with his choice definitely surprised almost all observers
who had been speculating about different candidates for the job. Sherry
Rehman, being an enlightened, moderate, secular, and a PPP die-hard, has
been generally acclaimed as right choice.
She can surely project the soft image of Pakistan, or of the regime to
be precise. If her predecessor was acceptable to the Americans because of
his intellect, she has the additional qualities to secure her acceptability by
practically joining in social activities in civilized world.
Possibly, her name might have been recommended by Hussain
Haqqani and approved by Zardari before Gilani was told to announce.
Military leadership might have been consulted. She, however, is likely to
continue pursuing Zardaris policy of appeasing Americans which would
include everything that her predecessor had been doing.
Sherry Rehman vowed to defend countrys case at all forums and not
to take dictation from anyone. She did not elaborate as to who had been

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dictating her predecessor and who was threatening Pakistan from whom she
has vowed to defend it.
Politically, appointment of Sherry is aimed at her re-induction into
PPP. She had been sidelined after she had dared having difference with
Zardari over dealing with TV channels. She was also keen for the patch up
and thus likely to pursue PPPs strategy, which in fact is Zardaris brainchild.
The decision of PML-N to go to the Supreme Court is hasty and
impulsive, motivated to take political mileage rather than punishing the real
culprits. It also means shying away from its political responsibilities as
Opposition and passing the buck to the apex court. It has been established
that the regime has not implemented any court verdict which did not suit it
and more often than not some verdicts were ridiculed by taking actions to
the contrary.
If PML-N wants the Supreme Court probe, that is even more nave
demand, in spite of the fact that nothing comes out through inquiries ordered
by the Executive. It is true that there is no news about the whereabouts of
Abbottabad Commission though six months have passed.
It is also true that, despite Gilani has claimed that Haqqani was asked
to resign to facilitate smooth inquiry into the matter of heinous nature; the
regime will drag its feet on the issue. How could he influence the inquiry;
those who could do were free and holding top most constitutional posts.
The fact is that Army Chief and DG ISI are the complainants in this
case; hence the onus of proof lies on them, not on President, Prime Minister,
Supreme Court or any commission so appointed. It is their responsibility to
bring the investigations into the scandal to logical conclusion.
If the real culprit(s) not found and punished beware of two serious
consequences. Inconclusive probe could cause fissures in the rank and file of
the military. Any horizontal and vertical cracks in the armed forces would be
more harmful than the damage that could have been caused with the
materialization of six points listed in the memorandum. Secondly, the
Scoundrel has not done it for the first time and his next strike could be fatal.
For the last one decade it has been a routine that no crisis was ever
resolved; and instead it was overcome only by the advent of another
horrendous crisis. Memorandum scandal was also eclipsed by an attack on
border posts in Mohmand Agency killing 24 soldiers, including a major and
a captain.
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Irrespective of what is said in condemnation of unprovoked attack, it

would certainly help releasing pressure off Zardari. He was subjected to
tremendous pressure by activities of Mirza; court proceedings of corruption
cases; rejection of review appeal of NRO verdict; political activation of
PML-N and PTI; and last but not the least the pressure caused by Haqqani
memorandum.
The most unusual part of the ritual of condemnation of an attack this
time was a press conference held by Asfandyar Wali. During the conference
he narrated a Pashtu story of snake and Khan with reference to attack on
Salala posts. Khan was lying and a snake passed over him without biting and
when snake went away Khan raised hue and cry.
Men sitting nearby asked why so much fuss when the snake had not
hurt him. Khan replied that his worry was that the dangerous reptile had seen
a trail. Asfandyar was right in relating the story with attack on posts but only
partly. This snake had not come to see a trail; it had come to bite and had
bitten hard. The trail was seen years back when, Khan the narrator was lying
upside down alluring the snake to come and bite his political opponents who
happened to be his Pashtu-speaking brothers but Islamists.
28th November, 2011

SALALA SLAUGHTER
It is to the credit of the Scoundrel that he has been bold in never
keeping his intentions a secret. Like a conventional Don he was rarely seen
and spoke even more rarely. But, whenever he spoke he has been quite
emphatic about two things; the conspirators and democratic revenge.
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He under the influence of his desire to exact democratic revenge and

his American masters suffering from ever relapsing post-9/11 fit of revenge
have been on the rampage since February 2008. Their desire to bleed their
enemies has been manifested more lustily since the Raymond Davis episode
in the beginning of this year.
The publication of memorandum to Mullen by Mansoor Ijaz revealed
some horrendous dimensions of the designs of the Scoundrel and his
American masters regarding Pakistans security institutions. On the heels of
these revelations came an unprovoked attack by US/NATO forces on two
Pakistani border posts in Mohmand Agency.
Some observers apprehend that memorandum and attack on border
posts are two components of the same evil design, though the link between
the two has yet to be established as clearly as the Memo-May 2 link. An
intriguing coincidence however is that the attack occurred on 26 th
November. In the wider canvass of War on Terror the two are quite relevant
to each other; it is Pakistans 26/11.
Due to the attack and memo bombshell the people of Pakistan spent
last five days under a spell of shock and awe. On 1 st December, the Supreme
Court heard petitions on the memogate scandal and constituted a judicial
commission under former FIA DG Tariq Masood Khosa to probe the matter.
This action of the court caused panic among the gang of the Scoundrel.

NEWS
On 28th November, Prime Minister warned United States that there
would be no more business as usual with Washington. In an interview with
CNN he said Pakistan was re-evaluating its relationship with the US,
adding that Islamabad wanted to maintain its relationship with the US as
long as there is mutual respect. Gilani said Pakistan had not yet decided
whether to boycott next month's Bonn conference on the future of
Afghanistan. The Obama administration had said Pakistan was considering
pulling out of the international conference.
More details of Salala Slaughter were reported. The attack began soon
after midnight and continued for more than two hours. PAF did not react and
troops sent by the battalion headquarter were also attacked. ISPR rejected
NATO forces claim that firing was started from Pakistani side. He said, No
fire was opened from our side and we responded only after the martyrdom of
our soldiers. He said that NATO could not make the excuse that they were
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chasing terrorists across the border because the area where the attack took
place had been cleared.
China urged NATO forces to respect Pakistan's sovereignty, saying
that attack on Pakistani troops was shocking. OIC strongly condemned the
NATO attack against two Pakistani border posts. Pakistan had reason to feel
that the US had violated its sovereignty, said New York Time. According to
the Wall Street Journal US officials were concerned over steps that Pakistan
might take in retaliation to NATO strike.
Pentagon said the US military will press ahead with its war effort in
Afghanistan despite Pakistans decision to cut off supplies to NATO-led
forces. The US officials were concerned over possible retaliatory steps that
Pakistan might take. Senator John McCain expressed scolded Pakistan over
support for fighters allegedly killing US forces and called it as hindrance to
US victory in Afghanistan.
UAE foreign minister rushed to Islamabad to ask Zardari and Kayani
not to cancel the lease deed of Shamsi Air Base; reportedly, the request was
turned down. Rehman Malik denied receiving any request as such. Protest
rallies over Salala attack were held across the country; two major parties
PPP and PML-N stayed away from the protests. Bar councils boycotted the
courts to register their anger. PML-N tabled an adjournment motion in NA.
The PML-N team went to the graves of the soldiers martyred in the airattack and laid floral wreaths at the grave of each martyr besides sharing the
grief of the family members of the Shaheed soldiers.
Registrar Office of the apex court accepted the petition after scrutiny.
In his petition, Nawaz requested that the court summon the respondents,
including President, Hussain Haqqani, Mansoor Ijaz, COAS and DG ISI and
demand an explanation on memo to Mullen. LHC admitted for hearing a
petition making plea for putting Hussain Haqqani's name on the ECL.
Prime Minister referred the memorandum inquiry to parliamentary
committee. Hina in interview to BBC termed accusations of Zardaris
involvement in Memorandum as rubbish. General Aslam Beg accused the
government of trying to hush up memo case. Abbottabad Commission
summoned Hussain Haqqani to appear before it on 14th December.
Meanwhile, at least seven khasadars were injured in a blast at Landi
Kotal Bazaar of Khyber Agency; a paramilitary troops' vehicle was targeted.
An official of a sensitive agency was found tortured to death inside a hotel
room in the Nawan Kot area of Lahore.

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Next day, DG Military Operations briefed Pakistani media. He

provided comprehensive details of the locations of Volcano and Boulder
posts, timing of the attack and how Pakistani troops conducted themselves in
this difficult situation. He also explained at length the existing multi-levels
coordination mechanism between Pak Army and allied forces.
The attackers violated all provisions of the agreement with Pakistan of
not to attack each others troops and positions while carrying out operations
against terrorists operating on both sides of the Pak-Afghan border. He said
in just seven to 15 minutes ISAF and NATO were informed at various levels
that Pakistani posts were under attack. The helicopters had gone back after
that but again returned and attacked.
The DGMO did not agree with the NATO and ISAF justification that
the raids were conducted as a sequel to an operation initiated by Pakistani
troops, and said raids on Pak posts were unprovoked. Their claim that
these were not targeted attacks or that the top commanders were unaware are
blatant lies, he said.
He said the military was revising strategy for the western border to
ensure that there would be no more NATO/ISAF attacks on troops deployed
along Pak-Afghan border. It will urge the US commanders in Afghanistan to
identify and punish those who ordered and executed unprovoked raids on
two posts Volcano and Boulder in Mohmand Agency.
The announcement made by the Pentagon, ISAF and NATO
headquarters that an investigation would be carried out has little credibility
in the eyes of the GHQ since it was not satisfied with the outcome of their
earlier findings on such episodes. Therefore, the possibility of a joint
investigation of the tragic incident was also ruled out.
Asked why Pakistan Air Force was not used to defend troops, the
DGMO said if PAF planes were brought into action, they had to chase the
attacking helicopters into Afghan territory which would have deteriorated
the situation further. As to why the troops were not equipped to repel such
raids, he replied that troops were deployed only to take action against
terrorists moving on both sides.
Asked if the helicopters involved in the attack were American or
allied forces, the DGMO said since the United States was the biggest
partner of the military alliance, it did not matter whether they were American
or belonged to ISAF -NATO.

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The DGMO confronted a questioner that it would be wrong to build

up a perception that armed forces either had no option to respond to NATO
attacks or it was incapable of defending any aggression. Similarly, he
promptly responded to questioner saying it was a wrong notion that Army
was only concerned with its troops being killed in drone attacks and did not
bother about civilian casualties. For us in the army, those being killed are
Pakistanis and there was no question of any discrimination, he stressed.
Gen Ashfaq Nadeem said Pakistan Army would not accept any
compensation offered by the United States for those who were martyred
during recent NATO-led helicopter attack. Pakistan Army has its own inbuilt system of compensating families of those who render their lives
defending the motherland.
Asked what the top Pak military commanders were expecting from the
investigations that Pentagon had ordered, DGMO said: We are only
interested in finding out who carried the operation and on whose orders. On
whether Pakistan should attend or boycott the Bonn conference, he said it
was not for the army to decide. It was entirely the jurisdiction of the
government to review the prevailing situation and decide what was in the
best national interest.
On reports that Pakistan had bombarded localities inside Afghan
territory as claimed by the Afghan military commander, he said an ISAF
commander along with the said Afghan commander flew into the area and
found no traces of any attack or bombing. This has embarrassed the said
Afghan commander and he had to eat his own words.
Federal cabinet presided over by Prime Minister decided not to attend
an international conference on Afghanistans future scheduled to be held
next week in Bonn, in protest against the NATO raid on its military outposts.
Gilani also announced to convene joint session of the Parliament to discuss
the situation emerging after the NATO attack.
Hillary Clinton regretted Pakistans decision to boycott next weeks
international conference on Afghanistan but hoped to secure Islamabads
cooperation in future. Clinton stressed that US officials were making every
effort to investigate what she called a tragic incident. What is most
important I think is that we learn lessons from this tragedy because we have
to continue to work together. Merkel vowed to change Islamabads mind.
Cameron Munter called on Zardari and discussed host of issues
including the situation arising out from the recent NATO attack. The US
ambassador regretted the loss of life of Pakistani servicemen and apprised
609

the President of the US decision to investigate the incident in close

cooperation with Pakistan. Reportedly, Zardari turned down the request on
Shamsi base and refused cooperation till culprits punished.
Senator John Kerry said that the US-Pak relationship was now facing
a major challenge. The incident has made the Pakistan government and its
people furious, as a result of which Islamabad has stopped the crucial NATO
supply route which the lifeline for 140,000 US and international troops in
Afghanistan.
US military chief General Dempsey declined to apologize. Karzai
telephoned Gilani to condole over killing of Pakistani soldiers. Protest was
lodged with UNSC. Protest rallies against Salala attack across the country
continued. Cable operators decided to close all TV channels indulging in
anti-Pakistan propaganda. Zardari at last spoke. He said conspiracies were
being hatched against his regime.
Meanwhile, 14 militants were killed in Orakzai Agency. More than
fifty students who were invited by US Consulate, Peshawar rejected the
invitation in protest against attack on border posts. Two persons were killed
by a mortar shell. A militant commander was arrested in Nowshera. The
Supreme Court of Pakistan will take up a petition filed by Nawaz Sharif on
memogate issue on December 1. A nine-member bench of the apex court
headed by Chief Justice will conduct the hearing.
On 30th November, four militants were killed and four soldiers
wounded in a clash in Kurram Agency and ten militants were killed and six
soldiers wounded in another clash in Orakzai Agency. A remote-controlled
bomb blast killed chief of a peace committee and injured two others in
Hangu district. Two women were killed and three others including a woman
and two children sustained injuries when a stray mortar shell fired by
paramilitary forces hit the house in Bara area. Protest against unprovoked
attack continued across the country.
A cross-border incident involving NATO and Pakistani forces was
defused early with no loss of life, according to the spokesman for the
American-led international coalition. The incident involved heavy artillery
fire across the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in Paktika province. ISPR denied
the report.
Angela Merkel urged Pakistan to rethink its decision of not attending
Bonn Conference as it would prove productive in Islamabads presence. She
said Pakistan could ask its ambassador to Germany to attend the moot on

610

Afghanistans future scheduled to be held next week. Gilani told German

leader that Pakistan could not attend the moot in the given circumstances.
United Arab Emirates demanded of NATO to apologize to Pakistan
for the deaths of its 24 soldiers in an air strike, but denied it sought an
extension from Pakistan for Shamsi Air Base. US newspaper reported that
Obama refused to formally regret death of Pakistani soldiers as
recommended by Munter to save Pak-US relations. Following Islamabads
refusal to attend Bonn Conference the US covertly contacted anti-Pakistan
Taliban.
Next day, nine-member larger bench of the Supreme Court headed by
Chief Justice admitted petitions by the PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and
others on the memogate scandal. The court constituted a judicial commission
under former FIA DG Tariq Masood Khosa to probe the matter. Notices
were issued to the president, the army chief, DG ISI and others asking them
to file their replies within 15 days, besides barring Hussain Haqqani from
leaving the country.
The court observed that prima facie the memo contained highly
objectionable material, which was against the sovereignty, security and
independence of Pakistan. The SC said Article 5 binds every citizen to be
faithful to country and the memo raised questions over countrys
sovereignty. Action should be taken against those involved, it said.
The chief justice in his remarks said that the scandal had civil and
military implications and that military courts had the authority to act on the
information. He further said that newspapers had been reporting that the ISI
had investigated the issue, adding that Hussain Haqqanis resignation did not
prove the charges that were being leveled.
The prime minister had announced that a Parliamentary Committee on
National Security will probe the matter. The court noted under the rules the
parliamentary committee has no mandate to probe such scam; as it has no
constitutional backing in this regard. The parliamentary committee was
however asked to share its findings with the commission.
The court also directed the authorities concerned to cooperate with
Tariq Khosa. In the order, it was said that Tariq Khosa could take assistance
from any person in collection of forensic and physical evidences. If the
commission needs to travel abroad for the sake of evidence, the ministries of
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Cabinet Division would make the
arrangements and bear all expenditure. The commission was directed to
complete its task in three weeks and send its report to the Supreme Court.
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Rehman Maliks statement has been made part of court order in which
he said that the communication was between ambassador and US citizen.
This is the communication through SMS and Blackberry messages, which is
the clear for the investigation, the court noted. The chief justice said in this
context it was written in newspapers that the government needed not to find
out its enemies.
Nawaz Sharif submitted before the court that Hussain Haqqani had
tendered resignation in connection with memogate issue. Mansoor Ijaz had
confirmed that memo had been written at the behest and with the approval of
top functionaries of Pakistan. Text of this memo had been released and US
and Mike Mullen had confirmed it, he informed.
Nawaz demanded that all the stakeholders should be issued notices.
He said that the memo issue is of national importance and threat to the
sovereignty and independence of the country, adding Pakistan is under
threat. He said people are extremely worried over the prevailing situation of
the country. Scandals upon scandals of the incumbent government are
coming to open, he stated.
Earlier during the proceeding, Justice Saqib Nisar said the Supreme
Court is being regulated through Constitution, therefore how its indulgence
could be warranted in term of Article 184(3) of the Constitution. He
questioned why the court instead of parliament should consider this matter?
Nawaz said: I wanted that parliament take up this issue but the
government does not take opposition on the board, while the role of
opposition is considered vital in the democracy. Nawaz argued that
opposition had played pivotal role in making the parliament functional. But
parliament had never been taken on board on major national issues.
Government never implements parliament resolutions, he pleaded.
Jawwad S Khawaja said: We have to ascertain the facts. The chief
justice remarked that one aspect of the issue is criminal and the trial court
take up the criminal matters and for that you have to collect the evidence.
The pressing issue here is whether matter is criminal or civil? The
parliament could proceed in civil issues, but when the court is seized with
the criminal matters then you have to provide forensic evidence.
The chief justice said that in Watergate scandal former US president
Richard Nixon faced Senate standing committee and also the proceeding
initiated in the criminal court. He only resigned when the US Supreme Court
took up the matter and a judge pointed out the tampering.

612

Nawaz Sharif said that the government would never order inquiry
against its own ambassador. The government was fully protecting Hussain
Haqqani. He said the memo controversy has defamed democracy and they
were paying its price. Nawaz Sharif clarified that he did not come to the
court to criticize President Asif Ali Zardari, but to get relief. Justice Saqib
Nisar said the court has inquisitorial power. Referring the cases of Jamal
Shah and Pervaiz Elahi, he said that in Pervaiz Elahi case a five-member
bench of the Lahore High Court used the power to collect evidences.
Ishaq Dar, another petitioner said due to the efforts of PML-N Article
19A was inserted in the constitution. He said that after the issue of memo
scandal on November 21 he wrote a letter to the Chairman of the
Parliamentary Committee on Security. Justice Tariq Pervaiz inquired
whether Nawaz Sharif is directly aggrieved party. Ishaq Dar said every
citizen of Pakistan is hurt by the memo.
Justice Tassadque Jillani questioned what the mandate of the
Parliamentary Committee was and did the Chief of Army Staff and ISI DG
attend the last meeting? Ishaq Dar said in All Parties Conference a resolution
was passed, but only 10 per cent of its recommendations were implemented.
The chief justice asked whether the committee has the mandate to
examine criminal or civil action against the persons for their negligence if
there will be attack on the sovereignty of the country. The chief justice said
that Mansoor Ijaz has involved the most respected and high official of the
country President of Pakistan. What is the responsibility of the parliamentary
committee, questioned Jawwad S Khawaja. And does the issue at hand falls
in the ambit or review of the Parliamentary Committee mandate. The
attorney general said the committee can summon anyone and record its
statement in accordance with the rules and regulation. The committee does
not have the mandate to solve the memo issue.
Khawaja Asif another petitioner said that the executive held
parliament and the committee hostage. After finding the parliament
dysfunctional, he had resorted to the court, he added. He said that president
could not be separated from this issue. The hearing was adjourned for an
indefinite period.
Immediately after the court orders the Scoundrel summoned top
members of his Shoora. He held intense consultations on the situation.
Reportedly, Zardari said that he being a spiritual son of Shaheed Zulfikar
Ali Bhutto knew how to confront all kind of challenges with courage and he
will do it.
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He asked the prime minister to follow the constitutional course and

take the Parliamentary Committee on National Security on board. It was
therefore decided that the PM would brief the parliamentary body, which is
scheduled to meet on Friday. Two leaders emphasized that all the institutions
should work in unison and in line with their domain laid down in the
constitution.
Sources said that during closed-door meetings with prominent party
leaders held at Aiwan-e-Sadr, several party leaders had asked the president
to take the Kargil war case to the Supreme Court to expose former Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif. But they said Zardari rejected the suggestion and
said that being a political party with mass following, the PPP would confront
the PML-N and its leaders in the political field and defeat them.
Once the plan to take on conspirators head-on was approved a press
conference was called hurriedly and Babar Awan led the team of PPPs
gladiators to the arena where he challenged the apex courts decision of
forming a commission saying the court has crossed its institutional limits
through the move they perceived as part of efforts to end PPP rule. He also
fired shots at the PML-N and Nawaz Sharif for moving the memo petition in
the SC, and vowed that government would not surrender the supremacy of
the parliament and the authority of the executive.
Ruling out the possibility of any caretaker setup, Babar said that the
authority of the parliament had been undermined by constituting the
commission as Parliamentary Committee on National Security, a panel
having representation of all the political parties in both the houses of the
parliament, was already investigating the memo issue. He also said that the
integrity of the committee chairman Raza Rabbani was also above board and
there was no question on it.
He said that only executive, had the authority to constitute any
commission while the apex court ignoring the fact constituted the
commission without hearing the federation. Implicitly condemning the apex
court decision, he stressed that no body could be given the authority to
govern Pakistan other than those who have been given mandate by the
people and no one should have the wishful thinking that current democratic
setup could be rolled through threats.
He criticized courts for issuing stay orders in the favour of PML-N
leadership and providing them relief. The biggest parliamentary party of the
federation remained a victim in the past and today as well, he further said.
It is the history of Pakistan that PPP never got justice from the courts and it
614

is also a history that the rulers of Punjab were never denied to provide a
relief by these courts, he said adding that the founder of the party, Zulfikar
Ali Bhutto could neither get justice not lawyers to plead his case.
It has become clear today as to who wanted disintegration of the
country. He alleged that PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif by calling President
(Zardari) a traitor had tried to play the same game that led to (the creation
of) Bangladesh. Nawaz Sharif has attacked the democracy through getting
the cover of the other state institutions. Mian Nawaz Sharif has played the
act one of Bangladesh Model, he said.
He also blamed Nawaz for committing contempt of court when he had
attacked SC during his second tenure as prime minister. Nawaz Sharif
called an elected President of Pakistan (Asif Ali Zardari) a traitor but never
passed such remarks against a dictator, former president Pervez Musharraf,
he remarked. He said Nawaz never moved petition against the October 12,
1999 step of a military dictator to get him declared a traitor. Babar also held
Nawaz Sharif responsible for creating an atmosphere of confrontation
between the state institutions.
Babar also questioned integrity of Tariq Khosa, the head of the
commission on memo issue, saying that one of his brothers, Nasir Khosa,
was Punjab chief secretary and very close to PML-N Punjab government and
an other of his brothers, Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, was judge of the Supreme
Court. He said that Tariq Khosa was a biased person as the government did
not gave him his desired posting before his retirement and that bias had
penetrated into Khosa family.
Responding to a question that whether PPP would admit the courts
decision over the constitution of commission Dr Awan gave a vague answer,
saying that PPP respected the court orders and would face the situation while
remaining within the existing system.
Other members of the gladiator gang talked of giving identity to the
people of KPK and Gilgit Baltistan and now it will take the same step for the
Saraiki people. Those, who dont run away and stay in the country and fight
for the democracy cant be intimidated by use of Article 6. PML-N
leadership was given VIP protocol in the apex court.
The same day when all that narrated above happened General Kayani
suspended command and chain system to counter any aggression on borders
to enable the senior officers on the posts to take appropriate action if
Pakistani forces come under attack. Officer in the area will be responsible

615

for retaliation against any aggressors in that particular area and he will be
provided all kind of assistance that he will ask for.
The decision would, however, be applicable to eventualities involving
NATO troops. He also said that the Pakistan Air Force should have taken
action when NATO helicopters violated the Pakistani airspace and attacked
the Pakistani check posts in Mohmand Agency, the sources maintained. He
further said the Air Force could not be called in as the communication
system at the check post was destroyed in the NATO attack.
The Army Chief praised the jawans of the Azad Kashmir Regiment
deployed at the border check posts. This was the first time after occupation
of Afghanistan by allied forces that a Pakistani army chief, fed up of
continuous border aggression, has issued such orders.
Prime Minister ruled out any threat of either judicial or military
coup as both the institutions were pro-democracy and did not want to derail
the system. Hussain Haqqani said that he has neither any intention to leave
the country nor any palace was waiting for him in Saudi Arabia to escape
from open and transparent investigation into Memogate issue.
The Wall Street Journal reported that US officials consulted with
Pakistani officials before an air strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and
the Pakistanis gave the go-ahead for the attack. The officials at a border
coordination centre were unaware that their troops were in the area near the
Afghan border, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed US officials familiar
with initial investigations.
Protest rallies against NATO air strikes continued. Lawyers, traders
and journalists in Lahore urged the government and army to retaliate the
killings of 24 soldiers. Munter offered condolences to victims of NATO
strike after his suggestion to Obama was rejected. Kerry said if Pakistan
does not attend Bonn Conference it would mean that Pakistan is not
interested in peace in the region. Meanwhile, one soldier and 15 militants
were killed in Kurram Agency; three soldiers were also wounded. Nine
militants were killed in Orakzai Agency. Three TTP militants were held by
police in Karachi.
On 2nd December, Nawaz Sharif termed PPP press conference as a
pack of lies and said he didnt point finger at any one and never declared
any one as traitor during the hearing of memogate case in the Supreme
Court. He said that the government didnt resolve any of the problems facing
the people. Nawaz said that he was ready to help the government and army

616

to pull out from secret agreements with the United States. The Supreme
Court also rejected all the allegations regarding security and protocol.
Attorney General Maulvi Anwar ul Haq dispelled the impression that
he had represented the federation in memo scandal case. Aitzaz Ahsan said
AG is appointed by the President on recommendation of Prime minister as
representative of the federation and in all his appearances in the court he
represents the federation. Ahsan said constitution of commission is legal and
if Executive had done its job nobody would have gone to the Supreme
Court.
Gilani dismissed the impression that the system was facing any threat
of destabilization, even through a democratic move. Parliamentary
Committee for National Security endorsed the cabinet decision not to
participate in Bonn Conference on Afghanistan future after withdrawal of
combat forces. The Senate unanimously approved resolution against NATO
attacks. The body also rejected NATOs plea of misunderstanding and said
that such reasons are not acceptable; adding that such attacks would not be
tolerated in the future.
A planned tripartite meeting on the future of Afghanistan was
cancelled. The meeting was to be attended by Taliban representatives, senior
officials from Afghanistan, US and Pakistan to approve Peace Formula
prior to presenting it in the Bonn Conference. After getting it approved in the
tripartite meeting, it was planned to table the Peace Formula in the Bonn
Conference.
Pakistan denied claims by US officials that it had given the go-ahead
for NATO strike on two Pakistani border posts, unaware that its soldiers
were in the area. Pakistans military said in a statement that US officials had
in fact given them wrong information about where NATO forces planned to
launch the strike. The Pakistan Army said in the statement that US officials
at a border coordination centre later apologized privately for giving faulty
coordinates. The army denied the border posts were temporary campsites
as US officials claimed in an article in the Wall Street Journal but full
military positions. Pentagon said Pakistan has refused to join the probe.
In an interview Gen James Jones said Ijaz was a mere acquaintance.
This came contrary to Ijazs claims in several interviews that Jones is a close
friend of his. Responding to a question, Jones said: Pakistan is a country
hell bent on self-destruction which refuses to listen to advice that might
help it. Asked about the memo controversy, he said he had played a small

617

part in it. Asked if Ijaz was considered credible in the US National Security
Council, Jones stopped at saying he was a mere acquaintance.
Protests continued against attack on border posts. Pakistan stopped
transportation of POL to Afghanistan even that which is used for commercial
purposes. Haqqani said that even if the memo has been written by a
Pakistani, it did not fall in the purview of sedition; however, it was
objectionable.
Meanwhile, security forces killed 20 militants in Orakzai Agency. At
least eight persons including two members of peace committee, three women
and two children were killed in separate clashes between militant groups and
peace committee in Khyber Agency. Seven militants were killed and five FC
soldiers wounded when militants attacked a border post in Chitral.
On 30th November, Russia said it may not let NATO use its territory to
supply troops in Afghanistan if the alliance doesnt seriously consider its
objections to a US-led missile shield for Europe. Next day, NATO forces
shot dead to Pakistanis in Helmand Province; seven Pakis were abducted
elsewhere. Hundreds of people staged a protest in Kabul against the second
Bonn conference and a proposed strategic agreement with the US allowing
foreign troops to remain in Afghanistan.
Al-Qaeda is holding hostage a US aid worker, Warren Weinstein
kidnapped in August from Lahore, Ayman al-Zawahiri said in a statement
seen by US website monitors. Zawahiri said the White House could secure
his release if it halts air strikes in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and
Yemen, and releases the 1993 World Trade Center bombers and relatives of
Osama bin Laden. On 2nd December, one person was killed and 70 wounded
when a truck bomb exploded outside a NATO base in Logar Province.
On 1st December, India tested nuclear capable missile. At a time
when Pakistanis are recovering from the shock of NATO attack on two
military posts, thousands of Indian soldiers armed with hundreds of tanks,
armoured carriers and fighter jets are getting ready for manoeuvres in
Rajasthan sector along Pakistani border, reported Indian media.
An Indian defence report said: This exercise will be a trendsetter for
the Integrated Theatre Concept. The exercise, which has been mounted by
the Southern Army, is touted as one of the biggest military exercises
mounted by the Indian Army in the last two decades.
Speaking to media persons in Pune yesterday, Lt-Gen AK Singh,
southern army commander, said the exercise, a once-in-3-years event, has
618

deployed as many as 50,000 soldiers, 500 armed vehicles and fighter jets
and combat helicopters of the Indian Air Force.
In Balochistan, university lecturer was shot dead in Quetta on 29th
November. Five Jundullah suspects were arrested in Karachi. Next day, one
person was killed and another wounded in landmine blast in Dera Bugti. On
1st December, gunmen shot dead a man in Harnai.

VIEWS
On 28th November, TheNation observed: It seems that the Pakistan
government has been pushed by the attack by NATO helicopters on a check
post in Mohmand Agency on Saturday into the review of Pakistan-US ties
that had already been mandated by parliamentary resolution in the joint
session of 14 May, with the Defence Committee of the Cabinet deciding this
Saturday night within hours of the attack. That review, which should already
have taken place, accompanied a number of other measures, which indicated
that Pakistan would no longer allow itself to be used in the USAs War on
Terror...
The plea of NATO that it was pursuing militants is both factually
tendentious and legally dubious. Even if it is conceded that the incorrect
claim of militants fleeing into a Pakistani check post is correct, there would
be no question of accepting the doctrine of hot pursuit as applying to
Pakistan and the occupying forces in Afghanistan, especially as they both are
members of the same Tripartite Commission, and are supposed to be allies.
The ire against NATO slaughtering Pakistani troops has been increased
because NATO forces are under US command, and the incident is seen as
another in the chain of incidents in which the US violations of Pakistani
sovereignty have extended from the FATA into the rest of the country.
The DCC has taken a decision which should not be reversed by
any NATO apologies, as it was last year. The progress of the NATO
investigation should not be made an excuse to restore relations. The next
logical step, withdrawal from the USAs War on Terror, should follow at
once, for now that Pakistani soldiers have started being killed in such
numbers by their so-called allies, it should be clear even to the meanest
intelligence that participation in the War is much more than the country can
afford, and that the only way to prevent further losses is to withdraw from an
alliance which is unpopular among the people. Any conceivable advantages
to the government party of its subservience to the USA are outweighed by
619

the disadvantages that will become even clearer as time goes on. That it is
not unpopular without reason is shown by Saturdays attacks.
Zahrah Nasir wrote: With 50 years of insidious infiltration under its
very broad belt, America is finally coming out of the closet in respect of
its continual interference in what should be the solely sovereign affairs
of Pakistan, and the very fact that it has chosen to do so in the guise of
aid, is yet another sickening example of that countrys perfidy.
The recent launch of the USAID Citizens Voice Project in a top
Islamabad hotel with, naturally given that a number of high ranking
Americans were in attendance, stringent security measures in place to
prevent any untoward incident such as the place and everyone in it being
blown sky high, served as what must have been one of the most glaring
examples ever of white man speaks with forked tongue to borrow a well
known native American phrase.
According to information so conveniently handed out to invitees, this
is a three-year, $45 million project designed to provide resources for
Pakistani initiatives that support citizen involvement in advancing good
governance throughout the country. Through this project, USAID will
award up to 500 grants to civil society groups across Pakistan in 20112014.
Furthermore, its objectives include supporting initiatives to asses
government performance on specific themes as well as efforts to advocate
changes in law, policy, and government action all based on the premise of
encouraging citizens to stand up, speak out and demand their rights on all
fronts which, as we all know, is exactly what America will not tolerate on
its own sovereign soil!
As the speakers went about their task of spinning stories, back home,
in the streets of America, hordes of bully boys in uniform were beating
the hell out of the Occupy brigade, these including elderly and pregnant
women, who were exercising their God given, not to say democratic right,
to speak out about issues of concern to citizens at large such as corporate
greed, bank bailouts, humungous executive salaries and general government
mismanagement of public affairs, therefore, it is pertinent to ask, what on
earth are the stuffed shirts doing promulgating encouragement to Pakistani
citizens to take the exact same action here?
The USAID purports to represent the American people and, one
presumes, these peoples wish to assist their less fortunate brothers and
sisters around the globe, yet the manner in which the Citizens Voice Project
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was launched, at tremendous cost of course, raises more questions than it

can possibly answer and points, even underlines, the existence of yet
another of those loathsome hidden agendas which, at least in this case,
happens to be prominently visible for those who care to both look and then
use their grey cells for their intended purpose and think!
It is most interesting to note, for example, that USAID Mission
Director Dr Andrew Sisson was formerly a big name in the American
War College where he specialized in Defence Strategy, an occupation that
hardly goes hand in hand with his current position of instigating the
unsuspecting citizens of Pakistan to raise their voices in protest unless, of
course and as is highly possible, this is a not so covert operation aimed at
storming Pakistan from the inside and bringing the country to its knees
American style.
This somewhat high-handed project (do we really need interfering
Americans to tell us what is wrong with the existing government and legal
procedures?) is being implemented through a contract with our very own
Trust for Democratic Development (TDEA) whose spokeswoman, Ms
Mussarrat Qadeem, on this occasion, really didnt have much to say The
big question here is as to why America, wearing whatever guise it happens
to fancy at the time, is being welcomed into Pakistan to advocate, indeed
push for, changes that are absolutely none of its business and why is the
USAID, according to Defence Strategist Mr Sisson, here to foster citizens
dialogue with the government throughout Pakistan?
Come on peoplecant we do this ourselves, in our own way and in
line with what we, the people of Pakistan, both want and need, without
surrendering to yet another unwarranted dose of foreign interference just
because they arrive waving dollars in someones face?
Richard Weitz observed: Saturdays tragic incident along the
Afghan-Pakistan border, and its response, are familiar to any observer
of Afghan-Pakistan-United States ties over the past decade. NATO aircraft
highly likely in the words of an alliance spokesperson killed 24
Pakistani troops and wounded 13 others at two posts located about 1,000
feet apart on a mountain in the Mohmand region of Pakistans Federally
Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
Richard referred to some of the familiar incidents and then added:
Many Pakistanis complain the incident exposed problems inherent in
the large US intelligence presence in their country. During his April 2011
visit to Washington, Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha, head of Pakistans Inter621

Services Intelligence, asked the CIA to withdraw intelligence operatives

from Pakistan and curtail its unpopular drone strikes. Mullen made clear that
the UAV operations in Pakistan would continue, describing the AfghanistanPakistan border region as the epicentre of terrorism.
The White House then ordered the May 2 attack on Osama bin
Ladens compound in central Pakistan without apparently seeking Pakistani
permission or notifying Pakistani authorities in advance. In response, on
May 14, a joint session of both houses of Pakistans parliament unanimously
enacted a resolution to defend Pakistans sovereignty, security, and
territorial integrity against US military actions.
Geography and other factors force Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the
United States to collaborate despite their differences over the border region.
But an urgent task is clearly to clarify the rules of engagement under the
new conditions of a departing Western military presence, a resurgent
Taliban, and a Pakistani government and military frustrated with the United
States and Afghanistan, but still open to some cooperation.
When President Asif Ali Zardari met Marc Grossman, the new US
Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan who replaced Richard
Holbrooke, he said they needed clear terms of engagement in the battle
against militants to avoid further damaging bilateral security ties.
Zardari's office subsequently explained that, In the absence of well-defined
and documented terms of engagement, wrong plugs may be pulled at the
wrong times by any side that could undermine the bilateral relations. The
statement added that the president said that terms of engagement should be
clearly defined and specified so that any dispute could be settled amicably.
Unfortunately, theres no easy way to reconcile to these differing
priorities. Afghan-Pakistan-US border tensions are likely to recur-and
worsen-as NATO troops withdraw from Afghanistan. With official Afghan
and US backing, ISAF will increase its pressure on Pakistani authorities to
prevent the Taliban from exploiting the vacuum, and will step up its attacks
along the border. Rebuilding trust between the three countries will require
many years, and possibly multiple generations, to achieve. In the meantime,
the current status quo of wary cooperation and mutual mistrust is likely to
continue.
Next day, TheNation commented: The USA and Nato have tried to
put a positive spin on the incident, not because the Nato choppers were right,
but because Pakistan ended its military cooperation, and that cooperation is
necessary to the continued occupation of Afghanistan by its troops Now it
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is Pakistans turn to turn down these blandishments, and refuse to

continue an alliance with such a high cost in its soldiers blood. The
excuse that the incident took place because the helicopters were chasing
insurgents should be exposed as the lie it is. The excuse merely feeds into
groundless fears of the Haqqani Network, and ignores the fact that the place
of occurrence was in a pacified area, where let alone the Haqqani Network,
no resistance fighters were operating. It is almost obvious that, the NATO
military machine facing defeat in Afghanistan at the hands of an ill-equipped
and badly armed opposition, is groping for excuses to explain away its
mistakes, which are encouraged by its arrogance.
Pakistan has a record of giving way to NATO blandishments. The last
time it shut down supplies, last year, it re-opened them after accepting
NATO apologies. It should not make the same mistake again, but should
stand firm. In fact, it should go a step further, and end the alliance with the
USA, end all participation in the USAs War on Terror, and make it clear to
all comers, especially the USA and other Nato members that Pakistan will
brook no further interference or foreign presence in the region, especially a
presence which is so deadly to indigenous forces. The government should
not ignore the fact that the outrage against the killing of its soldiers is so
strong that any attempt to carry on with business as usual, will turn public
attention (and anger) from NATO, where it is at the moment, to the
government. Beset by crises as it is, that it cannot afford.
Javid Husain observed: The US generals, instead of recognizing the
flaws in their strategy and taking necessary corrective measures, are
engaged in an attempt to make Pakistan a scapegoat of their policy
failures. Washington has brought to bear enormous pressure on Islamabad to
stop the alleged assistance to the insurgents in Afghanistan from Pakistans
tribal areas. This pressure and Pakistani governments willingness to
accommodate the Americans by deploying over 100,000 troops in our tribal
areas have badly destabilized the country. In the process, we have suffered
over 35,000 casualties of civilians and security officials, besides economic
damage calculated to be over $60 billion. Our situation bears close
resemblance to that of Cambodia during the Vietnam War, which was
bombed by the American forces because of the so-called Ho Chi Minh trail.
The net result was the destabilization and overthrow of the Cambodian
government. However, this did not save the Americans from the
consequences of their flawed policy in Vietnam, leading ultimately to their
ignominious withdrawal. It seems that the Americans have not drawn the

623

appropriate lessons from their earlier experiences. As the saying goes: those
who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
The US would be well advised to review its aims and strategy in
Afghanistan. If it wants to leave an Afghanistan that is peaceful and stable,
it will have to think in terms of a negotiated settlement involving all the
important political forces in the country, including, inter alia, the Taliban and
the Northern Alliance. In a county like Afghanistan, which is deeply divided
on ethnic and tribal lines, the need of the hour is a coalition of various
Afghan political groups to rule it. Neither the Taliban, nor the Northern
Alliance alone can establish durable peace in Afghanistan. The forthcoming
Bonn Conference provides a useful opportunity to initiate the process of
negotiations for a political settlement. Let us hope that the international
community would take advantage of this opportunity to lay down the
guidelines for the badly needed process of negotiations in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, what should Pakistan do? It is necessary that our
government should have a well thought out strategy for realizing the
objective of a sovereign and peaceful Afghanistan. Under no circumstances
should we repeat the mistakes of our flawed Afghan policy of the 1990s. We
should be supportive of political initiatives aimed at a negotiated settlement
in Afghanistan that is free from foreign interference. We should use our
influence to persuade the Taliban to join the process of negotiations.
Obviously, this would need some type of ceasefire arrangement in
Afghanistan to facilitate the negotiations. The Taliban must be made to
understand that they alone are not in a position to rule and establish durable
peace in the country. We should also effectively project to the international
community our thinking on the Afghanistan situation, something that we
have failed to do so far.
Above all, in our interaction with the Americans, we should tell
them unambiguously what we can and cannot do in connection with
Afghanistan. We cannot afford to destabilize our country for the sake of the
current flawed American strategy in Afghanistan, which relies primarily on
the use of brute force to achieve its aims, rather than political initiatives to
encourage the peace process. The NATO supplies through Pakistan should
be restored only if the Americans guarantee that attacks on Pakistani
territory would be scrupulously avoided in future. There is also no
justification for providing any base facilities to the Americans in Pakistan.
We should cooperate with the Americans in the fight against al-Qaeda and
its affiliate terrorist organizations. But under no circumstances should we
become a party to the civil war in Afghanistan. Last but not the least; we
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should learn to conduct our foreign policy like a dignified nation by

breaking the begging bowl and adopting a policy of self-reliance. Failing
that, the Americans will continue to treat us like a client State and subject us
to the humiliation of attacks on our territory.
Khalid Iqbal opined: At this point and time, the leakage of the
memos contents only suited the American interests. It seems that they
had had enough of Haqqani; so his casualty is of no consequence.
Domestically, his views expressed in his book Pakistan: Between Mosque
and Military do create a strong perception that he could easily fall prey to
such ambitious temptations and take the initiative without prior clearance.
Also, one doubts if the ex-diplomat would ever be interrogated thoroughly.
His mercurial personality together, with a tendency of frequently busting this
job specifications, had earned him the reputation of being an American
Ambassador to Pakistan, based in Washington. Next is the mysterious
conduct of Mansoor Ijaz; he needs a thorough grilling and, if possible, he
should be tried in Pakistan. According to Bruce Riedel, a former CIA officer,
Ijaz has a long record of fabricating false information and self-promotion.
In all probability, the memo was put together by Ijaz, however, it would be
premature to rule out the fine-tuning of the text by Haqqani. Admiral
Mullens dilly-dally conduct also fell short of his four-star stature.
The Abbottabad attack was a moment of Pakistani leaderships
humiliation; more so, of the military component. At that time, the political
dispensation might have thought of clipping the wings of military
leadership, including the ISI. It also suited the Americans, so they joyfully
provided their shoulder. However, having failed in inflicting the intended
damage, the Americans chose to use the double edged sword to their
advantage.
The plan was executed by the Americans with a systemic
incorporation of their media as well. In his oped piece, A new Pakistan
policy: Containment, published by International Herald Tribune, on
October 17, Riedel opined: America needs a new policy for dealing with
Pakistan. First, we must recognize that the two countries strategic interests
are in conflict, not in harmony, and will remain that way as long as
Pakistans army controls the strategic policies...the generals, who run
Pakistan, think time is on their side that Nato is doomed to give up in
Afghanistan... We must contain the Pakistan Armys ambition until civilian
rule returns and Pakistanis set a new direction for their foreign policy.
Wayne Madsen reported: Pakistan is next on the target list of nations that
will soon be feeling the military muscle of the United States...unlike other
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Muslim nations that have been subjected to the US military intervention,

including Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen and Libya, Pakistans ultimate
prize for the West is its nuclear weapons arsenalThe plans have been
coordinated between the CIA, Indias Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)
and Israels Mossad.
Unfortunately, the memo saga reinforces the oft forgotten lesson that
unless the politicians put their house in order, concomitantly strengthen
all state institution alongside evolving a system of checks and balances,
effective civilian control over the military may not graduate beyond a
flight of fancy. And the voids would always be exploited by domestic,
regional and extra-regional actors.
It is unfortunate that select national media is joining hands with
the foreign veritable media arms with multiple purposes to tarnish own
institutions like the army and ISI. Interestingly, both are robust institutions
ready to face the flake for everything and anything going wrong around the
world; quickly shudder their shoulders, and continue their forward march!
Fasih Ahmed with Jahanzeb Aslam, Benazir Shah, and Abid Hussain
compiled a lengthy report on Mansoor and Haqqani fot Newsweek; excerpts
are reproduced: Haqqani resignedin the wake of Ijazs allegation that
Haqqani, his former friend of over 10 years, was in fact the architect of
the sensational confidential memorandum he had delivered to Adm. Mike
Mullen, the then Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, just days after
Osama bin Laden was killed by American forces in Abbottabad.
It is not congruent with the national interests of Pakistan to have
a clever-by-half ambassador and a deficient-by-full president, Ijaz told
Newsweek Pakistan: OK, not everybody has to be a fucking rocket scientist
in all of this but at least be honest to the people about what youre doing and
own up to your actions instead of covering them up.
The memo is a startling read. Playing up fears of a coup in
Pakistan, which Ijaz says he now knows to have been purposefully false,
the document delivered to Admiral Mullen through former Obama
Administration official Jones on May 10 urges the Pentagon to convey a
strong, urgent and direct message to Pakistans Army chief
If this memo was Haqqanis brainchild, as Ijaz alleges, it is selfevident that these contents could never be relayed by him in his official
capacity without raising red flags in leak-prone US decision-making
circles. And what civilian government, no matter how besieged or bumbling
(or some of its officials, no matter how crafty or clumsy), could resist the
626

temptation of capitalizing on post-Abbottabad tensions between Pakistan

and the US to finally put the generals in their place? Except that the memo
doesnt represent an article-of-faith problem for its alleged ideological
architects, but an Article 6 problem. Thats the treason clause in Pakistans
Constitution which, despite the clamor, is unlikely to be invoked.
Far less radical but prescriptions similar to those in the Mullen
memo were made around the same time in an op-ed in The Washington
Post. This is a time for action, to finally push [Pakistan] toward moderation
and genuine democracy, wrote Fareed Zakaria in his May 12 piece
Zakaria also helps explain the frustration felt by democracy purists
According to Pakistani sources, the speech that Prime Minister Gilani gave
at a recent news conference was drafted by the military. President Zardari
continues to appease the military rather than confront the generals.
Having come to power hoping to clip the militarys wings, Pakistans
democratically elected government has been reduced to mouthing talking
points written for it by the intelligence services.
Haqqani, 55, is no stranger to controversy. One year after making
ambassador, in 2009, he was accused of finagling and finessing the
allegedly anti-Army provisions in Kerry-Lugar. He responded to the most
strident accuser, The Nation, with a defamation notice. The Englishlanguage daily had called him an American agent an odious, potentially
fatal label that has somehow stuck
Ijaz received a call from the ISI just days after the publication of his
Financial Times piece. Would he be willing to corroborate his allegations
against the senior Pakistani diplomat behind the Mullen memo to an
official of the same intel agency he described in the piece as a cancer on
the Pakistani State and a threat to the world? Although sympathetic to the
Zardari-led government, Ijazs column also called the civilian
government incompetent and toothless.
On the evening of October 22, Ijaz met the ISI chief in London for
four hours. The one-on-one meeting took place in General Pashas 715-anight one-bedroom suite at the InterContinental London Park Lane, a hotel
favoured by Pakistani generals on official visits. A plainclothes Pakistani
stood guard outside. General Pasha, attired in a business suit, was calm,
asked a series of pointed questions and kept scribbling as Ijaz backed up his
claims against Haqqani.
There was no small talk between Ijaz and General Pasha that evening,
but in order to establish his credentials Ijaz did give the spy chief a rundown
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of his life As Ijaz walked him through the cache of alleged evidence,
General Pasha could no longer maintain his sangfroid. He grimaced and
looked shocked at times, but managed to not give away how he intended
to proceed with the information he had been provided. But he did
proceed
In the days between Admiral Mullens testimony to the US Senate
Armed Services Committee in September in which he said the [Jalaluddin]
Haqqani network acts as a veritable arm of Pakistans Inter-Services
Intelligence agency and the publication of his October op-ed, Ijaz says an
exhausted Haqqani sounded him out on another matter. He was ready to
call it quits, claims Ijaz, who urged the ambassador to hang in there.
But what made Ijaz go rogue? Ijaz says he wrote the op-ed in
reaction to the harsh treatment of Admiral Mullen by Pakistans media after
his Senate testimony. I opened the piece with the brief anecdote of what had
been done in May to highlight the tangible actions that had been taken to
deal with the growing interference and threat posed by extremist segments of
the military and intelligence communities in Pakistan, says Ijaz. Haqqani,
he claims, wasnt happy about the piece and texted Ijaz minutes after it was
posted online: Your FT op-ed is a disaster. Ijaz claims Haqqani followed
up with a phone call seeking to know if there was another senior
Pakistani diplomat in Ijazs orbit who could be used to throw off the
scent. This angered Ijaz.
It didnt help when, on October 28, Pakistans Foreign Office tried
to put out the ensuing media fires, dismissing Ijazs account as a total
fabrication. It said: The idea of employing a private individual to convey a
message to a foreign government, circumventing established official
channels of communication, defies belief. The insinuations and assertions in
the fictitious story are devoid of any credence and are emphatically
rejected.
In Ijazs view, the memo further frayed US-Pakistan relations
and deepened the Pentagon-Pindi divide. He alleges that Haqqani made a
victory call to him after an afternoon meeting on May 11 between Pakistani
and American officials. He was almost gleeful that Admiral Mullen had
agreed to take certain actions in line with what was asked of him in the
memo and that it would all remain within the normal course of interagency
dealings, claims Ijaz.
After everything that he now knows, does Ijaz still subscribe to the
prescriptions contained in the Mullen memo? Even if he is angered and
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vexed by the alleged official cover-up, can he still appreciate the ambition to
recalibrate the often precarious civil-military balance in Pakistan?
You have a civilian government with some very intelligent people
who may be attempting to achieve an objective that may not be achievable,
and that is to get the civilian institutions to control the activities and the
behavior of the ISI and the military, says Ijaz. That all works if you have a
Mandela-type figure at the top of your government on the civilian side,
but it all falls apart if you have a Zardari-type figure.
Americas patience for the misdeeds and machinations of
Pakistans political leaders has run out, says Ijaz. We do not need the
aggravation of further manipulation at the hands of Islamabads
disingenuous rulers or disingenuous US bureaucrats who hide the sins of
foreign diplomats so they can get any sliver of Americas agenda executed.
Ijaz doesnt doubt Zardaris, or Haqqanis, patriotism. He maintains
that when he was asked to forward the memo, Haqqani allegedly claimed
to have the bosss approval to do so. Now, some six months later, Ijaz
says he doesnt know whether the president or anyone else in Pakistan
other than Haqqani had any knowledge of the memo before it was
delivered to Mullen.
It is his impression that the alleged Memogate cover-up has cost
Islamabad credibility in Washington. The frustration on the American
side is fervid, he says. There is this acceptance now in America that the
ambition of the civilian government to get control of the security
establishment is never going to become a reality so they might as well deal
with the Army, especially to bring some semblance of resolution to
Afghanistan. Ijaz is also concerned about what he calls a cabal operating
within the Pakistani government which will stop at nothing to misinform
people in America.
Sharifs opposition party, PMLN, sees all incumbent civilian and
military leaders as one big cabal. True to form, it has filed a petition with the
Supreme Court demanding answers from everyone involved, including
Generals Kayani and Pasha, hoping that Memogate becomes Zardaris
Watergate and Kayanis Waterloo. Neither is likely. Ijaz plans to arrive in
Pakistan soon. But this is no victory lap. He says hes coming only to
establish that hes ready to face anyone and cooperate with any inquiry.
Does Ijaz have any political aspirations for himself here? I have a
comfortable life in the US and zero interest in Pakistans politics, he says.
What I did, I did as a favor for my friend, Mr Haqqani. Mujaddid Ijaz
629

died of cancer in 1992 and left each of his five children a separate message
recorded on his deathbed. It took Mansoor Ijaz nine months to bring himself
to finally watch the videocassette. No matter what pond we threw you in,
you learned how to swim, Ijazs dying father said. The brain God gifted
you with will do no good to this world if you do not learn compassion for
the ones who cannot help themselves. Go and help the people of Pakistan.
Ijaz believes his latest involvement with Pakistan does just that.
On 30th November, TheNation commented: The public fury, in the
form of street protests in virtually every corner of the country,
continued unabated, as the political parties and the media also denounced
the brutal attack that murdered our soldiers knowing well enough that their
target was our military personnel and not the militants whom, the NATO
now pretends, they were pursuing. Building on the PML-Ns call for
convening the National Assembly to discuss the issue, the federal cabinet
decided to refer the matter to the parliamentary Committee on National
Security, which would formulate a report for a joint session of Parliament.
And calls for standing firm on our stand continued to pour in at the news
desk of the media. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, on its part, demanded
Pakistan to respond in kind warning that the Americans would persist in
infringing Pakistans sovereignty and operations on its soil.
The ISPR briefed newspaper editors and representatives of the
electronic media on Tuesday. The army was working on a strategy to ensure
that such incidents do not take place and demanded that the culprits, those
who ordered the attack as well as those who executed it, should be brought
to book. Besides, it had not been satisfied with the NATO alliances inquiries
that had been held in the cases of previous such incidents. The ISPR also
argued that the kind of equipment at these posts was only meant to ward
off militants and that the army had at the posts not been confronting an
enemy. But with friends like these...
In another editorial the newspaper wrote: The government should
realize that an investigation by a parliamentary committee on which it had a
built-in majority would leave it open to charges of a cover-up, quite apart
from the objections of the opposition. The matter requires a thorough and
objective probe which needs the setting up of a judicial enquiry. The
parliamentary committee investigation is not properly equipped, particularly
with the requisite technical expertise, and the entire nation needs to achieve
closure on the incident through an investigation that no one can object to,
and which will not be accused of covering up for any person.

630

The Memo scandal should not be considered over after Mr

Haqqanis resignation. Parliament is supposed to be supreme, and thus the
enquiry by a parliamentary committee has a certain sense, but a judicial
commission would be even better, and its results would also be available to
Parliament. It must not be forgotten that, whether a parliamentary or judicial
enquiry takes place, it is the executive which will have to take action against
the guilty parties, and they will be tried by the judiciary.
SM Hali comment on memogate and concluded: The severity of
the case makes it imperative that after a thorough and impartial
investigation, the real perpetrators are identified and dealt with
severely. A horrible example must be made of those who plot against the
State and its institutions. However, a riposte has already been launched for
damage control. A number of analysts assume that with the government
pushed against the wall, it called in its allies, who conducted the heinous and
unprovoked attack on the Salala check post and butchered 28 Pakistani army
personnel. The memo scandal was, thus, relegated to the backburner amid
the condemnation of the attack.
It seems that the memogate scandal and act of treason have been
successfully buried amid the hate and anger unleashed in the aftermath of
the attack. But it is the media that has to sift through the fog of war and get
to the bottom of the truth to identify the real culprits, who are disloyal to the
State.
On 1st December, China Daily wrote: The latest friendly fire incident
in Pakistan has plunged the already strained relationship between the United
States and Pakistan to a new low. The feud between the United States and
Pakistan over the US-led NATO cross-border air strikes that killed at least
24 Pakistani troops on Sunday should prompt Washington to reflect upon
its relationship with Islamabad and its anti-terror strategy in South
Asia
Given that the deaths were at the hands of an ally, Pakistans anger
is justified and the US owes Pakistan a thorough investigation and
genuine explanation. It also needs to ensure that such a tragedy will not
happen again. It is also necessary for the US to rethink its anti-terror strategy
in the region. True, the US needs to hunt down as many extremists in the
region as possible before it winds down its operations in Afghanistan
But it should keep its military operations within international
norms. If Washington still sees strategic importance in its relations with

631

Islamabad and wants its cooperation in Afghanistan, it should make greater

efforts to prevent bilateral ties deteriorating further
Washington needs to understand its ties with Pakistan should be based
on mutual trust and respect. Its billions of dollars of financial support to
Pakistan does not give it the right to breach the latters sovereignty and
territorial integrity at will. However, some voices heard in the US after the
incident indicate there is no guarantee that Washington is willing to do
more to mend its fences with Islamabad. If such a perspective becomes the
mainstream in US policy towards Pakistan, both its cooperation with
Pakistan and its own interests in the region will suffer.
The Week compiled a report titled 4 reasons Pak-US alliance will
survive. It read: Pakistan, outraged over cross-border Nato air strikes that
killed 24 Pakistani soldiers over the weekend, reportedly plans to boycott
next weeks talks in Germany on the future of Afghanistan. Pakistan has also
shut down a crucial route used to get supplies to US troops in neighbouring
Afghanistan, and has given the US 15 days to vacate a shadowy base used in
Americas drone war against Taliban insurgents. US officials have called it
a tragedy, and Nato has promised an investigation. Despite the increasingly
tense atmosphere, once the dust has settled, both America and Pakistan are
expected to work hard to patch things up. Here, four reasons the latest USPakistan fight wont wreck this marriage of convenience:
1. Pakistan wants US aid money: The US and Pakistan lurch from
crisis to crisis because neither really trusts the other, says Agence France
Presse. They are strange bedfellows forced into partnership by 9/11 and the
war on al Qaeda. But the two governments are totally reliant on one
another. Pakistan wants Americas money. It has received $20 billion in US
aid in the past decade. Yes, the Chinese could always swoop in and make up
for any lost American aid, says Barry Lando at The Huffington Post. But
Pakistan still probably doesnt want to screw up the generous mercenary
payments it already gets from the US.
2. Pakistan also needs US military technology: Pakistans military
could stop the CIA from attacking Taliban and al Qaeda fighters with
airborne drones tomorrow if they wished, says Rob Crilly at Britains
Telegraph. But Pakistans military leaders are much closer to Washington
than they would ever care to admit. Theyll publicly condemn the US for
violating Pakistans sovereignty and for killing its soldiers. But Pakistans
military needs spare parts for its American-purchased F-16s, spy gear from

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the US taxpayer, and other aid, says Spencer Ackerman at Wired, so theyll
be careful not to push things to the breaking point.
3. The US needs Pakistani supply routes: The US is scheduled to
withdraw troops from Afghanistan in 2014, says Scott Neumann at NPR,
but Washington needs Pakistani cooperation to sustain operations at least
until then. Nato had been transporting 70 to 80 percent of its troops
supplies, excluding weapons, across two Pakistani border crossings into
Afghanistan. But Pakistan shut down the traffic to protest the air strikes,
leaving trucks carrying food, fuel, and other necessities stranded. Alternative
routes would send transport costs far higher, says Amar Latif at Global
Post, at a time when the Obama administration is under pressure to cut
spending. US soldiers in Afghanistan cant afford to go too long without
the essential supplies, so the easiest solution for Washington is to mend
relations with Islamabad, fast.
4. Washington worries about Pakistans nukes: The US really
wants Pakistans help keeping the Taliban from regaining the upper hand in
Afghanistan, says Paul Koring in the Toronto Globe & Mail, but the real
nightmare is that extremists seize control of Pakistans ready-made nuclear
arsenal. To avoid that worst-case scenario, America has long propped up
Pakistans military. The US will remain committed to the same pragmatic
tradeoff to keep Pakistani nukes out of the wrong hands, long after it has
grown tired of meddling in Afghanistan.
Azam Khalil opined: It will not be the US or Pakistans interest to
completely cut off their relationship. For its survival, however, it would
be essential to rewrite the terms and conditions between the two countries.
For example, the Americans have enjoyed concessions in custom duties and
the provision of cheap petrol for its troops in Afghanistan; this must now be
withdrawn. Yet, if logistic support for the foreign troops in Afghanistan
needs to be revived, it should be purely on commercial lines. Although some
analysts argue that such an arrangement will result in short-term benefits for
Pakistan, the present political and security environment demands that it
provides no undue concessions to the US.
Furthermore, the leadership in Islamabad must ensure that those
who are responsible for the killing of Pakistani soldiers must be
punished so that such incidents do not occur in future. It would be
preferable, if a team comprising American and Pakistani officials is
constituted to investigate it. The USA has been pursuing a unilateral policy
throughout the world so far, in which its troops have committed human
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rights violations and were never prosecuted that led to its continuation
without hindrance.
Therefore, the administration in Washington must understand
punishing those who are responsible for the heinous crime will definitely
support its long-term interests in the region. But it must be understood
that any attempt to push the issue under the carpet, will not be acceptable to
the people of Pakistan. Our government is well within its right not to restore
the supply lines till the time satisfactory answers are provided about the
incident by the US administration.
Moreover, the US should ease the restrictions that it has imposed on
the provision of equipment required by Pakistani military to fight the war on
terror. This time round the Americans have to come straight and clean,
otherwise relations will continue to spiral down that will not be in
anyones interest. An even-handed American policy between Pakistan and
India can also help restore confidence, which has eroded in the Pak-US
relations. In case the Americans fail to show visible progress through its
actions, the strain that continues to increase between the two nations may
not ease in the near future. In fact, it will only prolong the international
communitys effort in the Afghan war, thereby, putting additional economic
strain on Pakistan and other countries. That may result in further
disillusionment, creating the spectre of isolation not only for Pakistan, but
also the US a proposition that will only strengthen extremism in the region
and spread violence in several parts of the world.
Next day, TheNation cautioned: The government must be careful that
the USA does not spring ratification upon it at a later stage because though it
is important to have Pakistan present at Bonn, even with its absence the
USA would make efforts to get Pakistan to ratify. However, before taking
any such step, the government must not only give credence to its own views,
which see the national interest as under threat, but also keep in view the
continuing anger of the Pakistani people, which manifested itself in protest
marches round the country.
The government should not think that the crisis will be over until
it withdraws entirely from the USAs war on terror, which it should do
very clearly and firmly, because so long as it remains alongside the USA in
the hope of some aid or some role in the Afghan endgame, it will find itself
subject to attacks such as those on the check post in Mohmand Agency.
Perhaps most painful, for its efforts, it will not find any of its national
objectives advanced, which it must use the present crisis to do.
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M A Niazi observed: Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khars

statement, that any future agreements would have to be written, was
revelatory of two things. First, that present agreements were not in writing,
and also that there would be future agreements. This indicates that the
Foreign Office is willing to do a deal. So far, the military, presumably still in
shock at such mass killing, is not willing. The killings indicate what should
have been clear, that the USA does not value the deaths of so many
Pakistanis in the war on terror, including that of a large number of security
personnel.
The PPP has unappealing options, assuming as it does that the
USA has placed it in power to do its bidding. Either it can end the
countrys cooperation, in which case the USA will try to bend it to its will
(and this is the context in which the memogate scandal gains a peculiar
significance), or it can try to ride out the present storm of national rage,
though this will mean a break only until the next American outrage. That
there will be one is inevitable, because the USA pattern has been one of
riling its supposed allies by military outrages. While there have been a
number of bombings of civilians in Afghanistan, loudly protested by
President Hamid Karzai, in Pakistan, after the drone attacks, there has been
the Raymond Davis affair, followed by Admiral Mike Mullens remarks, and
now this. The underlying cause behind all is American arrogance, which will
only lessen if it is tempered by the caution engendered by dealing with an
independent government, rather than dealings characterized by the belief
that it can be all made all right in the end.
Pakistan should not have made the present devils bargain, for it
has brought none of the benefits it was supposed to, apart from not being
attacked by the USA, itself as remote a possibility in 1999 as in 2011. All it
has brought is the USAs giving India an enhanced role in the region,
particularly in Afghanistan, not to mention death for Pakistanis. Only if the
government stays the course, and refuses to allow any further misuse of its
territory, it could avoid such incidents in future.
Gareth Porter wrote: The head of Pakistani military operations
also provided a detailed account of the events indicating that the US
military was aware of the fact that Pakistani posts were being attacked from
the beginning. Just minutes before Volcano was first attacked, he recalled,
a US sergeant from the Tactical Operations Centre in Afghanistan called a
Pakistani major on duty in Peshawar and told him US Special Forces had
taken indirect fire in an area called Gora Pahari about nine miles from the
army posts.
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A few minutes later, the US sergeant called back and told the major,
Your Volcano post has been hit, Nadeem said. Nadeem said the Pakistani
army informed NATO that their posts were being attacked by ISAF
forces, but the attack continued for 51 minutes, then breaking off for 15
minutes, and resuming for about an hour.
US officials in Washington, meanwhile, still had no clear
interpretation of Saturdays events three days later. When asked by a
former US official Tuesday whether the US military now understood any
better what had happened, an officer following the issue at the Pentagon
replied: We do not.
Senior officers in ISAF have long lobbied for a more aggressive
approach to the problem of insurgent safe havens in Pakistan, arguing that
without such a change, success in Afghanistan will be impossible. But the
cross-border attack on Pakistani border posts has had exactly the
opposite effect. It has united Pakistanis, both military and civilian, behind a
much more nationalistic policy toward the US military role in both
Afghanistan and in Pakistan.
It has provoked the Pakistani government to threaten to stop
NATO supplies from crossing into Afghanistan permanently, order the
United States to vacate its drone base at Shamsi within 15 days, and boycott
the upcoming international conference on Afghanistan in protest.
On 3rd December, TheNation observed: It was a rude shock to see
PPP leader Babar Awan going bald headed against the Supreme Court for
forming an inquiry commission on memogate scandal headed by former
bureaucrat Tariq Khosa. Flanked by PPP leaders during a press conference,
he adopted a tone that reeked of a fish market. For some it was sound
and fury arguing nothing. Yet it did signify the PPP-led setups intent to
continue to disregard and keep up with its defiant posture towards judiciary.
Consider his announcement that the PPP would only bow before Parliament
and not anyone else, regardless of their uniform. He was making a travesty
of decorum when he fumed at the logic of setting up the commission by the
SC and likened it to a move aimed at blowing the wind out of the sails of
Parliament.
Mr Awan even pointed to the subject of the Bangaldesh model, where
the military was in league with the judiciary and took over the government.
The overall impression that he was trying to browbeat the judiciary was
unmistakable. The other day Prime Minister Gilanis phraseology contained
the word, judicial-military coup. He should not have said these words in
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such context. During the past many months, the government has been on a
collision course with the judiciary which always acted with patience. Now,
Mr Babar has yet again flexed the government muscle in the most brazen
way.
Many observers view the press conference as declaring a war on the
Supreme Court. If PPP has differences with the PML-N over the memogate
scandal, it should take the constitutional course and go to the court and
prove its innocence. The PPP leadership would only make itself more
suspicious with the sabre-rattling of the sort. This is far from the civilized
way a government should be responding to the country top courts
order. And so far as the question of formation of the commission goes, legal
experts have opined that the Supreme Court is well within its rights to set it
up and that in no way it encroaches upon the authority of Parliament.
The PPP should submit before the authority of the Supreme Court
and fight out the case in the courtroom rather than kicking up a slanging
match with fiery orators like Babar Awan, whose comments are devoid of
logic and only further erode the partys credibility.
In another editorial, the newspaper wrote: COAS General Ashfaq
Parvez Kayani has suspended the command and chain system and authorized
the troops posted on the Pak-Afghan borders to respond with full force if
they come under attack by the NATO forces General Kayanis orders
chime in with the sentiments of the people of Pakistan, fed up with the
lacklustre response to previous such attacks and asking for a radical
review of policy to demonstrate that Pakistani armed forces can defend the
motherland as a result of consuming nearly a hefty part of the tax payer's
budget.
The truth is that the dilemma Pakistan faces at the moment
deserves no accommodation for those who have caused it and who refuse
to apologize. Ambassador Munter's advice to his government was sincere
and true and in the best interests of the United States with regards to its
relationship to Pakistan in light of recent events. A pity that it went
unheeded. The insolence of publicizing that President Obama would not be
offering an apology for the daylight murder, added insult to injury. There is
no justification for letting NATO supplies pass through our land, nor any
point in agreeing to participate in the Bonn conference on Afghanistan. The
Prime Ministers remark that we cherish our sovereignty and independence
and the governments determination in refusing to accept the American plea

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that the attack on the check posts was a case of mistaken identity are, indeed,
appropriate.
Inayatullah urged: Look at the directive issued by General Kayani on
December 1: Any act of aggression will be responded with full force,
regardless of the cost and consequences. No prior consultation with the
civilian government. Thus, a weak political government has pushed the
military to assume sovereign authority!
The challenge now is: Can Pakistan afford to take on the NATOs
(read American) aggressive operations? Perhaps, No! So, what is urgently
needed is:
To remain steadfast in sticking to the steps already taken;
To firmly tell Washington to stop drone attacks, as they violate our
Parliaments resolutions; and
Open up dialogue with Washington to put on a clear and unambiguous
footing, the vitals of our new relationship, as well as standard
operating procedures.
Add to this, three more things: One, set up a civil-military national
high-level committee to address the task. Two, call a meeting urgently to
consult China and Turkey in order to seek advice and assurances. Three,
launch a campaign to inform and influence the US and world opinion by
sending delegations of appropriate persons, as also engaging think-tanks and
media channels abroad. Indeed, this is a crunch time for Pakistan. Adhoc
decisions will not deliver. A new mandate from the people is required. Let
there be a national government and if that is not feasible, announce the
holding of elections in March 2012.
Mohammad Jamil opined: It is a matter of great satisfaction that all
strata of society have expressed their determination to stand by the armed
forces to deal with the threats and challenges facing Pakistan. Public protests
and rallies are being held throughout the country to express their solidarity
with them. Yet, there are some politicians and analysts, who, instead of
lauding the efforts of the civil and military leadership to get out of American
servility, are trying to denigrate the military and ISI. One of the analysts
on a renowned TV channel remarked that Pakistan cannot resist the
superpowers pressure, and ultimately will have to do its bidding. Another
one tried to create fear in the minds of the people that in the event Pakistan
resists and insists on vacating the Shamsi Airbase, and does not allow
resumption of supplies to the NATO forces in Afghanistan; America will
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consider it as an act of war. A few others say that the elected government is
doing what the military tells them, just to prove that the civilian and military
leaderships are not on the same page and the army is calling the shots.
Former President Pervez Musharraf had buckled under US pressure
after 9/11, but it is no divine canon that we have to provide the supply routes
for the American and NATO forces in Afghanistan. In fact, we have been
stupidly generous in extending this facility, all for free. Even the northern
route that Afghanistans US-led NATO occupiers have explored and
established as an alternative for their supplies is not for free. They pay for
every liable levy. They have been using our routes over the past 10 years
without paying even a dime in tax, and the aid they have given is not enough
to refurbish the roads they have damaged. What, indeed, have we got for all
our sacrifices, except that they have shown us only malice and rancour?
More so, they want to make Pakistan a whipping boy to cover up
their own cowardice, spinelessness and acute deficit of fighting spirit
that has led up to their debacle in Afghanistan. We have sacrificed 35,000
innocent citizens; and 5,000 brave officers and soldiers have laid down their
lives in this spurious US-led war on terror in Afghanistan. We have had
enough of it! And we must have no more of it!
Tallat Azim wrote: The leadership across the board and the people
are on the same page about the attack on Pakistan. It is another story
when it comes to the mischievous memo and the Supreme Court decision
to have an inquiry commission put all its findings on the table in three weeks
flat. The government was hoping to go-slow on the whole thing after
Hussain Haqqanis resignation, until it phased out from the limelight. The
press conference led by Babar Awan and other federal ministers, in a rapid
response to the Supreme Court decision to set up an inquiry commission,
made it so clear that all was not well within the hallowed walls of the
presidency. The panic was almost palpable. The reasons cited for this
volatile display of anger were different and many. The most vulgar and
dramatic one was that three coffins have been sent to Sindh from the Punjab
and the fourth one was being prepared. Punjab, if one studies the whole
thing, has no role in the BlackBerry messages or to the allusions in them to
the mystery boss person!
The second reason for so much anger was that the Prime Minister has
already started a parliamentary probe into the scandal, so the second inquiry
was not needed. The court has not interfered with what the PM ordered and
saw no conflict of interest with two enquiries taking place simultaneously. In
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fact, all apprehensions relating to the executive investigating one of its own
members stands to be cleared by the judicial probe. The anger, in my
opinion, is more because of not being able to hush down matters. The more
the government reacts, the more it proves, as HH would have put it in his
chaste Urdu, kuch tau hai jis ki parda daari hai.
On 28th November, TheNation observed: Soon after the NATO attack
on Pakistani military post that killed two officers and 22 soldiers on
Saturday, Indian forces opened fire on Pakistani posts in Krishna Ghati
Sector. This attempt was swiftly foiled by ever vigilant Pakistani forces and
Indian guns were silenced within two hours. The two attacks are, by no
means, coincidental. Indo-US nexus has common objectives. Both are
apprehensive of Chinas rapid growth as worlds economic and military
super power while at the same time, they are dead against Pakistans nuclear
status. They fully realize that if Pakistan would emerge stronger, their dream
to contain China would not materialize. It was in this context that the US
decided to build India as Chinas counterweight in the region. It is an open
secret that America is keen to assign it a major role in Afghanistan before it
leaves Afghanistan.
It is high time our civil and military leadership took stock of the
ground realities and revisited its India and US policies. Our parliament
should say a big No to stamp Cabinet decision of granting India the
status of a Most Favoured Nation (MFN). If this decision is not reversed,
the time is not far that Indian businessmen would dominate trade in Pakistan
rendering our industrial sector as dead. Any future relationship with India
must be linked with the resolution of the Kashmir dispute and the solution
should be acceptable to the Kashmiri people.
Pakistan is a nuclear state and its armed forces are one of the five
best professional and well-trained armies in the world. It must not allow
either the allied forces in Afghanistan or India to take liberty of violating our
frontiers. A strong message should be sent to India and the US through
diplomatic channels that if any future violation of Pakistani borders are
carried out, it would be given a matching and effective response. It is
encouraging to note that the military and political leaderships are on one
page as far as NATO and ISAF attack on Pakistani post is concerned and
they have spoken with one voice. There could be no better opportunity than
today to tell the Americans that if those responsible for Saturday attack were
not punished, Pakistan might be forced to pull out from so-called
international war on terror. We must keep in mind that the US cannot sustain

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cutting of NATO supplies for more than a week and would budge as was
experienced in the past during Raymond Davis episode.
Next day, newspapers editorial read: The joint declaration of the All
Parties Kashmir Conference has condemned Pakistan governments
decision to grant India the status of Most Favoured Nation and
demanded that it should be set aside. This conference was convened by
Jamaat-e-Islami and was attended by all political and religious parties
belonging to Azad Kashmir, Gilgit and Baltistan. Representatives of
Hurriyat Conference also attended. The participants out-rightly rejected any
favour to be extended to India till such time that it agrees to hold a United
Nations sponsored plebiscite as was provided in the Security Council
resolution...
The need of the hour is that Pakistan should launch a diplomatic
offensive to project the Kashmir cause and mould the international opinion
in favour of innocent Kashmiri people who are struggling for liberation of
their motherland from the clutches of the brutal Indian forces. It should also
direct its Permanent Representative in the United Nations to make renewed
effort to bring Kashmir issue on the UN agenda. Instead of this, if Pakistan
government continues to appease India by dishing out favours like MFN
and Afghan Transit Trade Agreement, New Delhi would continue its
attempts to side-track Kashmir issue. There is a dire need to revisit India
policy irrespective of the pressure from the US. India and US could never be
Pakistans friends. They are friends of their vested interest that is directly in
clash with Pakistans national interest. Peoples resentment against favours
to India must be heeded to keeping in mind that the time is of essence.

REVIEW
Director General Military Operations briefed Pakistani media on
attack on Boulder and Volcano; two border posts in Salala sector of
Mohmand Agency. The facts presented by him ascertained beyond any
reasonable doubt that this was unprovoked pre-meditated act of aggression
by an ally in the ongoing war.
His briefing should have resolved the controversy that whether the
attack was a mistake or a planned violation of agreed upon rules of
engagement. But, it did not happen because the superpower did not like it
and its investment in Pakistani media helped in keeping the controversy

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alive. The embedded sections even tried to create impression that attack was
launched with prior permission of Pakistan Army.
The time of attack, at moonless midnight, by gunship helicopters even
equipped with hi-tech night vision devices indicated only one thing that it
was selected to engage a predetermined immovable (fixed) target; hence it
could not fall in the category of hot-pursuit operations or a mistake
committed in the battlefield fog.
The DGMO in his briefing seemed to have failed in satisfying the
media about certain aspects of the attack. Some of these aspects worth
mention are: inadequate response of the troops to the attack both in terms of
ground and air defence; no response from the Pakistan Air Force; and
designs behind deliberate provocative attack.
The aspect relating to the response of the troops on ground was
presented inadequately. The response of the troops in defence depends on
certain factors; tangible or otherwise, i.e. nature and intensity of battlefield
activity; prior information about intention and activities of adversary;
training, weapons and preparedness of troops; capability of fast and reliable
lateral and vertical communication.
The DGMO rightly informed the media that deployment of troops in
the area was to meet the threat of militants. In that context the battlefield
activities were almost non-existent as the area had been cleared of militants
only recently. The lull in the battlefield is prone to springing of surprise,
which is the best means to affect shock and awe.
This is the point which should have been elaborated before the media.
The troops were surprised, but not because of their complacence against
militants. They must have followed battlefield drills and procedures to guard
against the surprise attack from militants.
Then why were they surprised? It was because that nothing can
surprise more than stabbing in the back by your partner (strategic or any),
though it wasnt for the first time this ally had acted as such. Once surprised,
it is not easy to repel the aggressor without suffering losses. In this case they
were not only surprised but also cheated.
The air defence capability was also not explained realistically. To say
that the posts had and used 12.7mm guns and that 155mm howitzers had
fired airburst shells wasnt sufficient, without saying that these weapons
were not lethal, these had deterrence value only.

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There would have been no shame in confessing that effective air

defence was non-existent on ground. The disparity in hi-tech weapons held
by the two strategic partners turned strategic adversaries should have been
mentioned as well. It should have been told that attackers used their weapon
system from a safe stand-off distance because of its long range.
The above should have partly explained the second factor of prior
information about intention and activities of adversary. There is no earthly
ways and means to find the evil intentions of an adversary that has been
fighting a holy war pretending as an ally.
Having said all that has been enumerated above there would have
been little left to say for the DGMO about the third factor of training,
weapons and preparedness of troops. As regards the means for fast
communication, unfortunately, the operator was killed and his radio set
destroyed by the first missile fired at the post.
In view of that PAF jetfighters could not have reacted timely. Herein,
the presenter should have shown the moral courage to tell the obligations
linked to use of US-supplied jetfighters; these are not to be used against the
supplier and its certain partners.
Once it was established that it was unprovoked and deliberate act of
aggression by an ally, the observers pondered about its purpose. To this end,
one has to recall the events since Raymond Davis sharp-shooting in Lahore.
Since that day the ally had turned hostile.
Salala attack should be seen in the backdrop of the warning that
Hillary issued to Pakistan during her last visit to Islamabad after May 2. She
had said Pakistan has only days to obey command of the US for military
action against Haqqani Network. The attack seemed carrying a message that
days have gone by.
While briefing the media on 28th November the White House
spokesman said Pak-US relations were facing serious problems because of
series of events in the recent past. The mention of series of events for the
tension between the two allies was quite meaningful. Was he referring to
Pakistans stand during Istanbul Conference? Or, was he pointing towards
resignation of Hussain Haqqani in the wake of memo scandal.
The attack was an expression of frustration and anger by an arrogant
global bully to tell Pakistan that it can do anything, including violation of
international law and norms. It was resentment over Pakistans stance during
Istanbul Conference where it opposed giving undue role and importance to
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India and with the support of China, Russia and Iran opposed permanent
presence of NATO in the region under the pretext of protecting gas and oil
pipelines.
This stance was likely to remain unchanged in forthcoming Bonn
Conference. The blasting of twin posts was in fact a message demanding
from Pakistan to mend its ways at the conference. Therefore, killing of 24
Pakistani soldiers was less of a punishment than part of coercive diplomacy.
Some observers were of the view that it was in reaction to dialogue
between Pakistani intelligence and TTP for which Mulla Omar had played
its role in telling TTP to cease anti-Pakistan hostilities. It was arm-twisting
of both Army and beneficiaries of NRO deal to deliver what they had
promised. To tell them: Listen, comply but dont speak.
At tactical level, the fact that outposts attacked were out of the few
manned by regular army cannot be ignored. These posts were established by
Army in the recent past, which were a check on militants infiltrating into the
agency from Afghanistan. Their removal was mandatory for pushing any
militants into Pakistani territory.
The timings of the attack offered wide space for galloping horses of
imagination. Some observers visualized connections with Americans habit
of passing the buck when a defeat was staring in the face of a superpower.
Others linked it to the resignation of Hussain Haqqani; the only friend of
America out of 160 million Pakistanis.
Yet another view was that it spoke of differences in civil and military
thinking. They say it was done by Pentagon to foil Obamas plan to pull out
from Afghanistan. Those who talk of neocons say the US is not interested in
peace in the region and escalation of hostilities provide justification for
continuation of military presence in Afghanistan.
The most dangerous interpretation is that attack on posts could be
continuation of pursuit of the goals listed in the memo sent to Mullen; not
through pressure, but through naked aggression. The attack was to test
Pakistans response to such incursions which are carried out in preparation
for the ultimate action to lay hand on Pakistans nukes.
According to their estimates based on carefully compiled data of the
attrition caused on men and material in ten-year war the time was ripe for
achieving their final objective. This has striking similarity with Iraq which
was subjected attrition for more than ten years on the pretext of imposing

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no-fly zone. The difference is that attrition in the context of Pakistan has
been inflicted through partnership in war on terror.
The official reaction to blatant aggression comprising three major
decisions suspension of supplies, vacation of Shamsi Air Base and boycott
of Bonn Conference was widely acknowledged as a step in the right
direction. However, it was apprehended on the basis of past experience that
the government could back out sooner than later.
Apprehensions increased when the Arab puppets from UAE rushed to
Islamabad to plead for retention of Shamsi Air Base by the Crusaders,
because of its importance for waging the holy war against Islamic militants.
These Arab brokers operating for the West are the cause of most problems
faced by Muslim world.
The most unfortunate response, or lack of it, was from the Supreme
Commander of the armed forces, the chief executive and defence minister.
They stayed away from the funeral ceremony held in Peshawar cantonment.
The abstention could have been for the reason that the coffins were wrapped
in green flags not Greenbacks. Leaders of other political parties also
refrained from attending the funeral.
Supreme Commander did not open his mouth for three days to
condemn the unprovoked attack or condole with the families of the victims.
When he spoke; he harped his favourite line. He said conspiracies were
being hatched against democracy. He did not see any threat to the country.
There was, however, one good response from Army. The DGMO said
that the Army wont accept any compensation from the aggressor, though
many, including some veteran soldiers, have been talking about it. This must
be commended, though he could have said that compensation money, if
demanded and paid, should be deposited in Swiss accounts.
The overt display of public reaction was grossly short of translating
their grief into resentment and anger realistically. An obvious reason is that
the people have got used to grief because of the death and destruction
perpetrated by the Crusaders and their frontline mercenaries.
Moreover, they no more trust or have faith in intent and ability of
present civil and military leadership that it would deliver what the people
want. Therefore, they show momentary reaction and then withdraw into state
of perpetual grief and wait for the Messiah to come and lead them to
salvation.

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It has been said that initial official response was wise. However, the
NRO regime has already begun talking of resumption of NATO supplies if
the US apologized. The US would wait and see that happen without any
apology. They seem to ignore that only a prolonged suspension of supplies
would make any impact on occupation forces to have second thought about
mending their ways.
The question is: Why suspend ISAF supplies only? Why not suspend
all Afghanistan-bound transit trade? That territory has been used for
unprovoked aggression against Pakistan. As regards allowing resumption of
movement of logistic, if things come to that, the resumption should be
permitted on full payment of transition fee.
Shamsi Air Base should not only be got vacated from Americans as
announced, but also its lease to UAE should be canceled. Legal action
against Musharraf must be initiated who while talking to a TV channel said
he had taken all such decisions on his own because he had good rapport with
George Bush.
The brave commando in doing that had allowed the UAE rulers to
transfer a facility constructed for satisfaction of Arabs craze for Hubara
Bustard to Americans, who are know not for hunting rather exterminating
passenger pigeon, bison and Red Indians. They used the facility against
Afghans and Pakis. Musharraf must be tried and hanged for abetting all the
murders committed by the Yanks.
Munter has been truly an ambassador at large who has been let loose
in Pakistan. When the US Special Forces blasted Pakistani border posts
Munter was in Lahore with his official treading Sunehri Mosque with boots
on. But he couldnt be blamed for his activities; the regime in Islamic
Republic of Pakistan that seeks funds for repair and renovation of mosques
from the leaders of Crusaders of 21st Century ought to be blamed more for
Munters loitering (muttergusht) and mutterings.
Pakistani media was once again misled by reports originating from
western media. It kept harping that attack was carried out by NATO/ISAF. In
fact it was an act of US Special Forces Command that operates directly
under CIA now headed by General Petreaus. This force is answerable only to
US President, not to NATO or ISAF.
General Petreaus who boasts of winning two wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan has been on record wishing to fight third war in Pakistan. And,
according to General Durrani and other observers that war has already
started and Maria Sultan opined it would gain impetus after 2014.
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Some analysts did not approve of suspension of logistics supplies.

Some warned of the consequences and others termed this ineffective as the
US has made alternative arrangements Central Asia. Some said it vocally
and others through body-language. The aspect of Pakistans inabilities was
talked about repeatedly.
As regards impact of the tragedy, the Army seemed to have learnt
about some finer points of Scoundrels strategy, as explained in previous
review, in which he had deliberately delegated everything to it in dealing
with America to fight the war on terror. The strategy mentioned therein was
meant to take credit of all the achievements while shifting the onus of
failings onto Army by keeping quiet and staring towards Rawalpindi.
During briefing of the media, the DGMO left an impression that Army
has realized the negative impact of not leaving the buck of decision-making
at national level where it belongs to. Saleem Bokhari had noted this and
mentioned in a TV talk show with reference to suspension of NATO
supplies. This realization has come very late, only after considerable damage
has been caused; yet, better late than never.
The Week identified 4 reasons Pak-US alliance will survive; two
each compelling for the both. Pakistan wants US aid money and also US
military hardware. The US needs Pakistani supply routes and its worries
about Pakistans nukes. The last indicated that the US is involved in safety
of Pakistani nukes; from now on military has to be more vigilant about such
arrangement, if exist.
Army has taken bold decision regarding rules of engagement in which
the chain of command has been suitably shortened for quick reaction against
the attackers. Decision has also been taken to boast air defence of forward
positions. Pakistan produces shoulder fired anti-aircraft missiles; which
should now be deployed in vulnerable areas.
The boycott of Bonn Conference will definitely impede reaching any
consensus about Afghanistans peace and stability. The West, the Crusaders
will still endeavour to bulldoze agreement on roadmap they have prepared
and seek Pakistans consent through pressure subsequently.
This incident has apparently brought civil and military leadership
closer, but differences continue simmering under surface. What is visible is
more of pretension than reality. The differences are likely to resurface and
this time the bitterness could be more pronounced.

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The most positive impact more of a wish than possibility could be

that the tragedies of memo and Salala massacre could prove turning point for
change in mindset of the Scoundrel and the Saint. Hoping against the hope,
may be the two feel prick on their conscience. It would also be in their
interest to mend their ways which head towards their own doom as well.
Miracles do happen but very seldom. Zardari had earned Americans
favours by sticking to her wifes promise to deliver more than Musharraf. He
is likely to stick to that line notwithstanding the recent developments which
could have negative impact on his ambitions. If so, the delivery could end up
in still-birth.
It has been an unfortunate routine for the last few years in Pakistan
that a tragedy ends only when it is taken over by another. In view of that it
was expected that Salala Massacre would push Memo Scandal to back
burner or off the burner. It, however, did not happen.
On 1st December, the Supreme Court heard petitions pertaining to
memorandum and constituted a judicial commission under former FIA DG
Tariq Masood Khosa to probe the matter. Notices were issued to the
president, the army chief, DG ISI and others asking them to file their replies
within 15 days, besides barring Hussain Haqqani from leaving the country.
The court seemed determined to reach to the bottom of this highly
objectionable material, which was against the sovereignty, security and
independence of Pakistan. This perturbed the PPP leadership which held an
emergency meeting, finalized its line of defence to be adopted out of court
and then a bunch of chosen leaders led by Babar Awan held a press
conference.
The line adopted, as emerged from the press conference, comprised
the same rotten ingredients such as Sindh Card, conspiracies against
democracy, biased judiciary, and judiciary-PML-N nexus. In second part of
the conference, question/answer, Babar dwelled on only those questions
which had been distributed to reporters to drive home PPPs viewpoint.
What Babar Awan said in the conference was a pack of lies which was
aimed at blocking any fair and impartial probe. This initial salvo has forced
Tariq Khosa to stage a hasty retreat. They want to drag the case out of
judiciary and leave it unattended in political bewilderment.
Zardari draws inspiration from the man whom he calls his spiritual
father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. ZAB is reported to have vowed to get the
Bengalis beaten by Army and then Army by the Indians. His spiritual son
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has been getting the adversaries of secular PPP (al-Qaeda, Taliban and other
religious minded forces) killed by Army and has shown his intention to get
the Army beaten by his American masters.
Interestingly, during this period another scandal came to the limelight
in the showbiz. An Indian magazine published a nude of Pakistani actress
Veena Malik. She had ISI tattooed on her one arm. Some Pakistani TV
channels felt their national pride hurt grievously and talked to Veena and her
producer on this count.
No doubt the nude photograph was part of Indo-US propaganda for
demonizing ISI which has been going on for years. The title photo has cast
derogatory reflection on ISI and Veena faced volley of questions on this
count. But, then there are so many democratic, secular and enlightened
people in Pakistan who curse ISI and Army in much uglier way than Veena.
What about contents of Memo to Mullen? Veenas nude promised no such
undertaking.
It meant that the Scoundrel and his gang are capable of causing far
more harm to Pakistan than they what has been promised in the
memorandum. Zardaris mind is a workshop for contemplating evil ideas.
He, however, lacks the requisite intellect to evolve plans for realization of
those ideas. Haqqani has that capability and that was why he was made
ambassador in Washington and served Zardari fine till Mansoor Ijaz let the
cat out of bag.
4th December, 2011

ON TOP BUT IN WOODS

The Supreme Court rejected the federal governments petition on 25 th
November, in which it had sought review of the NRO judgment. Scoundrel
wasted no time in writing a letter to Supreme Court to resume hearing of

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Bhutto reference so that its hearing could be used to project historic bias of
the superior judiciary.
Other cases heard by the apex court during the period included the
RPP scam, ISAF containers scam, and suo moto notice of Railways. In
RPPs case the court ordered recovery of 14 per cent mobilization advance,
with mark-up from the companies that are not generating electricity despite
receiving the advance payment. In containers case the court directed NAB to
frame cases against the culprits.
On political front PML-N and PTI caused some stir in leadership of
PPP. Imran Khan kept harassing by vowing to end status quo and PML-N
continued threatening by harping Go Zardari Go. Zulfikar Mirza remained
headache for Zardaris scoundrel buddy in London. However, one of his
partners, Asfandyar Wali was re-elected as boss of ancestral ANP.

NEWS
On 21st November, the Supreme Court resumed hearing of NRO
appeal and right at the outset sought clarification from the government about
threats received by previous defence counsel, Kamal Azfar, who was
summoned to appear before the court on 22nd November. Babar Awan was
allowed to give arguments conditionally and as per merit.
He denied threatening Kamal Azfar. Justice Sarmad Jalal Usmani
observed if Kamal Azfar had not been given any threat then he should be
allowed to appear. The Chief Justice said court wanted that government
should give statement to the effect that Kamal Azfar was facing no threat.
Babar Awan said any client had right to change his counsel regardless of
federation application.
Babar Awan said that he be allowed more time as he had not made
preparations for the case. The Chief Justice said it could not be done so. Last
hearing of this case had taken place on April, 19. If the counsel was to be
changed and or there was some other problem then the federation could
make preparations for the case during the seven months. Decisions were
given against several persons in NRO case but no one approached the court
against these decisions. Then Federation was facing what problem in this
respect, he remarked.
The Chief Justice further remarked, Parliament did not endorse NRO.
It is a big thing. When parliament has not accepted it then as to why the
incumbent democratic government which has come into power after long
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struggle has stood for protection of draconian law of a dictator. Shaheed

Benazir Bhutto had also opposed NRO in his book Reconciliation.
In another case the Supreme Court ordered Pepco managing director
to take back money, paid as 14 per cent mobilization advance, with mark-up
from the companies that are not generating electricity despite the payment.
The MD informed the court that Reshma power plant has returned Rs4.57
billion, but it had yet to pay Rs1.35billion mark-up.
The LHC issued a stay order against the raise in power tariff under
fuel adjustment, directing the NEPRA and the federal government to clarify
its position. Aitzaz Ahsan claimed that he can bring back the annoyed party
leaders if permitted by party leadership.
According to details presented in the National Assembly by the Water
and Power Ministry, payable dues against Senate Secretariat stood at Rs49.5
million; amount payable against federal ministers and their residences at
Rs8.552 million; Parliament Lodges Rs12.1 million; Pak Secretariat Rs9.423
million; Supreme Court, which is hearing cases of power projects scams, at
Rs3.47 million; Election Commission of Pakistan Rs2.997 million; federal
police Rs19.1 million; Intelligence Bureau Rs2.726 million; ISI Rs8.224
million; FIA Rs4.3 and; the payables against Interior Ministry were Rs1.57
million. Electricity supply of PSM and some Railways colonies was cut.
Next day, Chief Justice said while heading a full-court hearing of
NRO review case that the government should not protect the thieves and
support a black law. He added that it was the federation and not a political
party that filed the petition, and if someone has any grievance over the court
judgment, he or she should come forward instead of the government.
Thousands of people took benefit of the NRO but nobody took recourse to
the court nor was the court ruling on the ordinance challenged.
Will the government protect the one who conceal corruption and
pardon any such offence, the chief justice questioned, adding that federal
government wants to give premier of the corruption to those who have
remained involved in corruption.
Babar Awan, whom the court allowed to plead the case on behalf of
the federation on merit, said the government does not even acknowledge the
NRO as its repercussions are not good. He further said notices are taken on
various news reports; an affront to a lawyer should also be taken note of,
adding the federal government believes in transparent and candid
accountability.

651

In his arguments, Awan said that it is a court order that the accused
cannot be punished in absentia and that is why closed cases cannot be
reopened. Similarly, the SC cannot instruct the federation to reopen cases
abroad. Awan maintained that the attorney general in the recent past had
written the letter to the (Swiss) authorities without taking advice.
On a point that NRO was not the deal between two parties but the then
cabinet had fully approved it and was legally promulgated by the then
president, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja asked Awan whether he wanted to say
that NRO was a legal law and should be enacted again. The learned counsel
said no there were certain points, which he would not press, and it was one
of those.
Justice Sarmad Jalal Usmany said: If an individual is aggrieved by
the judgment of this court then he should come forward but not in the garb
of the federation. Justice Nasirul Mulk remarked that those who benefited
from NRO should be tried in accordance with the law. Justice Saqib Nisar
said that the persons who have plundered the national wealth are talking
about the past and closed transaction, which undoubtedly apply in this case
as documents of corruption are available. The court said that the federation
could not protect any thief and criminal.
Babar Awan responded that the PPP has not protected corrupt persons,
while in the past people were not only protected, but over protected. He said
the federation complain is that they were not heard properly. Justice Jawwad
asked Babar Awan: We understand you will stand by the stand taken by the
federal government earlier. The learned counsel said that the federation
stands for accountability and no vengeance.
The Chief Justice asked the former law minister to show a single word
from the judgment where the court has condemned the federation or the
verdict adversely operating against the federation. He added that the court
has rather helped the federal government in recovering plundered and looted
national wealth.
When former law minister pleaded that federation represent the will of
the people. Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa said you mean to say that
federation is for the masses and it has to take care of everyone and in the
masses there are thieves and murderers, and if it would not protect them then
who would defend them?
Babar Awan said the words that late Benazir Bhutto entered into a
deal with Musharraf should be expunged from the NRO judgment. He said
late Benazir Bhutto entered into deal not in personal capacity, but was
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representing the biggest party of the country. He said the PPP the biggest
political party represents the will of the people. Justice Sarmad said the
federation is not one political party and the chief justice executive of the
government does not represent one party but the entire federation. He said if
the verdict is against the BB then let come legal heirs of BB come forward.
Chief Justice said the president, PM and ministers are for the whole
country and not just a party. Justice Muhammad Sair Ali said the PM and
ministers take oath not to protect one party but the whole country. Paying
tribute to the parliament he said it did not touch the stinking law and it was
not validated under the 18th Amendment. He said that people who were
affected by the apex court judgment on NRO did not come before the court.
In another case, the Supreme Court directed NAB to frame cases
against the culprits in ISAF containers scam. Reportedly some of
Musharrafs relatives are also involved. PML-N leadership held long
meeting with Shah Mahmood Qureshi to woo him to join Nawaz League.
Qureshi said he would announce his decision in public meeting in Ghotki.
Excise and taxation authorities sealed PTI Secretariat in Lahore for
non-payment of property tax and then Shahbaz Sharif intervened to show
magnanimity and directed settlement amicably. ANP organization of PK-77
Buner resigned collectively and joined PTI. Munter said he met Imran Khan
and General Pasha separately, not together as reported.
On 23rd November, assertions made by counsel for the federation
Babar Awan that NRO was an authentic law, his hinting at federations
bringing a new NRO and announcement to challenge establishment of Swiss
cases, led to an interested debate between the SC judges and the counsel
during the hearing of the NRO review petition.
Justice Saqib Nisar inquired who is the person or competent authority
whose rights have been impinged upon by the 16th December 2009 judgment
on NRO. The chief justice asked the counsel to come to the real issue instead
of wasting courts valuable time. Tell the consequences which aggrieved the
federation. Tell the inside story, he remarked.
During the proceeding the bench and counsel entered into altercation.
Babar Awan while continuing his arguments before SC said that NRO was
not an agreement between two persons rather it was an authentic law. The
bench asked Babar to submit this statement in writing. Justice Asif Saeed
Khan Khosa said that NRO ordinance was not the existing law at the time
when the declaration of court was made. The problems are flowing only
from the consequences of the judgment.
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Babar Awan presenting his formulation said in collateral proceeding

right accrued to any citizen cant be disturbed. The chief justice said You
mean to say that misappropriated national wealth should not be recovered?
Babar Awan hinted that federation may bring a new NRO, if needed. The
decision regarding reconciliation was for political way forward and the
opening towards democracy falls within executive domain and opposed to
the judiciary under the notion of trichotomy of power, he held. Justice Asif
Saeed Khan Khosa on that remarked: You want that NRO be restored and
the Supreme Court should not interfere in the executive domain. He
questioned if some organ of the state is operating illegally then should this
court not interfere into the matter?
Babar said if that was the case then the federation could have issued
another ordinance for the promulgation of NRO, but it did not do that. He
said if all the organs remain in their limits the institutions would strengthen.
Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany asked if the federation does want the revival of
NRO then what is the purpose of whole exercise?
Babar Awan said under Article 89 of the Constitution the President has
power to promulgate ordinance and it has the same force and effect as
attached with the act of parliament. Justice Saqib Nisar quoting the
judgments said that ordinance is the temporary legislation, which cant be
given the status of permanent legislation. He said if the parliament does not
validate the ordinance issued by the president then what would be its fate?
The counsel said the federation stance is that all those who have benefited
from NRO should be dealt in accordance with law.
Babar Awan said the court while declaring that NRO was repugnant to
the injunctions of Islam has gone beyond its jurisdiction, as Article 203 of
Constitution states that only the Federal Shariat Court should adjudicate
such matters. He said this jurisdiction under 203 (F) is only vested to the
Supreme Court Shariat Appellate Bench.
The Federations lawyer also announced to challenge the
establishment of Swiss cases. The counsel pleaded that the office of Attorney
General for Pakistan is a constitutional office, adding if the AGP office has
authority of sending communication to Swiss authorities then he was also
empowered to withdraw it. Dr Babar said if AGP Farooq in PML-N
government was right in writing to Swiss government to open cases against
late Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari then how Malik Qayyum could be
wrong for writing to close them.

654

He said Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry was right in saying that all the
money stacked in the foreign banks should be brought back into Pakistan.
He said the courts had issued a stay order against tax theft of one thousand
billion rupees. In response to this assertion, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja said
the court had asked the FBR chief to come and follow the tax theft case. He
reminded Babar Awan that the FBR chief is not the servant of the court.
Justice Khawaja advised Babar Awan to discuss only those issues which are
in his knowledge and dont discuss issues about which he knew nothing.
Chief Justice asked Babar Awan whether he came to the court to
follow the case or he came for the political point scoring. He asked Awan to
focus only on NRO review petition. The defiant Federations lawyer said
many several larger benches were formed in the Supreme Court while
several cases were ignored. When asked by the chief justice to mention the
case which has not been heard, Babar Awan said Asghar Khans case has not
been heard since long. The chief justice asked Babar Awan that he was not a
chief justice and he should not try to regulate in the administrative matters.
Babar Awan replied he was not chief justice, but one of his admirers.
The SC observed that Federation was not party in NRO case. On this,
Babar Awan said that Benazir Bhutto was also not a party in the case too, yet
her name was mentioned three times in the said case. The court asked Babar
Awan that for the last three days we have been asking you to indicate those
paragraphs which hurt the federation, but you have not supplied those
points. Babar said delete paragraph 11, 12, 44, 45 and 46 from CMA 1844.
He also requested to delete T, U, X, aa, cc, dd, gg and ii paras.
On this issue of time bar of the petition, Dr Babar said Nawaz Sharif
case was heard after 9 years, while on other petitions the court objects.
Babar said Asghar Khan petition is pending. Cases against Nawaz Sharif and
PML-N leaders have been closed. Justice Jawwad said: You want us to
close this case as well? The chief justice asked the learned counsel, Are
you arguing the case to settle the political score? When we ask you
something you say let me argue in my own way.
Babar prayed the court to attend those portions of the judgment where
errors exist. He said that the main grievance of the federation was that it was
not heard fully. Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali said that was the reason we had
asked the federation let Kamal Azfar argue the review petition because he
has granted full time and opportunity to plead his case. But now you are
saying federation was not heard fully. Babar Awan earlier said that section

655

31 NAB Ordinance that conviction in absentia is void under Islamic

jurisprudence and common law.
The court asked Dr Babar Awan to conclude his argument by the court
interval on Thursday. The learned counsel however requested for at least two
more days. Justice Jawwad S Khawaja said there was nothing in the case as
in the first hour on the first day they had comprehended the whole case.
Meanwhile, Nawaz Sharif held a meeting with PML-Q leaders Lt-Gen
(r) Abdul Majeed Malik, former minister for state Maj (r) Tahir Iqbal and
Aslam Sathi at his residence before they joined PML-N. MQM wrote letters
to President and Chief Justice asking them to take action against Zulfiqar
Mirza for maligning Muttahida and tarnishing the image of party chief Altaf
Hussain.
Next day, the Supreme Court observed that late Benazir Bhutto never
claimed any benefit of NRO and those who have issued it must be repenting
now. Benazir Bhutto had no interest in NRO, rather it was General
Musharraf who wanted to become president under such an arrangement, the
chief justice remarked.
Babar Awan completed his argument in the case. The court, however,
allowed him to file additional documents regarding the review petition, but
said it would look only those documents that were related to federation.
Earlier the court had refused to receive the documents. When Babar Awan
insisted to read out the grounds Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa asked him
Rather becoming martyr here listen to what the 17-member bench has
ordered you.
In response to Babar Awans arguments in favour of NRO, the chief
justice said that all but some persons were happy with Supreme Courts
striking down of the black law. Babar Awan said sacred cow was now going
to be exposed and NRO case was tantamount to holding trial of Benazirs
grave. The CJP said: We have read books and we know who was what and
who did what. The CJP told Babar Awan you are linking Benazir Bhutto to
this piece of paper. She was not only Pakistani or Asian leader but an
international towering personality.
Babar Awan informed the court that he would not go for restoring,
reissuing and protecting the NRO. Justice Tassadque Jillani remarked that
the court appreciated you as today federation was not defending the NRO.
The chief justice asked him to let the aggrieved persons come forward.

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Babar Awan earlier submitted his formulations. He argued that there

were three kinds of errors apparent on the face of the record. First, factual
wrongs that include some statements and findings. Secondly, procedural
wrongs that means pleading allegations, replies, rebuttals and not observance
of due course under Article 10A. Third, legal errors that include violation of
some laws, statues, regulations and constitution.
He emphasized that in all cases and circumstances the court need to
keep in mind the provision of Articles 175-2 and 10A. Justice Sarmad Jalal
Osmany said Article 4 is wider enough regarding due course, while the chief
justice said when the judgment was passed the Article 10A was not in vogue.
Waseem Sajjad, representing former attorney general Malik Abdul
Qayyum, prayed that the para in which FIA was directed to proceed against
his client for writing to Swiss authorities to close the cases against Benazir
Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari should be expunged.
The Chief Justice remarked that he was the person (Malik Qayyum),
who chased the cases of Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari and did his best
to convict them when he was a judge of the Lahore High Court, but the
Supreme Court had set aside that judgment. He humiliated Ms Bhutto and
Asif Ali Zardari, and humiliated to the (full) extent, the CJP said.
Waseem said that Malik Qayyum is very ill therefore cant walk and
should be pardoned. He prayed to dispose of CMA and review petition. The
court on his request passed order that authority proceed against Malik
Qayyum as mandated in the law without being influenced of any observation
given against him in the NRO judgment.
Imran Khan, while addressing a huge public gathering in Chakwal,
said that his Karachi rally on December 25 th will decide countrys future. He
told the workers to prepare themselves for elections to win Pakistan world
cup. He claimed that days of the corrupt rulers are numbered now and no
one can stop the tsunami of change that has already begun to sweep the
country.
British Home Minister said that no arrest has been made in connection
with the Imran Farooq murder case. During a joint press conference with her
Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik, she said that no man was arrested in
the Imran Farooq murder case and London Police Commissioner gave
wrong statement in this regard. Speaking on the occasion, Rehman Malik
said that he had checked all the state agencies but found no information
regarding the arrest.

657

Mirza presented evidence against MQM chief to British Prime

Minister at 10 Downing Street. Speaker National Assembly, Fahmida Mirza
went to London to be with her husband. With Mirza campaigning against
MQM in London the street crime surged in Karachi and six persons were
also killed. Meanwhile, Nepra brought record increase in hydro electric
power rates up to 31 per cent per unit.
On 25th November, the Supreme Court rejected the federal
governments petition seeking review of the NRO judgment. The four lines
judgment read: The court from Nov 21 to Nov 24, 2011 heard the federation
counsel Dr Babar Awan at length and considering all the aspects of the
review petitions filed under Article 188 of the Constitution of Pakistan to
revisit the judgment. The counsel (Babar Awan) failed to make out a case
(and) as a result the review petition is dismissed. The court directed the
relevant authorities to comply with the judgment in letter and spirit without
any further delay.
Earlier, Babar did not appear before the court due to his family
commitments. Advocate on Record Mehmood A Sheikh requested the bench
to adjourn the case but the worthy court denied it. The court then asked Law
Secretary Chishti to read out the documents saying it was he who had filed
the petition on behalf of federation, adding that the bench did not expect the
case to be argued and that a simple reading would suffice.
The Law Secretary requested the court that let Babar Awan come on
Monday in the court and he would read the documents, but the court rejected
his plea. The absence of Babar Awan annoyed the court. Chishti refused to
comply with court orders, saying that he is not in a position to do so. When
the chief justice asked him Cant you read English? Chishti read out only
one page and refused to read further. He said he realizes he will face
contempt of court charges and is prepared to go to jail as he is not
interested in this job.
The court ordered the AGP to read the document through-and-through
pertaining to cases of Asif Ali Zardari, late Benazir Bhutto and others.
During the Nawaz Sharif period there was a correspondence between the law
ministry, Ehtesab Bureau and Swiss officials regarding Zardaris money
laundering case. The court questioned as to how the documents from 1997 to
1999 were relevant to the case as NRO was promulgated in 2007.
Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa remarked that so much fuss was
created that heavens may fall, if the documents would be read in the court.

658

He said the court did not like to stop the way of justice therefore Babar
Awan was allowed to read them in the court.
Justice Jawwad S Khawaja said the only reason they did not like that
documents be read in the court was that there were names of dignitaries of
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), including PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
They did not want people should know those names, he added. The court
then dismissed all the petitions for the NRO review, ordering that its NRO
verdict should be implemented in letter and spirit.
PML-N and PTI welcomed rejection of review petition filed by the
government. PPP leaders expressed their resentment over court verdict on
NRO. Ashiq Awan said future course of action would be decided after
consultations with legal experts. Zardari held meeting with partys core
committee and then instructed to approach the apex court to resume hearing
of Bhutto reference.
Another bench of the Supreme Court struck down the appointment of
Tauqir Sadiq as chairman Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority and declared his
appointment as illegal and void ab initio. In the judgment Mr Tauqir,
brother-in-law of PPP General Secretary Jehangir Badr, has been ordered to
return all the salary and privileges drawn from the public exchequer in the
course of his service as the chairman.
Mirza was supported by Lord Nazir in his campaign against Altaf
Hussain; resultantly, MQM retaliated by asking the regime to withdraw
citizenship of Lord Nazir. Apart from MQM and Zardari Indians too would
love it. Reportedly, Shahi Syed was also likely to join Mirza in London.
Meanwhile, Imran addressed a public gathering in Peshawar and challenged
Mian Nawaz instead of challenging ANP that has drenched KPK in blood of
Pakhtuns by supporting war on terror.
Next day, NAB over-ruled the verdict of Supreme Court by saying
that most of the persons involved in Swiss cases have died and the one in
Pakistan enjoys constitutional immunity being head of the state; therefore,
no need to write a letter to Swiss government. Senior PPP leaders at a
meeting under the chairmanship of President Zardari decided not to reopen
cases against the president. Under the law, the government is now left with
no option but to implement the verdict and send a communication to the
Swiss authorities. In case it decides not to do this, it will apparently amount
to a contempt of court.
Gilani dispelled the impression of a looming military or judicial coup,
saying that all the state institutions fully support democracy in the country.
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PML-Q candidate supported by PPP defeated PML-N candidate a Punjab

Assembly bye-election in Bahawalpur; the seat fell vacant because of death
of PML-N MPA.
Five unidentified men holding iron rods in their hands tried to attack
Mirza and Lord Nazir when they were going to the car along with five
supporters after addressing a public meeting in Manchester. Both the leaders
remained unhurt in the incident, however, three supporters were injured in
the attack. Mirza and Lord Nazir lodged a complaint with police and they
were assured that the attackers would be identified through CCTV footage.
Later talking to newsmen, Mirza said such attacks could not affect his
London mission which solely revolved around Altaf Hussain and his party.
In Karachi, an anti-terrorism court granted bail to MQM-H chairman
Afaq Ahmed in kidnapping for ransom case. Ahmed had been accused in
2001 of kidnapping one Jameel Baloch. However, all others accused in the
case had already been granted bail.
On 27th November, Shah Mahmood Qureshi announced to join
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in a rally in Ghotki. While addressing a public
gathering, Qureshi said that in presence of Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistans nukes
are not safe. He added that he had refused to give immunity to Davis.
Earlier, addressing to the rally, Imran Khan said that he has come to Ghotki
to invite Shah Mahmood Qureshi to join his party.
Chaudhry Nisar resigned from chairmanship of public accounts
committee. Nisar alleged that government wanted to include corrupt people
in the committee. However, he said that other member of PML-N in the
committee would continue with their work in PAC.
Ogra under the political pressure has made an illegal appointment of
Masroor Ahmad on deputation against the post of JED (Technical) and
career growth of regular officers has almost been blocked with this alleged
irregularity. Ogras employees have filed a representation before the
Authority in this regard. This decision of the Authority is a gross violation of
Ogras regulations and contempt of Supreme Court.
Six blasts ripped through railway tracks near Hussainabad, Hyderabad
and Nowshero Feroz, destroying portions of railway tracks. Security
officials investigating the blasts said that they had found the pamphlets of
separatist outfit Sindhu Desh Liberation Army near the explosion sites.
Three people were killed and another injured in sectarian violence in
Karachi. Angry people staged protest against the two killing and torched
several vehicles and motorcycles at Numaish Chowrangi area of the city.
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Next day, Chief Justice decided to take up the reference filed by the
federation under Article 186 of the Constitution for revisiting Zulfiqar Ali
Bhutto case on December 12 and hear on day to day basis. Imran Khan ruled
out fair and transparent elections under President and warned there will be
bloodshed in the country if elections are held under Zardari's leadership. He
went on to say PTI Tsunami had rocked Sindh and no one could stop it.
More political stalwarts will join PTI, he declared. I am happy people of
Sindh have woken up, he remarked. MQM has only 18 seats out of 272
seats, if we should continue to fight with them the whole time or should we
fight with big fish, he questioned.
On 29th November, MQM-H Chairman Afaq Ahmed was detained
under MPO for another month shortly after the court ordered his release. He
was likely to be released as he had been acquitted from most of the cases and
given bail in remaining. Earlier, ATC judge Khalida Yaseen had directed the
government to release Afaq Ahmed.
Next day, the Supreme Court directed chairman Pakistan Railways to
submit details of Railways land occupied by Rangers, Frontier Corps and
other private companies within seven days and send it to the chief secretaries
of all four provinces for retrieving the land.
The court also directed the NAB to start probe against all those named
in audit report. The CJ remarked that the Railways would be restored at last
and the corrupt would be sent to jail. He expressed concern over the
purchase of new locomotives. The chief justice asked as to why the
Railways was more interested in buying new ones instead of getting the old
ones repaired.
Expressing its concern over the non-constitution of Pakistan Railways
Board, the court ordered the government to nominate the technical persons
as the members of the PR board and the notification in this regard should be
issued immediately. The court further said that officials who had their
interest in the department, should not be appointed as members of PR board.
Chairman Railways was further asked to submit comprehensive report
regarding the locomotives, which were out of order as well as the cost for
the rehabilitation of these locomotives within 10 days.
The court further said that copy of the report should be handed over to
former minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmad and a meeting be
arranged between the former minister and relevant engineers for repair of
faulty engines. It was also instructed by the bench to present a forensic audit

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report on next hearing and detailed report on the cost of repair and fault of
every engine within 10 days.
Former railways minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told the bench that he
was being pressurized to withdraw his case. He said each locomotive could
be repaired with a cost of Rs 10 million as railway had spare parts for the
maintenance of non-functional locomotives. He said that sub-standard oil
had damaged 290 engines. Heavy Mechanical Complex (HMC), Taxila and
Risalpur had shown their interest in this regard whereas Railways also had
the facility to repair dysfunctional locomotives. He said Railways had
already repaired 20 engines.
NAB constituted a committee to scrutinize all the pending cases with
the bureau so that the genuine cases could be distinguished from those
instituted on political grounds and to bring them to a logical conclusion
through pursuance in courts. The decision to this effect was made at the
Executive Board meeting of NAB held under the chair of Fasih Bokhari. The
board meeting scrapped some cases which had not been decided in the NAB
courts for past several years due to want of solid evidence.
The government while turning down Ogras proposal to maintain
prices of petrol and diesel has dropped a bombshell at the masses by jacking
up POL products prices by up to Rs5.13 per litre with effect from Dec 1.
This has become an easy solution for the cash-strapped government. Next
day, the government approved Rs6 billion for PSM.
On 2nd December, Lord Nazir said he had received a telephone call
from Rehman Malik who urged Nazir not meet London Police and give
incriminating evidence in Imran Farooq murder case as it could poison
Pak-UK relations. Next day, Prime Minister said deprivations of people of
South Punjab would be addressed by carving out Seraiki province and
announced Rs70 million as development package for each party MPA and
pledged a further Rs20 million after one year provided he was left with some
money. Reportedly, the announcement regarding hefty development
package, has worked.
They demanded to provide job quota for their brothers and sons. PPP
members also asked prime minister to issue them arm licenses; the demand
was accepted. Gilani said that the NRO and plea-bargain were one and the
same thing and many politicians availed of the relief under plea-bargain and
joined the then Pervez Musharrafs regime. Meanwhile, PPP and MQM
exchanged proposals on reforms of local governments. Anjum Aqeel of

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PML-N was arrested from courtroom after a court rejected his bail plea in
the Rs6 billion National Police Foundation land scam case.

VIEWS
On 23rd November, S M Hali opined: The time has come for the
masses to judge which leader is worth his or her salt and who merits
receiving the confidence of people to represent them in Parliament. With a
vibrant and free media, which does not leave any stone unturned in exposing
the wrongdoing and transgression, and a free and fair judicial system
prevalent in Pakistan, it is becoming exceedingly difficult for the politicians
to get away with sleaze and perfidy.
Corruption scandals are being exposed and electoral malpractices
unearthed; this is paving the way for free and fair elections. For corrupt
and dishonest politicians to slander the clean ones, accusing them of
being propped up by intelligence agencies, will not hold water any
longer. Some critics accuse them of having become another Frankenstein,
an unbridled demon, a State within a State. However, they should remember
that intelligence agencies are tools in the governments hands, which can be
used at its whim. If the government of the day continues to use them for
securing national interests, it is welcome. But any effort to misuse it for
dilly-dallying in politics is abhorrent and should be avoided.
Munir Ahmad Khalili wrote: Here, the term system is similar to
status quo. Rulers, whether they maybe of a single party or an alliance
or opposition, are always united to maintain the status quo, especially
because it is in their interest. In Pakistani context, most of the politicians
belong to the feudal class. They do not pay taxes on their agricultural
products/incomes. Many businessmen and industrialists cum politicians, too,
are tax evaders. To achieve their goals, they block efforts to bring about a
change for the betterment of the country. They are the biggest hindrance to
the enforcement of the rule of law. Even Parliament remains subservient to
their vested interests. No mechanism of accountability is allowed to be
strengthened in the country. Both the rulers and the opposition try to keep
the law enforcement agencies under their thumb. Needless to say, they are
indifferent to the needs and demands of the people.
In Pakistan today, giant national assets, like Pakistan Railways, PIA,
Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Steel Mills and many
other profit-making institutions, have been ruined due to the bad policies of

663

the government. From politicians, bureaucrats, top brass to a clerk in a

government department, police constable or patwari, everyone sees their
interest secure in the existing stagnant and stinky system and are eager
for its continuance.
The cries for not letting the system derail is a topsy-turvy way of
thinking of the misguided mindset, which deliberately wants to damage
the potentialities of thinking of honest human beings, particularly mature
and well educated youth. But till how long the Autumn Season will be held
back? After all, Spring has to appear. It may be a bit late, but, after the
Arab Spring, the Ajam Spring is destined to appear!
Two days later, TheNation observed: The hearing of the review
petition about the Supreme Courts verdict on the National Reconciliation
Ordinance (NRO), declaring it null and void continued for the fourth day,
Wednesday, with the federations counsel Dr Babar Awan persisting in his
defiant mood. His arguments annoyed the court, which repeatedly snubbed
him and advised him to keep to the case and not resort to political point
scoring; he could hold a press conference later for that purpose. Yet, he kept
ignoring the order and as a clinching argument warned the apex court
that the government could bring another NRO. Clearly, it was a warning
to the court against not upholding the petition.
Dr Awan characterized the NRO as an authentic law and challenged
the establishment of Swiss cases. When questioned about the specific points
on which the federation felt hurt by the NRO decision, he cited some of its
paragraphs. Then, pleaded for extending the hearing for two more days to
which he was told to finish his arguments by Thursday, adding that the
judges had understood the governments point right on the first day of the
hearing. There were several instances of altercation between the court
and council Awan during the course of the day, as they had occurred on
the hearing of the three previous days.
On 26th November, the newspaper added: The Supreme Court has
rejected the review petition on National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO)
filed by the federal government, and ordered that its earlier verdict
pronounced on December 16, 2009, must be implemented in letter and
in spirit. The NRO, which was imposed by President Pervez Musharraf in
2007, granted amnesty to more than 8,000 politicians, political workers,
bureaucrats It paved the way for the current ruling leadership to return to
Pakistan and precluded any possibility of their trial. All pending cases
against the accused were closed.
664

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, while chastising the

counsel for the federation, Mr Babar Awan, for not being present in the court
on Friday, the day of the announcement of its ruling on the review petition,
remarked that a senior lawyer like Babar Awan should have known that 17
senior judges were sitting in the court, and should have attended. Babar
Awan, known for his boorishness and fulminations against the judiciary, had
adopted at best a dilatory attitude on the previous four days of hearing. The
Law Secretary, who was present on Friday, also adopted a defiant
attitude. He read out just one of the documents that the counsel wanted to
present, and refused to proceed; the Attorney-General read the second.
Legal luminaries across the board have asserted that the
government has no legal recourse left but to put the order into effect.
While pleading immunity for the President, PPPs Aitzaz Ahsan felt certain
that the government would implement it. Former Law Minister S M Zafar
said that though the NRO was signed by his government, it was a black law
then, is a black law now and will be forever. Retired Justice Saeed-uzZaman Siddiqui remarked that the government has no choice but to
implement it. And retired Justice Wajiuddin said that the NRO was against
the Constitution and the demands of justice.
Nevertheless, given the defiant attitude of the government, it
seems hardly likely that the judgment on the review petition would
make it change its mind now. In that case, the situation would take an ugly
turn, with unpredictable results. And the prospect of another agitation by the
legal community looks certain, as Supreme Court Bar Association President
Yasin Azad avers that the entire Bar would stand by the apex court.
Khurshid Akhtar Khan opined: The current environment of poor
governance and tales of alleged financial corruption in the higher echelons
have discredited the major political parties most of which are sharing power,
as non-performers, self-centred and incompetent. The various governments
at the centre and in the provinces appear to posses neither the will, nor the
expertise to control or at least set a direction towards controlling the
galloping cost of living, scarcity of essential services and non-existent law
and order. The national assets are being run to the ground and industrial
activity has nosedived to absolute minimum. The general public has become
so despondent and disillusioned with the political system and with those
running it that a hypothetical army takeover is being considered by many
as a preferred alternative.

665

It is in this backdrop that Imran has emerged as a knight in the

shining armour with a tremendous appeal for his sincerity of purpose, singlemindedness, honesty and his passion. He promises instant resolution of all
problems facing the nation and people. He wants to re-enact Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto, who brought non-entities in the forefront and succeeded in bringing
a social revolution. But he was a shrewd political tactician and captivating
orator. He was exposed to the highest affairs of the State under Ayubs
tutelage. He exercised flexibility to move like a chess player to his
advantage. Imran has excellent credentials of a fundraiser and determined
campaigner. He will never be forgotten as the cricketing hero. Bhutto
instilled a dream by raising the slogan of roti, kapra aur makan, which swept
across the countrys length and breadth and still moves peoples hearts and
souls, despite being aware that this dream can never be realized. Imran has
so far thrived on highlighting others weaknesses. His solutions to
complex issues are too simplistic to be credible to any pragmatic mind.
He has enjoyed the limelight through practically the whole of his
adult life. People still remember his victory speech at the World Cup that
was watched and heard by millions around the globe. He supported
Musharafs referendum only to regret it later. He boycotted the 2008 general
elections, along with Jamaat-i-Islami and a few others, which kept them out
of the loop struggling in the wilderness. He went full steam against Altaf
Hussain to the extent of approaching Scotland Yard and has since softpedalled the issue. He remains uncompromising, individualistic and
unwilling to forge alliances with other groups.
Despite this, the October 30 Lahore rally brought out hordes of
people of all ages (though mostly relatively younger) and from a crosssection of society: People who had never been to a political gathering and,
perhaps, never voted before, yet came to support Imran. Because they have
had enough of the present lot and see him as the messiah that has leadership
qualities, coupled with passion, sincerity and honesty. However, the turnout
in the PML-N rally of Faisalabad was no less. And most of these were actual
political workers. The worst thing the PTI could do is to go into slumber
buoyed by a single public meeting. It has a steep climb ahead and they are
still at the toe of the hill.
Next day, Jalees Hazir commented: The one-eyed flag-bearers of
democracy are up in arms again. Early last week, they used Hussain
Haqqani's resignation to lambast the security establishment. And on Friday,
when the NRO review petition was rejected by the Supreme Court, they
breathed fire against the judiciary. Though the Eighteenth Amendment has
666

shifted the centre of democratic gravity back to the Parliament, their zeal
for democracy begins and ends at protecting President Zardari or his
puppets in our government. Their criticism of other institutions is a kneejerk reflex that is triggered off by anything with a potential to upset the
rickety cart laden with rotten apples and pulled by starving serfs, a cart that
they like to pass off as the sum-total of democracy. Core values of a
democratic system like representativeness, transparency, accountability,
equality and public welfare figure nowhere in the discourse of this kanabrigade. Surely, democracy is not the name of a person and holding of
another election in 2013 without addressing these basic concerns will not
bring us any closer to it.
The position of these champions of hollow democracy is clear and
simple: Once elected, those in positions of power are free to act as despots
and kings, unhindered by the Constitution or any constraints of consultation,
even within their parties or Parliament. We are told that we should not
question what they do behind closed doors and how it impacts our lives.
While they hold these democratic-sounding offices, we should not talk about
making them accountable for their corruption, nepotism, inefficiency, even
treason. We should not worry about what they do with our money, squeezed
out of even our poorest fellow-citizens. After all, the electorate will throw
out the bad eggs in the next election. As if that should be enough punishment
for their crimes; crimes that rob not one, but millions of citizens of basic
amenities, dignity, even life. This description of democracy is not acceptable
to the citizens of an awakened Pakistan.
The restored Supreme Court has been a bulwark against this mindset
that has been actively propagated by President Zardari and his coterie, who
have been hostile to the notion of an independent judiciary from day one,
and precisely for that reason this is not the first time we've heard them
squealing as if someone has stepped on their tail, casting aspersions on the
impartiality of the court and maligning it in every possible way. These oneeyed democrats have crammed a set of charges against the court that
start flying every time they don't like a judgment. They talk about the
present Supreme Court, which stands on the democratic legacy of first being
sacked for refusing to be a hand-maiden of the government and then being
restored by a mass movement, as if it is just a continuation of everything that
preceded it. They lump together every court in the country's history and their
crimes, and use this charge sheet to tarnish the independence of the sitting
judges. The conduct of the restored Supreme Court and its judgments speak
for themselves, and the honourable judges are viewed by people as
667

protectors of their interest. That is why, all over the country, we see people
stung and bitten by those in power, appealing to the Chief Justice to come to
their rescue.
The Supreme Court is also painted as biased by the same oneeyed lot. Depending on the case in question, this trumpeted bias could be
against the PPP, Sindh or democracy itself. References are made to unheard
petitions from yesteryears like Asghar Khan's petition against secret funding
to IJI in the 1988 election or more recent ones regarding Mr Bhutto's judicial
murder. Common democratic sense would tell us that people stand to gain
more by making the present government accountable as compared to
individuals and governments that are no longer in a position to affect our
lives. It is a matter of priority and, in a democratic setting; cases whose
outcome could improve the lives of people should obviously be higher up on
the list. A court order declaring Mr Bhutto's trial might reinforce what
history books already tell us, but making RPPs pay back billions of
taxpayers' rupees to the government and striking down nepotistic
appointments in important national institutions hold more for the public.
The Supreme Court has been blamed for encroaching upon
executive authority by the same bunch. This contention has been laid to
rest by another order of the Supreme Court passed last Friday that struck
down the appointment of Chairman OGRA, brother-in-law of PPP's Jehangir
Badar. He was appointed in violation of rules and without ascertaining the
veracity of his fake degree. The order clearly states that while the executive
retains the power to make appointments, it has to exercise this power in a
demonstrably fair and honest manner. The removed OGRA Chief has been
ordered to return salaries and privileges drawn on the public exchequer in
course of his illegal service and NAB has been asked to investigate the
charges of corruption involving billions of taxpayers' rupees under his
chairmanship. This is not the first nepotistic appointment made by our
despots with democratic-sounding titles that has been struck down by the
court. Obviously, for every cronie rewarded, millions suffer.
What is the argument then of the one-eyed brigade? That no one
should stop these despots from treating the State as their family jagir
just because they came through the electoral process? That they are not
accountable to the Supreme Court and even Parliament should be a window
dressing? If the security establishment has serious reservations and evidence
about an important ambassador, the generals should not bring it to the notice
of the elected leadership and ask for his replacement? Did they kidnap an
exceptional Ambassador doing great service to the nation that no one else
668

was capable of or was he asked to resign by the Prime Minister? What was
stopping the government from holding its ground and retaining Haqqani?
And if they could not take the pressure, what stopped them from resigning
and going to the court of the people? That would have been a democratic
thing to do.
On 2nd December, Mohammad Akram Sheikh commented: The
question, which is being examined in this brief article, is as to whether the
government shall or shall not implement the mandate of the Apex Court and
if it does not, what repercussions are likely to come in its wake. There are
very few countries in the democratic world, who would be flouting
judgments of their ultimate arbiters and would take pride in deliberate
obstructions in the implementation of the judgments of their apex
institutions. But the current regime stands unique in the comity of
nations for taking pride in even announcing the non-acceptance of the
judgments of its Apex Court and the NRO judgment is not the only one
which it shall continue to avoid to implement.
In the civilized world, an independent judiciary is taken as a
guarantee for smooth running of democracy, but the story at home
sounds different from rest of the world. Here an expression of loyalty with
party leadership by flouting judgments of the Apex Courts is considered as
an act of heroism, worthy of political aggrandizement. It is a matter of
record that when the Supreme Court was holding certain hearings for writing
letters to the Swiss authorities, it was the Law Minister who proudly
pronounced that such a letter can only be written on his dead body. One
wonders, what a skewed mindset the government of the time has. While it
does not hesitate in asking a foreign government to help the civilian
government to prevail on the military leadership, it does not endeavour to
learn lessons from the contemporary democracy, and take the sublime path
of non-interference by its authoritative institutions into the functions of all
the organs of democratic polity in letter and spirit, of respect for the
principle of separation of power and of unquestioned obedience to the
verdicts that one of the State organs renders. The executive arm of the State
is elected to represent the will of the people and if such institution starts
taking pride in avoiding the court verdicts, as an act of heroism, then why
would a common man abide by the law, respect the courts judgments or
command of Parliament and how would the State avoid anarchy and chaos?
Having the advantage of spending five days in the capital and
opportunity to speak in different quarters, I have come to a sad conclusion

669

that the judgment of the Supreme Court shall have to await

implementation, till the tenure of this government runs out.
This shall be the most unfortunate chapter of our history that
while in moments of State emergency, when sovereignty and territorial
integrity of the State is at risk, crime rate declines, dacoits, robbers, looters,
etc give up their notorious professions, as it happened in 1965 and 1971, it is
strange that at the time of incursion into Pakistans territory by the Nato
forces, the federal government does not at least seal its lips against the
States judicial organ and publicly announces that it shall henceforth comply
with all commands and the orders, particularly those which are passed on the
federations own concessions
Quite apart from the issue of immunity attached with the office of the
President, which can only be taken by him as a defence in case he is
summoned, to face trial, what harm would it cause to the federation to write
a letter to the Swiss authorities as directed by the Supreme Court in
paragraph 178 and 179, as mentioned hereinabove. If there is no skeleton
in President Zardaris cupboard, why should he not direct his Prime
Minister as the leader of his party to write such a letter and strengthen
the tradition of the rule of law and open and transparent accountability in
this country?
If the governments seasoned lawyers and jurists are of the
unanimous view that no foreign government can take action against the
sitting President, why it should not feel confident in complying with the
two-year old direction of the Supreme Court and take the plea that they are
debating the issue in Pakistan before the appropriate forum, in case they
receive any process.
Mr Zardaris team of Legal Eagles will be best advised to have a
pragmatic view of the present scenario. It may, probably, be in the best
interest of the President to let it happen while he still holds power, rather
than when he loses this opportunity, because in the latter case it is not only
Asif Ali Zardari who shall suffer, but he will be settled with the ignominious
responsibility of having subverted the rule of law, supremacy of the
Constitution and his own oath of office, whereby he has vowed not to allow
his personal interest to prevail over a State function and, simultaneously,
deal a terrible blow to the whole system.

REVIEW
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The rejection of Zardari regimes appeal against NRO verdict was an

important court decision in Pakistans history; but, it failed to draw the
corresponding interest and appreciation of legal experts and analysts. Most
comments came from the politicians and that too from those who had
sympathies with Zardari.
For common man, of course, it was immaterial because an odd court
ruling hardly made any difference in their lives. Why was it so? The disposal
of this case was a classic manifestation of famous adage: justice delayed is
justice denied. It was not denial to the culprit(s) but to the victims, the
people of Pakistan, whose assets had been plundered.
The apex court took two years to finally reject the infamous NRO;
though much of the delay was caused by the Scoundrel. He after filing the
review petition made sure that the apex court did not have the mandatory 17
judges for the bench to hear it. The regime exposed the anomalies of justice
system in vogue and as beneficiary of the NRO they rulers enjoyed
ridiculing the superior judiciary.
Once the Supreme Court had the required number of judges it heard
the petition on daily basis. For four days Babar Awan made fun of
honourable judges by turning the court hearing into a press conference.
Seventeen judges lined up before him could not convince him to say a single
word relevant to the case.
Having made mockery of the proceedings day after day he
disdainfully stayed away from court room on fifth day leaving the judges on
full bench biting their lips. Even the law secretary present in the court
refused to comply with the instructions of the Chief Justice for reading out
the document which Babar Awan had requested.
With the setting aside of the review petition the Executive has
exhausted all its excuses, including the lame ones, for not writing a letter to
the Swiss Authorities as had been directed by the court two years ago. The
indications are that the regime has no intention of doing so even now.
Some legal experts also say that writing of the letter has become
immaterial because of the delay. The Swiss government is also not likely to
proceed against Zardari because of the immunity he enjoys as President of
Pakistan. It has been for these reasons that the verdict has failed to earn any
applaud.
The verdict failed to deter the Scoundrel from his nefarious designs.
Within hours after announcement of verdict on review petition he instructed
671

Babar Awan to approach the apex court to resume hearing of Bhutto

reference. This is meant for demonizing the superior judiciary and for
portraying it historically an anti-PPP institution.
Hectic activities took place during the period on political front. Imran
Khan threw the cat named Shah Mahmood Qureshi among the pigeons of
PPP and PML-N. Concurrently, PML-N vehemently pursued Go Zardari Go
movement. Zardari regime has been the target of both, though PML-N and
PTI have been wasting most of their energies on mud-slinging on each other.
In addition to these two, Zulfikar Mirza, an old friend of Zardari has
been causing lot of irritation for the regime. All efforts were made to silence
him; including sending his wife Fahmida Mirza to London, unleashing
MQM activists to harass him and approaching the British government.
He was on mission to convince Brits, Altafs hosts, that their guest is
involved in perpetrating terrorism in Karachi. Mirza in short period spent in
England must have realized that waging jihad against the evil forces of Altaf
Hussain was not an easy undertaking, especially when he has the support of
his friend Zardari.
Mirza and his host Lord Nazir must have known that Altafs
operatives can perpetrate terror even in England, the hub of civilized world.
It must have also dawned upon them that this was being done with the
backing and sponsoring of British government.
Notwithstanding the evil nature of power politics and irrespective of
the ugliness of the means adopted it must be acknowledged that Zardari has
made all his adversaries look pigmies before him. All three of them were not
only outplayed by him but humiliated.
He has humbled the Army, a traditional adversary in power struggle,
to the extent that it dare not challenge his rule despite performing all dirty
jobs he undertook in a deal with the Americans. He has humiliated the
superior judiciary to the extent that judges seemed to have stopped even
grinding their teeth. His main political opponent, Nawaz Sharif has been
pushed to the bewilderment where he does not know whether he is coming
and going.
In the race of power politics Zardari is certainly ahead more than the
margin of neck and shoulder. He is on the top, but not out of woods. Recent
happenings, especially his reaction to the memorandum, NRO verdict and
Salala attack, indicated that he could stumble because of his own
momentum.
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4th December, 2011

SCOUNDREL IS SICK
Babar Awans charged outburst against conspirators of all kinds may
not have had the effects desired by him and his party, but it inflicted the first
casualty; Tariq Khosa declined to head the probe into memo as directed by

673

the apex court. This resulted in eerie silence in political arena for a while.
The unusual quiet was also attributable to Ashura.
As marsiya khwaans were performing last rites of sham-e-gharibaan
there was the breaking news of Scoundrels sickness once again originating
from US print media. An air ambulance was called from Singapore and he
was evacuated to Dubai for routine medical check up.
The contradictory statements issued by the government spokespersons
led to speculations by media and political observers. The appearance of
Bilawal in wearing Sindhi cap added fuel to the fire of speculations.
Resultantly, the TV channels had a busy day soon after Ashura.

NEWS
In Pakistan, Gilani said on 3rd December that he would take the
responsibility of the memo scandal after conclusion of the inquiry, as, being
the Chief Executive; he was responsible for all actions taken by the
government. He said while addressing a meeting of PPPs Punjab
Parliamentary Party at the Governors House. He further said Zardari had
nothing to do with the memo controversy and expressed his dismay over
Nawaz Sharifs decision to go to the court over the issue. In meeting of
parliamentary party members discussed the initiation of Wafaq Bachao
movement. The members of Punjab Assembly burst out in the meeting
against bureaucracy.
Punjab Governor also took to field, when he said they will only act
upon the recommendations of the 'supreme body' the Parliamentary
Committee on National Security. Governor Khosa stressed his party does
not believe in the ruling about the formation of the commission and,
therefore, there is no need for it to issue a reply to the Supreme Court.
Rehman Malik said that Zardari has strong nerves than any other as he
had spent 10 years in jail. He said that he was ready to appear before any
forum if he was summoned. Malik said that he knew about the memogate to
the extent as media reported on the issue.
Hillary Clinton telephoned Gilani and asked him to attend Bonn
Conference on Afghanistans future. She urged that Pak-US relationship
should not be affected after NATO attacks on Pakistani border check posts.
Prime Minister declined the invitation.

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Pakistani military chalked out new defence strategy to stop the NATO
air strikes from Afghanistan and aggression of Afghan militants. In this
regard modern air-defence system comprising radar, canon with ability to
bring down jet fighters would be installed at Pak-Afghan border.
With Pakistan vowing to respond with full force to any future
aggression in the wake of the deadly NATO strike, the Pentagon said that
Islamabad has the right to self-defence and so does the US. General John
Allen asked the troops to avoid the buffer zone in the border. Pakistani
officials had insisted that Allen was ultimately the culprit in his capacity as
commander.
Mansoor Ijaz again leveled serious allegations against Zardari and
Hussain Haqqani saying in his understanding both the personalities were
previously aware of US operation in Abbottabad on May 2. He said that it
was Zardaris plan to send secret memo to Mike Mullen and he had given
full authority to Haqqani to handle the memo that was sent to Mike Mullen.
Haqqani and the US denied the latest allegations.
Tariq Khosa excused himself from the investigation commission
mandated by the Supreme Court to investigate the memogate scandal. The
SC had directed him to inform about his availability. Pakistan will
disintegrate if PPP is hurt, said AJK PM.
A petition was lodged with LHC against Babar Awan over contempt
of court. the petitioner, Afaq Ahmed said in his plea that Babar Awan at a
press conference blamed the apex court of meting out special relief to Sharif
brothers which tantamount to contempt of court. Meanwhile, protests against
cross-border attack continued on ninth day. A woman was killed by mortar
shell in Khyber Agency.
Next day, spokesman of Presidency said President Asif Ali Zardari
and supreme commander of the armed forces has decided to address joint
session of the Parliament after Ashura on critical issues facing the country
including the NATO attacks and called upon the government take
appropriate steps in this regard. Chaudhry Nisar said Zardari was playing a
new game by announcing address to the both houses of the Parliament
without taking the opposition into confidence.
The US rejected Mansoor Ijaz's allegations leveled against Zardari
and Haqqani that they were aware of US Special Forces operation in
Abbottabad on May 2. Mansoor Ijaz opened another Pandoras box by
claiming that S-Wing of the ISI is not under the control of Pakistan

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government and that the army uses ISI to influence the governments. He
blamed ISI wing for interfering in Afghan affairs through Haqqani Network.
Two US special aircraft arrived at Shamsi Airbase in connection with
measures to vacate the base. Seventy Americans at the air base were
preparing the equipment for airlifting. Obama telephoned and revealed to
Zardari that the deadly Salala strike was not deliberate. Reportedly, Obama
asked Zardari that Pakistan should attend Bonn Conference. This call
resulted in high-level party meeting late at night in the Presidency to find
some way out.
On 5th December, Rehman Malik said US must take action against
Mansoor Ijaz for violating US laws and passing false statements against
armed forces and leadership of the country. About Ijaz statements regarding
Abbottabad operation, Malik said US itself admitted that Pakistani
government and Haqqani were not aware about the operation so US must
take action against Mansoor Ijaz for passing false statements.
Gilani said Pakistan wanted to have good relations with the United
States based on mutual respect and clearly defined parameters. He added
that new ties being negotiated with the US would ensure that the two
countries respected each others red lines regarding sovereignty and rules
of engagement along the border.
The Americans slowed down the pace in shifting the sensitive
equipment from Shamsi Airbase to meet Pakistans demand of its complete
evacuation. Three drone planes and American army personnel were seen at
the Shamsi airbase. Most of the equipments including radars were still in
working conditions and they have not been removed. It is impossible that
Americans could meet the deadline of December 11 to vacate the base.
Cameron Munter said that Washington is complying with Pakistans
demand to vacate an air base that has been used by American drones. He
added that the move is not expected to significantly curtail US drone attacks
in Pakistan since the base was only used to service drones that had
mechanical or weather difficulties. He also said that Salala-like incidents
would be avoided.
Foreign Office spokesman said that by boycotting the Bonn
Conference, Pakistan wanted to assure the importance of its sovereignty on
world adding but his country wanted peace and stability in Afghanistan.
meanwhile, seven militants were killed in air strike in Kurram Agency and
earlier a soldier was killed in roadside bombing near Sadda. Two people

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were killed and four were injured including policemen in a rocket attack that
took place in the main market of Kohat city.
Next day, US military officials said that Pakistan was pulling its
troops out of at least two of the three centers meant to coordinate military
activity across the Afghan border in apparent retaliation for NATO air
strikes. They were temporarily pulling back for consultation to determine
how to improve coordination with NATO forces. The move will hamper US
efforts to liaise with Pakistani forces, increasing the risk that something
could go wrong again.
Republican senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham urged that
United States must fully review its ties with Pakistan and consider cuts or
new restrictions to military and economic aid. A joint statement from the
veteran American politicians conveyed the depth of feeling felt by many of
their contemporaries in Washington about the need to re-evaluate a decadelong strategic relationship that has foundered this year.
Meanwhile, Rehman Malik thanked TTP for honouring his request for
not carrying out any attack during Ashura. Zardari had meetings with Prime
Minister and Chairman Senate before leaving for Dubai for routine medical
check up, which had been already arranged.
On 7th December, The Cable, Foreign Policy's blog, quoted a former
US government official as saying The noose was getting tighter it was
only a matter of time. The official expressed the growing expectation inside
the US government that Zardari may be on the way out. The former US
official told The Cable that when President Barack Obama spoke with
Zardari over the weekend regarding NATO's killing of the 24 Pakistani
soldiers, Zardari was incoherent. He may have angioplasty on Wednesday
and may also resign on account of ill health, the dispatch said.
Shuja Nawaz, director of the South Asia Centre at the Atlantic
Council, said that this plan would see Zardari step aside and be replaced by a
man from his own party, preserving the veneer of civilian rule but ultimately
acceding to the militarys wishes to get rid of Zardari. Now if they stay at
arms length and let the party take care of its business, then things may
improve. If not, then this is a silent coup with [Pakistani Prime Minister
Yousuf Raza] Gilani as the front man.
PPP leadership spent busy day in denying speculations about Zardaris
illness. In the evening, PM House said Zardari would remain under
treatment in Dubai. The statement noted that presidents condition was

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stable; however, some medicine recently recommended to him might have

cast negative effects on his health.
Zardari was hospitalized with a heart condition in Dubai. A
government spokesman said Zardari had suffered a minor heart attack, but
this was at odds with the statement of Farhatullah Babar, who said the
president had gone for routine tests for a pre-existing heart condition.
Party leaders said his condition was stable and doctors at hospital
have advised him complete rest. Some sources reported that the president
was advised a heart bypass by the team of doctors which had examined him
at AFIC when he was brought here for check-up after he felt pain in his
chest. Farhatullah denied his check-up at AFIC.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is also PPP chairman, met Prime
Minister in Islamabad, adding to media hysteria about imminent change.
According to official statement, during the meeting, Bilawal expressed
satisfaction over the health of President. However, he said doctors have yet
to determine whether he fell ill due to an adverse affect of medication or it
was a development related to his pre-existing cardiac condition.
Dubais ruler, Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed al-Maktoum, paid a
visit to Zardari at the hospital. Sheikh Mohammad, also vice president and
prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, wished Zardari a speedy
recovery. On the other hand, Pakistans Ambassador to UAE Jamil Ahmed
Khan also said that President was in stable condition.
The sources in the party said that it was premature to say something
about the return of President Zardari but they did confirm that he would
definitely come back. It was also not clear that how much rest was advised
to him by the doctors and what they would suggest to him regarding his
heart problem. The party sources said that even if the doctors would not
suggest him surgery as suggested by the doctors at AFIC, even then the
president would stay in Dubai for couple of weeks.
Cameron Munter called on Rehman Malik. They discussed matters of
mutual interest during the meeting and Malik demanded action against
Mansoor Ijaz. NATO Secretary-General urged Pakistan to cooperate with
military operations in neighbouring Afghanistan despite a cross-border
NATO strike last month. Amid Republican senators calls for a full review of
US policy towards Pakistan, the State Department defended American aid to
Islamabad, insisting it continued to yield dividends for both the countries.

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The LHC sought reply from Babar Awan on a plea the PPP leader had
committed contempt of court in a press conference after the Supreme Court
verdict on memo. The court asked Babar to submit the reply on the next
hearing which is fixed on 20th December. PPP-led Treasury Benches
thwarted the Opposition benches move to debate the memogate scandal for
want of quorum on the second day of the specially requisitioned session of
the Senate before it was adjourned sine die.
A day after Zardari flew to Dubai, his buddy and alleged memo
controversy linchpin Hussain Haqqani also moved from the Presidency to
Prime Ministers House. The same day Interior Minister said the name of
former Pakistans ambassador to the US has been put on the ECL.
Meanwhile, ten militants and two soldiers were killed in a clash in Kurram
Agency. Three security men were wounded in rocket attack near Hangu.
Three Lashkar-e-Islami men killed in Khyber Agency.
On 3rd December, a roadside bombing killed three NATO service
members in eastern Afghanistan; exact location of the bombing and
nationalities of the dead were not disclosed. A British soldier was dismissed
from the army after stabbing a 10-year-old Afghan boy with a bayonet.
Separately, tribal elders in Logar province, continued to negotiate with
insurgents in an effort to free eight Pakistani laborers kidnapped by
militants.
Hamid Karzai accused Pakistan, which is boycotting an international
conference on Afghanistan in Bonn, of sabotaging all negotiations with the
Taliban. Up until now, they have sadly refused to back efforts for
negotiations with the Taliban, Karzai told Der Spiegel weekly. Protest rally
was held in Bonn against occupation of Afghanistan. India will train 30,000
Afghan troops.
On 5th December, Bonn Conference on Afghanistans future after
NATO combat troops leave in 2014 pledged sustained support for another
decade, in exchange for clear progress on good governance. Participants
vowed to stand by Afghanistan as it struggles to establish security and
stability. This renewed partnership between Afghanistan and the
international community entails firm mutual commitments in the areas of
governance, security, the peace process, economic and social development,
and regional cooperation, the conferences final conclusions said. The
protection of civilians, strengthening the rule of law and the fight against
corruption in all its forms remain key priorities.

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Hamid Karzai told around 1,000 delegates that his government needed
long-term international backing after the troops pull out. He warned that the
Taliban could make a comeback and take over Afghanistan again. He
warned, Our shared goal of a stable, self-reliant Afghanistan is far from
being achieved. Later talking to reporters, Karzai said he was still prepared
to work with Pakistan despite its boycott and urged Islamabad to stop giving
sanctuary to Taliban insurgents. He added Pakistan missed a good
opportunity to discuss its own issues and the future of Afghanistan by not
attending the conference.
Hillary Clinton said the United States would resume paying into a
World Bank-administered Reconstruction Trust Fund for Afghanistan. Big
donors had stopped paying into the fund in June, when the International
Monetary Fund suspended its programme with Afghanistan because of
concerns about Afghanistans troubled Kabul Bank.
She lamented the boycott by Pakistan in her speech. The entire
region has a stake in Afghanistans future and much to lose if the country
again becomes a source of terrorism and instability and that is why we
would of course have benefited from Pakistans contribution to this
conference, she said. We continue to believe that Pakistan has a crucial role
to play, she told reporters later, adding that she was encouraged by remarks
by a Pakistani government official that it will continue cooperation,
including in the fight against terrorism.
UN Secretary-General said the challenges ahead as Afghanistan
sought to consolidate peace and development were large but the
international community would not be deterred in its support for the
countrys efforts. he underscored that as Afghanistan assumes full
responsibility for its security, the government and its international partners
must shift and intensify their focus on the non-military aspects of transition
on development, on governance and on extending effective civilian
authority throughout Afghanistan.
Ban Ki-moon termed as regrettable Pakistans decision to boycott
the Bonn Conference and said that its participation was required as the
country has a role to play in its war-torn neighbours peace and stability.
Addressing the media, Mr Ban said Pakistan not attending the crucial meet
is their sovereign decision.
German Chancellor told the conference that reconciliation a term
used to refer to talks among different Afghan groups as well as with
insurgents remained an important part of efforts to stabilize Afghanistan.
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We can help Afghanistan in this process, we can provide our experience, but
we cant solve the problem, it is only the Afghans who can do this. German
Foreign Minister insisted there would be no rush to the exit, even as a
looming global recession threatens to distract the West from the enormous
challenges facing the strife-wracked nation.
British Foreign Secretary reiterated that any settlement with
insurgents would require them to renounce violence, sever ties with al Qaeda
and respect the Afghan constitution end conditions which some argue
effectively close the door to talks by determining the outcome in advance.
The Indian minister for External Affairs during his speech did not
spare Pakistan aimed at seeking peace for Afghan people who suffered a lot
and lost thousands of lives in decade long war. He said that terrorists safe
havens should be eliminated outside Afghan border. We totally support the
people of Afghanistan in their path of peace and condemn the act of
terrorism on innocent people. Krishna pledged India would keep up its
heavy investment in a country whose mineral wealth and trade routes made
it a land of opportunity. Indian industry plans to spend over $10 billion on
developing mines and building a steel plant in the war-torn nation.
Iranian Foreign Minister reiterated Irans opposition to the United
States keeping some forces in Afghanistan after 2014. Certain Western
countries seek to extend their military presence in Afghanistan beyond 2014
by maintaining their military bases there. We deem such an approach to be
contradictory to efforts to sustain stability and security in Afghanistan, he
told the conference. Salehi also condemned what he called the violation of
human rights by foreign military forces in Afghanistan including attacks on
residential areas.
Pakistan and the Taliban both seen as pivotal to any end to the
bloody strife in Afghanistan a decade on decided to stay away from Bonn,
which dampened already modest hopes for real progress. The conference
also made special note of the strain on neighbours Pakistan and Iran in
dealing with refugees from the war-ravaged country. Meanwhile, Russia
canceled more than $11 billion in Afghanistans sovereign debt over the past
decade, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
Next day, at least 54 people including children were killed in the huge
explosion at the entrance to a riverside shrine in central Kabul. Separately,
four people were killed in Mazar-i-Sharif when another blast struck a shrine
in the northern city as crowds gathered for Ashura and more than 150 were

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wounded in two blasts. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for

either blast. Taliban condemned both the attacks.
Speaking a day after Pakistan boycotted a conference devoted to
helping Afghanistan; Karzai said the two countries needed to work closely
together. Pakistan has an important role to play in the Afghan peace process,
including in any negotiations with the Taliban, Hamid Karzai added.
On 7th December, another 19 people died in a roadside bombing in the
southern province of Helmand, bringing to 78 the number of people killed in
just over 24 hours. Afghan President Hamid Karzai blamed Pakistani
extremists for an unprecedented attack on Shias in Kabul that killed 55
people, demanding justice from the government in Islamabad. US resumed
talks with Taliban in Qatar.
On 5th December, actress Veena Malik filed a defamation suit in
India against a magazine for a morphed cover photo of her posing nude
with the initials of Pakistans intelligence agency on her arm. Her
spokesman said that the actress was seeking 100 million rupees ($2 million)
in damages from FHM India, which insists the nude cover shoot was
genuine and consensual.
Veenas alleged nude photo shoot for an Indian magazine hit the
headlines in American tabloids and even taken note of by major national
newspapers. Pakistani actress Veena Malik sues FHM magazine over nude
cover photo, (Mass-circulation New York Daily News), Veena Malik,
Pakistani Model, Poses Nude, Causes Fury (Huffington Post) and
Pakistani actress Veena Maliks nude ISI photo stirs controversy
(Washington Post) are some of the headlines in Monday papers. Pakistani
actress Veena Malik appears on the cover of FHM Indias December issue
wearing nothing but a steamy gaze and the initials of Pakistans fearsome
intelligence agency, ISI, tattooed across her arm, wrote The Daily News.
Conservative Muslim clerics in her home country slammed the shot as an
insult to Islam, while Pakistans government has promised to investigate
whether the image was doctored, it said.
The Washington Post noted that the controversy comes on the heels of
a tense week for Pakistan, in which NATO air strikes killed 24 Pakistani
soldiers, an incident Senator John McCain blamed on ISI, which he said was
actively supporting terrorist organizations. Senior officials in recent months
have repeatedly accused ISI of supporting militants based in Pakistans
Tribal Areas. Pakistan has denied such allegations. Kabeer Sharma, the
editor of FHM magazine, which carried the photos, was quoted as saying
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that having ISI written on Veena Maliks arm was just intended as a joke.
But Pakistans media arent finding it funny, it was reported. On 7 th
December, Ghulam Nabi Fai pleaded guilty on two charges regarding his
links with ISI.

VIEWS
On 4th December, an article of Mansoor Ijaz was published in
TheNation: This FT op-ed of yours is a disaster, read a BlackBerry message
to me on the night of October 10. The sender, Husain Haqqani, was still
Pakistans ambassador in Washington at the time. Earlier in the evening, the
Financial Times had posted my column Time to Take On Pakistans
Jihadist Spies on its website, unleashing a political firestorm in Pakistan
over my disclosure of a memorandum Haqqani had asked me to help him
prepare and deliver to Adm Mike Mullen, then chairman of the US Joint
Chiefs of Staff. In the memorandum, Haqqani asked the admiral for help in
calming Pakistans restive Army chief as fears of an alleged coup whipped
through Islamabad in the tense days that followed Osama bin Ladens death
in a Pakistani garrison town. In return, he offered the United States nothing
short of a wholesale paradigm shift in Pakistani governance that would
transfer essential powers from the Army to civilian leaders, giving
Pakistan the veneer of civilian legitimacy that has eluded it since partition
from India. I have a history of involvement in back-channel diplomacy,
particularly between the governments of Pakistan and India on the subject of
Kashmir and nuclear proliferation, but it is still important to ask why, in this
instance, Haqqani chose to come to me. Perhaps because he had tried other
interlocutors to deliver the same message and had been refused. Perhaps
because the basis of his request an alleged coup plot was only a
concocted threat and he needed someone who couldnt verify the postulation
in the short time frame required by the ambassador for action. What I am
certain of is that Haqqani believed I was the most plausibly deniable back
channel he could use. He knew I was disliked by many in Islamabads power
circles for my strong anti-establishment views. Haqqani also knew I had the
connections to get the message quickly and quietly to Mullen. He knew I
maintained friendships with former CIA director James Woolsey, former US
national security adviser Gen James L Jones, Reagan Star Wars
commander Lt Gen James Abrahamson, and others.
Before I had a chance to read and reply to his BlackBerry message,
the ambassador called Is there anyone else in Isloo [slang for Islamabad]
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you know who is a senior Pakistani diplomat, he asked hurriedly. This was
the phrase Id used in the op-ed to describe the author of the memo to
Mullen. Not wanting to be ousted as the memos author, Haqqani insisted
that without another name any name that might put Pakistans press
hounds on another diplomats scent, all trails emanating from the
memorandum would soon lead back to him or, worse, to his boss,
President Asif Ali Zardari.
The cover-up had begun: Haqqani would orchestrate denials by
Pakistans Foreign Ministry and Presidents House in the days after the FT
column was published. When those didnt douse the flames, he had the gall
to warn me that he was about to orchestrate a US denial as well Are you
sure your side wont deny, he wrote by BlackBerry to me at 10:38 p.m. on
November 1, a week before Admiral Mullens unwitting spokesman issued a
confused denial that was later retracted. At 10:39, he all but confirmed his
complicity when he wrote: Is it not the nature of a private mission that
officials deny it?
In Islamabad, he was telling Zardari that he had it all under control
and that the memo flap would disappear in a few days once all the denials
were in place. If the acceptance of multiple petitions by the Supreme Court
of Pakistan on December 1 is any indication of the seriousness with which
Pakistans entire governmental infrastructure takes this issue, the
memorandum is not going away anytime soon. Certainly not until the full
truth comes out.
A few days before the Mullen denial was posted on Foreign Policys
blog, The Cable, Haqqani changed his BlackBerry handset for the third time
since May. Maybe he hoped that changing PINs would erase his damning
conversations from my handset. Unfortunately for him, they remain
preserved now in a bank vault in exactly their original form on my
original device as he and I exchanged them. The constant changing of
handsets raised the disturbing specter that Haqqani had persuaded his
friends in the US intelligence community to assist him in scrubbing his
BlackBerry records because my disclosures were not just about to lose him
his job, but could potentially uncover sensitive matters of US national
interest as well. After all, I was not the only entry on Haqqanis BlackBerry
contact list. Other BlackBerry chats could prove highly embarrassing or
prove complicity and culpability if they were made public by Supreme Court
action in Pakistan.

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Why the cover-up? For the record, Haqqani approached me on May

9; I did not approach him. He asked me to assist him in delivering a message
(initially verbal) to Mullen. He now denies this. The messages content and
structure were entirely conceived by him and dictated to me in broad form
during our initial 16-minute telephone call, with further refinements during
the day by telephone, text, and BlackBerry. He received an initial draft of the
memorandum from me by email that evening, tweaked it (see image
below), said he would call the next morning, and then did so at exactly
9:06:16 for 11 minutes to confirm the final draft I had sent him 15 minutes
earlier. He then gave me the required consent to proceed. He denies these
facts, but facts do not lie. The message, ultimately delivered in writing rather
than verbally due to US scepticism about the verbal utterances of Pakistani
officials, was sent by General Jones to Admiral Mullen. Haqqani had assured
me that he had his bosss approval near the end of that 9:06 a.m. phone
call. I in turn assured General Jones in writing that the memorandum had the
approval of the highest political level in Pakistan. The boss was an
obvious reference to Zardari. Haqqani vehemently denies this. In his
resignation offer to Zardari, Haqqani said: At no point was I asked by you or
anyone in the Pakistani government to draft a memo and at no point did I
draft or deliver such a memo.
The investigatory commission ordered by Pakistans Supreme Court
will soon determine whether Zardari was (a) the progenitor of his trusted
protgs elaborate scheme; (b) an after-the-fact approver; or (c) completely
out of the loop. My bet is that Zardari initiated the plan, gave Haqqani a
blanket power of attorney to handle operational details, and, when it was
done, gave him a pat on the back when he returned to Islamabad on May 12
with evidence of the job completed.
Haqqani is now trying to deflect attention, and possible culpability,
away from Zardari. But why would he fall on his sword for the man he once
dubbed Mr 10 Percent? In my opinion, with the benefit of facts that have
come to my attention in the days since my FT column appeared, Zardari
and Haqqani both knew the US was going to launch a stealth mission to
eliminate bin Laden that would violate Pakistans sovereignty. They may
have even given advance consent after CIA operations on the ground in
Pakistan pinpointed the Saudi fugitives location. The unilateral US action,
they might have surmised, would result in a nation blaming its armed forces
and intelligence services for culpability in harbouring bin Laden for so many
years. They planned to use the Pakistani publics hue and cry to force the

685

resignations of Army chief Gen Ashfaq Kayani and intelligence chief Gen
Shuja Pasha. Pliable replacements would have been appointed.
If it all went wrong, the Pakistanis could unite in their hatred of
America for violating their nations sovereignty, with Zardari leading the
chorus aimed at Washington. If it went to plan, the long-sought aim of
putting civilians (i.e., Zardari & Co.) in charge of the Army would be
complete. Washington would have bin Ladens scalp; Zardari would have
Kayanis and Pashas. And US taxpayer-funded aid would flow unabated
under the Kerry-Lugar bill in which Haqqani had pushed so hard to include
civilian-supremacy language as a sine qua non.
Not a bad plan. Really, not a bad plan: Unfortunately, plans leave
footprints. Consider that Operation Neptune Spear was approved by
President Obama at 8:20 a.m. on April 29. After waiting one day for bad
weather, the operation commenced. Ask Haqqani where he was during
those fateful days prior to, and on the day of, the bin Laden raid.
Answer: London. Coincidentally, he would have left at just about the same
time Obama gave the green light. Why? Whom did he meet? What did he
discuss with his British hosts? Why was he back for another round of
meetings with the same people Sir David Richards, chief of the Defence
Staff (Admiral Mullens British equivalent), and Tobias Ellwood,
parliamentary private secretary to the defence secretary a week later? For
what were characterized as private visits, Haqqanis appointment agenda
was pretty hefty an agenda that only one man knew about beforehand: Asif
Ali Zardari.
What private matter could be so important that it required Pakistans
eyes and ears in America to be away from his desk on the very day his
host country was about to execute one of the most daring military
missions in history to kill the worlds most-wanted terrorist on Pakistani
soil? Was Haqqani in London so he could plausibly deny having any
knowledge of the bin Laden raid on the day it occurred, having just
conveyed Zardaris approval for the raid to the Obama national-security
team? Or was he tasked with informing Pakistans key allies to keep
everyone in the loop playing the role of a back channel within his own
government?
Haqqani made just one critical mistake seconding me into his
scheme. I dislike the brinksmanship and heavy-handed role that Pakistans
military and intelligence organizations have played throughout the nations
history, and have said so over and over again. Democracy cannot exist in a
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police state managed by an intelligence agency. But I dislike even more

feudal civilian cabals that feign love for democracy only to orchestrate
their grandiose schemes on important security issues through abuses of
power that simply cannot be tolerated in an open society.
Pakistan is much stronger as a result of the disclosures that have
arisen after the memorandum became the unintended focus of global
media attention. Its frenetic, even chaotic media did their jobs well. Some
suffered threats. Yet Pakistani reporters toughed it out. They saw a
smokescreen and decided to disperse it. It is this hunger for transparency that
the people of Pakistan will now use to choose leaders who serve only the
people, not themselves. Pakistans military men may not allow civilian
supremacy just yet, but a serious transition seems to be underway to at least
make civilian institutions strong enough to coexist on an even footing with
the Army in the intermediate term.
One day, those civilian institutions may indeed be strong enough
to protect Pakistans truest national interests: not Kashmir,
Afghanistan, and nuclear bombs, but the availability of education, the
expansion of trade ties, and the provision of energy to a frustrated nation
eager to find prosperity.
TheNation wrote: According to reports, Pakistani military sources
have made cooperation with the US in the war on terror conditional on
the award of punishment to those responsible for the attack that killed so
many precious lives of Pakistani soldiers and the tendering of a formal
apology for that criminal act. Orders to respond with full force to any
aggression in the future, without waiting for permission from the high
command, already exist. Interior Minister Rehman Malik has told journalists
that the FIA personnel were now at the Shamsi base preparing a list of those
present. He declared that the promise made to the nation would be honoured
and the base would be got vacated as per schedule already given. On the
other hand, a senior US official has maintained that the US would not vacate
Shamsi in the near future. The Obama administration, he said, was assessing
the shift in Pakistans policy and has not yet reached a conclusion whether to
vacate the base or not. This is the time for Pakistan not to bow before
pressure or fall prey to any blandishments; we must stick to our guns.
General Retd Mirza Aslam Beg commented: On the night between
November 25 and 26, the American and NATO aircrafts attacked two
Pakistani border posts in Salalah area of Mohmand Agency and killed above
20 soldiers, including two officers, which is a blatant violation of the
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countrys territorial sovereignty and the terms of cooperation with the

International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF). In fact, it is part of a vast
conspiracy against Pakistan due to the growing frustration of the ISAF, who
having lost the war, have begun to leave from Afghanistan without the
guarantee for a safe exit. The Salalah incident is a clear indication of their
desperation as well as sinister design.
The Pakistani troops operating in the Salalah area, on the night of
November 25-26, had trapped the Tehrik-i-Taliban-i-Pakistan (TPP)
militants, about 50 strong, belonging to the Waliur Rahman/Fazalullah
group, engaged in anti-Pakistan activities. The militants gave the SOS to
ISAF and NATO, and the American aircrafts and gunships rushed to
rescue them. The two Pakistani posts came under intense fire. The officer in
charge immediately contacted the ISAF and warned them that it were the
Pakistani posts, which were under attack and it must stop. But the message
was ignored and the attack continued for over two hours till the militants
were rescued and taken to the Afghan territory. The brutal act of the ISAF is
not the only incident, because previously our border posts have been
attacked by the militants, who were supported by the foreign forces, killing
many of our troops. This was the third time that the ISAF violated Pakistans
territory. Last year, in September 2010, a similar incident had occurred on
our border, during which a number of our soldiers were killed. The second
time, they intruded deep inside Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden near
Abbottabad and got away with it.
A few months back, in a meeting of senior officers held at the GHQ, I
had warned that the ISAF would again test our nerves and we better be
prepared to retaliate against such intrusions, and recommended that they
should have a look at the Selective Punishment Concept of 10 Corps,
implemented by Major General Safdar, SJ, GOC 12 Division in 1990, who
silenced the Indian guns along the Line of Control, through bold and
prompt retaliatory actions. But in this case, at Salalah, such a prompt
retaliatory action could not be taken; therefore, we now have to consider
choosing the next best option to ensure that such incidents do not occur
again.
A retaliatory action, to draw blood for blood, is the best option, but
the enemy is on high alert now. Retorsion would be the next best policy,
i.e. to return upon the assailants with sharp punitive moves. In this regard,
some of the actions have already been initiated by the government, such as
rejection of the expression of regrets; the ISAF supplies through Pakistan
have been stopped; no more drone attacks; Shamsi to be vacated; Pakistan
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not to participate in the Bonn Conference on December 5; cancellation of all

visits, tours, sports events, etc involving USA and EU; diplomatic
engagement with friendly countries to solicit support; no more business as
usual; and the need to re-evaluate ties with USA. Since the occupation
forces are operating under the UN mandate, therefore, Pakistan has taken up
the matter with it to investigate and punish the perpetrators of this crime.
Despite the 10-year long struggle by the occupation forces, they find
themselves trapped in a nutcracker situation of having lost the war and
unable to retain control over Afghanistan with no guarantee for a safe exit.
And yet, the ISAF wants it their way, forcing Pakistan to eliminate the
Taliban support bases on Pakistani territory and compelling Mullah
Omar to negotiate peace on the losers (ISAF) terms. But since this
illogical demand is not achievable either, the ISAF may decide to leave
Afghanistan in a state of panic. In 1990, the Americans induced a civil war
that led to the rise of the Taliban, who were attacked in 2001, and the
country was occupied on the flimsy charge of sheltering Osama bin Laden
and members of al-Qaeda. Afghanistan, once again, will be in a state of
turmoil with no peace in the region.
The Salalah incident has provided the opportunity to correct the
course of Pak-US relations and indemnify the past losses. Pakistans
priority, therefore, could be:
Re-evaluate ties with the US and establish relations based on equality
and mutual respect.
USA must not be allowed to establish Indian hegemony over Pakistan
and Afghanistan, because that would amount to changing the geohistorical reality, confirmed by Quaid-i-Azam to guard Pakistans
security interests.
Pakistan must bring an end to the ongoing battle with its own tribals
and establish peace on the borders, and eliminate the ingress made in
these areas by the foreign agencies.
The ISAF is likely to leave Afghanistan in a state of disorder. It is,
therefore, our responsibility to help our brotherly neighbour to
eliminate the traces of deceit, intrigues and divisions created during
the last 30 years of foreign occupation.
In 2001, we joined the ISAF in the war against Afghanistan and
committed the greatest sin. We must correct this mistake by establishing

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our relations with the Afghan people and engage with them wholeheartedly
to rebuild the country and its traditional way of life.
Pakistan is passing through very difficult times, which demand
the best from the nation. The nation will not be wanting in resilience and
response to face these challenges. Its geo-historical heritage is drawn from
the Indus Civilization and imbibes the lan and ethos of the great
civilizations with whom it shares the borders. Let nobody take Pakistan
lightly and let there be no doubt in anybodys mind that out of such depths
of sorrow and sacrifice, Pakistan will rise into a vibrant and progressive
country to claim its rightful place in the comity of nations.
Umar Waqar wrote: The aim of my discourse here is not to
demoralize the common Pakistanis, but to make them aware that you have
successfully weathered this storm of the fourth generation war for a decade
now. You are now entering the last and most decisive phase of the war,
remain united and clear any doubts that you had in your mind about
the sincerity of the West no one is there to help you, everyone is here
for his own interest.
Pakistan is not only the linchpin in this war, but also the jugular vein
of the NATO and entire Afghanistan. If our leadership can take a firm stand
and lead the nation to the path of unity, there is no way that the West can ask
you to do more. We are 170 million strong nation destined to find a place in
the sun, the vacuum created by the war in the AfPak region can only be
filled up by people of the AfPak; Pakistan and Afghanistan are not only
physical twins, but also twins of history and posterity. Time has come to
call a spade a spade, let us start a simple and descent celebration of our
victory.
Next day, TheNation observed: Mindless of the furore in Pakistan
over NATO attacks on its Afghan border post at Salalah in the Mohmand
Agency, NATO Commander General John Allen, in a show of typical
superciliousness, has told the British daily Guardian that raids to take out
terrorists ensconced in Pakistani territory cannot be ruled out in the
future. The paper quotes General Allen as saying that plans have been
prepared to eliminate militant groups, Haqqani network and Mulla Nazir and
Gul Bahadur groups, in the coming two years. He maintains, as several top
US military officials have done earlier, that Pakistan has been told that if it
fails to get rid of terrorists on its soil, other steps will have to be considered.
That both political and military circles in the US administration are
desperately trying to salvage US-Pakistani relations after the disastrous
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NATO attacks did not appear to occur to the Generals bravado-imbued

judgment. Nor has the alarm this assault, which killed 24 Pakistani soldiers,
has generated, served to calm him down to a cautious approach. Similarly,
the lasting harm the deliberate and unprovoked attacks have done to
Pak-US relations failed to bring him around to thinking twice before
issuing such a hostile challenge. Apparently, as a US General he is not
bothered about General Kayani's orders to his troops at Pak-Afghan borders
to retaliate with full force to any NATO interventions in the future, without
waiting for permission from the high command.
General Allens remarks would serve neither the cause of the war
on terror, nor work to improve the climate of hostility presently existing
between Pakistan and the US; rather that would tend to further exacerbate it.
In any case, it provides enough ground for Pakistan to keep its powder dry to
be able to repulse any intervention from the side of NATO. The Salalah
outrage has undoubtedly provoked Islamabad to review the entire gamut of
our relations with Washington, that it is supposedly doing right now, in a
manner that leads to dissociating ourselves with the unholy war on terror.
One wishes that our rulers had realized much earlier the mistake Musharraf
had committed by single-handedly leading the nation to war that has cost us
dearly: 35,000 sons of the soil, including 5,000 soldiers, killed, an everpresent sense of insecurity and a massive loss of $70 billion to the economy.
Simply leaving the War on Terror is not going to herald the end of our
troubles. It will however give us an opportunity to regroup, devote our focus
to our own country instead of trying to help salvage a lost war in
Afghanistan.
In another editorial the newspaper added: That the government was
too hasty to dismiss the commission set up by the Supreme Court was
shown by the fresh accusations made by one of its main characters, Mansoor
Ijaz, who earlier claimed that he had given the offending memo to US Joint
Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen. His latest novelesque revelation is
that President Zardari and Pakistans Ambassador in the USA at the time, Mr
Haqqani knew about the Abbottabad raid beforehand. Mr Ijaz made his
claim in an article posted on Friday night on the website of The Daily BeastNewsweek.
Dr Awans statement, made at the inter-faith harmony conference in
Sialkot on Saturday, showed that even PPP ministers knew that the nation
demanded an impartial enquiry into memogate. The PPP should not have
as its motive saving the President from embarrassment. Mr Ijaz has many
questions unanswered about himself, but that is not the only response to
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his allegations that the PPP should be making. Especially after the
resignation of Pakistans Ambassador to the USA, handpicked by President
Zardari himself, Hussain Haqqani, this matter should be cleared, so that the
innocent and guilty both may be identified.
The investigation by the Supreme Court would not preclude any
recourse to the ICJ, and Dr Awan should realize that such an investigation
would only have weight before it. Besides, an investigation is needed into
Mr Ijazs allegations, both old and new, if only to prove that the President
had no foreknowledge of the raid, nor of the memo sent to the Admiral. And
that enquiry is best conducted by a commission appointed by the judiciary,
because any executive or legislative commission would suffer from the
accusation of partiality that could be made because the President is also CoChairman of the PPP. The PPP might well claim it does not wish to dignify
Mr Ijazs claims, but the fact is that the scandal makes it necessary to
clear the name of the President, as well as others involved, notably Mr
Haqqani. For that, the Supreme Courts commission still is the best option.
Momin Iftikhar opined: The Salalah incident is certainly to emerge
as a painful landmark in the history of Pak-US relations, which have lost
the sheen of warmth, trust and camaraderie, so much needed in tackling the
ups and downs of a military partnership that is now loudly creaking under
the burden of a decade-long unequal relationship. No nation wants to see the
coffins of its young soldiers, and in such large number, through the action of
an ally.
Americas callousness has cemented perception, whereby they tend
to treat the lives of Pakistani servicemen in a calculus different than that
applicable to their own. The death of a US Major in a firing incident by a
rogue gunman at Teri Mangal on May 14, 2007, continued to rankle the PakUS relations and became a source for haranguing Pakistan and its army by
the US establishment and media (The New York Times published an
incriminating article, titled Pakistanis Tied to 2007 Border Attack on
Americans, as late as September 26, 2011). The propaganda tirade in the US
media stemmed only in September 2011 when revelations of excerpted
findings of a Court of Inquiry absolved the Pak Army of any involvement in
the episode. One hopes the Salalah incident would receive prompter
response from the US military and the government, because much rests on
the outcome of its findings and the follow-up action.
Khalid Iqbal observed: At this critical moment, the Russians, too,
have sounded that they mean business and want a deal. Apart from Russia,
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other CIS States would soon claim their pound of flesh. Uzbekistan has
made its position known that it would not allow the transit of lethal supplies
through its soil. Tajikistan and other countries through which this network
passes also have serious reservations; they opine that Afghan resistance
groups could extend their operations to these courtiers to disrupt the logistic
flow.
At least over the last one year, Russia has had serious reservations
on the way America has treated it during some of the international
events. The American managed intervention in Libya triggered this friction.
Military operations were in gross violation of the UN mandate restricted to
the no-fly zone. The Russian efforts to mediate between the Qaddafi
regime and his political opponents were deliberately sabotaged. Russia also
feels that America is using it in a "selective partnership" module. Other
points of divergence include Americas thrust for a replay of the Libyan
episode in Syria and the new Silk Route drama to make intrusive inroads
into Central Asia.
This has been an annushorribilis for the Pak-US relationship. All
American promises of long-term strategic engagement and of not
abandoning Pakistan like the eighties have evaporated into thin air.
Having had ample experience of American double speak, the people of
Pakistan never trusted these sweet talks. There has been a colossal
breakdown of diplomacy at the political, military and intelligence levels.
The onus of this fiasco rests squarely on the US. It has not learnt any lesson
from the Iranian experience that there is no quick fix against a strategic
defiance by a resolute nation. Through its misadventure, America has,
indeed, axed its own feet. The American air violations are reminiscent of the
Soviets run-away days from Afghanistan. Pakistan needs a political
leadership of Prime Minster Junejos stature to specify the unambiguous
rules of engagement for its armed forces.
Ikramullah wrote: Needless to say, the Pak-US relationship that has
been steadily deteriorating since May 2, 2011, when the American Navy
Seals attacked and killed Osama bin Ladin in Abbottabad, have hit the
lowest mark after the brutal strike on Salalah check post.
Today, the security situation in Pakistan, as well as the South
Asian region, has assumed a dangerous dimension, which requires urgent
and decisive actions by regional leaders. NATO is trying to expand the use
of transit routes through Russia and Central Asian States as an alternative to
its main. But Moscow is not willing to oblige either NATO or Washington
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under the present uncertain circumstances. Interestingly, the international

community, even the Islamic countries, has not bothered to either condemn
the attack or at least show sympathy towards Pakistani government.
Yet, Washington is well advised to stop arm-twisting Pakistan,
especially at a time when the US needs its support in the so-called war on
terror. Those embarked upon teaching Pakistan a lesson, and cut it down to
size, are advised not to forget the defiance by North Korea, Vietnam, Iran,
Cuba and Afghanistan on issues of national interest. This shows that it is not
easy to shove a State back into the Stone Age, provided it has the will to
survive and courage to pay the price for independence. And fortunately,
Pakistan is much better placed in human and natural resources than these
States. So if anyone thinks otherwise, it will have to face the consequences,
like the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.
All Pakistan has to do is to keep its horses ready to face any
challenge posed to the country and adhere faithfully to the Founder
Fathers directive: Faith (in Allah), Unity (among all citizens regardless of
religious, ethnic, cultural or tribal prejudice), Discipline (among all ranks
and sections of the population to remain strictly within their sphere and
show tolerance and passion towards opponents).
On 6th December, Zaheer Bhatti observed: With the memo issue
thrown in the open, along with another stunning revelation alleging that the
President of Pakistan and the just relieved Pakistani Ambassador to
Washington were privy to the May 2 US Abbottabad assault, one does not
need to go far back to recap for public consumption, how the alleged
central character in this case had helped construct the terms of the
Kerry-Lugar Bill, to which, besides the political opposition and media, the
Pakistan army took profound exception
One wonders, how the presidential camp saw that kind of
American aid in line with the policies of the Pakistan government. With
striking similarities in the content and purpose of the Kerry-Lugar Bill, the
infamous memo and the latest Ijaz revelation about May 2, one understands
as everything falls in place. And now that the issue is sub judice, why should
Haqqani stick his neck out to categorize the memo contents as objectionable,
rather than treasonable. The plot thickens with no less a person than the
former National Security Advisor, General James Jones, acting as a courier
to Admiral Mullen without verifying the authenticity of the memo.
Several weeks ago, Admiral Mullen had suddenly declared that the
ISI was a veritable arm of the Haqqani Network and is, therefore, not all
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that innocent or ignorant about the contents and purport of the memo loaded
against our military. His utterance, in fact, points to a step in the
direction of its implementation; a view further strengthened by the
prompt unwitting reiteration of US support for the so-called democracy in
Pakistan in the wake of the memo. Conversely though, if both allegations by
Ijaz were proven true, why would Washington allow Zardari and Haqqani
doing its bidding so well, to be gunned for and lose them in the process,
unless Ijaz was seeking recompense from God Almighty for the wrongs he
had been doing to his original homeland and its defenders, the armed forces
of Pakistan.
General Kayani needs to be given a medal for exemplary foresight
and restraint, despite continued provocations from home and abroad. He not
only salvaged the badly bruised image of the armed forces, but unlike the
unsavoury compromises made by Musharraf on Pakistans sovereignty,
stood like a rock against all intrigues targeting national strategic power and
assets acquired by the nation at great sacrifice. Few seem to realize that the
General has thwarted American designs to draw Pakistani forces into
full-scale retaliation and denied the US an excuse to transfer its war
theatre to Pakistan, be it May 2 incursion in Abbottabad or the deliberate
Nato assault killing 24 men in uniform on the border with Afghanistan. But
with ISAF insisting on escalation, as declared by its commander John Allen,
Pakistan must take a diplomatic initiative with the UN, OIC and member
nations to expose, protest and bring censure upon the US to abandon its
wanton aggression, or else Pakistan would be justified to respond, for which
General Kayani has already sounded the bugle.
A R Jerral commented: Why has Pakistan failed to gain American
trust? We Pakistanis being of an extrovert nature take everything on face
value; we take promises seriously and never learn from history. During
the so-called jihad against the USSR, Pakistan was lured in on tall promises
only to be left alone when the job was done. Some people did get rich, but
the entire nation paid the price of that alliance and is still paying. The
ongoing alliance is no different. Despite our best cooperation, we remain
untrustworthy.
Actually, Pakistan can never be trusted by the Zionist-dominated
United States of America. It is a Muslim country with credible military
potential, besides possessing nuclear weapons. Such a Muslim country will
always remain suspect in the Zionist perception and a danger to Israel. I may
be sounding paranoid, but in my assessment the US adventure in
Afghanistan had and still has an ulterior agenda. Pakistans nuclear facilities
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and its weapon arsenal are on their hit list. In their superpower arrogance,
they have even declared their intentions. They have built many hypothetical
scenarios and even laid down plans how this aim can be achieved...
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is also a presidential
contender, insists that the US-Pak relationship has to change; he advises the
State Department to tell the Pakistanis help us or get out of the way, but
dont complain if we kill the people on your soil you are not willing to go
after. This, in fact, is a demand to give the Americans an unlimited blanket
sanction to kill anyone they want on Pakistan soil. The gunship attack on
Salalah in Mohmand Agency in which 24 Pakistani soldiers died seems to be
the outcome of Gingrichs advice
In reality, the USA under Zionist pressure is provoking us to
retaliate against the military excursions on Pakistani soil where they kill
our military personnel at will. Any retaliation will be declared an act of war
against the USA for which the public opinion is being built at home by those
who hope to take the American leadership in the coming year. The
statements quoted above are an exercise in this direction. In previous years,
the US military and intelligence agencies deployed an army of spies in
Pakistan; though Raymond Davis blew this clandestine operation away no
one knows what these secret operatives were doing in the country they
might have been collecting data and information about our nuclear assets.
There is an eerie feeling that these operatives have collected some
reasonable information about our nuclear assets and the USA feels confident
that in the event of an open conflict, they can possibly take out this
capability. They hope that open hostile acts that kill people on our soil are
provocations, which can and may evoke a military response from Pakistan
providing them a reason to openly attack.
Pakistan has played along the USA for 10 years and paid a heavy
price in human lives and loss of property. We are an unsafe and unstable
country reeling under poverty and economic chaos. We should be bold
enough to tell the USA that it is not our war; they should fight it alone. The
decisions to review the bilateral ties on the war on terror should be
followed to its logical conclusion. The withdrawal of base facility and use
of supply routes should not be re-granted under pressure that will come our
way. This time our military and political leadership should show some spine
and demonstrate the will and resolve to stand by the decisions made. The
military leadership should be mindful of the morale at lower echelons of all
three services. Junior ranks look up to their seniors for courage and
leadership; in its absence despondency and dejection sets in. If we defy the
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US demands, worst that can happen is that they may become diplomatically
hostile; however, embarking on a war path is not an easy option. Pakistanis
as a nation have the potential to stand up against the odds; the leadership
must put its trust in the nation. Dying for a cause is a noble gesture and there
is no bigger cause than protecting national integrity.
On 8th December, Atle Hetland opined: The way America behaves
vis--vis Pakistan shows its unrealistic and unsustainable world outlook.
After the tragic Salalah check post attack recently, killing and injuring more
than 20 soldiers, a former American Security Adviser, General James Jones,
said that Pakistan is hell bent on self-destruction. He and the Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton thought that Pakistan should keep accepting
business as usual. I say not! It is America that is not able to establish more
equal relations with countries it says it needs, for whatever logical or
illogical reasons one can find. It is not for Pakistan to explain why it did not
attend the Bonn moot. Indeed, America and NATO should have explained
and apologized. We should not say that it is Pakistan that is careless with its
international relations when if (finally) says that enough is enough.
Shouldnt any country do that? Shouldnt Pakistan have done it years ago?
In this connection, I dont cry as much for Pakistan. I cry for
you, America! America is the country that is bent on self-destruction, or at
least, self-reduction. Yes, that is, probably, to the best for itself and the rest
of the world. Yet, I also feel sorry for America and, indeed, Americans
because so many of its (original) values and history should be appreciated.
Azam Khalil wrote: Indeed, America has two faces. Due to this,
there are widespread anti-American sentiments in Pakistan. If
Washington continues to pursue its agenda to pressurize Islamabad to follow
its dictates, even at the cost of the countrys national interest, then the
Americans are living in a fools paradise. Both USA and Pakistan need to
improve their bilateral relations. Surely, if America looks after our interests,
there is no reason why Pakistan will not reciprocate. But if it continues its
policy of unilateralism, without caring much for what is in our national
interest, the present breakdown in relations will remain the way they are
with very little hope of being repaired in the near future. The least it could
have done was to offer an unqualified apology and compensate for those
who lost their lives in the unprovoked attack, besides punishing those
responsible for the deliberate act of aggression.
The Americans and the Afghans have been talking about the outcome
of Pakistan's restrictions on the NATO supply routes. The fact of the matter
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is that while the US may have alternative routes available through some
of the Central Asian States, it would be choked at the advent of winter,
making it difficult for the US/ NATO forces to continue the Afghan war. So,
it needs to pursue a policy that caters to Pakistans interests.
Also, the Obama Administration should contain Indias growing
influence in Afghanistan, which has been nurtured by some of its shortsighted policymakers. It would be equally productive, if it forces the Indians
for an equitable resolution to the Kashmir dispute. Currently, the ball is
USAs court. Instead of further indulging in bluster, it would be
appropriate if the State rectifies the wrong it did to Pakistan.
Pakistan is well aware of the difficulties faced by the Obama
Administration because of the upcoming presidential elections, but this does
not mean that the country should surrender its legitimate rights to anyone.
The US must restore Pakistan's military assistance, release the Coalition
Support Funds and advice its high-ranking officials to refrain from
attacking or accusing the country on issues that are not its creation.
As for the US reservation about the Haqqani Network, this is an
issue that requires skilful diplomacy and cannot be resolved by the highsounding rhetoric coming from Washington. One hopes that wisdom will
prevail in America and Pakistan, especially the US, and concerted efforts
will be put in place, so that whatever has been lost or damaged can be
repaired and built again.

REVIEW
Amid tensions growing by the hour over issues directly or indirectly
linked to the Presidency the sudden departure of Zardari to Dubai for
health reasons ought to have triggered speculations, especially when seen
in the wake of reports originating from the US about his likely resignation.
Speculations were there, and in plenty.
The observers explored various possibilities
conclusive findings. They pondered whether it was an
man as officially told or was it a political move
tremendous pressure, including aspersions cast over
involvement in anti-state activities.

without producing
evacuation of a sick
necessitated by the
a head of a states

If he had gone to UAE for medical reasons then did he suffer from
new ailment or was it aggravation of one of his chronic diseases? If it was an

698

aggravation, then did it relate to his heart or mind (brain)? If it was a

political move, then was it a move of a fugitive or of a hardened criminal
changing his bunker? In addition, there were so many other questions
seeking to expose finer points each possibility.
Most of the debates aired by electronic media culminated into familiar
mudslinging; however, two merit mention. Tallat Hussain, as expected of
him, restricted his discussion to significance of health of Zardari and the
office he was holding. He concluded that the importance of the office
demanded that a sick man, mentally or medically, should relinquish it as laid
down in the Constitution.
Najam Sethi carried out detailed analysis in which he focused entirely
on the nature of the Scoundrel and the situation he was facing. He was of the
view that sickness is merely a pretext to shift to the save venue of Dubai to
continue defying the court and staying away from the reach of the Army.
Sethi was quite emphatic in saying that Zardari would never resign; come
what may.
He could use his sickness as an excuse to stay in Dubai as long as he
wants and return only when all threats to his person and party dissipate. He
can also use it for not responding to the notice served by the apex court,
while Prime Minister and Hussain Haqqani will submit the replies denying
all accusations.
He will then wait for knowing as to what DG ISI and COAS say in
their replies to the Supreme Court. Sethi visualized three scenarios could
emerge from their replies. Scenario One: Haqqani is accused, but Zardaris
involvement is denied or they stop short of pointing finger at the boss. In
that case Zardari may come back.
Scenario Two: Haqqani is accused of acting with the knowledge and
consent of Zardari. If he is so implicated, he will neither return to Pakistan
nor resign. PPP parliamentarians will resign in mass and the party will resort
to street agitation. Sindh Card will be played for which Bilawal was called
back from London and shown frequently on TV wearing Sindhi cap.
Scenario Three: Haqqani is accused but about Zardari they remain
silent saying more probing is required in that context; if so, Zardari will
remain double-minded about staging a come back. He will be apprehensive
about the final finding and will return only after solid assurance that he will
not be implicated.

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The above, and much more that has not been mentioned, is all guess.
More information is needed to ascertain as to what the Scoundrel would
ultimately do. However, at this stage it is clear that he and his gang have
formulated a plan to confront the threats posed to them and implementation
of that plan has started with the routine medical check up in Dubai.
The plan revolves around the mission to save the Scoundrel from all
accusations. The best course of action to accomplish this mission is to
defend him on battlefield of their choice; in political arena, instead of courts.
To this end all attempts at completing a conclusive probe must be stalled.
Zardaris dash to ICU of an American hospital in UAE has already
made the intended effects. It has stirred support and sympathy of foreign
masters for compliant democracy against defiant military. at home it has
stirred fears of patriotic judiciary and military that the Scoundrel and his
gang could harm the federation.
While waiting for more information for making final assessment one
must discreetly watch all the events linked to the issue. Three events are
mentioned herein: One, Hussain Haqqanis statement about the
memorandum was quite intriguing. He said its contents, even if written by a
Pakistani, do not invoke treason charges; however, these could be termed as
undesirable.
Two: Rehman Malik was asked about Veena Maliks act of tattooing
ISI on her arm and then getting photographed nude for title page of an
Indian magazine. He did not find much wrong with that because his and his
masters designs about ISI have been far more nefarious.
Three: The treatment meted out to Hussain Haqqani since his arrival
in Pakistan has not been that a suspect would have deserved. He was
accorded protocol meant for a VVIP; first he was lodged in the Presidency
and then shifted to Prime Ministers House.
8th December, 2011

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DIVIDE IS CLEAR
Since Scoundrels reported sickness and evacuation to Dubai the
media reporters, disinformers, spin doctors and rumour mongers had been
working over-time. Amid this hectic activity the Zardari aides, overtly and
covertly, tried to bring back the estranged Generals back on the same page
and to silence Mansoor Ijaz; the whistle-blower
On the eve of fortieth anniversary of disintegration of Pakistan civil
and military top brass filed their respective replies in the Supreme Court in
Memogate case. The contents of replies so submitted unambiguously
reflected the civil-military divide on an issue with serious implications.
The memorandum sent to Mullen wasnt the issue but just a move in
the decades old civil-military tussle. This tussle began during the era of
Zardaris father-in-law, Zukfikar Ali Bhutto. One of the consequences of this
tussle was that after disintegrating of Pakistan Indira Gandhi boasted of
throwing the Two Nation Theory into Bay of Bengal.
His son-in-law has been targeting Army and ISI as part of democratic
revenge, who has added Sindh Card into the fight for domination. It implied
that forty years on he seemed hell-bent to throw the remaining Pakistan into
Arabian Sea, if like his father-in-law he too was made sit on opposition
benches. Fortunately, this time the case has been referred to the Supreme
Court and people hope a saner decision coming from there.
Indications, however, were that the Scoundrel and the Saint were not
ready to accept any court decision which is not to their likings. Babar Awan
announced on behalf of his party that if we do not have the pie, nobody
will have it. With such mindset, Gilani-Kayani meeting on 16 th was no more
than a pretension despite the fact that it lasted more than three years.

NEWS
In Pakistan, Chairman of the Abbottabad Commission held a press
conference on 8th December. He said the investigation report into the US raid
that killed al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden is expected to be completed by
the end of December. He said that the commission has summoned the
president also but he has immunity as a president. He further said that the
commission also reviewed the way through which US helicopters entered
the premises. He said statements of more than 100 witnesses have been
recorded during the 20 investigating sessions of the commission. One of the

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media reporters asked him whether the killed man in the raid was really
Osama Bin Laden or anyone else. He replied If I tell you this then what else
will be left for the report? You will know this when report is out.
Parliamentary Committee on National Security sought details from the
government regarding agreements with the Unites States. Prime Minister
had asked the panel at its previous session to finalize recommendations on
new terms of engagement with the US, the decision that had been taken by
the government in reaction to NATO attacks.
Nawaz Sharif hailed government of boycotting Bonn Conference on
Afghanistan future and suspending supplies for NATO to Afghanistan in
reaction to its attack on military check posts. Talking to media, the former
prime minister said that the NATO supplies should remain suspended until
the alliance tendered apology for the assault which violated Pakistans
sovereignty. Shujaat Hussain said that President Zardari would not resign
and complete his mandated term. In reply to a question, he said Memogate is
a fraud and a person sitting outside the country was creating doubts in the
minds of the people.
The doctors at American Hospital conducted brain MRI of the
president, which gave credence to reports that he actually had a mild stroke
instead of any cardiovascular problem. Doctors conducted brain MRI to
check any possible damage caused to any part of the brain because of the
minor clotting in the blood supply.
The United States wished President Zardari well after aides said he
suffered a heart attack and dismissed rumors that the civilian leader was
being pushed out. We have seen the reports. We certainly wish him a speedy
recovery, said White House spokesman Jay Carney. Hillary Clinton said
that the US has no reason to speculate about Asif Zardaris medical
condition and expected him to be able to return to work in full health.
Munter also made similar announcement. Mansoor Ijaz said that Hussain
Haqqani should be allowed to speak truth about the memogate
controversy, and be offered immunity from prosecution.
DGMO briefed the Senate Standing Committee on Defence; he said
NATO air strike was pre-planned. NATO helicopters kept on firing until the
two check posts were completely destroyed. Meanwhile, at least 22 militants
were killed in air strikes in Kurram Agency. The Supreme Court fixed
December 19 for hearing Memogate controversy. At least forty NATO oil
tankers and containers were burnt in rocket attack in Quetta.

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Next day, COAS met Prime Minister and briefed about steps taken
along Afghanistan border. Air defence on the border has been upgraded to
make it capable of shooting down aircraft by equipping it to trace, detect and
shoot down any aircraft. Protests continued against Salala attack. Secret
agencies, foiling a major terror bid in Lahore, arrested a terrorist from
Raiwind and recovered a suicide vest from his custody. Three Rangers were
killed and four wounded in three bomb blasts in Karachi. Chief Minister of
Balochistan instructed to send back NATO containers and tankers.
While claiming that the closure of two border points by Pakistan has
had no impact on the US military effort in Afghanistan, the Pentagon called
for their reopening. General Martin Dempsey said that the US forces have
achieved all the military targets in Afghanistan, adding that the safe havens
of terrorists are present in Pakistan and needed to be dismantled along with
the countrys influence on Afghanistan.
The Council on Foreign Relations Center for Preventive Action
anonymously surveyed US officials and experts to compile an annual list of
the most plausible conflicts for the US in 2012. A conflict with Pakistan, the
euro crisis, and a political instability in Saudi Arabia emerged as top
potential threats.
Within 24 hours of Hillary and Munters assurance that Zardari would
return soon He said that he would come back to Pakistan soon to the
disappointment of his enemies. Hussain Haqqani submitted his reply to the
Supreme Court with regards to the memogate scandal and Haqqanis lawyer
Asma Jahangir also filed a miscellaneous application requesting the apex
court to recall its interim order of December 1 which she said was passed
without issuing any notice to his client. But the SC Registrar returned the
application with the objection that instead of filing application, the applicant
should move a review petition on the courts judgment. And Asma said she
would be filing an appeal against the objection.
On 10th December, Majid Nizami said US was trapping Pakistan with
the help of India and Afghanistan. Imran said that US-led war on terror has
cost Pakistan more than any ally and it cannot afford further participation in
it. The deputy commander of the Pakistan Taliban confirmed the two sides
were in peace talks, a move that could further fray the US-Pakistan
relationship. He said Taliban do not want to fight own armed forces.
State Department spokesperson said the United States was working
hard to keep open channels and get back to work with the Pakistani
government. Zardari was reported to be improving, but no words about his
703

return. Meanwhile, a roadside blast at University Road on the second

consecutive day claimed a life.
Next day, Frontier Corps Balochistan took control of a Shamsi airbase
after US military personnel vacated the facility in line with a demand from
the government of Pakistan. The US shifted five drone aircraft from Shamsi
airbase to Afghanistan. US personnel dismantled residential barracks which
had been set up for the military personnel.
General Dempsey said US-Pakistani military-to-military relations are
a mess. ISAF said there was no surety that Mohmand-like incidents wont
recur. Prime Minister said blockage of NATO convoys could last for weeks
and Pakistan may also shut airspace.
Osamas widow was on hunger strike for her release from custody in
Pakistan. Trucks carrying goods under Afghan Transit Trade were stopped
before entering Khyber Pass on reports that these were carrying NATO
supplies. Four NATO tankers were burnt and four hijacked in Bolan Pass.
Both Taliban and the government refuted reports about peace talks.
On 12th December, the Abbottabad Commission summoned Wajid
Shamsul Hasan in the last week of December. He has been summoned to
explain comments that Pakistani leadership was aware of the May 2
operation of US Special Forces. On the other hand, Wajid Shamsul Hassan
said the commission could not summon him directly and only the Foreign
Office could call him. He said he would respond when he receive summons
from the Foreign Office.
DG ISI briefed the conference of Pakistani envoys stationed in
western countries about Salala attack. Ahmed Shuja Pasha told NATO attack
was tantamount to disgrace Pakistans sacrifices in war against terrorism.
Fazlur Rehman said that the United States has been defeated in Afghanistan
and is now trying to flee the war-torn country.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi accused Zardari for going to any extent for
the sake of his rule. He said he would make more disclosures about nuclear
assets during PTI's public meeting at Quaid-e-Azam Mausoleum on 25 th
December. Zardari was reportedly under the radar of military establishment
even at the local hospital in Dubai. Two US diplomats met Nawaz Sharif in
Raiwind reportedly for Hussain Haqqanis exit from Pakistan.
In his interview to Hamid Mir Cameron Munter called the NATO
attack as a terrible tragedy. He gave no indication that the US would take
any action against Mansoor Ijaz as demanded by Zardari regime. About the
704

state of relations between the two countries, he said they were slowly but
surely improving. He said both the countries were on the same side in the
war on terror.
Next day, the concluding session of the two-day moot of diplomats
laid down a tentative roadmap for reviewing Pak-US strategic cooperation,
to be put forth to the government for policy formulation at decision-making
level. Three major decisions believed to have arrived at during the
conference envisage a restricted or curtailed response in the backdrop of
prevailing hostility with the US, resumption of NATO supplies only after
receiving adequate assurances and assuring harmony of interests between
political, military and diplomatic leadership.
Recommending to discard old rules of the game governing Pak-US
relationship particularly those concerning war on terror the diplomats
advised setting up an official framework for giving land route to the
Afghanistan-bound NATO containers and oil tankers, only after the
fulfillment of certain conditions set forth by Pakistan after last months
attack. This entailed monitoring the containers, tankers movement through a
formal and well-enforced agreement, imposition of heavy taxes including
customs, levies and import duties on NATO consignments and introduction
of strict criteria for customs clearance once these shipments get landed at
Karachi Port via sea route from Dubai. The related proposed measures
include continuing with the blockade of NATO supplies till an official
apology, following written assurances, is rendered by the US and NATO.
According to diplomats, the conference was a symbolic reflection of
national unity transpired at diplomatic level. Previously, Pakistans military
gave several briefings to parliamentary panels and politicians to exert
unanimity in Pakistans political and military interests. Addressing the
concluding session prime minister made it loud and clear that under no
circumstances, Pakistan could accept flagrant transgression of its territorial
frontiers and this remained the baseline of countrys foreign policy to uphold
the sovereignty, dignity and national honour.
General John Allen told reporters at a news briefing in Kabul that he
recently spoke on the phone with General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. He said he
believes Pakistan will soon send liaison officials back to NATO headquarters
in Kabul that were pulled after the Nov 26 incident. Allen said the two did
not discuss when Pakistan would reopen its border crossings to NATO
convoys transporting supplies for troops in Afghanistan.

705

Meanwhile, Leon Panetta said that maintaining good ties with

Pakistan is essential to win war in Afghanistan as he voiced his confidence
that Washington and Islamabad can repair their strained relationship.
Ultimately, we cant win the war in Afghanistan without being able to win
in our relationship with Pakistan as well, Panetta told journalists on the
flight to Kabul. Panetta was also hopeful about reopening of Pakistani
ground supply routes into landlocked Afghanistan.
US Administration said it had not cut any civilian aid to Pakistan,
noting that it was an on-going move in the Congress right now. We have not
cut $700 million in aid to Pakistan, State Department spokesperson Victoria
Nuland told reporters at her daily news conference. What we have is
something on the defence authorization bill, which is currently moving in
the Congress, which would require the Department of Defence to continue
providing a strategy on how we will use certain military assistance and
measure its progress, in particular on progress that we are making with
Pakistan on the IED issue, Nuland said in response to a question.
Hina Rabbani Khar said that Pakistan was only being made scapegoat
as it could not be held responsible for every ill in the neighbouring country
Afghanistan. She also feared suicide attacks from Afghanistan. Farhatullah
Babar said COAS and DG ISI will send their replies to Attorney General for
submitting before the Supreme Court in memogate case. Meanwhile, a
policeman was among nine people were killed in clashes in Khyber Agency.
On 14th December, speaking in the Senate, a charged Gilani termed
taking the memogate scandal in the Supreme Court as a conspiracy against
the parliament, revealing that the sick president was not willing to go to any
hospital in Pakistan due to security threats. He also made a stunning claim
that a senator was still in contact with Mansoor Ijaz and conspiring against
President Zardari and the parliament.
He added that the people had also alleged Maulana Maududi, Khan
Abdul Wali Khan and Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti as traitors. This tradition
should be put to rest for good. He assured the house that no decision would
be taken without the consent of the parliament and that the government
would formulate its policies regarding relations with US, India, NATO, and
ISAF as well as on Kashmir issue in consultation with the parliament.
All medical tests of Zardari were clear and he was discharged from
the hospital in Dubai. Doctors have advised him rest at home for some days
and continue medication. Mansoor Ijaz claimed that ISI chief had visited
Saudi Arabia to win support for removing President Zardari.
706

Meanwhile, Pakistan Armys top brass denied having taken up the

NATO supplies blockade issue with the Western military alliance while
confirming contacts with its top commander. At least one person was killed
while six others were injured when a rocket hit a security check post in
North Waziristan. One security personnel was killed and four persons were
kidnapped in Khyber Agency.
Next day, the federation in its reply filed in the Supreme Court
challenged courts authority to hear the memogate case, while the chiefs of
the Army and the ISI said there was enough evidence suggesting that a plot
had been hatched against the army and the country, and called for a through
probe into the matter.
Army Chief stated that memo was a reality and the issue should be
probed. General Pasha in his reply gave out the details of his meeting with
Mansoor Ijaz, along with his assessment that the material handed over to
him by the US national regarding his contacts with Husain Haqqani was
credible. The cabinet, law, defence, interior and foreign secretaries also filed
their replies in the memogate case through AGP. The replies of the COAS
and DG ISI were also submitted through the AGP, who said no changes were
made to the replies of Gen Kayani and Lt-Gen Pasha.
Earlier, a two-member delegation of JAG Department met AGP in his
office. Media quoted sources saying that PPP leader Babar Awan also
attended the meeting. They said that the army team with the help of the
attorney general gave final touches to the reply which was to be submitted to
the apex court on behalf of the COAS and DG ISI.
The reply from Mansoor Ijaz was also received in the court the same
day through foreign ministry secretary. In his 81-page reply, which contains
his Witness Statement, BlackBerry Messages (BBM) screen shots and
handwritten notes, Ijaz gave detail of his meeting with ISI chief. Husain
Haqqani has already submitted his reply to the court, maintaining that the
allegations leveled against him were false and it was a conspiracy against the
country. AGP talking to the media said that President Zardaris reply would
not be submitted today (Thursday) and he would file it today (Friday).
The SC office on directives of the chief justice forwarded the copies
of the received replies to all the petitioners and respondents in the petitions,
with the direction that if they desire to file replies of these replies they may
do so before the date of hearing.
The federation in its 3-page reply challenged the Supreme Court
jurisdiction to hear the memo case and its constitution of an investigative
707

panel, saying it (federation) is custodian of national sovereignty. It said that

parliament, which is an elected institution, was the right platform to
investigate the issue. It also stated that the president and the prime minister
have no link with the memo issue. The PPP government has rendered
numerous sacrifices for the restoration of democracy in the country, it added.
The federation also gave the reference of another article published in
The Independent blog on December 3, 2011. According to the blog General
Pasha had been traveling throughout the Arab world and other countries as
well right after bin Laden raid (and he) sought and received permission
from senior Arab leaders to sack Z (President Zardari).
COAS in his reply to the court stated that the memo was a reality and
a conspiracy was being hatched against the army and the national security.
He says in the reply that the Financial Times published Mansoor Ijazs story
about the memo on October 10. He was informed about DG ISIs meeting
with Mansoor Ijaz on October 24 and Pasha was of the opinion that there
was enough evidence to validate the authenticity of the memo.
Kayani writes that on October 28 the spokesperson for the foreign
ministry and the presidency denied the memo in their separate statements.
Admiral Mike Mullen through his spokesperson first denied receiving the
memo on November 8 but a few days later changed this stance.
The reply goes on to state that on November 13, during a meeting
with Prime Minister, he advised that those points of the memo which were
leaked were very sensitive and that a decision had to be made on it being
real or not. He insisted that the prime minister summon Haqqani so he can
brief the countrys leadership about this matter. Kayani told the prime
minister that time was limited and the sooner we found out the facts the
better it would be.
On November 15, Kayani said he was called by the president for a
meeting and met him at 2pm in the afternoon. According to Kayani, the
prime minister had already informed the president about his
recommendations. President Zardari informed Kayani that the decision to
summon Haqqani had already been made. On November 21, US General
James Jones confirmed that he had taken the memo to Mullen.
Kayani said that he was part of a meeting which also included the
prime minister, president and DG ISI on November 22. It was during this
meeting that Haqqani briefed all of them and Prime Minister asked for
Haqqanis resignation and ordered an investigation.

708

At the end Kayani writes that there was enough evidence validating
the memo and there should be full review to evaluate the circumstance and
facts behind it. General Kayani said that the memo tried to adversely affect
the morale of the Pakistan Army but was unsuccessful in doing so.
In his 4-page reply over the memo controversy, DG ISI stated that he
was satisfied with the evidence provided by Mansoor Ijaz. He said Ijaz
would not have been able to write the article in Financial Times without
having evidence about the memo. He said the article was part of a neverending propaganda against ISI.
He requested the court to summon Mansoor Ijaz and direct him to
produce proofs of the matter. He said without proofs, no one could write
such a big thing in his article. He requested the court to summon Blackberry
data and computer of Husain Haqqani and order its forensic examination. He
said he would fully cooperate with the commission to be constituted by the
court on memo issue.
Pasha said he had met Mansoor Ijaz on Oct 22 in London to know the
facts. He said he came to know about Ijazs article through media wing of
the ISI, adding that ISI was in forefront in the security of the state. He stated
that he had asked the president in his meeting with him that memo issue
should be taken as serious.
According to the reply of Mansoor Ijaz, who claimed of authoring the
memo at the asking of Husain Haqqani and delivering it to former US Joint
Chief of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, DG ISI met Ijaz in London with the
consent of Gen Kayani. Pasha told him: It was his and General Kiyanis
deep desire to see government complete its term. On the data debriefing,
DG looked a bit astonished at what he was seeing but at no time did offer
any assessment of the data other than to indicate that the records were clear
and convincing evidence.
Mr Ijaz mentioned that Lt-Gen Pasha read the memorandum himself
and expressed his surprise and dismay at times disgust and disappointment
over the content of the document. But, he did not ask a single question about
the content of the document other than if he would be willing to divulge the
names of the others besides Haqqani that would be the part of new national
security team. I (Mansoor) did so with the caveat that I did not believe
either Karamat or Durrani knew anything about the plan to deliver the
memo, the contents of the memo or the mindset of Haqqani and those behind
him dreaming up the scheme, says the reply.

709

During the debriefing, Pasha opened Ijazs computer, BlackBerry

device and questioned how the data was stored, transmitted and displayed.
The DG ISI carefully analyzed dates, times, properties of Microsoft
documents to see when the documents were created and how they fit into the
timeline Mansoor stated, Lt-Gen Pasha looked at the original telephone bill
logs, checked the time at which each BBM messages were sent or received
and also reviewed the handwritten notes.
Ijaz stated that contrary to media report, at no time Lt-Gen Pasha tried
to send BBM to Haqqani from his handset. The ISI chief recorded the PIN
numbers that Mansoor had for Haqqani, both old and new one. Haqqani did
not have the third PIN at that time. Lt-Gen did ask how he stored email
addresses and to see the ones he had for Haqqani one from his private
university mailbox (Boston University) and one for official use at the
embassy in Washington.
About the exchanges of BBM and calls to Husain Haqqani, Ijaz stated
that Haqqani explained to him that bin Laden episode created severe stresses
between the Pakistan Army/intelligence agencies and the civilian
government. In Haqqanis words army and the ISI pin the blame of
Abbottabad event on President Zardaris administration. Mansoor writes that
Haqqani said in clear words the army wants to bring the government down.
Haqqani sought his help and said it was urgent to get a message
verbally to the Americans. The ex-Pak envoy to US said this was a 1971
moment. The right person, as yet undefined, to give this verbal message to
was Admiral Mullen. Ijaz mentions in reply that he asked from Haqqani
whose authority he was acting on behalf of. Haqqani said there was a likeminded group of people in Islamabad that would be brought on board by
the boss a reference to President Zardari as the new national security team,
once tension had dissipated. He mentioned two names and I (Mr Ijaz)
recognized (Jehangir Karamat and Mahmud Durrani) but added that they
would be approached once this was all over.
Mansoor writes, on the insistence of Haqqani, he contacted Gen Jones
for delivering the message to Mike Mullen. Gen Jones first reaction was
that Pakistani officials often made verbal promises that they didnt keep.
Gen Jones said: He would not consider taking any message to Admiral
Mullen if it wasnt in writing. Mansoor said he told Haqqani about Gen
Jones concerns. Haqqani on May 9, 2011 dictated a series of points that
ultimately became the basis of first draft of memo.

710

Ijaz Mansoor said he sent draft to Haqqani for review and on phone
asked about the authority. Haqqani said: Dont worry about that, Ive got it
sorted out with the boss. Mansoor writes that before giving memo to Gen
Jones for Mike Mullen he again confirmed from Haqqani that he had the
authority from the highest political level to proceed with the operation. He
said: I have got the bosss approval, go ahead.
Ijaz reiterated he was prepared, without hindrance of any type
whatsoever, without concern for personal safety, ignoring the threats that
were made and continue to be made to him, and with the consent and
support of his family, to appear in front of the apex court to present the
physical evidence in his possession and to allow such evidence as he has to
be forensically tested in any manner chosen by competent, independent and
unbiased experts retained by this court that the authenticity of these data can
be ascertained with certainty.
However, Mansoor Ijaz, in his Witness Statement described that his
loyalties were first and foremost to the national interest of the country where
he was born the US. He clarified that he acts at the behest of no person in
government, outside of government, in any foreign country or the US.
According to Mansoor Ijaz he maintained high-level political, military
and intelligence contacts in nearly two dozens countries around the world,
during the past decade, but had no contact with any Pakistan government
official civilian, judicial, military or intelligence except General Ehsanul
Haq, President Asif Ali Zardari, Hussain Haqqani and Lt-Gen Ahmed Shuja
Pasha. In the end of his Witness Statement, he thanked the Chief Justice of
Pakistan and the judges of the apex court for permitting him to be heard in
completeness and said he was ready to answer any court questions.
ANPs Bushra Gohar demanded resignation of DG ISI for seeking
Arab support for President Zardaris ouster as alleged by Mansoor Ijaz.
Taking the floor after the remarks of Bushra Gohar, Ch Nisar backed the
demand. However, he also made it clear that he never asked for the
resignation of the Haqqani. Nisar further said that Bushra Gohar represents
government benches so the ANP should ask the PPP government to take
resignation from DG ISI.
Speaking in the National Assembly, the prime minister said Pakistan
will not tolerate unilateral attacks. He added that Pakistan was a peace
loving country and wanted peace in Afghanistan and in the whole region. He
warned that Pakistan would not tolerate such attacks in future. Hillary

711

Clinton said that relationship with Pakistan was difficult but important for
the United States.
The US House of Representatives approved a billion dollar defence
bill, which, among other things, freezes the $700 million in aid to Pakistan
until the country offers greater assurances to Washington to contain the
spread of Improvised Explosive Devices. While briefing a parliamentary
body on national security regarding Islamabads agreements with the US and
NATO, Hina Rabbani Khar said that US will be responsible for defeat in war
on terror as Pakistan could not fight the war alone.
Next day, one soldier and 38 militants were killed in fighting that
ensued after an attack on military post in Orakzai Agency; 25 soldiers were
also wounded. PML-N filed another application before the Supreme Court to
make three other people party in Memogate case; i.e. Wajid Shamsul
Hassan, Shaheen Sehbai and Mohammad Malick. Shaheen Sehbai and
Mohammad Malick both are the journalists.
Munter met Prime Minister, who asked the US to respect Pakistans
red lines, its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. He urged that close
cooperation was maintained between Pakistan and the US to fight against
terrorism and wanted to work with the US to defeat the menace of terrorism.
US Ambassador gave a vague assurance. Obama Administration sought to
assure Pakistan that the legislation on aid could be waived.
Top US man has jumped into the legal battle to help prove that
Hussain Haqqani, ex-Ambassador to Washington, is innocent in the entire
episode. The former US National Security Advisor James Logan Jones has
handed over his affidavit to Asma Jahangir, Haqqanis counsel in the
Supreme Court of Pakistan, stating that Mr Haqqani had nothing to do with
the memogate.
Sheikh Rashid said that the next seventy two hours are very crucial
and anything could happen in the country. He observed that for the first time
Army and Mian Nawaz Sharif were standing at the back of the Judiciary and
the ball was in Government's court and cautioned that if the Government
reacted in haste, the situation would deteriorate.
He said that the army would foil all conspiracies against the country
and the verdict given by the Supreme Court in Memogate would be
implemented. He added the army supported democracy but would not like to
see a person staying in Aiwan-e-Sadr who was working on foreign agenda.

712

He referred to Prime Minister's statement that elections would not be

held for a long time if the elected government was removed and advised him
not to make such statements that create uncertainty. He said it is the country
of 180 million people who can take care of it. To a question, Sheikh Rashid
said Hussain Haqqani was begging the US to get him out of Pakistan.
Similar is the case of Wajid Shamsul Hassan who avoided coming to
Pakistan for the envoys conference on the ground of illness.
The Scoundrel in Dubai chose Nusrat Javed of Bolta Pakistan to
convey his threat to Army and the Judiciary and in fact to warn all patriotic
Pakistanis. He said that if Article 47 of the Constitution is invoked about his
health then next election would be contested with slogan of aisey dastoor ko
mein nahen manta. Staff was shifted to Dubai to establish a parallel
Presidency in exile.
Wajid Shamsul Hassan, however, claimed that President Zardari
would return to the country next week. Attorney General said that President
Zardari will not file his reply in memo gate scandal. He said that President is
out of country and will decide the policy after his arrival to Pakistan.
Gilani called a meeting of PPP Parliamentary Party to discuss political
situation with special reference to replies filed by Federation, Chief of Army
Staff, DG ISI and others in memo case. Sources informed that it was the
consensus view of the PPP MPs that they should face the challenges
confronting the party head-on and would not adopt apologetic view on any
matter. The party gave the PM authority of taking any extraordinary step in
the prevailing situation. The PM said that the PPP parliamentarians should
not be scared of anyone.
Calling Nawaz Sharif a Tara Masih, Babar Awan said a conspiracy
was being hatched against the Parliament and he (Nawaz) had been tasked to
tighten noose around the Parliament. Addressing a news conference Awan
also took jibes at the Army and the judiciary, though in an indirect speech,
for their alleged anti-democracy posture.
Late at night Prime Minister and Chief of Army Staff met in an
unusual display of harmony. Kayani called on Gilani at PMs House and
reportedly agreed with him that all the departments were working within
their defined constitutional ambit and there was no mistrust between the
civilian government and the armed forces. Both the leaders stressed the need
for a complete unity in the face of issues confronting the country.
They also agreed that replies forwarded by the COAS and DG ISI
were in response to the notice of the Honourable Court, through proper
713

channel and in accordance with the rules of business and should not be
misconstrued as a standoff between the army and the government. Attorney
General had also spent some time with them.
In Afghanistan, a suicide bomber struck a mosque in Kunar on 9 th
December, killing at least six people including a district police chief. Next
day, five people were killed in two blasts in Kunduz. Four people were
wounded in grenade attack in Hub. On 11th December, three Taliban
insurgents were killed and 32 arrested during a series of joint military
operations carried out in various Afghan provinces. Karzai accused
foreigners for fueling corruption.
On 14th December, a roadside bomb killed a district governor and two
of his bodyguards in Helmand province. The governor was driving to work
when his vehicle hit the device. Afghanistan recalled its ambassador from
Qatar for consultations, after an Indian newspaper reported that the Taliban
planned to set up an unofficial embassy in the Gulf state.
Next day, A roadside bomb killed four civilians in Farah. Afghan
authorities named Saudi Arabia or Turkey as the best places to set up a
Taliban liaison office abroad to enable peace talks to end a devastating 10year insurgency. President Hamid Karzai convened a top level meeting, the
outcome of which is not binding, to discuss how to move forward with a
peace process derailed by the assassination of his peace envoy, Burhanuddin
Rabbani, in September.
On 10th December, scores of people held protests against human rights
abuses in Kashmir occupied by India and lit candles in a vigil to mark
World Human Rights Day. On 15th December, replying to a question in the
Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs presented a portion of the
minutes of the Commerce Secretary level talks held last month. The move
to full normalization of trade shall be sequenced. In the first stage, Pakistan
will transition from the current positive list approach to a Negative list. The
consultation process on devising this Negative list is almost complete.
On 16th December, the government put the name of former Indus
water commissioner Syed Jamaat Ali Shah on ECL and stopped his
remaining salaries and pension due to alleged serious negligence and failure
to raise countrys concerns in time over the construction of much-debated
Indian Nimoo-Bazgo Hydroelectric Project violating Indus Water Treaty.
Meanwhile NA was told that India was building more dams.

714

In Balochistan, two people were shot dead and another wounded in

firing incidents in Khuzdar and Hub on 10th December while a body was
recovered from Musakhel area. Three days later, kidnappers killed Hindu
trader in Quetta. On 14th December, two soldiers were killed and five
wounded when their vehicle hit a land mine in Kech District. Four more
people were killed in incidents of violence elsewhere. Next day, six
miscreants were killed and two FC men wounded in a clash with security
men at Balgadar area, about 200kms from Turbat.

VIEWS
In the context of Pakistan TheNation wrote on 9th December: While
the President has already been diagnosed with a heart condition, and it needs
no excuse to flare up, and while the President, who is 58, is of an age where
the illness could worsen, it is also true that cardiac episodes are caused by
unusual tension. It has already been speculated that the episode may have
been caused by excessive tension.
It is true that the President has been under more job-related
tension than usual, with the attack by NATO on a Pakistani check post, in
which 24 soldiers were killed, coming at almost the same time as the
Memogate scandal, which threatens to implicate the President himself, while
there have been orders by the Supreme Court in the preceding week which
affected him closely, in connection with the NRO and Memogate. It would
only be in the fitness of things for him to disclose his position on these
matters, or any others that might be worrying him.
M A Niazi observed: It may well be that the Presidents legal team
(and Babar Awan was known as a Presidents man, even when he was in the
Cabinet) thought that the Commission was the right issue on which to take
on the Supreme Court, but the fact is that doing so has meant that there
has been created a curiosity about what the Commission might uncover
that the President wishes to conceal. Is it that the President could be linked
to the whole affair, as the ultimate author of the memo Mansoor Ijaz
carried? Does the memo, which attempts to promise the USA everything it
wants in Pakistan, represent the views of the President closely enough to
justify such a linkage? If the President is not linked, the very fact of its being
investigated whether or not he is, would create linkages in public perception
that would be very unfortunate for him. And if he is linked, those linkages
are the last thing he would want.

715

However, the federal government did not take a politically correct

decision to step up its confrontation over Memogate, even if it put the
President at risk, because the memo scandal was overtaken by the Nato
attack on a Pakistani check post, which led to 24 soldiers being killed. By
this, it managed to give new life to the Memogate issue, which otherwise
would have been completely buried by the attack. The Nato attack has
allowed the whole government, including the President, the opportunity of
making patriotic poses in public, while Memogate shows how patriotic its
authors are.
The Presidents belief that the charges against him are politically
motivated is true in a perverse kind of way. As his, and earlier his wifes,
stints in office meant that he could not be prosecuted, for abuse of power,
only political opponents could prosecute, creating the impression of
persecution. However, the linkage cannot be escaped. If Memogate involves
the judiciary, the check post involves the military, both institutions that
refused to subordinate themselves to the PPP. The President should ensure
that, by obedience to the former, he should ensure that the nexus with the
latter remains broken, for it is that nexus that provoked dismissals of elected
governments.
Rakhshanda-Rakhshanda-R opined: As far as the person, who is
alleged to have authorized the memo, is concerned, it is quite evident
that he has demonstrated total moral bankruptcy and lack of
commitment to the national cause and interest. If he is sitting in a high
office, having been elected to provide a democratic and popular form of
governance to the people of Pakistan and look after national pride, then,
unfortunately, he has completely failed to do so.
The major question, however, is: Will the Government of Pakistan
be able to diligently handle this delicate case with the care and
sensitivity that it deserves? Certainly, this is going to be a test of its
commitment to national cause and people. Only an impartial inquiry can
reach at the bottom of the truth. The government should, therefore, support
PML-N Presidents move to have the confusion decided by the Supreme
Court. If the government fails to deliver, according to the peoples wishes,
then the consequences for it will be grave and it will not be able to escape
their wrath. It might result in a situation worse than the long march, since no
one will compromise on national integrity.
People working against the nations interest will not be allowed to
go scot-free. They will have to face the consequences of their evil designs
716

and be made such examples that no one ever dares to follow in their
footsteps. Pakistanis are waiting to see the outcome of Memogate, but may
not be able to wait for long. It is time to act quickly to restore national
honour and pride, and show the rest of the world that we are a respectable
nation and know how to guard and maintain it.
Mohammad Akram Shaikh commented: There is another side of the
story, which suggests that such an attack could be an extension of the
controversial memo attributed to President Asif Zardari and Ambassador
Hussain Haqqani; it may have been mounted on Pakistan in furtherance of
the objectives detailed in the memorandum, reportedly, written to the US by
an American loyalist, Ijaz Mansoor, on dictation from Haqqani and with the
blessing of President Zardari in order to generate pressure on the Pakistan
armed forces, justifying action against their leadership, including dismissal
of a few Generals, for having failed to defend the territories of Pakistan.
One is not really aware what pressure did it mount on the armed
forces, but the pressure on President Zardari became manifest from his
sudden departure for Dubai after notifying to the nation that he would
address the joint session of Parliament in his capacity as President, CoChairman of the PPP and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. The
American Magazine, Foreign Policy, quoting some official of the State
Department reported that President Zardari was not coherent in his long
conversation with President Obama in the aftermath of Salalah raid.
It was yet a greater surprise when on Tuesday afternoon the story of
President Zardari leaving for abroad started pouring in the media. By then,
not only the controversial memo written in May 2011, when the action could
have been taken against the military leadership more convincingly, had lost
its relevance, but also the leaked story stalled any such action the same way
as was done by the joint session of Parliament and in-camera briefing by the
Army Chief and DG ISI. The Salalah incursion had once again unified
the whole nation behind its national institutions, which include the armed
forces, the Parliament and the judiciary.
An in-depth analysis of the two events, i.e. the sending of
controversial memo and the Salalah incursion, unequivocally suggest that
the controversial memo was initiated at the behest of the US
administration through their own handpicked source whom the National
Security Advisor, General James L Jones, has publicly owned as a confidant
of Pentagon and the US

717

The nation awaits a drop scene of this long strife between

President Zardari and the military leadership, as the country cannot
afford any stand-off for such a long time and every passing moment is
making people of this beleaguered country more and more tense. This is the
time when everyone is remembering Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, who with her
political wisdom could have offered a solution for the present ongoing
crises.
Next day, TheNation commented: The statements indicate that an
apology would be considered sufficient in certain circles, even though the
DGMO told the Committee that NATO had a poor record of investigating
such incidents, which was why Pakistan had refused to be part of its
investigation. Though not part of that investigation, the DGMOs view
cannot be easily controverted, even by someone part of the NATO
investigation, let alone who do not form a part, such as elements within
Pakistan, including Mian Nawaz. If the government has indeed decided on
an implementation of the various resolutions calling for a review of ties with
the USA, then it should not be fobbed off merely with apology. He claimed
that the attack was the result of ignoring these resolutions. If the attack was
deliberate, as the DGMO said, it reflects the belief that Pakistan will
continue its obedience if given such face-saving as an apology. The
precedent, unfortunately, was created last year, when NATO supplies were
suspended after a NATO attack, but restored after an apology was issued.
The only solution to this dilemma for both sides is for Pakistan to
reconsider in its entirety its alliance with the USA. Being an ally has
proved no protection against an unprovoked attack. It is therefore only
logical for Pakistan to stop being part of the USAs war on terror. The
government may have certain self-imposed compulsions for the alliance,
which it assumes keeps it in office, but if the price is NATO helicopters
shooting down Pakistani troops, apologizing for the deaths it will inevitably
cause, the game is not worth the prize and the government must put the
national interest above the merely partisan.
Inayatullah observed: A Brigadier General of the US special
operations forces has been appointed as the enquiry officer. The strike had
come from the Special Forces personnel. On the very face of it, with an
officer of the same unit heading it, it will not produce an unbiased
report, Pakistan has refused to join the enquiry our DG Military
Operations (DGMO) having already stated that the attack was deliberate and
at least the second round of strikes was definitely planned, as this occurred
after the concerned authorities had been alerted by Pakistani officers.
718

There is a lot more that would work to add to the existing tension
between the two countries. For one, the question of allowing supplies for
the ISAF through Pakistan. Reducing the unacceptable activities of
American experts and contractors, for another. Also, the American insistence
on Pakistan for retaining the military coordination posts along the Afghan
border.
Again, five overarching major issues have remained
unresolved. One: The USAs persistent demand for operations against the
Haqqani group in North Waziristan, although Washington recognizes that
Pakistan for good reasons is not willing to meet the American wishes.
Hillary is on record asking the country to help bring the Haqqanis to the
negotiating table. Her formula of fighting in this case is meant for Pakistan
and talking for the USA. In other words: Heads I win and tails you lose.
Two: Pakistans role in the Afghanistan endgame. Strange that,
despite its vital role and sizeable potential for further contributions, both
Washington and Kabul are chary of substantially involving Islamabad in the
process. Mention may also be made of Karzais generally negative attitude
towards Pakistan.
Three: The Bonn Conference. The idea of initiating a regional buildup for Afghanistan, before the complex questions relating to transitional or
post-exit dispensation are resolved, lacks a convincing rationale. It is like
putting the cart before the horse. It is, to some extent, linked to the next issue
of Indias role in the endgame and after. Pakistan is unhappy at the USA for
godfathering Indias increasing involvement in Afghanistan.
Four: Another major irritant for Pakistan has been the deliberate
moves by Washington to interfere in its internal affairs. The Kerry-BurmanLugar Act is a clear example of how the US has been unabashedly working
to assume the role of a master. In this distorted equation also falls the
souring of ties between the GHQ and the Pentagon (particularly, after the
kind of language used by the ex-Chief of the US Armed Forces, Admiral
Mike Mullen). Five: Into this imbroglio has tumbled the Memogate with its
as yet undetermined implications for the US-Pakistan relations.
So the daunting challenge of resetting relations between Islamabad
and Washington and charting out a new framework with carefully designed
rules of engagement and SOPs will have to be addressed after wide
consultations in Parliament and outside, involving the few think-tanks and
specialists that we have in Pakistan. The ongoing discussions with our
diplomats posted abroad, is a good beginning.
719

Zeeshan Adhi opined: The United States of America is dealing with a

country with an impeccable army and a nation with an unimpeachable sense
of pride. It is inconceivable that the deaths of Pakistani jawans will be
forgotten. It is not only fair and conscientious, but also just and equitable
that the NATO and the Americans apologies for the deaths of Pakistani
soldiers. The Americans must show such grace.
Subsequently, this can be used as an opportunity to redefine the
strategic partnership between the two countries, based on a candid
understanding of each others objectives. It is improbable that Pakistan and
the United States can pursue their goals in the region without
accommodating each other, and without acceding to each others
preferences. To this end, one can wish that the two countries will use this as
an opportunity to re-examine and ameliorate their long-term partnership.
Mohammad Jamil wrote: Some analysts accuse Pakistan of its
duplicitous role, conveying the impression that the leadership is not
sincere with America. Though it is the other way round, and Pakistan is
not getting a fair deal from the US, yet they also raise the question whether
its armed forces have the capacity and ability to respond if the Americans
conduct a May 2-like operation to take out Ayman Al-Zawahari? They, in
fact, are trying to create a wedge between the people and the armed forces.
But they will not succeed, as the people of Pakistan have full confidence in
the armed forces, and will continue to support the military in its fight against
the enemies of Pakistan.
Today, the nation is confronted with gigantic challenges, both
external as well as internal. Externally, a heady superpower is sending
ominous signals. Internally, the nation is hopelessly entangled in a vicious
terrorism involving a multiplicity of terrorist forces, including foreign
proxies, homegrown militants, sectarian fanatics, ethnic firebrands and
criminal thugs. At this point in time, the ruling and opposition parties and
their leaders should work in unison to meet those challenges and make
Pakistan a self-reliant country and not dependent on any foreign power.
Shamila N Chaudhary visualized the possibilities and effects if
Pakistans president disappears and concluded: Campaign rhetoric and the
subsequent government transition will undoubtedly create anxiety and
anticipation in the United States, India, and Afghanistan, all governments
who will be closely analyzing the professed platforms of the likes of Zardari,
Khan, Sharif, and Musharraf. Security developments in the region will
continue to deteriorate, with Pakistan at the centre of them. As of now,
720

Pakistan's next wave of civilian leaders has nothing new to offer in terms of
a grand security bargain with the region or the United States. But expecting
as much is like putting the cart before the horse a great deal must occur in
the meantime the US drawdown in Afghanistan; political negotiations with
the Taliban; rapprochement with India on Kashmir; and the list goes on.
Presuming that Zardari has some fight left in him, however, Pakistan
still has a long way to go in its election season. It's best we all sit back,
relax, and enjoy the show while the truth continues to unfold.
On 11th December, TheNation wrote: Reportedly, the charge of the
base would first revert to the UAE and then to Pakistan. The authorities
should not rest with its vacation and, in line with the widespread public
demand, get possession of other bases, Jacobabad and Pasni. Besides,
the new rules of cooperation with the US that Mr Gilani reiterated were
being worked out must contain the commitment that there would be no
further drone attacks on our territory. These rules must be in black and
white; for the experience goes against reliance on oral assurances.
The truth is that the open avowal of General Martin Dempsey,
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that the US would cut Pakistans
influence in Afghanistan constitutes an undeniable testimony to that effect.
Thus appeasement of any sort, at this stage, would go against our national
interests. We must stick to our stand whether it pertains to the defence of
our territorial sovereignty, the drone attacks or any other form of attack, the
closure of airbases, the blockage of the NATO supply channel or dispatch of
troops to North Waziristan to take on the so-called Haqqani network.
Foreign Minister Hina Khar is right in telling Ambassador Munter that no
single person can change the decision on stopping the transit of NATO
containers to Afghanistan. If General Dempsey claims that the Americans
have achieved their military targets in Afghanistan, one wonders how he
could justify the demand to do more that he maintains would continue to
be made. Pakistan must also gear up its diplomatic machinery to present to
the world its side of the picture about the rationale of its present posture.
Jalees Hazir observed: Amidst these momentous developments,
one still hears the bay-ghairat brigade squealing about the consequences
of disobeying the badmash superpower. They harp on the same old tunes
that they repeat ever time an effort is made to work towards an independent
foreign policy. Essentially, they frighten us with three doomsday fallouts that
they insist we can ill-afford. To begin with, they warn us that we cannot go
to war with the superpower, suggesting that any effort to break free from the
stranglehold of US policy would result in an all-out war. Then they tell us
721

that our economy will collapse without the funds we receive in aid and loans
from the US and the international financial institutions under its wings.
Finally, they tell us that Pakistan will be over-run by militants and
extremism if we walk away from the US, and the only way we could save
ourselves from that fate is to blindly follow the US diktat. They would like
to convince us of the helplessness of our situation. Their arguments betray
their slavish mentality more than anything else.
Let's take the last argument first. The decade-long US occupation of
Afghanistan has actually fuelled militancy and extremism not only in
the ravaged country, but also in Pakistan. Armed resistance has emerged,
as the only way to fight occupation by a ruthless and unscrupulous foreign
army in Afghanistan. And in our tribal areas, death of innocent civilians by
drone strikes has pushed more and more young people into the ranks of
militant outfits. There are also reasons to believe that the US has a direct role
in funding and arming militant groups and manipulating them to its ends.
Millions of dollars were, reportedly, doled out to warlords in Afghanistan by
the US to ensure safe passage of its supplies through the areas controlled by
them. Similarly, the Raymond Davis episode exposed the shady liaison that
CIA maintained with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan. It is unfortunate that the
civil and military leadership helped him escape the country, rather than
getting to the bottom of the matter.
In any case, religious extremism and militancy are not problems
that we can solve by hiding behind the dirty shoulders of a meddlesome
and widely-hated superpower. It is actually the job of Pakistani leaders to
tackle the twin menace of religious extremism and militancy and, as it is
becoming clearer by the day, it can't be done through US-directed military
operations. In fact, the problem must be approached in a holistic way,
reforming various aspects of religious institutions and education that feed
these trends, and taking stock of the social and economic context within
which they grow. Military power might be required in certain cases, but
surely the entire strategy cannot be based on shooting them down.
The argument about the economic collapse is also myopic. It has
been reported that Pakistan did not receive a single dollar from the US this
year, nothing under the Kerry-Lugar eyewash and nothing under the head of
the Coalition Support Fund. As far as the IMF is concerned, its poisonous
loan injections are known around the world for their crippling effects on the
poorest sections of the population. We have seen it in full action in recent
years, complete with its prescriptions of indirect taxation and increases in
the cost of utilities. IMF loans and dole-outs from the US and its rich NATO
722

allies are actually instruments of colonial control that only serve to create a
false notion of dependency. Other than feeding corruption among the
bureaucratic and political elite, with some crumbs thrown to consultants and
employers of various useless and fruitless projects, they serve little purpose.
We would be actually better off without these dole- outs and crippling loans,
and could finally sit down to fashion our economic policies based on our
own needs and resources.
The most absurd argument is about a war with the US. Basically,
it asks us to behave like a pigeon, who closes its eyes on seeing an
approaching cat. Whether we like it or not, the US is engaged in an
undeclared war against Pakistan that it sees as a hurdle in its plans for the
region. Obviously, eliminating safe havens of terrorism is just an excuse.
Whether it is the posturing of its puppet government in Afghanistan and its
strategic partner India, or its aggressive meddling in which gas pipeline
should be built between which countries, the signs are too many to ignore. In
fact, it would be difficult to come to any other conclusion if one were to
connect the many damning dots from the previous years. If the bay-ghairat
brigade didn't see it before, the Mohmand attack should have made it clear
as daylight. So what are they saying basically? That we should let ourselves
be bled by an enemy just because it comes disguised as a friend?
A war is not such a good thing and no sensible person would
advocate starting one, with a weak country or the mightiest military alliance.
At the same time, the bay-ghairat brigade should understand that taking
cognizance of a war brought to our border and defending ourselves from
the deceptive attacks by a so-called ally does not amount to starting a war.
In fact, this is the only way to end the unjust war across the border that has
gone on for too long!
Faisal Qureshi wrote: Is this the end of the memo, or is the memo
actually shedding light on some of the very strange happenings during
the past few months? Was the attack on PNS Mehran, the murder of a
journalist (Saleem Shahzad), and numerous bomb attacks on navy buses, just
random acts of terrorism? Or were they actions taken in response to the
Presidents alleged request for America to sort out Pakistans armed forces
and intelligence agencies?
Then comes the finale, at least of this chapter NATOs ruthless
attack on Pakistans two army checkpoints. I doubt if this had anything to
do with the requests made in the infamous memo. In fact, none of the
experts Ive talked to during the past few days have been able to concretely
723

explain, what America had to gain from this rather ridiculous attack. Some
say, it was meant to provoke the Pakistan Army into a retaliation, which
would give them a reason to attack Pakistan, but I dont agree with that.
I also dont agree that Mr Zardari would take refuge in Dubai to
avoid legal cases against him. He is the one man, who is not scared of
going to jail. It only makes him stronger. Mr Ijazs reputation and history
also leaves no doubt that the American establishment is backing him, and
using this to create a divide between Pakistan Peoples Party and the
establishment. NATOs attack has only further deepened this divide.
Asif Zardari may or may not return. He may actually be ill. But
the fact will remain that his government has set Pakistan back by a few
centuries and plunged Pakistan into an almost irreversible economic crisis.
The nation is in debt. Pakistan Rupee will never again be 50, or even 60, to a
US Dollar. The educated who have left the country for safety and
opportunity, will probably not return for generations. We have bigger
problems than just taking Mr Zardaris pulse.
Next day, Momin Iftikhar opined: Haqqanis ambassadorship is
history, yet, in marked contrast to the entrenched thesis of civil-military
acrimony, his exit has strongly demonstrated a manifest civil-military
consensus in Pakistan over the issue of the Memogate and his apparent
culpability. What he stands accused of would be unacceptable and
unpardonable in any democratic dispensation under any given set of
circumstances. The Memogate affair is no run-of-the-mill episode and has to
be thoroughly investigated; a fact that has all Pakistani institutions on the
same page... Haqqani is being afforded full opportunity to defend himself for
his alleged role in the sordid affair. It will be unjust of him and his
supporters to take cover behind his flawed rationale of being a victim of
his pronounced anti-army bent.
Pakistan is passing through one of the most precarious periods of its
existence, which calls upon all national institutions to stand close and united.
No wonder that in such dire times the civil-military relations and the
national unity of purpose have become major targets of our adversaries and
detractors. Memogate is being twisted and exploited by vested interests to
grievously harm the functional harmony of national institutions and for
imparting a divergent push to the system. While maintaining our balance
and sanity, there is a need to investigate the episode dispassionately,
unearth the truth and then let the law take its course. In the meanwhile,

724

we have to ensure that our collective gaze at the manifest and evolving threat
does not waver.
Khalid Iqbal observed: The physical threat to Pakistans nuclear
assets is real. However, it is not from non-State actors operating in
Pakistan, but from America itself. A considerable effort has been put in
place by the American forces to plan such an eventuality; special teams have
been trained and put through rehearsals. It is also possible that America may
engineer a crisis scenario in Pakistan to justify such an action. Unfortunately,
Pakistani militarys inability to put up a timely military response to the
Abbottabad and Salalah attacks have further emboldened the Americans to
think that such a misadventure is a doable. Surely, Pakistans political and
military leadership needs to put its act together and plug all loopholes to
deter America from undertaking such misadventures. All intruding aircraft
must be shot down to dispel the impression of lack of capacity and
capability.
On 13th December, TheNation commented: The control of the base
marks steps towards repairing damages to our sovereignty as far as the
Shamsi airbase is concerned. It is imperative that possession of bases at
Jacobabad and Pasni is also received. Without that, we would not be justified
in claiming that we enjoy full and unalloyed territorial sovereignty. The
lending of any piece of land to a foreign country is scandalous, and it
becomes all the more outrageous when that power uses that very place
to launch attacks which claim thousands of lives in casualties, most of
them innocent civilians.
The whole nation is still seething with anger, 16 days after the brutal
incident, and not a day passes without street demonstrations taking place
against this outrage Under these circumstances, there appears to be little
justification for the resumption of NATO supplies. Prime Minister Gilani has
also said that it may take some weeks before the vehicles carrying these
supplies are allowed to pass through Pakistan. However, Mr Gilani had
earlier maintained that the decision on their continuation would be taken by
Parliament. One wonders how he should be making such an observation
without Parliament having considered the matter. In view of the ISAF
commanders remarks, NATO may want to consider making alternative
arrangements for the shipment of its goods, and the containers and trucks,
which have clogged our roads.
M K Bhadrakumar observed: The message of the US strike of
November 26 was a test case intended to soften up the Pakistani
725

military leadership and compel it to fall in line with the USs strategy.
Sheikh Nahyan tried to talk some good sense into the minds of the Pakistani
generals. But the Shamsi episode underscores that the contradiction in USPakistan relations is far too acute to be reconciled easily or in a near term.
The point is, it is turning out to be contradiction of a fundamental character.
The implications are serious. Pakistan is obstructing the USs regional
strategy. Put differently, Pakistan is a vital cog in the wheel of the US
strategy.
Pakistan dissociated openly from the agenda of the recent
Istanbul conference (November 2), which aimed at creating an
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe-type regional security
mechanism for Central and South Asia and launching the New Silk Road
project aimed at rolling back Russian and Chinese influence in Central Asia.
Pakistan also boycotted the Bonn conference (December 5) that was
expected to legitimize the long-term US military presence in Afghanistan. To
be sure, the two events floundered.
Washington is now left guessing whether Pakistans strategic
defiance is for real. Its historical experience is that the Pakistani elites
eventually buckle under American pressure. But the strategic defiance over
Shamsi would come as a surprise. Meanwhile, by ceding Afghan policy to
the Pentagon (and CIA), Obama has taken the precaution of minimizing the
scope of this problem area causing controversy during his re-election bid
next year. Petraeus is also well liked by the Republicans.
This is an Ayub-Khan moment in the US-Pakistan relationship.
Once again, popular opinion in Pakistan threatens to intrude into the
relationship. But then, there are key differences, too. Kayani is far from
General Ayub Khan was. Besides, China is not only the Soviet Union or an
adversary of Pakistan, but is in reality its one and only all-weather friend.
How can or why should Pakistan possibly collaborate with the USs
containment strategy toward China?
The most important difference between 1958 and 2011, however, is,
firstly, that Kayanis nativist traditions require him to act within the
collegium of corps commanders who are acutely conscious of the mood
within the armed forces, which is that Pakistan should shake off the
albatross that was hung around its neck in late 2001. Second, the
Pakistani army is taking great and meticulous care that while traversing the
shark-infested waters in the months ahead, it holds the hands of the

726

countrys civilian leadership at every stage, every moment. The challenge

facing the US is to locate an Ayub Khan, but it is an improbable challenge.
Javid Husain opined: Realism in our US policy requires that we
must also be cognizant of the limitations of our friendship with it. For
instance, it is well known that Washington wants to build up India as a world
power to act as a counterweight to China in Asia. Pakistan neither has the
desire, nor the capability to play such a role. Therefore, while India is part
and parcel of the US grand strategic design for Asia, Pakistan is not. This
explains Washingtons policy of de-hyphenating its relations with New Delhi
and Islamabad and according India a higher strategic value than that given to
Pakistan in its calculations. This also explains why Washington has entered
into a civilian nuclear cooperation with India, despite the severe blow
delivered by it to the international nuclear non-proliferation regime through
its nuclear explosions of May 1998, while rejecting such cooperation with
Pakistan. Other factors such as the biased US policy in favour of Israel as
against the Palestinians and its current animosity toward Iran may also
circumscribe and limit our cooperation with the US. Even on the issue of
terrorism, there are differences between the US and Pakistan strategies,
despite their firm commitment to combat it.
Differences between the Afghanistan policies of Pakistan and the
US, however, are the main source of the current tensions between them.
The two countries must reconcile these differences to strengthen their
friendship and cooperation. Washington must understand that it cannot
impose a government of its choice on Afghanistan in disregard of the wishes
and the cultural traditions of the vast majority of the Afghan people. The
peace process in Afghanistan must be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned.
Secondly, it must rely on political initiatives, rather than military means
alone to achieve its objectives in Afghanistan. Thirdly, reconciliation among
various Afghan groups whether Taliban or non-Taliban and ethnic
communities whether Pakhtuns or non-Pakhtuns is an essential condition for
durable peace and stability in Afghanistan. The multi-ethnic character of the
Afghan society calls for a broad-based government in the interest of durable
peace. The withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan will have to be an
essential element of any peace settlement in the country. Finally, any
political settlement in Afghanistan must enjoy the support of its neighbours,
particularly Pakistan and Iran. At the same time, Pakistan must refrain from
the blunders of its pro-Taliban policy of the 1990s when it alienated most of
the non-Pakhtun communities in Afghanistan. It remains to be seen whether
our government has the wisdom and the courage to convey this position to
727

Washington unambiguously. Until it does so and until the differences

between Washington and Islamabad are reconciled, the Pakistan-US
relationship will remain a troubled one prone to frequent crises.
A R Jerral asked: What can happen if we get out of the American
yoke? There were some doves on the talk shows expressing dangers that the
USA might militarily move against Pakistan; yes, they can! But we are a
nuclear power and we boast about it. The way things are moving Pakistan
seems to have become weaker after this capability was acquired. The golden
eggs that we have are meant for use when the going gets tough. Pakistan
may be attacked, but cannot be defeated if we have the courage to stand up.
Death is not desirable, but at times dying with dignity becomes the essence
of life; that is the lesson that Month of Muharram gives us. Pakistan military
is the insurance policy, the nation has taken out for which they pay a heavy
annual premium; the policy is seemingly lapsing. All I ask the military
leadership is not to fail the nation; the nation collectively will back you to
the end if you resolve to face the dangers bravely.
Next day, TheNation wrote: US Senate as well as House of
Representatives has agreed to suspend Pakistans aid of $ 700 million. The
charge is that ammonium nitrate; a bomb-making material is being produced
in two fertilizer factories in Pakistan and smuggled into Afghanistan. The
implication is that we are sponsoring terrorism.
This is the latest accusation to tarnish the image of the country. And it
also explains the American intentions to keep Islamabad under pressure.
Consider the expansion in drone warfare as well as the bombing of the
Salalah check post that left 25 soldiers dead. There have been several other
acts of aggression in which our soldiers have been particularly targeted.
Given public sentiment in Pakistan in the aftermath of the Salalah attack,
Prime Minister Gilani's as well as other leaders' hints at the possibility of
resuming the ties as well as restoring the NATO supplies if the US tenders
an apology, will not be well received. Any compromise will seem to be
making a mockery of the blood of our soldiers, brutally slaughtered by
attacking gunship helicopters, which our military believes was a deliberate
attack.
The government must persist with the blockade of the NATO
supplies and see to it that the conduit of Afghan Transit Trade is not used
to transfer oil and war equipment into Afghanistan. The government
must simultaneously demand that all US troops pull out of Afghanistan by
2014 as planned. Inside Pakistan, hundreds of CIA agents providing
728

intelligence to assist drone warfare and working against our national security
should be shown the door. Pakistans assistance to the US in reaching a
political solution to the conflict in order to make way for its graceful exit
must be suspended until such time as relations between the two improve.
Meanwhile the Defence Ministry has stated that in the past the NATO
supplies were transported without anything in black and white. One is
entitled to ask why the government did not sign any agreement with the
US. From the uneven course of the bilateral relations it appears that Pakistan
is content to be considered a fiefdom where drone attacks are carried out
with impunity, strategically located air bases occupied and use its territory to
provide equipment to the troops in Afghanistan without any approval or
knowledge of or from the state.
Karamatullah K Ghori observed: Gilanis government has already
burned its fingers badly in the Memo-gate scandal in which the main
target was the Pakistan army and its privileged status in the governance of
Pakistan. The fallout has already claimed the scalp of Hussain Haqqani, the
alleged pivot of the conspiracy against the army and President Asif Ali
Zardaris erstwhile pageboy in Washington as his ambassador.
Memo-gate is also said to be the reason why Zardari has
mysteriously sneaked out of Islamabad and sought refuge in Dubai,
ostensibly for medical treatment. Islamabad is rife with rumours of his
nervous breakdown; political pundits and media gurus are wagering their
reputations that this is the end of the road for Zardari. Understandably,
therefore, the Gilani government could ill-afford to not being seen standing
tough and tall against a major breach of Pakistans honour and sovereignty.
So a deep chill has enveloped US-Pakistan relations. Theres a
complete stand-still at the moment. NATO supply trucks arent moving, at
all. Six hundred of them are jammed at the border check-posts at Khyber
Pass and at Chaman. Thousands of containers destined for Afghanistan are
cluttering the ports of Karachi and Gwadar. Gilanis latest pronouncement
says the freeze may persist for months to come.
Cynics might say, and are already arguing, that Pakistan is overreacting and taking the matters to a point of no-return. But with the
whole nation thrown into paroxysm of rage over the issue could the Gilani
government afford to be out of step with the national consensus? More
importantly, could it resist dancing to the tune set off by General
Headquarters after the cold-blooded murder of 24 of its men in uniform?

729

The Americans, on their part, arent helping matters much.

Senators from both sides of the aisle are insisting on cutting off all military
aid to Pakistan. The armed forces chief, General Martin Dempsey, may have
remonstrated on Friday that relations with Pakistan were in a mess, but
wasnt prepared to concede the basic Pakistani argument that the incursion
was planned or deliberate. The US commander of the International Security
Assistance Force in Kabul, General George Allen, sounded completely out
of sync with the prevailing mood in Pakistan by insisting he couldnt give a
guarantee that there would be no repeat of the Mohmand incident in the
future.
After such a bland expression of nonchalance and arrogance of
power from the Americans, it looks increasingly hard to counsel the
Pakistanis to hold their horses and not let them gallop out of the terrain.
Whats there left to a relationship that has, from the beginning, been a
marriage of convenience, at best, is the argument being heard increasingly
in Pakistan. Is anyone in Team Obama listening?
On 15th December, TheNation commented: The two-day envoys
conference that concluded at Islamabad on Tuesday opted for a complete
recast of our relations with the US and revisiting Musharrafs
agreement to get written assurance for respect of Pakistans sovereignty and
an official apology from Washington for the unprovoked NATO attack on
the Salalah check post on November 26. Prime Minister Gilani defined
sovereignty as the baseline of Pakistans foreign policy. The conference
agreed that Pakistan would not lift the blockade of NATO supplies till such
guarantees were received. The Ambassadors were also of the view that
reliance on US aid must be reduced.
These decisions come in the wake of the NATO attacks in Salalah,
which have raised expectations of the government by the people of Pakistan
to take a firmer stance than before. The all parties conference and
Parliament also prescribed the same. There is little doubt that the nation is
ready to make sacrifices to secure national honour and sovereignty. If
the US aid is indeed reduced, it will have to be followed by a strict regime of
austerity practiced by the high as well as the low in the country. Only with
the full utilization of our resources, would it be possible to bail the country
out of its current economic predicament. It is good to note that a detailed
procedure for the clearance of NATO containers, tankers and trucks passing
through Pakistan was also spelled out. That would make these vehicles
movement smooth, reducing the chances of pilferage and other untoward
incidents on their way from the Karachi port to the border crossings into
730

Afghanistan. Pakistan would be justified, as the conference decided, to

conclude a formal and well-enforced agreement with the US and the NATO
for monitoring these vehicles. Under this agreement, heavy taxes, including
customs, levies and import duties would be imposed and a strict
criterion of customs clearance of these shipments enforced. Besides, the
moot recommended bringing about a total convergence of Pakistans
political, diplomatic and military interests. Its important that Pakistans
pursuit of strategic endeavours is not to collide at any point at political,
diplomatic and military levels. National consensus is the key to reflecting a
nationalistic agenda in our foreign policy, remarked a participant.
To sum up, the conclusions of the conference were the right
response in a time of crisis. As we have noticed, the drone strikes are on
hold for fear that the planes might be shot down, and attempts are afoot to
woo Pakistan. Even the hawkish Defence Secretary Leon Panetta now does
not see victory in Afghanistan without Pakistans support. Of course, the
idea is not to have a total break of relations with Washington, but this is just
the moment to make it commit to all that falls under the domain of our
national interest.
Next day, TheNation wrote: Informing Parliament should mean
answering questions and laying them to rest, but Prime Minister Yousuf
Raza Gilanis address to the Senate raised further questions in the process of
answering them. This was probably because the answers he gave were
meant to protect his government from any accusation, rather than tell
the Upper House freely and frankly what had actually happened. He
said that a member of the Senate was still in contact with Mansoor Ijaz, the
Pakistani-American businessman who passed on the memo which is at the
centre of the Memogate scandal, but he refused to specify who it was,
though his speech was covered by parliamentary privilege, and if he had
named the member, he would have shifted the onus of explanations onto the
member, rather than where it rests now, himself.
Another troubling dimension of his speech was his disclosure that the
President sought treatment abroad because his life was under threat.
Coincidentally, that is the reason why MQM chief Altaf Hussain went
abroad back in 1991, but it still leaves the question raised, but unanswered,
of where the President, who presumably enjoys foolproof institutional
security, feared for his life. It also raises the question of how much security
and safety does the ordinary citizen enjoy if the President himself is in
danger. There are two issues that need clarifying. First, will the
President be safe on return? Also, what is the source of the threat? Is it
731

something which threatens all citizens, or is it specific to the President?

Without answers, the Prime Minister has merely enhanced the existing sense
of instability and the impression of the breakdown of law and order.
Perhaps of more fundamental importance is his saying that going to
the Supreme Court over Memogate was a subversion of Parliament, which
was also seized of the matter. Why the Prime Minister wishes to prevent any
citizen approaching the courts is something that only he would know,
especially when the Supreme Court not only entertained that citizen, who
happened to be the PML-N chief, and whose order in the matter, to set up a
commission, is being ignored by Mr Gilanis government. The Prime
Minister should take the earliest opportunity of answering the various
questions he has raised, provided of course he wishes to shed light on
these issues, not merely to throw dust in the eyes of his anxious fellow
citizens. His answers should come in Parliament, where the original
confusion was created. If this confusion continues, that over the Presidents
address to the joint session will recede into the background.
M A Niazi opined: The strain question is relevant. The President must
have found himself under strain because of the Memogate scandal, as well as
the Salalah check post shooting. Both involved the military, and the
Americans. Normally neither would bother the President, but this President,
being Co-Chairman of the party in office, was not just a Head of State, but a
quasi-head of government as well. The Memogate scandal, in particular,
showed that the President allegedly was so much in charge of the policy
towards the USA that the Ambassador to Washington was his man more than
the governments. However, apart from Memogate, the Salalah check post
killings prevented him from keeping up with the policy that he has
followed ever since becoming head of the party, that of doing whatever
the Americans want.
It is to be assumed that the President has a number of lessons
driven home to him by this episode. But apart from whatever reminders of
his own mortality that he has had to face, there are the public lessons. The
first is of the need for a proper mechanism, both official and party, to deal
with the publics right to know about any life-threatening illnesses that
might threaten the holders of high office. It is not just the President or the
PPP Co-Chairman, who is in question here, but also the Prime Minister and
the candidates for that office. Here we have Mian Nawaz Sharif, whose
father not only died of heart disease, but who himself recently had a serious
heart ailment while Imran Khan not only had a father who lived to a ripe old
age, but a mother who died of cancer, a heritable disease, apart from
732

providing him the motivation to build a cancer hospital. The incumbent,

Yousuf Raza Gilani, is actually older than the President, at 59. Both history
and age dictates that there should be a mechanism. The country deserves as
much.

REVIEW
Truth about the underworld is seldom known to the world outside; it is
more so when it pertains to an elusive Don. The scarcity of truth provides
fertile ground for germination of rumours which in turn breed fear of
unknown. The fear makes people apprehensive and even terrorized. So is the
case with the world of which Zardari is the Don.
Zardari, the Scoundrel and his buddy Gilani, the Saint, are fully aware
of the importance of curbing truth for smooth sailing of their power boat.
They deliberately muddle a plain truth when they have slightest doubt that it
could go against their interests. This was amply demonstrated when the
Scoundrel hastily retreated from the Presidency in Islamabad to American
Hospital in Dubai.
Ten days after the medical-cum-tactical move of Zardari, the media
and other observers were still scratching their heads to dig out the truth.
While the nature of his sickness has not been made public, one thing can be
said with a degree of certainty that all has not been well about Scoundrels
cardiac or mental health.
This was first hinted at by an unnamed official of the White House
after Obama had talked to Zardari on telephone and found him speaking
incoherently. The second authentic observation was made by Maulana Fazlur
Rehman who had spent few hours with Zardari on his request. Fazl too
found him incoherent.
The crux of Fazls observation as told by him on a TV channel was
that Zardari was under pressure on various counts in the recent past.
Memogate and resignation of Haqqani took the toll and unbearable blow was
delivered on 1st December when the Chief Justice heard the petitions and
hinted at application of Article 6. On that day Zardari telephoned Fazl and
remarked that how many dead bodies they wanted to send to Sindh and
requested Fazl to come over some time. Fazl obliged and found Zardari
perturbed on this count.
From this it could be inferred that Supreme Courts hearing of
petitions relating to memorandum had pulled the strings of his guilty
733

conscience very hard. Zardari, whom his close aides claim to have been
blessed with steely nerves, could not bear the alarm bells that rung loudly
from inside. He spent uneasy time during first week of December and at one
stage reportedly fell unconscious momentarily.
His aides got together and took some decisions to tackle the situation
created by the sudden collapse of nerves of steel. The decisions so taken
remain secret, but inferences can be drawn from the events that followed.
The truth about Scoundrels sickness was deliberately muddled by officials
and party leaders by issuing contradictory statements.
The Saint claimed that it was he who advised the Scoundrel to go to
Dubai to get out of the muck and mess of his own creation. The Saint said
he could not be treated in any Pakistani hospital because of the threats to his
life from terrorists. He, however, did not mention any likely mischief from
doctors or paramedical staff.
Having established that no Pakistani hospital was safe for the
Scoundrel and he was not prepared to leave the safety of his Den in
Presidency, it was inevitable that he must be sent to Duabi, an alternative
den. As no one was sure about how long he would stay there so
contradictory statements were the best way to stall the queries about his date
of return.
Stay in Dubai could be long, both for medical and tactical reasons,
therefore, Bilawal was summoned to hold the family fort of PPP. Zardari
was admitted in American Hospital and spent some time in ICU for his
routine medical checks which took more than a week to be completed.
Doctors then recommended two-week rest.
Meanwhile, the Scoundrel in Exile asked the opponents not to ridicule
his buddy, the Ailing Scoundrel. He was right, because sickness might not be
the real reason of Zardaris dash to Dubai. According to Hamid Mir, who
exchanges SMS messages with him, Zardari enjoys the confusion about his
health; more the confusion, more he relishes.
The tactical part of the Dubai Move is of much more significance,
which obviously he does not enjoy at all. He has gone there to fight back
from safe stand-off distance. The Scoundrel stayed there and waited for the
two Generals to play there cards and he then decided his next move of not
filing his reply in the court.
In Islamabad, all the civilian representatives of the federation waited
for replies of COAS and DG ISI and when received these were discussed
734

with Prime Minister in the presence of legal wizards like Babar Awan and
then federation finalized its stance.
While waiting to know the contents of replies of the Generals, Zardari
regime did not sit idle. It must have tried to patch up with them.
Concurrently, Rehman Malik met Cameron Munter and demanded the US
administration to proceed against Mansoor.
The regime would have liked the Army to be satisfied with the multipolar head of Haqqani and stop short of pushing for bi-polar scalp of
Zardari. This did not happen; the Generals pleaded to the apex court to take
the issue to its logical end. In view of the clear stand of two generals which
implicated Haqqani and caused aspersions about his boss the federation
decided to defy court proceedings.
Haqqanis lawyer, Asma Jahangir pleaded that the issue was out of the
jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. The federation refuted everything, in
other words, pleaded not guilty at a stage when even the criminal
investigation had not yet begun.
Standing with the main culprit is favourite line adopted by criminals.
If they take different lines, the discrepancies in their statements could be
easily exploited by investigators to extract the truth. In the world of
criminals some wisdom of civilized people is practiced more religiously
than where it belongs to. The criminals firmly believe that united they stand.
In this context, precaution was also taken to prevent Haqqani from becoming
an approver; therefore, he was confined to the comforts of Presidency and
PM House.
Zardari gang also worked on its favourite line accusing the accuser,
instead of arguing in defence and at last an article was found in time to be
included in federations reply. Omar Warraich in his article in Independent
Blog had written that DG ISI had been seeking consent of Arab leaders for
overthrowing Zardari regime soon after Abbottabad raid. This point,
however, had been mentioned in revelations made by Mansoor Ijaz more
than a month ago.
Copy of this article was attached to the reply filed by the federation,
because it pertained to DG ISI in isolation of other facts. The purpose of
attaching the copy of article wasnt spelled; so it was for perusal only. The
purpose was mentioned out of the court, in National Assembly where a
coalition partner of the regime, Bushra Gohar of ANP, demanded that DG
ISI should resign following the precedence set by Haqqani.

735

Other moves also made the impact. Babar Awan, a Punjabi, has been
assigned the task of playing the Sindh Card. Soon after the PPP
parliamentarians meeting he came out with his guns blazing. The result was
a three-hour meeting between Gilani and Kayani. James Jones became the
first American to stand in defence of the faithful, which could be the result
of Malik-Munter meeting for countering Mansoor.
To conclude it may be said that the replies submitted in the apex court
by all but one made only one thing clear that a wide gulf existed between
civil and military top brass on memo issue. The generals seemed sure that an
attempt to commit crime against the security of Pakistan had been made.
They also have the clues about all those involved but stopped short of
pointing finger at them with the exception of Haqqani. This has been a well
deliberated decision; they know the culprits for certain but they also know
well that the charge against them will be extremely difficult to prove in a
court of law.
On the other hand, Zardari and his gang have decided not to speak
even the half truth. As usual they are in defiance mode despite the irrefutable
fact that the memo exists. They, like Generals, know that charges against any
one other than Haqqani cannot be proved in a court.
But they are also fully conscious that culpability of others cannot be
disproved. It is for this guilt in their conscience that their defiance turns into
belligerence more often than not. They even talk about doing away with
Pakistan, which is far bigger crime than writing of the memo.
17th December, 2011

EXTRAORDINARY FEAT

736

This article, which covered events of four weeks ending 16 th

December, was erroneously deleted and irretrievably lost. This article
pertained to war on terror fought around the globe away from the main
theatre of war called Af-Pak region.
Some important events sans views and review worth mention were
as under:
Emergence of democratic rule in North Africa in which Islamists
gained power.
This clear victory of Islamic parties in initial rounds of polls, which
caused concerns in some quarters of the West.
Stalemate in Yemen persisted.
Assad remained in power despite violence in streets and sanctions
imposed by the West and their Arab puppets.
On the eve of pullout of US troops from Iraq Obama boasted of
extraordinary achievement of ending the war.
Iran first shot down a US spy craft and then hacked another and
forced it to land causing embarrassment to the superpower.
17th December, 2011

DIVIDE IS CLEAR II
737

The Scoundrel hopped back to the safety of his Den in Islamabad in

two stages. His first stop was at Karachi where he met his Sindhi card
players and MQM partners. He also met Gilani and Asfandyar and vowed to
defeat all conspiracies against democracy.
On 19th December, the Supreme Court had second hearing of the
memo scandal and directed all parties to submit their statements on oath.
The complied except Zardari and not quite surprisingly, the gulf between
civil and military leadership remained in place. The bitterness in their
relations was now being reflected frequently by the democratic forces in
their criticism of the military.
Gilani on shortest day of the year decided to take on the Army and
ISI. He seemed to be providing legs to walk the memo-talk. He declared
state within the state wont be tolerated and institutions have to work under
the government. He gave the first turn to the screw by counter-questioning
as to who issued visa to Osama for staying in Pakistan for six years.

NEWS
Farhatullah Babar said on 17th December that the Army Chief
telephoned President Zardari last night. During the conversation, General
Kayani inquired about the health of the President of Pakistan. This
happened during Gilani-Kayani meeting and more than ten days after
Zardaris evacuation to Dubai.
Federal Law Minister said, we have no hope of Justice in memogate
case but will implement every order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, but
we will not surrender our authority. Statement of James Jones on affidavit
was submitted in the Supreme Court in secret memo scandal case by
Haqqanis lawyer, Asma Jahangir, in which Jones has exempted Haqqani
from all charges leveled by Mansoor Ijaz.
A petition was filed in LHC against President Zardari to stop him
from performing his duties. Counsel for the petitioner took the stance against
Zardaris statement regarding implementation of Article 47 in which the
President said if the article applied, his next election manifesto would be
main nahin manta (I dont accept).
Taking suo moto notice over a plea, from a Canadian of Pakistani
origin that security of all the Pakistanis was threatened due to the memo
controversy, Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry on Saturday issued notices to
President, PM, ISI DG, Hussain Haqqani, the Attorney General and others.
738

The CJP in his order said that this application should be treated as
petition under Article 184(3) of the constitution, as prima facie threat to the
security of Pakistan/citizens had been alleged in it. This case will also be
taken up on December 19 along with the main petitions. Article 184 is about
Original Jurisdiction of Supreme Court and Clause 3 of this Article reads:
Without prejudice to the provisions of Article 199, the Supreme Court shall,
if it considers that a question of public importance with reference to the
enforcement of any of the Fundamental Rights conferred by Chapter I of
Part II is involved have the power to make an order of the nature mentioned
in the said Article.
The applicant, Shafqatullah Sohail on November 19 had send a letter
to the CJP for finding out the truth about the memo, stating that the affair
was directly related to the security of Pakistan and armed forces of Pakistan,
therefore, it was a matter of national security and national interest.
Our national security is at stake now and politicians are just making
fun of each other by forming so-called committees for inquiry; any
committee will delay the outcomes and in fact the justice, the applicant
further said. He said that if the contents of letter were true, each and every
Pakistani was at security threat due to present government, as it would mean
that this government was not safeguarding the interests of its own people
and departments but of other nations and enemies of Pakistan.
My family members are in the Army and residing in Pakistan,
therefore, I am feeling insecure from this government because they
(government) could have invited their (his relatives) enemies to kill them,
the applicant added. He requested the court to take suo moto action on this
matter to find the facts and give a clear judgment after hearing all the parties.
Barrister Zafarullah submitted his rejoinder to the statements filed by
the ISI DG Gen Pasha and Mansoor Ijaz in the Supreme Court. Zafarullah,
who had filed a petition in the SC for forming a commission for
investigation over memogate scandal, stated in his reply that Mansoor Ijaz
was working under American agenda and he has been US security adviser as
well. His answer regarding the memogate is unacceptable, he prayed. He
further said that instead of calling Ijaz or Gen Pasha to the court, evidences
should be presented.
Another petitioner Tariq Asad advocate also submitted his reply on
replies of the respondents, objecting to replies filed by DG ISI and Army
Chief General Kayani. The petitioner said that they submitted their replies in
the court without reading. He said that DG ISI and army chief should again
739

submit their detailed replies according to points raised by the court over the
memogate. He said that Attorney General had also submitted his reply in a
hurry which was unsatisfactory.
Meanwhile, main character of memo scandal, Mansoor Ijaz, has
rejected Gen James Jones sworn affidavit submitted in the Supreme Court
in which the former advisor had claimed he had conversation with Ijaz on
telephone a few days prior to May 9. He said in a statement issued to media
on Saturday that he had his first contact with Jones on May 9 and not before
that date, and it could be proved from his two cell phone bill records that he
did not make any contact with James Jones prior to May 9.
Ijaz said that six minutes after contacting Hussain Haqqani in London
on phone, he made contact with James Jones on his residential phone
number, adding that after that James contacted him via his new cell phone.
The information has been produced in the Supreme Court, he said and added
that he would present complete telephone record to the SC investigation
officials at an appropriate time.
He said Jones statement was correct inasmuch that he never used the
name of Haqqani during their conversation... Ijaz maintained his assertion
that Haqqani had dictated the memo to him. He categorically rejected Jones
claim that Haqqani had no knowledge of the memo, remarking that Jones
has a poor memory, a suggestion that he was hiding the truth.
Meanwhile, at least three soldiers including an officer were killed
when landmine exploded in Kurram Agency. The US House of
Representatives passed a bill imposing more conditions on aid to Pakistan,
especially linking it to cooperation in war on terror and its efforts in curbing
terrorists, including Haqqani network.
Ijazul Haq while talking to Dr Shahid Memood said Zardari has
already moved to England and Americans have met him in Dubai as well as
in London. In the same TV programme Ikram Sehgal claimed that Salman
Farooqi and Rehman Malik were also involved in memo scandal.
Next day, at least 17 militants were killed in air strike in Orakzai
Agency. In Lahore, religious and political parties staged Defence of Pakistan
Rally and demanded exit from Americas war on terror and rejection of
MFN status to India. In Peshawar, Jamaat-e-Islami organized huge public
meeting and Qazi demanded permanent closure of NATO supplies. Pakistan
decided to work on Pak-Iran gas pipeline despite US opposition and planned
to complete the project a year in advance by December 2013.

740

Mansoor Ijaz revealed that three senior Pakistani officials were

involved in the preparation of the secret memo. Interestingly, Ijaz, in his
statement in the Supreme Court, had blackened the names of these US
officials to render them unidentifiable. Zardari staged come back at midnight
and planned to stay in Karachi for few days. Earlier Gilani declared that
memo issue was dead, which was created to avoid Senate elections.
On 19th December, Chief Justice took exception to the ministers' press
conference after December 01 hearing of the Memogate case and questioned
whether it was government's action or ministers' individual act, and if it was
individual act then what action was taken against the ministers who
addressed/attended the press conference. The CJP said that court's orders
were ridiculed in the ministers' press conference while the Press Information
Department was used to ridicule courts.
He directed Attorney General to take action against the former law
minister. The AGP submitted that the Federation has no connection with the
press conference of Babar Awan and what he stated was his own viewpoint.
At this the court asked the Attorney General to give this in writing. Justice
Iftikhar further said that the prime minister should have taken action against
the law secretary over the press conference.
When the chief justice asked the attorney general to move a contempt
case to bring to book the people involved in the press conference, he said
that he was restricted by the rules of business on his role in contempt
proceedings. The court asked him to arrange for the recording of the press
conference to be played inside the courtroom so everyone could see what
was said of the judiciary.
The CJ also criticized Haqqani's counsel, saying that lawyers such as
Asma Jehangir watched the judiciary's criticism in silence. Asma Jehangir,
in reply, told the court: I haven't been watching television for the last seven
days; still I condemn such an attitude. The chief justice said Babar Awan
had brought bad reputation to the family of Tariq Khosa, whom the court had
named for heading the commission, by saying that he was appointed because
he was the brother of Supreme Court judge Asif Saeed Khosa.
The Supreme Court also asked the attorney general to place on record
a copy of Haqqani's resignation along with a copy of the notification of
former SC judge Justice Javed Iqbal's appointment to head the Abbottabad
commission. The court will examine the respondents' statements including
the federal government, the army chief, ISI director general, Hussain

741

Haqqani and Mansoor Ijaz. The CJ adjourned the case till Thursday and
decided to put off the case at the request of Asma Jehangir.
A meeting of the Inquiry Commission on Abbottabad Operation was
held in Islamabad. The Commission held a detailed interactive session with
Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Lt Gen Agha Muhammad Umar Farooq and Aftab
Sherpao. The Commission has summoned Mr. Hussain Haqqani on 20th
December, 2011. Asma Jahangir, said that DG ISI should have resigned
when al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was found and killed in Abbottabad.
ISPR clarified that COAS talked to Zardari by chance for about one
minute. The clarification came after some events of the last 72 hours were
attributed to the telephonic conversation between the two. The US Congress
allocated $850 million for a fund to help Pakistan military develop counterinsurgency capabilities to fight militants within its borders. This is actually a
slight increase from last years $800. Pakistan restored liaison officers at
coordination centers on the Afghanistan border.
On 20th December, the Scoundrel and the Saint met in Karachi and
declared memorandum a conspiracy against democracy and the country and
they vowed to defeat the plots. They said it in the company of Asfandyar,
who pledged full support against unlawful steps. Babar Awan and Latif
Khosa continued defying courts; the former did not file his reply in the LHC
on a petition seeking contempt proceedings.
Hussain Haqqani appeared before Abbottabad Commission and told
that he had been informed about the US raid when he was at Heathrow
Airport on his way to Pakistan. He said that allegations of issuing thousands
of visas to Americans were fabricated. Haqqani also denied charges of any
complicity in the US raid. Meanwhile, Nisar said PML-N lawyers in memo
case were being threatened.
Pakistan recorded its protest in the UNSC over NATO attack on its
border posts and termed it sheer violation of UN charter. Acting Permanent
Representative of Pakistan in the UN Security Council said the NATO attack
was a grave incident. It constituted a transgression of Pakistans territorial
integrity and a flagrant violation of the UN Charter. During hearing of the
case of missing ISAF containers the Chief Justice remarked that tax evasion
is just a tip of the iceberg.
Next day, all respondents, except the President submitted their replies
as asked by the Supreme Court; he too was likely to file his reply tomorrow.
All parties stuck to their original stance. Ministry of Defence also filed its

742

reply in which it said that it knew nothing about memo because it looks after
only administrative matters of the Army and ISI not the operational matters.
Prime Minister chaired core committee meeting which discussed fresh
reply of the COAS submitted in the apex court and decided to stand firm on
their declared stance on the issue. PM House, however, denied holding of
any formal meeting. Zardari arrived in Islamabad and discussed the memo
case with legal experts.
ISPR strongly denied contents of an article written by Omar Warraich
in which he had alleged that DG ISI had visited Arab states in a bid to take
Arab leaders into confidence about ousting of Zardari regime. DG ISI has
served notice to the British newspaper which had published this article.
Parliamentary Committee of National Security asked for provision of
statements of COAS, DG ISI and others submitted in the apex court in
connection with memo case. Chairman Raza Rabbani took input from
members of the committee and rejected the request of PML-N members to
abstain the proceedings as their part had gone to the apex court.
Gilani spelled out new rules for the US; no drone attacks, no
Abbottabad-like action and no violation of Pakistans sovereignty.
Meanwhile, at least 28 militants were killed in fighting in Orakzai Agency;
11 militants and 22 soldiers were also wounded.
On 22nd December, the Chief Justice hinted at formation of a judicial
commission to probe memogate scandal. When the hearing of the memo
case resumed, he said that Haqqani had expressed full trust in the Apex
Court while having no objection to an inquiry to find out the truth. Asma
Jehangir, the counsel for Haqqani, told the court that her client was being
kept with security and she didn't have free and easy access to him. She said
it would take her two to three days to see her client.
The Chief Justice said PM Gilani first of all ordered memo inquiry,
meaning thereby he believed wrongdoing possible. The court ordered the
Attorney General to arrange her meeting with Haqqani at 11am today.
Justice Jawad S Khawaja said it is human rights violation if there was no
easy access to Haqqani.
During the hearing, the CJP asked Asma which forum she wants to go
to for the memo inquiry. Asma said a forum where law is upheld. The CJ
said Highest Judicial Commission can be formed. He also said if the SC can
hear other cases such as Rental Power Plants, why it can't hear the memo

743

case. Justice Jawad S Khawaja says the Parliamentary Committee can't

probe the matter judiciously.
The CJP said that the federal government has not filed its reply on the
affidavits submitted by the Chief of Army Staff and the DG ISI. She said it
has yet not been determined who wrote the memo and who leaked it, and
with what intentions. Meanwhile, former ambassador to US, Hussain
Haqqani brought to Supreme Court building in tight security for meeting
with his lawyer Asma Jahangir as per apex court order.
Prime Minister said conspiracies are being hatched to topple the
democratically elected government. He said this at a ceremony held with
regard to birth anniversary of founder of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam
Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The prime minister said no army in the world could
fight a war without the backing of the masses, adding that the nation would
have to decide if it wanted democracy or dictatorship.
If any individual thinks they are not under the government, they are
mistaken, he said. Dictatorship had ambushed democracy repeatedly, he
remarked. He said efforts were underway to declare the sitting leadership
corrupt. If we are not respected and if I cant guarantee the rights of the
people of Pakistan then I have no right to be the PM of Pakistan, Gilani said
Addressing the National Assembly, Gilani said Without making
anyone target of criticism, I would like to make the point that joint session of
parliament was held to discuss how Osama bin Laden lived in this country
for six years. I formed a commission. Now they are asking how visas were
given. We want to ask which visa Osama used to come (to Pakistan). How
he entered Pakistan? That was the cause for which parliament passed a
resolution, why the security was not taken care of, he said.
Pentagon said that mistakes and misunderstandings caused last
months NATO air strikes, but insisted US forces were fired on first and had
acted in self defense and with appropriate force. NATO leadership,
maintained there was no intentional effort to target persons or places known
to be part of the Pakistani military, according to a Pentagon statement.
There was also no effort to deliberately provide inaccurate location
information to Pakistani officials amid the strike.
US media reports earlier had cited unnamed sources as saying that the
military probe had found US and Afghan commandos were wrong to
conclude there were no Pakistani forces in the border region before giving a
strike go-ahead. A separate NATO investigation also released on Dec. 22
found that both the alliance and Pakistani forces made mistakes in the
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incident, and that forces were unable to properly coordinate their locations
and actions, both before the operation and during the resulting engagement.
A top US general said that an overarching lack of trust between the
US and Pakistan, as well as several key communication errors also
contributed to the tragedy. Air Force special operations officer who had led
the investigation into the incident, said US forces used the wrong maps,
were unaware of Pakistani border post locations and mistakenly provided the
wrong location for the troops. ISPR rejected the report as it had ignored
some important facts.
Meanwhile, at least 21 militants were killed and 14 wounded in air
strike in Orakzai Agency. The Scoundrel in Exile advised the incumbent
scoundrel to exercise restraint about Army and ISI. Swati moved the
Supreme Court to place Zardari on ECL.
In Afghanistan, twin suicide bombers on a motorcycle struck an
Afghan market in the southern province of Nimroz on 19th December, killing
themselves but causing no other casualties. After 10 months of secret
dialogue with Afghanistan's Taliban, senior US officials said the talks have
reached a critical juncture and they will soon know whether a breakthrough
is possible, leading to peace talks whose ultimate goal is to end the Afghan
war. The US was considering the transfer of an unspecified number of
Taliban prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay military prison into Afghan
government custody. It has asked representatives of the Taliban to match that
confidence-building measure with some of their own; including
denunciation of international terrorism.
Next day, David Cameron paid a pre-Christmas visit to British troops
in Afghanistan. Joe Biden declared Taliban are not US enemies and backed
reconciliation process. The Afghan government during a debate in UNSC
appealed for international help to boast talks with Taliban. On 21 st
December, five Polish soldiers were killed in roadside bombing near Ghazni.
General Allen said US troops could stay in Afghanistan after 2014. Mazar-eSharif was linked with Uzbekistan by rail. Next day, dozens of political
parties launched a new coalition bloc hoping to pose a stronger challenge to
the government of Hamid Karzai, which they say is corrupt and misuses
funds meant to rebuild their war-torn state.
On 20th December, it was reported that Home Minister of India was
not inclined to put the Kashmir interlocutors report in the public domain,
lest it opens another can of worms. On 22nd December, India planned to
indict Richard Headley and two ISI officers in Mumbai attacks.
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On 17th December, three people, including former lady councilor from

PML-N, were killed in incidents of firing in different towns of Balochistan.
On 20th December, four people were killed in incidents of violence and a
dead body was recovered from Loralai area. On 22nd December, three people
were shot dead in Mastung and two wounded in separate incidents.

VIEWS
In the context of Pakistan, on 17th December TheNation
commented: The statements filed before the Supreme Court by COAS
General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, DG ISI Lt-General Ahmad Shuja Pasha, the
federation and Mansoor Ijaz, the Pakistani-American who had drafted the
memo allegedly at the behest of then Pakistans Ambassador to the US
Hussain Haqqani, on the Memogate inquiry have created a veritable stir. As
certain new details have come to light, some observers, who earlier were
doubtful of accepting the events as narrated by Mansoor Ijaz, are compelled
to rethink their assessment.
These statements have brought out sharp differences of opinion
between the civilian government and the armed forces. The federation
has even challenged the jurisdiction of the apex court to take up the matter
and maintained that the President and the Prime Minister have no link with
the memo issue. It added that, the Parliamentary Committee on National
Security consisting of the various political parties that it claimed was an
impartial body was already seized of the matter and investigating. The
federation also drew the attention of the court to an article published abroad,
which accused Lt-General Pasha of visiting certain countries to seek support
for unseating the Zardari regime. On the other hand, DG ISI believes that he
is satisfied with the evidence provided by Mansoor Ijaz and has urged the
court to call Mr Ijaz to depose and produce Blackberry data and arrange its
forensic examination. General Kayani, on his part, has told the court that the
memo is a reality and a conspiracy is being hatched against the army and the
national security. He referred to meetings with the President and the Prime
Minister where he asked them that the sooner we found out the facts the
better it would be, since time was limited. From the floor of the National
Assembly comes a call for getting resignation of the DG ISI for plotting to
bring down the government.
The memo burst on the scene when Mansoor Ijaz spilled the beans,
bringing into the open an alleged plot targeting the army and the national
746

security institution ISI and making offers to the US that could compromise
the security of our nuclear assets. The story approaches a crescendo, as the
nine-member bench of the Supreme Court resumes hearing of the case and
summons those whom it deems fit for deposition. Needless to reiterate that
judiciary is the right forum to examine the evidence and arrive at an
impartial and disinterested conclusion. Any other body, be it a parliamentary
body, would not inspire the trust of the public, which is sick and tired of bad
governance, corruption, inflation, insecurity, the multiplicity of ills that beset
the country and the widespread perception that the ruling leadership is ready
to go to any length to ensure its stake in power. One hopes the true facts
will soon come to light and any plans to destabilize Parliament or the
national security will be thwarted.
In another editorial the newspaper wrote: The USA should realize
that its adventurism ill befits its role as the worlds sole superpower. The
other countries of the world do not find it a good global policeman, with the
result that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the real strongman of that
country, has bitterly criticized the USA Putin has another motive, with his
remarks coming during an annual televised call-in following his United
Russia partys poor showing in the recent parliamentary elections, ahead of
his own bid for a third presidential term next year, after having served from
2001 to 2009, giving way to the current President because of term limits. He
has used this result to serve as a reason of a more forward foreign policy.
This, it seems is because the Russian people have rejected the isolation from
the world stage that took place after the USSRs collapse. Ms Khars
remarks came in the course of testimony to the Parliamentary Committee on
National Security in the course of its deliberations on the review of relations
with the USA that had been mandated by the Cabinet Committee on Defence
after the Salalah massacre.
It should be noted, particularly by the USA, that Mr Putin and Ms
Khar were rated friends of the USA, and their criticisms are the result of
hard experience, not knee-jerk anti-Americanism. For Mr Putin to say that
Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown with the help of NATO
planes and Special Forces merely acknowledges recently documented
history. Ms Khars criticism reflects the correctness of Mr Putins
conclusions, for it shows how even an old ally like Pakistan, has found
the US overbearing.
Another common factor is that between them, Mr Putin and Ms Khar
represent the only possible approaches for NATO (including the USA) to
Afghanistan. The Pakistan route has been rendered untenable because of the
747

Salalah killings, and the USSR has a number of issues directly concerning it
to take up with the USA. Pakistan is not alone in its disillusionment with
the world's only superpower.
Next day, the newspaper observed: As the memo scandal continues to
grip the nation, the long meeting between COAS General Kayani and Prime
Minister Gilani at Islamabad on Friday was intended to de-escalate the
tension that political circles believed had arisen between the civilian
government and the armed forces on this issue. The perception of the tension
was based on the written statements filed by the army and ISI in the
Supreme Court on the memo, which were contrary to the point of view
expressed in the federations statement at the court and the known position
of the government. However, a brief official press release issued after the
above meeting rejected the rumour about the civilian authority-army
standoff. It said, The Prime Minister and the army chief also agreed that
replies forwarded by the COAS and DG ISI were in response to the notice of
the Honourable Court, through proper channel and in accordance with the
rules of business(and) taking serious note of the rumours regarding a
confrontation over the memo issue, the Prime Minister strongly rejected the
notion. Besides, they pointed out that there was need for unity to meet the
on-going challenges. However, certain sources sense that this
understanding was reached only after the armys contention that
unguarded, pernicious and accusatory outbursts like Mr Babar Awans
had to be stopped. On the other hand, Mr Gilani, addressing the PPP
parliamentary party, declared that the memo was a conspiracy against
democracy and the government and that it would put up a stout defence
against it.
Every passing day witnesses noteworthy developments on the
scandal that has become the focus of the media as well as the public.
President Zardari has hurled a challenge Among all the confused and
contradictory pleas coming from different sides there exists an
irrefutable reality: the memo. Whatever excuses that are being put forward
by those who believe the Supreme Court has no jurisdiction in the case, it
cannot be denied that it is the only institution, which at present enjoys
widespread trust in the country. Let it examine the evidence and pronounce
its verdict.
Jalees Hazir opined: Things seem to have come to a dangerous head
when replies submitted to the Supreme Court on the memo issue showed a
wide divergence in the stance taken by the COAS and DG ISI on the one
hand, and the federal government on the other. Ideally, this should not have
748

created such a crisis, as the matter is before the Supreme Court and it will
decide on who has the best argument and which reply holds more weight.
Dictatorial unanimity among every State official should not be expected in a
democratic setup in any case. The replies were sent through the proper
channel and do not violate the Constitution. The meeting between the
Prime Minister and the COAS was a good idea and very timely indeed.
It has put the different positions on the memo issue in its proper perspective
and put to rest rumours about a catastrophic confrontation between two
important institutions of the State.
Meanwhile, the repetitive PPP narrative is being thrown at the
citizens with a renewed vigour. All the ghosts from the past have been
recalled to life and are being bandied about by emotional jiyalas. The
victimization rhetoric is at its peak, complete with references to the martyrs
and sacrifices of the party. The official party line is that it respects the
independent judiciary and has excellent relations with the security
establishment, but it does not stop the party men from maligning these
institutions by recounting the wrongs done in the past. Veiled and
unveiled references to their present conduct is also thrown around. That is
not the end of the PPP conspiracy theory. The opposition parties, no matter
how loud they shout about their allegiance to the Constitution, are being
accused of conspiring against democracy, and the media, no matter how
solemnly it swears by democracy, is also a part of this unholy conspiracy.
To get a clearer picture of the democratic process, the PPP wallas
will have to stop viewing their party and leadership as the end-all and
sum-total of democracy. After all, if the Supreme Court decides to take up
the memo case and its findings lead to the impeachment of the President,
there's nothing undemocratic about it. Similarly, if the opposition parties
manage to build a popular movement that leads to the resignation of the
government and holding of early elections, it would not be a violation of the
Constitution. The people of Pakistan are at the heart of its democracy, but
unfortunately they figure nowhere in the contemporary PPP democracy
equation that reads like stuff out of a treatise on hereditary monarchy written
in the last century. If the people vote out Bilawal's PPP for its poor
performance in the next elections, will that be a conspiracy against
democracy as well?
On 19th December, TheNation observed: The daily Nawa-i-Waqt
yesterday in a report revealed that President Barack Obama and Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh are going to sign an agreement in Washington
next month to make India part of Nato in Afghanistan to play its part in the
749

war against militancy. The report adds that the agreement is currently being
given its final touches. Apart from that, Indias position as trainer of the
Afghan armed forces personnel would have the official seal of Washington.
Besides, the two countries, joined by Israel, would be conducting military
exercises in Rajasthan, which would start on December 30. These
developments will cause fresh alarm, given Pakistan's historic suspicion of
its neighbour to its East and that neighbours plans to place it in a pincer by
establishing a dominant role in Afghanistan. While Pakistan's involvement in
the War on Terror in the US coalition continues, fresh fears will be raised
of Afghanistan being modeled into a hostile neighbour under Indian
influence, given this development. The Indians are hardly likely to
encourage Afghans to feel friendly towards us. Advocates of this approach
would have us believe, as Musharraf tried, that we should establish
diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv, in the false hope that that would lessen its
hostility towards us.
In this move, Pakistan will justifiably sense a plan to put pressure on
it from the east as well as the west to ensure that it does not balk at demands
made of it in the context of its strategic designs in the region. And India,
with its age-old hostility towards Pakistan and growing economic and
military might, has come in handy to serve as a counterweight to China to
contain its fast-spreading influence. In return, Washington is pampering it
with undue favours
Against this background, it is difficult not to conclude that the
Obama Administration has decided to assign New Delhi a dominant role in
the Afghan affairs, after it has withdrawn its troops from the country. Quite
obviously, it would be at the cost of Pakistan, even though US officials,
think tanks and the media keep acknowledging that Pakistans involvement
in the restoration of peaceful conditions in Afghanistan and stability of the
region is vital. The emerging scenario should be ringing alarm bells in
Islamabad, cautioning it against the role of foreign intelligence agencies
disturbing the peace in Balochistan. Pakistan is caught in a tricky situation,
being buffeted by hostile winds. Yet, it is no small country. The vast human
and natural resources and intensely patriotic 180 million people could do
wonders. It appears we will have fewer friends to rely on and must look
within to build our self into a fortress of strength to combat challenges we
are now seeing are imminent in future.
Ikramullah wrote: Anyway, the memo issue should be resolved
without undue delay, which, if not settled peacefully on an urgent basis,
may result in Pakistanis as a nation walking through a minefield that could
750

blow up anytime. The ongoing internal conflict and external isolation do not
auger well for the nation, urging the civil-military leadership to heed the
dangers ahead before it is too late!
Next day, TheNation commented: Though more than three weeks
have passed since NATO planes attacked the Salalah check post, anger at
the incident shows no signs of abatement. Protests across the country
continue and while the government considers restoration of supplies,
pressure against the move continues to mount in public sentiment. With the
public registering resentment at the deliberate targeting of an allys defence
personnel, an ally who has made immense sacrifices in pursuit of the US-led
war on terror, US-Pakistan ties remain subject to enormous strain. The
biggest protest to-date was staged on Sunday at the Difa-e-Pakistan
Conference (DPC). Religious parties, some political parties and Kashmiri
organizations, at Minar-e-Pakistan, Lahore, gathered tens of thousands, with
several complaints of attendants being unable to gain entry on account of a
lack of space.
Sunday saw two other rallies at Islamabad and Peshawar, also taken
out by religious parties At the Lahore rally, the consensus was not to
relent in the blockade of NATO supplies, demands that they should be
stopped on a permanent basis, all airbases with foreign occupation to be
vacated and a complete withdrawal from the war on terror. The Peshawar
meeting organized by Jamaat-i-Islami called for the announcement of the
next general elections schedule, while at the Rawalpindi rally, led by
Allama Tahirul Qadri, demand for the setting up of a national government
was raised. In his address, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Amir of Jammat-ud
Daawa, who hosted the DPC rally, announced that the Kashmiris would
continue their struggle for freedom till India vacated the Occupied Valley. At
the end of DPC gathering, an oath to defend Pakistans sovereignty, at any
cost, in case of another such violation, was obtained from the participants.
These events demonstrate that even after 10 years of association
with Pakistan in the war on terror, the US has not been able to win over
the hearts and minds of the people of Pakistan. Much work needs to be
done to restore trust between the two and to encourage a better working
relationship, than the one that currently exists.
Khurshid Anwar Mirza wrote: Pakistan should withdraw from the
meaningless strategic alliance with US. Pakistan has suffered the most,
yet at the same time it has been blamed the most. We should make peace
with our own tribesmen in the tribal area, provided they accept the writ of
751

the state and pledge to live peacefully. To ensure this, while Pakistan Army
may pull out from the border posts, it should remain in the established
garrisons (like Miramshah, Razmak etc) to ensure Governments writ.
Additionally, fencing off and establishing military posts at suitable locations
be carried out to control ingress from FATA to the settled areas. We must
also warn the tribes that they must not allow any safe havens to foreigners or
militants for cross-border raids. However, should they ignore the warning;
they should be clearly told that they would have to bear the brunt of any
reprisal from across the border (as our own forces would be well away from
the border in the garrison towns).
All this, however, is not to say that we wash off our hands from
any cooperation with US. We should not. However, we must draw up fresh
agreements strictly on quid pro quo basis rather than based on any
compromise or one sided (so-called) strategic partnership. The supplies of
food, medicine and fuel (but not lethal weaponry) may be allowed. Air
corridor for transport aircraft (and not the fighter aircraft) may also be
permitted. However, all this should be based on punishing those found guilty
of wrongly directing air attacks on Salala post and on due compensation to
the families of the Shaheeds.
Besides, the outstanding dues of Pak Army must be cleared and
the civil economic aid be fully restored to make up for the huge economic
loss suffered by Pakistan in joining US war against terrorism in this region.
Above all, Pakistans strategic interest i.e. safe western border must be
ensured and its sovereignty respected. That RAW (Mossad and Khad) must
not be allowed to destabilize Pakistan anymore, nor any safe havens be
permitted in Afghanistan for the militants to operate from against Pakistan.
Finally, any breach of these conditions should automatically result in the
abrogation of the agreement.
To conclude, it should be obvious that any meaningful strategic
partnership with US would not be tenable because of widely diverging
strategic interests of Pakistan, US and its strategic ally India in this regionespecially when US is bent upon projecting India as a regional power and its
proxy in this region.
Malik Muhammad Ashraf opined: I firmly believe that there is no
truth in the claims made by Mansoor Ijaz either about President Zardari and
Haqqani or the ISI Chief. It might well be a conspiracy to create an
ambience of confrontation between the civil and military leadership and
then exploit their vulnerabilities to achieve certain objectives. At this
752

critical juncture of our history, the civil and military leadership needs to
tread cautiously and stay united as they have been in the past and not allow
such incidents to vitiate the ambience of trust between the two. Mansoor Ijaz
is a man of dubious characterwho initially claimed that the memo was
written with the approval of President Zardari, later said that the President
may not have been aware of the specifics of the memo. This backtracking
from his earlier stance is enough to scuttle his credibility. Bruce Riedel, a
former CIA official who chaired Obama's strategy on Pakistan and
Afghanistan has termed the memo as a "clumsy fake" saying Ijaz has a long
track record of fabricating information for self-promotion. US Ambassador
in Pakistan has also dubbed the statements of Mansoor as pack of lies
These assessments about Mansoor Ijaz from high profile US sources are
more than enough to see through the motives and machinations of the man
who is an avowed critic of the military and ISI. Our politicians and media
should have paid due attention to these revelations before creating an
unnecessary hype typical of a knee-jerk reaction.
Pakistan is confronted with challenges of enormous magnitude
that require an impregnable unity among all segments of the society and
state institutions. Our politicians owe it to the nation to exhibit greater
responsibility and shun their propensity to prefer their narrow political gains
over the national interests. The media also needs to act responsibly. Now
that the case is in the Supreme Court and the parliamentary committee is
also looking into the matter, it should avoid speculative and unsubstantiated
stories about the episode.
A R Jerral observed: The feudal class realized the source of real
power and went over to them; ever since they have been looking up to the
military for political support. In every ML they collaborated for political
office; even now the political opponents accuse each other of maintaining
liaisons with the military and meeting military brass clandestinely. Their
vote bank and popularity do not give them any confidence. They lack
confidence because they have done nothing to alleviate the misery of the
masses. Their sojourn with power is used to enhance their wealth only,
ignoring the masses needs. This creates conditions, which have the potential
for making them political martyrs so that they can win the sympathies of the
voters. The frenzy created by the memo scandal could trigger events that
may make the present government a political martyr.
The Prime Ministers statement on the floor of the House points in
this direction. The conduct of the government itself is creating confusion; by
demanding and obtaining Haqqani resignation, it has established the guilt;
753

Plausible Deniability did not help him in any way. It is now hedging
before the Supreme Court lest further investigations should point
fingers at undesirable directions. Those who are confident of their
standing have supported investigations, in fact, they demand it. There
apparently is something amiss since Ambassador Haqqani, though
threatening to sue Ijaz and the Financial Times, has not done so as yet.
We cry sovereignty, national integrity and prestige, but conduct ourselves in
a most humiliating manner. Dignity comes with pride and confidence in
oneself and ones conduct. As human beings weather leaders or led we make
mistakes. We should have confidence to be truthful and own our mistakes.
Instead of looking towards others we need to trust ourselves and sort out our
political problems though mutual consultations. The leadership must realize
that outside powers keep their own interests supreme. Only we collectively
can safeguard our interests and objectives. The sooner we start trusting
each other the better.
On 21st December, TheNation wrote: Chief Justice of Pakistan
Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, while hearing the case of memo controversy,
remarked on Monday that failure to respond to allegations could constitute
admission. On the other hand, Farhatullah Babar, Presidents spokesman,
has stated that the federations response to the court must be construed
to contain the comments of the President, the Prime Minister as well as
the cabinet. The presidential spokesmans contention ought to have come
before the Supreme Court through the Attorney General, and not left to the
court to guess. The President has not been able to file a reply so far, because
of his recent illness, which made him the only one of the state functionaries
who had not filed his reply
There are two issues with the position taken by the spokesman. First,
it must be kept in mind that replies were filed by the Director-General ISI
and the Chief of Army Staff. This did not imply that the army or the ISI were
not part of the government headed by the Prime Minister, but that these
individuals had to explain their own actions, and that reply was not
considered sufficient for them. In the same way, the Presidents person is
involved in the case, and he has a personal position to explain. He may have
some points to make which overlap with the Prime Ministers reply.
However, at the same time, the Presidents position in this case is such that
not only would he be well advised to file a reply, but he should be
represented separately from the Prime Minister. It should also be noted that
there is another opportunity afforded to the President to file a reply, because
the apex court on Monday directed the petitioners and all the respondents to
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file item-wise comments. Since that indicates that court was not satisfied
with the earlier replies, the President cannot rely on the Prime
Ministers reply anyhow.
If indeed the President feels that the Prime Ministers reply is his,
this should be expressed to the court, or he could merely file the same reply.
He must not create a needless confrontation by any disobedience of the
highest court in the land. The memogate affair is tangled and serious
enough already, and needs no further complications of such a procedural
nature. If the presidential spokesmans statement is based on legal advice,
the President should seek less confrontational advice.
Zaheer Bhatti commented in the context of Salalah attack and
concluded: Now that the government has finally put its foot down, even the
staunchest of Pakistan supporters suspect that with some renewed trickery
by the West, this stand off might end with little or no gains achieved. So
before that eventuality is encountered, it is time to recount and claim what
is clearly due, besides pragmatically arresting the American war
proliferating into Pakistans own backyard:
An unqualified written apology by Washington over the Salalah check
post.
Compensation for the martyred, according to the demand and
satisfaction of the bereaved families.
Written assurance through the UNO that misadventures violating
Pakistans territorial sovereignty will not be repeated
Washington must enter a similar strategic nuclear deal with
Islamabad as with New Delhi, and also reverse Indias policing role in
Afghanistan.
Pakistan has suffered over $70 billion, since thoughtlessly agreeing to
fight Americas war, which should be reimbursed.
Pakistan sustains a huge loss on account of hosting over 30 million
Afghan refugees This should be quantified and the costs continually
reimburseduntil these refugees can be repatriated back.
With the above conditions fully met, Pakistan will only allow food
supplies and non-military provisions through its territory at
predetermined transit cost.

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On 22nd December, TheNation observed: US Vice-President Joe

Biden has apparently turned US policy on its head by saying that the Taliban
are not enemies of the USA. His statement has not been contradicted by the
White House. It is thus clear that Mr Bidens remarks represent Obama
Administration policy. This represents a major shift for an administration
that has continued its predecessors policy of making the Taliban
synonymous with al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda has been blamed squarely for the 9/11
attacks and the Taliban with them. Indeed, the reason cited by the Bush
Administration for launching the war on terror by an invasion of
Afghanistan, was that it was ruled by the Taliban, whose protection alQaeda chief Osama bin Laden enjoyed. Not satisfied with toppling the
Taliban, the USA then pursued both Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters into
Pakistan, and has waged a war since with the Taliban. The Taliban have
resisted the US/NATO occupation of Afghanistan, and even though al-Qaeda
head Osama bin Laden has been killed, the war of the USA with the Taliban
is not over. Instead, the USA has said that it is now seeking not just the new
al-Qaeda chief, Dr Ayman Al-Zawahiri, but also Taliban chief Mullah
Umar.
Though Vice-President Bidens remarks represent a new turn in
administration policy, they do not mean that the USA is rethinking the war
on terror, merely that it is trying to open doors to the Taliban by ending the
conflation it has maintained for a decade, between the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
This is a direct result of the resistance it has met from Afghanistan,
which has consistently argued that the Afghan situation cannot be
solved without Taliban participation. As the time draws near for the USA
to withdraw its forces in Afghanistan, it is increasingly coming round to this
point of view. Another reason for the USA to make such relatively
conciliatory noises has been provided by Pakistan's lessened cooperation
after the Salalah check post killings.
On 21st December, S M Hali observed: In connivance with US
officials and CIA operatives, India is involved in slandering and defaming
Pakistan and its premier intelligence agency, the ISI. The aim is to create
negative perceptions in the minds of foreign analysts and intellectuals about
the country. This is done by blaming the ISI for every evil that takes place in
India and assertively projecting it through the Indian media.
The propaganda campaign includes coining appealing themes
against Pakistan/ISI and running them effectively using renowned analysts.
They hold seminars and write books on selective themes such as Pakistan is

756

supporting cross border terrorism in India. India also offers huge amounts
as honorarium to foreign authors for writing anti-Pakistan/ISI articles,
reports and books. The Indian electronic media, in collaboration with the
RAW, runs live television programmes arranging focus group discussions
and talk shows projecting Pakistan in bad light.
A two-day conference on The Challenges of Terrorism to Indias
Infrastructure and Economy 11 was organized by the Security Watch India
(SWI), in October, in Hotel Le Mridien, New Delhi. The speakers from
USA, Israel and UK were also invited to participate. During the conference,
the Indians blamed Pakistan for sponsoring terrorism in their country, but the
foreigners were mostly concerned about selling their new technology to
India saying that the old security equipment, like CCTV cameras, has
become ineffective and needs to be replaced. The Secretary of Internal
Security in the Indian Union Home Ministry, UK Bansal, claimed:
Pakistan is trying to bleed India through a thousand cuts and the
country's economic establishments are running the risk of being
attacked, a top government official said today. He stressed: This (jihadi)
brand of terrorism is primarily sponsored by our neighbouring country in the
West whose...policy is to conduct war against India by all other means and
bleed us through a thousand cuts. This naturally includes the targeting of
anything...with a view to damaging, degrading or destroying the engines of
economic growth and critical centres of power and strength of our country.
It is a matter of concern that the frequency of such seminars and
lectures in India has increased where Pakistan is openly blamed for
terrorist activities not only in it, but also other countries, including
Afghanistan. It appears that a coordinated effort by the US and India is being
launched to defame Pakistan and turn world opinion against it.
Take the example of Pakistani actress Veena Maliks nude
photograph appearing on the cover of the Indian version of the British men's
monthly magazine, FHM, with the alphabets ISI tattooed on her arm. The
expos caused a major furore in Pakistan, but the Indians hailed her as a
hero, a champion of liberalism and of freedom of expression. This is one
example of using showbiz as a tool for propaganda.
Another malicious allegation is that the Indian print media is
aggressively publishing false and fabricated stories to malign the ISI for
its alleged involvement in pumping fake currency notes in India. The Time
News Network (TNN) has published a story, titled Dawood Ibrahim helping
ISI to pump in counterfeit currency in India. According to it, maximum flow
757

of fake currency in Maharashtra is attributed to Ibrahims network. It further

states that Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bangladesh borders are used as major routes
for pumping these fake currency notes into different States, including West
Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. It has also
been claimed that the police has seized substantial number of fake currency
from these States.
The Indian leadership and media, however, should introspectively
review their home ground where corruption and poverty are at their peak,
rather than targeting Pakistan. In this regard, Anna Hazare is once again
gearing up to pursue his anti-corruption campaign against the corrupt, who
indulge in bad business and conveniently blame the ISI connecting it with
various criminal networks. On the one hand, India is prepared to smoke
the peace pipe with Pakistan, while, on the other, it continues with its
incessant barrage of allegations to malign the Islamic republic that must
stop to bridge the trust deficit.

REVIEW
The Memo Scandal has been taking dangerous twists and turns,
despite the fact that a plausible explanation has yet to come forth as to why
Mansoor Ijaz decided to let the cat of memo out of his bag. The last six days
saw a clear shift from Scoundrels favourite strategy of dragging feet.
The Scoundrel staged a comeback after the Saint had a meeting with
the COAS that lasted more than three hours. In that meeting the COAS had
not promised any U-turn on his stance taken in the reply submitted in the
Supreme Court but, from the lengthy interaction the Saint must have
concluded that Army has no desire to take the matter into its hands.
This prompted him to give green signal to the boss who returned to
Pakistan but preferred to maintain the safe distance and decided to lodge in
Bilawal House Karachi. He utilized his stay in Karachi for briefing his
Sindhi Card team about the future game-plan.
Soon after reaching his power-seat in Islamabad the game-plan started
unfolding. On 22nd December, apparently, Gilani turned out with his guns
blazing at Army and ISI. This unusual belligerent approach surprised many
observers. The Saint, however, had rattled out the lines like a tutored parrot.
Nevertheless, it reflected enhanced self-confidence of the regime
which was certainly not incidental. The possible reasons of this confidence
boost of a regime that has been shaky since Memo Scandal coming to the
758

limelight, could however only be speculated. The foremost reason could be

that the legal wizards of the regime had concluded that the case against
Haqqani and his boss could not be proved with the available evidence.
Additional incriminating evidence can only be gathered by a team of
professionally competent investigators and with explicit cooperation of the
US administration. The regime seemed determined not to let that happen
arguing that no one other than Parliament would be allowed to probe.
The Scoundrel seemed to have not wasted the time he spent in Dubai.
He must have secured the support of the American masters for confronting
the Army and ISI, in other words implementing the contents of
memorandum overtly rather than covertly as was originally planned. Gilanis
first foray was in the form of counter-questioning the Army and ISI. He
asked: Who issued visa to Osama has to be seen with three other events.
James Jones statement has been the first drop of Maters support.
Hours after Gilanis outburst, first, NATO blamed Pakistan and the US for
Salala slaughter and then Pentagon blamed Pakistani troops for opening fire
forcing US troops to react in self-defence. Concurrently, Munter met Hina
Rabbani and demanded resumption of NATO supplies.
Other than the tonic of US support it is also evident that the regime
has run short of options; therefore, it is convinced that the best line of
defence is the offence. It has decided to take the risk of challenging the
Army and must have considered the eventualities. In case of setback, the
status of a political martyrdom will suit it well. In case of victory, it will sack
both the Generals serving on extensions. This implied that the regime has
found some like-minded generals to replace them and thus dismantle the
state within state.
To conclude, it must be noted that Sindhi Card players frequently refer
to 1971 and warn of 71-like consequences if they were made to account for
what they have done. They are only partly correct. Had Mujeeb been
accounted for there would have been possibly no tragedy in that year. The
fault lied in letting him go scot-free. If the culprits are now let free only then
the consequences would be dire.
On 23rd December, 2011

759

IMRANS TSUNAMI
Imran Khan had been raising the level of warnings about tsunami of
change, but the political pirates who had spent their lifetime afloat in the sea
of masses in this part of the world did not take him seriously. They ignored
him because of their over-confidence in their know-how of power politics.
They ought to have been caught unaware and they were when first wave of
tsunami arrived.
Some ships and fishing boats of all the three major parties were
carried away by this wave. Those who had refused to listen to Imran and had
ignored taking precautionary measures scrambled for taking steps to prevent
further losses. Aitzaz Ahsan, who was ignored by the Scoundrel for the last
four years, became the first major beneficiary when on fourth death
anniversary of Benazir he was accorded special attention by Zardari.
Just as major political parties were forced to fight on the back-foot,
the situation on judicial front was no different, especially for Zardari-led
ruling party. The impending court decisions in many corruption cases hung
like swords over the heads of rulers. As if these were not enough, yet another
sword was added by the petitions for hearing of Memogate Scandal
The developments related to this scandal dominated all other events
during the period. These have been covered in series of articles pertaining to
war on terror as memo has been by-product of that war wherein the Zardari
Regime in had sought help of its American Masters ironing out the security
establishment and in return promised access to Pakistans nuclear assets.

NEWS
On 4th December, PTI made Shah Mehmood Qureshi as party viceChairman. Imran Khan declared his assets and asked all other politicians to
do like him. He did this in a press conference along with Shah Mehmood
Qureshi and Justice Wajihuddin. In a counter-press conference Chaudhry
Nisar alleged that Imran Khan misled the media by sharing incomplete
details of his assets.
Shahbaz Sharif said that he has been declaring his assets inside and
outside the country every year since 2008 and his assets are public
documents. He challenged that those who have doubts regarding his assets
should prove it in the court and he is ready to face it. Meanwhile, Zulfiqar
Mizas bodyguard was murdered in Lahore over land dispute.

760

Next day, in a major reshuffle the government changed its envoys in

14 countries and asked three others to report back to Islamabad. Lord Nazir
said AJK Prime Minister and his aides were hurling threats at him. In
Karachi, 17 suspects were held by Rangers and a dead body was found.
On 7th December, Nawaz Sharif said that failed and self-directed
policies of sitting rulers have led the country to the verge of destruction and
departure of PPP led allied government was vital to protect the country's
sovereignty and stability. LHC ordered registration of case against seven
persons, including Dost Mohammad Khosa of PML-N, a former CM of
Punjab, on complaint of abduction of actress Sapna. Azam Swati resigned
from Senate and basic membership of JUI-F. Eleven out of 39 PIA planes
were grounded.
Next day, the Supreme Court in its detailed judgment on NRO verdict
review pleas announced that all corruption cases stand revived to their preNRO position and ordered cancellation of all benefits accrued under the
Black Law. The court said in its judgment that the federal counsel was
heard but he failed to give arguments to build the case for a review of certain
aspects of SCs December 16, 2009 decision on the NRO.
All the cases in which the accused persons were either discharged or
acquitted under Section 2 of the NRO or where proceedings pending against
the holders of public office had got terminated in view of Section 7 thereof,
a list of which cases has been furnished to the court and any other such
cases/proceedings which may not have been brought to the notice of this
court, shall stand revived and relegated to the status of pre-October 5, 2007
position.
All the concerned courts including the trial, the appellate and the
review courts are ordered to summon the persons accused in such cases and
then to proceed in the respective matters in accordance with law from the
stage from where such proceedings had been brought to an end in pursuance
of the above provisions of the NRO.
The federal government, all the provincial governments and all
relevant and competent authorities including the NAB prosecutor general,
the special prosecutors in various accountability courts, the prosecutors
generals in the four provinces and other officers or officials involved in the
prosecution of criminal offenders are directed to offer every possible
assistance required by the competent courts in the said connection.
Similarly, all cases which were under investigation or pending
enquiries and which had either been withdrawn or where the investigations
761

or enquiries had been terminated on account of the NRO shall also stand
revived and the relevant and competent authorities shall proceed in the said
matters in accordance with law.
The LHC sought report and para-wise comments from Imran Khan,
Nawaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari and other politicians on a petition seeking
details of their assets in the country and abroad. The court issued notices to
the respondents ordering them to file comments duly supported by their
affidavits.
On 9th December, addressing at full-court reference the Chief Justice
warned against causing obstruction in establishment of rule of law. Loadshedding in Faisalabad increased to four days; industrialists vowed to protest
and resist. A notification was issued that revived 26 sub divisions of
Karachis five districts.
Next day, Nawaz Sharif said that killers of Benazir would be brought
to justice after coming in power. Talking to public gathering in Larkana he
said that the government paid no attention to problems of Sindhi people,
therefore, he would come forward to help them. He maintained that the
PML-N wanted Sindh to progress like Punjab.
Hundreds of laborers from industrial units of Faisalabad protested 3day-long gas load shedding which has severely affected industrial
production of the city. A large number of daily wagers staged sit-in outside
citys district council and chanted slogans against the government
authorities.
PPP and MQM once again failed to sort out differences on LG system.
Imran Khan summoned Shah Mahmood Qureshi to the US to assist him in
talks with American officials. Khursheed Kasuri, Asif Ahmed Ali and Azam
Swati were reported preparing to join PTI.
On 12th December, the Supreme Court issued notice to Ahmed Raza
Kasuri to ensure the fair trial in Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Reference case. Arguing
before the 11-member bench the state counsel Babar Awan and Aitzaz Ahsan
objected when the court remarked that the court should hear the Ahmed
Raza Kasuri in this case. The lawyers said that there is no need for Ahmad
Raza Kasuri to be present in the court in the case. Babar Awan said the
verdict in Iqbal Tikka case was changed without hearing respondents
viewpoint. Aitzaz told the court that the state is the plaintiff and Attorney
General is representing it. The hearing was later on adjourned till January 2.

762

Clash took place between supporters and opponents of KPK Minister

for Irrigation Pervez Khattak at the Central Secretariat of Pakistan PTI in
Islamabad. Pervez Khattak was to announce his joining of the PTI at a press
conference along with Imran Khan; supporters and opponents of Pervez
Khattak came from Nowshera and the venue presented a look of battlefield
when they clashed with sticks. On hearing the report of clashes, Imran Khan
postponed his scheduled press conference.
Air Marshal Asghar Khan announced his party alliance with Pakistan
Tehrik-e -Insaf. The reports about summoning of Shah Mahmood to the US
were wrong as Imran Khan never went to the US. PPP Punjab endorsed
Seraiki Province. In Karachi, Police recovered 57 chained students detained
in a seminary at an Afghan camp.
Next day, the Supreme Court sought the details of agreement from
NAB under which the family of Sharif brothers went to Saudi Arabia,
besides directing the bureau to submit its references against the family. The
NAB prosecutor had told the court that the Sharif brothers went abroad,
voluntarily surrendering their assets after making a deal with the federation
in the Plane Hijack case. He said now as the new chairman has assumed
charge therefore the NAB wanted to revive all the cases.
Imran Khan appointed Shafqat Mehmood, bureaucrat-turnedpolitician as central information secretary of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf,
replacing Omar Sarfraz Cheema who held the post for three years and stood
by the party even at the time when nobody thought the PTI stood any future.
This is the second most important appointment made by Khan in less than
two weeks the first being that of Shah Mehmood Qureshi as senior vicechairman. Meanwhile, KPK Sikhs quit ANP to join PTI.
A two-member Supreme Court bench directed the reconciliatory
committee to submit within three weeks its report in Bank of Punjab
corruption case and adjourned the matter till third week of January. In
another case the Chief Justice doubted the wisdom in having RPPs in the
presence of IPPs.
An armed clash between two rival parties, Katchi community and
Lyari gangsters, in Lyari area claimed four lives, including that of the
programme director of a private television. The CID claimed to have
arrested two operatives of Punjabi Taliban while three of them managed to
escape during exchange of fire.
On 14th December, the Supreme Court while issuing fresh order in the
NRO implementation case has called for explanations from the President,
763

Prime Minister, NAB chairman and provincial governors interior and law
ministers, federal and provincial police chiefs, attorney general and advocate
generals as to why the verdict was not fully implemented. The explanations
are to be submitted to the apex court within two and a half weeks.
The Supreme Court reserved its verdict in suo motu case regarding
governments Rental Power policy after completing hearing. Ministry of
Water and Power Lawyer had told the court that all the contracts for hiring
Rental Power Projects were transparent and nothing was hidden in this
regard. Meanwhile, Sindh Government allowed the PTI to hold rally in
Karachi. Protests were held against privatization of WAPDA.
Next day, Imran Khan said that tsunami of change has started in the
country which cannot be stopped. Addressing a press conference at the
residence of S A Hameed here in Gujranwala, Imran Khan said that he
would announce a revolutionary manifesto on December 25 in Karachi.
On 16th December, Imran Khan said that biggest dacoit in the country
has become Pakistans president. Addressing a huge public meeting in
Mardan Khan said that there was no honesty in Pakistan and Poors rights
were being exploited. He said that the people who should be in jails had
reached in power corridors.
Next day, Imran Khan said that the parliaments resolutions are not
being implemented since sheep and goats were sitting in the house. The PTI
chief said that the PPP and PML-N called themselves democratic parties but
there is no democracy within the parties. Azam Swati joined PTI and said
that he has submitted all his assets to Chairman PTI.
MQM-H Chairman Afaq Ahmed was released from a prison in
Karachi; SHC had ordered his release, declaring his detention under the
PCO null and void. Hundreds of workers of MQM gathered outside Central
Jail to receive their leader. Addressing media men he rejected rumours that
he would be leaving the country. The Supreme Court directed Altaf Hussain
to submit his affidavit in the court by December 21 with regard to his
application against Zulfiqar Mirza.
On 18th December, public rallies in Lahore by religious and political
parties, in Peshawar by Jamaat-e-Islami, in Rawalpindi by Tahirul Qadri and
in Pindi Ghaib by PTI demanded change. PPP leaders organized a meeting at
Lahore and vowed to defend democracy at all costs. In Karachi, two
persons were killed and 14 arrests were made.

764

Next day, Jehangir Tareen and Awais Leghari, Jamal Leghari,

Sikandar Bosan and Ghulam Sarwar Khan and others announced their
decision to join the PTI. Speaking during the news conference Jehangir
Tareen said the politicians had joined the PTI to save the country from
mismanagement, plunder, price hike and unemployment and bring a positive
change in the life of the people.
Speaking on the occasion Imran Khan said there is no hereditary
leadership of political parties world over as was being experienced in
Pakistan. Political parties are not NGOs or clubs which are headed by
members of the same family. He said the PTI is working for the formation of
a sincere, near and clean government in the country and introduce far
reaching reforms for the welfare of the common man.
Nawaz Sharif met Baloch leader Attaullah Mengal in Karachi and
discussed with him ongoing political situation in Balochistan. Talking to
media after the meeting with Mengal, the former prime minister pledged that
he would fight the case of Balochistan and would resolve the issue in
consultation with Mengal and other defiant Baloch leaders.
The ECP said that politicians having dual nationality would not be
allowed to contest elections. The commission directed the returning officers
to take oath from the candidates while submitting nomination papers. The
new order would be implemented from Senate elections.
State Bank asked the government to move quickly to broaden its tax
base and restructure loss-making public entities to control its widening fiscal
deficit. Thousands of citizens including PML-N legislatives poured on roads
in twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad and blocked main arteries of the
twin cities to press the government to overwhelm gas crisis.
On 20th December, Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri joined PTI. He made
his announcement along with his aides during a huge public meeting. Imran
Khan said he had never seen such a huge public gathering in Kasur. The
meeting ended with participants carrying away the plastic chairs with them,
which allowed the critics of Imran to pass sarcastic remarks.
Imran Khans counsel Hamid Khan said that ECP was supposed to
complete the voters lists by December 16, but it has not even tabulated the
interim lists so far. The Supreme Court directed the secretary ECP to prepare
a comprehensive report regarding the voters lists. The court directed that
Benazirs application be also attached with the Imran Khans petition.

765

Nawaz Sharif said that any military coup would further deteriorate the
situation in country. He asked the government to hold early elections. Fazlur
Rehman also demanded early polls. Youth in Islamabad decided to take out a
rally to celebrate Ibrarul Haqs joining of PTI.
Next day, the Supreme Court rejected excuses of ECP for not updating
voters lists, sought completion by February 23 and threatened action against
ECP Secretary. Iftikhar Gilani, Asghars son and other join PTI. Imran
mulled challenging imposition of poll ban on dual nationals. SHC denied
PTI permission for rally at Quaids mausoleum. Chairman NAB gave up
plea bargain powers. Railways employees held rally in Lahore for payment
of pay and pension.
On 22nd December, Nawaz Sharif said that time has come to oust the
corrupt rulers who have been at the helm. Speaking at a public rally in
Chishtian, the former prime minister said that there was no electricity, gas
and water in the country. I have never seen such a huge corruption in my
life, he added.
MQM-H chief Afaq Ahmed filed petition against the DG Rangers in
the Sindh High Court for contempt of court. The application was filed after
the Rangers failed to provide security to the MQM-H chief on the courts
order. The application stated that the orders of the Sindh High Court were
being violated and the Rangers were not providing him with security.
Next day, Altaf Hussain said that his party will support the creation of
Seraiki and Hazara province in the National Assembly. Addressing a public
gathering in Multan, he directed the MQMs parliamentarian to move
resolution in the NA regarding creation of Seraiki province. He said that his
party would set the masses free of the feudal system.
PTI was finally allowed to hold rally at Mazar-e-Quaid. Javed Hashmi
decided to join PTI despite efforts of PML-N leaders to persuade him not to
do so. The World Bank Group will continue to support Pakistans poverty
reduction and development agenda with an expected assistance of up to $5.5
billion over the FY 12-14. Gas protesters burnt two APCs at Islamabad
Express Way. Six people were killed in Karachi.
On 24th December, Javed Hashmi described Imran Khan as champion
of politics shortly after he formally joined PTI. He said that he had no
differences with PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif. He said that he joined Imran
Khan due to similarity of thought, adding that he had been struggling for
accountability of politicians and Imran Khan has also been struggling for 15

766

years. He dispelled the notion that the establishment was backing the PTI
and Imran Khan.
Speaking on the occasion, Imran Khan said that his party would
greatly benefit from the experience of Javed Hashmi. He said that Hashmi
unconditionally joined the PTI and never demanded any position in the
party. Khan said his party wound not accept new election if conducted in
near future on prior electoral system.
PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Hashmi on occasion said
that he did not have political differences with Javed Hashmi and he
welcomes him in the party. On a query former foreign minister welcomed
army chief statement to strengthen democracy in the country saying that
current government has dragged the country to edge of destruction and
people of Pakistan demanding for change.
Whereas many PML-N leaders were grieved over Javed Hashmi
leaving the party Chaduhry Nisar said his party was not afraid of anyone's
departure and that his party was ready for snap polls. He claimed that an
agency was behind pushing the people towards Tehreek-e-Insaf. Soon
everyone will know that Imran Khan's revolution is no better than a bubble,
he added.
Ahsan Iqbal said the world establishment turned against Mian Nawaz
Sharif on declining to dance to their tunes. Addressing a ceremony at
Engineering University Lahore, he said the 180 million people will
safeguard Nawaz Sharif as the international establishment is opposed to him
for refusing to take dictation from it.
Next day, Imran Khans tsunami after conquering Lahore swept
through Karachi, where tens of thousands of people assembled at the call of
the PTI leader who unfolded his future plans to cleanse the country from
rampant corruption and to make it an Islamic social welfare state. Imran
Khan termed the gathering more successful than the one PTI had organized
in Lahore. Thousands of charged and emotional party workers were chanting
slogans of Prime Minister Imran Khan and hoisted the party flags to
express their sentiments.
Imran Khan promised the nation on Quaid-i-Azams birth anniversary
that he will fulfill the dream of the Founder of the Nation. The PTI Chief
said he would bring a team that will be selected on merit to transform
Pakistan into a welfare state. He said this team would function under
Jehangir Tareen to present economic policies, labour policies, tax reforms,

767

education policies as well as foreign policies before the nation. There will be
a policy paper on all issues, he added.
Imran said a Chinese company wanted to bring $19 billion investment
to Pakistan but could not do so due to the worst law and order situation in
Karachi. You dont need a rocket science in Pakistan, just bring a team of
honest leaders that undertakes its own accountability, he asserted. He
promised that the major corruption will be eliminated within 90 days of
coming into power.
Speaking about Balochistan, he said: We will seek forgiveness from
Balochistan people and remove their grievances by developing the deprived
province. Announcing about PTIs next public meeting, he said that the next
stop for the tsunami will be Quetta on March 23. Imran apologized to
Baloch people and said the he will provide them their rights.
Imran Khan said that he wanted to play a match with President
Zardari but unfortunately he was retired hurt. The days of Zardaris rule are
numbered, so do not worry. He said Mian Sahib lets play a 10-over match.
Mian Sahib, hurry, before you are unable to get a team.
Observers termed the rally a spectacular success. Shahbaz tried to
belittle PTI. Babar Awan termed it a fashion show. Munawwar Hassan said
opportunists cannot bring change in the country; he was speaking at JI rally
in Lahore. Jemima was impressed. Asseff Ahmed Ali confirmed that he was
joining PTI.
Prime Minister speaking to the media at the Mazar-e-Quaid said
Parliament is the supreme institution and if someone wants either Prime
Minister or the President to go, he must follow the procedure laid down in
the Constitution.
Firdous Ashiq Awan announced her resignation as information
minister with tears rolling down her cheeks and in an emotionally chocked
voice at the cabinet meeting. The cabinet members were shocked by the
unusual announcement in the cabinet meeting. Gilani rejected her
resignation.
On 27th December, Interior Ministry removed from ECL the name of
Moonis Elahi. Next day, the NAB constituted two teams to investigate the
ISAF containers scam and other special cases. The Executive Board
authorized investigation into the mega case regarding illegal leasing of land
to the Royal Palm Golf Club in Lahore and also directed to ascertain the
extent of loss caused to the State in this case.
768

On 29th December, Javed Hashmi and his daughter Memona Hashmi

submitted their resignation from National Assembly seats. Earlier in a final
speech in NA, Hashmi said that PML-N had given ticket to a man who
attacked his daughter in NA. Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources
Dr Asim said that all the CNG stations will have to be closed in January as
the country was mired by acute gas shortage. Babar Awan was nominated
Vice President of Pakistan Peoples Party
Next day, the government jacked up the gas prices from 13 to 207
percent for all users along with imposing gas infrastructure cess (GIC) on
five different sectors. Ogra at the advice of petroleum ministry made
massive surge in the price of gas through a notification; however, petroleum
ministry later issued a notification of imposing GIC on five different sectors.
But a strong public response led the ministry to reduce the margin of GIC to
40 percent within an hour after the issuance of Ogra notification.
Low gas pressure kept raising the public ire across Punjab, especially
the provincial capital. The demonstrations were also staged in other districts
of the province. But, the intensity of agitation was high at Faisalabad where
the protesting industry workers and domestic consumers blocked the roads.
Similarly, people also staged protests in Rawalpindi, Sheikhupura,
Gujranwala and Wazirabad.
Election Tribunal disqualified member of National Assembly and
leader of PPP Mir Humayun Kurd from Balochistan and ordered re-election
on NA-267 Kachhi-cum-Jhal Magsi. Sardar Rind had challenged Kurds
victory in the Election Tribunal with a plea that the latter had ensured his
success by using thousands of bogus votes.
Tehrik-e-Istaqlal Pakistan has decided in a meeting on Friday to
merge the party into Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI), while a ten-member
committee will hold talks with Imran Khan to finalize the modalities of the
merging process. Muhammad Faazal Bhatti would lead the committee, while
the party leadership has given the mandate to party founder, Air Marshal
Asghar Khan to nominate four senior party leaders to be included in the
body.
On 31st December, Nawaz Sharif claimed that he was coming to
power again to serve the country. The PML-N president said while
addressing a big public meeting at Gujranwala. The testing times are about
to be over. The reins of power will now be in the hands of those who are the
best among the people, with no corruption allegations against them, he said.

769

Referring to Imran Khan he said that the flood of people supporting

his party would wash away the World Eleven. Alluding to the ongoing
trend of people joining the PTI everyday, Sharif said: Fear not the turncoats,
Gen Musharrafs team is now leaving Q League and moving forward.
Criticizing Imran Khan, the PML-N leader said the man who was talking of
revolution was accepting support from what was the B-team of Gen
Musharraf. He pointed out contradictions in Imrans stand on various issues.
Prime Minister lashed out at the critics of the government saying
some political orphans and test-tube babies, who were rejected by the people
of their own constituencies, present their hotchpotch philosophies on TV
screens every evening but this criticism could not destabilize the
government. He said this while addressing a public gathering at Head
Muhammadwala after inaugurating a newly-constructed bridge.
Pledging to bring together the best competent team to address the
issues facing Pakistan, Imran Khan promised to transform the country into a
real Islamic social welfare state, as envisioned by Father of the Nation. He
said PTI would devise plans and programmes to benefit majority of the
countrymen and not to benefit the elite. Imran added that shadow cabinet
of the PTI has started its task of preparing policy papers to revamp various
departments and sectors of Pakistan in a bid to put the country on the road to
progress.
Beating all previous records in history of the country, the cash starved
coalition government on New Year gifted the masses with a massive raise in
the prices of POL products. However, prices of high speed diesel (HSD),
light diesel oil (LDO) and kerosene will remain the same and will be
maintained, as no change in the prices has been decided till this effect.
Ahmed Raza Kasuri in his reply submitted in the Supreme Court has
said that the court cant open ZAB case. In his 72-page reply, Kasuri
contended that the court had no jurisdiction to reopen the case under Article
186 of the Constitution; therefore presidential reference should be rejected.

VIEWS
On 6th December, TheNation observed: PML-N leader and Leader of
the Opposition in the national Assembly, was quick to stigmatize Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khans assets as incorrectly stated, with a
promise to give correct details of his assets after Ashura Mr Khan and the
Sharifs assets stand revealed as having both contested elections, and already
770

having made assets declarations. Challenging each others declarations

may make good political theatrics, but it does not yield any result. If
both, or either, are in any way really serious about unveiling the lacunae in
the asset declarations of the other, there is a proper procedure prescribed
already, and that is an approach to the judiciary by means of an election
petition. Though making an assets declaration is no longer compulsory, the
Supreme Court has ruled ineligible those submitting fake degrees, even
though members no longer have to be graduates, and by the same token,
anyone proved to have falsified an assets declaration, would probably not
find much sympathy in future from the judicial forums. The Election
Commission is also very meticulous with this set of legislatures in ensuring
that they file declarations annually, even though this requirement probably
only will last out the life of the present Parliament.
The PTI should count it a success that politicians assets have come
to the fore. The PTI may be targeting the Sharif bothers, and being targeted
in return, but following the process should mean that anyone suspected in
the PPP government, seen as very corrupt, would be taken before a court,
and given the chance of self-defence that they presently do not have. At the
same time, the murk surrounding politicians assets should be dissipated,
and if the government has nothing to hide, it should take the necessary
legislative measures to make assets declaration a permanent feature rather
than a Martial Law innovation which will fall into oblivion.
Four days later, the newspaper wrote: The Supreme Court
announced, on Thursday, its detailed verdict on the NRO review petition
It seems the judgment would make it quite hard for anyone to escape the
long arm of the law. And as Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, a PPP stalwart, has
maintained, it would not now be possible for anyone to disregard the
verdict but to implement it. Right at the time of the NROs promulgation,
civil society, legal opinion, the media and the public had protested that it was
violative of the Constitution. Even the late PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto,
who had somehow consented to negotiate the terms of return to Pakistan and
agreed to the NRO, later declared in one of her books that it was a bad law.
Unfortunately, certain PPP individuals, most prominently Mr Babar
Awan, have been expressing views, which presumably fall under the
category of the contempt of the court. There is little doubt that civilized
society would not countenance the refusal to implement the verdict of
the highest court of law in the country. In fact, it is compliance with the
law that is an important ingredient of a civilized country. Things have now
come to a point where the government should honestly and sincerely go
771

ahead with the implementation of this verdict as well as other verdicts that
have been awaiting implementation. It is never too late!
On 15th December, Azam Khalil saw maturity creeping into politics.
At first, there was an air of helplessness that was visible, but both the
establishment and the civil government took a strategic decision to
remain on the same page so that all these challenges faced by Pakistan
could be overcome. More so, the country emerged united and this was
demonstrated not only by the general public, but also statements coming out
of the political parties of all shades of opinion. This strength of unity has
been so remarkable that it has provided vigour and determination to the
government, including the armed forces, who are now busy evaluating their
past policies and formulating new ideas that would help protect the vital
interests of Pakistan.
One hopes that this new found unity and vitality, which is the
result of extreme adversity faced by Pakistan and its people, will be
canalized in a proper and productive manner, allowing the State to
surmount the challenges it is facing. As far as the political leadership of
Pakistan is concerned, they need to be congratulated on their collective
efforts to strengthen the institution of democracy and there is no reason that
they will not continue doing so in future. Their resolve is, probably, the basic
reason that the establishment has decided to give them a helping hand where
the will of the people continues to be respected. The politicians must
understand that this system will continue to prosper if they fulfill the
responsibilities given to them by the people that includes the weeding out of
the menace of corruption, building of State institutions and providing relief
to the masses within the resources that are available.
While this may be a tall order, the time has come when the
government should start moving in the proper direction so that it is possible
for it to achieve the objectives. Although it is not out of place for politicians
to pursue varying objectives and criticizing the policies of other political
parties, yet it is always better if they refrain from indulging in their best
pastime of mudslinging on one another, since it creates problems for the
people as well as affects the economic situation of the country.
One hopes that there will be a smooth transition of power as and
when the next general elections are held. That will be only possible if the
elections are held in a transparent manner. Politicians should also learn to
respect the will of the people and those who lose may not call it foul without

772

cogent reasons. Otherwise, the danger to the institution of democracy will

continue to stare, which is not in the interest of Pakistan or its people.
On 17th December, Tallat Azim opined: The people want a change, as
they review the events of the recent years and governments. They really
want the slate to be wiped clean and all parties to be purged of those who are
perceived to be corrupt. There was such a telling photograph in the paper the
other day. A group of downcast looking men praying somberly around a
large collection of black coloured goats, which were about to be taken for
slaughtering to ward off the evil eye from President Zardari. No amount of
kaala bakras ki qurbani is going to cause a change of heart to the
national sentiment for a corruption-free society. My heart does go out to
those whose fortunes are linked to those of the President and who are feeling
extremely insecure in his absence, but all good things, as well as bad; do
come to an end eventually. What was good and what was bad will be judged
by time.
On 22nd December, TheNation observed: PML-N President Mian
Nawaz Sharif, who is presently on a visit to Karachi, has observed that
unless snap general elections were called, the already poor situation in the
country would further deteriorate. Mian Sahibs call at this stage raises some
pertinent questions. For instance, does he consider that the moment is the
most propitious for getting a majority of seats in Parliament? Does he
believe that, with the Imran Khan tsunami fast taking over the country,
any delay in the polls could erode the chances of his party winning, even
the present strength? According to seasoned political analysts, even in
Punjab, the traditional stronghold of the PML-N, it is already facing
challenges from the PPP and the PML-Q, whose leadership once willing to
return to the fold of the mother party, was turned down by Mian Nawaz. And
now the apprehensions of a third challenge coming from the PTI should be
galling news for the PML-N leadership.
The current trend of hordes of electable candidates joining the PTI
day after day threatens to take the countrys electoral sanctum by storm, at
least the urban areas. And should PTI be given another year or so, when
general elections would be due under the normal course, to harness votes in
the rural areas, the general expectation is that it would be able to make a
fateful dent in the voting strengths not only of the PML-N, but also of the
PPP and other political parties. The PML-N might now be ruing the day
when it decided to persist in the status of a friendly opposition for so
long; which in the light of the PPP leaders past record, as well as their

773

performance during the current stint of power, was in no way justified. This
attitude raised critical voices in the media and the public.
Another point in Mian Nawazs address to office-bearers of the Sindh
PML-N Labour Wing and representatives of the labour unions, that strikes
the audience was the fear he voiced of an army takeover. As things stand, the
top brass have adopted a policy of restraint. Even now, conditions on the
ground the awakened public opinion, the fearless media and the
independent judiciary in the country, with the unambiguous constitutional
provision against any such act, and the known distaste of the international
community for derailing civilian democracy to install military dictatorship
do not suggest that the army could seriously be thinking on that line. On top
of that, the mess that the PPP-led has created across the board would
pose a daunting challenge to any succeeding ruling setup. Any force
would have to think twice before falling prey to the temptation of assuming
the reins of power. Mian Sahib would be well advised to concentrate on
alleviating the suffering of the man in the street in the area of his party's
governance to subvert these otherwise strong challenges to his political
strength.
Azam Khalil opined: PTI may be attracting people by the dozens in
its fold, yet it lacks the political expertise that is essential to convert its
mass appeal of change into votes. It seems that it will have to wait after
the 2013 elections to be considered seriously, as an option that is capable of
leading the country out of its problems. Imran Khan will, nonetheless, mount
a serious challenge in the urban areas, which is PML-Ns power base. But
his party has yet to organize in the rural areas, which provide the mainstay of
the Provincial and National Assembly seats. The culture between the urban
and rural politics is quite different, and unless and until Imran is able to win
support of those groups and clans, who have sizeable local support, it will
not be possible for PTI to come into power.
Another drawback that PTI will face would be that many timetested politicians, who have joined his party may ultimately tarnish its
image, despite the fact that these new entrants may declare their assets a
primary condition set by Imran. So, this may not be enough to pull the
support that is essential, if he is to win in the general elections.
This essentially means that the next government would, perhaps,
be a coalition for which work may have already begun and one may see
the early emergence of new alliances between various political parties, who
will then fight it out in the elections. Therefore, it would be appropriate, if
774

the major political parties, instead of being distracted by various theories of

doom and gloom, should settle down and concentrate on organizing their
parties, and lay before the people their programme of governing the
country.
For the present dispensation, there will be no easy way out and as the
adage goes, deeds speak louder than words, they have to urgently
implement policies that are people-friendly and will help alleviate the
sufferings of the poor. The government should concentrate on issues of
energy, unemployment and corruption, which have already ruined its image.
Also, it would be a good beginning if committed party workers are brought
forward with a mandate to introduce short-term measures, which will bring
instant relief and happiness to the people of Pakistan. Short of that they will
definitely be fighting an uphill battle that will become more difficult with
each passing day; it is a proposition that no prudent politician would like to
face with the elections just about a year away. However, one thing remains
certain that the people will give a run for their money to all the
politicians, who decide to contest in the elections. As far as democracy is
concerned, it is expected to gain strength and provide both harmony and
prosperity to the people.
On 25th December, TheNation wrote: Mr Hashmis reasons for
leaving the PML-N apart, the PML-N leadership should give serious
thought as to why its most loyal members are leaving the party. If they
carried out a dispassionate analysis, they would realize that their need was
for unity, the kind of unity the PML had when the Quaid-e-Azam was its
President, and led it towards the creation of Pakistan. A disunited PML,
today, can be seen in the 1971 elections, when the country was divided. This
time around, the PML stands split into numerous factions, and the main two
factions, the PML-N and the PML-Q have leaders unwilling to tolerate each
other's presence in the same party. There should be some soul searching to
determine the extent to which such departures from the party as Mr
Hashmis could have been prevented by a unified political platform. After
all, the people who contest elections on League tickets are practical
politicians who like to have a chance of winning, and would find themselves
driven away by shows of disunity which not only reduce chances of winning
individual constituencies, but also the chance of being part of ruling
majorities for people who do win their seats.
Mian Nawazs reaction, of wishing Mr Hashmi well, is a good one,
as is his pledge for the defence of democracy against any attempted military
takeover, but his graciousness should not be limited to those leaving his
775

party. His good graces should extend to those who might wish to enter his,
in the hope that this would mean a unification of all PML factions a
requirement for the political survival of them all.
Next day, TheNation commented: President Asif Ali Zardari, in a
message to the nation on this auspicious occasion, recalled the Quaids belief
in the ballot and not the bullet, to effect change in government and urged the
people to resolve not to let any force or threat be used for this purpose. He
called for making Pakistan a country after the vision of the Quaid,
where freedom, justice, and rule of law prevail, human rights are
respected and the people have adequate means of livelihood.
Unfortunately, our leaders are in the habit of paying lip service to
the ideals of the Quaid-i-Azam, without giving a moments thought to
what these ideals ask of them. Their lives and the conduct of governments
that they run do not conform to these ideals. Against this background, it is
obvious that they would pay little attention to propagating them. As a result,
Pakistan today has little resemblance to the vision that brought it into being;
for mere verbalization of wishes would not help matters. There is urgent
need for government as well as the public to follow the glorious principle
the Quaids life and saying lay down. Hard work, unity, discipline and faith,
honesty and integrity, social justice and the rule of law have to be inculcated
to pull the country out of the morass of backwardness and ignominy into
which it has fallen. There is no time to waste in starting work with these
ends in view.
A R Jerral opined: Imran Khan sounds confused in his
declarations. He says that he cannot close the doors of his party to anyone
desirous of joining; he also openly states that PTI needs winnable leaders,
who can ensure success in the forthcoming elections. The Qureshis, Legharis
and Kasuris are winnable assets, but they are from the old guard whose
credentials are firmly established. They represent the status quo forces and
belong to the elite group of society, who has fixed social and political values
and a definite perception how political matters are to be handled. Khans
assertions that only those will be awarded tickets for elections who have a
clean record, conflicts with his winnable qualification; not all winnable have
a clean record if one dispassionately assesses the past record. The names
mentioned above may have no blemish of corruption; they had no need to
indulge in misappropriations, as they hail from rich landed class. But this
cannot be said of those who are waiting in the wings and looking for an
opportune moment to grab their surfing boards and get onto the tsunami
wave. Most of them are winnable, but fail the clean criterion set by PTI.
776

PTI Chairman has been spelling out his priorities in his speeches and
talk shows. He wants merit to prevail in all the governments departments
and dealings. The winnables joining him belong to political families, who
have their own groupings based on family and clan. They also have their
supporters, who want to get benefits from the positions and authority that
these electables can provide; merit gets relegated to secondary status. Will
these old hands allow PTI to enforce merit, if and when it gains power,
or will it be forced to compromise? In the Lahore rally, which set the ball
rolling
Jerral also mentioned the reforms Khan wants to bring in various
sectors and then went on: The political opponents are accusing the PTI of
being supported by the establishment. They claim that the mass influx
into the PTI is occurring on the nod from the hidden forces. In a political
culture, where we have seen the emergence of alliances under establishment
guidance, this accusation does carry some weight. They even accuse that the
Munter mantra is at work; it is after the PTI Chiefs meeting with the US
Ambassador that the tsunami gained momentum and politicians embarked
on the race to join. The truth may not be known for some time to come.
The PTI rally at Kasur demonstrated a grave shortcoming of the
party. The conduct of the crowd at the end of speeches showed that it does
not have lower tier party workers, who could control the crowd; and if lower
level political workers exist, they deliberately remained aloof to register
their resentment on the direction party is taking. The leadership also
displayed an indifferent attitude in the rally; they made speeches and left,
those who were present remained ineffective. This rally was in a glaring
contrast to Minar-i-Pakistan rally; that had the educated silent majority in
attendance. This should amply demonstrate to Imran Khan the type of
people he is inducting in the party and what can he expect from them and
those who support them.
It would have been much better for Imran Khan to remain true and
steadfast to his cause and programme. He should have fielded educated,
mature and ideologically-motivated people. The silent majority, who saw
a hope and promise in his political direction, would have voted not for
personalities, but for his programme. In the 1970 elections, the PPP had
fielded mostly unknown candidates, yet they won because the programme
the party gave appealed to the masses. PTI had that the potential, but it is
losing that advantage. Elections are still some time away, it would be better
for the PTI to rethink its priorities and be selective in its picking.

777

On 27th December, TheNation commented on promises of Imran. It

was widely expected of the PTI leader to announce the party manifesto at
Karachi. Tall promises have been galore in the past and, unfortunately,
they disappointingly often prove themselves to be nothing but hot air.
Now that he has been able to gather around him people of varied
backgrounds, he ought to put them to work, drawing up details of the
reforms he has mentioned. At this critical juncture of the countrys history,
the nation stands disillusioned with the present setup. All eyes are on the
future. Unless a leadership dynamic enough to act upon these promises
succeeds in capturing the reins of power in the next general elections,
whenever they take place, one should not hope for much change in the lives
of the man in the street. And it is change in their lives the whole world is
looking for. One would very much wish, in case Imran Khan carries the day,
that he would not disappoint the people.
In another editorial the newspaper wrote: Federal Minister for
Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, who tendered her tearful resignation
during a cabinet meeting on Sunday, must be relaxed now that the Prime
Minister has refused to accept it. Not only this, Mr Gilani assured her that he
would look into her complaints about running the ministry effectively. The
encounter between Mr Gilani and Dr Awan was unique in the sense that
never before has such a high-pitched emotional drama been witnessed
during a cabinet session. Her adversaries say she was preparing to join
Imran Khans Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf. This was averted by the Presidents
timely intervention, who called the PM on phone and asked him not to
accept her resignation. While some allege Mr Gilani asked her to tender her
resignation as a result of dissatisfaction with her ministrys performance, on
the other hand, Dr Awan has a completely different story to tell.
Media reports suggest that she was very uncomfortable due to
interference and meddling of various persons in the day-to-day affairs of her
ministry. Without naming, she said that there were at least four persons who
were acting as information ministers and spokesmen of the government. She
said the worst thing that could happen to her was that a non-ministry person
had been invited to conduct the briefing of the federal cabinet despite the
fact that the Information Minister was the chief spokesperson of the
government. Another report says that she was also unhappy over the fact
that a former information minister was still using the bullet-proof
vehicle, plus three cars and secretarial staff of her ministry. Another thing
that made Dr Awan uncomfortable was that she could not shuffle senior
officials of her ministry because summaries sent to the Prime Ministers
778

Secretariat were neither approved nor returned to her office with any
objection.
All said and done, Dr Awans resignation has fully depicted the
state of affairs under which the various ministries are functioning. The
Prime Minister should take immediate notice of such lapses and allow Dr
Awan to at least have a team of her choice to produce the required results. At
the same time Mr Gilani must put in place some sort of monitoring system
about the functioning of important ministries. Without this system, it is hard
to imagine that the dream of good governance will be translated into reality.
Next day, S Tariq had some words of advice for Imran. The man
will have a Herculean task before him and he shall only succeed if he has the
sagacity to choose his team wisely. First and foremost, he must have men
and women around him, who have the courage to disagree and say: No.
He must be wary of the sycophants and court jesters, who will laud
him to the skies and make every endeavour to spin a cocoon around him.
They will enclose him within walls so that he can only see the garden
within, to the utter neglect of the misery without.
He must take counsel from those, who stayed by his side during
times of trial. He must introspect and search his soul to stop at red lights in
all that he does. He must understand that dispensation of good governance
will not come easily after what the nation has been through. He must have
the patience and understanding of a healer to make whole a nation that
suffers from a deeply-rooted cancer.
Above all, he must in words and deeds, emulate our Founding Father.
All he has to do is to listen to Muhammad Ali Jinnahs words, when beset by
doubt, for he will find inspiration there. He must not rise on the crest of the
wave like a king, but walk amongst his people with dignity and humility. He
must remember the adage that a branch weighted with fruit bends ever closer
to the ground, for that is the law of nature.
His opponents will do whatever is in their power to discredit him in
the eyes of the people. He must face this challenge with the strength of his
own transparency and truth. He will be accused of misdeeds and besmirched
with scandals, which he must contest with dignity and grace.
He must not consider himself to be indispensable, for this has been
the bane of many great leaders, who could have led Pakistan to glory. He
must understand that the feeling of indispensability will breed vanity and
arrogance - virtues that have made many great men fall.
779

He must never lose sight of the fact that the surge that brought him to
power can easily snatch the same from him, if he does not deliver on the
covenant he has made with the people of Pakistan.
On 29th December, Azam Khalil opined: In the light of the emerging
scenario, the only plausible direction for all the political parties would be
to present before the people workable solutions to the challenges facing
the nation and hold out promises they can fulfill. Otherwise, till the Election
Day, the entire situation may change that may not augur well for the political
parties.
If Imran Khan continues to make tall promises and is unable to
fulfill them, the speed with which the people are now joining his party will
see an accelerated speed where they will leave it. Also, both the PPP and the
PML-N, who face the handicap of incumbency, will have to show by deeds
and not words what they have done to improve the lives of the people. This
is going to be no easy task, because there are multiple challenges facing the
State, which cannot be overcome by the scarce resources that are available.
Management and governance need to be improved dramatically and, more
specifically, the issue of energy requires urgent remedial measures;
otherwise, it will not be difficult to predict the fate of major political parties.
The time may have come when governments, both federal and provincial,
cannot ignore the issues of poverty and unemployment that have seriously
retarded the growth patterns in all vital sectors of the economy.
As time moves on, the only thing that can be predicted with certainty
is that efforts will be made by the federal and provincial governments to
improve the life of the masses, because they realize that in case it is not
done, they would be better off by not participating in the elections. The
people will definitely judge them on their actions and no promises will
satisfy them.
The Gulf News commented: Imran Khans political education is
bordering between shrewdness and naivety. Promising to end militancy
and corruption within 90 days of being elected prime minister of Pakistan,
the former Pakistan cricket captain is going to find himself stumped out of
the crease in a manner of speaking.
While it is true that Khan is riding the crest of a popular wave,
generated mainly by Pakistans youth who see him as a saviour of sorts, his
ambitions must be tinged with a healthy dose of realism. A politicians
potential should not be measured simply by the number of people who turn
up for his rallies. Khans mettle so far has been untested. His party
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Tehreek-e-Insaaf has briefly held one seat in parliament and that belonged
to him.
His relationships so far with more established parties, the US and the
military in particular needs development. While it is true that he holds out
the promise of hope, Khan must ensure that he too takes a political reality
check.
Next day, Dr Ijaz Ahsan wrote: It was expected that the PTI would
produce a greater dent in the PML-Ns popularity than that of the PPP. Be
that as it may, as far as defections of major leaders from either party is
concerned, there seems to be a greater tendency among the PPP leaders
to quit their party and join PTI. This would indicate the extent of the
degeneration in the PPP and the disillusionment of the senior leaders from its
family-based leadership.
Anyway, Imran will face many problems:
Firstly, no one trusts anyone in this country; they think everyone is
sold off to America. So, they could think likewise about him. Some
people say he is the agencies or USAs man. Surely, Imran needs to
remove or clarify to the public the misconception about him.
Secondly, PTI lacks experience of electoral contests, partly because of
boycotting the last elections; it need to work hard on its manifesto and
election campaign, so that no votes are lost.
Thirdly, at this relatively early time, Imran may not find it possible to
field electable candidates at too many places. It would be better to
field fewer candidates, and spend all the energies of the party on those
constituencies.
To conclude, Imran Khan has a hard streak in him like any good
fast bowler. In politics, however, he needs to soften this up a bit. In any
case, he has certainly provided people with an alternative.
On 31st December, TheNation wrote: The natural gas shortage has hit
the country badly, and Federal Petroleum Minister Dr Asim Hussain told the
National Assemblys Standing Committee on Petroleum and National
Resources on Thursday, that CNG stations will have to be closed in January.
This comes parallel with the latest round of gas price increases, due to kick
in on January 1. This is serving to conceal the fact that that for the last
several months, the Punjab has been familiar with the weekly CNG
shutdown that consumers in Sindh have only now begun to face. The

781

shutdown of factories in Faisalabad has led to it becoming the centre of the

gas shortage protests. It should be noted that elsewhere, the shortage of gas
means that people do not get home-cooking, but in Faisalabad, it means that
factories do not run, and thus people do not work, do not get salaries, and
there is no question of cooking, because there is no money to buy food.
The situation is becoming parlous, not so much because of the
shortages, as because of the discrimination that is being meted out to
Punjab, merely because it has elected a different party to power in the
province than holds it in the Centre. It seems to be a case of cutting off ones
nose to spite ones face, because the shutting down of industry in Faisalabad
means there is an increased difficulty in meeting export orders. Pakistan
depends on its textile industry to provide it the foreign exchange to buy both
food and fuel, both essentials it cannot do without. Thus, any cutting down
of the gas supply means reducing Pakistans ability to survive in the world.
Apart from the inherent unfairness of any discrimination, the ability of
Pakistan to survive has become all the more crucial at this juncture when it
is beset by so many external threats. The unfair treatment of one province
will ultimately be bad for all of them.
The government must do what is needed to get out of the hole it
has got itself into. Not only must it expedite work on the pipeline for gas
with Iran, it must also further exploration of those reserves that have already
been identified within Pakistan. All this must be done quickly, for otherwise
gas shortages will only worsen.
Dr Haider Mehdi opined: If I were in Imrans place, I would have
taken chances with my destiny, depending entirely on the massive wave of
public support for political empowerment; it is politically dangerous to
play with the idea of electables in order to ascend to ultimate political
power. But Imran is not me. Perhaps, he is politically more perceptive;
perhaps, his political vision is larger, wider and more insightful. Perhaps,
Imrans confidence in his message of change is so powerful and timely that
his promise of a political tsunami will carry everyone in its wake. Perhaps,
he believes that people and their lifelong mindsets can easily be
transformed, transmuted and changed 180 degrees for a noble national
political cause.
Perhaps, Imran has faith in celestial intervention for shifting the
mindsets of political actors, who have recently jumped on the PTI
bandwagon and who have, on the face of it, always promoted the political
status quo, exercised politics for their vested interests, remained steadfastly
782

loyal to the US-Wests dictates and have been forever the pillars of a
traditional reactionary political culture that has brought our beloved country,
Pakistan, on the verge of collapse.
Quite frankly, with due respect to Imrans political judgment and the
declared noble intentions of the traditional political elite (with the exception
of one or two), who are joining the PTI, I am having serious difficulty in
sharing Imrans optimism on this account.
In my philosophical political judgment through an analytical
approach, I believe it is decisively problematic to envision how these
traditional political actors joining the PTI can mentally and politically
conceptualize Imrans transformational politics of absolute change. After
all, one of the major actors, for instance, the senior Vice President of the
party, must have negotiated his position prior to joining the Tehrik in
exchange for his political support of Imran Khan. This is one vivid example
(among others) of how traditional egocentric, self-seeking, vested interest
social group politics has been and is being played in Pakistan.
Let us pray and hope that Imran Khan remains steadfastly committed
to his politics of change, which has become the voice of the peoples
democratic aspirations and will and that he prevails in the end! Amen!
Indeed, there is a difference between those who can see and those who
cannot!
Inayatullah observed: A bright light has come from the ways being
made by Imran Khan and the historic Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) public
meetings. His emergence, as the most popular national leader, has not only
brought a third force to take centre stage, but also stimulated other
major parties, especially the PML-N and its Chairman, Mian Nawaz Sharif.
He can squarely take the credit for letting the PPP rulers continue to do
enormous damage to the State and the society. The PML-Ns myopia not
only provided support to the inept and corrupt ruling elite, but also allowed
it to weaken the N-League. Even the imposition of Governors Rule in
Punjab, and attempts to declare the Sharif brothers ineligible to contest
elections, had not opened their eyes. Nawaz Sharif further failed to capitalize
on his sterling role in the restoration of the Chief Justice and his colleagues.
It is, indeed, Imran Khans rallies and his strident criticism of the PML-N
leadership that has finally woken up the Punjab tiger. In fact, PTIs
mammoth jalsas have, as I wrote earlier, changed the political landscape of
the country.

783

The above two developments, along with a proactive and restless

media, especially the television channels, are bound to usher in the start of a
new phase in Pakistans history. One may also add another point, which has
helped the beginning of this new process the exercise of restraint on the
part of General Kayani. The rulers corruption, incompetence and lack of
credibility, boldly displayed from year to year, could have pulled an
ambitious general into the driving seat. If the Prime Minister today is trying
to berate the military implying transgression in jurisdiction, it is he and his
boss who are to blame for abdicating responsibility for matters pertaining to
security and foreign policy. Having conceded control in these areas right
from the start, does it make sense for the Prime Minister and his boss to raise
a hue and cry against the top brass? Undoubtedly, it is their intrinsic
weakness and poor performance, which has brought matters to the present
pass. The only decent way to stem the rot and make a new start is to
quickly go for a fresh mandate from the people.
On 1st January, 2012, Khurshid Akhtar Khan observed: President Asif
Ali Zardari has assumed the mantle of something like a magician or
juggler, who can pull a rabbit out of the hat at any time. Everything he does,
or does not do, these days is construed sinister and as complex as a spiders
web. A variety of his glib spokespersons entrusted to defend his moves only
add to the confusion in their repetitive verbosity on the television channels
and rowdy debates on the floor of the house.
Khan recalled and commented on some events since post-memo
illness of Zardari and then added: If any measures are being taken for
damage control to stabilize the uncertainties, they must be under deep
cover, as they do not seem to be working. The government has been
besieged, both internally and externally. The army is tightening the noose
and the judiciary is entertaining anything that may put the government on
the mat. A third political force of PTI has emerged with a bang that is
threatening to eat into the ranks of the PPP electables, along with the PML-N
and others. The Americans are twisting our arm mercilessly on all counts
and the international financial institutions under their influence have
withdrawn their monetary support. Our traditional rainy day Arab friends do
not want to know us anymore. We are globally isolated and despised.
The Wall Street Journal published an article alleging that the
President had made a brief cameo appearance and will soon take
permanent abode in London or Dubai (a reflection of our image in the
Western media). However, to the disappointment of the detractors, the
President is back in the saddle and business has resumed as usual!
784

He declared himself fighting fit, laughed at the popularity wave of

Imran Khan during his address to the rally at the fourth death anniversary of
his wife. He fired warning shots towards the Chief Justice whom he
addressed directly and expressed his mild defiance to the American dictates.
He had no plans to offer that would arrest the nose-diving economy, or
rescue the national assets from the verge of bankruptcy, as the rupee slides,
inflation escalates, productivity is falling, foreign direct investment is nonexistent, and essential services breaking down with both gas and electricity
in short supply at exorbitant rates. About the same time, a jiyala committed
suicide and a group of poverty-stricken workers of his own party were
demonstrating outside, demanding the promised roti, kapra and makaan.
Yet, the President is upbeat. All is well in the State of Pakistan.
The people still believe and see their ultimate salvage in a democratic
system of government. But the performance of major political parties at the
centre and in the provinces has proved to be singularly inept in running
effective governments, low in moral conduct and perpetually in a
confrontational mode. Their shortcomings and disunity have disappointed
the public that is now clamouring for a change. It is the lack of maturity of
our system in which personal interests override national interests, the
governments refuse to accept responsibility and insist on prolonging their
rule leading to self-destruction. It is in circumstances like this, that extraconstitutional possibilities raise their heads.
On December 30, a nine-member bench of the Supreme Court
declared the petition seeking a probe into the memo controversy
maintainable. The defence lawyer called it a service to the establishment and
against the fundamental rights of the people. Others termed it as another
opportunity for the government to come clean and cooperate with the court
appointed Judicial Commission, if they have nothing to hide. The PPP sees
another conspiracy. Each interpretation manifests an angle of self-interest.
What kind of nation are we building and what kind of a message are we
transmitting to our future generations, if we do not accept a unanimous
verdict of the highest court in the land and consider it tainted? As of now, the
plot thickens as to who masterminded the memo and to what extent the
reverberations will be felt. Let us wait and see how successfully the
magician concludes this act!

785

REVIEW
Someone had said that to understand politicking of Zardari one has to
have PhD degree; he however, did not say that doctorate has to be in
criminology. Zardari undoubtedly excelled in power politics in which
flouting laws and moral code is integral. In that context, if Rehman Malik
deserved a doctorate degree, Zardari certainly qualified for much bigger
honorarium.
Zardari has also deep insight of the culture and history of the land. He
has been quite clever in recognizing the cultural and spiritual significance
of saints and shrines among the masses. He perhaps, could not find any saint
or shrine in his tribe; therefore he decided to convert graves of his wife and
her father into shrines.
This conversion has nothing to do with spiritual excellence of both
those inside the graves or the gadhi nasheen (successors). It is all about
power politics; a ploy to keep the vote bank intact. Anyhow, it needs to be
acknowledged that some special breed of criminals is generally found in and
around shrines. `
It must also be acknowledged that Zardari has transformed the party
of jiyalas into a party of majawars of Bhutto shrine. For the last four years
they have been assembling at the tombs of ZAB and Benazir, who
happened to be wife of the chief majawar. He has turned Garhi Khuda
Bakhsh into a source of strength for fulfillment of his political ambitions.
Thus, he has consolidated a system in which scoundrels in the garb of
saints can rise to the top and rule. It is now the seat of his political power
from where he blurts out his incoherent decrees, just as a majawar would
do under the influence of intoxicating smoking or drinking.
This year too he indulged in this annual ritual and targeted Army,
America and more so the chief of the Apex Court. All that he said was
because of his inner fears of being caught and tried in a court of law for an
offence of treason against a state of which he is constitutional head. This has
been covered in separate series of articles pertaining to war on terror.
Nawaz Sharif had been mistakenly trying to save this system not
realizing that there is little scope for stooges to succeed against scoundrels.
In trying to save the system, he has been inadvertently perpetuating the rule
of scoundrels. He has been an accomplice in adding to the miseries of the
people of Pakistan, which he now vows to undo.

786

This has dawned upon him only recently, but quite late. His
pretensions of pursuing politics of principle have served no ends. He and his
party have also paid heavy price in political terms. In last four years he has
pushed his party into political isolation. He, in pursuit of principles, has
diminished his partys chances of coming into power because no political
party is likely to win majority in next general elections.
Suffering at the hands of those whom they had brought into power the
people of Pakistan seemed to have run out of options. Then they saw a
glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. Imran Khan, whom they had
ignored, being a political non-entity, was seen as a ray of hope.
He is now the target of the status quo forces. Critics of Imran had been
harping that he might be having political ambitions, but he did not have
electable people in his party. When the electables started joining PTI after
defecting other parties the critics saw compromise of principles, especially
on the issue of merit.
Some critics were moving faster than Imrans Tsunami and have
started showing concern about the non-existence of plans to bring about
reforms Imran had been promising. They simply make it convenient to
ignore that parties having elaborate plans have delivered nothing.
1st January, 2012

787

DIVIDE PERSISTS
General Kayani had to go to Mohmand Agency to dispel the talk of
army takeover which the Prime Minister had fanned twice about twenty-four
hours ago. He also had words of advice for his civilian boss to pay more
attention to the real issues rather than digging deep civil-military divide.
This seemed to have had very little desired impact and instead there
was visible negative effect. The counsel of Haqqani, Asma Jahangir, who
was in fact defending the federation, for five days remained busy in
widening the divide. She threw all the muck at Army and ISI that she could
muster.
She was so venomous against Army that at one stage the Chief Justice
had to tell her that she must show respect for those who spill their blood for
the defence of the country. It did not deter the obstinate lady and she spat
more slur, this time at officers of Pakistan Army.
Nine judges on the bench hearing nine petitions related to Memogate
Scandal heard all the nonsense and declared petitions hearable and ruled that
a three-member judicial commission would decide the issue within four
weeks. The commission will be headed by the chief justice of the
Balochistan High Court. The court also decided to proceed against Babar
Awan for his contemptuous remarks.
Meanwhile, American masters of the Zardari regime made findings
of the probe into Salala attack public, which were rejected by Pakistan
Army. The stoppage of NATO supplies through Pakistan entered sixth week.
And, the US made affectionate advances towards Afghan Taliban: Mulla
Omars name was removed from the list of most wanted terrorists.

NEWS
In Pakistan, on 23rd December, the Chief Justice rejected Prime
Ministers statement regarding PPP leader Babar Awans conference on
December 1. He said Gilanis reply about Babar Awan was not acceptable as
it was unclear and a clear stance should be presented. The Chief Justice
remarked that there is no authority except the Constitution and it will be
implemented in any case. He said that every one including DG ISI Shuja
Pasha, Army chief Ashfaq Kayani and former envoy Hussain Haqqani are in
the favour of the investigation.

788

Dispelling the notion that the army will take over the democratic
government, General Kayani has said there is no threat to democracy.
Speaking to his soldiers in Mohmand Agency near Afghan border; he said
that speculations were being made to divert attention from problems facing
the country. The military chief said that the army was aware of its
constitutional responsibilities.
A briefing by the head of the US Central Command to Pakistani
officials on air attack was cancelled. News that General James N Mattis' visit
to Pakistan has been cancelled came a day after the United States announced
that its investigation into the attack found both American and Pakistani
forces were to blame for the border incident.
Zardari summoned his Musheeran to discuss the latest situation. They
endorsed Gilanis statement about Army and ISI and reportedly also
discussed removal of two Generals. PPP also decided to take the Supreme
Court memo verdict to Parliament and Zardari took coalition partners into
confidence in this regard.
At least one FC jawan was martyred and another injured while 15
went missing when unidentified terrorists attacked a check post located in
Malazai area of Tank district. A woman was killed and five others injured
when a mortar shell landed on a house in Bara. A School was blown up by
militants near Landi Kotal.
Next day, nine soldiers were killed and 15 wounded when a suicide
bomber rammed his vehicle into the post of Tochi Scouts. At least 13
militants were killed and several others injured in clashes with the security
forces in Upper Orakzai. One person was killed and three wounded when a
toy bomb exploded in Peshawar. CIA suspended drone attacks in Pakistan.
Parliamentary committee was informed that nine accords were inked with
US and NATO.
Shujaat and Pervaiz Elahi held a meeting with Army Chief Kayani
and discussed the political situation in the country. President Zardari hosted
dinner in the honour of Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo, which was
not attended by Chief of Army Staff. However, Chairman Joint Chiefs of
Staff Committee General Khalid Shameem Wynne, Air Chief Marshal Rao
Qamar Suleman and Naval Chief Asif Sandila participated in the dinner.
On 25th December, two soldiers and 15 militants were killed in
fighting in Orakzai Agency. Next day, the government submitted its
rejoinder to the Supreme Court of Pakistan over Chief of Army Staff, DG
ISI and Mansoor Ijazs sworn affidavits into memogate case. The
789

government has termed memo as pile of lies. The government said that
Mansoor Ijaz tried to pit Pakistans institution against each other, adding that
government didnt not take resignation from Haqqani instead he himself
tendered his resignation.
The interior ministry said that the prime minister and the president
had denied any links with the content of the alleged memo. It added that
there was no security threat to the country due to a piece of paper (memo).
The army chief and ISI chief had in their depositions called for thorough
investigation into the memogate terming it a threat to national security.
Rejecting the impression of removal of COAS and DG ISI, PM said
that certain vested interests were churning such rumours and made it clear
that the government would not go for any misadventure, which in the past
had resulted in the derailment of democracy. He told in a press conference
that it was on his insistence that the two Generals had gotten extension.
In response to a question about his remarks of state within a state,
Gilani clarified, It pertained to the attitude of Federal Secretary for
Defence and added, every institution is under the government and there
cant be a separate government. To another question, Gilani also rejected the
notion of any tension between the government and army and said, how can
we run a government if there is any tension.
The government issued a show-cause notice to the defence secretary
for submitting an affidavit on the memo scandal to the Supreme Court
without seeking approval from the defence minister, but party insiders said
that he was unlikely to be sacked as the government wanted to avert any
open confrontation. Lt-Gen (r) Naeem Khalid Lodhi is considered to be very
close to Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
The New York Times reported that American officials believed that
United States' broad security partnership with Pakistan is over, and they
were now seeking a limited counter-terrorism alliance with Islamabad that
would include restricted drone strikes against militants and reduced aid,
according to a media report.
Noting that some Pakistani officers talk openly about shooting down
any American drones that violate the country's sovereignty, the dispatch
cited a Pakistani official saying, Nothing is happening on counterterrorism
right now. It will never go back to the way it was. Any new security
framework will also require increased transit fees for the thousands of trucks
that supply NATO troops in Afghanistan, a bill that allied officials say could
run into the tens of millions of dollars, the dispatch said.
790

Officials from Pakistan and the United States, according to the

Times, anticipate steep reductions in American security aid, including the
continued suspension of more than $1 billion in military assistance and
equipment, frozen since the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden in
Pakistan in May.
The number of American military officers, enlisted troops and
contractors in Pakistan has dropped to about 100, from about 400 more than
a year ago, including scores of American trainers who have all been sent
home. Pakistan is also restricting visas to dozens of other embassy
personnel, from spies to aid workers.
Senior British officials believe that a last push in 2012 is likely to
definitively destroy al-Qaeda's remaining senior leadership in Pakistan,
opening a new phase in the battle against terrorism. So many senior
members of the organization have been killed in an intense campaign of air
strikes involving missiles launched from unmanned drones that only a
handful of the key players remain alive.
On 27th December, the Supreme Court rejected the impression being
given by the federation that memogate is just a piece of paper, saying
Pakistanis were an alive nation who will not tolerate the memo contents.
Referring to the interior secretarys affidavit, the chief justice remarked if
the federation considers it a piece of paper, why a key meeting was held at
President House, where president, prime minister, chief of army staff and ISI
DG were present? Why former ambassador of Pakistan to the US Hussain
Haqqani resigned and why did the prime minister order investigation?
Justice Shakirullah Jan said for the federation memo was piece of
paper, but chief of army staff has termed it substantial document and accepts
its existence. The court observed that the entire nation stands united on
making no compromise on countrys security, integrity, sovereignty and
independence.
Ishaq Dar informed the court that the Principal Secretary to Prime
Minister through notification on 28-11-2011 has unlawfully expanded the
mandate of Parliamentary Committee, which is carrying out a parallel
investigation of the memo issue. He said only the joint session of the
parliament could expand committees mandate which was established
through a resolution of the joint session. The court observed that the
parliament itself is supreme and how someone can direct it. Saying that
according to the Rules of Parliament even the whole of the government
cannot direct it, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja questioned as to how then the
791

prime minister has ordered the parliamentary committee to probe into the
memo scam?
Attorney General and Asma Jahangir counsel for Hussain Haqqani
insisted that petitions are not maintainable under Article 184 (3) of
constitution, as no petitioners fundamental rights have been infringed in the
memo scam. The attorney general conceded that memo scam is of public
importance but said the mention of enforcement and infringement of
fundamental rights was missing. He suggested that Article 199 has much
wider scope. The AG point of view was that court should show restraint in
this matter as the parliamentary committee was seized with the matter. He
however, did not say that there was any bar on apex court to hear the case.
Asma argued that Ijaz Mansoor in his reply has stated that he tried to
speak to Hussain Haqqani on many occasion but the former envoy replied to
him, I am busy. She prayed that Shafqatullah Sohail letter, which was
converted into petition, be dismissed as it was not the petition under the
fundamental rights.
She contended that ISI DG and COAS in their replies said that time is
of essence. She argued that till the time ISI DG did not meet Mansoor Ijaz in
London there was no issue of memo in the country, but that happened after
the meeting. The court observed if that was the case, it should be thoroughly
probed and it would provide justice to Hussain Haqqani. Asma said: I
would say this is not your (court) right. This is the realm of executive to take
the ISI DG to task.
She said if the PM decides to remove COAS, let him do that because
that is his right and the Supreme Court should not intervene in it. Asma
questioned who has given ISI DG authority to probe the memo scam? ISI is
not the investigation agency, but intelligence agency of Pakistan, he added.
She said: If we would pay attention to ISI DG point of view then half of the
people present in the courtroom are traitor. The ISI declared Wali Khan and
Benazir Bhutto as traitors, she mentioned.
Asma said not the army but the entire nation is owner of the nuclear
assets, and that prime minister being the chief executive of the country and
president as commander-in-chief should have its control. Asma said nuclear
assets have no nexus with the memo. The court observed that for nexus there
should be probe. She remarked the court is responsible to uphold
constitution and law while there were institutions (armed forces) to protect
the frontiers of the country. Asma said if the court would supervise the
investigation, it would tantamount to overstepping its jurisdiction. Asma said
792

that not only the court, but also the other institutions have wisdom, power
and patriotism.
Meanwhile, the AGP again filed Prime Ministers reply on the PPP
leaders press conference at Press Information Department (PID). The PMs
reply stated that for the last three decades PID office has been used by
various ruling parties for news conferences. It further stated that party chief
whip; secretaries of finance and information, minister for information and
senior leaders of the PPP were present in the conference. Whatever historical
perspective of the party was presented in the conference, there was no doubt
about it in PMs mind, while the presidential reference on Zulfikar Ali
Bhuttos murder is the continuance of that perspective. However, the PM
took the stance that whatever was said in the press conference was not aimed
at disgracing the court or any judge of the apex court.
Zardari used the fourth anniversary of the death of his wife to assure
supporters he would not resign in the face of numerous crises building
around him, while he also hit out at army and the Supreme Court. He
brushed his illness under the carpet and urged the nation to foil conspiracies
against democracy.
He issued a jab against the army by invoking Nobel laureate and
democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who campaigned against military rule
in Myanmar. He said, We will fight any evil eye that is a threat to the
federation, but our way will be that of Aung San Suu Kyi.
In a shot at the Supreme Court, which is considering an investigation
into a memo asking the US for help against the military and which could
implicate Zardari, he asked about the as yet unsolved case of his wifes
murder. People ask what happened to Benazir Bhuttos case, he said. I ask
(Chief Justice) Iftikhar Chaudhry: what happened to Benazir Bhuttos case?
This he said despite the fact that the case is being probed by Federal
Investigation Agency (FIA), which is under the command of his own partys
government and has failed so far to carry the investigations any further from
where it was left by Punjab Polices joint investigation team. Moreover, the
case is being heard by Rawalpindi Anti-Terrorism Court instead of the
Supreme Court.
Earlier, the CJP had said during court proceeding that four years have
passed to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto but still her murderers remain
unknown. He said Chaudhry Aslam, a PPP worker, has filed a petition in the
Supreme Court for exposing the names involved in BBs assassination
whom the government failed to identify and arrest.
793

Wearing a Sindhi cap, the president told an emotionally charged

crowd that he was son of the soil and could feel the pain of this land. Zardari
said all forces were under the parliament. He said he would never let his
people fight or sacrifice for his sake. We will fight for democracy as we do
not fight for seats. He paid rich tributes to Prime Minister Syed Yousuf
Raza Gilani for remaining steadfast and said he stood by him.
Pakistan disputed findings of a US investigation into the November 26
air strike saying the bombardment went on long after it reported its troops
were under fire. In a letter to the US Congress, Pakistan said its troops came
under fire at well-identified border posts and that NATO commanders knew
helicopter gunship were firing on Pakistani forces within the first fifteen
minutes yet the attack continued for more than another hour.
Pakistan said the incident has raised suspicions in the rank and file of
the Pakistan Army that it was a premeditated attack and was conducted to
undermine the sovereignty and stature of Pakistan. The Pakistanis say their
border posts came under fire first, and that any claim to the contrary is
baseless. The letter argued that the complete NATO chain of command
knew allied gunships were attacking Pakistani forces.
Meanwhile, 12 suspected militants were killed in Kurram Agency. IB
official was gunned down in Peshawar. OBL commission interviewed
journalists. Gilani said DG ISIs visit to London was being probed; Rehman
Malik denied. Defence Minister said that NATO supplies wont be restored
free of cost. He said that the Pakistani roads were destroyed due to
movement of heavy vehicles, carrying NATO supplies.
Next day, the Apex questioned the assigning of memo probe to the
parliamentary committee in disregard to the rules, while Hussain Haqqanis
counsel asked the court to summon Mansoor Ijaz for cross-examination if
the court has to hear the case. The court asked AG to present written proof
on the mandate given to the committee probing the memogate scandal.
The chief justice remarked that the parliamentary committee on
national security could not have initiated a probe into the scandal unless it
was authorized to do so. Justice Jawad S Khwaja observed that the letter,
written by the prime ministers Principal Secretary Nargis Sethi to the
committee, was not the proper tool for granting the mandate. Even the
prime minister cannot direct the parliament, he said.
The chief justice remarked that only the national assembly or joint
resolution of the parliament can mandate a parliamentary committee for an
inquiry, but said that even a joint session of parliament, which granted the
794

mandate to the committee, needed rules for its operation. He added that the
court should be informed when the parliament granted permission for
conducting a probe. Justice Jillani observed that the mandate should be
object-specific.
Asma said she was told that the committee itself had decided to probe
into the scandal. When the chief justice asked Asma to state if she
maintained her stance on her proposition for an order to the government,
Asma said that the details could be presented and shared with the media and
petitioners: That should be the end of the matter. The chief justice observed
it cant be the end because the court needed to further verify the facts.
Asma Jehangir pleaded to summon American-Pakistani businessman
Mansoor Ijaz to appear before the bench for providing opportunity of cross
questioning. During her arguments on maintainability of petitions in the
memo issue, Asma said that both the petitioners and the respondents want
the scandal to be probed, but there is conflict over the forum. She
emphasized that it was the right of her client, who has been considered
guilty, and not that of the petitioners to have forum of his choice for
investigation of scam.
Justice Tassaduq Jillani said the court has the power to determine the
forum. The court observed that there were 3 to 4 things in the memo for
which forensic evidence is necessary, and the Blackberry messages and
phone record could not be obtained from Canada without the court
intervention.
The chief justice observed the government had set up many
commissions but there reports were not made public. He posed question that
what had happen to Hamood-ur-Rehman Commission and UN and Scotland
Yard reports (in Benazir murder case)? These reports were not put under the
rug, he said and added this tendency should end and now people should
know the facts.
He said that ISI DG, COAS, Prime Minister and even Husain Haqqani
himself has accepted the existence of the memo. Justice Shakir Ullah Jan
said that prima facie according the meetings of PM, President, COAS and
ISI DG shows that memo exist and the resignation of Haqqani points out the
involvement in memo controversy.
Asma said the petitioners have brought articles 9, 14 and 19A of the
constitution for redressal of their grievances to the ambit of Article 184(3).
They have stated their fundamental rights are infringed but failed to
demonstrate the violations. She argued there is hypothetical infringement of
795

fundamental rights and there are apprehensions about the involvement of her
client as no cogent link has been established yet.
The chief justice said Haqqani in his rejoinder and affidavit has not
denied the link with Mansoor Ijaz. Justice Saqib Nisar asked Asma to satisfy
the court as to why and how the fundamental rights under Articles 9, 14, 19A
have not been violated. Justice Jillani said after the findings the court could
decide about the infringement of the fundamental rights.
Asma argued for inquiry to be started from the lower to upper level; as
ultimately he has to come to the apex court for the protection of his rights.
The chief justice said if your client does not have faith in highest judicial
forum then how he would he trust the sessions court. Justice Jillani said the
court has vast jurisdiction and the judicial power cannot be controlled and
the threshold is that court can pass any order under Article 184 (3).
Asma contended that memorandum scandal is a political issue. The
chief justice stated memo scam is about the integrity, security, sovereignty
and independence of the country and you call it a political issue. The CJP
questioned whether recognition of Bangladesh and allowing the Balochistan
government to use consolidated funds for annual budget when provincial
assembly was non-functional in Balochistan were not political questions?
Why the Presidential References regarding the issues were sent to apex court
for seeking its opinion? He said that when the constitution is silent on any
specific issue then Supreme Court interprets the constitutional provisions.
Rejecting the detailed NATO probe on last months border attack,
Pakistan Army has questioned the validity of the findings supervised by a
military man, who was one of the commanders responsible for the attack.
Citing Stephen Clarks unsuitability for leading a sensitive probe that,
Pakistan Army maintained: He is not neutral. Given that he himself
commands the Special Operations Forces, we have grounds to believe that
the November 26 episode did not happen without Clarks consent. He is as
much to be held responsible as General Allen is.
The NATO has offered Pakistan to launch a fresh probe into
Mohmand Agency with Pakistan military being part of the investigation but
this suggestion has also been turned down. Theyre not ready to accept
anything but wanting the NATO to claim full responsibility of the border
bombing incident and apologize unconditionally, NATO-based sources said.
Meanwhile, 18 militants were killed and 8 wounded in fighting in Kurram
Agency and six militants were held in Islamabad.

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On 29th December, Chief Justice asked Asma Jehangir to refrain from

disrespecting Pakistan Army officials and questioned her as to why should
the court deem a foreign generals statement more credible than that of our
own men. She had read out General James Jones statement to the court in
which he had exonerated her client Haqqani.
Asma said: We also respect the army and are indebted to soldiers for
their sacrifices for the defence of the country. She said in fact the army
officers rule while the soldiers are giving their blood for the protection of
our frontiers. She said: History tells that wisdom is not in the knees. The
chief justice asked Asma not to use such insulting remarks for anyone. She
replied no one is infallible and everyone can make mistakes.
Asma reiterated that the memo is just a piece of paper and the court
should not give much importance to it. The chief justice said if the
federation considers the memorandum just a piece of paper then why a key
meeting was held at the Presidency, which was also attended by the prime
minister, the army chief and the director general of ISI. Asma said such
meetings were also held at the time of your resignation but bar, media and
civil societys stance was that there should be due process of law.
Asma, submitting the record of the articles written by Mansoor Ijaz,
said Mr Mansoor for the last three years has been writing articles against the
ISI in foreign press, but what persuaded ISI DG to probe Mansoor Ijaz on an
article appearing in Financial Times in which highest official of the country
the president was involved? She said why did ISI DG meet Mansoor Ijaz
in London without the permission of the prime minister?
Asma asked the bench that if you talk about credibility then how
Mansoor Ijaz has become credible. Justice Shakirullah Jan said if Mansoor
Ijaz has such a bad reputation then why her client remained in contact with
him. Asma insisted that memo is a political and not legal issue therefore the
court could not hear it. She commended Haqqanis services as ambassador.
Tariq Asam, a petitioner, in his rebuttal said that the contents of memo
show that conspiracy was hatched against the sovereignty of Pakistan. It was
violation of the citizens fundamental rights. Mr Tariq said Haqqani has
termed him (Tariq) a doubtful person in his petition and prayed to the court
to expunge those words. Asma said that she would file a written statement to
expunge insulting remarks against Tariq.
Barrister Zafarullah pleaded that May 2 episode and memo scam
could not be seen in different perspectives. Attacks on Mehran Base and
Salala check post were in the continuation of that incident. He prayed that if
797

Mansoor Ijaz was involved in conspiracy then action should be taken against
him. He said that except judiciary all the institutions have failed, therefore,
the court should hold investigation. Meanwhile Shafqatullah submitted a
written reply through post. His stance was that the governments resistance
to the probe shows the involvement of some high officials.
Senior officials of ISI told Senate committee on defence that they will
continue seeking guidance from the parliament, but will never compromise
in the matters of national security. The members of committee were briefed
about the tribal areas, important issues of frontiers, situation of Afghanistan
and policy about war or terrorism, while the progress of ISI and challenges
faced by country for the protection of national security were also discussed
in the meeting.
The Parliamentary Committee on National Security Chairman Senator
Raza Rabbani and Parliamentary Leader of Jamaat-e-Islami in Senate
Senator Professor Khurshid Ahmad had already excused attending the
meeting and they did not attend the meeting at ISI Headquarters as they
wanted holding the meeting at the Parliament House and had informed the
committee chairman about their decision.
Next day, the Supreme Court declared the petitions on memo
controversy maintainable and constituted a high powered three-member
commission to probe into the issue of memogate. The commission,
comprising three chief justices of the High Courts and having a District and
Sessions judge to act as its secretary, has been directed to complete its work
and submit report to the court within four weeks. Balochistan High Court
Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa was appointed chairman of the commission.
The court in its order observed that the petitioners have succeeded in
establishing that the issues involved are justiciable (subject to court trial)
and question of public importance regarding enforcement of fundamental
rights, prima facie, under Articles 9, 14 and 19A of the constitution has been
made out. Therefore, the petitions under Article 184(3) of the constitution
are maintainable.
Regarding the press conference of Babar Awan and other PPP leaders
at PID, the court directed the office to put a separate note in the chamber of
Chief Justice along with the transcription of the press-conference and the
replies/reactions of the Prime Minister dated December 23, 26 for passing
appropriate orders.
The commission shall hold its meetings in IHC building and shall
exercise all the powers of judicial officers to probe the case. The
798

commission shall be free to avail services of advocates, experts of forensic

science and cyber crimes. All the federal secretaries, including secretaries of
interior, cabinet, foreign affairs; chief secretaries and Inspector Generals of
Police of all the provinces; FIA DG; and ambassadors of Pakistan to US and
UK, shall provide necessary assistance to the commission.
The commission shall be authorized to collect evidence within and
outside Pakistan according to prevailing laws on the subject and shall
provide full opportunity of hearing to all the parties. The federal government
through cabinet division secretary shall provide logistic support to the
commission, subject to its demands through the secretary of the commission.
The court noted that the reply submitted by Mansoor Ijaz, inter alia,
comprises of certain documents, including exchange of emails and other
communications using the Blackberry Messaging (BBM) between them,
shows that Ijaz and Haqqani were in constant touch either through BBM,
emails or voice calling from May 9 to 12, 2011 Therefore, in the interest
of justice, it is appropriate to get the confirmation about the veracity and
authenticity of these communications from the original company known as
Research in Motion (RIM) based in Canada being the sole and exclusive
custodian of such information.
Earlier, Rashid A Rizvi rebutting Asma Jahangirs arguments said the
premise of respondent No 4 (Haqqani) that Nawaz Sharifs petition is
against him was incorrect. He said due process, demanded by Asma, is more
guaranteed and safeguarded in this court instead of the parliamentary
committee, which is holding a parallel investigation, or session court or even
the commission set up under Commission and Inquiry Act 1956. Rizvi said
the petition is not about seeking relief for an individual but this was a matter
of public importance.
Rizvi said that the contents of the memo have not been denied by the
federation and other respondents. He while referring the judgment of Justice
(r) Sabihuddin in Bonded Labour case and of judgment in Benazir Bhutto
case said the scope of 184(3) jurisdiction has been broadened in these two
cases. He said dignity is not only the fundamental right but also the
commitment given in Article 2A that a person lives in the country with
honour and dignity. Rizvi said Article 9 described the dignity of a person and
that one should have right to independent state and sovereign government.
Senator Ishaq Dar, a petitioner, argued that on Nov 18, he along with
25 Senators had written a letter to the Senate Chairman for requisitioning of
Senate session. He said according to rules if the requisition is made by the
799

opposition members, the chairman is bound to call the session within 14

days on receiving of the request, but the session was called on Dec 2, after
the court took notice of the case. He said in that session government pointed
out the incomplete quorum, which it should not have done as it was
requisition on very important issue. Due to incomplete quorum the session
was adjourned.
Dar stated that in his letter to the Parliamentary Committee on
National Security chairman he demanded that ISI DG and Foreign Affairs
secretary should file their replies. Contradicting the version of federation, he
said, no meeting was held in PM House over the memo controversy on Nov
25, and the prime minister showed interest in the matter when apex court
took up the case.
He said it was wrong that Husain Haqqani resigned himself. Showing
the resignation of Haqqani, Dar said, according to it, in pursuant to the
instruction he resigned. He also objected to the arguments of Asma that the
court has banned the movement of Haqqani, questioning, Who has kept him
(Haqqani) at the Presidency or Prime Minister House?
Petitioners welcomed the verdict. Asma, who had been spitting venom
over Army and ISI for the last four days, cried Its a dark day for judiciary.
Another sympathizer of the suspects, Babar Awan deemed a day of
mourning. The house of Haqqanis boss offered no comment.
The Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS)
summoned DG ISI, Husain Haqqani and Mansoor Ijaz in connection with
the memo scandal probe in the middle of January. The committee meeting
held under the chair of Senator Mian Raza Rabbani has also finalized the
working papers regarding the countrys foreign policy with a specific
reference to relations with NATO and United States in the backdrop of the
NATO attack on Pakistan Armys check-posts.
The committee informed that the committee would be meeting again
on January 3 at the Parliament House where the members of the committee
would give their final nod to the working papers or would suggest some
changes in it. In that meeting the officials from Ministries of Finance and
Defence would also give their input to the draft of the working papers and
the same would be finalized.
Wajid Shamsul Hassan expressed his inability to appear before the
Inquiry Commission on US military operation in Abbottabad because of bad
health. He was summoned by the Inquiry Commission to record his
statement regarding US military operation in Abbottabad to kill Osama bin
800

Laden. Meanwhile, two people were killed in a bomb blast in Bajaur. Police
foiled an attempt to kidnap a health official and killed five abductors in the
process. Significant reduction was observed in suicide attacks in the country.
On 31st December, two soldiers were killed in bomb blast in South
Waziristan. Twelve militants were killed in shelling in Orakzai Agency.
Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa summoned the first meeting of Judicial
Commission on 2nd January, 2012 for probing the memo controversy. US
suspended all sorts of financial assistance to Pakistan unannounced. Only
450 million dollars were released to Pakistan under Kerry Lugar Bill in 2011
and these were also not given to government of Pakistan; whereas US owes
$2.5 billion.
On 1st January, 2012, Asma Jahangir refused to continue as counsel
for Husain Haqqani in the memogate case. She did not trust the highpowered commission formed by the Supreme Court to investigate the memo
affair, alleging that the Supreme Court judges were under the establishments
influence.
Asma said that Husain Haqqani feared the powerful spy agencies may
force him into giving a statement of their liking. This fear was the reason
behind the former ambassadors stay at the prime ministers house, she said.
The lawyer said she had told Haqqani to find another counsel to represent
him in the top court as well as the judicial commission.
Asma said that the Supreme Courts decision on the memogate
petition was a victory for the countrys establishment. The law was being
used to transform the country into a security state, she said. She accused
the judges of the apex court were acting as acolytes of the establishment.
The Supreme Court decision, declaring the petitions on memo
controversy maintainable, has put the Parliamentary Committee on National
Security, which had also taken up the memo issue for probe, in an awkward
position and some of the committee members were of the view that the
committee should leave the matter to the apex court.
Obama signed a $662 billion national defence authorization bill into
law that, among other sweeping measures, freezes $700 million in aid to
Pakistan until Islamabad gives assurances it is helping fight the spread of
improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Meanwhile at least fifteen militants
were killed in Orakzai Agency. One soldier and eight militants were killed in
a clash in Landi Kotal area. Anti-Taliban fighter was killed in bomb blast in
Bajaur Agency. Munawwar wanted Army-Taliban dialogue.

801

In Afghanistan, three civilians died in an explosion of a truck in

Kandahar province on 23rd December. Earlier a police check point in western
Ghor province. One attacker was killed and three policemen were wounded
in the clashes. Two days later, at least 19 people including an Afghan MP
were killed in a suicide attack on a funeral procession in northeast
Afghanistan and wounded 35 others.
On 27th December, FBI removed the name of Afghan Taliban supreme
commander Mullah Muhammad Omar from its list of most wanted
terrorists. However, the names of Ayman Al Zawahiri and Hakimullah
Mehsud still remain on the list. The reports said that the US wanted to bring
the Taliban to negotiating table in order to end the conflict in Afghanistan.
Next day, a roadside bomb attack killed three NATO troops in eastern
Afghanistan. These deaths take to 561 the number of foreign troops killed in
Afghanistan so far this year.
On 29th December, two French soldiers were shot dead in Kabul by an
Afghan soldier. Ten policemen were killed in Taliban attack in Helmand.
Next day, a roadside bomb killed four civilians in Afghanistans southern
province of Uruzgan. Also in the volatile south, a soldier of the ISAF was
killed by an IED. On 31st December, a British soldier was killed in an
explosion while on foot patrol in Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province.
In the 2011, 566 coalition soldiers were killed as against 711 the last year.
On 24th December, India charge sheeted Hafiz Saeed. Next day, three
policemen were killed in shoot out in barrack in Srinagar. On 26 th December,
Pakistani and Indian officials in Islamabad resumed the bilateral dialogue on
conventional and nuclear weapons. A 10-member Indian delegation attended
the dialogue.
Next day, Indo-Pak talks on arms control ended with agreement on
extension of existing accord. On 29th December, India rejected Pakistani
proposal to pull back artillery deployed along LoC. On 31 st December, it was
reported that India, in order to expand its spy network through its diplomatic
missions in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran, has doubled the funds for its spy
agencies RAW and IB. The undercover diplomats working at Indian
embassies in Pakistan and Afghanistan have been assigned the new task.
Western media claimed that high ranking officials from Indian Interior
Ministry and RAW held a meeting in recent past and finalized the plan in the
light of decisions taken by Indian Prime Minister to increase the secret funds
for the spy agencies.

802

The joint operations section of India, run by RAW and Intelligence

Bureau (IB) is already active in Pakistan. Now India has expanded the
network of its spy agency RAW to different areas in Afghanistan through its
consulate offices. India has started appointing secret agents at its consulate
offices taking diplomatic cover.
In Balochistan, six people perished in incidents of violence on 24 th
December. Next day, five people were killed in incidents of violence and an
engineer was kidnapped in Mastung. On 26 th December, two people were
killed by unknown gunmen in Quetta. Next day, three people were killed in
incidents of violence.
On 29th December, Doctor Baqir Shah, a member of investigation
team probing Kharotabad incident, was gunned down in Quetta. He passed
away before reaching the hospital. Dr Shah was the police surgeon who
conducted autopsy on the five foreigners who were shot dead by police and
FC personnel on May 17. Earlier, two persons were killed when unknown
armed men opened fire at them in a separate incident.
Next day, at least 13 people were killed and more than 30 wounded in
a bomb blast outside the residence of son of former Federal Minister Naseer
Mengal in Quetta. Banned outfit Baloch Liberation Army claimed
responsibility for the blast, saying it was a suicide bomb attack. On 31 st
December, two people were killed and five wounded in incidents of violence
across the province. Police arrested 15 suspects in Quetta.

VIEWS
On 23rd December, TheNation commented on the war on terror that
was now being fought in Pakistan. The Prime Minister's three-hour long
meeting with the COAS and Mr Gilanis statements afterwards indicate a
patch-up is in process between the civilian government and army, in the
aftermath of the memo issue. The impression found further strength, as the
President, who was supposed to have been advised to take complete rest for
two weeks, decided to return home, late Sunday night.
However, at least three developments since then have altered the
scenario altogether. The first was the Supreme Courts hearings and its
scathing remarks of certain PPP stalwarts and high government functionaries
that could fall under the category of contempt of court. The second instance
was COAS General Kayanis reiteration of the army position that stood in
sharp contrast with the position of the federation. The COAS maintained that
803

the memo, a reality, was designed to lower the morale of the army. He
demanded a thorough investigation. The DG ISI in turn, averred that there
was undeniable evidence of a conspiracy against the army. And the third
pointer to the continuing strains between the two vital institutions of the
state was Mr Zardaris dash to Islamabad after barely two days in Karachi.
In the meantime, the Defence Ministry has issued a statement saying
that it has no control over the operations conducted by the army and the ISI.
To justify the Presidents position for not filing his reply to the court's query,
the Prime Minister, while saying that the President and PM had no link with
the memo, took the plea that the federations response should be assumed to
be covering the Presidents. If it was on the presumption of immunity of the
President, the apex court laid it to rest by observing that if anyone thought
that they enjoyed immunity, they would be required to approach the court for
an opinion on the subject. That has not deterred Mr Gilani from asserting
that under the Constitution everyone is accountable to Parliament and
persisting in remarks to the effect that conspiracies are being hatched against
the government. On the other hand, Hussain Haqqanis counsel Asma
Jehangir has accepted that the Supreme Court has the right to hear the case.
Against this backdrop of a raging controversy, the Supreme Court has
stated that it is in the process of reaching a conclusion whether the case
is maintainable. Mian Nawaz Sharif supports the armys point of view and
asserts that even if half of what the memo reveals is true, it reflects a threat
to the security of the country.
The unmistakable clash between the government and the army as
well as the government and the judiciary is not a good omen for the
smooth functioning of the government. One wonders why the PPP-led
government is reluctant to let the Supreme Court investigate a scandal that
has created such strain between these institutions. It is time that saner
counsels prevailed in the high echelons of the ruling political setup and
accepted the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, the highest judicial authority
of the country, on the case before the situation becomes irreconcilable.
Ashraf Mumtaz wrote: Already confronted with many a crisis and
facing severest criticism on account of its failure to solve peoples problems,
the government on Thursday declared almost a war against the Pakistan
army and the intelligence agencies to establish what he called
Parliaments supremacy over all other institutions. The new front was
opened by none else but the prime minister, who otherwise is proud that he
is the longest serving chief executive of the country, his tenure longer than
even that of Benazir Bhutto
804

There are no two opinions about the need for the supremacy of
parliament. But it is lunatic to say that some institution other than the
government is responsible for undermining it. The government gave no
importance to various resolutions adopted by the bicameral legislature, and
threw into the dustbin almost all judgments of the Supreme Court that called
for action. Unfortunately, the parliament failed to play any role to have the
apex court verdicts implemented. The question is if the parliament doesnt
give importance to its own resolutions, and also makes a mockery of the
other institutions, how it can expect others to respect them
Interestingly, before launching a new attack on the army and the
intelligence agencies, the prime minister did not take the political leadership
on board. It is not clear whether the PPPs coalition partners are ready to
face the consequences of the prime ministers newfound love for
parliaments sovereignty, or they would bid farewell to the setup when the
chips are down. In such a situation how he will discipline the countrys
strongest institution is unclear. Ostensibly, the prime ministers speech
will only worsen the crisis.
Next day, TheNation observed: The USAs Commission on the
Salalah killings has emerged. Apart from the fact that the Pakistani
version of events is missing from it, it incorporates instead the version of
the Afghan border police. The report suffers from the defect of trying to
paper over the culpability of American forces in the incident, which left 24
Pakistani soldiers dead, and which has caused widespread outrage in
Pakistan and brought Pakistan-US relations to an all-time low In the last
few weeks, this is the nearest the USA has come to admitting it was at fault,
while trying to affix blame on the Pakistani side. There is no clear admission
that the American forces involved made a very costly error. The report lays
the blame on improper coordination by the two militaries. The report also
claims that there was no deliberate attempt to target Pakistani troops, of
which the USA stood accused by Pakistan.
The report dismisses one of its major defects, the absence of a
Pakistani version, by expressing regret at this. However, because the report
does not include the Pakistani version of attempts, it will be seen as an
attempt to soften the blame on the American side. The promise made by the
report of payment to the families is a virtually explicit admission. Though
named solatia payments, they represent the forlorn hope that the
problem will go away if money is thrown at it.

805

The government must hold out for the full and frank apology it
needs, but it must not accept this report as ground for restoring NATO
supplies. It must not be forgotten that the hope of quick restoration of NATO
supplies is one of the reasons the investigation has been carried out in such
haste. However, there has been no guarantee offered that such incidents will
definitely not be repeated. Pakistan must make it clear that it will not accept
such cavalier treatment from a supposed ally, which not only does not
acknowledge the sacrifices it has made in the USAs war, but adds to those
losses, and then asks Pakistan to share the blame.
On 25th December, Jalees Hazir commented: It is sad, but it is true
that the PPP leadership has been willing to serve as unquestioning serfs
when it comes to the Pak-US relations, regardless of how the government
decisions affect Pakistan and its citizens that the party claims to solely
represent. The problem is not so much the deep differences that seem to have
developed between the civil and military leadership when it comes to the US
and how far were willing to bend for it. Going by democratic ideals, the
elected government could over-ride the concerns of the military and decide
to stay subservient to the US. But instead of defining the problem clearly,
and putting on the table the real basis of differences, the government has
chosen to hide behind vague conspiracy theories, raising insignificant
technicalities and making dangerous insinuations about other State
institutions. It has only weakened its case thus.
So, why would the PPP leadership resort to such dangerous
brinkmanship? Why doesn't it just unearth the conspiracy and punish the
culprits, instead of making political speeches about it? Why is it so allergic
to the idea of the memo affair being investigated by the Supreme Court? The
PTI Chairman, Imran Khan, feels that by insinuating that the security
establishment knew about Osama's presence in Abbottabad, the Prime
Minster has started enacting what was envisaged by the memo. Is he right
about the NRO-democracy then, meant to serve those who facilitated the
deal between Musharraf and PPP, rather than the people of Pakistan? It
seems like people will have to decide this one - once again on the streets.
Next day, Bassam Javed wrote about memogate and concluded: To
trace out the perpetrators of the memo that incidentally has a serious
implication for our national security, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has
been approached to determine the same. There is a need to fully examine
the facts and circumstances leading to the conception and issuance of the
memo, so has said the Chief of the Army Staff on the memo issue. The
spirit behind writing and passing on the memo to US CJCS needs to be
806

dispassionately investigated. There are two possibilities that either Ijaz

spoke the truth, though he has a negative track record on political intrigues,
or the transition to a mature democracy in Pakistan is being questioned.
Whatever the truth that comes out of the investigations, it may have the
potential to push Pakistan and the US towards a dangerous confrontation. So
instead of casting reckless aspersions on the Pakistans security
establishment it would be better for opinion makers to wait for the
Supreme Courts verdict on the real authors of the memo gate affair.
On 28th December, TheNation observed: On the fourth death
anniversary of Benazir Bhutto, President Zardaris statement that the
judiciary should sentence her killers is only proof of his governments own
inaction. It is not the Supreme Courts duty to arrest the killers; it can only
sentence the accused after a trial. The courts award punishment but it is
necessary for the government to first catch the culprits. It is
incomprehensible why the PPP-led government is dithering in revealing the
killers of Benazir Bhutto. Mr Zardari has promised on numerous occasions
that the killers will be exposed at the right time, but one wonders when that
time will come. Besides, the PPP as the party in power has the official
machinery at its disposal to unravel the mystery and make arrests. It is the
governments constitutional and moral duty to arrest the criminals. Being the
spouse of former Prime Benazir Bhutto, it is naturally Mr Zardaris foremost
wish and desire to see to it that the killers, as well as the planners of the
murder, are thrown behind bars. Yet that has not yet happened, to the
disappointment of millions of followers of the former PM, as well as the
general public. It is a pity that he is heaping the blame on the Supreme
Court of Pakistan even though the government has, for the past many
years, been defying its passed orders. How could the Supreme Court work
in the face of governments defiance? Even cases like the corruption cases
into NICL and Haj scam were not allowed to proceed smoothly only because
of the governments rigid attitude. It is pointless to sling mud on the
countrys apex court for the sake of entertaining the crowd at Naudero.
The conduct of the government with respect to memogate
proceedings in the apex court is far from satisfactory. The impression
received is that the government has been trying to institute delays in the
proceedings at the Supreme Court. The President's refusal to submit his
reply is one such tactic. If the government does indeed trust the Supreme
Court, it should leave the case on to its judgment and not make itself more
suspicious through its hostile posturing. Instead of blaming the Supreme

807

Court, the PPP setup must go after the killers and bring them in the dock,
lest the people should think it is itself delaying the proceedings.
Two days later, M A Niazi commented: The whole situation was
encapsulated in the Prime Ministers two speeches last weekend, where
he attempted to draw lines which implied that the military was plotting
against his government, and trying to exert his authority over it. Though
the PPP has the most well-defined position against military rule, having
since 1958 to oppose it, the PML has also defined positions because of the
association of many of its members with it, either because of themselves or
their fathers. The Prime Minister himself has spent some time as a member
of Junejos Cabinet, and the PPP itself contains people who belonged to
some other party, and there are many founders of the PPP who first entered
the Assemblies under Ayub Khan.
The Prime Minister may have been expressing the fear of the
political class as a whole that its monopoly of perks would once again be
challenged by the military, but he was also showing that he remained within
the PPPs mainstream, which takes a dim view of the militarys propensity to
take power. That he had to deny that he would sack two State
functionaries does not speak well for the tangled knot that have become
civil-military relations, and there is the additional complication of the
Defence Secretary, now a retired lieutenant general, who has attracted the
PMs anger, and over the filing of comments in the memogate case.
At the same time as memogate, the country has to deal with
various levels on the Salalah incident, which has re-emerged because of
the USAs internal report on the incident, which exculpates itself, only to be
expected, since the USAF Special Forces general conducting the enquiry
commanded the forces involved in the incident. The Salalah incident
requires closer coordination than normal in peacetime between the military
and the civilian government, and while the PPP has seized on the American
connection with the memogate (through Mansoor Ijaz, the American citizen
at the heart of the affair), it did not mention its own connection.
The Parliamentary Committee on National Security has said that it
will continue its own proceedings on the memogate affair while the Supreme
Court carries out its own. This might well be prompted by the government,
but it does not stop the court. The nation badly needs an independent
enquiry, and so, according to the affidavit filed by the COAS, does the army.
Without a proper and unbiased investigation, there will only be
speculation that can harm the government, the military, and their
808

relationship. The government must not fear an impartial investigation.

Unless someone is fearful that such a probe will unveil unpalatable truths.
On 31st December, Ashraf Mumtaz commented: The Supreme
Courts order that petitions against the memorandum are maintainable shows
that the matter is not as simple as the government and former ambassador to
the United States tried to portray it. The apex courts decision to constitute a
judicial commission to probe into what was being trivialized as just a piece
of paper means that now the matter will be taken to its logical
conclusion, no matter what the consequences. Now many things may come
to light, which remained hidden so far because of the technicalities of the
proceedings held so far. While coming to the nitty-gritty, the commission
will ascertain the motives behind the alleged plan to rein-in the armed forces
of Pakistan. And that will be the time when the hidden hands behind the
move will also stand exposed.
Mr Husain Haqqanis counsel Asma Jehangir did her best to convince
the court that the matter does not fall in its jurisdiction, but the court did not
agree with her. Her assertion that the memo does not pose a security threat to
a nuclear Pakistan also stands overruled. What the court said on Friday
clearly means that the matter of national security cannot be left alone to
a parliamentary committee, which is already seized of it
Asma Jehangirs assertion that ISI chief was not authorized to probe
into the memo issue and meet with Mansoor Ijaz without prior permission
from the prime minister has also not been given importance by the ninemember bench. During the hearings the government and Husain Haqqanis
counsel also argued that the army chief and the ISI boss could not have a
point of view different from that of the government. This point also
failed to convince the bench.
In fact, this is a unique case because of its very nature. Here the army
chief and the ISI director general are on one side and the government on the
other. Those who are under oath to defend the country against all
threats cannot be supposed to blindly follow the government, especially
when they have different views on security matters. At one stage, Asma
Jehangir, who is also a former president of the Supreme Court Bar, had
alleged that two of the respondents are in fact petitioners in this case. This
was a clear reference to the chiefs of the army and the ISI. She also urged
the bench not to be influenced by names, or she would raise the issue of
bias.

809

If this was the situation in courtroom, the political leadership also did
its bit to vitiate the atmosphere. For example, the prime minister alleged that
a conspiracy is being hatched to pull down his government Then came
reports that the government plans to sack the army chief and the ISI boss...
the gulf between the government and the military establishment has
apparently widened. Prime Minister Gilanis stand about the visas issued
without any authorization to Americans has further embittered relations
between the two sides Many say that what the prime minister had said
amounted to charge sheeting the countrys security agencies, which are
already being reviled and maligned by the enemies.
While all this was going on, the president also made the humble
contribution he could make to provoke the apex court He said people
asked him about the killers of the slain PPP chairperson. I ask the Supreme
Court what happened to the Benazir case. In other words, he referred the
question to the apex court what the people wanted him to answer. Then he
alleged that the Supreme Court takes up cases against the government, but
doesnt take interest in the reference about the judicial murder of the late
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
The relations between the government and the military establishment
are very tense and it is not clear how the two sides communicate with each
other on defence matters. The services chiefs have not so far contacted
their supreme commander to enquire after him.
TheNation wrote: The memogate saga took a new turn The
memogate crisis has taken the country by storm. And it needs to be
ascertained whether the memo is real or not and also why it was written. Its
contents, such as accusations against the Army, future intentions about the
nuclear programme and guarantee of carte blanche by a superpower are
causes for serious concern. These issues cannot be left uninvestigated, hence
the Supreme Courts decision to delve further. Earlier, many had expressed
their doubts about the credibility and veracity of Mansoor Ijaz, as a witness
or claimant. While these doubts may stand, the objectives of the memo, and
especially the manner in which such objectives were suggested to be
fulfilled in the words of the memo itself, are of so serious a nature that an
investigation into it's origin will have to be carried out. This investigation is
necessary, not just in the defence of the national security, but also to clear
those whose names have been embroiled in the scandal. Forensic experts are
expected to provide key information about the memo. While SCBA
President Asma Jehangir had some harsh words for the SC's order, Barrister
Zafarullah was all praise for it. Asmas soap-box oratory, which amounted
810

to casting aspersions on the intent of the Supreme Court, was alarming

and uncomfortable to hear.
The Supreme Court has now formed a commission, with many
reputable names, empowered to separate fact from fiction. Asma may still
welcome the courts order, if it means that a fair commission will ultimately
clear her client, in whose innocence she holds such faith. Will it not be good
if this can of worms is opened up and cleared? If her client has nothing to
hide, then why raise a fuss over the investigations. Concurrently, Prime
Minister Gilani during the past few days has been issuing statements that
tend to give the impression that the PPP government is again in a defiant
mood. Meanwhile the Parliamentary Committee on National Security has
summoned Mansoor Ijaz, as well as General Pasha, which hopefully should
ease the work of the judicial commission.
On 1st January, 2012, Tariq Osman Hyder observed: This year
relations with America have plummeted. First a CIA agent killed two
Pakistanis. America demanded his return without trial. Next a helicopter task
force swooped down and killed Osama Bin Laden without prior intimation.
Then while negotiating with the Taliban in Afghanistan, whom US VicePresident Joe Biden termed are not enemies, America demanded that
Pakistan take on the Haqqani group which was not fighting the Pakistan
Army. Finally NATO planes killed 24 Pakistani soldiers guarding a border
point on the Afghan border.
Pakistan stopped overland NATO supplies but not the crucial air
bridge, closed the CIA airbase used for drone strikes on Pakistani soil, and is
reconfiguring its civilian and military budgets to adjust to reduced American
assistance. A more pragmatic and sustainable relationship with America,
respecting its sovereignty and interests, will be a major objective in 2012.
Even China, Pakistans main ally advises continued engagement with
America. Pakistan is trying to improve relations with India to make space to
fight terrorism and deal with an unstable Afghanistan as the Americans
retreat. India agreed to restart the peace dialogue it froze after the Mumbai
terrorist attack. Given further Indian response the bilateral environment
should improve. Pakistan despite problems, displays the resilience to adapt.
It will remain a key country for its ally China, for America trying to exit
Afghanistan, and for its neighbours, Iran beleaguered by the nuclear issue
and Afghanistan seeking stability. India too may realize that to reach its true
potential it needs improved relations. 2012 promises to be a better year for
Pakistan.

811

Next day, TheNation wrote: Against the backdrop of mutual distrust

and tension between Pakistan and the US, there are reports that Islamabad
has not received a single penny of promised aid from Washington during
the year 2011. Although the US has, so far, reimbursed $8,654billion to
Pakistan under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) since it became an ally in
the war on terror, there is as high an amount as $2.5billion that is still
outstanding. On an average, the US reduces 60 to 65 percent of the total
billing. Under the circumstances, a Finance Ministry official has warned that
the PPP-led government would have to devise a way to revive the moribund
economy, without the prop of the American economic assistance. In case the
amount is not forthcoming, self-reliance that means tightening of the belt
across the board alone could, given the will, take the economy out of danger.
Experience has, however, shown that to expect the rulers to give up their
lavish and luxurious lifestyle at the expense of the state exchequer seems to
be a tall order. It is the burden of maintaining the abnormally big
government apparatus that is eating into official revenues. It is depressing, to
boot, to learn from the officials concerned that no proposal for relying on
our resources is on the table, nor is any being thought of.
The catch-22 is that the country not only lacks the wherewithal to put
the economy back on the rails, but is also devoid of the basic infrastructure
to make that possible. The debilitating electricity-gas scarcity the country is
currently experiencing has not suddenly appeared. The corrupt and inept
leadership at the helm of affairs has failed, over the past four years, to
put in place viable projects that could have made up for the shortage when
the crunch came. The non-starter rental power projects were patronized to
gain personal benefits, depriving the nation of billions of rupees, without
getting anything in return. Inexpensive hydel sources of power generation,
like the ideally suited Kalabagh Bagh (KBD), were thrown in the bin. One
would urge the authorities to dig KBD up and implement it on a war
footing.
Nevertheless, the idea of soliciting financial assistance from the
US in the new terms of agreement Islamabad is working out, should be
discarded. As stated above, the leadership needs to have the will to take a
decision in principle to tap the countrys own resources. The whole nation
must be mobilized to take the necessary measures. One can hope that when
it finds the rulers earnest enough in this respect, it would set aside its
grievances against them and follow them. Otherwise, social unrest that the
shortages and high rate of inflation have created will intensify and might
even become uncontrollable.
812

REVIEW
The Year-2011 saw the tree, called NRO deal, started bearing fruit.
Americans have the know-how of plantations and they had chosen this tree
and used Musharraf to plant it. It soon started bearing poisonous fruit and
Musharraf was its first casualty. First year of the second decade of the
century proved to be year of its optimum yield.
Starting with Raymond Davis sharp shooting in Lahore it has brought
only bad news for a beleaguered nation. The year ended with the Supreme
Court decision on Memorandum Scandal, which was desirable by any count,
but promised more agony in not too distant future.
American stooges, the Saint and the Scoundrel, who came to power as
consequence of NRO deal, are now pitched against two soldiers and that too
of their own choosing. The two Generals find themselves at the receiving
end; the senior general of the two had negotiated the unholy deal for the
Return of She.
To the misfortune of people of Pakistan the circumstances imposed
Zardari upon them instead of Benazir. Zardari did not forget his wifes
promise with the Americans to deliver more than Musharraf in their war on
terror; which has clearly spelled aim of de-Islamization, de-militarization
and de-nuclearization of Islamic world.
Two of the above were mentioned unambiguously in the
memorandum to Mullen. Those who initiated the memorandum pretended to
be performing a noble duty of strengthening democracy in Pakistan against
military interventions, but they had done it to perpetuate their rule by
pleasing the foreign masters.
Even after having been caught on the wrong foot, the Saint and the
Scoundrel still endeavour to achieve what has been said in the
memorandum. That has been why that use of fowl language by the regime
and its supporters against Army and ISI has increased since the case has
been taken up by the Supreme Court.
They are keen to fight for their cause but do not know how to do it,
primarily because their cause is evil in nature. To quote, the poker-faced
Saint talked to media that all that he had blurted out twice in a day had
nothing to do with Army and ISI. All that he had said about extension, pay
increase, visa to OBL, conspiracies and so on had nothing to do with two

813

Generals; he had simply complained about federal secretary of defence.

Only a man with dead conscience could tell such blatant lies in public.
The tone and tenor of the Saint changed only after the Scoundrel was
back in Islamabad and had couple of meetings with his musheeraan
(advisers). Whatever the Saint said since the return of the Scoundrel was
certainly tutored to him. The Scoundrel speaking at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh
seemed quite satisfied with the performance of the Saint.
Zardari rambled at fourth death anniversary of his wife; his overall
performance was generally incoherent. It seemed under pressure under rising
tensions with the military, agitation by the political opposition and fear of
court upholding the law, which led to persistent speculation that his days in
office were numbered.
His speech was yet another proof that all was not well with his mental
health. All the medical certificates he had been submitting in Swiss Courts
seemed genuine, not fake as alleged. He tried to hurl all sorts of rubbish at
the Supreme Court to pre-empt it from hearing the petitions regarding
memorandum. He had to do that after Gujrati cousins met General Kayani,
but failed to broker yet another deal?
The Saint and the Scoundrel lost the first encounter in the Supreme
Court. They could not stop the Apex Court from staying away from
memorandum and leave the matter to democracy (Parliament) to decide
about its fate. But, the battle is on promising more encounters in which
Zardari and his American masters could join forces to take on their common
enemy.
It may be said even risking repetition that joining the Americas holy
war against Islamic militancy has been a far graver mistake than joining
Afghans in their armed struggle against occupation of their country by the
Soviets. The ugly face of the ongoing holy war has exposed itself since
long, but diehard opponents of Islamists like secular fascist forces of ANP
and PPP have been refusing to see.
They criticize General Ziaul Haq for what he did in seventies while
owning the ongoing war as their own. It will not be too long from now that
these forces will also find this war staring in their face with its horrifying
ugliness. Demilitarization and de-nuclearization of Islamic World, of which
Pakistan is part, are two of its objectives.
The objectives of Zardari regime are the same, which were very
clearly spelled out in the memorandum by its representative. He wanted to
814

achieve these clandestinely with the help of its American masters. Once the
cat was let out of the bag by Mansoor Ijaz there was lot said and done, but
objectives of the regime remained unchanged.
The Scoundrel is still determined to achieve those by taking on the
Army frontally. It is in this context that some analysts term the memorandum
yet another NRO deal. First deal saw the fall of one General and this one
could claim heads of two Generals. Poison tree (NRO), which General
Kayani had helped planting, may find him dead under it one day (mukafate-amal).
2nd January, 2012

815

EXTRAORDINARY FEAT-II
On the eve of troops pullout from Iraq Obama visited a military
garrison in the US and boasted of accomplishing an extraordinary
achievement. The only extraordinary aspect of Iraq war was perpetration of
death and destruction for about nine years and then leaving the country still
bleeding.
Iran is the sole beneficiary of regime change in Iraq. It has emerged
stronger with a Shiite government in its neighbourhood. In addition to the
presence of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Assad continuing to survive in Syria,
the Shiite uprising in Bahrain and elsewhere in Middle East, the US
unceremonious departure has added to self-assurance of Iran.
The uneasy stalemate persisted in Syria and Yemen. The North
African countries, after experiencing Arab Spring, were gradually but
surely drifting out of the folds of pro-West rulers and into the shades of
Islamist forces. Rise of Islamists in North Africa, especially in Egypt, has
rung alarm bells in the West.

NEWS
Some states of North Africa were turning towards democratic ways
whereas others remained in turmoil. On 24th December, a wave of attacks in
three cities of northern Nigerian attributed to a radical Islamist group killed
46 people. Next day, 35 people were killed in attacks on second of Christmas
in the country.
On 28th December, deadly clashes between Islamists and security
forces displaced an estimated 90,000 people in the northeastern Nigerian city
of Damaturu. A bomb was thrown into an Arabic school in mainly Christian
south, wounding at least seven. Two days later, an explosion killed four
people in the violence-torn city of Maiduguri as Muslim faithful left a
mosque after Friday prayers. The blast came after a series of Christmas
attacks blamed on Islamists.
On 1st January, 2012, at least 50 people were killed in clashes between
two neighbouring communities in southeastern Ebonyi state. Two days later,
Police fired tear gas and detained protesters while crowds blocked petrol
stations amid rising anger over a controversial measure that has led to
skyrocketing fuel prices.

816

On 4th January, a girl was killed when a police station was attacked by
gunmen in Kano. Next day, bomb blasts rocked northeastern Nigerian cities
under a state of emergency as an ultimatum from Islamists for Christians
living in the area to leave expired, no casualties were reported.
In Tunisia, thousands of people packed a provincial town square on
17 December, to celebrate the first anniversary of democratic revolution in
the place where it began. The festive mood in Sidi Bouzid was tempered
somewhat, however, by reminders that democratic change in Tunisia has yet
to ease poverty and high unemployment.
th

On 17th December, Leon Panetta said that Tripoli could become an

important security partner of Washington as he visited Libya for talks with
new regime officials. Next day, NATO refused to conduct probe into civilian
deaths during Libyan Spring.
On 2nd January, 2012, ten percent of the seats in a proposed Libyan
constituent assembly will be reserved for women, according to a draft
electoral law. Next day, gun fight erupted in central Tripoli, killing two, as a
group of former rebels from the western city of Misrata clashed with a unit
of ex-fighters from the capital. The two groups of former rebels traded antiaircraft and heavy machinegun fire as they fought in broad daylight.
In Egypt, protests continued in Cairo on 18th December over the
manner in which military was handling the transition since ousting of
Mubarak. Next day, Egyptian security forces clashed for a fourth straight
day with protesters demanding an end to military rule as the death toll rose
to 12, despite strong international criticism of the use of force. Two people
were killed in dawn fighting in Cairos administrative heart as security
forces swooped to remove the protesters.
On 22nd December, the Muslim Brotherhood, whose party is leading
Egypts staggered parliamentary election, came out against bringing forward
a presidential vote to end military rule, saying changing the timetable would
wreak chaos. Two days later, main Islamist parties won 65 percent of votes
for party lists in the second round of election for a new parliament. The
Freedom and Justice Party won 36.5 percent of the vote for party lists, with
4,058,498 out of 11,173,818 votes. The elections were scheduled over three
rounds, with run-offs for individual candidates after each round.
On 26th December, Canada was concerned that forces worse than
deposed strongman Hosni Mubarak could rise to power as a result of newly
held polls. Two days later, the murder trial of Hosni Mubarak resumed after
a three-month hiatus. Mubarak risks the death sentence if he is found to have
817

been complicit in the killings of some 850 people who died during protests
that overthrew him in February.
On 29th December, police raided offices belonging to local and foreign
rights groups as part of an investigation into alleged illicit foreign funding.
The authorities blamed foreign-funded groups for political unrest in the
country after an uprising ousted president Hosni Mubarak.
On 4th January, Muslim Brotherhood looked set for a dominant role in
Egypts first free parliament in decades and is promising rivals a role in
writing a new constitution as military generals face growing pressure to hand
power to civilians. Egyptians voted for a second day on Wednesday in the
final stage of the lower-house election.
On 6th January, former Egyptian prime minister, a presidential hopeful
was forced to flee a campaign rally after protesters threw chairs at him.
Ahmed Shafiq, who has announced he was running for the top job, was
addressing a rally in the impoverished Cairo neighbourhood of Imbaba on
Thursday evening when some residents began chanting for him to leave.
On 20th December, President Salva Kiir of South Sudan visited Israel
where premier and president pledged their support for the fledgling state.
Meanwhile, rebel chief George Athor has been killed in a clash with
soldiers. One month after vowing to continue his battle against the Juba
government, Athor died when a South Sudanese border patrol clashed with
elements with him in Morobo County.
On 25th December, Sudanese army said Khalil Ibrahim, who led the
Darfur-based Justice and Equality Movement, was killed during a military
offensive in North Kordofan state in retaliation of a deadly rebel attack. Four
days later, Sudanese air raids killed 17 people in the South Sudan, the new
nation's military said, but Khartoum dismissed the allegation.
On 2nd January, 2012, a column of some 6,000 armed youths from the
Lou Nuer tribe marched on the remote town of Pibor in troubled Jonglei
state. They burned huts and looted a hospital, the worst flare-up in a dispute
that has left more than 1,000 dead in recent months and threatened to
destabilize the worlds newest country. Next day, a UN envoy said clashes
between rival tribes in a South Sudan town may have left hundreds dead.
Tensions between the two groups over cattle rustling have mounted in recent
months. On 6th January, more than three thousand people were reported
killed in recent tribal clashes in South Sudan.

818

On 19th December, a suspected remote-controlled bomb in Kenyas

Dadaab refugee complex near the border with Somalia killed one police
officer and seriously wounded two others. Two days later, at least ten people
were killed and several wounded in air strike in southern Somalia.
On 31st December, Ethiopian troops captured a rebel-held town in
central Somalia in a new front against the al Qaeda-linked militants. The al
Shabaab rebels said on Saturday they had repelled three Ethiopian assaults
north of the town and then carried out a planned withdrawal from the
settlement.
In Middle East, last US troops left Iraq and entered Kuwait on 18th
December marking end to nine-year physical occupation of the country. On
23rd December, at least 63 people were killed and 193 wounded in 11 bomb
blasts in Baghdad. Next day, Vice President blamed government for bomb
attacks.
On 26th December, at least seven people were killed when a suicide
car bomber hit Iraq's interior ministry in the latest attack since a crisis
erupted between the Shi'ite-led government and Sunni leaders a week ago
when Maliki sought the arrest of the Sunni vice president. Five days later, a
gun attack on a checkpoint located north of Baghdad in Diyala province,
manned by anti-Qaeda militiamen in central Iraq left five of them dead.
On 5th January, a total of 30 people were killed and 72 wounded in the
attack, which occurred just west of Nasiriyah as pilgrims were walking to
the holy shrine city of Karbala for Arbaeen commemorations. The attack
came on the same day two Shiite neighbourhoods in Baghdad were targeted
in bombings that left at least 23 people dead. Two devices were detonated in
Khadimiya, killing 19 and wounding 32. Another two struck the sprawling
slum of Sadr City, where at least 10 people died; in all 68 people died on the
day. On 6th January, rockets were fired against Green Zone as Iraq's military
marked its anniversary with a parade. Further violence against Shiite
pilgrims killed two people.
Israel detained a Palestinian leader on 17th December. Twelve days
later, Palestinian militants fired two rockets at southern Israel. On 3 rd
January, Jordan hosted talks between Israelis and Palestinians. Next day,
Israeli police arrested Palestinian youth in East Jerusalem for throwing
stones during visit of mayor. On 5th January, Israeli troops demolished four
Palestinian homes near the ancient city of Jericho.

819

On 17th December, Iran claimed arresting an Iranian-American

working as a CIA agent. The alleged spy has served in American military
bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. The suspect was tasked with carrying out a
complex intelligence operation and infiltrating the Iranian intelligence
apparatus.
On 1st January, 2012, Iran tested radar-evading missile. Next day,
2012, Iran test fired missiles during naval exercise. On 3 rd January, Irans
military warned one of the US navys biggest aircraft carriers not to return to
the Gulf, in an escalating showdown over Tehrans nuclear drive that could
pitch into armed confrontation. Next day, EU states agreed to impose ban on
Iranian oil. China opposed unilateral US sanctions.
Iraq planned to launch mediation to end crisis in Syria. On 20th
December, at least 100 Syrian army deserters were killed or wounded in
clashes as Damascus faced new demands to halt its bloody nine-month
crackdown on dissent. At least 36 civilians were also killed around the
country, 23 of them in the northwestern province of Idlib where the deserters
lost their lives. In Cairo, the Arab League said an advance team of observers
would head to Damascus to lay the ground for monitors overseeing a plan to
which Syria has agreed.
On 21st December, more than hundred people were killed in clashes.
US warned Syria of more sanctions. Five Iranians were abducted when they
were on their way to Homs where they were working on a project. Next day,
a team from the Arab League arrived in Syria ahead of deploying monitors
who will assess whether Damascus is acting to end a bloody nine-month
crackdown on protests against President Bashar al-Assads rule.
On 23rd December, 40 people were killed and over 100 wounded in a
double suicide car bombing that targeted security and intelligence buildings
in Damascus. The explosions went off within minutes of each other, shaking
residents around the city. Two days later, at least 23 people were killed as
tanks battled opponents of President Bashar al-Assad in Homs, a day before
observers were to have their first look at the city at the heart of a ninemonth-old revolt.
On 28th December, three Lebanese shot and wounded by Syrian troops
as they were crossing into northern Lebanon died of their injuries. Next day,
tens of thousands of protesters rallied near Damascus as Syrian security
forces killed 21 civilians nationwide and peace monitors spread out to areas
hit by unrelenting violence. The monitors, on the third day of a mission to

820

stop the bloodshed in Syria, also visited the central city of Hama, Idlib in the
northwest, and Daraa in the south, according to Syrian television.
On 30th December, ten people were killed in protests in Syria. Three
days later, Syrian rebels captured dozens of members of the security forces
by seizing two military check points. The opposition said army deserters
also clashed with security forces at a third checkpoint, killing and wounding
an unspecified number of troops loyal to Assad. On 6th January, the UN
Security Council strongly condemned terrorist attack in the Syrian capital
that left 26 dead and 63 wounded.
Troops in Turkey killed 21 Kurd rebels in southeastern region on 21 st
December. Next day, tension rose over the draft law put forward by
members of President Nicolas Sarkozys ruling party on the 1915 mass
killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks. Turkish Prime Minister warned
there would be grave political and economic consequences if the bill was
passed. On 29th December, 35 people were killed when Turkish jetfighters
bombed suspect Kurd rebels. In Bahrain, police fired tear gas to disperse
protesters on 1st January, 2012, killing a Shiite protester where tensions have
been running high.
Thousands marched in Yemen on 22nd December toward the capital
demanding President Saleh face trial for killings of protesters over 11
months of demonstrations against him and denouncing a new government
that would spare him prosecution. Next day, seven soldiers were killed in an
ambush in Zinjibar area and in Sanaa supporters of Saleh attacked the
demonstrators.
On 26th December, battles between al-Qaeda suspects and Yemen's
army near the southern city of Zinjibar killed five soldiers and two al-Qaeda
suspects. Next day, clashes between Yemeni youths divided over a power
transfer deal that grants Saleh immunity from prosecution left 35 people
injured. On 28th December, a Yemeni was shot dead in a shootout between
the Republican Guard and gunmen loyal to dissident leader.
On 31st December, supporters of Saleh took to the streets of Yemens
capital for the first time since he signed a peace agreement last month. Seven
militants connected to al Qaeda were killed in southern Yemen. Also in the
south, rebel fighters killed a security officer. On 3 rd January, 2012, five
Yemeni soldiers and a girl were killed in clashes with alleged al-Qaeda
gunmen on the outskirts of the restive southern city of Zinjibar.

821

In Mainland Asia, a Tajik court jailed 53 people for terrorism on

26 December, most of them members of a group closely allied with alQaeda, and all of them involved in a suicide car bomb attack in September
2010. Forty-three of those on trial had been identified as members of the
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the court said. Three day later, Police
opened fire and killed seven kidnappers during a hostage rescue mission in
northwest China's Muslim-majority Xinjiang region.
th

In America, al-Khoei Foundation was among four buildings

owned/run by the Muslims which were subjected to terror attacks in New
York on 2nd January, 2012. Next day, four year imprisonment was awarded to
a Paki for aiding terror groups. On 6th January, two Pakistanis were jailed on
different terror-related charges.

VIEWS
On 19th December, Pepe Escobar commented on US troops pullout
from Iraq. He wrote: The muted ceremony stood in contrast to the
spectacular shock and awe in 2003 when an America fully emboldened by
lies after lies printed on the cover of the New York Times sent columns of
tanks north from Kuwait and lit up the sky like Christmas, according to
CNN, to conduct regime change against Saddam Hussein. As of last Friday,
the war in Iraq had claimed 4,487 American lives, with another 32,226
Americans wounded in action, according to Pentagon statistics. As for
Iraqi victims, the Pentagon doesnt do body counts.
The tenor of the moving, hour-long farewell ceremony, officially
called So long, towel heads, was likely to sound an uncertain trumpet for a
war that was invented to get rid of non-existent weapons of mass
destruction. It now ends without the Iraqi chapter of the Empire of Bases
the Pentagon badly wanted in the first place essentially because the
American military were shown the door by ungrateful Prime Minister Nuri
al-Maliki.
Although Thursdays poignant ceremony marked the official end of
the war, the Pentagon, just in case, still has two bases in Iraq and roughly
4,000 troops, including several hundred who attended the ceremony. At the
height of the war in 2007, during the surge of General David Petraeus, the
occupation maintained a sprawling 505 bases and more than 170,000 troops.
According to military officials, the remaining diehards are still being shown
Iraqi love on a daily basis, mainly by strategically placed improvised
822

explosive devices set against convoys heading south through Iraq to bases in
Kuwait.
Even after the last two bases are closed and the final American
soldiers go home to certified unemployment by December 31, under rules of
a shady agreement with the government in Baghdad, a few hundred
military personnel and a sprinkle of spooks and mercenaries will
remain, working within the larger-than-the-Vatican American Embassy as
part of an Office of Security Cooperation to assist in extremely profitable
weapons deals. But negotiations could resume next year on whether
additional American soldiers, spooks and mercenaries can return to further
profit from the action.
Senior Pentagon officers have made no secret that they will indeed
miss the action as well as the oil that the US in the end did not secure. Plus
theres the matter of all those F-16s Baghdad is being forced to buy; they
must be put to good use, and not just lay there frying in the al-Anbar
desert
The tenuous security atmosphere in Iraq was underscored by a fleet
of gunships that hovered over the ceremony, scanning the ground for
sneaking al-Qaeda operatives. Although there is far less violence across Iraq
than at the height of the US-engineered sectarian war in 2006 and 2007, lots
of people still get killed on a daily basis and Americans remain a
preferential target of followers of firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Panetta acknowledged that the cost was high in blood and treasure
of the United States, and also for the Iraqi people. But those lives have not
been lost in vain they gave birth to a fully devastated, fully segregated,
fully traumatized client regime. We just dont know yet whether it will
be Americas or Irans
While the terrorist group has been rendered ineffective by a
punishing series of Special Operations raids that incinerated several alQaeda leaders, plus bags of cash distributed among Sunni tribals,
intelligence specialists fear that it is in resurgence. The American
occupation of Iraq also hampered Washingtons ability to fabricate a
narrative from the United States in support of the Arab Spring
uprisings this year which caught Washington totally asleep at the wheel.
In the end, the Pentagon had to be dragged kicking and screaming
to handing bases over to the Iraqi government. Across the country, the
closing of precious outposts in the sprawling US Empire of Bases has been
marked by a quiet closed-door meeting where American and Iraqi military
823

officials signed documents that legally gave the Iraqis control of the bases,
exchanged handshakes and barely disguised their mutual contempt. The
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin E Dempsey of the
army, has served two command tours in Iraq since the invasion in 2003, and
he noted during the ceremony that the next time he comes to Iraq he will
have to be invited.
Gulf News wrote: On the occasion of the final withdrawal of
American forces from Iraq, after a shocking eight years of invasion,
confusion, and civil war, the entire Arab world wishes Iraq well. The Iraqi
government has a huge responsibility to rebuild the shattered nation
after decades of dictatorship and the trauma of civil war. More than
103,000 Iraqis were killed in war-related violence and more than 1.3 million
Iraqis were internally displaced by the war
The worst aspect of the invasion was that the US made no plans
for post-invasion nation building. Bush forced Iraq into a fantastic muddle
that devastated an entire country. When the invasion was planned, the State
Department had a plan for reconstruction of Iraq, but a few weeks before the
troops went in, responsibility for managing Iraq was transferred to the
Department of Defence, which had no plans at all. As a result, days after the
invasion we watched the depressing start of country-wide looting, and heard
Donald Rumsfeld, then secretary of defence, comment: Stuff happens. Paul
Bremmer, the US-appointed Administrator of Iraq, disbanded the Iraqi
Army, putting 400,000 men onto the streets, and removed all Baathists from
positions in the civil service. These two moves alone removed the most
trained and able people from the task of rebuilding the countrys institutions
and sent tens of thousands of angry and despairing men to join the looming
civil war. For years after the invasion, Iraq suffered from rampant
corruption, as the administration received billions of dollars in aid and
support from America and other countries, with huge sums going missing.
Some of the corruption became institutionalized with security companies
like Blackwater making tens of millions for ill-defined and unmanaged
services.
One of the worst legacies of the American domination of Iraqi
politics is institutionalization of sectarian thinking. Under Saddam
Hussain, Iraq had become largely secular in its government and public
affairs, but the occupying forces swiftly changed that by looking for leaders
according to their religion or sect. The sectarian militias gained a significant
amount of political power, like the Shia Mahdi Army, the Kurds Peshmerga
and the Sunni Anbar tribes. This poisonous legacy is a tragedy and will take
824

decades of efforts to put right. It is too early to say that Iraq has overcome its
problems. The country is not yet stable, and far too many factors are still
undecided, but at least one seriously divisive factor was removed when the
American military withdrew.
Mark Levine opined: In Egypt, the government continues to jail,
torture and kill activists. While less overtly violent, the increasing
militarization of policing and the stifling civil disobedience are harbingers of
a far less open and democratic public sphere than we have experienced in
generations. Indeed, standing amidst the violence in Tahrir reading tweets
from Oakland and other cities and universities where police were forcefully
dispersing protesters literally made my head spin. Finally, liberals might
have lost the elections, but dont count out the Left. Commentators have
focused on religious movements and parties but the fact is that in Egypt it
was the various socialist movements which did the crucial organizing that
enabled the revolution in February. Lenin and Trotsky played an equally, if
not more important, role to non-violent resistance guru Gene Sharp in
shaping the strategies of protest deployed by revolutionaries.
In fact, while liberal Egyptians look aghast at the rise of the
Islamists, socialist and labour activists are setting about the hard work
of building a base among the poor and working class. Their numbers are
growing and include many religious activists who have been turned off by
the Brotherhoods easy embrace of the corrupt and violent system that only
recently oppressed them. A similar trend is apparent in Tunisia.
Ultimately, however, no matter how well organized the emerging
democracy and justice movement become, transforming a global system that
has taken decades and even centuries to evolve is a Herculean task. Amidst
the violence in Tahrir last week, as a dwindling number of occupiers fought
off continual infiltrations and attacks by government agents, one of the
protest leaders Id spent much of the previous two weeks with pulled me
aside and asked, choking back tears, whether I thought it was time to call it a
day, at least for now. Its not for me to say, I replied. But, as a historian, it
seems that the struggles only just begun. Of course, he answered,
composing himself in the blink of an eye. We are making history, and
history takes time. With that he smiled and said good-bye, heading back
into the battle.
Next day, Gareth Porter commented: United States Defence Secretary
Leon Panettas suggestion that the end of the US troop presence in Iraq
was part of a US military success story ignores the fact that the George
825

W Bush administration and the US military had planned to maintain a semipermanent military presence in Iraq.
The real story behind the US withdrawal is how a clever strategy of
deception and diplomacy adopted by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in
cooperation with Iran outmanoeuvred Bush and the US military
leadership and got the US to sign the US-Iraq withdrawal agreement. A
central element of the Maliki-Iran strategy was the common interest that
Maliki, Iran and anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr shared in
ending the US occupation, despite their differences over other issues.
Maliki needed Muqtadas support, which was initially based on
Malikis commitment to obtain a time schedule for the US troops
withdrawal from Iraq. In early June 2006, a draft national reconciliation
plan that circulated among Iraqi political groups included agreement on a
time schedule to pull out the troops from Iraq along with the build-up of
Iraqi military forces. But after a quick trip to Baghdad, Bush rejected the
idea of a withdrawal timetable
In June 2007, senior Bush administration officials began leaking to
reporters plans for maintaining what The New York Times described as a
near-permanent presence in Iraq, which would involve control of four
major bases. Maliki immediately sent Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari to
Washington to dangle the bait of an agreement on troops before then-vice
president Dick Cheney.
As recounted in Linda Robinsons Tell Me How This Ends, Zebari
urged Cheney to begin negotiating the US military presence in order to
reduce the odds of an abrupt withdrawal that would play into the hands of
the Iranians. In a meeting with then secretary of state Condoleezza Rice in
September 2007, Rubaie said Maliki wanted a Status of Forces
Agreement (SOFA) that would allow US forces to remain but would
eliminate the irritants that are apparent violations of Iraqi sovereignty,
according Bob Woodwards The War Within.
Malikis national security adviser was also seeking to protect the
Mahdi Army from US military plans to target it for major attacks. Meeting
Bushs coordinator for the Iraq War, Douglas Lute, Rubaie said it was
better for Iraqi security forces to take on Muqtadas militias than for
US Special Forces to do so. He explained to the Baker-Hamilton
Commission that Muqtadas use of military force was not a problem for
Maliki, because Muqtada was still part of the government.

826

Publicly, the Maliki government continued to assure the Bush

administration it could count on a long-term military presence Confident
that it was going to get a South Korea-style SOFA, the Bush administration
gave the Iraqi government a draft on March 7, 2008 that provided for no
limit on the number of US troops or the duration of their presence. Nor did it
give Iraq any control over US military operations. But Maliki had a
surprise in store for Washington.
A series of dramatic moves by Maliki and Iran over the next few
months showed that there had been an explicit understanding between
the two governments to prevent the US military from launching major
operations against the Mahdi Army and to reach an agreement with Muqtada
on ending the Mahdi Armys role in return for assurances that Maliki would
demand the complete withdrawal of US forces.
In mid-March 2007, Maliki ignored pressure from a personal visit
by Cheney to cooperate in taking down the Mahdi Army and instead
abruptly vetoed US military plans for a major operation against the Mahdi
Army in Basra. Maliki ordered an Iraqi army assault on the dug-in Sadrist
forces. Predictably, the operation ran into trouble, and within days, Iraqi
officials had asked General Suleimani to intervene and negotiate a ceasefire
with Muqtada, who agreed, although his troops were far from defeated.
A few weeks later, Maliki again prevented the United States from
launching its biggest campaign yet against the Mahdi Army in Sadr
City. And again, Suleimani was brought in to work out a deal with Sadr
allowing government troops to patrol in the former Mahdi Army
stronghold.
There was subtext to Suleimanis interventions. Just as Suleimani
was negotiating the Basra ceasefire with Muqtada, a website associated with
former Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Mohsen Rezai said
Iran opposed actions by hard-line clans that only weaken the government
and people of Iraq and give a pretext to its occupiers.
In the days that followed that agreement, Iranian state news media
portrayed the Iraqi crackdown in Basra as being against illegal and
criminal forces. The timing of each political diplomatic move by Maliki
appears to have been determined in discussions between Maliki and top
Iranian officials. Just two days after returning from a visit to Tehran in June
2008, Maliki complained publicly about US demands for indefinite access to
military bases, control of Iraqi airspace and immunity from prosecution for
US troops and private contractors.
827

In July, he revealed that his government was demanding the

complete withdrawal of US troops on a timetable. The Bush
administration was in a state of shock. From July to October, it pretended
that it could simply refuse to accept the withdrawal demand, while trying
vainly to pressure Maliki to back down. In the end, however, Bush
administration officials realized that Democratic presidential candidate
Barack Obama, who was then far ahead of Republican John McCain in
polls, would accept the same or an even faster timetable for withdrawal. In
October, Bush decided to sign the draft agreement pledging withdrawal of
all US troops by the end of 2011.
The ambitious plans of the US military to use Iraq to dominate
the Middle East militarily and politically had been foiled by the very
regime the United States had installed, and the officials behind the US
scheme, had been clueless about what was happening until it was too late.
The National wrote: The images from Tahrir Square from the past
three days are frightening for Egypts future. A young woman, partially
stripped of her clothes, dragged along the ground and beaten by security
forces; soldiers throwing stones and urinating onto protesters from the roof
of a building; and the Scientific Museum, home to an archive including 200year-old documents, gutted by fire. Ten months after the revolution, the
violence being carried out in the full public eye doesnt seem to lessen.
The protesters occupying the square have been demanding the
resignation of Prime Minister Kamal Ganzouri. Egypt has larger problems
than an elderly politician who has been in office barely three weeks,
although Mr Ganzouri has already thoroughly discredited himself by
denying the images that are being recorded on the streets.
The larger issue for the country, however, is that its military, its
image and its future are being defined by acts of stunning brutality.
Many in Cairo are deeply weary of the protests and angered by the continued
occupation of the square. For many Egyptians, this recent violence,
particularly the loss of the Scientific Museum, will confirm their belief that
the protests worsen instability.
Never mind that similar protests overthrew a dictator and still gain
widespread support across society as long as the protesters remain
peaceful, as they generally do unless attacked, there is no choice but to cede
the square to them. The military should know by now that use of
excessive force against peaceful protests is not just morally
reprehensible, it is also ineffective. (And it is not just Egyptian authorities
828

who must realize this.) The stark brutality on display on Saturday will create
lasting enmities and the potential for instability.
As one example, there has been speculation that one young veiled
woman was deliberately stripped as a warning to other female
protesters. The same was said about virginity tests when female protesters
were assaulted by security forces earlier in the year.
Egyptians and their neighbours fear for the countrys stability, and in
particular an economic recovery that is impossible in this climate. The
Muslim Brotherhood has denounced the clashes and hinted at antidemocratic provocateurs. Certainly, the protesters themselves have put their
political demands above immediate stability. But it is the generals who
must rein in this violence, because the security forces on the street
clearly cannot.
On 21st December, Patrick Cockburn talked of Arab Spring. Much
guff has been written about how the age of the internet and Facebook made
the fall of these regimes just a matter of time. Like most influential
misconceptions, there is a nugget of truth in this. Twenty years ago,
Bouazizis defiant gesture and the protests that followed might not have
been known to the rest of Tunisia because the government controlled the
media. These days, state monopoly of information no longer exists.
Authoritarian governments in the Middle East relied on fear to
hold power. But they were caught unaware when the beatings and killings
they used to create this terror were made public on the internet and YouTube
and provoked, rather than deterred, dissent. Thus, when the Syrian army
crushed the Sunni uprising in Hama in 1982, killing an estimated 20,000
people, I saw no pictures of a single body or execution. Contrast this with
Syria today, when almost every act of state violence is placed on YouTube
within hours of it happening.
What changed in 2011 was not that beatings, torture and killings no
longer instilled fear, but that governments now have to pay a much higher
political price for using such methods. The internet was important in this,
but what really transformed the rules of the game were the Arabic
satellite channels, notably al-Jazeera.
Only 7 per cent of the Libyan population had access to the internet,
but availability of satellite TV was general. It was this breaking of the state
monopoly of information that has been so crucial in weakening despotism in
the Middle East. It is permanently shifting the balance of power from the
palaces of the rulers to the people in the streets.
829

Sarah Mousa observed: On Sunday morning, the Egyptian population

woke up to state media reports that the Institute of Egypt, a historical
research centre housing rare documents in Tahrir Square, had been burned
down by protesters, who were referred to as thugs.
In stark contrast, those who were at the building could attest for the
police standing atop the building throwing Molotov bombs and fire balls at
the protesters below, while their colleagues sprayed water at protesters out of
the buildings windows. When protesters responded with Molotov bombs of
their own, the building caught fire. Some protesters rushed into the building
in an effort to save what they could of the books, while the police took the
hoses that they had aimed at protesters minutes earlier and deserted the
scene without an attempt of putting out the fire.
SCAF continues to drown in its own mistakes. On Saturday, eight
members of the Advisory Council, created to satisfy demands of
Novembers protests, resigned in condemnation of the use of force against
protesters. Dr Manar al-Shorbagy, one of the members who stepped down,
complained that situations are dealt with in the same way that they were
under the old regime and nothing has changed.
While SCAF (Supreme Council of Armed Forces) may temporarily
have a portion of the general public convinced that those in Tahrir are thugs
wreaking havoc, as Mubarak had convinced many during the Revolution,
their growing political isolation marks their pending downfall. The
Egyptian military had the choice of etching its name in history as the
pioneer of democracy in the worlds oldest civilization, but instead chose
to be a force more brutal than its loathed predecessor. While several of the
newly elected MPs took it upon themselves to join the protesters in
solidarity or make an effort to use their public position to bring calm, the
larger victors of the elections, the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi parties,
have yet to make clear substantial efforts to use their newly recognized
popularity to end the bloodshed in Tahrir.
As the state media continues to tell its story of the events, a
disconnect grows between a portion of the population and protesters
who recognize the significance of the political moment and refuse to let the
lives lost for the sake of democratic governance go to waste.
With expected political clashes to come over disagreements
between the new Parliament and the current SCAF appointed Ministry,
over the Constitution and struggle for influence, and in the lead-up to
presidential elections SCAF does not seem to have the physical self830

restraint, political acuteness, or national interest at heart to establish the

basis for a durable, democratic government.
On 23rd December, Shashank Joshi wrote: If you were watching Iraqi
television early on Monday evening, you would have missed the end of the
Iraq war. There were no live shots of the last US soldier crossing into
Kuwait. No anguished chat show discussions about whether the war was
worth it. Instead, there was some particularly dramatic reality television.
Three men spoke to the camera, explaining that they had planted
roadside bombs and used silenced pistols to assassinate key officials.
Ordinarily, this would hardly be worthy of prime-time: this December,
around 230 civilians have already been killed. But what made these
claims so potent was the alleged taskmaster: Tariq al-Hashimi, Iraqs vicepresident, and the most senior Sunni politician in a Shia majority country.
Its a little like Nick Clegg paying hit men to bump off key Tories.
If this seems like interesting timing, its because its supposed to be.
Nouri al-Maliki, Iraqs increasingly ambitious Shia prime minister, waited
until the US withdrawal was complete. Then he pounced, issuing an
arrest warrant for Hashimi. To understand the brewing political crisis, we
should remember a few important things. First, Iraq is not really a normal
democracy its a negotiated state, delicately balanced between assorted
ethnicities and sects. Its a game of geopolitical Jenga, in which the removal
of one block, a single Sunni leader, can bring the whole edifice crashing
down. Thats why Hashimi, after being put under the cosh, suddenly turned
up in a northern part of Iraq controlled by the Kurdish authorities. He knew
that Baghdad couldnt touch him there. Hes now a fugitive from his own
government.
This is not some strange and primitive Arab phenomenon. Political
scientists call it consociationalism, a type of power-sharing, and we can see
it in action from Belgium to Singapore. Iraqs politics are shaped by an
agreement made in 2005, distributing the presidency to the Kurds, the prime
ministership to the Shias and the parliamentary speaker role to the Sunnis.
The problem is that this situation becomes much more volatile when
guns, rather than an impartial civil service, keep the balance.
Its also problematic when one faction is happy to turn the states
firepower on another. For a long time, Iraqs interior ministry was
running Shia death squads to attack Sunni political rivals. So its not
hard to believe that a Sunni politician might also have dabbled in

831

assassination to get ahead. But theres probably something more troubling

going on here, and it contains a lesson for Egypt and Libya, too.
The Arab uprisings have provoked wild-eyed frenzy about the
coming Islamic tide. The Muslim Brotherhood, goes the argument, are fairweather democrats itching to dissolve Egypts new representative
institutions. But Iraq, like Afghanistan, teaches us that dour, secular
strongmen can be every bit as dangerous as charismatic Islamists.
Afghan president Hamid Karzai was once the darling of the
international community. Now hes reportedly toying with the idea of pulling
a Putin changing the constitution to run for a third term. Karzai was reelected in 2009 amid massive electoral fraud, to which he responded by
seizing control of the independent electoral commission. Similarly in Iraq,
Nouri al-Maliki has gone rogue. Aside from chasing down his vicepresident, Maliki has also demanded that parliament pass a vote of noconfidence in the Sunni deputy prime minister, Saleh al-Mutlaq, who called
him a dictator on television. Even before that, the prime minister was
rounding up hundreds of Sunni opponents, running secret jails, and
arresting university professors.
The Sunni-backed Iraqiya party which won the most seats in 2010,
but couldnt fashion a majority was already boycotting Iraqs parliament in
protest at these excesses. Now its pulled its ministers out of government in
response to the arrest warrant. The Kurds are also clashing with central
government, having signed their own oil deals with foreign companies.
Are these the fruits of a cowardly foreign policy? Is President Obama
throwing away the hard-won gains of the Bush years? Hardly. US forces
would have been a useful buffer, but they were obliged to leave under a 2008
agreement signed by Bush. Obama tried to secure an extension, but Iraq
refused to give American troops immunity or publicly justify their
presence. Obama couldnt have risked his soldiers lives under such
conditions.
Four years ago, Iraq was torn apart by a civil war. Baghdad was
ethnically cleansed of Sunnis. Four million Iraqis were displaced and alQaeda went on the rampage. It was a nightmare as dark as Saddams
torture chambers and massacres. Eventually, a political solution was cobbled
together. It was buttressed by the famous surge of US forces and the Sunni
Awakening, in which key Sunni tribes turned on Sunni militants. Now,
those fissiparous forces are returning.

832

Iraq should survive this particular crisis. Sunnis wont casually

abandon their stake in government, and Shias will take a step back from
the brink. But if Maliki continues to chip away at the blocks of Iraqs
political settlement, the whole thing will eventually tumble down. This is the
Iraq for which 179 British soldiers gave their lives increasingly
authoritarian, a vassal of Iran next door, and now falling apart at the seams.
On 25th December, Patrick Cockburn wrote: The Iraqi Prime Minister
Nouri al-Maliki has a reputation for being paranoid about plots against
his government and may have over reacted to an alleged assassination
attempt against him late last month. But the Shia leadership in Iraq, which
came to power in an election in 2005 after the overthrow of Saddam
Hussein, is openly worried that triumphant Sunni Islamists in Syria would
give aid to the Iraqi Sunni and provoke a fresh insurgency.
The arrest of former Baath party members in Iraq and the dismissal
of Sunni officers shows the edginess of Maliki and the Shia leadership. In
practice, it is in little danger because the Shia dominates the officer corps
and reportedly makes up more than 90 per cent of senior officials in the
Defence and Interior Ministries. Maliki commands 900,000 soldiers and
police, and the countrys oil revenues will reach an estimated $100 billion
this year.
Malikis bid to arrest Hashemi, who has taken refuge in Kurdistan,
may well backfire. The Kurds have no interest in handing him over, said a
Kurdish leader on Friday. They know that if either the Shia or the Sunni
dominate in Iraq it will be bad for the Kurds. They will try to mediate.
Maliki may try but is unlikely to succeed in ruling Iraq by force,
something that Saddam Hussein failed to do. Maliki was expected to try to
increase his power in the wake of the final US troop withdrawal this month.
But his unexpected decision to provoke a political crisis immediately by
ordering the arrest his own vice-president on terrorism charges may weaken
his rule and destabilize Iraq.
Maliki had just been in Washington where he presented himself as
the national leader of Iraq and not just of the Shia majority. But within hours
of his return to Baghdad, he ordered the arrest of the most senior Sunni
leader, Tariq al-Hashemi, whose bodyguards were put on state television
to confess that they had been paid by the vice president to carry out
killings. The simplest explanation for Malikis action is that he is extremely
paranoid

833

Instead of stressing national unity, Maliki has alienated the Sunni

minority, who fear further persecution, and angered the Kurds, who
form an essential part of the Iraqi government. Leaders from both
communities have previously denounced Malikis dictatorial tendencies
since he became prime minister in 2006. He has also damaged Barack
Obama who had been intending to emphasize in the presidential election his
success in withdrawing US troops leaving behind a democratic and stable
Iraq.
Malikis paranoia may have some justification, given that Iraqi
politics at every level is very violent and no doubt plots and conspiracies
against him do exist. Moreover, Maliki, now aged 61, has spent much if his
life in the Islamic Dawa, the Shia religious party, membership of which
meant torture and execution if unmasked under Saddam Hussein. Not
surprisingly, the mentality of its surviving members makes them suspect that
they are threatened by potential traitors. Maliki spent much of his life in
exile after being forced to flee Iraq in 1979 and lived in Iran and Syria until
the US invasion and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003. The Shia
hold on power on Iraq may appear unbreakable, but the community
fears a counter-attack by its old enemies.
Next day, Foreign Policy wrote: Most likely, oil sanctions would
fail, and a great deal of diplomatic capital will have been expended to no
avail. Japan and South Korea, for instance, both rely on Iran for 10 per cent
of their crude imports, and waived oil sanctions. Turkey renewed its longstanding crude contract last Wednesday. And despite its incompetent
response so far, Iran should be able to find ways round tightened oil
sanctions barter trade, for example, or smuggling via Iraq with the
assistance of ingenious sanctions-busters lured by lucrative deals. What it
loses in discounts to China is largely made up by the higher prices these
geopolitical tensions bring. The United States' last secret weapon
embargoing gasoline shipments to Iran inspired Tehran to make its longoverdue subsidy reform and step up domestic refining capacity. In a way, the
US Congress did Iran a favor.
As for the shared fields with production potential of 1.1 million
barrels per day these are largely to be developed by domestic Iranian
companies linked to the Revolutionary Guards, enormously enriched by
smuggling, corruption, and sanctions evasion. Meanwhile the middle class,
historically the driver of democratization, is being decimated by
inflation and economic malaise.

834

The geopolitics of the proposed sanctions make even less sense. In

the United States' interminable confrontation with Iran, a country with 2 per
cent of its GDP and 1.5 per cent of its military budget, it is handing gifts to
two real rivals: China and Russia. China benefits, as noted, from discounts
on its oil purchases. If the Central Bank sanctions work as intended, a China
hooked on cheap Iranian oil is hardly going to work for any resolution to the
standoff. Meanwhile, Russia's Urals grade is, unusually, fetching higher
prices than better-quality Brent oil as European refiners scramble for
alternatives to Iran. And the Kremlin is glad to see the neutering of its
greatest potential rival in the EU gas market.
The lengths to which the United States will go to shoot itself in
the foot are sometimes astounding. Despite a supposed cooling of
relations, US officials visited Saudi Arabia to persuade it to overcome its
reluctance to help bear the costs of sanctions, costs which for Riyadh
amount to selling more oil at higher prices. The cost to the US economy of
expensive oil, quite plausibly half a trillion dollars, caused by decades of
sanctions on investment in Iran, Iraq, and Libya is never mentioned. Still
unanswered is the rather important question of how the US plans to turn any
tactical gains from sanctions into strategic success - or, indeed, even to
define what realistic success looks like.
Veterans of the Iran-Iraq war, the Iranian hard-liners have seen
their country survive even tougher times than today, and emerge, in their
view, with revolutionary fervour strengthened. For them to bow to sanctions
by making significant concessions on the nuclear issue would be political
suicide...
Success thus requires a diplomatic finesse and an understanding
of Iranian politics notably absent to date. To open up real fissures in the
regime, the West needs to make an offer capable of acceptance
acknowledgement of Iran's legitimate interests, with removal of some
sanctions as carrots for cooperation. Inevitably, Supreme Leader Ali
Khamenei and the hard-liners would regard such a deal, probably correctly,
as a Trojan horse engineered for their downfall. My advice? Ignore all the
crowing coming from Washington this week. Iran's position may have
weakened, but despite dangerous brinkmanship with the world economy at
stake, the game is still essentially in stalemate.
On 27th December, Robert Olson wrote: The mid-December pullout
of US combat troops raises the serious question of Iraq's probable
future. Perhaps, it will be that expressed by President Barack Obama, when
835

he stated: History will decide the origins of the war. But it is clear that
historians will also judge the consequences of the war and its continuing
aftermath, not just for the US but for Iraq, the Middle East and Southwest
Asia as well.
Given its near nine-year occupancy of Iraq and the little that was
accomplished for America or for Iraq, historians' judgments will be harsh:
4,500 US troops killed; 60,000 wounded, mentally handicapped and/or
traumatized. Then there is the expense of the war: $1 trillion in direct costs
and, according to the most recent statistics, an estimated $4 trillion in longterm, mostly medical, costs.
The historians must also consider the damage to Iraq and its
people. Phebe Marr, the doyenne of American scholars of Iraq, in the just
published The Modern History of Iraq, estimated that around one million
people died in the war. She maintains: Civilian deaths through 2010 would
total at least 100,000 and possibly twice as much, with wounded probably
double those killed. The higher figure would put the number of wounded at
200,000. But the damage was much greater than just killed and wounded:
1.7 to 2.3 million Iraqis, mostly Arabs, were driven into Syria and Jordan.
There are an estimated 300,000 widows; two million women are now the
main breadwinners in extended families. Some 300,000 have taken up
prostitution. There may be as many as two million or more orphans; some
600,000 people living on the streets.
The physical infrastructure is in shambles. Electricity, sewage,
water, telephone and fiber-optic grids only function sporadically. The
medical facilities are in very poor shape. In the course of the war, it is
estimated that of the 34,000 doctors in 2003, only 17,000 remain, most
lightly trained. An estimated 800 doctors and professors, mostly Sunnis,
were killed in the course of the war. Many Arab doctors fled to the Kurdishcontrolled Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in the north. Analysts
think it will take two generations or more for medical and educational
systems to recuperate. Even then, with teachers facing traumatized and
handicapped students, education and progress will be set back yet another
generation. In 2003, at the start of the war, 17 percent of Iraqis, mostly
Arabs, lived in slum-like conditions; at the end of 2011, that figure stood at
50 percent.
Even as living conditions worsened in Iraq throughout the nine years
of war, the changed geopolitical situation also confronted Iraqis with
new realities. Two such changes are bound to be of continuing historical
836

significance. For the first time in history, except in Iran, Shiites have come
to State power with the invasion of Iraq by the US. This incurred hostility
not just from Arabs, but from many Muslims, 90 percent of whom are Sunni.
Moreover, they were brought to power by a Christian power for its own
hegemonic ambitions in the Middle East. Not only did the US policies lead
to Shiites coming to power, but they also led to the division of the country
between Kurds and Arabs. It is difficult for all Arabs not just the Arabs of
Iraq to understand why a country like the US that fought a civil war in
which four million people died to save the union would so nonchalantly
destroy another sovereign country. The US policies resulted not just in the
division of Iraq into two separate entities, but also its strong support of the
2005 Constitution ensuring that the KRG would obtain control over oil and
gas resources. The KRG would also be able to contest and maybe obtain the
oil and gas resources in the disputed territories, which lie between the
KRG and Sunni Arab provinces, comprising eight percent of Iraq's total land
mass. If it turns out that such territories hold 50 billion or more barrels of oil
and extensive gas fields, then the KRG's independent status, if not
international recognition, will be assured. This will also be the end of any
hope for a strong central government, let alone a nationalist-federal one;
America's unraveling of Iraq will be sustained.
After the 2010 parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Nuri AlMaliki was compelled to rely on Shiite factions to retain power, putting an
end to any hope of a Shiite-led but Sunni participative coalition. Iraq
unraveled with little hope of an un-authoritarian government being in power.
Washington saw the writing on the barricades; it was time to leave. Then,
too, presidential elections are to be held in November 2012. Better now to
declare victory than to wait for historians to make their judgments
knowing they would not be good.
On 29th December, Ayad Allawi, Osama al-Nujaifi and Rafe al-Essawi
observed: The United States must make clear that a power-sharing
government is the only viable option for Iraq and that American
support for Mr Maliki is conditional on his fulfilling the Erbil agreement
and dissolving the unconstitutional entities through which he now rules.
Likewise, American assistance to Iraqs army, police and intelligence
services must be conditioned on those institutions being representative of the
nation rather than one sect or party.
For years, we have sought a strategic partnership with America to
help us build the Iraq of our dreams: a nationalist, liberal, secular country,
with democratic institutions and a democratic culture. But the American
837

withdrawal may leave us with the Iraq of our nightmares: a country in

which a partisan military protects a sectarian, self-serving regime rather
than the people or the Constitution; the judiciary kowtows to those in power;
and the nations wealth is captured by corrupt elite rather than invested in the
development of the nation. We are glad that your brave soldiers have made it
home for the holidays and we wish them peace and happiness. But as Iraq
once again teeters on the brink, we respectfully ask Americas leaders to
understand that unconditional support for Mr. Maliki is pushing Iraq down
the path to civil war. Unless America acts rapidly to help create a successful
unity government, Iraq is doomed.
On 1st January, 2012, Shashank Joshi commented: Assad is probably
far from defeated. Of course, he is straining under the pressure. His regime
has released more than 700 prisoners and pulled tanks out of Homs. Oil
export and tourism revenues have collapsed. Tax revenue next year will fall
by half, and the government is severed from world credit markets. The
squeeze on public spending will anger many civil servants, but printing
money will result in destructive inflation.
At the same time, Assad is in a better position than Colonel
Gaddafi was earlier this year. The Arab Leagues observer team is led by a
Sudanese general who oversaw some of that countrys worst atrocities in
Darfur little surprise that he said he found nothing to concern him in
Homs. Russia, which sells arms to Syria and enjoys access to a naval base
there, has suggested a condemnatory UN resolution but placed equal
blame on both regime and rebels. And although the Syrian army is facing a
major problem of defections, there remains a core of loyal and well-armed
units led by Alawites, the sect to which the Assad dynasty belongs.
Even if the Arab League imposes harsher sanctions, who will
police them? European members of NATO will spend next year consumed
with their own problems. In the US, elections mean a risk-averse White
House. Turkey is best-placed, but knows Assad could hit back, possibly
through Kurdish rebels. The Arab Leagues mission will end in acrimony,
and firmer Western support for Syrias opposition will follow. The question
will then be whether Assad hangs on for months or years.
Next day, Khaled al-Ziadi commented: There is no doubt that killing
innocent protesters is jeopardizing the GCC deal and risking Yemen
stability. Saleh is definitely playing his dirty games behind closed doors.
Why did he go back to Yemen after he signed the deal and conned the UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the whole world by saying he is on his
838

way to the US for medical treatment, then he went back to Yemen to declare
an amnesty for all except those who attacked him.
Did Saleh suddenly suffer from Alzheimers? Did he forget that he
transferred his power to his deputy and does not have the power for
such a declaration? No but Saleh still insists on playing the role of
president. In his last press conference Saleh said again he will leave for the
US, but he formed a committee of six members of his party including his
son and nephew as shadow presidential council to run the country and his
party in his absence.
It is obvious that there are many critics of the GCC initiative because
it is inconsistent with their narrow interests and they have plans to make it
fail and cause more chaos in Yemen. How many more lives will be lost
before we witness the next election in February? Yemen is not safe any
more, it does not matter if you are part of the revolution or not. Dream
of Yemenis building a civil and modern state haunted many, one of them was
Hamdi Askar, Yemeni engineer holds a British passport who participated
with revolutionaries in many protests. He was killed last week in Mukhalla
on his way to the airport by unidentified gunman without seeing his dream
come true.
The current unity government in Yemen seems to have real
challenges and lacks resources to deal with many financial crises in
ministries after the handover by a failed government. Urgent GCC and
international financial aid is required to support the new government in
setting up monitoring system to assure that administrative, financial plans
are directed towards securing Yemen, otherwise all efforts made by the Gulf
states and the international community will be in vain.
On 5th January, Sarah A Topol observed: After the first two of three
rounds of elections, Egypts first since former President Hosni Mubaraks
ouster last February, the previously banned Muslim Brotherhood has taken
40 percent of seats in Parliament. It is poised to become the main political
player on the scene. But anyone who tries to predict exactly what the
Muslim Brotherhood whose primary focus has long been religious and
social work will do with its newfound clout is simply fooling himself. No
one knows, not even the Brotherhood itself. The only thing we know is
that the Brotherhoods conservative values arent much out of sync with
mainstream thinking in Egypt. Not all Egyptians like the group or want to
see it in charge, but few argue with its main tenet: Islam is the solution.
Islamist parties secured about two-thirds of the vote in the first two rounds a
839

sure indication that Egyptians arent interested in a secular state. Amr

Darrag, the secretary general of the Giza branch of the Freedom and Justice
Party (FJP), the Brotherhoods political arm, understands this well. But hed
also like the rest of us to understand that you dont need a secular state to
promote liberal values like womens equality.
When I visited him last week in his ornate living room in Dokki, a
middle-class neighbourhood in Cairo, Darrag pointed to framed photographs
of his three daughters. Each one has a graduate degree and works fulltime,
he said. So does his wife. And he mentioned that they wear fashionable
headscarves, too. Then Darrag tells me that women should take at least four
or five years off work to raise children, saying thats their fundamental
purpose on earth. Im far from convinced, but I have to admit that his view
isnt much different from what I hear on the Egyptian street
Darrag admits the FJP is still trying to figure out how to be a
political party. The learning curve is steep: contradictory statements by
various high-ranking party members on issues like the consumption of
alcohol have splashed across the local papers recently.
When it comes to the media, Darrag thinks theres a bias against the
Brotherhood; he asks me what I think its all about. And I tell him: I think
the Brotherhood is in politics for a chance to execute its broader goal of
Islamizing Egypt. It is already preaching its values in professional
organizations, colleges, private schools and charities. If I were you, I
volunteer, I would leverage the groups recent election wins to secure control
of social ministries such as those for housing, education and
telecommunications. Forget the foreign ministry: thats just too much of a
headache; no one wants to risk losing roughly two billion dollars in US aid
and having to answer to the Egyptian public on the deeply unpopular Camp
David Accords. Now is the time to concentrate on proving the Brotherhoods
stated goal of raising living standards and imbuing piety through new school
curricula, television advertising anything that influences the basic fabric of
society. Darrag smiles and jokes that I should become their spokeswoman.
Thats when I add that the Brotherhoods strategy is the scariest of all: if the
group succeeds in altering an entire society, there will be no one left to
challenge it. Thats the point, Darrag says: Theres nothing scary about an
Islamic society.
Next day, Michael Young gleaned through history to identify postrevolution difficulties and concluded: Each experience reaffirmed that
societies going through momentous change often reach no consensus
840

over settling past accounts. This will prove even more challenging in the
Arab world, where political transitions have tended to be violent and
divisive.
In Egypt, for instance, the military allowed Hosni Mubarak to be put
on trial. However, the potential benefits of the decision were soon
neutralized by conflict, as supporters and enemies of the former president
fought around the courtroom. Instead of being turned into an institutional
means to dismantle the old order, the trial was closed to the public, amid a
clear lack of enthusiasm by the military. After all, Mr Mubaraks trial is also
that of the security institutions that bolstered his rule, led by the army.
In Libya, the post-war divisions render unlikely a harmonious
consideration of the Gaddafi regimes ills. Muammar Gaddafis killing
eliminated prospects for a trial that could have united Libyans against the
old leadership. Seif Al Islam Gaddafi is in custody, but pervasive
factionalism may mean he becomes a political football rather than an
instrument to wash away a sordid past.
In Yemen, the regime that brutally repressed dissent may enjoy
impunity, because the Gulf plan to remove President Ali Abdullah Saleh
effectively exonerates him. That may be reversed one day, but dissension in
the country and the breakdown of government authority, which was never
strong in the first place, makes a concerted reckoning with the past almost
impossible.
And in Syria, too much remains indeterminate to contemplate the
issue of memory. Syrians would find much to deconstruct, literally, after 40
years of Assad rule, but the society is complex. A desire to avert disputes
may favour a comprehensive reconciliation, once a handful of individuals
are punished.
Two Arab countries that did have an opportunity to engage
memory are Lebanon and Iraq. After the Lebanese civil war ended in
1990, the government issued a blanket pardon for wartime crimes. Post-war
reconstruction was advanced on a foundation of officially-sanctioned
amnesia. Few Lebanese challenged this because most communal leaders,
therefore their leaders, were culpable.
In Iraq, the trial of Saddam Hussein was widely interpreted as a last
opportunity to part the curtain on Baath-era crimes. Sunnis saw the trial
merely as another facet of their communal marginalisation, while many
Shiites viewed it as an expedient occasion to get rid of a once-feared man.

841

In times like this, its worth rereading Ms Rosenberg. There are no

easy paths to national self-reflection, especially when this involves
confronting ones own misdeeds, which only rarely can be fully separated
from the misdeeds of overthrown rulers. Guilt has a way of touching
everything. That is why societies in democratic or peaceful transitions will
often prefer to forget, and to forgive the unforgivable.
On 7th January, Pepe Escobar talked of US-Iran economic war: First
Washington leaked that sanctions on Iran's central bank were not on the
table. After all, the Obama Administration itself knew this would translate
into an oil price hike and a certified one-way ticket for more global
recession. The Iranian regime, on top of it, would be making more money
out if its oil exports. Still, the Bibi-AIPAC combo had no trouble forcing the
amendment through those Israel-firster Meccas, the US Senate and Congress
even with US Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner expressly against it.
The amendment just passed may not represent the crippling
sanctions vociferously demanded by the Israeli government. Tehran will
feel the squeeze but not to an intolerable level. Yet only those
irresponsible people at the US Congress despised by the overwhelming
majority of Americans, according to any number of polls could possibly
believe they can take Iran's 2.5 million barrels of oil a day in exports off the
global market with no drastic consequences for the global economy. Asia
increasingly will need more oil and will continue to buy oil from Iran. And
oil prices will keep flirting with the stratosphere.
So why did Obama sign it? For the Obama Administration,
everything now is about electoral calculus. Those terminal wackos in the
Republican presidential circus with the honorable exception of Ron Paul
are peddling war on Iran the moment they're elected, and substantial swathes
of the American electorate are clueless enough to buy it. No one, though, is
doing some basic math to conclude the American and European
economies certainly don't need oil flirting with the $120 level if some
minimal recovery is in the cards.
Show me your balls Apart from that self-defeating; terminally in
crisis euro/North Atlantic Treaty Organization bunch, everyone and his
neighbor will be bypassing this Israeli-American declaration of economic
war:
Russia already said it will circumvent it.
India is already paying for Iranian oil via Halkbank in Turkey.
842

 Iran is actively negotiating to sell more oil to China. Iran is China's

second-largest supplier, only behind Saudi Arabia. China pays in
euros, and soon may be paying in Yuan. By March they both will have
sealed an agreement about new pricing.
Venezuela controls a bi-national bank with Iran since 2009; that's how
Iran gets paid for business in Latin America.
Even traditional US allies want out. Turkey which imports around
30% of its oil from Iran.
Will seek a waiver exempting Turkish oil importer Tupras from US
sanctions.
And South Korea will also seek a waiver, to buy around 200,000
barrels a day - 10% of its oil - from Iran in 2012.
China, India, South Korea, they all have complex two-way trade ties
with Iran (China-Iran trade, for instance, is $30 billion a year, and growing).
None of this will be extinguished because the Washington/Tel Aviv axis says
so. So one should expect a rash of new private banks set up all across the
developing world for the purpose of buying Iranian oil. Washington
wouldn't have the balls to try to impose sanctions on Chinese banks
because they will be dealing with Iran.
On the other hand, one's got to praise Tehran's balls. After a relentless
campaign of covert assassinations; abductions of Iranian scientists; crossborder attacks in Sistan-Balochistan province; Israeli sabotage of its
infrastructure, with viruses and otherwise; invasion of territory via US spy
drones; non-stop Israeli and Republican threats of an imminent shock and
awe; and the US sale of $60 billion of weapons to Saudi Arabia, still Tehran
won't balk. Tehran has just tested successfully its own cruise missiles,
and in the Strait of Hormuz of all places. Then when Tehran reacts to the
non-stop Western aggressive barrage, it is blamed with acts of
provocation The bottom line is that average Iranians will suffer as
average, crisis-hit, indebted Europeans will also suffer. The US economy
will suffer. And whenever it feels the West is getting way too hysterical,
Tehran will keep reserving the right to send oil prices skyrocketing.
The regime in Tehran will keep selling oil, will keep enriching
uranium and, most of all, won't fall. Like a Hellfire missile hitting a
Pashtun wedding party, these Western sanctions will miserably fail. But not
without collecting a lot of collateral damage in the West itself.

843

REVIEW
The Arab Spring ended up in emergence of Islamists to power in three
countries. The introduction of democracy in the region proved counterproductive for interests of the West, especially in Egypt. In the Land of Nile
Islamic parties won two-third majority, out of which two third was secured
by the most despised Muslim Brotherhood.
In Middle East, the US troops pulled out of Iraq without much fanfare.
Obama Administration must have felt relieved over having Americas holy
warriors back home well in time to launch election campaign for second
term. It is least bothered about what it has left behind; a fragile and
constantly bleeding Iraq.
With Americans leaving Iraq and a Shiite regime in place in Baghdad,
Iran feels quite secure despite ever-tightening of economic sanctions by the
West. Shooting down of a US spy craft and hacking of another which ended
up its landing and subsequently testing of long range missiles have certainly
boosted the self-confidence of Tehran.
Elsewhere in the Middle East, Bashar al-Assad remained in power in
spite of tremendous encouragement of rebels from the West, Turkey and the
puppet rulers in the Arab world. Similarly, Ali Abdullah Saleh still retained
the position to influence events in Yemen through he has signed an accord
for transfer of power.
7th January, 2011

844

GENERALS CHARGE-SHEETED
The judicial commission assembled on the second day of the New
Year to probe into the memo scandal. Almost concurrently Parliamentary
Committee on National Security started preparing the recommendations to
revisit the countrys relations with US and NATO and also draw fresh terms
of reference in the ongoing war on terror.
Two days later, Memo Commission issued notices to Zardari, Nawaz
and Kayani to appear before it in person to record their statements. On 5 th
January, US senators John McCain, Joseph Lieberman and Mark Kirk
demanded of Pakistan to prevent the judicial commission from investigating.
Meanwhile, General Kayani left for China to buttress defence ties.
On 9th January, the commission held first meaningful meeting and
recorded the statement of Hussain Haqqani, who refused to hand over
Blackberry to the commission. It issued instructions for ensuring security of
Mansoor Ijaz when he arrives in Pakistan to appear before the commission.
The same day, and well before the commission making any headway,
Prime Minister charge-sheeted the two Generals, with reference to affidavits
submitted by them in the Supreme Court, saying their acts were illegal and
unconstitutional. General Kayani was still in China, the fact that annoyed
the Army commanders.
A flux of breaking news in the afternoon of 11th January added to the
prevailing uncertainties. It started with ISPR press release in which Prime
Ministers allegations against COAS and DG ISI were regretted saying it
could have serious adverse consequences.
Minutes later Prime Minister sacked defence secretary and asked
Nargis Sethi, who has been his principal secretary, to assume additional
charge. Soon after that Commander 111 Brigade was changed. Although it
was not known whether it was a routine change or otherwise, yet it led to lot
of speculations.

NEWS
In Pakistan, the judicial commission on memo issue held its first
meeting on 2nd January, 2012, at the IHC building and directed the AG to
obtain record of the Blackberry Messenger conversations between Haqqani
and Mansoor Ijaz. The commission was told that the Foreign Office was yet
to initiate departmental inquiry of the matter relating to memogate.
845

The commission issued notices to DG ISI, Mansoor Ijaz, Haqqani,

General James Jones and other main respondents in the case to appear before
the judicial body. The commission took serious notice of Haqqanis absence
from the proceedings. The commission ordered fresh summons for the
former ambassador with the directive that he should ensure his presence at
the next meeting.
Supporting the stance of Asma Jahangir on courts verdict in memo
scandal case, Pakistan Bar Council vice chairman said the superior judiciary
could not play the role of an investigator in any matter. He said that the SC
had wrongly assumed its jurisdiction in memo case, as no fundamental right
of any person had been violated in this matter. Meanwhile, at least 12
militants were killed in a clash in Khyber Agency.
Next day, Prime Minister met military top brass at the sidelines of the
function at the National Defence University. Later, Prime Minister along
with Chairman JCSC and COAS had an exclusive chat for quite sometime
and it seemed as if they were engaged in some serious altercation but
certainly in a light mood. All the three seemed relaxed from their body
language but were quite serious in their discussion.
According to sources, post-NATO strikes situation was discussed at
length in the meeting. Both, the PM and Army chief, expressed their resolve
that national security and sovereignty of the country would be given top
priority and no pressure would be accepted on this count.
Parliamentary Committee on National Security started preparing the
recommendations to revisit the countrys relations with US and NATO and
also draw fresh terms of reference in the ongoing war on terror with US. The
committee was trying to evolve consensus on each and every point.
Meanwhile, nine militants were killed in clashes in Orakzai Agency. Two
persons were killed and over 19 others were injured in a blast in a market in
Peshawar and three people were killed in a blast near Landi Kotal.
On 4th January, TTP militants claimed that they killed all the 15
Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel they had kidnapped two weeks earlier
from Mullazai Fort situated near Tank city. Their bodies were dumped in the
North Waziristan tribal region close to the Afghan border. TTP spokesman
said that the attack was carried out to 'avenge the death' of commander Taj
Gul and several other militants.
The Memo Commission issued notices to Zardari, Nawaz and Kayani
to appear before it in person to record their statements. The AG in
compliance of the court orders worked with foreign ministry and approached
846

Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM) for provision of BBM record

of conversations between Haqqani and Mansoor Ijaz.
Haqqani feared that he would be murdered if he left the sanctuary of
Prime Ministers House. Talking to Daily Telegraph Haqqani said he could
be shot like his friend Salman Taseer. He also said that allegations against
him were false and part of psychological war against the Zardari-led
government.
An application has been filed in the Supreme Court for ensuring
security to Mansoor Ijaz, who wants to appear before a judicial commission
probing the memo scam. Meanwhile, Haqqani decided to file a review
petition in the Supreme Court over its verdict for appointing a probe
commission to look into the memo affair.
A spokesman for Haqqani reacted strongly to the recent tirade by Sh
Rasheed. He said Haqqani had returned to Pakistan to answer false
allegations against him and was a guest of the Prime Minister with whom he
has a long political association. Sh Rasheed will be bitterly disappointed
when Haqqani shows more character than others with whom the Shaikh has
served in the recent past.
The United States wanted Pakistans judicial proceedings dealing with
memo scandal implicating Hussain Haqqani to go forward in accordance
with the countrys Constitution and international law. Specifically asked
about the situation of Haqqani, who is barred from traveling abroad, the
spokesperson said the State Department was following the developments,
but that its an internal Pakistani matter.
Meanwhile, General Kayani left for China to buttress defence ties.
ISPR said foreign agencies were fueling terror. At least 13 militants were
killed and six wounded when gunship helicopters attacked their position in
Kurram Agency. Five militants were killed and ten arrested in a gun battle
near Zhob.
Next day, three US senators John McCain, Joseph Lieberman and
Mark Kirk demanded of Pakistan to prevent the judicial commission
investigating former ambassador Hussain Haqqani and save him from
becoming a political tool for revenge. In a joint press statement, the senators
expressed reservations on the treatment of former Hussain Haqqani.
The TTP claimed to have killed 15 Frontier Constabulary personnel,
who were kidnapped from Mullazai Fort in Tank on Dec 23, to avenge the
killing of their colleagues in Landikotal. According to pamphlets distributed
847

by the Taliban, it was stated that on Jan 01, the security forces killed TTP
fighters and one woman. They also arrested some women and five infants in
Kramana area of Landikotal during a military operation. Taliban questioned
the rationale of government officials who declared Rashid Hussain, 29 years
old son of KP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar as a kid. How could they
(officials) declare five infants arrested by the security forces as militants?
On 6th January, five militants were killed in an operation in Orakzai
Agency. Hussain Haqqani said he wasnt a prisoner but a guest in Prime
Ministers House. In an interview to Hamid Mir Zardari said his government
would accept the decision of Parliamentary Committee on National Security
on memo issue for Parliament being sovereign. About trial of Musharraf, Mr
Zardari said had he tried Musharraf it would have demoralized armed forces.
Clarifying PM Gilanis remarks on visa to Osama bin Laden, he said the
prime minister actually questioned Musharraf regime and not the army.
Mansoor Ijaz refused to appear before the judicial commission on
January 9. He has sent a letter to the commission setting 19 conditions to
appear before them. He has asked the commission to record his first
statement in London than he will come to Pakistan. He demanded of the
government to provide fool-proof security to his family in Pakistan. Ijaz also
stated that he was unable to appear before the investigative commission
before January 15.
Meanwhile, Mansoor has submitted his Blackberry Personal
Identification Number (PIN) to the commission investigating the scandal.
Research in Motion has vowed to defend the legal privacy rights of
Blackberry users after the judicial commission ordered copies of smartphone
communications for the probe.
Next day, militants kidnapped and then killed a cardiologist in
Peshawar. Nawaz Sharif said parallel memo probe is needless. Rehman
Malik said that Mansoor Ijaz will not be allowed to come to Pakistan
without passport or visa. Talking to media after inauguration ceremony of a
Nadra office in Jaranwala he said that he was a foreigner and how could be
allowed to come Pakistan, violating countrys sovereignty.
Akram Shaikh refuted the news reports about conditions laid by
Mansoor Ijaz for appearing before the commission. Akram accused the
government for feeding media wrong information based on an old letter. He
said his client was willing to come to Pakistan when ever required.
On 8th January, Rehman Malik asked Nawaz Sharif to explain his link
with Ijaz. Pentagon officials said dialogue between Pakistan and US
848

continued despite recent military setbacks. In an apparent attempt to prepare

the ground for resumption of drone attacks in Pakistan, a US media report
said that nearly two-month lull in the strikes has helped al Qaeda and several
militant factions to regroup, increase attacks against Pakistani security forces
and threaten intensified strikes against allied forces in Afghanistan.
Next day, Prime Minister, with reference to affidavits submitted by
COAS and DG ISI in the Supreme Court, said that any official action by a
government functionary without the prior approval of the government is
unconstitutional and illegal. In an interview to People's Daily Online Gilani
referred to the observation of the Chief Justice of Pakistan that any act of a
government functionary without the government's nod is unconstitutional
and therefore illegal.
The prime minister stated that in two simultaneous issues, one relating
to the NATO attack on Pakistan's borders and the other relating to a letter
written by one American national to another American, the civil and military
leadership of Pakistan held detailed meetings and took immediate decisions.
In case of the attack by the NATO, it was decided to refer the matter
to the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS). In the second
case it was also decided to refer the matter to the PCNS, besides accepting
the resignation of Hussain Haqqani. Prime Minister stated that after having
referred both the matters to PCNS, the Supreme Court took suo moto action
on the alleged Memo case.
He further pointed out that the responses given by the Army Chief and
the DG (ISI) to the Supreme Court in connection with the alleged Memo
controversy do not contain the approval of the competent authority as
required under the Rules of Business. No summary seeking approval of the
competent authority was initiated by the Ministry of Defence. Nor any
approval was obtained from the defence minister in this regard, he stated.
Nawaz Sharif termed the secret memo scandal a conspiracy against
the countrys integrity, urging the court to unmask culprits behind the scam.
He said he moved the Supreme Court on the issue without blaming Zardari
or Haqqani in the petition. He only appealed to the court for exposing the
culprits who were involved in memogate scam.
Hussain Haqqani told the Judicial Commission that he has nothing to
do with the controversial memorandum. Appearing before the commission
established by the Supreme Court to probe the memorandum, Haqqani said
he has no role in writing the memo and nor did he send it, adding he is being

849

implicated in the controversy. He declined to give his Blackberry or its PIN

number to the commission.
Talking to media after the proceedings, Haqqani's counsel said
Mansoor Ijaz's evidence through teleconference is not acceptable, as he is
not a VIP; hence, he cannot be given exception from personally appearing
before the commission. Mansoor Ijaz will have to come to Pakistan to
substantiate his claim, he added. Later, he told to the media that Mansoor
wont come to Pakistan.
Pakistan Army's JAG Brigadier Nau Bahar presented a written
statement through the office of the Attorney General that the Army Chief has
already submitted his written statement to the Supreme Court and as he has
gone on a pre-planned visit to China, he cannot appear before the
Commission personally.
Chief Justice Qazi Faez Esa when inquired from Mansoor Ijaz's
Counsel Akram Sheikh when his client would be able to appear, the Lawyer
said that his client was not being issued Pakistani visa. Akram Shaikh also
provided the commission with a petition filed in a session court for arresting
Ijaz and said that a false case was being registered against his client to
intimidate him. The Commission took a serious notice of it and directed the
Attorney General for the issuance of visa. Mr Akram Sheikh assured the
court that Mr Mansoor would reach Pakistan immediately after getting visa.
The court also sought an assurance from Interior Secretary Khawaja
Siddiq Akbar that Mansoor Ijaz would not be involved in any case on his
arrival in Pakistan to which the Interior Secretary expressed his inability. He
said he can do so after consultation with the Law Division. The Commission
took a serious view of this statement by the Interior Secretary and told him
that action can be taken against him for contempt of court and directed him
not to leave the court room till its adjournment.
Akram Sheikh further said that Mansoor Ijaz has agreed to appear on
Jan 16 before the judicial commission probing the memo issue, but said that
his arrival depended on the condition that the Blackberry conversation
between Ijaz and Haqqani was made available to investigating authorities.
Shaikh said that Ijaz had already issued a legal notice to the telephone
company for making the conversation available.
According to the company, Haqqani's consent was also needed to
provide access to the conversation, he said. When asked regarding his
client's consent, Haqqani's lawyer Zahid Bukhari did not give a clear answer.

850

The commission directed the concerned authorities to enhance the security

of Hussain Haqqani.
Akram Shaikh in press conference said his client would come to
Pakistan on 16th January. Security will be provided by the Army as Mansoor
has received death threats he also told the media that commission has
directed that no case would be registered against Mansoor Ijaz by federal or
provincial governments.
Asma Jahangir filed a review petition in the Supreme Court on behalf
of Haqqani challenging the decision of the court on memogate case. The
petitioner sought stoppage of the proceedings of the commission comprising
three high court judges. The same day, three FIA experts probing memo
were sacked.
Meanwhile, Political authorities received the dead bodies of 10
soldiers, who were taken away after a clash with militants, were recovered in
Upper Orakzai; TTP has claimed the responsibility for killing the troops.
They had been missing in since December 25 when militants attacked a
check post. A NATO oil tanker was blown up in Khyber Agency.
On 10th January, four people were killed in first ever drone attack
since Salalah slaughter. At least 35 people were killed and more than 30
wounded in a blast in Jamrud, Khyber Agency. Seven people were wounded
in a bomb blast in Landikotal. The OBL compound in Abbottabad is to be
flattened by rocket-propelled grenades and then bulldozed, reported The
Sun. Rehman Malik said, We will hit it like an enemy fort. But first we
must erase everything related to Bin Laden from our country.
The Pentagon expressed hope that Pakistan would soon reopen the
crucial supply routes to Afghanistan, but said no negotiations were being
carried out on the issue. However, the US military personnel in Islamabad
are talking with their Pakistani counterparts in this regard, he added.
General Kayani held a meeting with senior military officials at GHQ.
He was briefed about Prime Ministers recent interview to a Chinese
newspaper concerning his and DG ISIs statements filed in the Supreme
Court, which prime minister had termed illegal as they were not approved by
the government.
The military leadership was extremely annoyed over the prime
ministers statement to the Chinese media at the time when General Kayani
was on an important visit to that country. The statement at that particular
time was aimed at sabotaging General Kayanis China visit. The military
851

leadership also expressed surprise over continuous changing of stance by the

prime minister regarding the relations of civil and military leadership.
The military leadership was also annoyed over the use of Chinese
media to target the security institutions, the sources said. Sources also said
that the following 24 hours are extremely important as far as civil-military
relations are concerned. The Corps Commanders meeting, scheduled to take
place next week, was also postponed.
Next day, federal cabinet reposed confidence in Zardari and Gilani. In
the afternoon, ISPR statement warned that the PMs allegations made in an
interview to a Chinese media outlet had very serious ramifications with
potentially grievous consequences. It clarified that COAS and ISI DG were
cited as respondents in the petitions pertaining to the memogate case and the
responses by the respondents were sent to the Ministry of Defence for
onward submission to the SC, through AGP (Law Ministry).
Prime Minister sacked Defence Secretary Lt General (retd) Naeem
Khalid Lodhi for his gross misconduct and illegal action which created
misunderstanding between the state institutions. Nargis Sethi, who is close
to Gilani, will assume the additional responsibilities of the defence secretary.
Following the sacking of defence secretary it was reported that
military authorities appointed Brigadier Sarfraz Ali as new commander of
111 Brigade. It was clarified that Brigadier Amir was given promotion and
appointed General Officer Commanding (GOC) Lahore. In yet another
significant development, Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani called
an emergency meeting of the militarys Principal Staff Officers (PSOs) as
well as Corps Commander Conference in Thursday.
Concurrently, Gilani went around talking to media to take on Army
and Judiciary simultaneously. PML-Q chief advised the PPP leaders to avoid
confrontation with the institutions. Meanwhile, the Like-minded chief flayed
Gilani for giving statement against Army.
After a lengthy party meeting Nawaz gave a loud and clear message to
the ruling PPP to avoid any further adventurism against the institutions
(judiciary and army) adding, the PML-N would forcefully resist if anything
for that purpose was brought to the National Assembly session on Thursday.
He also warned against any unconstitutional action and said his party would
oppose any such move. He said the present predicament of the country was
because of PPP governments defiant posture vis--vis judicial orders which
it refused to obey. He advised the coalition partners not to be party to such
moves.
852

PPP leaders failed to win the support of JUI-F chief in the ongoing
tussle between the government and judiciary, as the latter advised them to
avoid clash with judiciary or Army as it would prove fatal for future of
democracy in the country. Fazl was of the view that government should
write letter to the Swiss authorities in line with the Supreme Court verdict or
come up with some pertinent reasons for non-compliance of the court orders
and take people of Pakistan into confidence on the whole matter.
MQM held a meeting and showed solidarity with Zardari, but advised
exercise of restraint. Zardari held a telephonic talk with Altaf Hussain; the
two leaders discussed the current political situation in the country. Altaf
urged Zardari to avoid confrontation and the president assured the MQM
chief of pursuing the policy of reconciliation.
Aftab Sherpao said that the government was entering into a clash with
state institutions only to divert the masses' attention from the NRO
implementation and memo cases. He said that Nawaz Sharif had telephoned
him to discuss the volatile political situation and the imminent threats to the
democratic institutions.
Farahnaz Ispahani said that her husband Hussain Haqqani is a good
man and she called on Americans to stand up for him now that he is
confined to prime ministers house in Islamabad. Pakistans judicial process
over the disputed memo might be an internal matter, as the US State
Department has said. But it is imperative that Americans stand up for
someone who sought to improve US-Pakistani relations and spoke out for
our shared values, she wrote in The Washington Post.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court admitted Haqqanis review petition.
The US and UK backed democracy. At least 11 militants were killed in
Orakzai Agency. Interior Ministry issued 40,813 arms licences in three years
despite ban. PNSC finalized 35 recommendations for Pak-US relations.
On 2nd January, 2012, al-Qaeda and Taliban sought help of Pakistani
groups for fighting occupation forces in Afghanistan. Next day, five
people were killed in suicide attack in Kandahar city. Taliban agreed to open
office in Qatar. NATO military planners were trying to figure out the
logistics of how to ship out the massive quantities of alliance vehicles,
weapons and other equipment from Afghanistan. The operation requires the
removal of $30 billion worth of state-of-the-art military gear by the end of
2014, when the US and other coalition troops are to end their combat role.

853

On 4th January, Hamid Karzai welcomed peace talks between the

Taliban and the United States, saying it could lead to an end of the
bloodshed in Afghanistan. The peace process, some Afghan experts believe,
is no longer led and owned by Afghanistan - a condition which was set at the
beginning of the process. The Afghan government had initially opposed an
office for the Taliban in Qatar.
Taliban have asked for the release of their prisoners from Guantanamo
Bay and agreed to have an office in Qatar. This is the first time that the
Taliban have shown positive reaction to Afghan and international calls.
Mulla Omar has also asked the US to pullout all occupation forces from
Afghanistan; the only other pre-condition spelled out by the Taliban.
On 5th January, Karzai ordered transfer of US-run prison at Bagram to
Afghan control. He felt that his government was being sidelined in dialogue
with Taliban. Next day, eight NATO soldiers and six children were killed in
series of bomb attacks in southern Afghanistan. Taliban demanded in
negotiations with the US that prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay be
transferred to Qatar.
On 7th January, Karzai said the US was fighting war on terror on the
wrong side of the border. He alleged that Pakistans Afghan policy was not
independent. On 10th January, three policemen were among seven persons
killed when suicide bombers attacked a government in Paktika Province.
As regards Zardari regimes policy of appeasing India, it was
reported on 2nd January, 2012, that the former Indus Water Commissioner
Syed Jamaat Ali Shah silently slipped to Canada though the federal
government had put his name on the ECL after an inquiry report prepared by
WAPDA had held him responsible for facilitating and helping India in the
construction of 45 MW Nimoo-Bazgo hydropower project. Rehman Malik
told reporters in Karachi that Mr Shah would be taken back in the country
through Interpol.
An official of the Ministry of Interior on the condition of anonymity
informed that the ministry was only responsible for managing the list and it
was the duty of the FIAs Immigration Wing deputed at the airports to keep a
strict check on the movement of those persons put on the ECL. A senior
retired bureaucrat who also remained associated with FIA for many years
informed that big money was always involved in such escape cases.
Meanwhile, Pakistan decided to move ICA on the issue of this project.
Indian forces opened fire at protesters in Srinagar and killed one.

854

Next day, gas pipeline was blown up near Dera Bugti. Iranian border
guards who had intruded into Pakistan and killed a man were charged with
murder and a protest was lodged with Tehran. On 6 th January, Pakistan freed
180 Indian prisoners. Yasin Malik was detained by Police in IHK.
Indian planned to build 11 tunnels in the strategically important road
stretches close to the Pakistan and China borders. These tunnels are expected
to help rapid mobilization of troops and equipments besides providing better
connectivity to local residents.
Pakistan challenged India's position on the Sir Creek estuary border
dispute. The challenge is contained in a letter addressed to Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon by the Pakistan Mission to the United Nations. India's
notifications enumerating its claims in regard to Sir Creek were placed on
the website of the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea in
May and November 2009. On 7th January, five people were wounded in
grenade attack in Sopore.
In Balohistan, ten people were wounded in grenade attack in Quetta
on 2 January, 2012, and four people were killed in incidents of violence
across the province. On 4th January, gas pipeline was blown up near Quetta.
Next day, British aid worker was abducted and ASI was shot dead in Quetta.
WAPDA supervisor was killed and a line man wounded by unknown
gunmen in Harnai area; SDO was among two abducted when they were
repairing high tension power supply line. Gas pipe line was blown up in
Dera Bugti area.
nd

On 6th January, Nawaz Sharif, who visited Quetta, said that peace
could not prevail in Balochistan unless the people who were responsible for
the injustices were not made accountable. He suggested for holding a
national conference of all parties, saying his party was ready to host any
such conference and Balochistan leaders have agreed with him on holding
the moot.
On 9th January, the Supreme Court expressed its dissatisfaction over
the law and order situation in Balochistan and asked the chief secretary to
submit a detailed report giving details about the deteriorating situation and
those behind it. The Court rejected a request by Advocate General
Balochistan Amanullah Khan that the case be deferred for an indefinite
period. The chief justice observed that the matter is of great importance and
sensitive nature and cannot be delayed and adjourned the hearing till 16th
January. On 11th January, 14 FC soldiers were killed in an ambush of a

855

convoy in Turbat. Rehman Malik constituted a task force for the

implementation of Balochistan package.

VIEWS
In the context of Pakistan, On 5th January TheNation wrote: The
Prime Minister and the COAS should be interacting more often, on a one-toone basis, or with the other service chiefs and the Joint Chiefs Chairman
attending, as at the NDU on Tuesday, even in periods of calm, because of the
threat posed by the much larger and expansionist neighbour Pakistan has to
the east, to which has been added the increasing insecurity from the western
border. That has become a more immediate threat, because it has resulted in
the killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers by NATO gunship helicopters in the
Salalah check post incident.
On top of that, the memogate affair has revealed differences between
the civilian government and the military. Whereas the government believes
that the Supreme Court did not have jurisdiction in the case, the military has
indicated that it felt an investigation was necessary. That this subject came
up between the two men was a good thing, certainly better late than never.
Not only have the comments already been filed, but the case had already
been decided by the Supreme Court, when this discussion took place. It
should have been held before the filing of the comments.
However, that should be thought of as just water under the bridge,
now that a judicial commission has been constituted to investigate the
matter. In view of the dangers afflicting the country, it is essential that the
government present a united face before the commission of Chief Justices,
which the Supreme Court has set up to investigate the matter, and which it
has invested with wide-ranging powers. For such a meeting of minds, it is
necessary that the PM and the COAS hold a discussion on the subject, with
the approach that at this juncture, the two should be communicating
much more frequently than at present, and should be doing so on their
own initiative, not waiting for fortuitous opportunities like the NDU lecture.
The government must display willingness to submit to the orders of the
court, and accept the Supreme Courts commission as the proper forum to
investigate the matter.
On 7th January, Inayatullah observed: Memogate, in a sense, has
brought up not only the government and military confrontation but also
the governments defiance of the Supreme Court. Defiance and ridiculing
856

of the courts verdicts and directives have finally resulted in issuing of

notices to PPP ministers and some of the officeholders, government having
been already driven to a corner after the final rejection of the NRO as a valid
piece of legislation. The Supreme Court has shown enormous patience in
putting up with the government functionaries highly objectionable and
provocative behaviour.
Overarching the civil-military and government-judiciary face-off, is
the question of increasingly complicated US-Pakistan relations especially
after the Salalah attack resulting in the killing of more than two dozen
Pakistani military personnel. The inquiry report prepared by a senior officer
of the Special Operations group about the incident, as expected, lacks
credibility and has been rightly ignored by Pakistan. An element of distrust
has entered the relationship between the two countries and there are no
appreciable signs of improvement of relations. In fact, the latest unkind
cut has come with the passing of the US aid legislation which has practically
frozen dollars 700 million meant for Pakistan. Stoppage of containers
supply to Afghanistan has continued much against US expectations that the
supplies would be resumed after sometime. Pakistan has also stuck to its
stand, not to start military operation in North Waziristan. US-Pakistan
relationship has another crucial dimension. In the end-game there, US has
been following a complex approach. While on the one hand, NATO forces
are escalating operations in East Afghanistan against the Taliban, on the
other, steps have already been taken to start talks with them. The latest
development is the setting up of an office for such negotiations in Qatar.
This move has been welcomed by Kabul while Pakistan has not been
formally associated with it.
To compound the problematic and troublesome situation, there is
the dreadful prospect of the economy taking a nosedive. With the energy
crisis deepening, law and order conditions worsening and governance going
down, by the day, the economic crunch is bound to further weaken the
government. With all its resources of imagination and trickery the present
rulers in Islamabad, will sooner or later have to call it a day and go for the
rising demand for fresh elections. The theatre of the absurd just cant
continue till next year.
On 10th January, Ashraf Mumtaz observed: Prime Minister Gilani
has raised an important question which the Supreme Court must decide
at the earliest to make it clear to all state functionaries the procedure they
should be following while discharging their duties. Talking to a Chinese
Online TV, he pointed out that the responses submitted by the Chief of Army
857

Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and DG ISI Ahmed Shuja
Pasha to the apex court in connection with the memo controversy did not
have the approval of the competent authority, and thus were illegal,
unconstitutional
While a special commission is looking into the matter, Mr Gilanis
utterances are in conflict with the views expressed by the Attorney
General for Pakistan on the subject. He had clearly stated recently that
since the army chief and the ISI chief had been made respondents in their
personal capacities, they have the right to submit their responses without
seeking approval of the government. Many other constitutional experts also
have expressed similar views.
Now the apex court should settle the controversy for good by
explaining as to what was the responsibility of the army chief and the ISI
boss in the present case, in which their point of view is totally different from
that of the competent authority. It should elaborate on whether Generals
Kayani and Pasha were still required to follow the same procedure and
route their answers to the apex court through their competent authority? And
whether the competent authority can be expected to accord sanction to such
letters which go against them?
The attitude of the so-called competent authority stood exposed
on the issue of the cases against President Zardari before the Swiss
courts, which were shelved after an unauthorized communication during the
Musharraf era. The Supreme Court has repeatedly asked the government to
write a letter to the Swiss authorities to have the cases reopened. But, so far,
the government has flatly refused to comply with the order, saying the
president has constitutional immunity
The constitutionalism of the prime minister has been fully
applied in this case. And the result is that the court is being ridiculed.
Various leaders of the ruling party are trying to portray the apex court as
partisan. And those who are under obligation to enforce orders are teaching
the Supreme Court constitution.
The confrontational attitude of the government has brought to
limelight the lacuna in our system. The court should say in clear and
categorical terms what the subordinates should do in case the competent
authority, which is to give approval to all decisions, is working against the
interests of the country. Do the subordinates have the right to defy an
unconstitutional command? The court should also elaborate as to what

858

Generals Kayani and Pasha should have done when they came to know
of a conspiracy against the country?
Political observers say that having failed to honour its commitments
made through its election manifesto during the past four years, the ruling
PPP wants to create a situation to become a martyr. And it is for this
reason that it is trying to provoke through words and actions both the
judiciary and the armed forces. They want to be kicked and booted out, so
that they could tell the people that they were not allowed to complete their
term.
Next day, TheNation commented: It seems that, as time draws near
for the appearance of the COAS and the DG ISI before the Chief Justices
Commission probing the memogate affair, the Prime Minister has only now
realized that the submissions they filed to the Supreme Court were not
through the ministry, and were thus of no legal effect. It was also strange for
him to make this statement when the Supreme Court had not only decided
the case, but that this statement was made in an interview with China Online
Television, ensuring that this particular manifestation of displeasure would
be disseminated in China at the very time that the COAS was on a visit
there. That it is inappropriate to wash dirty linen in public is one thing, but
there is another aspect that the Prime Minister should have considered. A
state representative abroad, who has gone on state expense, is only as
effective as the backing he gets from his home government.
At the same time, former Ambassador to the USA, Mr Hussain
Haqqani has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court to stay the
commissions proceedings even as he appeared before it. However, his
appearance proved to be a catalogue of denials. Even his Blackberry set was
unavailable for examination, which he claimed was an official set he had left
behind in Washington. It is worth noting that the Prime Ministers claim has
not been followed by a similar review petition, which indicates that even the
government itself knows that there is not enough merit to lead to any
change in the verdict.
The Chief Justices Commission may be the best chance of a neutral
investigation into the whole memogate affair. If the government continues in
an attitude of non-cooperation, the purpose of the commission, which is an
investigation which both answers the nations questions about the
memogate, and which is not under government influence, will not be helped.
While the governments purpose, which quite rightly is to allay all doubts
raised, will not be fulfilled. Though PML-N President Mian Nawaz Sharif
859

was labouring at partisan purposes, he was expressing national sentiment

when he said that the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, which
the government favours to carry out an investigation, was doing nothing on
the memogate affair. This is because, having a built-in PPP majority, the
committee is hardly impartial. The government must not only avoid
maligning its representatives when they are abroad, and that too when
they are representing the country, but it must also support the work of the
commission. Otherwise, the verdict setting the commission up will join the
others it still defies.
On 4th January, M K Bhadrakumar observed that Afghanistan was
entering the year of Taliban: Amid all this, Fazls possible release from
Guantanamo comes as a masterstroke by Washington aimed at scattering the
growing regional bonhomie over the Afghan situation. The Obama
Administration hopes to release a fox into the chicken pen. Fazl is one of the
most experienced Taliban commanders who has been with Taliban leader
Mullah Omar almost from day one and he held key positions commanding
the Taliban army. He would have been a favourite of both Mullah Omar and
his homecoming ought to bring joy. On the other hand, he was also
culpable for the massacre of thousands of Hazara Shiites during 1998-2001
and was possibly accountable for the execution of eight Iranian diplomats in
the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
Fazl inspires visceral hatred in the Iranian mind and could create
misunderstandings in Pakistan-Iran relations (which have been on an
upswing in recent years) and put Islamabad on the horns of a dilemma vis-avis Mullah Omar. Fazl is also a notorious personality from the Central Asian
and Russian viewpoint insofar as he used to be the Talibans point person for
al-Qaeda and its regional affiliates such as the Islamic Movement of
Uzbekistan (IMU) and Chechen rebels. He was also in charge of the
strategic Kunduz region bordering the soft underbelly of Central Asia
where he was based with IMU chief Juma Namangani at the time of the US
intervention in October 2011.
Enter Qatar, which is increasingly emerging as the USs closest ally
in the Middle East next only to Israel. The Obama administration feels
impressed by the skill Qatar displayed in theatres as diverse as Libya, Egypt
and Syria in finessing the Muslim Brotherhood and other seemingly
intractable Islamist groups and helping the US to catapult itself to the right
side of history in the Middle East. The Obama Administration is

860

optimistic that if Fazl could be left to able Qatari hands, he could be

recycled as an Islamist politician for a democratic era.
Fazl does have the credentials to bring Mullah Omar on board
for launching formal peace talks. Fazl enjoys credibility among the
Taliban militia and they would be inclined to emulate his reincarnation. His
bonding with Islamist forces could be useful channels of communication,
which will come under pressure to cooperate with the US-led peace talks, or
at the very least refrain from undercutting them.
Indeed, he is the perfect antidote to Irans influence in
Afghanistan. Once Qatar is through with him, Fazl becomes just the right
partner for Washington in the great game if the Arab Spring were to appear
in Central Asia, holding prospects of regime change and the rise of Islamic
democracies in the steppes. Fazl can be trusted to persuade Taliban not to
make such a terrible issue out of the US plans to establish military bases in
Afghanistan. However, will the plan work? Pakistan may have fired the first
salvo of the New Year to demolish the US plan when Foreign Ministry
spokesman Abdul Basit said in Islamabad on Monday: Establishing
sustainable security and stability in Afghanistan is impossible without Irans
role. To establish security and reinvigorate Afghanistan, Iran must be given
due attention and must be trusted, because pushing the trend of peace and
establishing durable security and stability without Irans partnership is
impossible.
Basit was speaking within earshot of the whirring sound of the
Iranian cruise missile with the ferocious name Qader (Mighty) fired from an
undisclosed location unambiguously demonstrating Tehrans capability to
enforce a blockade of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. An accomplished
diplomat, he certainly knows Doha lies just 547 kilometers away as the
crow flies from the Strait of Hormuz. Fazl wont be safe in Doha.
TheNation wrote: In a major development on the war on terror front,
Pakistani and Afghan Taliban have reportedly pledged to focus on
fighting the American and NATO forces inside Afghanistan Taliban
leader Mullah Omer has expressed his dissatisfaction with the suicide
bombs, kidnappings for ransom and other criminal acts perpetrated inside
Pakistan. He urged that these acts of terror be immediately stopped
This news will serve as a serious worry for the occupying forces in
Afghanistan that are already stretched thin and have been receiving
shattering blows by the Taliban. While the US begins parleys with several
militant groups in Afghanistan, it is also preparing to pack up and leave
861

Afghanistan. While US interest in a role in the reconciliation process

persists, it will have to be Pakistan which shoulders the burden of
maintaining stability in Afghanistan, if only for the selfish reason that this
should not negatively affect Pakistan's security from the western border.
With their latest war plan, the Taliban appear to be preparing to improve
their image and create goodwill among the local Afghans, whom they
wish to once more govern.
Next day, Richard Weitz talked of Russian interests in Afghanistan:
Many Russians remain concerned about Natos influence in these regions.
Russians do not want NATO to establish a permanent military presence
in Afghanistan, Central Asia or the South Caucasus. At Decembers
meeting of CSTO, member governments decided that unanimous consent
was required before a non-CSTO country could establish a base in a member
country. At present, the only foreign base in a CSTO country is the US
airbase at Manas, Kyrgyzstan. Newly elected Kyrgyz President Almazbek
Atambayev has said he wants the Pentagon to leave the base in 2014.
Russians do not want any more NATO bases in what it regards as its
sphere of influence. At present, the Russian governments stated position is
that Moscow expects most if not all NATO troops to leave the region
once they have stabilized Afghanistan. Russias ambassador to
Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, succinctly observed that: Its not in Russias
interests for NATO to be defeated and leave behind all these problems...
Wed prefer NATO to complete its job and then leave this unnatural
geography.
Until then, Russian officials have sought to leverage NATOs
dependence to influence the alliances activities and policies. Russia
repeatedly suggests that Moscow could suspend access should Western
governments encroach on Russian interests, such as further enlarging
NATOs membership.
Observers suspect that Russian representatives at the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization summit in June 2005 encouraged Uzbekistan
to expel US military forces from its territory. The Uzbek government
issued the expulsion order the following month with a180-day deadline.
They also believe that some Russian officials have subsequently pressed
Kyrgyzstan to end the Pentagons access to Manas.
The one constraint on Moscows behaviour is that Russians fear that
NATO governments will simply return to their strategy of the 1990s,
declaring victory and then abandoning Afghanistan as a regional mess. In
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January 2010, in a New York Times opinion piece Boris Gromov and Dmitry
Rogozin warned, A rapid slide into chaos awaits Afghanistan and its
neighbours if NATO pulls out, pretending to have achieved its goals.
Gromov, governor of the Moscow region, commanded the 40th Soviet Army
in Afghanistan. Rogozin, Russias ambassador to NATO, noted, A pullout
would give a tremendous boost to Islamic militants, destabilize the Central
Asian republics and set off flows of refugees, including many thousands to
Europe and Russia, as well as worsen the regional narcotics problem.
Russia provides at best instrumental support for NATOs Afghanistan
mission. Should the alliances stabilization effort succeed, the Russians
would be first to demand the departure of Western troops.
On 6th January, The New York Time wrote: For months, the
administration has been signaling its interest in talks, and we dont know
why the Taliban responded now. One theory is that they are being
squeezed by American and NATO military operations. Another is that the
Taliban are hoping to use the negotiations to speed up an American
withdrawal and lock in Taliban terms. Either way, coalition forces must keep
pushing back hard.
Apart from wanting the Americans out, it is not clear what the
Taliban will demand. Washington must not budge on its insistence that as
part of any agreement, the Taliban must sever all ties to al-Qaeda, renounce
violence and accept the Afghan Constitution and its commitments to
political and human rights for all Afghans.
There are many more big questions, including whether other
Afghan extremists most notably the Haqqani network will come to the
table, whether there can be a peace deal if they dont and whether their
patrons in Pakistan can be persuaded to support serious negotiations or will
work to undermine them.
As a confidence-building measure, Washington is considering a
Taliban request that it transfer some Taliban detainees to custody in
Afghanistan or Qatar from the prison camp in Guantnamo Bay, Cuba. Any
prisoner release will first require careful vetting, and then there will have to
be vigilant monitoring to ensure that the prisoners dont go back to the
battlefield. There is also talk from Americans of identifying some cease-fire
zones where the Talibans interest in stopping the fighting could be tested.
President Obama has pledged that the bulk of NATO troops will be
withdrawn from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. That will be easier to
achieve if there is a political agreement with the Taliban, but it must be one
863

that ensures that Afghanistan does not again become a launching pad
for attacks on this country and doesnt revert to the horrors of Taliban
rule.
Gulf New commented: The Taliban have announced that they want to
open an office in the Gulf region, mentioning Qatar as a possible site. This is
obviously controversial since the Taliban are formally at war with
Afghanistan, Pakistan, NATO and the ISAF (which includes UAE forces).
Therefore such an office should not be used as a gathering point for
funds to fuel either the Talibans fighting or their allies in al-Qaeda.
But if the office is to facilitate the essential future dialogue with the
Taliban, then it is a step in the right direction. It is right that NATO and the
Afghan government want to talk to the Taliban to find ways to secure a
political ending to the decade-long war in Afghanistan. It has become
obvious that NATO cannot bomb the Afghan people into peace. The only
way that peace can be found is for all parties in the region to accept the
others and work to build a mutual way forward under the constitution of
Afghanistan which ensures mutual respect for individuals.
At some stage, the Taliban will have to split. It has become clear
that the Taliban is an umbrella organization that covers a wide range of
opinion among the Pashtun people of Afghanistan. Some members of the
Taliban are very close to al-Qaeda and have worked with them for decades,
going back to when the Taliban formed the government of Afghanistan and
gave sanctuary to al-Qaeda. These people will not want peace with NATO
and are looking forward to their total defeat.
But other Pashtuns have been driven to join the Taliban by the
excesses of NATOs campaign, which has included regular killing of
civilians in the search for Taliban targets. However, in the past year, well
over 3,000 Taliban fighters have left their detachments and gone home to
seek peace. These men are symbols of what Afghanistan needs: which is a
return to peace.
Next day, Yahya Massoud, Djeyhoun Ostowar wrote: An
overwhelming majority of Afghans and politicians alike are very
suspicious about developments that are likely to occur once the Taliban
finds a stronger presence in Kabul. People know that the highly
conservative ideology of the Taliban will lead to limitations of their newly
reclaimed freedoms and the decline of the fragile Afghan civil society.
Ethnic groups other than Pashtun are afraid that the Taliban will marginalize
them politically and socially. After all, thousands of Hazaras were
864

mercilessly massacred in the Taliban-orchestrated ethnic cleansings of the

1990s. Other ethnic groups were sidelined or subordinated by the Pashtuns
under the Taliban regime. Without doubt, granting too much political power
to the Taliban would be a huge blow to the people of Afghanistan and the
region who had high expectations for democratization.
Many are also concerned that power sharing with the Taliban would
bring the foreign elements that have supported militant Islamic
insurgency, in particular Pakistan, several steps further in their preexisting and well-known aims in Afghanistan: keeping Afghanistan weak
and unstable, further destabilizing Kashmir, and challenging India. In
addition, the prospects of regional cooperation and conducive diplomatic
relations with neighbouring states are likely to be jeopardized if the deal
materializes. Countries like Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are struggling with
emerging terrorism on their own soil and will not accept a quasi-Taliban
government in Afghanistan. This issue is critical, as Afghanistan will have to
rely increasingly on the region when the international military mission
reaches its end.
Power sharing with the Taliban could put enormous economic
and political pressure on the country and turn the Afghans further away
from their government. In fact, political unrest and dissatisfaction within
political circles as well as on the streets of Afghanistan could escalate into
another civil war. Unfortunately, the prospects of another civil war after the
withdrawal of international troops and the reappearance of a power vacuum
are significant. For the reasons mentioned above, the effect of growing
Taliban political influence would likely strain Afghanistan's inter-ethnic and
inter-regional relations even further, turning back the clock in this weak and
divided state.
Negotiations and power sharing may be presented as the cure for the
Afghan conflict, and leaders of major troop-contributing nations may be of
the opinion that this will be their exit strategy from Afghanistan. However, it
has to be understood that a rushed and compromised settlement with the
Taliban is unlikely to be the endgame. Until the real backbone of the
Taliban, which is at the moment in Pakistan, is broken and the Afghan
government is strong enough to enforce conditionality, negotiations with the
Taliban are doomed to become a new quick-fix with enormous risks for the
Afghans and the rest of the world.
Mohammad Jamil opined: Washingtons signaling for a negotiated
political settlement of the Afghan imbroglio, and even talking of peace with
865

Taliban and other insurgent groups, was acknowledgment that military

option had failed. However, it is yet to be seen if parameters of settlement
will be drawn taking leaderships of Afghanistan and Pakistan into
confidence, as America is an overbearing occupying power in Afghanistan,
and has a soft corner for the Northern Alliance and its principle backer India.
America has to understand that whatever semblance of success it achieved
was by accepting the principal i.e. the right of the majority rule there. If the
US can work along similar lines, it can win the hearts and minds of people
of Afghanistan, the bitterness and the horrors of the long drawn out war
notwithstanding. Last year, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had rightly
said that if the US failed then Pakistan would also fail. It means that stakes
for Pakistan are also high, which is why Pakistan is keen to see a strong,
stable Afghanistan. Of course, it would like to see a neutral if not friendly
government next door.
On Tuesday, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said:
This process will only be successful if those Taliban are prepared to
renounce violence, break ties with Al-Qaeda, support the Afghan
Constitution in all of its elements, including human rights for all citizens,
and particularly for women. Whereas to start negotiations there has to be
ceasefire and end to hostilities, the Taliban would not accept the Afghan
Constitution per se without necessary amendments with regard to power
sharing formula. There are other important issues and the most crucial
one is the status of strategic partnership agreement between India and
Afghanistan signed at the behest of the US. Previously, the Taliban
position was no talks until the US-led coalition leaves Afghanistan. It is
hoped that the US would see reason and address Pakistans genuine
concerns, and American leadership should bear in mind that it cannot
achieve its objectives by sidelining Pakistan, and will have to address
Pakistans genuine concerns. It is true that Pakistan is not in a position to
challenge the super power America, but if the US ignores the ground
realities, it can lose the present status of sole super power.
On 8th January, Pepe Escobar observed: Doha is a Hail Mary pass.
The Obama Administration had to come up with something; after all theres
a NATO summit in Chicago next May. The eurozone is imploding. 2012 will
be a hardcore social unrest year all across Western Europe. Theres simply
no more collective stomach not to mention wallets for the
interminable AfPak quagmire. At least the Obama administration has not
committed the monster strategic blunder anyone counting them yet? of
starting a war with Pakistan. Betting on its staying power after November
866

2012, the Obama Administration knows Washington will have to leave in

2014. The Pentagon will literally move the Hindu Kush to keep at least
some Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) bases in Northern
Afghanistan to monitor China, Russia and Iran; thats a crucial part of the
Full Spectrum Dominance doctrine.
Yet by any possible measure the Taliban will never allow
permanent outposts of the US Empire of Bases. Their maximum
concession is to sever links with al-Qaeda. The Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO) wants an Afghan solution for the country, with input
from all neighbours. SCO top members Russia and China, as well as
observers (and on the way to become full members) Pakistan and Iran, all
want no US bases. If the SCO has its way, its bye-bye to the Washingtonconcocted notion of a New Silk Road.
Until 2014, Washington still will have to face Islamabads new
rules on the supply lines from Karachi to both Chaman and the Khyber
Pass, plus Moscows rules concerning the Northern Distribution Network
(NDN). In both cases, bluster is a self-defeating option for Washington.
After 2014 no one possibly knows what will happen. Certainly the Afghan
National Army most of them Tajiks will control Northern Afghanistan,
trained and financed by the US.
Thats whats been already spun in Washington as US troops taking
an advisory role, starting already in 2013. The Taliban overwhelmingly
Pashtun will control the whole Southwest to Southeast arc, counting on
support from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. But still the Pentagon remains
obsessed with keeping an army, however slimmed-down it may be,
fighting the Taliban until...kingdom come?
Which brings us back to Doha. The Bush administration invaded
Afghanistan to take out the Taliban. It did, but the mission guess what
was not accomplished. The Taliban staged a major comeback. Now the
Obama Administration is more or less inviting them to come back to
power.
Pentagon hardliners could not possibly live with the idea of
Washington abandoning Kabul in a remix of Saigon 1975 helicopters
flying away from the roof of the US embassy. The Obama Administration
wants at least to save some face. Practitioners of Full Spectrum Dominance
want their bases. It aint over till the last Hellfire sings - in the Hindu Kush,
not in pleasant Doha.

867

Next day, TheNation observed: In his latest frenzy of rage during an

interview with The Daily Beast, Afghan President Karzai accused the US
of not fighting the war on the right side of the border. He stated bluntly
that in his view the US should be fighting the war in terror sanctuaries in
Pakistan.
He is dissatisfied with the US, which made him what he is today, and
at the same time Islamabad, that has been generous enough in helping his
landlocked country with seaport facility, food aid in times of drought,
diplomatic support at the world stage and providing shelter to four million
Afghan refugees. Besides, Mr Karzai is forgetting that Pakistan has the
worlds sixth largest army and is a nuclear power which many countries in
the world admire as an influential player in international politics. The US
and Pakistan will not go to war with each other, such a suggestion and
thought is a desperate attempt by Mr Karzai to create mischief. He
would be well-advised to stop daydreaming that Pakistan will be attacked by
the US military and instead face the challenges at home with courage. He
also imagines Mullah Omar to be in Pakistan.
This is of course part and parcel of the vilification campaign
against Pakistan that his own regime in Kabul has been spearheading,
that portrays Pakistan as the worlds top breeding ground of terrorists. On
the contrary, the Taliban are back in business openly patrolling most parts of
Afghanistan. The very fact of American forces showing reluctance to step
out of their fortresses and President Karzais writ reduced within the four
walls of the presidential palace leaves little doubt about the insurgents
successfully reclaiming the Afghan soil from the NATO forces. And the US
is now exploring various options to woo them to save face. The setting up of
a Taliban liaison office in Doha is emblematic of this. The way forward lies
in Afghan national reconstruction that includes building of schools,
hospitals, other civic infrastructure and creation of jobs aimed at weaning
the disoriented Afghans away from the message of the troublemakers.
Apart from his interview a few months back in which he stated that
in the event of a Pak-US war, Afghanistan will side with Pakistan, and his
shameful denial shortly afterwards, one can hardly recall any incident in
which President Karzai has praised Pakistan for its sacrifices for peace
and security of the region.
On 11th January, S M Hali wrote: The US, of course, is driven by
domestic politics for enforcing an endgame in which it can control the
outcome. It is a crucial election year, where the beleaguered President
868

Obama is seeking re-election; economic meltdown; and the prolonged

presence of US troops in Afghanistan have raised public ire. The Democrats
seek to turn adversity into opportunity, but the US version of the endgame in
Afghanistan is bound to fail, since it is sidestepping Russia, China, Iran and
Pakistan - all influential players in the region.
Pakistan has blocked the NATO supply routes following the 26/11
unwarranted attack on a Pakistani military check post killing 24 soldiers;
while Russia that controls the Northern Distribution Network (NDN) is
flustered by irresponsible statements from US politicians, including Hillary
Clinton regarding Putin, is likely to put impediments in the supply route,
rather than give more concessions. If the US is under the illusion that the
Taliban will permit it to retain its bases in Afghanistan beyond 2014, it is
mistaken. The only concession they are likely to afford is severing links
with Al-Qaeda and nothing further than that. It should be understood that the
US ousted the Talibans sitting government. By conducting a dialogue with
them they should not be surprised if the Taliban demand the restoration of
their government in Afghanistan and declaring the current government of
Karzai as illegal.
Pakistan, which can play an important role in the Afghan
endgame, is being ignored at the peril of US interests. By not apologizing
to Pakistan for the ghoulish attack on its military check post and instead
demanding to do more and interfering in its domestic affairs has really
piqued the country. The US is twisting Pakistans arm to abandon the IranPakistan gas pipeline, and its two Republican Senators John McCain and
Mark Kirk as well as independent Senator Joe Lieberman voicing concern
about the treatment meted out to former Pakistani Ambassador to USA
Hussain Haqqani, are a few examples. The US needs to think through its
endgame in Afghanistan and also take cognizance of the sensitivities of its
neighbours.
On 9th January, Khalid Iqbal commented: Historically, Balochistan
has been an area of interest for major world powers. For instance, the USSR
aimed at reaching the warm waters through Balochistan and its invasion of
Afghanistan in 1979 was the first step in this direction. The USA is also
interested in it, but for different reasons. It wants to block Chinas access to
the Arabian Sea and create unrest in Iran.
After losing the Afghan war, America is keen to keep Pakistans
largest province on the boiling pot to prevent the use of the Central Asian
States resources by other Asian countries; a conglomerate of foreign
869

intelligence agencies is cooperating to further the American interests.

However, the task of carrying out physical disruptions is assigned to India,
through its Consulates in the Afghan territory adjacent to Balochistan, and it
is faithfully recruiting, training, financing and equipping the resident
dissident elements, besides inducting non-resident mercenaries.
With this, the province has become an epicentre of foreign
interference. Traditionally, the elements from within, who earlier danced to
the Soviet tunes, have aligned themselves to their new financiers. While
residing in the comforts of Europe, three scions of leading tribes have opted
to give an international dimension to the issue; while, back home their kin
and kith continue to reap the fruits of a policy of appeasement by the federal
and provincial governments.
Pakistan is striving to bring the Baloch people into national
mainstream through various ways, but the progress is slow. Although
phenomenal funding has gone into Balochistan during the last four years,
but, instead of investing in public welfare projects, a major chunk of it has
been siphoned off by political opportunists; the federal government is going
along with the process of political appeasement. For a common Baloch,
hence, the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan has not gone beyond mere
rhetoric.
Having discussed the issue in some detail Khalid concluded: There is
a need to infuse a sense of security among the people. The thumb rule of
policeman according to the number of people needs to be modified for
Balochistan to link it with per square kilometre. The presence of a local
policeman in the province is essential to radiate a resolve to protect the
people; the B areas need to be abolished. There is a need to launch a
campaign to check the mine laying by miscreants; these mines have caused
an enormous loss of innocent lives; it is a single major factor that conveys a
sense of insecurity. The law enforcing agencies must co-opt community
participation to eradicate the proliferation of this weapon of fear.
The media, too, needs to play a positive role. Unfortunately, our
electronic media is glamorizing the elements that articulate separatist
trends. At times, it appears that some of the television channels are a
veritable arm of the foreign media operating in Pakistan.
Nevertheless, it is not a doomsday scenario. Sardar Attaullah
Mengal has recently pointed out: Balochistan has rich resources and any
other force could trap us into another quagmire. We have no other solution,
except to keep the country intact. Likewise, Chief Minister Nawab
870

Mohammad Aslam Khan Raisani remarked: The world was eyeing on

Gwadar Port and the natural resources of the province, but we will not let the
province become part of any great game.
There is lot of space between the present circumstances and the point
of no return. Through national unity, seriousness of purpose, faith in the
aspirations of our people for peace and progress and their ability to
persevere and overcome any and all challenges, the political space lost to
the dissidents can surely be reclaimed.

REVIEW
The duo of the Saint and the Scoundrel have decided to fight back by
denying all the charges which soldiers have leveled against their front man
Hussain Haqqani. While doing that they intend to implicate the two Generals
of committing some kind of illegal acts or of insubordination of their
democratically elected superiors.
The strategy for this aggressive defence or of offence is the best
defence has been the same which the regime has been following during its
entire existence. The outline of this policy is reflected by the sum total of the
utterances and the phrases frequently used by the aides of the Scoundrel.
Policy comprises outright denial, resorting to counter allegations,
intimidating the petitioners, ridiculing the judges, non-implementation of
verdicts, accusing them of victimizing, etc.
The defence of memogate began with demonizing Mansoor Ijaz for
his pro-Israel stance and writing against Pakistan Army and ISI. His antiPakistan image has been blown up despite the fact that some of such articles
were jointly written by him and Haqqani. The propaganda, however, targeted
Mansoor Ijaz only which was made possible by winning hearts and minds
of some media persons.
It was followed by targeting DG ISI starting with his meeting with
Mansoor Ijaz in London without prior permission of the chief executive or
of the supreme commander of the security forces. His resignation was
demanded for his overall conduct (read misconduct), especially meeting a
man like Mansoor Ijaz with dubious past record.
Then the scope of counter-allegations was enlarged personally by the
Prime Minister when he talked of state within a state in the National
Assembly. Subsequently, he clarified that he was not referring to COAS
but secretary defence. Finally, Gilani accused both the Generals of
871

committing illegal and unconstitutional acts by filing their replies without

vetting by their superiors.
The arrogance of the democratic scoundrel and saint had multiplied
after constitution of a commission by the Supreme Court for probing the
memo scandal. This arrogance was amply reflected in statement of their tout
Hussain Haqqani which was recorded by the commission on 9th January.
Haqqani refused to surrender his Blackberry to the commission by
lying that he has left that at his residence in Washington DC. He also had
the cheeks to tell the chief justices of three high courts that he had forgotten
the PIN code number of his Blackberry. And soon after the proceedings his
lawyer said that he would decide when to give the Blackberry to the
commission.
Well before the commission set about performing the assigned task
the Scoundrel made his intentions known. In his interview to Hamid Mir
Zardari said that he would accept the findings of the Parliamentary
Committee for National Security, indirectly saying that Supreme Court
verdict wont be acceptable.
Once the commission summoned Mansoor Ijaz, the regime moved
beyond maligning him to blocking his appearance before the commission.
Issue of visa was feared to be delayed. He was threatened of dire
consequences if appeared before the commission. Petition was moved for
registration of a criminal case against him.
From the events of recent past it could be inferred without any doubt
that the gang of the Scoundrel and the Saint was bent upon foiling any
attempt at carrying out a meaningful probe by the judicial commission. To
this end they could go to any extent as was evident from the charge-sheeting
the two Generals by Gilani for committing illegal and unconstitutional acts.
They were charge-sheeted with a sinister design. Reportedly, the
Scoundrel and the Saint had decided to sack both the Generals, but they
changed their mind after their coalition partners advised them to refrain from
such action in view of the prevailing security situation in the country.
The Army read it correctly, though considerably late, and ISPR issued
a press release warning adverse consequences of the false allegations against
two Generals. It had immediate reaction that confirmed regimes ill
intentions; Nargis Sethi assumed the charge of defence secretary after
sacking of the incumbent office holder.

872

This led to speculations that in next move one of the two or both the
Generals could be removed. A petition in this context was filed in Islamabad
High Court to stop the government from doing so. The change of command
of 111 Brigade added fuel to this rumour.
To conclude it must be said that the US appeared to be standing
behind the regime that is bent upon exacting democratic revenge. The
regime and its foreign masters seemed determined in implementing the
contents of Memo regarding Army and ISI. Some observers believed that
pro-regime and pro-US generals have been cultivated in Pakistan army.
It must be recalled that suicide terror and drone attacks returned to
Pakistan on 10th January and the same day the spokesperson of White House
with a broad smile on her face said the US wanted dialogue between civil
and military leadership of Pakistan.
12th January, 2012

873

FAILED TO FALL
The Supreme Court bench supervising implementation of NRO
verdict assembled on 10th January and asked the Chief Justice of Pakistan to
constitute a larger bench to pass a final verdict as the concerned authorities
of the Executive have not implemented the verdict by design. In doing that
the bench gave six options to the AGP and six days to the Executive for
consultation.
The bench directed Attorney General to put his arguments before the
Court on January 16 and asked the AG to apprise as to why any of the
options might not be exercised by the Court in these matters. Hearing
opportunity to those who might be affected was also granted.
The AGP was also directed to inform all the concerned persons about
the passage of the order. The AGP, Secretary Law, Justice and Human Rights
Division, Chairman National Accountability Bureau and the ProsecutorGeneral Accountability were summoned to appear before the Court in
person.
The Scoundrel, who was in Karachi and on his way to Dubai for
routine medical check up rushed back to Islamabad for consultations with
party leaders and coalition partners. Whereas meeting of PPP Core
Committee, mostly consisting of yes-men, added to the arrogance of the
Scoundrel, but the meeting of leaders of allied parties had some sobering
effect.

NEWS
On 1st January, 2012, religious activists squatted on roads besieging
the Governors House in Karachi in protest over the killing of a Shia cleric.
Waqt TV channel transmissions were blocked across Sindh for airing
interview of Afaq Ahmed. Protests against electricity and gas load shedding
continued across Punjab.
Efforts were afoot to arrange a meeting between Zardari and Nawaz
Sharif to counter the alleged moves against democracy and the
Establishment support for PTI. Though the spokespersons of the two
political bigwigs were unsure about the possible encounter between the two
leaders, Balochistan Chief Minister confirmed the development while
talking to reporters in Quetta. Raisani had also acted as a bridge between

874

PPP Co-chairman and the PML-N chief in the past to defuse political tension
on more than one occasion.
Next day, 2012, protesters clashed with police and major cities were
paralyzed as thousands of people demonstrated across the country over
severe gas shortages and price hikes. Besides closure of CNG stations and
public transport across the country, violent protest demonstrations were held
in big cities of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh. Public
transport remained absent creating difficulties for students, public and
private servants
The intensity and scale of protests forced the government to hold an
emergency meeting with the representatives of the CNG associations and
announced suspension of ban on filling public transport vehicles for 15 days,
besides clarifying that there was no plan for closure of CNG stations during
the current month.
On the other hand, the government amid yawning energy shortfalls
has increased the gas price by 14 percent, besides making a record hike in
the prices of POL products, especially petrol, bringing an added burden on
the people already facing double digit inflation. This has sparked the recent
protests across the country, while opposition parties are setting in motion
campaigns to force elections in 2012.
PPP-led ruling alliance is all set to boost LPG and petrol trade at the
cost of CNG business in the country in connivance with influential cartel,
ostensibly to drive hefty kickbacks. Sources informed that although LPG is
more expensive compared to both CNG and petrol yet, Petroleum Minister
Dr Asim having close relations with LPG mafia is leaving no stone
unturned to ensure such a dangerous and economically unviable source as
fuel for millions of vehicles in the country which would put peoples lives at
extreme risk as LPG does not mix with the air after leakage.
Pakistan Petroleum Minister said that some people were politicizing
the gas shortage issue. The minister said that demand of the gas increased in
winter season therefore people had to bear some problems. He said that
CNG mafia was a group of blackmailers and the people as a whole will have
to take stand against them.
The Supreme Court resumed hearing of a presidential reference about
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto trial case. The Chief Justice asked Babar Awan to cite an
example where a closed case has been reopened on the question of bias,
adding that in Bhuttos case all stages of trial, appeal and review have been
completed. Awan cited an Indian Supreme Court judgment in Ruppa Ashok
875

case in support of his contention. The CJP said according to Ruppa Ashok
judgment the aggrieved should come to the court and not the constitutional
authority (President). The counsel said at some stage the court has to come
up with a new decision. He said the courts have to rectify their mistakes.
Ahmed Raza Kasuri, who had lodged the FIR against Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto for allegedly murdering his father, told the bench that he was
concerned over many amicus curiae, (friends of the court), particularly Tariq
Mehmood and Aitzaz Ahsan for being diehard leaders of the Pakistan
Peoples Party. Tariq Mehmood immediately withdrew himself from the
team. However, Aitzaz Ahsan said he was a loyalist of the PPP, but would
not separate himself from the team as he could assist the court without
prejudice.
Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry said during the hearing that the
late Chief Justice Anwar-ul-Haqs son Azizullah has written a letter to
become party to the case. He said for the sake of justice he would be
afforded an opportunity to give his point of view. The court ordered the
office to give copies of the letter to the attorney general and all the amicus
curiae.
Nawaz Sharif said if the present government was sincere with
democracy, then it should announce fresh elections soon. Nawaz denied
reports regarding his meeting with Zardari with reference to Aslam Raisanis
statement. He said his party is in favour of resuming Bahawalpurs old status
and forming Hazara province. He said the PML-N supports the creation of
new provinces on administrative basis, not on linguistic basis. Meanwhile,
Syed Ghous Ali Shah and Saleem Zia were elected unopposed President and
Secretary General respectively of PML-N Sindh.
On 3rd January, five-member bench of the Supreme Court resumed
hearing into NRO implementation case. The court summoned Chairman
NAB on January 10 and thereafter action would be taken against those who
did not implement court orders. The bench ordered investigations against
former OGDCL chief Adnan Khwaja. How were Adnan Khwaja and
Ahmed Riaz appointed, Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa asked. The judge
said that how come a matriculation pass and convicted person was appointed
as MD. He said that the court was giving last chance to concerning
department to implement the NRO verdict of the SC.
The CNG and transporters association decided to end their
countrywide strike after the assurance of Petroleum Ministry to reduce the

876

recently imposed cess on CNG while eight hours cut has also been agreed in
the weekly gas load shedding schedule.
Prime Minister reiterated his commitment for creation of new
provinces, including Seraiki province and asked Syed Khursheed Shah to
discuss it with allied parties and move a resolution in the House. The Prime
Minister said it was the motto of PPP to remove the sense of deprivation
among the people of backward areas. Meanwhile, Imran ruled out alliance
with Musharraf. PML-N was reported busy in collecting data against Imran.
On 4th January, the Supreme Court issued show cause notices to five
PPP leaders on contempt of court charges and asked them to submit their
replies by 13th January. The notices were served to Babar Awan, Khursheed
Shah, Ashiq Awan, Qamar Kaira and Farooq Awan; in response Babar Awan
made fun of the notices. Many PPP leaders questioned why they were not
taken to task for ridiculing court.
PML-N members, standing on their seats, protested saying the point
of order on the resolutions regarding the formation of new provinces could
not be discussed, as these resolution are not part of agenda. Massive
pandemonium on the floor coerced the Speaker Kundi to bring to halt the
session proceedings for at least 20 minutes. Leader of the Opposition said
that his party was not against creation of new provinces but some political
forces were using the issue to create chaos in the House.
The cabinet met and took some important decisions. Government
employees will be asked to declare their assets. Power sector will get Rs15
billion injection each month. The gas supply to industry will be suspended to
ensure sustained supply to domestic consumers.
PPP leaders and workers gathered at the Cavalry Ground graveyard to
participate in Quran Khawani in connection with first death anniversary of
Salmaan Taseer. The participants in convention to revive the spirit of
Pakistan Movement supported blasphemy law and demanded immediate
release of Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, killer of Salmaan Taseer. Meanwhile,
Zardari visited shrine of Lal Shahbaz.
Next day, during the hearing of the Bhutto reference Chief Justice
took serious notice Babar Awan's comments in media after the court issued a
contempt notice to him and others. Babar was reprimanded after the video of
his statement ridiculing show cause notices was played in the courtroom.
The court then issued another show cause notice to him and warned of
canceling his licence. He was directed to submit his reply by January 9.

877

Aziz-ul-Haq, son of Maulvi Anwar-ul-Haq, a former Chief Justice of

Pakistan who upheld the decision of the LHC that sentenced Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto to death for the authorization of the murder of a political opponent,
objected to Abdul Hafeez Pirzada and Aitzaz Ahsan as amicus curiae in the
case. In his letter to Chief Justice he stated that Hafeez Pirzada and Aitzaz
Ahsan, being the loyalists of PPP, could not be the genuinely amicus curiae
in this Reference.
He mentioned that Pirzada being a friend and confident he bulldozed
through the National Assembly 1st, 4th, 5th and 6th Amendments, which
attacked the judiciarys powers & independence. with his history, Pirzada
can never be a friend of the court especially in this case, he said.
Regarding Aitzaz Ahsan, he wrote that Aitzaz was the then Minister in
1976-1977 but realizing the vicious and undemocratic nature of Bhutto
resigned as Minister, and joined Bhuttos arch rival Asghar Khans party.
Aitzaz rejoined PPP in 1986 and became a born again Bhutto lover He is a
politician with a political agenda and as such he cannot he considered as an
impartial amicus curiae in this case, he further said. His politically
motivated false and mischievous accusations against past and present judges
are well known.
Justice Anwar-ul-Haqs son stated that the PPP government under
President Zardari and through Babar Awan is carrying out a propaganda
blitz, at tax payers expense, to erase the memory of ZA Bhuttos brutal rule
and to paint him and his family as victims. In this process they have left no
stone unturned to defame and malign honourable judges.
Politicians, lawyers and journalists are all concentrating on political
angles and concocted stories of unfair trial, he added. Not one of them
seems to have read the Supreme Court judgment which details the motive
and proof. Not one of them refers to the confession statements of the FSF
office-bearers regarding the murder conspiracy, he said. The Full Bench,
including Safdar Shah and Dorab Patel, rejected the review petition
unanimously, he added.
His contention is that at that time eminent politicians, retired judges,
lawyers and the public at large believed that justice had been done. The
newspaper editorials at the time lauded the judgment and praised the court
for being fearless. He further said: the Supreme Court is now being asked to
revisit the case when concerned witnesses, lawyers and judges are all gone.
Even Bhutto praised the Supreme Court for giving him a just & fair hearing.

878

Aziz ul Haq stated in the letter that as the son of Justice Anwarul Haq,
I am aware of the events which took place during the appeal hearing. My
parents and my own family bore the brunt of vicious threats hurled at us by
the Bhutto family, PPP, some lawyers and judges. The judges were viciously
maligned and threatened in 1979 through personal visits, signed letters and
telephone calls by PPP party bearers.
PPP decided not to write letter to the Swiss government for reopening
of cases against Zardari and he would not before commission. The decision
was taken during a meeting of Core Committee jointly chaired by Zardari
and Gilani held at the Presidency. Babar Awan briefed the meeting over legal
aspects of Supreme Court verdict regarding NRO. Reportedly, new
ambassador to the United States Sherry Rehman advised the ruling alliance
not to comply with Supreme Court directive to write letter to Swiss
authorities by Jan 10 as she said the president enjoys immunity.
Khursheed Shah revealed that the government has decided to hold
early elections. Senate elections will be held in February and general
elections may be held anytime after the budget. Zardari directed the ruling
alliance to capitalize on forthcoming bye-elections on seats that fell vacant
following resignation of several lawmakers to join Imarn Khans PTI. He
said that it was a great opportunity to capitalize on the by-elections and
Senate polls, and hoped the ruling alliance would knock out in the political
contest.
The federal government directed the law officers not to appear before
a LHC full bench set up to hear two constitutional petitions against president
and the prime minister. Advocate A K Dogar has filed these petitions on
behalf of two different petitioners. One petition was regarding Zardari not
disassociating from PPP as ordered by the court and the other alleged that
Gilani by deliberate defiance of the Supreme Court orders and repeated
attempts to subvert the Constitution had ceased to hold the office by
automatic operation of provisions of Articles 5, 6 and 92(2).
The divergence of opinion at treasury benches over initiating the
debate on creation of new provinces led to walkout of ANP from the
National Assembly, while MQM after locking horns with opposition PML-N
succeeded to initiate debate on the issue. The PML-N also opposed debate
on creation of new province, including Seraiki and Hazara, saying that the
point of order on these resolutions could not be discussed as they were not
on agenda.

879

ANP leader and two MQM men were among six people slain in
Karachi violence and Police arrested four militants, including Abdul
Qayoom Mehsud, a close aide of Baitullah Mehsud. Former parliamentarian
and niece of Farooq A Khan Leghari, Ayla Malik, called on Imran Khan and
after a detailed meeting joined the PTI. Tasneem Nawaz Gardezi joined the
PML-N during a meeting with Nawaz Sharif.
On 6th January, Prime Minister reiterated commitment for creation of
Seraiki province and told the assembly that consensus on this matter has
been evolved, claiming that majority of the members were in favour of
partitioning Punjab. He said they were compelled to bring a resolution on
the creation of new provinces in the NA as the issue was paid any heed in
the Punjab Assembly.
Expressing his support for Hazara province, the prime minister called
upon the political parties to also evolve consensus on this issue. ANP
strongly criticized the way to raise the issue of new provinces and got strong
support of main opposition party PML-N. On it, the house echoed with
shouting and desk thumping of lawmakers, as none was willing to listen to
the viewpoint of the other.
Parliamentary Committee on National Security Chairman Raza
Rabbani opposed the idea of debate on new provinces in the National
Assembly. Talking to the media outside the Parliament, Rabbani said the
debate on new provinces in the National Assembly was reflective of a
centrist mindset. According to the Constitution, a resolution on new
province should be passed in the respective provincial assembly and then be
brought to the Parliament, he added.
Zardari offered to hold talks with Nawaz Sharif for holding early
general elections in October. He sent this offer in an interview with his
media front man, Hamid Mir of Capital Talk. Zardari ruled out any clash
with judiciary or army. The President disagreed when told that all the major
utilities owned by government including PIA, Railways, Wapda have
virtually collapsed. They have just gone weak.
Zardari summoned coalition partners for consultations of Senate polls
and general elections. The issue of new provinces also figured out and
Zardari patched up between MQM and ANP over Hazara province and he
decided to place this issue on back-burner for the time being.
PPP and PML-N were reported to have established high-level contacts
for deciding about Senate polls and general elections. first it was reported

880

that Ishaq Dar and Aitzaz Ahsan had discussed these issues and of late it war
reported that Khwaja Asif was also involved in such contacts.
Jamaat-e-Islami staged countrywide rallies and protest after Friday
prayers to condemn worst load shedding of electricity, gas and hike in the
tariff and plundering of public wealth. Protesters raised slogans against the
rulers demanding their immediate resignation and providing relief to the
masses by reducing fuel and power tariff. Meanwhile, Police battered rally
of Lyari residents who wanted to stage a sit-down protest at Bilawal House.
Next day, a lengthy interview of Zardari to his favourite journalist,
Hamid Mir was aired by Geo TV on 7th January. Some glimpses of his
utterances are reproduced:
Laughing off the issues plaguing the country, he said he never
considered leaving his office. Leaving office was not an option. No
one has asked for it yet. If someone does, Ill tell you.
Harping on all-is-well mantra, he averred there was no clash of
government with the military, no confrontation with judiciary and
they had no fear of early election.
When asked if escape was an option for him, Zardari replied: Why
should it be? These (things) are part of evolution We have no war
with the court, why should we have a fight with the army?
He asserted his party-led government was running the state affairs in
the best way. He said he is ready for talks with PML-N President
Nawaz Sharif on all the issues including early general election.
Asked if he will accept findings of SC appointed commission in the
memo scandal, he avoided giving a direct answer. The results of the
inquiryby the parliamentary committee will be accepted
Asked about Gilanis statement, he said Osama was here for seven
years, there should be accountability for that and he (Gilani) was
talking about Musharraf. Why is that being linked to the army?
He defended Gilani on describing the army as a state within a state,
saying He has all the powers, he does not feel (he is) under anybody.
If there is some matter perturbing him, he has the right to take a
position, and he has taken a position.
About the Swiss case reopening, he said: why would my
government do so? The case and Swiss courts will have significance
881

in history thus neither I nor my prime minister will want such a thing
to be part of the history that his (partys) own government wrote
against him to the Swiss courts.
Asked to comment on the deteriorating condition of state-run
organizations such as PIA, Railways and Wapda, the president said:
Media think it was so, but I dont think so, these entities have only
weakened (not destroyed).
About the Haj scam, he said former religious minister Hamid Saeed
Kazmi was not-guilty in the case. His bail should be accepted and
this kind of proceedings should be held at a sessions court.
He asked: Why CJPs attention was not drawn to BBs murder
case? He said the lower judiciary, which functions under the chief
justice, was supposed to reach a judgment in the casewhy four
judges had been changed during the course of hearing.
To a question about Benazirs security at Liaquat Bagh rally, Zardari
gave Rehman Malik a clean chit. He said BBs public meeting was
organized by one person whom he did not name Nahid Khan).
He claimed: Putting Pervez Musharraf on trial would have
demoralized the army and the entire institution. To a question on
whether the parliament should hold Musharrafs trial under Article-6,
Zardari said: I think collective wisdom will prevail.
Asked whom he had referred to as Qatil League, he said: it was a
name of a force, a mindset. If you think it was Musharrafs
government, I dont think so. Musharraf was just a Prima Donna of
that mindset.
Prime Minister wanted electioneering to gear up in the country, as
change should only be through elections. Talking to a gathering of lawyers
in Lahore, PM said that it was PPP that fought the battle for the restoration
of judiciary as well as democracy. During the speech, a group of lawyers
started booing the prime minister. They also raised Go Zardari Go slogans.
The PML-N workers rejected the provincial party polls by calling it
selections of favourite ones and resorted to rumpus due to which the party
chief Nawaz Sharif left the gathering without address. On the second day of
Nawaz Sharif's visit to Quetta, Sardar Sanaullah Zehri was elected as
provincial president of the N-League Balochistan while Naseebullah Bazai
was elected as general secretary in the provincial party vote.
882

Meanwhile, Shahbaz Sharif said that his government will soon go to

the Supreme Court over the prevailing gas crisis in the province and that no
issue will be discussed with President Asif Zardari. Latif Khosa termed the
Supreme Court biased.
On 8th January, commenting on the interview of Zardari, wherein he
had dropped a hint that a lady had persuaded her to address the public rally
at Liaquat Bagh Naheed Khan said that Zardari was expert in changing
stances and indulging in blame game and added that he should have some
moral courage to name the lady who had persuaded her (Benazir) to address
the public gathering.
Gilani warned that any attempt to weaken this party will tantamount
to weakening the country. Pervez Musharraf announced that he would be
return to the country by Jan 30. He was addressing through video-conference
his partys first public meeting near Mazar-i-Quaid. Meanwhile, Imran
predicted PPP-PML-N alliance.
Next day, the PML-N chief said Zardari always expressed mistrust on
the judiciary of the country and he even had reservations on the memogate
inquiry commission which was formed by the apex court. He said that
matter of NRO should not be linked with Benazir Bhuttos tomb. He said his
party would move again in the Supreme Court if the government did not
write letter to Swiss authorities.
Imran Khan said his party will resist any unconstitutional move
against the judiciary. He said there was no harm if people vote for
enforcement of Islamic system but enforcement of any system through guns
would be undemocratic. He said his party would try to enforce the system of
welfare state on the pattern of Scandinavian counties.
Punjab Governor returned with objections nine bills including Local
Government Amendment Bill adopted by the provincial assembly. Khosa
recommended the Assembly to review these amendment bills including the
one aimed at extending the term of local elections term. The number of
amendment bills objected by Governor Khosa rose to 19.
On 10th January, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, who headed a five-member
bench, read out the verdict. But, instead of punishing the culprits, the Court
gave six options with regard to the implementation of the courts earlier
verdict and ordered the AGP to consult with the prime minister and the
president for their replies. Why should the court not exercise these options;
the court asked the AGP. Justice Khosa said the court would take unpleasant
steps if the government failed to implement the NRO verdict till Monday.
883

The options given by the court include: Contempt proceedings against

the chief executive (prime minister), law secretary; to indict under Article
63(1)(g) and declare unqualified to be elected as a member of parliament;
proceedings against the president for not honouring the oath; formation of a
commission to get the order implemented; leaving the matter to people; and
contempt proceedings against the NAB chairman. The court also asked the
president to claim immunity if he thought he was above the court order.
The bench noted that the federal government and the NAB were not
serious in the matter at all and those concerned are only interested in
delaying and prolonging the matter on one pretext or another. The Prime
Minister had made an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.
In his oath the Prime Minister had made an unambiguous commitment with
Allah Almighty not only to conduct himself completely in accord with the
commands and requirements of the Constitution, including those of Articles
2A, 37(d), 189 and 190 thereof, but also totally in sync with the
requirements and teachings of the Holy Quran.
The court noted that according to clause (f) of Article 62(1) of the
Constitution A person shall not be qualified to be elected or chosen as a
member of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) unless he is sagacious, righteous,
non-profligate, honest and ameen, there being no declaration to the contrary
by a court of law.
The apparent persistent, obstinate and contumacious resistance, failure
or refusal of the Chief Executive of the Federation, i.e. the Prime Minister to
completely obey, carry out or execute the directions issued by this Court in
the NRO case reflects, at least prima facie, may not be an honest person on
account of his not being honest to the oath of his office and seemingly he
may not be an ameen due to his persistent betrayal of the trust reposed in
him as a person responsible for preserving, protecting and defending the
Constitution and also on account of allowing his personal political interest to
influence his official conduct and decisions. A chosen representative of the
people deliberately violating such a sacred trust and disregarding his
commitment in that regard with Allah Almighty may hardly qualify to be
accepted as ameen.
The court, in the circumstances of this case, has an option to record a
finding in the above mentioned regards and it may hand down a declaration
to that effect in terms of clause (f) of Article 62(1) of the Constitution which
may have the effect of a permanent clog on the Prime Ministers

884

qualification for election to or being chosen as a member of Majlis-e-Shoora

(Parliament) or a Provincial Assembly.
Somewhat similar oaths had also been made by the co-chairperson of
the relevant political party before entering upon the office of the President of
Pakistan and by the federal minister for law, justice and human rights
division before entering upon the office of a federal minister and apparent
breaches of their oaths may also entail the same consequences.
The proceedings may be initiated against the chief executive of the
federation, i.e. the prime minister, the federal minister and secretary for law,
justice for committing contempt of this Court by persistently, obstinately and
contumaciously resisting, failing or refusing to implement court directions.
It may not be lost sight of that, apart from the other consequences, by virtue
of the provisions of clauses (g) and (h) of Article 63(1) read with Article 113
of the Constitution a possible conviction on such a charge may entail a
disqualification from being elected or chosen as, and from being, a member
of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) or a provincial assembly for at least a period
of five years.
In exercise of its powers under Article 187 of the Constitution read
with Rules 1 and 2 of Order XXXII of the Supreme Court Rules, 1980 and
all other enabling provisions this Court may appoint a Commission to
execute the relevant parts of the judgment.
The court noted that in the present proceedings nobody has so far
raised the issue pertaining to the protections contemplated by Article 248 of
the Constitution yet if anybody likely to be affected by exercise of these
options by court wishes to be heard on that question then an opportunity
may be afforded to him in that respect before exercise of any of these
options.
It is a statutory duty of the chairman NAB under the National
Accountability Ordinance, 1999 to proceed against any person prima facie
involved in misuse of authority while holding a public office. On the
previous date of hearing the court had directed the Chairman to attend to the
matters of appointment of Adnan Khawaja as Managing Director of OGDCL
against merit and appointment/promotion of Mr. Ahmed Riaz Sheikh as
Additional Director, FIA at a time when both of them were convicted
persons and to proceed against all those who were responsible for such
appointments/promotion. The chairman has also failed so far to initiate any
action against Malik Muhammad Qayyum, former attorney-general for
Pakistan, in view of the direction issued in that regard in the judgment.
885

The chairman appeared before this court in person and not only failed
to advance any satisfactory explanation for his inaction in taking action
against Adnan Khawaja and Ahmed Riaz but has also manifested defiance
by categorically refusing to carry out the directions issued by this Court. The
court noted that such inaction on his part in derogation of his statutory duty
prima facie amounts to misconduct attracting the last part of section 6(b)(i)
of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 dealing with removal of the
chairman from his office.
The court observed that impression has attempted to screen, shield
and protect the relevant persons from criminal charges, which may attract
consequences in some criminal and other laws. In these circumstances
appropriate recommendations or directions may be made or issued by this
Court in such regards.
The trichotomy and separation of powers between the Legislature, the
Judiciary and the Executive is very delicately poised and if in a given
situation the Executive is bent upon defying a final judicial verdict and is
ready to go to any limit in such defiance then instead of insisting upon the
Executive to implement the judicial verdict and thereby running the risk of
bringing down the constitutional structure itself this Court may exercise
judicial restraint and leave the matter to the better judgment of the people of
the country or their representatives in the Parliament to appropriately deal
with the delinquent.
The AG was directed that on next date of hearing, after obtaining
instructions from concerned, as to why any of the above mentioned options
may not be exercised by us in these matters. He was also directed to inform
all such persons about the passage of this order and also about the next date
of hearing. On account of constitutional importance of the matter the Chief
Justice was requested to consider hearing of these matters on the next date of
hearing by a larger bench.
The ruling alliance took this decision at an emergency meeting of the
heads of the allied parliamentary parties chaired jointly by PPP CoChairman and Prime Minister at Aiwan-e-Sadr Tuesday night. The meeting
discussed the situation and decided to immediately call the National
Assembly session to take up the matter for future course of action. During
the discussion President Zardari remarked that he was ready to resign if PPP
and its ruling allies who elected him as President wanted so, quickly adding
that his party was also ready to go for early general elections.

886

Heads of allied parties proposed that the session of the National

Assembly be urgently called to discuss the latest political issues, adding that
in the light of the proposal by the parties heads it was decided that the
session of National Assembly be called on Thursday (tomorrow) at 4 PM.
Before the session of the National Assembly, a joint meeting of the
parliamentary parties will also be held at the Parliament House to work out
the strategy to be adopted during the NA session.
Meanwhile, the MQM and the ANP, the two coalition partners of the
PPP, have called their central commands meetings to decide a future course
of action vis--vis their partnership with the PPP following the Supreme
Courts options on the NRO implementation case. MQM will hold meeting
on 11th and ANP the next day.
Shafqat Mehmood of PTI on the issue said that Supreme Court has
given six options to the government to implement NRO verdict and the
ruling coalition must act upon it. He said that PTI would build pressure on
the government if it failed to follow the directions of the apex court.
Nawaz Sharif called party meeting in Raiwind on Wednesday to
review and receive input from the party leaders on the situation after the
Supreme Court decision on NRO. The PML (N) meeting will be attended by
all main leaders of party and will also take under consideration the SC
proceedings with the memogate case, political situation and the party line of
action particularly in case the PPP-led government continued to defy the
court orders.
Next day, during hearing of cases of bye-elections held after passage
of 18 Amendment, the Chief Justice observed that judiciary could have
objected to the oath administered to President Zardari by Justice Dogar, but
they did not want anarchy in the country. He added that laws were violated
in bye-polls and candidates might face disqualification.
th

JUI-F chief wrote a letter to Nawaz Sharif, purposing a joint strategy

in the current situation. In his letter Fazl said: There should be a mechanism
about bogus voter lists for upcoming elections, independent and free and fair
election commission etc. Meanwhile, Pir Shah Mardan Shah alias Pir
Pagara passed away in London.
On 11th January, the Supreme Court constituted seven-member larger
bench to hear NRO case on 16th January. Jamshed Dasti resigned from MPA
seat over differences with Hina Rabbani Khar. Next day, the apex court
rejected the request of the ECP for more time to prepare the voters lists.
Chief Justice remarked that the EC was a part of the problem and that
887

hurdles were being created to stop the process of completing the voters lists.
Calling on those trying to create obstacles, the chief justice said the court
knew how to get its orders implemented.
The ECP announced schedule for Senate election amid precarious
political situation prevailing in the country. The Senate election will be held
on March 2. Imran asked PML-N to resign before talks. PTI leaders in
Karachi warned Fazlur Rehman to mend his ways. After a meeting with
Zardaris sister Faryal Talpur, Jamshed Dasti withdrew his resignation from
the party and the National Assembly.
Zardari left for Dubai on a private visit for medical checkup; he will
come back to Pakistan in 24 hours. Meanwhile, judicial commission
submitted the report but did not name anyone for murder of journalist
Shahzad. Two Balochs were among six killed in Karachi violence.
On 13th January, NAB sprung into action on the cases reopened after
the scraping of NRO. Former federal secretary Ismail Qureshi was arrested
in Lahore; he was the one responsible for probing NICL scam. Arrest
warrants of certain people including Adnan A Khawaja, Ahmed Riaz Sheikh
and Raja Ahsan were issued while Tahir Shahbaz, Akhlaq Jillani, Razia and
a number of other NRO beneficiaries were served with notices to appear
before the bureau in connection with the cases pending against them.
Observers believed that these actions were meant to satisfy the Supreme
Court on 16th January.
The federal government filed an application in the Supreme Court for
the adjournment of NRO implementation case that will be heard on January
16. The plea adopted in the application is that Secretary Law and Justice
Masood Chishti is out of the country regarding his medical treatment. There
are chances that the court might reject the law ministrys plea to adjourn the
NRO case hearing.
Babar Awan was given time till February 2 to submit reply in
contempt cases. JI held a rally in Karachi to protest abduction of party
workers by security agencies. The LDA sealed Al-Fateh Store, Commercial
Zone, Gulberg III, on account of violations of building bye-laws; the store is
owned by a man who has joined PTI recently.
Next day, Imran Khan said that Nawaz Sharif will have to show
seriousness in its efforts against the government by resigning from the
National Assembly and Punjab Assembly. PTI chief said that the PML-N
had always supported the corrupt government during testing times in the
name of democracy. He warned the government against defying Supreme
888

Court orders and said his party has decided not to take part in by polls as
30.7 million votes out of 80 million were found bogus.
Former Speaker of the National Assembly, Chaudhry Amir Hussain,
announced his decision to join Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf. Speaking to media,
he confirmed his decision of joining the Imran Khan-led PTI. He said he
would make a formal announcement in this regard at a press conference.

VIEWS
On 2nd January, 2012, Ikram Ullah observed: The year 2011 has
ended at the most critical juncture of Pakistans history. In short, the very
survival of the State is at stake. Just by picking up any newspaper of the
months of November and December 2011 the reader would come to the
conclusion that the danger to our freedom and national security lies within
and not outside. The present dismal state of the governing hierarchy as
well as the civil society is the accumulated result of the failures of all
previous civil and military regimes to honestly work for the countrys
development. Hope in the future lies in the single factor of national
realization that without fundamental and revolutionary changes in the
system, the change of faces would do nothing to change the destiny of
Pakistan. The wind of change is blowing across the land reflecting an
overpowering urge for a new dawn to make it prosperous Islamic welfare
State. Otherwise, my fear is that we might be facing a bloody revolution.
Next day, Akbar Ahmed talked of challenges for Imran: If Imran is
given power, he needs to immediately tackle the question of law and
order in Pakistan. He must order the cessation of the torture and killings in
Balochistan. He must fly to the Province to apologize for what Pakistan has
done to its people. He must do everything possible to reinforce the idea that
Balochistan like the Tribal Areas is a respected part of the federation of
Pakistan. Imrans Pushtun background will help in these provinces where
people constantly and openly complain about excessive Punjabi domination.
Imran needs to begin working even before he takes over on
strengthening the judicial and civil administrative structures. These
have been destroyed over the last few years. Without them ordinary
Pakistanis will not be able to obtain proper justice. Pakistanis must see the
benefits of Imrans administration if they are to believe in him. This means
jobs, bringing down of the prices of everyday requirements like wheat and
cooking oil, availability of electricity and gas.

889

Apart from internal problems, Pakistan faces challenges in its

foreign policy. Its relations with its neighbours, Afghanistan and India, need
to be improved. The recent spiraling downward of the relationship between
the US and Pakistan should be a cause of worry to both. It is in the interest
of both countries to have a stable and long-term relationship based in mutual
understanding.
The last may prove a particular challenge for Imran. There are high
levels of almost irrational anti-American feelings in Pakistan today.
Pakistanis blame the deadly actions of the suicide bombers and the drone
strikes for the 40-50,000 Pakistanis that have lost their lives in a war that is
not of their making. Imrans own rhetoric will easily be mistranslated
and misunderstood in Washington to mean that he supports the Taliban
and therefore Islamic terrorism. Imran cannot afford to ignore this area of
vital interest for Pakistans foreign relations.
After a decade as ally in the US War on Terror and the devastating
social, political and economic impact which direction will Imran take
Pakistan? The hopes of a nation now rest on one man. Pakistan history is
replete with examples of Pakistanis depending entirely on the saviour figure
only to be disappointed afterwards. Even Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan,
who remains so revered in Pakistan, died one year after creating the country.
Imran must emphasize the creation in some case the re-creation of
structures and systems.
There are already danger-signs as some old faces who have done
the rounds with different parties have now jumped onto Imrans
bandwagon. The balance between making deals in order to chip away at the
power base of the ruling Zardari-Bhutto dynasty and the Sharif one, and
maintaining his integrity will be crucial.
He will not have much time in office. The clock will be ticking.
Another Oxford graduate like him, freshly out of university, will emerge to
challenge him. Bilawal Bhutto may be completely untutored at the moment,
but as the head of the PPP and the son and grand-son of two former popular
prime ministers of Pakistan, he will soon have legitimacy to begin his
attacks. Imran needs to be ready for his finest innings.
Sami-Ur-Rahman expressed his love for Imran. he wrote: We love
you Imran. We love for your hard work. We love you for your honesty. We
love you for the fair game you stand for. Above all, we love you for your
patriotism. You won us the World Cup. You won us a good name. You did
not beat a cricket team in the 1992 final. You beat an empire. It is not a mean
890

feat by any means. We love you for that. You've had an archrival in the name
of Nawaz, in the past and the present. Sarfraz Nawaz, first; now it is Nawaz
Sharif. You kicked out one. You might trump the other, as well.
Sweethearts flocked to you everywhere. There were medals and
scandals. You earned fame, money, and stardom. You erected a cancer
hospital, a monument to your departed mother, a refuge for the poor and
needy. Your dedication to the cause speaks volumes of a very subtle and
sensitive nature. How unlike you, who were so reputed for his cockiness in
the field. Foes insinuate when it comes to Jemima Khan, calling you a
Jewish agent. But we loved you even then
Sami went on to enumerate reasons for loving Imran and then
concluded: You claim you'll weed out financial corruption from the country
in three months. Oh really? Perhaps, no one told you corruption and politics
goes hand in hand. And that corruption is only a symptom of something
more sinister. Call it economic recession or a complete slump and
bankruptcy. How would you resuscitate a dead horse? Economic revival is
what we need, as you can see.
We wouldnt bother you about the security situation, as such. Thanks
to the sacrifices of the countrymen, it is in a much better shape than it used
to be, lets say, a year ago. Nor would we indulge in the argument
whether the war on terror is ours or not although, that formed a major
part of your political narrative. What's your Kashmir policy? What's your
energy policy? What's your stand on the Kalabagh Dam? What's your stand
on the MQM, now that youve held a mammoth rally in Karachi? Like the
fast and furious Mirza, you also once approached Scotland Yard, with
suitcases full of the alleged documentary evidences. Nothing came out of
that. You returned empty-handed. Would it also happen to your economic
revival policy? And to your dispensation of justice for all? How would you
deal with the Bretton Woods Institutions; the IMF and the World Bank? How
would you unburden us of the foreign and domestic debts? How would you
deal with Uncle Sam? Will we go towards global partnership or global
alienation and isolation? There are a thousand questions and queries in our
minds.
Revolutions are the brainchild of a breed that is long gone. We
don't have a Rousseau, Voltaire or John Locke here. We dont have even our
own Iqbal anymore. We understand youre not a messiah, Imran. We also
know fully well that you may fail on most of your promises. Still, youve
presented to us the third option. We love you for that. And we thank you for
891

that. As for our own plight, we're not so sure. Yes, skipper. Call us a
pessimist lot. But, we aren't. And we have our reasons.
On 4th January, TheNation wrote: The protesting crowds taking to the
street all over the country on Monday, have been pushed to the limit with
their very livelihood at risk due to the gas crisis. The chambers of
commerce and industry across the Punjab province, at a meeting held in
Lahore, threatened to launch a civil disobedience movement unless the
supply of gas was restored and its price hike rescinded. A deep sense of hurt
was visible among the chambers representatives on account of the
discriminatory treatment, they believed, Punjab was being meted out. They
planned to hold a sit-in in front of the Prime Ministers Lahore residence on
January 7, as well as a protest demonstration before the Governor House. It
is a great pity that in the face of the country running out of the so-far
discovered energy resources, no new gas well has been tapped since 1985
and the concerned agency does not even have a rig to do the job
The CNG outlet owners sensing their huge investments going down
the drain went on strike, with plenty of legitimate grievances. Their closure
signaled life paralyzed, as the country witnessed, prompting the Prime
Minister to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the energy issue. The
gravity of the situation also brought together the Petroleum Secretary
and the CNG Association Chairman. The Secretary discounted the
impression created by his Minister that the CNG sector was being closed for
an indefinite period. He also gave the assurance that the ban on filling public
transport vehicles running on CNG would remain suspended for the next 15
days.
These measures, temporary in nature and taken to assuage the frayed
tempers of the masses, have not calmed the widespread concern. The public
mood remains ominous and could serve as a tinder box ready to ignite
something far more dangerous than the violent scenes witnessed on
Monday. There exists an accumulated sense of betrayal of the mandate by
the ruling setup, but if endemic corruption and rude defiance of judicial
verdicts have not roused the common man enough to create turmoil, the
denial of the means of cooking meals and of transportation might provide
the necessary spark.
Next day, the newspaper wrote: One cannot predict what course of
action the Supreme Court might take in the context of failure to
implement its NRO verdict, since it has more than one option. There is a
possibility, though, that as in the case of Mr Babar Awans press conference,
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it might issue contempt of court notices to all concerned, including the chief
executive. Apparently, the situation leaves no other choice for it but to go
ahead with implementing the judgment, including, of course, writing to the
Swiss authorities about $60 million owned by the President. One would
hope that this time around, the government will choose to abide by the law
and the Constitution rather than create a crisis situation for the country.
On 6th January, TheNation wrote: Mr Babar Awans comments before
the media on receipt of the contempt of court notice issued to him and four
other PPP stalwarts, on Wednesday, seemed to have taxed the Supreme
Courts patience to an extent that it put aside the Bhutto reference case
it was due to hear on Thursday. Instead, it questioned Mr Awan, who
appeared before it representing the federal government on the reference case,
about the appropriateness of his comments and whether he believed they
reflected the dignity that was due to the court. Mr Awan took the view that
they were in appreciation of the court rather than contempt of it. After
viewing a video of the comments, part of which consisted of Mr Awan
reciting a Punjabi couplet, followed by consulting the Supreme Court Bar
Association President and Vice President, who felt that these comments were
derogatory in nature, the court issued another contempt of court notice to Mr
Babar Awan, directing him to appear before it on January 9 to explain his
conduct. This was the second such notice given to him within the past two
days. Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry remarked that he was
issuing statements every day against the court, which had issued him a
licence to practice as a lawyer. Justice Chaudhry, heading the 11-member
bench, further asked Mr Babar Awan why his licence should not be
cancelled.
The court rightly believed that unless the judiciary was shown due
respect, the business of state would be seriously affected. The Chief Justice
asked Mr Awan, If you do not respect the states institutions, then who
will? The court was so perturbed at his repeated, questionable
observations that it maintained that it would not hear the Bhutto
reference case, till the contempt case against Mr Awan was decided. The
earlier contempt of court notice was issued in response to the press
conference held on December 1, soon after the SC had rejected the NRO
review petition. This case too, will come up for hearing on January 13.
The governments attitude towards the judiciary has all along
been testing of their patience Hence, today, there exists a large tally of
judgments, the most important being the nullification of the National
Reconciliation Ordinance, that have not been implemented. On one pretext
893

or other, the government has been adopting delaying tactics. And in several
cases, it has even acted in violation of the SCs pronouncements. This is a
sad state of affairs. One cannot possibly conceive of a democratic system
where the judiciary is contemptuously defied and ridiculed. If nothing else,
this attitude that has created disaffection among the people constitutes the
greatest threat to the democratic order in Pakistan.
M A Niazi commented: The strike which was over this time may
not be possible to avert in future, when the gas crisis will be worse. The
government needs to find a replacement, and quickly. There are three
approaches, all of which must be pursued. First, it must arrange for the gas
fields that have not been tapped in the past, to be brought online. At the
same time, it must also arrange for the swift completion of the gas line from
Iran, so that its gas can reach Pakistan. The USA, which is doing its best to
isolate Iran, must not be allowed to stop it, as it stopped India from going
ahead with the project. The complicating factor that the Iranian gas line
illustrates is the use to which it is to be put, of supply to the power plants.
The thermal power plants run on furnace oil, which is imported at great cost,
and which is highly polluting to boot. The thermal generation plants in
Pakistan can also run on gas, which was previously supplied from
indigenous sources. Thus the gas shortage is very obviously tied into the
power shortage.
The government should also remember that relieving the gas
shortage by making up for past government mistakes will not add to the
public welfare, but merely preserve for the public a benefit it has got used
to. The public itself is probably taking for granted what was only a
temporary facility: gas is not really very old, and when it was discovered, it
was not expected to last forever. Though Iranian and Turkmenistani gas is
going to last longer, they too are finite resources, and it is time there is more
work on solar, hydel and wind power, as well as other renewable sources of
energy.
Next day, TheNation commented: The PPPs core committee, at a
meeting chaired by the President and also attended by the Prime Minister on
Thursday, persisted in the partys attitude of open defiance towards
certain key Supreme Courts verdicts, which involve its top hierarchy.
For instance, it declared that the government would inform the SC that the
NRO verdict had largely been carried out and, at the same time, since the
President enjoyed immunity under the Constitution, the government would
not be writing to the Swiss authorities to reopen the cases against him. The
court, on the other hand, had decreed that the Swiss courts must be contacted
894

in writing. Also, it had unambiguously held that anyone seeking immunity

would have to receive the courts confirmation of it. Similarly, terming the
memo, on which the nations attention has been riveted since it came to
light, a mere piece of paper was considered grave enough
It is unfortunate that the PPP and the government, who claim to be
working for strengthening democratic institutions in the country, is failing to
satisfy the concerns of the highest judicial authority. This is unheard of in a
democratic polity and is counterproductive to the cause of democracy. It
carries serious and far-reaching implications for the rule of law in the
country. Constitutional and legal proprieties call for eschewing the posture
of defiance to the Supreme Court forthwith and compliance with its
decisions.
Abid Gillani observed: On completion of the 20 days notice to
government for implementation of the apex court verdict in NRO case, it
has given the government last warning with the direction to the
Secretary Law to come up with something concrete on writing of letter to
Swiss Government on reopening of the corruption cases against President
Zardari and others by January 10.
The legal and constitutional experts are of the view that the court
would go to its extreme to get its order implemented in the case. If the
government would try to take shelter of the Presidential immunity the court
would most likely revoke it on a number of counts and on top of it being
repugnant to the fundamental Islamic injunctions.
On 8th January, TheNation commented: It is bad enough that the
nation has to see the spectacle of the government blatantly defying court
orders in the hope of protecting the President but to have its own doubts and
suspicions not laid to rest, is something that causes frustrations to grow. As
President, Mr Zardari is supposed to prevent this. It is not evolution to see
the country experiencing struggles that have taken place long ago in
different lands and the principle of the rule of law requires no evolutionary
blundering about, but following said law willingly.
With President Zardari offering PML-N President Mian Nawaz
Sharif fresh elections in October, the appeal to the electorate is closer than
mandated. The PPP should not underestimate the voters desire to establish
to a certainty, those behind the authoring of memogate, especially when
about to approach these voters for a renewal of its mandate. Though the
President would clearly like the whole matter brushed under the carpet, it
cannot be done. The President would be setting an excellent example of
895

showing that institutions matter more than parties, if he appeared before the
commission. He should not defy the Supreme Court in obedience to the
PPP core committee but the other way around, and apart from appearing
before the Commission, he must also ensure that there is no obstacle to its
work.
In another editorial, the newspaper wrote: A serious snub to the
PPPs enthusiasm for the new provinces of South Punjab and Hazara
has come from its partys own leader, Chairman of the Parliamentary
Committee on National Security Senator Raza Rabbani, who warned on
Friday that taking the issue directly in the National Assembly is
unconstitutional. He stated categorically that the issue must first be
discussed at the provincial level and any resolution on the issue must first be
passed by the concerned provincial assembly.
This is in line with the constitutional requirements that give
precedence to the people of the province themselves to decide such
matters. Mr Rabbani who is known for speaking his mind freely got it right
when he said that debating the issue directly in the National Assembly is
reflective of a centrist mindset. And even once the provinces have given
their judgment with a majority vote, the National Assembly and the Senate
still need to come up with a two-thirds majority to actually form the new
province.
Jalees Hazir opined: The rule-of-law movement envisioned a new
just order, whereas the PPP government pines for the re-establishment of
the unconstitutional status quo that was shaken by the rule-of-law
movement. Those fighting for the sacked judiciary demanded to be treated
as citizens with rights under the Constitution, while the present so-called
democratic government would like them to accept their place in the scheme
of things as subjects and serfs.
Unfortunately, instead of exercising its constitutional powers to work
for the welfare of the people, the government seems to be focused on
grabbing an unconstitutional monopoly on power that fits in with a
dictatorial regime. Surely, if a party manages to muster up the required
number in the National Assembly to form the government, it doesn't give it
the right to trample upon the Constitution and other institutions of the State.
The government keeps harping on all institutions of the State conducting
themselves within the ambit of the Constitution, but obviously its good
advice is meant for all institutions of the State except the government itself.
If the government is really so concerned about the continuation of the
896

democratic system, it will have to start respecting the Constitution that is the
basis of that system, rather than subverting it for its short-term partisan
goals.
The government, however, seems to be hurtling in the opposite
direction. Ever since it was forced to restore the independent judiciary in
face of massive public pressure, it has tried every dirty trick in the book
to make it controversial and to weaken its moral authority and popular
support. The examples are too many to recount. Sometimes it pulls out the
Sindh card to malign it, and sometimes it tries to paint it as partisan and
biased against the PPP government. Sometimes it uses a misconceived
notion of parliamentary supremacy and sometimes an equally misconceived
notion of executive authority to accuse the honourable judges of encroaching
upon its turf. Sometimes it sends Babar Awan with suitcases of money to
bribe the bars and influence their elections, and sometimes it holds press
conferences to throw around wild and vague charges against the judiciary.
In his recent address at Naudero, President Zardari addressed the
Chief Justice by name and accused him of being biased for taking up only
those cases that targeted the government, while ignoring, among others, the
ZA Bhutto reference sent by him. This was clearly malicious. Anyone who
has been following the court proceedings in the reference would vouch for
the court's efforts to arrive at the best constitutional way of addressing the
miscarriage of justice in Bhutto's murder trial. Interestingly, the proceedings
were disturbed by the fallout of the contemptuous remarks made by the
federation's counsel, Babar Awan. Whatever the government's reasons for
such devious antics, and whatever the reasons for those arguing for defusing
the situation, Babar Awan must not get away with such unacceptable
behaviour this time.
A R Jerral wrote: The NRO legal battle has been settled and orders of
the Supreme Court have been announced. But the PPP in its highest inner
forum has decided not to implement these orders. Instead of taking a legal
course refuting the allegations by providing authentic evidence that could
prove the falsehood of the charges it has relied on sheer political power to
defy court orders. The memo scandal has taken this anti-court attitude to
new heights. The orders have been publicly ridiculed and mocked by
those who hold high offices and party positions. The memo has created a
political animosity between the most important and sensitive State organs,
which are responsible for its security, stability and law and order. Though
the apex court has established an inquiry commission on the memo, the PPP
has decided not to respond to its requirements. The attitude displayed by the
897

party stalwarts has compelled it to issue contempt notices to them; how they
will respond to that only time will tell. If they react in the manner that they
have been reacting, it will render Pakistans entire legal system and judiciary
ineffective and despondent. What is ironic that members of the legal
fraternity and the bars as organized bodies have not stood up to uphold the
dignity and prestige of the judiciary; had they shown the same solidarity
with the courts that they demonstrated for the restoration of the judiciary, the
situation would have been better.
The question, however, is: Why does the PPP behave in this
manner and what is its agenda? Our political thinkers and media
intellectuals must debate this question, which is based on the ruling elites
general performance. In the past four years, the government has failed to
deliver. Its election manifesto was vague and it rode to success on sympathy
votes that came its way due to the unfortunate and tragic assassination of its
leader, who commanded great respect and prestige in the masses. During
these years, the government has been plagued by the Haj financial scam,
NILC scandal, electricity blackouts, gas load shedding and immense price
hikes in electricity, gas, petroleum products and everyday food and
consumer commodities. Gas termination in industrial plants has rendered
thousands of workers jobless with no hope of any revival in the near future.
Large government organizations, like the Railways, Steel Mills and PIA,
have become inoperable and are running in losses threatening the closure of
these corporations. People accuse the government of obliging personal
friends and jail colleagues of high persona with high offices and ministries
they are unsuited for and indulging in large-scale corruption. In this political
scenario, they think that the PPP faces bleak chances of any success in the
next general elections. The arrogant attitude adopted by the ruling party
against the State organs is a calculated strategy. They feel that this strategy
will force the State institutions to initiate anti-democracy moves, which may
oust the government and the party may become a political martyr a third
time to gain public sympathy. The Prime Minister and other PPP leaders
have hinted in this direction, even on the floor of the house; nevertheless,
this blitz was so pronounced that the COAS had to state publicly that the
army has no intention of embarking on any such adventure.
The political battles must be fought politically and legal battles
need legal handling. The judiciary is an important organ of the State that
endeavours to uphold the law of the land; its role and functions are well
defined in the Constitution. Its willful degradation and ridicule lowers its
dignity and prestige in the eyes of the masses that look towards it for justice.
898

A demoralized and discredited judiciary cannot uphold law and dispense

justice. If this pillar of the State crumbles under the arrogance of the
powerful, people will take the law in their hands and we will witness largescale dispensing of street justice, which will spread anarchy in the country. If
one pillar of the State apparatus is endangered, the others will not remain
unaffected. This trend needs to be halted and our media can play a positive
role in it; instead of broadcasting cat fights among the politicians on nonissues in their talk shows, the media should bring on saner intelligentsia to
project importance of State organs and methods how that could be achieved.
We need to stress that everyone is subject to law and must submit to it.
Rameeza Majid Nizami observed: With pundits winking and pointing
to January 10, the last date of implementation of the NRO verdict, as the
beginning of the end for the PPP-led government, this is a fairly
exaggerated prediction. There is no doubt that from now until the elections,
the pressure on the civilian setup will only increase, to keep them
committed to the idea. Come election time, with the PPP in power in the
Senate, as is likely to happen according to present-day numbers, will a PPPled majority in Parliament be acceptable for a second term? No one party
will win the election by a mandate heavy enough to form the government on
its own. The result will be a desperate scramble to form alliances and
establish a majority.
While we continue to witness several fine balancing acts, negotiating
various tightropes, let us take a minute to appreciate that this signifies
something going right. There have been many opportunities in the last few
months for our delicate democratic setup to be shown the door. It is a
combination of good fortune, sharp survival instincts and public
pressure that has kept the system going. Heres hoping for just a few
months more, just enough for us to reach the other end of the tightrope. Just
a few months morewithout the tightrope snapping and all the actors
plunging to the ground.
On 11th January, TheNation wrote: An atmosphere of acute tension
and, indeed, expectation pervaded that the Supreme Court would, on
Tuesday, finally spell out the action it wants to be taken against those
responsible for not only the non-implementation of its verdict on the
National Reconstruction Ordinance, but also its studied defiance of it. The
courts pronouncement, rather measured, given it's history with it's
judgments being given short shrift, has given the government several options
to choose from. These may be employed as mere delaying tactics. Or may be
seen, in the matter of the formation of a larger bench under the Chief Justice,
899

as passing the buck. The apex court has, however, afforded a peep into its
collective thoughts by pointing towards the course the law would take, if
the authorities continued to persist in their present attitude of provocative
disregard of the judgment. The Prime Minister has come up for a scathing
criticism, being termed, apparently, not an honest man who has not been
loyal to the Constitution. The course of action against defaulting
functionaries, or guidelines for the larger bench, includes a pointed reference
to him as well as the President. Both have pledged an oath, with God as
witness, to uphold the Constitution against self-interest; the court felt that
they, instead, showed allegiance to the party and not the law itself. Thus,
they could be declared ineligible for election to Parliament. As candidates
for the presidency have to be, first of all, qualified to become an MP, the
observation implicates the President as well. They both could, therefore, be
disqualified from holding office, creating a political void in the country. The
President and the entire cabinet would have to go.
At the outset of the decision, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, who headed
the bench of five judges to hear the case, recalled, with disappointment, that
the Supreme Courts clear verdict had been disobeyed and warned that its
verdict could be quite unpalatable. There is no doubt left, though, that in
the event the government remains defiant, the consequences for all involved
would be quite serious. And, if Mr Babar Awans reference to East
Pakistan, suggestive of the pangs of separation, is any guide, the
repercussions for the country as a whole would also be too frightening to
imagine. The PPP must realize that democracy will only flourish if prompt
and unquestioned adherence to the decisions of the judiciary is exercised.
Under a democratic system, there is no room for deviation from it at all. The
PPPs coalition partners could help it see the logic of this fundamental
principle. Otherwise, its posture would constitute an invitation to others in
the country to violate the law, which means a state of chaos. Hopefully, the
Attorney General would give good tidings to the nation when he
appears before the larger bench on January 16.
Next day, the newspaper observed: The Supreme Courts Tuesday
verdict has, understandably, caused a veritable anxiety in the ruling
circles as well as the public at large, though for entirely different
reasons. The government, seemingly determined not to implement the NRO
verdict, is concerned about its fate. Mr Zardari who was in Karachi rushed
back to Islamabad on hearing the courts order to consult his party and allies.
Informed sources have indicated that PPPs coalition allies are advising the
government to drop the confrontational posture. The people, on the other
900

hand, are worried about the ugly situation that might develop should the PPP
try to counter the judgment of the larger bench by bringing its supporters on
the roads. With backbreaking inflation, even the well-off have been forced to
live from hand to mouth, not to talk of those who were already below the
poverty line. And God forbid, there could be chaotic scenes countrywide
because the PML-N, PTI and JI also plan to launch a public movement in
support of the judiciary in case the government does not relent. That would
not only disrupt the food supply chain, but also worsen the security
situation.
For the government, there is hardly an option left, if it rejects the
options given to it by the five-member bench. The only exit from the culde-sac that it is in is to abjure its defiance of the judiciary and set about
seriously implementing the verdict, starting with the writing of a letter to the
Swiss authorities to reopen the case of a $60 million deposit in a bank in
Switzerland. Otherwise, legal experts have warned it of serious fallout, even
in the shape of disqualification of the President and the Prime Minister to
contest elections in the future. The fear of an ominous scenario, which the
refusal of the government to abide by the orders of the Supreme Court would
create, and the abysmal record of its performance have led to a widespread
demand in the country that it should immediately tender its resignation and
seek a mandate from the people. It should be doing that precisely!
On 13th January, Dr Sania Chaudhry observed: Today the
government, military, Supreme Court and the opposition are at
crossroads. The six options given by the apex court clearly hint at the
malicious practices indulged in by the incumbent government and its rulers.
Earlier, the democratic governments of the two largest political parties have
been terminated on corruption charges through the imposition of martial law.
Instead of learning lessons from the mistakes committed, the political elite
continue to indulge in political revenge from the masses.
The failure of governance has exposed the hidden intentions and
priorities of the federal government, which boasts of its successes
concerning the NFC Award, Balochistan Package and 18th Amendment to
hide its total failure on the economic front. Its cosmetic wins are insufficient
to bail it out in the next general elections. The major ruling party has been
severely let down by its forerunners and the collapse of governance is a
testament that there is no Bhutto remaining to lead the party and the
country.

901

Dr A H Khayal wrote: All our governments have told us that most of

the Pakistanis are miserable because Pakistan has limited economic
resources. The miserable masses must wait till the resources become
unlimited. (So long as the resources do not become unlimited, they must
patriotically continue starving.) If, however, they cannot wait for the
miracle, they are constitutionally free to leave the country in search of new
pastures where bread is easily available.
The masses must know that the rulers have also been making
sacrifices for the country. Our rulers are fabulously affluent. (Perhaps, their
affluence is a gift of the countrys limited resources.) If the rulers were to
leave Pakistan with all their wealth and settle permanently in the West, they
could have infinitely more gay life there than what they have been having
here. Obviously, they have been living in Pakistan only by sacrificing the
immense fun, which they could enjoy round the clock in the West. If the
rulers can make sacrifices, why cant the masses?
On 14th January, Inayatullah observed: Amazing how an inept,
incompetent and generally-considered corrupt government has taken on
the two most powerful national institutions. Its blatant defiance of the
highest court of the country and point blank refusal to comply with some of
the directives given in the verdict is not only unprecedented, but also
reflective of a warped mindset. One may by way of an explanation, say that
a government which owes its very existence to an unethical, if not altogether
evil (since declared illegal), ordinance issued by a military dictator may not
be expected to abide by the law or the Constitution if they conflict with its
selfish or vicious interests.
To realize the extent to which elected highest-level officeholders
can flout the court judgments and the provisions of the Constitution,
one may refer to some of the observations contained in the Supreme Court
order about implementation of its NRO verdict: The learned Prosecutor
General Accountability has gone on to submit that even in the matter of
proceedings against Malik Mohammad Qayyum, a former Attorney General
of Pakistan, a decision has been taken by the National Accountability Bureau
not to initiate or take any proceeding, despite a clear direction having been
issued by this court in that respect. The Chairman National Accountability
Bureau has not only owned the above mentioned reports, but has adopted a
defiant attitude.
Inayatullah reproduced few more excerpts from the court judgment
and then added: Shrewdly enough, the PPP rulers have taken the matter
902

to Parliament. They would like the august body to repose confidence in

them and send out a message that they have the backing of the majority of
the peoples representatives. Their coalition partners may, with some caveats
to safeguard their own interests, go along with them. This could embolden
them to continue in their willful ways, for some time.
Much now will depend on what the Supreme Courts larger
bench decides when the hearing starts on January 16 about the six options
enunciated in the earlier judgment. The findings of the Memogate
Commission, too, would impinge on the way the country moves into the
future.
One thing is clear. The elections are bound to be held this very year,
possibly within the next four or five months. Another obvious fact is that the
whole of the opposition, the Supreme Court, the armed forces and, by and
large, the people of Pakistan, all want a change and a fresh mandate. If the
discredited and incompetent government resists this call, the possibility
of a peoples movement long marches and mass protests cannot be
ruled out!
Next day, TheNation observed: The role of the National
Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the crisis over the National Reconciliation
Ordinance (NRO) has not been rightly estimated. If NAB had played its
rightful role in the implementation of the Supreme Court verdict, ruling the
NRO ab initio void and of no legal effect, the present difficulties that the
government is facing in this case with the Supreme Court, may well
have been avoided. That the federal government realized the importance of
NAB in implementation can be seen from the very excuse that NAB sources
proffer while explaining this. The failure to implement is placed on the
delay, allegedly because of court orders, which prevented the appointment of
a NAB Chairman, who was supposed to appoint a Prosecutor General. The
NAB Ordinance sees it as an independent body, not as one following the
dictates and policy of the federal government. The ordinance itself has been
criticized for not going far enough, but if NAB fails to act according to its
own ordinance, and the Supreme Court, the guilty will indeed go free. The
purpose behind setting up NAB, and behind the Supreme Court judgment,
was not so much to assign guilt and ensure that the money looted through
corruption could be returned to the people. That this desire for accountability
was misused by previous regimes to persecute political opponents cannot be
used as an excuse to escape through the NRO. That there were other cases
the NRO ended cannot be cited in that context. As a matter of fact, of the

903

8041 cases withdrawn under it, 233 were NAB cases, involving 248 people,
22 being politicians, and 226 government employees.
The new NAB Chairman, Admiral (retd) Fasih Bokhari, has only
now reopened the cases that the NRO set aside, even though the Supreme
Court decision on the NRO came on 16 December 2009. However, cases
involving the President are not being pursued because of the immunity his
office is supposed to confer him under the Constitution, or members of the
Sharif family, whose cases are in the Lahore High Court. Admiral Bokhari
himself has his appointment under challenge by the Opposition, but that
should provide no excuse for NAB failing to pursue the cases vigorously.
While the NAB Ordinance requires a Chairman to be appointed, the failure
to pursue cases reinstituted by the verdict is not understandable except for an
excess of bureaucratic caution. Admiral Bokhari still has the opportunity
of following the law, and fulfilling his responsibilities under the
Ordinance, by pursuing the cases which had been revived by the Supreme
Court verdict.
The News wrote: Aitzaz Ahsan, senior lawyer and PPP politician
sidelined into political oblivion by the Pakistan Peoples Party for leading
the lawyers movement in 2007 and for representing the then deposed chief
justice at the Supreme Court, appears to have made a comeback. It wont be
a stretch to say many are surprised by how he went from pariah-status to
President Zardaris darling in a matter of weeks. Reports suggest that he is
being considered as a possible replacement for Prime Minister Gilani.
Though Aitzaz has denied these reports as baseless, such denials are always
taken as attempts to hide the smoke of a fire raging somewhere. If one were
to believe the speculation and the punditry, Prime Minister Gilani may
be considering resigning as part of a move to deflect pressure on the
president. In recent weeks, the PPP government has sharply increased its
hostility towards both the army and the judiciary. The mouthpiece of this
hostility, among others, has been the prime minister who has moved from
talking about the possibility of a clash between the army and the government
to raising alarm that the bell actually tolls for him and his government. In the
midst of this, Aitzaz has become a figure of interest, especially as someone
who could lead the interim setup before the elections. Word has it that even
the opposition parties which met Friday with Nawaz Sharif in the chair to
try to forge a grand alliance to press for early elections may have agreed
on the choice.
In a politically significant move, the president had invited Aitzaz to
make a speech after him in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh on the fourth death
904

anniversary of Benazir Bhutto last month. Recently, he has also nominated

Aitzaz as the mentor of his budding son Bilawal. Observers say replacing
Gilani may have become inevitable from the point of view of a president
who is interested only in his and his governments survival. Observers also
suggest that this move would make sense as the PPP begins to lay down the
planks of its electoral campaigns. Aitzaz won hearts and minds during the
lawyers movement and for a party so inextricably associated with
corruption, who better than the clean Aitzaz to lead the election campaign?
On the other hand, the rumours of the PMs replacement may be construed
as attempts to destabilize and undermine Gilani. At Fridays session of the
National Assembly, the PM couldnt even get his own coalition partners
and allies to agree on the draft of the governments pro-democracy
bill. No doubt the PM has brought stability to the system on numerous
occasions in the past but he is no longer the non-controversial, consensusbuilding figure that he may once have been.
Jalees Hazir observed: The confrontational mode adopted by the
PPP government went into top gear last week, threatening to bring down
the much-revered house of democracy. The Prime Minister told a Chinese
daily that the replies submitted by the Chief of the Army Staff and the
Director General ISI in the memo case were unconstitutional. In an
interview to a local news channel, the President categorically stated his
government's resolve not to write the letter to Swiss authorities as directed
by the Supreme Court. Obeying the court's order, according to the President,
would mean initiating a trial of Benazir Bhutto's grave. An ill-considered
move by the PPP government to pit Parliament against vital State institutions
was thankfully thwarted by some good advice by its coalition partners.
Meanwhile, we saw a resumption of drone strikes and did not hear a
whimper of protest from the civil or military leadership. Weren't we
supposed to shoot them down? Is the lack of a proper response to this latest
aggression due to the chaos created in the country by those in charge of our
destiny? Or are drone attacks kosher again?
The man with two hats sitting in the presidency left the nation
speechless with his chameleon act during the interview. One moment, he
donned the hat of the President to speak, and the next moment, he spoke as
the PPP Co-Chairman. It didn't stop there. He vehemently told us that the
Prime Minister runs the government, and in the next breath spoke with the
authority of a dictator who calls all the shots and single-handedly decides
about important national matters. As far as the spinning top Prime Minister
is concerned, it is difficult to tell where he stands. One day, he makes an
905

emphatic statement with far-reaching consequences on an important national

issue, and the next day he eats his words, changing his stance without any
explanation. The two have turned democratic governance into a painful
farce with their somersaults and sense of political adventure. Surely,
democracy could do better than that.
There is a method to their madness, of course. Their democracy
circus has only two goals, and none of them has to do with the people of
Pakistan in whose name and interest they claim to be fighting their
unconstitutional wars. The goals are simple: To continue in their positions of
power and to thwart any effort that seeks to make them or their government
accountable. It is becoming more and more obvious by the day that the duo
would do anything and everything to achieve their goals, regardless of the
cost to the people and State of Pakistan. Sick and tired of the high drama
enacted by the two, more and more people are heard questioning the use of
democracy. This is blasphemous to the politically correct worshippers of
democracy, who are willing to accept every abuse of the democratic system
as long as it comes with the tag of democracy. But can you really blame
those wishing for an end to the present dispensation?
The people of Pakistan have been turned into helpless spectators
of the unfolding drama in the name of democracy. They see no role or
stake in a democratic system that seems to have forgotten its raison d'etre.
With the pseudo-democrat duo in charge, the chances of accountability
through the ballot and a smooth transfer of power are remote. The Election
Commission of Pakistan is dragging its feet when it comes to implementing
the Supreme Court orders regarding the deletion of bogus votes from its
electoral lists and updating them. The federal Law Secretary has
conveniently gone abroad on the pretext of medical treatment and his
ministry has submitted an application in the Supreme Court for an
adjournment in the NRO implementation case. Rather than running its
affairs according to the Constitution, the government seems to be hell-bent
on subverting it.
Surely, things cannot go on this way. The opposition parties have
finally come to some agreement on how to take the democratic process
further, but they need to strengthen this initiative to make a real difference.
The pressure from coalition partners seem to have brought some sanity to
the government as well and there are indications that it has stepped back
from an all-out confrontation with the judiciary and the security
establishment, for the time being at least. Some feel that these developments
bode well for the survival of democracy. Still, there are apprehensions that
906

given the propensities and the compulsions of the President and his Prime
Minister, they are likely to hurl us into another crisis whenever their hold on
power is threatened. The irony is that the PPP government, which is solely
responsible for creating one crisis after another, would like to be viewed as
the victim against whom everyone else has ganged up.
With all the chaos created by the government due to its undemocratic
and unconstitutional behaviour, can Pakistan expect to handle the devious
machinations of the badmash superpower and redefine our relationship
with it? Obviously, with the review of Pak-US relations still underway, it is
safe to believe that things stand where they did in the immediate aftermath
of the November NATO attack on Pakistan army check posts in Mohmand
Agency, and the recent drone attacks do not have the approval of the
Pakistan leadership. It is also safe to assume that the US has been
emboldened by the friction between State institutions within Pakistan
and has, therefore, re-launched the drone strikes. The civil and military
leadership seems to be too preoccupied with the crisis at home to respond
effectively to this latest affront to the sovereignty of the country and the
killing of its citizens.
Is this the democratic experiment playing itself out, with different players
and stakeholders finding their right place in the scheme of things? Will it
correct itself given time? Will the political parties, including the PPP,
manage to rein in the lust for power of two men and their chailas to save
democracy? Or will the two men bring the whole house down in order to
save their seats and skins? One would like to end on a hopeful note for
democracy's future, but, with the two men glued to their seats, it is difficult
to see either hope or democracy.

REVIEW
Amid observers busy in drawing inferences from the cynical
behaviour of Babar Awan the Supreme Court pended further hearing of ZAB
reference till disposal of contempt cases against him. Awans antics indicated
that Zardari regime was now trying to create a pretext to withdraw reference
as it felt that the desired purpose was not being achieved.
Meanwhile, another bench of the apex court gave ten days to the
regime for implementation of the NRO verdict. On 10 th January, the bench
assembled presumably to carry out final review of the progress of the
implementation of NRO verdict that had been passed more than two years

907

ago. The aspect pertaining to the person of the Scoundrel was in special
focus.
Justice Asif Saeed Khosa started reading the decision at about midday. His opening remarks, which seemed to be describing the rationale of the
decision immediately led to speculations. Most observers felt that after the
lapse of more than two years the moment of truth has at last arrived.
The observers saw the hammer rising higher and higher as Justice
Khosa continued reading out the decision. His following remarks led to
speculating that the hammer would fall with a big bang:
The government has failed to implement the verdict.
The actions we are about to take may be unpleasant.
The prime minister respected the party interest over the Constitution.
Prima facie he is not an honest man and he violated his oath.
The president said his government wont implement a part of NRO
verdict.
As per Article 189 and 190 all institutions are bound to help the apex
court.
To the absolute dismay of those who expected stern action, the
hammer did not fall and instead allowed to hang in the air for another six
days. The bench handed over to the Attorney General a list of six options:
To initiate the contempt of court proceedings against the Chief
Executive and the Secretary Law for not implementing the NRO
verdict.
To declare the chief executive ineligible from the membership of the
Parliament.
The court may form a commission to get the verdict implemented.
The people themselves decide on the issue and the court exhibit
patience.
Contempt proceedings against Chairman NAB may be initiated.
The action may be taken against President for violating the
Constitution.

908

The bench recommended to the chief justice to form a larger bench to

hear the case on January 16. With that the fate of the Gilani-government
appeared to be hanging in the balance as whatever line of action is adopted
by those in power now leaves little room for them to wriggle out. It has only
six days to come up with a clear choice of its future line of action.
Definitely, it was a day of suspense as many believed that the court
would take action against those who have been delaying the implementation
of its order and publicly announcing that even in future they wont do what
the court wants. On the previous hearing the court had said categorically that
now instead of passing just another order, it would take action.
After observing that the prime minister did not appear to be a
sagacious and honest the passing of buck to a larger bench was unbearable
for the old man Roedad Khan. He was grossly disappointed for the reasons
that he had actively participated in Lawyers Movement and is the petitioner
against NRO.
He strongly criticized the apex court for giving six more days to the
government as if two years were not enough. He truly expressed the
sentiment of majority of the people of Pakistan who earnestly desired that
the Supreme Court must punish the culprits.
Some analysts, like Hassan Nisar, saw political wisdom in spelling out
of options. Obviously, he was referring to the spirit of the order rather than
its words. The purist jurists did not agree that judicial verdicts be dictated by
political wisdom; notwithstanding that, practicing lawyers themselves focus
on letter of the law only when they have plenty of favourable evidence and
exploit spirit of the law when there is lack of evidence.
It was apprehended that the judges of the apex court had opted for
political wisdom fearing political upheaval that the Scoundrel and the Saint
could create in case of dispensation of justice. If that be so, it would be most
unfortunate as it amounted to practicing law of necessity.
The wisdom referred to by Hassan Nisar was not seen by the party for
which it was meant. The regime immediately resorted to hurling counter
allegations, instead of arguing for own innocence. Babar Awan was
reminded of Agartala conspiracy and Rehman Malik came out waving copy
of Nawaz-Musharraf NRO under which the former went into exile.
Gilani told PML-N that backdoor to power corridors has been closed.
He blamed the apex court for lack of accountability of corrupt military
dictators. He was disappointed when the CJP called him dishonest.
909

(Someone pulled him out of his CJP-obsession by correcting him that it was
Justice Khosa not the CJP).
He went on to say: How a man who was elected so many times could
be dishonest? Not only that, everyone in his ancestors was elected right up to
the Moghal era. His measure of honesty was quite ironic. It merited to be
breaking news that rulers during Moghal era were elected, but no TV
channel flashed it as such.
The recent developments have led coalition partners of the PPP
regime confronting the moment of truth. PML-Q, MQM and ANP have to
decide as to what is more important for them; senior ministry, port and
shipping ministry and railway ministry; or the stability and well being of the
country? They seemed to have passed initial test by restraining the
Scoundrel from going wild.
Similarly, it is the moment of truth for the Judiciary to deliver what it
is meant to deliver. On 16th January, when seven judges assemble the must
remember the saying that justice delayed is justice denied. And, in the case
of NRO the justice could not have been denied (delayed) more than it has
been.
15th January, 2012

910

SHOUQ-I-SHAHADAT
Last four days have been apparently devoid of any hair-raising
happenings. There was no hearing of cases in the apex court and no press
conference of Babar Awan. There was no hurling of threats or demands of
do more by the global bully, barring a drone strike and couple of terror
attacks.
Despite the absence of rumpus events to which Pakistanis have been
accustomed since the start of war on terror all that happened in relative quiet
was likely to leave far-reaching impact. Some of these events were: issue of
the detailed judgment on Memo case; second drone strike since Salalah
massacre; coalition partners advice to Zardari regime for exercise of
restraint and a meeting at the GHQ.
Next day, Asfandyar with new-found love for the US read out a
resolution in Parliament to support the puppet regime of which he is part and
which was installed through a deal. Heads of opposition parties also met to
scratch their heads for finding a way to counter the regime on rampage.
Associated Press reported that Gilani had telephoned British High
Commissioner to seek help against possible military coup; just that which
Haqqani had asked in memo to Mullen.
Army chief met Zardari on 14th January and complained against Gilani
seeking withdrawal or explanation of the statement he gave against him and
DG ISI. Prime Minister chaired meeting of DCC which was attended by the
COAS and eyes of observers remained glued on reading the body-language.
Rehman Malik said Mansoor Ijaz had played a role to overthrow the Benazir
Bhutto government for which he could face a trial.
Next day, Shahbaz Sharif said that Prime Minister should make an
apology. Gilani said that he was only answerable to the Parliament, not to
any individual. Meanwhile, when all this was happening in Islamabad a
video footing was pasted in YouTube showing US Marines urinating at dead
bodies of Taliban and a report was published about activities of Mossad in
Balochistan.

NEWS

911

In Pakistan, four soldiers were killed in an ambush in South

Waziristan on 12th January. At least five alleged militants were killed and
several others injured in a drone strike in North Waziristan. The attack was a
second during last 48 hours. At least 17 militants were killed in an operation
in Orakzai Agency. Seven policemen were wounded on attack on a post near
Peshawar. Five people were wounded in bomb blast in Charsadda.
The Supreme Court issued detailed judgment on Memo case. It said
the issue of memo cannot be brushed under the carpet. The court rejected all
the arguments of Asma Jahangir regarding the human rights and
admissibility etc. Foreign Office said its High Commission in London or any
other consulate has not yet received visa application from Mansoor Ijaz.
The dismissal of Defence Secretary Lt-Gen Naeem Khalid Lodhi was
challenged in the Supreme Court. The petition said that show-cause notice
was not given to the former Secretary Lodhi in accordance with the formal
procedure. The New York Times claimed that Pakistan Army would refuse to
work with new Defence Secretary Nargis Sethi. The army would not react
violently, but it would not cooperate with the new secretary of defence.
The coalition partners MQM, ANP, PML-Q and FATA group advised
the PPP to observe caution and avoid steps that could lead to more
disharmonies among the state institutions, though they agreed to put forth a
resolution in the National Assembly in favour of the President and the prime
minister. Prime Minister rejected the impression of a clash among the
institutions.
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly said that joint
opposition in the Lower House of the Parliament would strongly resist any
attempt by the treasury benches to bring a resolution or confidence motion in
Fridays session. He said, to save the incumbent regime means to negate the
democracy.
The PML-N decided to move a no-confidence motion against the
prime minister. However, the party is yet to decide the timing and will
consult other opposition parties on the matter. The PML-Ns Central
Executive Committee also recommended two other options to pile up
pressure on the government to step down, i.e. en masse resignation from the
lower house of parliament and a long march across the country.
Corps Commanders and Principal Staff Officers met at the GHQ.
Apart from the prevailing domestic and external issues entailing Pakistan
Army, a host of military subjects were looked into. Rejecting the possibility

912

of a coup, militarys top brass on Thursday decided to address the

misgivings of political leadership at relevant parliamentary platforms while
clinging to toughened stance on memogate issue, review of ties with US and
NATO supplies blockade.
Next day, ANP tabled a resolution in the National Assembly seeking
the support of Parliament for strengthening democratic process in the
country. The Speaker Fehmida Mirza suspended the rules of business in the
House after which Asfandyar moved the resolution comprising four
paragraphs. The spirit of the resolution revolved around supremacy of the
Parliament. Meanwhile, AJK Assembly adopted a resolution in support of
President and Prime Minister. Zardari was back from Dubai and soon after
that met Asfandyar.
Prime Minister said we can pass the resolution tabled by ANP today
but the government has accepted oppositions request to postpone it till
Monday. He urged the parliamentarians to join hands for strengthening
democratic institutions and the Parliament. Gilani said the resolution is not
against any institution and the present Assembly session has not been
summoned to seek support from opposition on NRO or against any
institution; army or judiciary.
Heads of opposition parties in the parliament including the PML-N
agreed to join hands to press for early general elections in order to get rid of
the PPP-led ruling coalition. Leaders of the opposition parties met Nawaz
Sharif on his invitation and agreed on five points; including paving the way
for a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister and removal of the
government.
Mansoor Ijaz told James Jones that there were three people who
prepared the now-infamous memo, not just Hussain Haqqani, according to
a blog posted on Foreign Policy magazines website. Ijaz said his current
understanding is that Karamat and Durrani were involved in some unclear
way in the scheme to overhaul Pakistans military and intelligence
leadership but were not involved in the actual drafting or delivery of the
memo.
Akram Sheikh and AGP discussed to file a joint application before the
Judicial Commission to extend the memo scam hearing date, scheduled for
January 16. According to reports, Ijaz who was expected to brief the Judicial
Commission probing memo case had said that he would be applying for his
Pakistani visa and would travel to the country after January 16.

913

Associated Press reported that Gilani had telephoned British High

Commissioner this week and sought help against possible military coup to
topple. The news report was denied by PM House and British High
Commissioner, but British foreign secretary did not say anything when
asked about this report. He, however, appealed calm in Pakistan.
Haqqani filed an application asking the judicial commission to take
action against Akram Shaikh for giving false statements against him. Civil
and military quarters remained silent over resumption of drone attacks.
Fifteen militants were killed in Orakzai Agency. Three FC soldiers, three
policemen and two militants were killed in attack on a post in suburbs of
Peshawar partly reported yesterday.
On 14th January, Army chief met Zardari on request and demanded
that the Prime Minister should either clarify or withdraw his statements
criticizing the army. The army chief complained to the president and
demanded to say the PM to specify his statement or retract his statement.
both agreed to maintain working relationship.
Prime Minister chaired meeting of DCC and said that Pakistans
sovereignty and territorial integrity are non-negotiable. He added: We
would reject any approach that would tend to compromise our sovereignty,
honour and national dignity. The meeting rejected US report on Salalah and
demanded compensation. The decision to block NATO supplies was upheld.
Pakistani generals would only step in if asked by the senior most
judge in Pakistan; The Times of London reported quoting a military official.
The disclosure is included in a report filed by two reporters of The Times,
Francis Elliot and Aoun Sahi, who reported that following the (corps
commanders') meeting, a military official told The Times that the generals
would only step in if asked by the most senior judge in Pakistan.
This is the first direct signal that the army generals would follow the
orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan if they were asked to help
implement the judgments of the SC under Article 190. The newspaper said
President Zardari has also asked Aitzaz Ahsan to conduct secret negotiations
with the court. Aitzaz Ahsan is also being tipped as a possible replacement
for Gilani.
Rehman Malik said that nobody gives any importance to Mansoor Ijaz
abroad but in Pakistan he is being given too much value. Malik said people
want to know who else is supporting Ijaz, the main character behind the
memo scandal. He said Mansoor Ijaz had played a role to overthrow the
Benazir Bhutto government for which he could face a trial.
914

At least four attackers and two policemen were killed during fighting
between the armed attackers and police and security forces after some armed
terrorists entered the District Police Office in DI Khan while DPO remained
safe in the incident. The militants first attacked the office with rockets and
then hurled hand grenades to make their entry into the office. The CID
claimed to have arrested three alleged operatives of al-Qaeda with 50kg
explosives in Karachi.
Next day, intercepted radio communications of militants indicated that
Hakimullah Mehsud has been killed in a recent US drone strike. Pakistani
Taliban spokesman Asimullah Mehsud denied and said he was not in the
area where the drone strike occurred. At least 18 people were killed and
more than thirty wounded in a bomb blast in Khanpur. The blast occurred
near the Imam Bargah.
Prime Minister said that he was only answerable to the Parliament and
not to any individual. He clarified that he has never labeled accusations
against anyone, adding that reply submitted in the memo case by Army
Chief and DG ISI in the Supreme Court was not according to the rules.
Shahbaz Sharif said that the prime minister should make an apology
to the nation instead of giving clarifications about his statement about
Generals. Shahbaz said that the prime minister gave the statement on the
directions of President Zardari. Khwaja Asif, clarified that there is no need
to apologize to the Generals.
In Afghanistan, suicide car-bomber killed five people including a
district governor and wounded 10 others near Kandahar city on 12th January.
Nine of the 10 injured were policemen. Taliban insurgents claimed
responsibility for the attack. Video showing American soldiers urinating on
dead Taliban fighters prompted anger in Afghanistan and promises of a US
investigation. Karzai condemned the video, describing the mens actions as
inhuman. It is likely to stir up already strong anti-US sentiment in
Afghanistan and that could complicate efforts to promote reconciliation.
Next day, two American Marines pictured in a video urinating on the
corpses of militants have been questioned and two other suspects will be
grilled soon, a US military official said. All four are from a sniper unit in the
3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
On 14th January, Commission was formed by Ministry of Water and
Power to carry out an inquiry against Jamaat Ali Shah on the charges of
criminal negligence and possibly deliberate inaction during construction of

915

Nimoo Bazgo Dam by India on River Indus. The commission will dare not
say that it was part of Zardaris policy of appeasing India and Jamaat had
acted accordingly.
Two persons were killed in incidents of violence across the province
of Balochistan on 12th January. Next day, two bullet-riddled dead bodies
were found in Chagai area. A man was shot dead in Kuchlak and house of a
settler was attacked with grenades. On 15th January, four people including a
bank manager were kidnapped in Barkhan. Three Iranian border guards who
had entered Pakistan and killed a man were deported.

VIEWS
On 12th January, TheNation commented: After a break of about a
month and a half, the CIAs drones entered the Pakistani airspace on
Tuesday. Two missiles were fired at a house in the North Waziristan town of
Miranshah leading to the death of four of its inmates. The resumption of
attacks is a blatant violation of our sovereignty, a most reprehensible act,
which must be condemned in the harshest terms possible. Drones have
ceased to operate in the FATA area in the wake of Pakistan and its peoples
strong protestation against the NATO attack The government has, since
then, blocked NATO supplies transiting through Pakistan and despite all
efforts of the US to restore this supply route to troops in Afghanistan, the
blockade has not been lifted. One reason for the government not to re-open
the route has been strong public pressure for a permanent end to these
supplies passing through Pakistan.
Drones are a legacy of military dictator Musharraf who connived at,
or, as Washington Post reported, gave advance permission for these attacks
letting the violation of Pakistans territorial sovereignty take place in his
misguided interpretation of cooperation in the war on terror. The practice of
this permission ended with the induction of the present government and
the Obama Administration intensified the attacks. Local estimates place
the death toll as a result of drone attacks well over 3,000 and injured even
higher, since 2004 when the drones hit their first suspected target. However,
US think tank New America Foundation (ANF) has put the figure of those
killed at a maximum of 2,680 till the end of 2011. According to the ANF, out
of these, only 38 were high-profile terrorists. There were some ordinary
militants as well. The rest, an overwhelming majority, were obviously
ordinary citizens.

916

Islamabad should make a strong demarche with Washington

about the resumption of attacks. In fact, it should have done that earlier
when the American media, quoting informed circles, including some
Senators and unnamed officials, began dropping hints that the US was
thinking of re-launching the operations in FATA.
Sikander Shaheen reported: Militarys strong reaction came amid
resentment in the armys top brass against the flexible attitude the
government has adopted on NATO supplies blockade. Reportedly, in
order to win the US support on memogate scandal, the government
deliberated with the American government on a lenient note that followed
the proposed recommendations of a parliamentary body to resume NATO
supplies on certain conditions.
The military, according to sources, sees the governments flexibility
in this regard as tantamount to encouraging the resumption of drone strikes.
Just hours after General Kayani landed in Rawalpindi on Tuesday after
the completion of his five-day visit to China, a drone attack in
Miranshah claimed four lives.
In a text message sent to this journalist, Abdullah Khan, Director,
Conflict Monitoring Centre (CMC) wrote: Governments silence on
resumption of drone attacks gives credence to the speculations that a secret
deal is once again signed on resumption of drone attacks and NATO
supplies. Government must make its stand clear on the issue of resumption
of drone attacks as it is surprising that despite National Assemblys
resolution which demands that government must take measures to stop drone
attacks, it is silent on the resumption of drones. If Pakistan restores NATO
supplies in coming weeks, it will be considered a result of CIAs coercive
strategy against Pakistan.
Next day, TheNation commented: The political atmosphere in the
country was suddenly electrified on Wednesday when the ISPR issued a
statement questioning the wisdom of the Prime Ministers remark, that
the COAS and the ISI chief's replies to the Supreme Court on the memogate
scandal, were not routed through the appropriate authority. Mr Gilani had
added that any official action by a government functionary without the
approval of the government was unconstitutional and illegal. The army took
umbrage at Mr Gilanis observations made in an interview with Chine
Online TV, at a time when General Kayani was in China on a five-day
official visit. The ISPRs press release maintained that his remarks carried

917

serious ramifications with potentially grievous consequences for the

country. Hot on the heels of this development
Mr Gilanis statement added confusion to an already prevailing,
tense situation. Added to that was the Attorney Generals interview to a
local daily, in which he opines that there has been no violation of rules in
General Kayani and Lt-General Pashas submission of replies and that the
Prime Minister has misjudged the issue. As of now, the situation remains
volatile, though it was somewhat defused when Mr Gilani told reporters that
the ISPRs press release was approved by him. The public is keeping its
fingers crossed; and the politicians of all affiliations continue to consult each
other. All eyes are set on the Monday hearing of the Supreme Court on the
NRO as well as memogate cases.
Tension has been running high between the civilian and military
authorities since 2009, starting with controversial clauses in the KerryLugar bill (now an act of US Congress), in which aid was to be routed
through the civilian government, instead of being allotted directly to the
military. Attempts at a patch-up, made from time to time, failed to bring
positive results because they were not accompanied by a sincere acceptance
of each other's constitutional roles. It was in this climate of suspicion that the
scandal of a memo, confirmed to be delivered by Admiral Mike Mullen,
erupted on the scene, and both the government and the army filed their
differing views on the memo to the Supreme Court.
As the country is confronted with multiple challenges, the
prolonging of the present climate of uncertainty would not leave us
unharmed. Sanity lies in a serious commitment to law and Constitution.
Since, to all intents and purposes, early general elections are agreed, we
should set aside differences and let the electorate decide.
In another editorial the newspaper observed: The Parliamentary
Committee on National Security (PCNS) has finalized 35 recommendations
for redefining relations with the USAthe PCNS finalized these
recommendations by voice vote, which will now be conveyed to the
government, subsequently to be passed by the National Assembly to debate
and after adopt. The PCNS took enough time over drawing up
recommendations, for the CIA to start drone strikes once again, with the
attack in Miranshah on Tuesday being the first such strike since the Salalah
attacks. The government, hopefully, will show urgency in debating and then
adopting these recommendations.

918

The recommendations include putting all agreements with NATO

and the USA in writing, as well as revising the tariff for NATO supplies,
and revising the monitoring methods of the containers carrying them. The
CNS also recommended specifically that strict notice be taken of drone
attacks, and that the matter be linked to future engagements with the USA
and NATO in the war on terror.
Though it may not be possible to end all relations with the USA, for
not only is it the worlds sole superpower but it is also in direct occupation
of neighbouring Afghanistan, but it is certainly possible to withdraw
gracefully from the war on terror. That requires political will, but it would
be better to do that than to keep bleeding and asking a reluctant public to
support a war it does not wish to acknowledge as its own.
The government must prepare to use the PCNS recommendations
to match national requirements and finally establish an even-footed
relationship with the US. After this, the PCNS is to move on to the next item
on its agenda, the memogate affair. The PCNS should be ready to carry out a
free and fair investigation into a matter which also illustrates the murky
Pakistani dependence on the US. The government itself stated that it gives
the PCNS investigation priority over the Supreme Court; it must allow its
trust in the PCNS to be justified by not allowing it to be influenced in any
way.
Dr Muhammad Yaqoob Bhatti from Lahore wrote: Prime Minister
Yousuf Raza Gilani has declared proudly that his chair is strong and he
would sit on it with a bang. The same statement was made by the founder of
PPP, but in the end his chair proved to be wobbly. The only chair that is truly
strong is the chair of Allah Almighty and the PM should avoid making such
statements. In addition, the Prime Minister in his brinkmanship has tried
to malign the Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, while
he was on a State visit to China, which speaks of his state of disorientation,
because how could he do it without damaging the reputation and morale of
the Pakistani army.
This is unheard of in the history of any country and he should
stop maligning the Army Chief and indirectly the army, which has
thousands of shaheeds to its credit. Perhaps, the Prime Minister is too much
under the influence of his party Co-Chairman and that is why he tends to
issue such reckless statements.
On 14th January, TheNation commented: The nation is witness to a
puzzling anomaly, with the governments top functionaries endlessly
919

repeating that they do not intend to encourage a clash of institutions,

but their every gesture seems to belie that intent. The anomaly has been
practiced on the hapless people of this country for so long now that it has
assumed a comical colour, notwithstanding the adverse effect it has on them
and the dangerous consequences it carries for the country. The Prime
Ministers expressions of complete unity in the ranks we are on the same
page are, almost in the same breath, followed by words that unmistakably
point in the opposite direction. One moment the COAS and DG ISI are
accused of violating the law in following the procedure for filing their
replies to the Supreme Court, next the PM maintains that relations are
working quite smoothly. Similarly, respect for the judiciary for the
government seems to imply a blatant defiance of its verdicts. This attitude
supplemented by repeated public assurances of the army that it supports the
civilian rule and has no intention of acting in violation of the Constitution,
further complicates matters.
Thus, a strong undercurrent of disharmony in relations with vital
institutions of the state and suspicion of them becomes apparent. The
situation reached a climax when Mr Gilani directly took on General Kayani
and Lt-General Pasha. Even coalition partners of the PPP shied away from
lending their support to such a posture. The government sponsored proposed
resolution on clash between institutions was turned down. At the same time,
the opposition decided to oppose any such resolution or the one backing the
Prime Minister and the President or the government. It demanded obedience
to court orders and a fresh mandate from the electorate. These developments
suddenly took the heat out of the political climate. Mr Gilani appeared to
have gone on the defensive.
In another editorial the newspaper wrote: After a gap of nearly two
months, American CIA drones have resumed operations in Pakistan... The
civil and military leadership will have to put their heads together and decide
once and for all whether they are going to continue making empty promises
to Pakistanis or whether they will finally put their money where their mouth
is. People are no longer willing to be hoodwinked about the clarity of the
policy on this issue. If there is some renewed understanding with the
Americans, that too must be clearly stated, failing which the government
may face a strong spate of protest demonstrations. The US too must
recognize that whether or not its drone policy is one it officially recognizes,
it is having a justifiably negative impact on its perception as a whole in
Pakistan. The policy must be suspended immediately and work then begun
to improve its image among Pakistanis, who are exhausted by participation
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in a war, invitation to which was extended by a Hobson's choice to begin

with.
Zaheer Bhatti opined: The few pertinent questions and points
arising out of this memo, which has surfaced after continued failure of a
series of ploys by Washington to discredit and rein in the sole defenders of
Pakistans territorial integrity with the help of its agents in and outside the
country, which require the indulgence of the Judicial Commission are as
follows:
What prompted the General Jones to issue the above statement (in
defence of Haqqani) and testimony?
The General says that he had known Ijaz for the last five or six years,
but would not categorize his acquaintance as friendship. How could
then he have reposed confidence in a person he barely knew, and
acted so irresponsibly in agreeing to act as a courier to carry a
potentially explosive unsigned memo without verifying the source of
its origination and the veracity of its content?
Why did Admiral Mullen initially deny the existence of any such
memo, which he later admitted to have received?
If Mullen had ignored the memo as being fake, what action in the first
place did the American administration take against such irresponsible
conduct of no less than a former US National Security Advisor in
reaching a spurious message to the top, and against Ijaz a Pakistani
American for attempting to further impair and damage already highly
soured Pak-American relations? On the contrary, the Admirals
accusation against the ISI for being behind the Haqqani network fall
in line with the contents of the memo.
The oft repeated statement by the former Ambassador that he neither
drafted the memo, nor sent it to Mullen, has never been in question.
Ijaz has always maintained that he was asked by Haqqani to convey
the message allegedly authorized by his boss to the Admiral, the
essence of which was dictated to him by Haqqani and accordingly
drafted by Ijaz, who got it vetted by ex-Ambassador before using his
source (General Jones) to reach it to Mullen. The truth is verifiable by
forensic examination of their respective Blackberries, but how
Haqqani conveniently left his BlackBerry back home in America?

921

If the truth had dawned upon the Prime Minister through General
Jones statement in preference to his own military hierarchy, he ought to
have disbanded the parliamentary inquiry and reinstated the Ambassador to
Washington. More importantly, since also implicated, the President ought
to have not only filed an affidavit in the court that he was not involved,
but also sued Ijaz and the Financial Times for damages and sought
apology over publishing the trash tarnishing his image, besides attempting to
draw a wedge between Pakistans civil and military.
The Supreme Court will no doubt get to the bottom of Ijazs dubious
role in this whole episode, including that if, indeed, in line with his anti-Pak
Army and anti-Pakistan past record, Ijaz was Haqqanis natural choice for
using as a conduit, what made them fall foul of each other and prompt
the American businessman to spill the beans and become approver to
Pakistans armed forces about whom he had never said a kind word.
The News wrote: There should be no doubt about this: the GilaniZardari governments antics in recent days have threatened to test the limits
of the countrys troubled experiment with democracy. Though sanity seems
to have prevailed now after a nerve-racking Wednesday, the fact of the
matter is that with vacillation and inconsistency having become the
governments only mode of operation, one can never be sure how far
away the next crisis is. As Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani met the
corps commanders on Thursday, an unusually large number of the members
of the 342-seat National Assembly turned up for the sitting perhaps precisely
because of the fear of the unknown given prevailing tensions. Fridays
special session called at great expense to the public exchequer and having
caused much anxiety to an already stressed public proved a damp squib.
Unable to generate consensus on the resolution it wanted to table, the
government scampered away from its original draft that even its own allies
did not agree with. But the icing on the cake came when Prime Minister
Gilani said: We are politicians; if we don't make mistakes, who will? But
democracy should not suffer for our mistakes. Yes, it shouldnt. There is
genuine disillusionment on the ground with both the style and substance of
his government because of which democracy has suffered both as an idea
and as a process. The PPP government has tried to downplay Pakistans
more serious problems such as economic decline, chronic energy shortages
and militancy with rhetoric and by unnecessarily locking in power
struggles with the countrys other centres of power. And all this, it seems,
only to prolong its rule and complete its term in office. How then can we

922

possibly believe the prime minister when he said on the floor of the house
Friday that democracy is all that matters?
The last few weeks alone have shown that the PPP government has
abandoned its celebrated politics of reconciliation and opted for an
ineluctable reassertion of the values of old politics where conflict and
confrontation are scored above compromise and conciliation. The only
choice the PPP has now is to submit itself to the judgment of the people.
Even its allies are becoming wary of its confrontational stance and have
advised it to stay the path of reconciliation, write the letter to Swiss courts
and avoid getting locked in a deadly embrace with other institutions. There
is no other way now but to resolve problems in the political arena. And the
problems are real, unlike what President Zardari thinks. A spokesman of the
president said on Friday that the president was not concerned about the
political crisis gripping the country. The government has not had a clear run
at being the guardian of the transition to democracy. It should set its house in
order before its failure truly becomes the miner's canary: a symptom of an
even graver failure of democratic politics in this country.
Humaira from Abbottabad observed: Imagine the prime minister of a
country issuing statements each of which contradicts the other. Eating his
words has become more of a habit with Prime Minister Gilani. He
should remember that he represents the state and the 170 million people of
Pakistan. If he cant give out a sensible statement on any issue, how can he
head the government and be expected to take sane decisions? The media has
wrongly focused on the presidents health. He looked fit and alert during his
interview with Hamid Mir the other day. His arguments were crisp and
concise especially on the NRO issue. The PM on the contrary is unclear and
confused on all issues of governance most of the time.
On 16th January, TheNation commented: The Defence Committee of
the Cabinet (DCC) met at Islamabad on Saturday and resolved to continue
the blockade of goods meant for NATO forces fighting in Afghanistan The
DCC also expressed serious concern over the resumption of drone attacks
after a break of a month and a half. The committee ought to have spelled
out specific measures for ensuring that the drone strikes do not take
place at all. Unfortunately, the much talked about review of relations with
Washington that would set the new terms of engagement, has not yet
materialized. The DCC is charged with drafting these terms; it had better
expedite the draft which is supposed to contain specific mention that
Pakistan would not tolerate the violation of its sovereignty, be it through
drone attacks or any other form. In the meantime, it looks strange that it is
923

Interior Minister Rehman Malik, who should be expressing Pakistans

helplessness in stopping these strikes. On such an important issue, one
would expect either the President, the Prime Minister or at least the Defence
Minister to put the nation in the picture. When promises are made with much
fanfare of the Air Force's ability to shoot down drones and the government
and opposition's apparently staunch decision to no longer allow violation of
our sovereignty; we must ask ourselves, have we been happy listening to
empty promises all along?
In another editorial the newspaper added: COAS General Kayani has
exercised the option of taking his complaint about Prime Minister Gilani to
President Zardari At the same time, it should be kept in mind that the
Prime Minister is nothing if not completely obedient to the President, to
whom he owes his job. The COAS will be aware of this, and will know
the value of his complaint. At the same time, the President must be aware
that not only has the COAS complained, but the Supreme Court, in its recent
judgment on the NRO case, has also criticized Mr Gilani, to the extent of
expressing doubt about his fitness for office. In such a situation, the
President must direct the Prime Minister to prepare the nation for fresh
elections. This would help the President distance himself from the Prime
Minister and help him deny any involvement in his actions, as well as setting
in course general elections which are the demand of the public.
The Presidents meeting with the COAS preceded a DCC meeting,
which took the important decision of continuing the ban on NATO supplies
through Pakistan. The situation demands that the governments head
maintain a close relationship with the service chiefs. The ball is in the
Presidents court. He has received public assurance of the complete backing
of the armed forces for democracy. Pakistan faces enough external
challenges and would do well to avoid any internal wrangling. It is a
symptom of the incompetence of the present government that it is making
such a spectacle of itself. Now that the COAS has gone to him, the President
must act.
Momin Iftikhar wrote: On January 9, 2012, sixteen leading
intellectuals and foreign policy experts sent a letter organized by well
known Pakistan haters, Lisa Curtis of the Heritage Foundation and Bruce
Riedel of the Brookings Institution to Secretary Hillary Clinton asking her
to pressure the Pakistani government to ensure fair treatment and safety of
Haqqani, who feared for his life in Pakistan due to the fallout from the
memogate Affair. While showing their unfounded concern, these highly
informed individuals were obviously aware of the much known fact that
924

Haqqani was comfortably tucked into the safety and hospitality of the Prime
Minister House, as his personal guest. Not to be left behind in its support
for the ex-Ambassador, the New York Times quoted him while talking
from his cushy abode in Islamabad expressing fears that he could be
murdered if he left the premises. His lawyer said that the ISI might pick
him up and torture him to elicit a confession of treason, as if Pakistan was a
banana republic where the national intelligence service could trounce the
honour and dignity of highest political office with impunity and make fun of
the proceedings of the judicial panel consisting of three provincial Chief
Justices.
Haqqanis conduct, as he appeared before the Judicial Commission,
gave a slice of his true self that certainly would have sobered his foreign
supporters and media. Instead of showing cooperation and coming clean to
establish his innocence before the Commission, he was at his chimerical best
to obfuscate the investigations. To effectively counter Mansoor Ijazs
allegations, instead of presenting his BlackBerry for scrutiny to the court, he
refused to surrender his cell phones privacy rights; in fact, he informed the
Commission that since he left Washington in a hurry, he forgot to bring
along his two BlackBerry sets; scuttling attempts to ask the service provider
to retrieve the record of communications that transpired between the two
main characters of the memogate. His conduct before the Commission,
reflecting poor work ethics, disrespect for the process of law and his
hypocritical lip service to promote liberal and democratic values remained in
much contrast with his squeaky clean persona in the US and the West. If
some of his eager supporters were miffed by his displayed conduct before
the investigating Commission, they managed to keep a stiff upper lip.
As Hillary Clinton, duly articulates her thoughts, while she mulls
over the request made by powerful opinion-makers belonging to a
prestigious array of think-tank community in the US, to intercede on behalf
of Haqqani, she needs to weigh in on the sanctity of our courts that have
become a ray of hope for the beleaguered nation and which are earnestly
engaged in finding the truth behind the memogate. She can, however, use
her influence to induce Hussain Haqqani, through the good offices of shared
media savvy friends, to speak the truth that will ultimately grant him the
genuineness of a true democrat and a liberal that he aspires to be.
On 12th January, David Ignatius wrote: Many Afghans are wary of
any deal with the Pashtun insurgent group. But details began leaking in
Kabul, and after the Taliban said on January 3 that they were ready to open
the Qatar office, Karzai announced his support the next day. The Taliban are
925

supposed to make statements soon rejecting international terrorism and

supporting a political process in Afghanistan first steps toward eventual
renunciation of al-Qaeda and support for the Afghan constitution. The
Taliban have also agreed that the Qatar office wont be used for recruiting or
propaganda. It was the Taliban who requested Qatar as the hub, countering
US and Afghan proposals of Turkey or Saudi Arabia.
What about Pakistans role in this delicate process? Well, it hasnt
stopped Aghas contacts on behalf of the Taliban. And the head of Pakistani
intelligence, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha, personally delivered Ibrahim
Haqqani, a son of the chief of a fearsome Taliban group known as the
Haqqani network, to a meeting in August with a US official in the United
Arab Emirates. That meeting went nowhere, and it was followed by renewed
attacks on US targets by Haqqani operatives who, according to US officials,
continue to receive funding, intelligence and other assistance from Pakistani
intelligence.
If the Qatar office is indeed opened, US officials hope the Karzai
government and the Taliban will exchange confidence-building measures of
their own say, a Taliban rejection of suicide bombings in return for
government safe passage. Its a long shot, but its also true that all wars
end eventually starting with a process something like this one.
Asia Times observed: The hardening of Karzais stance also needs to
be understood against the backdrop of growing restiveness on the part of the
erstwhile Northern Alliance groups. On Monday, the alliance stalwarts came
out against the Barack Obama Administrations secret discussions with the
Taliban This is the first time that the leadership of the Tajik, Uzbek
and Hazara communities has come to a common line of thinking to
oppose the USs peace strategy and to present an alternate blueprint of panAfghan settlement. In essence, the Northern Alliance is being resuscitated as
a political entity. Their statement attacked the power structure headed by
Karzai as dysfunctional, far too centralized and rampantly corrupt and
demanded that in the first instance what Afghanistan needed was an
inclusive parliamentary form of government instead of a personalityoriented presidential system, which could optimally represent all ethnic and
regional interests.
They also sought a thorough revamping of the countrys electoral
system from the present single non-transferrable voting system to a
national-accepted variant of the proportional representative system and the
direct election of governors and provincial council leaderships with
926

delegation of powers to create budgets, collect revenue and oversee local

policing and administer social sectors. But, most important, they frontally
questioned the USs locus standi to initiate peace talks with the Taliban.
Their statement said: We firmly believe that any negotiation with the Taliban
can be acceptable, and therefore effective, [only] if all parties to the conflict
are involved in the process. The present form of discussions with the Taliban
is flawed, as it excludes anti-Taliban Afghans. It must be recalled that the
Taliban extremists and their al-Qaeda supporters were defeated [in 2011] by
Afghans resisting extremism with minimal human-embedded support from
the United States and international community. The present negotiations
with the Taliban fail to take into account the risks, sacrifices and
legitimate interests of the Afghans who ended the brutal oppression of all
Afghans.
In order to speed the withdrawal of international forces, the
participants believe it is essential to strengthen regional and national
institutions that are inclusive and represent the concerns of all the
communities of Afghanistan The Northern Alliance statement
challenges the USs monopoly of conflict resolution and Washingtons
unilateralist estimation that the Taliban are the only group that matters as
protagonists on the Afghan chessboard in a peace process.
Its entire approach is to take the Afghan settlement from the
narrow path of a secretive US-Taliban-Pakistan compromise formula to
a transparent, inclusive, broadly-participatory inclusive approach that
would not ignore any Afghan interest group, which has genuine mass
support, from participation, with strong, elected local leaderships that enjoy
delegated powers of local governance.
In sum, it offers a vision for returning Afghanistan to its historical
character of a federated system of government that allows a plural society to
thrive, but with a representative form of government as a modern-day
democracy. Indeed, the Northern Alliance statement implies readiness to
reconcile politically with the Taliban, provided they seize power through
the ballot box rather than the guns supplied from the Pakistani military
inventory, among other places. It is a bold challenge to the United States
and Pakistan to live up to their pious homilies.
The alliances strategy puts enormous pressure on Karzai. He is
caught between two contending constituencies. The Northern Alliance
leaders are critical of Karzai, but he finds no acceptability with the Taliban,
too. Karzais position becomes precarious if he antagonizes the
927

Northern Alliance groups and turns them hostile. He wont want to put all
his eggs in the American basket, either, since the US may find him
expendable at some point. Karzai needs time to manoeuvre and create a new
coalition that strengthens his standing.
What may have incensed the Northern Alliance groups partly at least
is that, despite the chill in US-Pakistan relations, Washington has kept the
Pakistani military and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the loop on the
Qatar talks, while blithely ignoring them as protagonists. Nonetheless,
interestingly, they made no critical reference to Pakistan. Unsurprisingly,
Islamabad is sitting tight. It refrains from taking open stance on the proposed
talks with the Taliban in Qatar.
Pakistan would draw satisfaction that Washington finally dropped its
pre-conditions for talks with the Taliban. Equally, Pakistan would welcome
any release of top Taliban figures from Guantanamo. And Pakistan didnt
put roadblock when former mujahideen leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar (who
lives in Peshawar in Pakistan) deputed envoys to Kabul to sound out the US
and NATO officials whether he too could be provided a seat at the
conference table in Qatar.
However, Pakistan wont proffer an opinion on the prospects of the
talks, rather pretending it is all a matter between Taliban leader Mullah
Omar and American officials. All this is being played against the
backdrop of the troubled US-Pakistani relationship. Besides, the Taliban
comprise hopelessly fragmented factions and neither Mullah Omar nor the
Haqqani clan has yet commented on the proposed talks in Qatar.
Pakistan can rest on its oars that the ISI would be the only party
capable of shepherding the Taliban factions to come on a united
platform for talks, and the US ultimately has no choice but to knock on its
doorstep seeking help. The challenge to Barack Obama is to concede for the
Afghan people the very minimum privilege of an Arab Spring so that
Islamism can reconcile with democracy quintessentially, expecting the US
to be on the right side of history. It is not too much to ask for, really.
On 14th January, Los Angeles Times commented: The urination
video, appearing on YouTube and TMZ, is another good argument for
getting out. Every time evidence of bad behaviour by US forces emerges, it
undermines Afghan civilian support for the US mission, and the video is
another step backward. It shows four men in Marine uniforms urinating on
what appear to be the corpses of three men lying on sandy ground. "Have a

928

great day, buddy," sneers one of the Marines. Anyone who thinks the US is
winning the battle for hearts and minds in Afghanistan should think again.
Robert Fisk wrote: So now it's snapshots of US Marines pissing on
the Afghan dead. Better, I suppose, than the US soldiers pictured beside the
innocent Afghan teenager they fragged back in March of last year. Or the
female guard posing with the dead Iraqi prisoner at Abu Ghraib. Not to
mention Haditha or the murder videos taken by US troops in the field the
grenading of an old shepherd by an Iraqi highway comes to mind or My
Lai or the massacre of refugees by US forces in Korea or the murder of
Malayan villagers by British troops. Or the Bloody Sunday massacre of 14
Catholics by British troops in Derry in 1972. And please note, I have not
even mentioned the name of Baha Mousa. The US Marines' response to
the pissing pictures was oh so typical. These men were not abiding by the
core values of the Marines, we were informed. Same old story. A rogue
unit, a few bad apples, rotten eggs. Maybe.
But if there is one game of pissing on the dead, how many others
happened without pictures? How many other shepherds got fragged in
Iraq? How many other Hadithas have there been? There were plenty of other
My Lais. As laptop filmography gets better, so it all comes slopping out, the
rapes and slaughter and yes, by the Taliban the stoning of young women
for supposed sexual misconduct in Afghanistan; by al-Qaeda, executions and
throat-cuttings in Iraq.
And no the Americans are not the Nazis, the Brits are not the
French Paras of 1960 Algeria (but surely we're not comparing the French
paras to the Nazis). The Canadians handed prisoners over to Afghan thugs
for brutal questioning but the Canadians are not like Saddam's secret police
and, I suppose, the Taliban are not Stalin's NKVD or Putin's KGB (before
he became a statesman). And you can't compare surely the Soviet
invaders of Afghanistan in 1979 with Genghis Khan.
So let's take a little guessing game. A British Sunday paper reveals
shocking revelations of torture and cigarette burning, of physical brutality
where prisoners must be hospitalized for a week, of possible electric torture.
The French in Algeria? Saddam's mukhabarat? Nope. It's The Sunday Times
Insight Team's report of 7 May 1972; the victims, of course, IRA suspects in
Belfast. A rogue unit? A few bad apples? I doubt it
If war were not about the total failure of the human spirit, there
would be something grotesquely funny about the American reaction to the
pissing pictures. For note, it was not the killing of these men that worried the
929

Marine Corps in the US it was the pissing. Nothing wrong in killing amid
the core values of the Marine Corps; you just shouldn't urinate on the
corpses. And even more to the point: YOU MUSTN'T DO IT ON
CAMERA! Too late. It comes to this. Armies are horrible creatures and
soldiers do wicked things but when we accept all these lies about "bad
apples" and the exceptionalism of crime in war "there may have been some
excesses" is the usual dictator-speak we are accepting war and going along
with the dishonesty of it and we are making it more possible and easier and
the killings and rapes more excusable and more frequent. And how should
armies react? With one word: guilty.
On 15th January, Jonathan Jones commented: It is as much a
document of the information age as a horror of war. A video anonymously
posted on YouTube this week apparently shows four US marines urinating
on the corpses of Afghans. They pose for a video camera held by a fifth
marine, and perform their great deed against the dead with what looks like
self-consciousness. They are doing it to be seen, in full awareness they
are being filmed. Being filmed, and posting it for the world to watch,
might actually be the point of the exercise.
Comparisons with previous incidents involving American forces,
such as the torture in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, seem unavoidable although
there is actually a difference between torturing and abusing living prisoners,
as happened at Abu Ghraib, and desecrating the bodies of the dead.
Goya, in the print he called Great Deeds Against the Dead, captured the
futility and cowardice of violence against fallen enemies (assuming these are
Taliban fighters and not civilians) and exposed, in the Napoleonic wars, the
dirty secret that the dead do get mistreated amid the hate and anger of armed
conflict.
Surely the truly striking parallel with Abu Ghraib is not in the
nature of the crimes, but the urge to photograph them: and therefore to
share them. Perhaps in future, guns will come with an in-built camera and a
button that lets you instantly share the moment of battle. These images of a
ritual insult to the fallen make their appearance in a world even more
plugged into communication than it was in 2004, when the photographs of
Abu Ghraib prison guards posing with persecuted prisoners emerged. At the
time I remember thinking about those pictures in terms of horror films,
trying to imagine the context in which people might so casually abuse power
and so insouciantly photograph their own crimes.

930

But now it no longer seems surprising that violence and cruelty

are self-documented in this way. What is not shared, nowadays? What is
too private or shameful to put on YouTube? The video of urinating soldiers
does not even seem that extreme or shocking it just takes its place among
all the other videos everyone is watching and tweeting about.
Next day, Anthony H Cordesman observed: The money the Afghan
government estimates it will need to pay for the required military and civil
spending in its budget equals about half of the Afghan economy in 2015.
That figure rises to 62 per cent if the development spending needed in
addition to other spending in the budget is considered. This is far more than
the $10 billion a year in the Afghan aid request. And the Karzai
government is all too correct in warning in its paper that substantial
funding cuts in any of these areas undermine our ability to achieve our
shared goal of a secure, sustainable Afghanistan.
The question for the United States and its allies particularly the
American people, who would have to pay 80 per cent or more of the
necessary aid is whether they are willing to make a $140 billion
commitment in assistance to cover the period through at least 2025. In
addition, will they provide US and allied forces to fight on through 2014 and
then provide the thousands of military advisers and partners some of
whom will have to go into combat? Afghanistan will need such military
support for more than a decade after 2014 unless the insurgents accept
a political settlement that is less than victory. Without such continued
spending and military aid, the war in Afghanistan is certain to be lost. And
given the track records of the Pakistan government and the poor and corrupt
quality of Afghan governance, it may be lost in any case.
Now is the time to debate these issues and the future level of the
US commitment in money and forces. We do not need more good
intentions and vague promises from the Obama Administration. We do not
need a vacuous set of positions from Republican presidential candidates who
either do not understand the issues or fear addressing their cost. If the United
States is to make this commitment we need to start making it now in every
part of our posture and spending in Afghanistan and be clear that we will
do so through 2025. If not, we need to be honest about the consequences for
some 30 million Afghans and their country.
Khalid Iqbal wrote: Russia is no longer willing to give the US a free
ride in Central Asia. Ambassador M.K. Bhadrakumar, in his article, Enter the
year of the Taliban, published by Asia Times Online, has narrated the
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outcome of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Summit

held in Moscow last month; Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev
announced with a straight face: ...now, in order to deploy a military base
of a third country on the territory of a CSTO member State, it will be
necessary to obtain official approval of all CSTO member States...
Hillary had recently visited Uzbekistan and offered it military assistance to
undercut the CSTO unity. However, Uzbek President Islam Karimov
attended the summit and supported the alliance's decision. This Russian-led
alliance includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan. The new agreement gives Russia an opportunity to prevent the
deployment of the US airbases in Tajikistan or Uzbekistan, and puts an
effective halt to eastward expansion of American Missile Defence Systems.
The US has a choice either to eat the dust and seek Pakistan's
favour for reopening of the transit routes, or use unsustainable
Northern Distribution Network. The CSTO stance would continue to
haunt the fate of the US base in Manas, Kyrgyzstan, which is a strategic hub
for air transportation. President Almazbek Atambayev has repeatedly called
for the closure of the Manas Airbase on expiry of the current agreement in
2014.
Like every receding empire, the US is frustrated. It is not yet in a
mood to reconcile with the reality. Pakistan is certainly not short on leverage
vis--vis America. The time is on Pakistans side. At this point and time,
Pakistan needs a cool-headed leadership with a strong nerve.
When all this was happening, Special Correspondent of TheNation
from New York reported as what was going on in Pakistans backyard,
Balochistan. Excerpts from his report bout covert operations of Mossad
are reproduced. Agents with Israels Mossad intelligence agency posed as
American CIA agents in operations to recruit members of Jundallah, the
Pakistan-based militant group, to conduct the Jewish states covert, bloody,
and ongoing campaign against Iran, a report in an influential US magazine
said. Their recruitment activities were nearly in the open. They apparently
didnt give a damn what we thought, the official was quoted.
The Israelis, flush with American dollars and toting US passports,
posed as CIA officers in recruiting Jundallah operatives what is commonly
referred to as a false flag operation, the report by Mark Perry said.
According to the report, the CIA and the White House were both asked for
comment on the Israeli operations, but they did not respond. The Mossad
was also contacted, in writing and by telephone, but failed to respond.
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Many reports have cited Israel as the architect of this covert

campaign, which claimed its latest victim on Jan 11 when a motorcyclist in
Tehran slipped a magnetic explosive device under the car of Mostafa
Ahmadi Roshan, a young Iranian nuclear scientist. The explosion killed
Roshan, making him the fourth scientist assassinated in the past two years.
The United States adamantly denied it is behind these killings. Israels
relationship with Jundallah, which operates from Pakistans Balochistan
province, continued to roil the Bush administration until the day it left
office Its easy to understand why Bush was so angry, a former
intelligence officer was quoted as saying. After all, its hard to engage with
a foreign government if theyre convinced youre killing their people. Once
you start doing that, they feel they can do the same.
The debate over Jundallah was resolved only after Bush left office
when, within his first weeks as president, Barack Obama drastically scaled
back joint US-Israel intelligence programmes targeting Iran. The decision
was controversial inside the CIA, where officials were forced to shut down
some key intelligence-gathering operations a decision that one former
CIA officer called an absolute no-brainer.
Founded in 2002, Jundallah says it is fighting for the rights of the
Sunni minority in Shia-majority Iran. Believed to have 1,000 fighters, the
group is dedicated to defending the rights of Irans two-million Baluchi
minority. Jundallah head Abdolmalek Rigi was captured by Iran in February
2010. Although Rigi was turned over to the Iranians after the Pakistani
government informed the United States that it planned to do so, the report
said. The United States, this officer said, did not raise objections to the
Pakistani decision, it added.
Rigi was interrogated, tried, and convicted by the Iranians and hanged
on June 20, 2010. Prior to his execution, Rigi claimed in an interview with
Iranian media that he had doubts about US sponsorship of Jundallah. He
recounted an alleged meeting with NATO officials in Morocco in 2007 that
raised his suspicions. When we thought about it we came to the conclusion
that they are either Americans acting under NATO cover or Israelis, he said.
Last July it (Jundallah) claimed responsibility for attacking the Grand
Mosque in the provincial capital Zahedan, reportedly targeting members of
Irans elite Revolutionary Guards Corps, killing 28 people. The news
infuriated American officials who felt that Israel false flag operations could
endanger Americans lives, according to the report. Israel is playing with

933

fire. It gets us involved in their covert war, whether we want to be involved

or not.
The issue has now returned to the spotlight with the string of
assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists. The Mossad activities were
expected to further jeopardize the already tense relationship of the United
States with Pakistan. This was stupid and dangerous, the intelligence
official said, who first reported the operation to Foreign Policy magazine.
Israel is supposed to be working with us, not against us. If they want to
shed blood, it would help a lot if it was their blood and not ours. You know,
theyre supposed to be a strategic asset.
Next day, TheNation commented: Foreign Policy magazine has
claimed that in the recent past Mossad agents masquerading as American
CIA agents recruited militants for Jundallah, a militant organization
alleged to be behind attacks across Pakistan and Iran. Most of the
recruitments were made in England and the Mossad agents used US dollars
and US passports. American officials who reacted to the report stated that
they were most concerned about the brashness of the act.
Mossad operates in a way that leaves little difference with the
methods employed by terrorist organizations around the world. It has
been covertly carrying out bomb blasts, target killings, political
assassinations and much more across the Arab world during the past
decades. But now as the report in Foreign Policy unveils, it has been busy in
fomenting violence in Pakistan and Iran as well. There is no doubt that
Israel's antipathy towards Pakistan is due to its nuclear capability and it's
support of the Palestinian cause.
Mossad agents disguising themselves as CIA operatives must
have been mimicking an existing CIA practice of recruiting such
militants. Jundallah, it can be deduced is responsible for a number of
terrorist attacks that have claimed the lives of hundreds of people in Pakistan
and Iran. As revealed by Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Jundallah has
links with other dangerous terrorist organizations like the Tehrik-e-Taliban
Pakistan as well, something which provides us a peep into the sordid game
being played in the region. Consequently one wonders whether there is any
truth in reports alleging that Mossad are hand in glove with the TTP as part
of an ominous conspiracy against nuclear Pakistan.
The pity is that we have been ourselves putting our heads in the
noose, especially given the foolhardiness with which our government issued
visas to thousands of American CIA operatives, whose activities came to
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light with Raymond Davis episode. The aforementioned report only shows
that all this was the tip of the iceberg. Now we must watch our back against
Mossad agents as well.

REVIEW
Asfandyar, the grand son of Sarhadi Ghandi, representing the third
generation of Red Cappers read out a draft resolution in the Parliament in
which the House pledged support to democratic institutions. Reportedly, the
coalition partners had got deleted some words Zardari, Gilani and
confrontation of institutions from the script before it was read.
Initially, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi was asked to present the resolution
in the House but he declined; resultantly, Asfandyar volunteered to do the
needful. This was a gesture of gratitude on behalf of the Red Cappers, who
are deeply indebted to the Scoundrel for giving them the long sought
identity. He was, in fact, thanking Zardari for giving a name to his
Bangladesh before it was created by naming NWFP as KPK.
What the senior Red Capper read out did not specify as to against
which particular threat this support was being pledged. Was it against
external threat from India or the United States? Definitely, not so. It was
obviously against the internal threats apprehended to be emanating from
Army and Judiciary; or to say that it was against the threat posed by the
Generals and Judges.
These Generals and the Judges represent the only two institutions that
are left intact in the country as all others have been virtually dismantled by
those exacting democratic revenge. Or, borrowing the words of the
Scoundrel these institutions have been weakened, not destroyed; as yet.
To lay hand on Army and Judiciary, the Scoundrel and the Saint have
been persistently showing red rag to the Bulls. Some observers equated
their approach to an act of madness. Others tried to find some method in
their madness. The method seen in their acts of madness reflected their
earnest desire to attain the coveted status of political martyrdom.
The PPP claims and often boasts of being a party of shaheeds
(martyrs). These martyrs are not the ones that fall in the category of those
who lay their lives in the way of Allah; those who get killed in pursuit of
Islamic concept of Jihad. Shaheed jiyalas and jiyalis are the martyrs of
democracy; and that is not the democracy that is practiced around the

935

globe. It is not the democracy that produces a government of the people, by

the people and for the people.
Considering the nature of ethics and values practiced in democratic
politics in this part of the world, the list of Shaheeds includes all sorts of
people killed in pursuit of varying motives. Such as, those killed as result of
family enmity and even those convicted of committing heinous crime of
murder, or those burnt themselves and so on.
Zardari regime has its own interpretation of the word democracy and
it firmly believes in that interpretation and religiously practices. It is the
democracy which means rule of elected representative of people may they
be saints or scoundrels.
For them democracy means that those elected have irrevocable
contract to rule for a given period and they have licence to loot the national
assets during that period. It implies that the people only have the right to
choose the looters of their choice; their homeland has to be plundered in any
case.
It is the democracy which is above any mechanism and process of
accountability. It is the democracy that allows exacting revenge from those
who dare talking of accountability. The revenge from Army as it could pose
a threat to continuity of practicing this type of democracy. The revenge from
Judiciary as at times it threatens to dispense justice and punish the looters.
It was in anticipation of such dispensation of justice that head
plunderer gave call to flock of crows to join him to avert that threat. The
kogar kaan (raven) from the KPK was the first to join his voice. And, the
same day Associated Press reported that Gilani had recently contacted
British High Commissioner for help to pre-empt a possible military coup.
This was denied at the either end but it amply betrayed the evil
intentions of the Scoundrel and the Saint. They are all out to instigate the
Army to commit some kind of act that could justify seeking help from their
foreign masters to save the democracy.
In seeking the foreign help rests their desire to attain the status of a
Karzai or a Maliki and that can happen only in the presence of US boots on
Pakistani soil. It is to this end that the Scoundrel and the Saint keep coaxing
the soldiers to misbehave with them.
But within a day after crows expressed their intent to close their
ranks to repel any threat to curb their habit of poking their beaks in the filth,
one of the two threats appeared to be beating a retreat. Army chief went to
936

the Presidency and presented himself before the Supreme Commander of the
armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
What they talked about was not known but official version tried to
create an impression that the two discussed security matters and Zardari
assured Kayani that the state institutions would be strengthened. One thing
was certain that with the Army chief presenting himself before Zardari one
of the purposes of the Resolution that was read out by Asfandyar a day
earlier seemed to have been achieved.
The regime must have felt happy that it happened in time for the
message the crows had wanted to convey to the other threat that is likely to
emanate from the Supreme Court. The message for the judges was to keep
their urge of dispensing justice in check on 16th January.
The optimist observers saw the gesture of General Kayani as a step in
the right direction aimed at avoiding confrontation between state
institutions. This positive interpretation can be equated with the wisdom
seen by some optimists in the package of six options given by five-member
bench on 10th January. That wisdom was not seen by those for whom it was
meant and the wisdom in the gesture of COAS may meet similar fate.
The realists felt that in not too distant future the Scoundrel and the
Saint would again resort to ridiculing the Army and ISI. Through a series of
bouts of ridicule with intervals in-between they want the Army command to
get used to this phenomenon that could facilitate securing their
unconditional submission to the supremacy of the civilian rulers elected with
licence to loot.
In case the Generals react irrationally the scope for fulfillment of their
shouq-e-shahadat would be enhanced. The confirmation in this context
came when the baldy governor in Lahore reiterated the allegations leveled
by Gilani against two Generals.
The regime, however, has committed a strategic mistake by activating
two fronts simultaneously. This mistake is, probably, the outcome of covert
support it has been getting from its foreign masters. The compromise of
memo to Mullen and subsequent support from Americans prompted the
regime to take on the two adversaries openly.
The previous strategy of taking on the Judges overtly and working
against Generals covertly was clever and producing desired results. But, in
new policy the Scoundrel and the Saint could find it difficult to handle
fighting on two fronts despite the support of the superpower.
937

Certain sections of media shifted their focus from Gilani to Kayani

after the issue of press release by ISPR. They advised exercise of restraint on
the part of the Army. The advice is correct to the extent that a man should
not respond in kind when a dog barks at him. There are other ways to silence
the dog.
What should have General Kayani done and should do in future under
the circumstances? How long he can hold back when the regime bent upon
exacting democratic revenge has now started directly hurting his ego? Will
he and his commanders pass this test in the best national interests?
Before exploring answers to these questions one thing must be set
straight about what has been reported by foreign media. According to these
reports Kayani has conveyed Armys anger over Gilanis statement regarding
filing of affidavits in Memo case and he demanded clarification or
retraction.
General Kayani has lodged the complaint with wrong man, because
Zardari, the Scoundrel is the real culprit, not Gilani, the Saint. The evil force
behind every act of Gilani is that of Zardari. It is because of that the very
next day Gilani reacted by saying that he is not answerable to any individual.
The Army has to bear in mind that what the Scoundrel and the Saint
are doing is in vehement pursuit of the mission spelled out in the
memorandum to Mullen. It suits all political allies of the regime and even
some crows of PML-N, like Khwaja Asif has crocked in favour of Gilani by
supporting his action against defence secretary.
It is to the credit of military leadership that it has been resisting all
provocations, although it has been reaping what it had sown. The Army
seemed resolved not to grant status of martyrdom to the Scoundrel and the
Saint. It is inclined towards denying this honour to the regime and instead
perform unpleasant sanitary task after the stray dogs have been shot by the
mayor of the town; the Chief Justice.
16th January, 2012

938

CORRODED IDOLS
The society in which people, individually and collectively, lose faith
in God (Allah) and stop believing in the abilities bestowed upon them by
their Creator; starts indulging in carving out fake gods (idols). This is
common in Pakistan; the people make gods out of the dead and their graves
and start worshipping them.
Anything that can be of any benefit or solace is idolized in the
Subcontinent. Not only that, even those which could cause some kind of
harm are also worshipped by those suffering from their misconceived
weakness. That is why, at times, even scoundrels are elevated to that status.
Allama Iqbal devoted most of his philosophical poetry to eradicate
this evil tendency in the Muslims of the Subcontinent. His voice seemed to
have gone unheard as idol-carving has continued unabated. The latest feat in
this context was accomplished during Lawyers Movement.
The people are not only proficient in idol-carving, but also excel in
discarding or even smashing them. The idols carved more than four years
ago, however, were not smashed, but crumbled one by one due to corrosion
from within, because of the quality of the material these were made of. The
latest idol that has bitten dust has been Aitzaz Ahsan.
On 19th January, he came to the Supreme Court in a car driven by
Prime Minister; his client with accusation of committing the contempt
against the court headed by Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry. Little less than
five years ago he used to drive the car of Chief Justice in a Movement for
restoration of Judiciary, which was sent packing by a military dictator.
The cause pursued now and then has been apparently contrasting; then
he was fighting for a nobler cause of helping an aggrieved party and now he
was defending a man suspected of committing a heinous crime. The fact is

939

that the latest events have proved that even then he was working on the
instructions of his party leader Benazir in pursuit of political motives.
During the days of Lawyers Movement the people appreciated his
pretensions so much that they carved an idol out of an ordinary mortal.
When he came out of the court-room that day he witnessed the smashing of
his idol by his own comrades in black coats who shouted slogans against
him for becoming a turncoat. The next idol that may crumble would be of
the Chief Justice of Pakistan. It may take some time to happen, but the
people who had carved that idol have already stopped worshipping him.

NEWS
On 15th January, Pakistan Railways planned to repair as many as 200
locomotives in a period of one year as department has almost managed Rs10
billion in this regard. Among these 200 locomotives, 96 will be repaired
from the recently received bank loan of Rs6 billion while rest of locomotives
would be overhauled by spending Rs4 billion being generated through
different private companies. Meanwhile, Zulfikar Mirzas son was given
PPP ticket for Badin by-poll.
Next day, seven-member bench of the apex court, presided over by
Justice Nasirul Mulk, heard the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO)
implementation case. The AGP told that he had informed all concerned
authorities about the court's directives about writing letter to Swiss officials
but did not get any response from them. Justice Nasirul Mulk observed that
the AGP was not to convey the orders but to get instructions from the
concerned officials about writing letter to the Swiss officials.
Justice Asif Saeed Khosa assailed the AGP over presenting the case
without getting a response from the government. He said comments were
made on the judgment of the court without reading it and whether it should
be considered by the court that the officials were not prepared to say
anything and the court may issue the orders as it deems appropriate.
Justice Mulk directed the AG to proceed with his arguments over the
six scenarios put forward by the apex court. In response, the attorney general
said he cannot say anything. Despite the 20 minutes break the AG could not
present government's view point after which the court issued contempt
notice to the prime minister and fixed hearing for the 19th of January.
Law Minister Maula Bux Chandio said that the government would
consult lawyers with respect to the court's notice and that whatever would be
940

done would be in accordance with the law and constitution. Meanwhile,

NAB Chairman Fasih Bukhari apologized unconditionally to the court
saying that he was given wrong advice.
Calling Zardari the biggest thief, Imran Khan while talking to the
media at Sukkur Airport said that the government was sabotaging the courts
in order to hide its thefts. The PTI chief stated that only the constitution is
supreme and not the parliament. Reiterating his partys support for the
judiciary, Imran Khan said that PTI is standing with the chief justice and the
Supreme Court.
In the coalition partners met in PM House and decided to stand
together and that the Prime Minister would appear before the bench on 19th
January. Zardari thanked the coalition partners for expressing their
confidence on the government. He said that relations with the army and the
judiciary were getting better and political situation would get better soon
adding that the parliament is supreme and coalition partner's role is
important.
The National Assembly passed pro-democracy resolution with
majority vote despite resistance from the opposition, which staged a walkout
saying the amendments proposed by them were not entertained. PML-N,
PML-Q Like-minded and PPP-Sherpao boycotted the vote declaring the
resolution is an effort to save certain personalities and an attempt to use
Parliament to take on other institutions.
Speaking after the voting, Prime Minister congratulated the house on
the passage of resolution. He ruled out clash with army or judiciary, but said
nobody has the right to bulldoze peoples mandate. He once again warned
that if democracy is sent packing, all will go together. He also recounted
achievements of his government and hardships he endured.
Earlier, after the rejection of the proposed amendments in the draft
resolution, Leader of Opposition made it clear that they would not let
anyone put the whole system and the Parliament at stake for an individual
and would not become part of the government in undermining or settling
their scores with any institution using the platform of the Parliament. He at
the same time saw no threat to democracy.
The ruling coalition had been in interaction with PML-N legislators
both in the house and outside in the lobby to evolve consensus on the prodemocracy resolution but could not convince the N-Leaguers to withdraw
their proposed amendments. The amendments presented by the N-League
about implementation of all the previous resolutions of the Parliament, and
941

complete adherence to the decision of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and to

spruce up the governance with the aim to resolve the problems confronting
the masses were turned down by the government.
Aftab Sherpao said that there was no need to present such a
resolution. In a surprising development Jamiat-I-Ulema-I-Islam(Fazal) MNA
Liaq Mohammad Khan stunned the house by saying that his party
considered the resolution a right step in right direction and that they had
extended full support to it. Meanwhile, Habib Wahabul Khairi filed a
petition in the Supreme Court seeking disqualification of Zardari and Gilani.
On 17th January, Aitzaz Ahsan was appointed counsel for Prime
Minister in Contempt of Court case against Prime Minister. The Supreme
Court suspended the licence of Babar Awan and adjourned the proceedings
of ZAB case till appointment of new lawyer. The court also sought all
academic qualification certificates of Awan.
When Babar came out of the court-room the crows chanted in his
favour as if he had accomplished a great feat. He was invited to the
Presidency to be honoured with his reappointment as Minister of Law. The
Chairman Senate was informed was requested to suspend the proceedings
because Muala Bux Chandio has resigned.
Aitzaz Ahsan contacted Gilani and declined to be his counsel if Babar
Awan was appointed as law minister. Gilani contacted Zardari and
convinced him not to appoint Babar as law minister for the time being.
Chandio was told on telephone to withdraw his resignation and he told
media that he had not submitted his resignation nor was he asked to resign.
Imran Khan said the incumbent government could not resolve any
issue because the government itself was a problem for the country. He added
PML-N and PPP had no chance to win the next general elections, even if
they decide to contest the polls hand in hand. Earlier in Kahuta, former
Tehsil nazim Tariq Murtaza and 40 other former nazims and naib nazims
announced joining PTI.
MQM tabled a bill in the National Assembly proposing the 20 th
Amendment in the Constitution for the creation of new provinces. Former
ambassador to Riyadh joined MQM. Fawad Chaudhry resigned from
Musharrafs party for not following democratic norms in decision-making.
Nawaz visited Pir Jo Goth and said rulers were threat to democracy.
Next day, Aitzaz Ahsan reiterated that President Zardari enjoys
immunity in the country and abroad in all criminal cases. He said the
942

immunity is notified and guaranteed in the Constitution. About immunity for

Musharraf, the lawyer said the former president didnt have it, because, there
were civil cases against him.
Aitzaz, however, suggested the premier should write to Swiss
authorities for reopening graft cases against President Zardari to avoid being
charged with contempt. Though he insisted PM was not guilty of contempt
and President Zardari enjoys immunity in Pakistan and abroad. Aitzaz
admitted that PPP leaders had given objectionable statements against
judiciary which he resisted in party meetings.
The PPP leadership has directed the provincial and district leaders of
the party to ensure maximum presence of the party workers during the
hearing in the Supreme Court. This showed that though Gilani himself is
most likely to look and act humble in the court, the party intends to turn
todays hearing into quite a show with a strong presence of PPP and allied
parties.
Many legal experts disagreed with the new-found logic of Aitzaz.
Former chief justice, Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui, told a foreign news agency
that Gilani could either resign or comply with the courts order. Political and
security analyst Imtiaz Gul agreed that the prime minister had no choice but
to satisfy the judges or face dismissal. One compromise might be to write to
the Swiss about the case while pointing out that Zardari has immunity and
cannot be proceeded against.
Addressing a public gathering in Sargodha Nawaz Sharif said people
who were deceiving countrys youth where he had never done that He
vowed to establish a new Pakistan if the people supported him. Rana
Sanaullah said that PML-N would not resign from assemblies as it would
provide the PPP an opportunity to constitute its favourite setup.
The Supreme Court dismissed the NAB appeal against Sharif brothers
and ordered it to release all their assets. NAB Prosecutor General KK Agha
appeared before the court and argued against the verdict of LHC saying that
this way any one can come to get their assets released, but the court upheld
that verdict.
The government introduced 20th Amendment bill in the National
Assembly to give legal cover to the parliamentarians elected in by-elections
after passage of 18th Amendment. In the statement of objects and reasons, it
is stated that in the judgment of the Supreme Court in the Constitutional
Petition No 32/2009 had made certain observations due to which it had

943

become necessary to amend the constitution for the said period. Meanwhile,
Acting Chairman of Ogra resigned because of PPP pressure.
On 19th January, Prime Minister appeared before the Supreme Court
on contempt of court notice and said President Zardari has complete
immunity inside and outside the country under Article 248, but the sevenmember bench insisted that the court should be satisfied over the immunity
issue. He told the bench he has all respect for the honourable court. The
court exempted him from appearing in person but told to submit detailed
reply on February 1.
Given the media hype created over the issue, it was a great deal of
fuss over something unimportant. But analysts warned the PPP enthusiasts
against going for any merrymaking as the breather has brought along a more
grievous thing the question of presidential immunity has finally landed in
the apex court which the government has so far been avoiding.
Prime Minister arrived at the court by driving the car himself. Fifteen
federal ministers, Sindh and GB CMs, Punjab and KPK Governors and a
large number of PPP workers gathered at the Supreme Court. Asfandyar and
Shujaat were also there to show solidarity with the accused but MQM was
conspicuously missing.
After the Prime Minister statement, his counsel Aitzaz Ahsan
addressed the court. He argued it was unnecessary to issue contempt of court
notice to the PM for not writing to the Swiss. Not writing the letter does not
require criminal proceeding against the premier, he added. He said his client
bona fide and genuinely believes that the president has immunity and
therefore there was no need to write to the Swiss authorities.
The court asked the learned counsel to satisfy the court on the issue of
immunity. Upon that Aitzaz said he had appeared in the case wherein
contempt of court has been issued to his client. But he said he would try to
also satisfy the court on that count. Aitzaz informed the court that the PM
has to go by the advice and summary of secretary law. But unfortunately no
proper advice or summary submitted to him on the issue. Justice Osmany
said that lot officials including chairman NAB got wrong advice.
The court observed that till today there was an impression that the
government willfully disobeyed the NRO judgment. Aitzaz replied that the
prime minister had no willful intention to disobey the courts order. Aitzaz
said the PM has not committed willful disobedience but is handicapped. He
said Mr Yousuf Raza Gilani has taken oath to uphold the constitution. Justice
Khosa remarked for the last two years the secretary has been asked about the
944

summary on non-implementation and his stance has always been that he had
submitted the summary but no reply was received from the relevant
authority.
Aitzaz said in order to submit reply he needs at least one month,
saying he has to obtain lot of documents from the law secretary, who is
abroad, and the record from NAB. Justice Nasir said the most of the
documents are on the record, adding you could get the record from the
secretary-incharge. Aitzaz said the court has shown grace in PCO cases and
therefore give him some time as he has to go through lot of files, adding the
court is also bound by the constitution and the Article 5 says not to rush.
After the hearing Aitzaz addressed the media. As he was talking to
journalists the lawyers loyal to Chief Justice gathered and chanted slogans
chief teiray jan nisar beshamar and loton ka jo yar hai ghadar hai ghadar
hai (CJP there are lot of loyalists of you and friend of turncoat are traitors).
Aitzaz Ahsan said Justice Iftikhar is also his chief justice and those who
were chanting slogans are his friends.
Another bench barred the ECP from holding by-polls, scheduled on
February 20, on seven seats of National and Provincial Assemblies of Punjab
and Sindh on existing voter lists. A three-member bench, headed by Chief
Justice heard the petitions moved by Imran Khan and late Benazir Bhutto for
the excluding the bogus votes from electoral rolls.
Nawaz Sharif said that all the cases constituted against Zardari during
his regime were real and not on political basis. Zardari and Gilani hosted a
thanksgiving dinner for allies. The federal government defroze bank
accounts of Kazmi.
Next day, the Supreme Court gave four days to DG FIA and warned of
criminal action if he failed to arrest PMs ex-media adviser Mian Khuram
Rasool, who has swindled over Rs430 million from Karachi-based business
concern on the pretext of arranging petroleum export licence to NATO
forces.
The government increased the fares of goods trains by 30 per cent and
was all set to give further boost to LPG price. PIA was sustaining Rs70
million loss per day. The government planned to get Rs163 billion loan to
sort out circular debt. KESC workers carried out protest rally over nonimplementation of July 26 Accord. Three people were killed in incidents of
violence in Karachi. Five Punjab MPAs elected on women reserve seats
were booked over fake degrees. FIR was registered by Election
Commission.
945

Musharraf took U-turn on homecoming and announced delay in his

come back to Pakistan. He delayed his return on the advice of his friends.
Reports of his arrest on arrival on account of cases registered against him
also surfaced lately. Musharraf denied seeking US help to avoid arrest.
On 21st January, Chief Justice said the Supreme Court functions in its
own constitutional domain. Addressing at Karachi Registry of Supreme
Court, he said that the Supreme Court has always worked within the
constitutional limits and it is the responsibility of lawyers and every citizen
to protect the constitution and to obey the law.
PPP instructed its hawks to keep mum over Supreme Court cases.
Government eased stock market rules to spur trade. Sindh government was
spending over Rs10 billion on ghost employees annually who are working
under fake computerized national identity cards.

VIEWS
On 16th January, Asad Hashim observed: Everything is coming to a
head for the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). It is faced with a
judiciary that has seemingly lost patience with its government, a vocal
opposition clamouring for early parliamentary elections, a growing civilianmilitary divide, and a relationship with Washington that blows more cold
than hot.
Even so, analysts believe there is an interesting, and not entirely
negative, shift at play within Pakistans complex political dynamics. In
the latest wave of crises, all intersecting in the past week, Pakistans state
institutions appear to be evolving in their responses to challenges.
For example, the Supreme Court has taken on an independent, activist
role and the army has assumed a more withdrawn position. The political
opposition has put forth vocal, at times vitriolic, criticism that targets the
ruling party, but simultaneously leaves no room for an undemocratic
transition, such as the military coup detats seen in the past. The situation is
complex, but no matter which way you slice the data, it looks bad for the
PPP.
Asad talked of legal challenges namely Memogate scandal and
NRO case. He then mentioned civilian governments tense relationship with
the military. He also discussed developing new responses emanating due to
evolution of institutions and added: On Monday, the national assembly
convenes once more to debate a motion reposing confidence in the current
946

government. The political opposition, the numbers suggest, does not have
enough votes for any no-confidence motion to pass, although its leaders
continue to press for early elections.
Analysts say any compromise could involve polls earlier than March
2013 (when they are scheduled), as long as the PPP is allowed to hold the
Senate elections as scheduled on March 2 this year. Through the indirect
vote, the PPP is projected to win an unprecedented number of seats in
the upper house.
A full bench of the Supreme Court will also meet on Monday to
deliberate over what action, if any, the court is willing to sanction against the
prime minister and his government over the NRO case. As the heat increases
in the crucible of Pakistani politics, the current democratically elected
government would appear, for the moment at least, to be lurching
onwards.
Next day, Mubashir Hassan observed: After the Supreme Court
charged the Prime Minister of Pakistan with contempt in NRO
implementation case, the latter is left with only two options and both are
equally fatal for the government unless court exercises restraint to bail it out
by reviving the almost buried principal of doctrine of necessity. Prime
Minister Gilani virtually finds himself between the rock and the hard
place after start of the contempt proceedings against him.
As he appears before the court on January 19, the prime minister has
the option to present Article 248 of the Constitution before the court and
plead that since the President enjoyed immunity from prosecution under
the Constitution, he would not write a letter to the Swiss court regarding reopening of the cases. He may also say that since two of the co-accusedBegum Nusrat Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto were no more in the world, the
Swiss court cannot be asked to re-open the case.
If the PM takes this position before the court in his defence, the court
may, inter alia, either punish the prime minister for committing contempt or
constitute a bench to decide the issue of immunity for the president. Now, if
the court exercises the first option, the PM will lose his membership of the
National Assembly as well as his office. But still there would be no escape
from writing the letter to the Swiss court. The new prime minister will
have to comply with the court orders in this regard.
But if the court picks up second option of deciding immunity of
the president, the PM would be safe for the time being till the matter is
decided by the court. But again, the PM would have to comply with the
947

orders if the apex court gives its verdict against the immunity. There is little
possibility that the SC will hold that president enjoyed immunity from
prosecution given the fact that it would not have asked the government to
write the letter in its judgment on NRO case had it believed so.
The second option before the prime minister is to seek
unconditional apology and give assurance to the court that he was ready
to write the letter. In this case, the PM and his government would be safe,
but the president would be in trouble, something the PM may not like to
happen. He is less likely to go for this option unless he is made to believe
that Swiss court would not re-open the case saying that it had become timebarred.
Given the limited options the prime minister has under the given
situation, the only way to get out of the predicament is that court observes
restraint to bail out the government. Otherwise, the both the PM and the
president along with the government are bound to land in serious
trouble.
TheNation commented: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has been
summoned by the Supreme Court to answer a contempt charge on January
19 The timing is such that the only answer to the present crisis is a fresh
election. Mr Gilani should realize that, while a dissolution, which only he
can advise, may not make the court cases disappear, it will certainly
bring the nation out of the crisis in which it presently finds itself, where
the government finds itself in confrontation with two institutions of state.
The government must be much more careful than it has been so far in
managing matters. It should be aware that its worst failure of governance has
not been getting into the confrontations it has, but of failing to solve the
problems of the ordinary citizen, who is afflicted by inflation and energy
shortages even if he has a job. The Prime Minister has little alternative to
appearing before the Supreme Court, as he has agreed to do, something for
which there is a precedent, set by Mian Nawaz Sharif. However, if the nation
is to be brought out of the crisis in which it is plunged, the Prime Minister
must recognize that the nation is more important than any individual,
and act accordingly.
The News wrote: Everyone expected fireworks on January 16 and
fireworks they got. After the attorney general told the Supreme Court bench
hearing the National Reconciliation Ordinance implementation case that he
had no instructions from the government in response to the six options put
forward by the apex court, the bench issued Prime Minister Gilani a
948

contempt of court notice and directed him to appear before the court on
January 19. A few hours later the government, having consulted with its
allies, decided the prime minister would face the court. Before the
governments decision, and responding to the courts directives, the law
minister had said the government would consult its lawyers and take a
decision in accordance with the law and Constitution. If the law is what is at
stake here, then let it be said that the government given its blatant
refusal to implement sundry Supreme Court orders, including in the
NRO case has become the very antithesis of rule of law, and Mondays
contempt notice thus makes perfect sense.
Indeed, under Article 204(2) of the Constitution, the SC has the
power to punish any person who (a) abuses, interferes with or obstructs the
process of the court in any way or disobeys any order of the court; (b)
scandalizes the court or otherwise does anything which tends to bring the
court or a judge of the court into hatred, ridicule or contempt. The law is
thus clear on the matter: by not writing a letter to Swiss authorities, the
prime minister has indeed interfered with and obstructed the process of
the implementation of the NRO verdict and hence violated his oath and
disobeyed the courts orders, which by law constitutes contempt of court. As
for what could possibly happen on Jan 19 when, and if, the prime minister
shows up at court, and refuses to write the Swiss letter he could stand to
become ineligible to be a member of parliament. Under Article 62(1)(f), a
person is not qualified to be elected or chosen as a member of parliament
unless he is sagacious, righteous and non-profligate, honest andthere
being no declaration to the contrary by a court of law. Similarly, Article
63(1)(g) says a person shall be disqualified from being elected or chosen as,
and from being, a member of parliament if he has been convicted by a court
of competent jurisdiction for propagating any opinion, or acting in any
manner, prejudicial tothe integrity or independence of the judiciary of
Pakistan, or which defames or brings into ridicule the judiciary. If in the
future proceedings the court does convict the PM, a declaration in terms of
clause (f) of Article 62(1) may have the effect of a permanent clog on the
prime ministers qualification as a member of parliament or a provincial
assembly.
Somewhat similar oaths as that of the PM have also been taken by
the co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party before entering the office of
the president and by the federal law minister, and apparent breaches of their
oaths may also entail the same consequences. Prime Minister Gilani had
said on Sunday that he was only accountable before parliament and the
949

people of Pakistan. The PM also has to answer to the court now. NAB
Chairman Fasih Bokhari has tendered an unconditional apology to the court
for not implementing its orders in the NRO case. In this way Bokhari may
have saved himself from a contempt verdict and other consequent decisions.
Will the PM also make the right choice?
Dr Haider Mehdi opined: What the present democratic dispensation
in Pakistan has done so far, inclusive of the ruling party, its partners, as well
as the friendly opposition, is to deliver political chaos and political
alienation for the nation, eroded justice and economic instability, fear of a
viable future, mayhem and indiscriminate killings of its innocent citizens, a
proxy war for the benefit of a powerful block of nations, mounting debts,
and the polarization between vital national institutions. All of this in the
service of their vested self-interest. And yet, they depict democracy as a
holy cow of Pakistan, as if it will disappear overnight if they are not
allowed indefinite political power.
What todays Pakistan needs is a transitional ideology of politics: A
democratic dispensation committed to concerted political actions, synergy,
political courage, a visionary appreciation of a transformational change in
the political culture, and a revolutionary zealousness to enact a
fundamental economic-political-socio-cultural agenda powerful,
meticulously planned, and yet completely practical in its possibilities to be
fully implemented.
The days of bol-bachan democracy are over. It is time for the nation
to say farewell to the Zardaris, Gilanis, Mians, Bhais, Chaudarys and
the rest of their clans: Their political perceptions are in contradiction to the
political realities of Pakistan and its peoples democratic wishes and
aspirations. Will a third political force emerge in Pakistan in line with the
democratic aspirations of the Pakistani people? Behold I give unto you
power to tread on serpentsand nothing shall by any means hurt you (from
a holy script).
S Tariq wrote: We witnessed the demise of our national airline and
our railway system at the hands of what may be the most corrupt tenure of
an elected government in our national history. We passed endless days and
nights without gas and power, and stared with bated breath as law and order
was flouted and court verdicts were mocked with impunity. We watched all
this silently in the knowledge that there remained two institutions still
untouched by the rot, which could be relied upon to look adversity in

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the eye and stand true to their oaths the higher judiciary and the armed
forces.
Not surprisingly, we saw both these institutions come under attack
from within the government and responsible figures in the ruling party.
It all began when decisions by the apex court of Pakistan, affecting the right
to rule of the present government, were ignored and even mocked. And then
came the memogate with its attendant stink.
The nation at large termed the wording of the memo as putting
sovereignty on sale. The army correctly visualized the impact this would
generate on the morale of the officers and men, who were laying down their
lives in the ongoing war against militancy, and the resultant effects this
would have on their performance. The men in khaki, therefore, insisted that
an enquiry into the affair be held and the persons found guilty of
perpetrating the act, be held accountable We are today in a state of an
uneasy stalemate as far as conflict with the army is concerned, but now
the battle has swung towards the judiciary.
The Prime Minister has been issued with a contempt of court notice
and has been asked to appear in person before the honourable judges of the
Supreme Court The political pundits are of the opinion that the
honourable way out would be to set a democratic precedence and appear in
person before the court, or to choose the path of resigning from office. If
media reports are to be believed, then a decision has already been taken in
the corridors of power to sacrifice Mr Gilani and edify him as a loyal
worker, who went down for the sake of democracy. The twist is that no
matter who the new PM is, he will have to implement the court decisions on
the NRO and come to terms with the memo issue.
Whatever be the scenario, the PPP must take a realistic look
around and realize that things have changed in Pakistan since the times
of Mr Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. The charisma of
the party that brought the two great leaders into power has been challenged
by new political forces and an electorate that is even today being weaned
away from the PPP vote bank. And all this is due to poor governance and a
premier, who did not have the astuteness to live in the real world.
The lines have been drawn in the present crises a large part of
the nation, the political opposition and two great institutions have chosen to
uphold the rule of law and the Constitution, while the government and its
allies appear to be lost at sea in a world of fantasy.

951

We have seen our Chief Executive lose his head and commit political
faux pas after faux pas and for the sake of the country; I hope this doesnt
happen again. On the other side, the apex court and the army have so far
demonstrated level-headedness. A lot now depends on how our man from
Multan responds to the highest judicial forum in the country on the
nineteenth of January.
On 18th January, TheNation observed: The National Assembly
meeting on Monday evening passed a resolution, which reiterated that the
future of the country and the well being of the people lay in democracy
An overwhelming majority in the country would not question the wisdom
that democracy is key to peoples well being, as the resolution maintains,
provided democracy is practiced in the real sense of the word. Many an
eyebrow would, however, be raised on its claim that Pakistans present
political leadership has strengthened democracy. Speaking on the floor of
the House after the resolution had been passed Prime Minister Gilani
asserted that no one had the right to nullify the peoples verdict, as he
bemoaned that the first democratically elected Prime Minister was being
targeted. Besides, he denied that there was any intention to provoke a clash
with either the judiciary or the army. He claimed that he had endured
hardship for the sake of judiciary and always held it in high esteem.
Never has he been able to clarify, though, how his claim for respect
of the judiciary could be justified in the light of his governments persistent
defiance of its verdicts. Also, the contents of the resolution, all state
institutions must strictly function within the limits imposed on them by the
Constitution, echoed Mr Gilanis several earlier utterances, which tended to
question the Supreme Courts jurisdiction about the implementation of the
judgment on NRO. The Prime Ministers insistence that the architect of
the NRO should be arrested also sounds quite strange; for, he
conveniently ignores the parties to the ordinance and, most importantly, its
beneficiaries.
Mr Gilani says that he will appear before it out of respect because
he has been summoned by it. It is difficult to predict how the court would
react to him. The government appears to be in a tight spot. A resolution
in favour of democracy is just that. It is not a vote of confidence in the Prime
Minister or his government and should not be taken as such.
In another editorial the newspaper added: The Supreme Court on
Tuesday suspended the licence to practice of the PMs Legal Adviser Dr
Babar Awan Dr Awans act of contempt was an act of bravado, because
952

it did not really help the government. His speech apparently contained
intent to refuse to obey a court order, apart from maligning the court. The
Supreme Court has set up the commission which the government did not,
despite Dr Awans announcement. Though Dr Awan succeeded to the Law
Ministry because of his loyalty to the President, his own antics have actually
benefited him less
Dr Awan faces not just removal from the Bhutto case, which he
resigned from the cabinet to contest, but also disqualification as a Senator, if
he is convicted of contempt. He should therefore do whatever is necessary to
purge himself of his contempt and satisfy the court. He should also keep in
mind that others need to avoid contempt only to reach the assemblies, but his
livelihood as a lawyer depends on avoiding it. The party to which Dr Awan
belongs, the PPP, should also contemplate whether the deeds of a single
individual are worth the so-called sacrifices of senior members. If the
Gilani government intends, in the phrase of the law courts, to purge itself of
the contempt, it should buckle down to ensuring that not only the court
verdicts are obeyed, but are seen to be obeyed.
Next day, Ikram Sehgal observed: With Yusuf Raza Gilani hell-bent
on becoming a sacrificial lamb for Zardaris $60 million, the hour of
judgment has come for the man from Multan. A seven-member bench of the
Supreme Court hearing the NRO implementation case, headed by Justice
Nasirul Mulk, ruled that the show-cause notice being under Sub-section 2 of
Section 17 of the Contempt of Court Ordinance, 2007, the prime minister
should appear personally before the court on Jan 19 to ask why he should
not be proceeded in contempt of court.
Despite the reconciliatory gesture of having Aitzaz Ahsan, a man
well respected by the Supreme Court and one of the best legal brains of the
country, to represent him (and ironically someone who could well replace
him as prime minister), we will know today if the rule of law is supreme
in the country and not the law of the jungle that, with Gilanis active help,
Zardari and his cronies have introduced in Pakistan, and in the name of
democracy.
As Justice (r) Fakhruddin G Ebrahim aptly stated, when the rule of
law is not obeyed anarchy will step in. That creeping anarchy has now
gathered momentum in the situation prevailing in Pakistan. Going by the
vacillation, inconsistency and legal obstructionism that have become the
hallmark of the PPP-led coalition government in matters before the Supreme
Court, one cannot be certain what is going to come next. To quote Chaudhry
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Shujaat Hussain: There are elements in the PPP which want the
government to become a political martyr by locking in a fight and this
obsession is driving them to be into the combat mode.
The prime minister may not have outdone Babar Awan, who is in a
class of his own, in ridiculing the apex court. But given his open defiance,
how can anyone expect the people to respect the laws of the country? Even
through the Supreme Court has exercised tremendous judicial restraint and
pragmatism against the tactics employed by this government, contemptuous
arrogance appears to have now become the rule. The temporary suspension
of Babar Awans licence had no effect on him. He continued to flout the
basic tenets of his vocation. Babar Awan reflects the governments fake
credentials of democracy, the PPPs frontline lawyer shamelessly
continues to repeat the blatant lie that he has a PhD degree! On this count
alone, he should be barred from politics, let alone be allowed to practice law.
Indeed, why did Babar Awan head for the presidency directly afterwards?
Only because
The people of Pakistan continue to suffer from problems that
warrant immediate attention and remedy. The economic decline threatens
the very fabric of the nation. The chronic energy shortages promise only
darker days, and the on-going militancy threatens not only our way of life
but our very existence. Instead of coping with a vast array of domestic
challenges from growing public frustrations about crippling power cuts,
gas sabotages, etc., to widespread poverty and corruption, our elected
representatives are bent upon engaging in an effort to cling on to power and
perpetuate their corrupt rule. What should one make of the pro-democracy
resolution passed by the National Assembly on Jan 16?
The constitutional clause that the prime minister faces before the
Supreme Court reads: A person shall be disqualified from being elected or
chosen as and from being a member of parliament if he has been convicted
by a court of competent jurisdiction for propagating any opinion or acting in
any manner prejudicial to the ideology or the sovereignty, integrity or
security of Pakistan, or independence of the judiciary of Pakistan, or which
defames or brings into ridicule the judiciary or the armed forces of Pakistan,
unless a period of five years has elapsed since his release. As Zardaris
sacrificial offering, Gilani can himself have no doubt that he not only is
guilty of all of the above on Zardaris count, he has much to answer for
on his own account. This democracy has become hostage to nepotism and
corruption.

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Gilani has now only one option (and that may be the route Aitzaz
Ahsan will certainly advise) tender an apology to the court, and at the
same time write the letter to the Swiss authorities to reopen the moneylaundering cases against Zardari. But how can Gilani agree to this when
Zardari has himself publicly said that this will not happen? In parliament
Gilani continued to play to the gallery, saying neither army nor judiciary
can derail system. His erratic behaviour will certainly derail him, sooner
rather than later
As for presidential immunity, while my good friend Aitzaz Ahsan
was brilliantly arguing against President Musharrafs immunity claims under
Article 248 of the Constitution, he very correctly asked that if Hazrat Umar
(RA) could be questioned about his robe why President Musharraf could not
be held accountable? He said: According to Article 248, the president and
the governor could not be made party in criminal cases, they could not be
arrested; but if any of their acts are contrary to the law, they have no
protection under Article 248 of the Constitution. They enjoy no immunity in
this case. Can my good friend Aitzaz kindly remember Hazrat Umar
(RA) today? Whatever Aitzaz may now argue before the Supreme Court,
Gilani has lost the last vestiges of his moral authority to remain prime
minister.
On 20th January, TheNation observed: Prime Minister Gilani
appeared before the Supreme Court Aitzaz Ahsan pleaded that since the
President enjoyed immunity against criminal cases in the country as
well as abroad, no letter could be written to the Swiss authorities for reopening the corruption cases against him. Once he was no longer the
President, The letter shall be written, he argued. Interestingly, before he
had taken up the case, Mr Ahsan had been emphatic in claiming that the
letter has to be written to comply with the court orders. Not surprisingly, he
had to encounter loud slogans against him being chanted by a group of
lawyers, as he came out of the court building. The government was not to be
left behind. Another group of lawyers and PPP supporters shouted slogans in
favour of the President and the Prime Minister.
Analysts have pointed out that either by design or unintentionally the
arguments put forward both by Mr Gilani and Mr Ahsan before the court for
not writing the letter could shift the focus of the court from the contempt
case against the Prime Minster to the question of immunity of the
President. The government, though crying hoarse on the floor of the
National Assembly and elsewhere that Article 248 of the Constitution
accorded complete immunity to the President, was reluctant to seek the
955

Supreme Courts opinion on the issue, for fear that in case it held it
otherwise, the government would lose the only argument it had against
writing to the Swiss authorities. The court had, however, clearly mentioned
in one of its judgments that anyone claiming immunity was required to
obtain its verdict.
M A Niazi opined: It should not be underestimated how serious a
danger the Prime Minister was in. The issuing of a show cause notice by
any court, leave alone the Supreme Court, is because the court has in its
mind convicted the contemner. The notice is issued only because the court
wishes to see if there might be any other construction placed on the
contemners behaviour. There are two major areas of contempt: Scandalizing
the court, usually by making allegations against it or any of its judges, or
disobeying its orders. Here, the court has not been scandalized, with the
Prime Minister having always made the most fulsome expressions of
respect. Its orders were not being obeyed. Such a notice is normally issued
in response to an application by an interested party, after the court has made
out that there has, indeed, been a refusal to obey. No court, let alone the
Supreme Court, looks on disobedience of its orders with favour, as
obedience of its orders is the only means it has of justifying its existence.
A court is there to adjudicate disputes and it can only do so if the
decisions it makes are enforced by the executive. If it is rendered uncertain
about whether its decisions are obeyed or not, it will be unable to enforce the
rule of law, which it has an intrinsic interest in enforcing. It is for that reason
that dictators try and take control of the judiciary, in their search for
legitimacy. However, as has been shown by Pakistani history, this
compromising of the judicial function, where exception is made to the rule
of law, prevents the public from granting legitimacy. Politicians seek
legitimacy in their being elected, and only hold to the rule of law
because they make the laws, and because the concept of the rule of law
means their rule, not of any adventurer strong enough to take over.
Therefore, as the Prime Minister indicated, politicians support the rule of
law, and undermine it only at their own peril.
However, where elections give politicians control over both
legislative and executive branches, the military, within the executive, in
Pakistan, wants to have a special place, with a veto over defence and foreign
policy. It is often said about the military that it represents another medium of
modernization. As that too is one of the roles of the PPP, there is a basic
rivalry at work. As the PPP has not had itself backed by either the
judiciary or the military, it is willing to take on both of them.
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It would seem that the PPP would avoid a confrontation with both the
judiciary and the military, but it should be kept in mind that both were
involved in the two dismissals of PPP governments after the Zia martial law.
The dismissals were by the President, but they were both upheld by the
Supreme Court, and both were supported by the military. However, the PPP
should have seen a shifting of the paradigm in the earlier presidential
dismissal of the Nawaz government, in which the Supreme Court overturned
the presidential decision. The court may be seen as trying for the rule of
law, no matter what the law, or how unpopular it might be. Similarly, the
military on all occasions, was merely obeying the lawfully constituted
authority, the President. Neither the judiciary nor the military accept the
party as any kind of authority
Azam Khalil wrote: The Prime Minister has been correctly and
repeatedly saying that difference of opinion between the government, the
army or the judiciary should not be construed, as if they are fighting with
one another. Therefore, one hopes that the government will follow the law
and not hesitate to implement the orders issued by the superior
judiciary. On their part, the judges, too, are expected to dispense justice and
there should be no reservation on any issue. It is only then that the rule of
law will prevail in Pakistan.
But then again, regrettably, the political parties are busy in point
scoring even on this issue and there is a danger that a legal issue maybe
politicized. That may result in the erosion of authority that is due to various
pillars of the State. However, for those who want to relish in confrontation, it
is essential that a loud and clear message is sent to them by all stakeholders:
That the salvation of this country lies in compromise and tolerance. These
two characteristics are essential, if the State organs are to move towards
institutionalization. Otherwise, adhocism will prevail leaving all in a weak
position.
One can understand that all democratic institutions of the country
are passing through a period of transition and the present problems
will, indeed, be resolved with the passage of time. This could have
happened earlier, if the political, administrative, judicial and military
leadership of this country had learnt their lessons. But since that did not
happen, many issues keep returning that lead to confusion and despondency
among a large segment of the society.
The News commented: The theatrics that some had anticipated as
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani appeared in court in the contempt case
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against him did not occur on Thursday morning. Of course they could occur
later down the line as the historic case continues after a two-week
adjournment Whatever happens to PM Gilani in the courtroom in the
coming days and after today his days as Pakistans prime minister are
surely going to be a lot harder what is clear is that his government is in
serious trouble. While the SC has adjourned the hearing till Feb 1, the
political crisis over corruption cases and presidential immunity remains
unresolved and threatens to be this governments undoing. Defending
himself against contempt charges before the SC, the prime minister refused
to apologize in a case that could see him disqualified from office if
convicted. In terms of form, the government side was very proper before the
courtroom, exercising just the right judicial protocol and necessary dignity
and courtesy. But hard times could be getting harder for a government that
doesnt realize that form and style will no longer get it out of the myriad
troubles it is in. What it needs is to follow up with substance and deeds.
In the courtroom, Gilani spent much breath talking about his respect
for the courts and the Constitution. However, when it came to answering
honestly about the question at hand whether or not his government would
write to Swiss authorities he was evasive at best The challenge for the
prime minister is somehow to connect his own worthy but airy talk in court
about accountability and respect for the law with real action. Not following
the law will only further corrode the standing of this government and its
representatives, and that will cost more than writing any letter ever
could.
Mohammad Malick wrote: The prime minister, and his brilliant
barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, would have the seven-member bench, and the 180
million ignorant us, believe that his refusal to write the darned letter to Swiss
authorities in pursuance of the verdict of the 17-member bench was not
willful default but had been sired by the legal advice offered by the
governments team. In other words, the gentleman was at worst just an
accidental defaulter of justice
Was he also advised to issue slanted statements against the
Supreme Court and encourage humiliating and mocking theatrics by his
sitting and former ministers? It would have added to the bona fide of the
prime minister if he had shared why two attorney generals had walked out of
their jobs in a huff and an equal number of changes had taken place in the
office of the federal law secretary particularly so when one of the former
AGs has repeatedly stated publicly that he had advised the Gilani
government to obey the court and write the letter.
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Maybe the un-willful prime minister should also have told the court
about the undeclared willful purpose of the special session of parliament
convened in the wake of the dismissal of the NRO review petition.
According to someone who was involved in the entire judio-political
consultative process (and ultimately affected the outcome as well), the core
committee of the PPP advised by its legal eagle had decided to move a
presidential reference against Chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and some
others in parliament. Upon learning of this harakiri move, the leaders of the
allied parties simply balked and plainly told the president and the prime
minister that such a move could lead to a parting of ways. In this particular
meeting, attended by the president, the prime minister and the head honchos
of their closest trusted government allies, Dr Babar Awan faced some rather
harsh criticism for supporting such a suicidal strategy. When the crazy idea
of a presidential reference to the parliament was abandoned in favour of a
parliamentary resolution, another heated debate took place over its proposed
anti-judiciary tenor and the insistence that it come across as a direct vote of
confidence both for the prime minister and the president. Here too the
government backed off only when faced with the consequence of the allies
walking off.
What transpired in this meeting exposes our rulers intrinsic and
larger contempt for rule of law and not necessarily just the court itself.
When a constitutionally elected government of the day wants to vanquish a
constitutionally constituted Supreme Court only because it wants the
government to observe its constitutional obligations then something is
seriously wrong with the ruling mindset hardly a case of accidental
judicial defaulter.
What is really at stake here in the ongoing contempt case, one
wonders. Is it merely the criminal culpability of an individual called Yousuf
Raza Gilani? Is it about a sitting prime minister telling the Supreme Court to
take a hike come what may? Is it about the lame legal defence of I-didntdo-it-my-lawyer-told-me-to-do-it? Or is it about the court itself
committing contempt of justice by not taking a stand for one ruse or
another and not doing enough to implement its verdicts? It seems to be a
little bit of all the above but the crux of the matter is: who gets to be the
ultimate adjudicator in issues of law and justice and the final arbitrator in a
case of constitutional interpretation? Will it be the Supreme Court of
Pakistan or the lawyer(s) of the prime ministers and presidents? As put
succinctly by former chief justice of the United States, Warrenberger, when

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faced with a similar question and referring to the US supreme court: We are
bound by the Constitution, and the constitution is what we interpret it to be.
Will that ever be the case in Pakistan or will we see every recalcitrant
and defiant government attempting to take refuge in the mantra of judicial
activism and judicial overreach? What Pakistan suffers is not judicial
overreach but executive under-delivery. But thats another discourse better
left for another occasion
The government would understandably want this legal wrangling to
continue indefinitely till it runs the course first with the Senate and then the
general elections. The postponement of the contempt case till Feb 1 seems to
have taken care of the first phase. The judiciary now faces the dilemma of
appearing to be in a hurry if it presses with a tougher and tighter
timeline and of being spineless if it continues cajoling the government
while breathing fire at the same time. Its time for both the government and
the judiciary to match deeds with words and let the nation breathe easy. We
have bigger problems like a stagnant economy and millions disappearing
under the poverty line every day and all this dilly-dallying isnt helping
matters.
It is the realm of the learned judges to decide upon the finer points of
law, but for an ordinary citizen like myself, simply the commitment that yes
we will implement the courts verdict would have been an ample
demonstration of the prime ministers will. Unfortunately, those words never
came. Not even two years after the pronouncement of the NRO verdict. The
country desperately needs rule of law, not that of rulers and lawyers.
The most significant development so far in the contempt case is that
it already shows signs of opening the very debate that the government
has been loathe to even countenance: that of presidential immunity. The
ensuing arguments will surely also end up deciding the complex question of
whether the writing of the letter to Swiss authorities is an issue of a civil
liability (as suggested by the courts) which does not enjoy any immunity
privilege under the Constitution or if it crosses the line as it involves
coalescing in what is otherwise a clear criminal proceeding between the
Swiss government and the respondents. The undeclared, biggest worry of the
lands mightiest however is not of a legal nature. It has more to do with the
political consequences of the truth about where, and how, the $62 million
stashed in Swiss vaults disappeared.
Dr Muzaffar Iqbal opined: The generals, the honourable judges and
the politicians all know that they are involved in a zero-sum game. In the
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political sphere, the incidental president is the master of the show;

everyone else is disposable. The prime minister, along with his whole
cabinet can easily be offered as sacrificial lambs, if circumstances so desire.
That will not alter anything in the nauseating political culture of the country.
The master of the show also knows that the generals may be hard pressed for
a change, but they cannot stage a coup; no one will accept that.
The judiciary may also be frustrated by the lack of implementation
of its rulings, but it also knows that the maximum its pen-strokes can
achieve is limited to disqualification of certain individuals, and that too
will be of little consequence because by the time things finally settle down
through the system, it will already be time for the next elections.
Thus, the current high-profile dramas are mere entertainment for a
nation now hooked on such dramas to such an extent that it cannot live a day
without a new twist. Yet, despite all the twists and turns, there is nothing
significant at the end of the road. There is no way to get rid of the master of
the ceremony without a coup and coups are what the chief justice of the
Republic has himself decreed as something belonging to history. What, one
may ask, is then the raison dtre for the continuation of the show? Mere
entertainment?
The players in the game are all old hands; they are enjoying the
drama, but the nation is suffering in this zero-sum game. Instead of
positive moves toward an honest and healthy political culture, leading to fair
elections in the next few months, the attention has been diverted to a
meaningless show of force, which will neither change the system nor get rid
of the major hurdles which have blocked the arteries of the nation.
With barrister Aitzaz now joining the show, one hopes that a certain
degree of clarity will emerge. Strange is his own rise and fall, but that is
another story. For now, he has been hired to carry on the show and he has
rightly stated what everyone knows: Under the Constitution of the Republic,
Asif Ali Zardari enjoys complete immunity in Pakistan; and by convention,
such immunity is respected in other countries. So, even if the prime minister
were to write a letter to the Swiss authorities, it would have no practical
effect.
He has also candidly said that there are only two ways to remove the
prime minister: a no confidence motion is moved against him in the National
Assembly or he himself resigns. He did not mention disqualification by the
court as a third option, but even if that happens and he is removed, would
that change anything? Certainly not.
961

What is needed at this stage is rather something else: under the

present circumstances, there is no possibility of holding fair elections: there
are millions of bogus votes, one report says. Even if the numbers are
exaggerated, everyone knows that the voters lists are not up-to-date.
Then, there is the question of delimiting the ridings. The old
divisions need drastic changes because of population changes and it will be a
great service to the nation if the conventional vadera-zamindar-dominated
ridings are reconfigured so that the old faces do not return to parliament. In
addition, all political parties need to focus on matters of great national
importance
The next two years are going to be of great importance for the
future of the region. Whatever happens in Afghanistan after 2014 is going
to drastically affect the entire region. The United States is desperate to find a
way out of Afghanistan before 2014, but at the same time, there are many in
the United States who are interested in attacking Iran after the US
presidential elections. They would like to prolong the physical presence of
US soldiers in Afghanistan.
Imagine the following scenario: Shortly after the elections, some
excuse is found to attack Iran; the US army in Afghanistan will provide a
strategic ground connection while its satellites in the Gulf region would
provide cover for water routes. The entire region will be engulfed in a
terrible war with unpredictable consequences for the whole world. What are
Pakistans options in such a scenario, especially if Balochistan remains in
the present state? This nightmare does not seem to be on anyones radar in
Pakistan; all that its leadership seems to be interested in is a zero-sum
game.
On 21st January, TheNation wrote: In a development that could have
far-reaching implications for the present political situation in the country, the
Supreme Court has debarred the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)
from holding by-elections in the seven constituencies where seats fell vacant
in the recent past. The logic behind the order passed on Thursday was
simple: since the electoral rolls contain more than 37 million bogus
voters, elections would not make for transparency enjoined by the
Constitution. The Supreme Court directed the ECP to first complete the task
of purging the bogus entries out of the list and then schedule by-elections on
these seats, five of which belong to the National Assembly and two to
Provincial Assemblies, one each to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. As the
ECP seems unable to produce an up-to-date list of voters by February 23,
962

by-elections as well as general elections could be delayed for several months

even if called earlier
Legal opinion differs whether the court decision would stall the
Senate elections, in case the Punjab Chief Minister asks for the
dissolution of the Provincial Assembly. Some hold the view that since the
electoral college, without the Punjab Assembly, would not be complete, it
would put the Senate elections on hold; others maintain that elections could
proceed for the other three provinces, while elections for the Punjab
province would stand postponed till its assembly comes into being.
With this uncertain legal position, it does not seem likely that the
PML-N, which rules Punjab, would exercise the option of advising the
Governor to dissolve the Provincial Assembly. In the past, the party had
threatened to ask its elected representatives to resign from their seats on the
assumption that the move would stall the Senate polls. There were even hints
at the prospect of the Assemblys dissolution. That was because according to
the current party positions and their political alignments, the ruling coalition,
particularly the PPP, PML-Q, ANP and MQM, is set to bag quite a large
number of seats and strengthen its position in the Upper House. The best
option now seems to be to activate ECP and Nadra so that the electoral rolls
are revised at the earliest. The whole nation, fed up with the prevailing
political wrangling and uncertainty, economic decline and the rising burden
of making both ends meet, is looking for a change of guard.
Tallat Azim observed: If ever this government played a master
stroke in its tussle with the superior judiciary, it is the hiring of Aitzaz
Ahsan as legal counsel for the Prime Minister. It is easy to understand
why the government, after side - lining him for four years, picked him to
speak for them. Simply, because they could take refuge behind his deference
to the court, as well as pick his brilliant legal mind to find and thus hide
behind nuances in the text interpretation of clauses under debate. I have not
found it as easy to understand, why Aitzaz Ahsan, the undisputed leader of
the lawyers movement and a hero to many, agreed to defend the PM. It is,
probably, a mix of loyalty to his party, as well as the thrill of a challenging
and high profile case that the lawyer in him did not want to pass up.
However, the coming days as the case unfolds will decide if his personal
image/popularity takes a nosedive because of this decision. I certainly hope
that a whole lot of us, who can be called his fan following, do not have to
recite Nasir Kazmis verse: Niyat-e-shauq bhar na jai kahin; Tu bhi dil sai
utar na jai kahin.

963

Inayatullah opined: It has to be conceded that the federal

government led by the PPP leadership is a hard nut to crack. It is not
only the higher judiciary that this government has decided to confront, but it
also has entered into a conflictual relationship with the military.
The Prime Minister has sacked the Defence Secretary on dubious
grounds and the incumbent, a retired Lt General has approached the
Islamabad High Court against the PMs order. Earlier, the Prime Minister
went out of the way to speak to a Chinese media It would be relevant here
to refer to a TV interview of Aitzaz Ahsan in which he categorically stated
that the Prime Ministers stand against the Army Chief and head of the ISI
was wrong. It may also be mentioned that earlier, in their judgment, the
Supreme Court had noted that the replies submitted on behalf of the COAS
and DG ISI were duly filed before the court through the Attorney General
and their affidavits were delivered by the Defence Ministry to the office of
the Attorney General. The ball is now in the PMs court. He has to admit
that it was unwise and impolitic on his part to cast serious aspersions on
the military leadership, which has not only expressed their unhappiness,
but also indicated the possibility of potentially grievous consequences.
Meanwhile, the memogate case is heating up. Ijaz Mansoor, earlier
reported to be hesitant to come to Pakistan, has got his visa and is expected
to appear before the Commission next week. The findings of the
Commission will have far-reaching consequences about the future of the
civil-military relations and, in particular, about the future fortunes of the
PPP leadership, currently in power.
Next day, Rameeza Majid Nizami observed: In the aftermath of the
court proceedings, the PMs departure, Mr Ahsans abruptly cut off
victory speech, and the dissipation of the circus it seemed as though
all had gone well. The courts prestige had risen further, they had
successfully managed to summon a sitting Prime Minister to appear before
them and were not about to look Mr Ahsans gift horse, of Presidential
immunity as a defence, in the mouth. The PMs steadily-growing reputation
of giving a good impression of a man unafraid, received further bolstering.
The PPP won by demonstrating that their respect for the courts was not just
empty rhetoric. There has been vocal criticism of the SC reacting with
unusual speed to all cases related to the NRO, memogate etc, but there are
also those who are disappointed. Those who had been hoping that the day
would end with the PMs dismissal. Thus, after suffering this
disappointment, it only made sense that the same evening Mr Mansoor Ijaz
was issued a visa from Lowndes Square. Folks back home needed cheering
964

up after Plan A proved to be an anti-climax and thus the entertainment for

Plan B, performing on January 26, had to be arranged.
The government has already been asked for written assurance that the
COAS and DG ISI will not be sacked. This was unlikely to happen in any
case, but hearing this case and asking for written assurance seems like
overkill. The military, alarmed by the Kerry-Lugar episode and now
comments that while the invitation to the Americans was found
objectionable in the extreme, under the Constitution, civilian control of the
military is how it ought to be. With four years of bad governance to its
credit, what the government has going in its favour is that it represents a
democratic setup - while the military does not. It is the democratic setup that
will and should receive every kind of backing. The army, while frustrated by
the triumph of mismanagement and the sinking economy, does not have
many options, except to encourage general elections as soon as possible.
After the Senate elections, where the PPP is expected to comfortably secure
the Upper House, this should not pose much of a problem. Any attempt to
incite some sort of regime change, without elections, will not go down
well in Pakistan. At minimum, we are five months away from elections.
Here's hoping, these months pass without any major mishaps.
Sami-Ur-Rahman talked of hawks, doves and crows. He concluded his
column saying: Strange are the ways of providence. Stranger still are the
ways of our body politics. Who in his wildest imagination, for instance,
would have thought that the counselor, who once so passionately and
untiringly fought the case of a deposed judge, would appear in the same
court - this time only to fight on behalf of a serving Prime Minister? That too
in a hostile milieu. It is time the poet turned politician turned barrister write
a sequel to his famous poem: Dunya ki tareekh gawah hai, Adal bina
jamhur na ho ga.

REVIEW
The serving of show-cause notice to the Chief Executive by the apex
court over non implementation of NRO verdict had an immediate effect.
Political mafias comprising looters and plunderers ganged up against two
chiefs; chief of Army and chief of Judiciary; just as gangs of criminals
would close their ranks against Sheriff and the Jury.
Hamid Mir, who maintains close contacts with the regime and is privy
to inside information of the PPP, was quick to report that party leaders
were congratulating each other over show-cause notice to Prime Minister.
965

Their rejoicing was over successfully agitating the judges and over enhanced
hope for attaining political martyrdom.
The Saint wasted no time in choosing Aitzaz Ahsan as his defence
counsel in the case. Aitzaz is a PPP jiyala who had been sidelined by the
Scoundrel being one of the items related to Benazir-baggage. This newfound love for Aitzaz was quite significant. The choice indicated that the
regime has apparently decided to offer olive branch to the Supreme Court.
Shouq-e-shahadat seemed to have receded when the sword was seen
flashing.
The presence of Aitzaz in the Supreme Court, however, did not
promise that the PPP government has decided to be mother-like; the one in
praise of which he had been singing during Lawyers Movement: hakoomat
ho ge maan kay jeysi (the government will be mother-like). It is just not
possible when the nation has been blessed (or cursed) with father like
Zardari.
Aitzaz took U-turn on constitutional immunity to the President.
During Musharraf rule he had argued that the President has no immunity
quoting example set by the Second Caliph. But about Zardari he said the
Supreme Court should accept the immunity clause without being sought as
such; perhaps, Aitzaz being a jiyala considers Zardari someone above the
Second Caliph, not necessarily in words in which Faisal Raza Abidi does.
Earlier, Asma Jahangir was the first to respond to temporary
cancellation of licence of Babar Awan. Using the language for the judges,
which earned her the reputation of outspoken lawyer, she said such actions
on the part of judiciary would dishearten the community of practicing
lawyers. She is the right person who ought to have spoken in defence of
Babar Awan. She was followed by a jiyala from Quetta: Ali Ahmed Kurd
declared that he did not accept the law of contempt of court.
If a doctor could be sued in a court of law and punished for not
abiding by the professional ethics and if an engineer could be punished for
criminal neglect in construction of a building or a bridge; why cant a lawyer
be sued on similar counts? Asma would love to get such doctors and
engineers punished being an activist of human rights, but for her own
community she has different yardstick. This is despite the fact that violation
of professional ethics is far more rampant in the community of lawyers.
A law should be enacted for this community as well and applied
strictly; if not as strictly as Ranjeet Singh had applied during his rule. But,
that wont happen because for men and women like Asma and Kurd the
966

maintenance of morale of lawyers at all costs is important. Whereas the

justice demands that the defence lawyers of ZAB, during the reference of
which Babar Awan has to have his licence frozen, should be charged and
punished for criminal neglect on their part.
Nevertheless, Babar Awan was received jubilantly as he came out of
court-room after having lost his licence temporarily. He was carried by
jiyalas on their shoulders for his flamboyant performance against the team
of top judges of the country.
He was immediately invited to the Presidency where the team captain,
the Scoundrel, intended to reward him befittingly by installing him once
again as law minister. Chandio had already been asked to resign, to which he
obeyed during the proceedings of the Senate.
When Aitzaz got the news as to what Zardari was up to, he saw his
case as counsel of the Saint likely to be weakened considerably. Setting
aside the jiyala spirit for a while, he advised his client to stop Babars
appointment as law minister as his presence in the court room on `19 th
January was not likely to be appreciated by the judges whom Babar had
been ridiculing.
The Saint understood the logic perhaps for the sole reason that it
also concerned his person and he talked to the Scoundrel who obliged him
by deferring his plans. This could be termed as first positive impact of
return of Aitzaz, though it might not last for long.
As already said Aitzaz wasted no time and encountered no difficulty
from his conscience in changing his stance on the issue of immunity to
Zardari. This is likely to be the basis on which he would argue in defence of
the Saint in contempt case. He also criticized those who accused him of
following double standards.
He insisted that he was right in both cases. He was right when he had
said that Musharraf did not enjoy immunity by quoting the example of
Second Caliph. He is also right in saying now that Zardari enjoys immunity
as per Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Certainly, all piplias have some thing in common may they be Ahsans,
Abidis or Babars, to qualify as jiyalas. Aitzaz as practicing lawyer had
stressed upon the spirit of the law in the case of Musharraf and in the case of
Zardari he is focusing on the letter of law. He was also sharp enough to take
note of the criticism to which he was subjected because of sudden

967

awakening of a jiyala that had remained dormant inside him or was

tranquilized for the last four years.
On the eve of Saints appearance before the Supreme Court Aitzaz
was seen defending his changed stance on several TV channels. Out of all
his outings, as usual one with Tallat Hussain was significantly meaningful
primarily due to the impartial and unbiased approach of the anchor.
Tallat talked to Aitzaz mostly in the context of interim decision of the
court dated 10th January, which he kept in front of him to the annoyance of
the defence counsel of the Saint. Tallat repeatedly asked Aitzaz that how
could he contest what the judges have said, especially in view of his role in
reinstatement of independent Judiciary that was routed by Zardaris
predecessor.
Body language of Aitzaz betrayed his inner in-fighting. Most of what
he uttered in reply to the questions by Tallat was not convincing because it
lacked the force of conviction. His conscience was not with his speech;
many times he found it difficult to answer the questions, especially those
related to constitutional immunity and the offence of contempt of court.
Aitzaz could also not come out with a convincing answer to the only
political question asked by Tallat. The question was that after having been
sidelined for four years dont you think that Zardari was now exploiting you
for his personal interests? This was in the context of a news headline:
Babar out, Aitzaz in.
The same day, Gilani announced that he would go to the Court to pay
respect. However, the manner in which he and the Scoundrel have been
molesting the verdicts of the Judiciary it appeared that he was going there to
pay homage to the late judiciary. At least the perception is as such.
The move made by the Saint and the Scoundrel by launching Aitzaz
Ahsan bore immediate results. He was able to buy two more weeks for them,
though he had asked one month for preparation of his arguments for the
case. Dragging feet still seemed the strategy of the regime.
Saints arrogance remained intact. He appeared before the court in
response to a show-cause notice, but refused to utter a single world of regret
or remorse for what he had done to ridicule judiciary and hamper
implementation of its verdicts. Apology remained more than elusive.
Aitzaz must have noticed the smashing of his idol when he came out
of the court-room to talk to the media men. A group of lawyers chanted
slogans in favour of Judiciary and condemned Aitzaz for appearing in the
968

court as counsel of the Prime Minister. The slogans chanted by them dubbed
him as traitor. He had to hastily wind up his media chat.
Another unpleasant development that occurred during hearing related
to the person of the Scoundrel. The issue of constitutional immunity came up
before the bench which could be settled for ever to the dislike of Zardari.
Nevertheless, the efforts of the regime would be to delay the case till April,
the time by which the Swiss cases would become time-barred.
To conclude it might be said that irony of the NRO deal is that it was
negotiated by Americans with the evil design to keep Musharraf as President
and install Benazir as Prime Minister of Pakistan, but the latter is dead and
the former has been forced to loiter outside Pakistan. Today both of them
have been replaced by the Scoundrel and the Saint. Man proposes God
disposes.
22nd January, 2012

969

MEMO MUTED
Memo Commission resumed hearing amid news reports that Mansoor
Ijaz and his family have been receiving threats from the members of Zardari
regime. These threats compelled him to ask the court to give him time till
January 25. Meanwhile, the BlackBerry makers refused to release data
related to the memo.
Rehman Malik continued giving threatening statements, including the
one in which he accused Mansoor Ijaz of toppling the first Benazir
government. Resultantly, Ijaz did not appear before the commission of 24 th
January and Malik was summoned to explain the security related issues and
quite astonishingly, his explanation was accepted without any reservations.
The commission had three breaks for Akram Shaikh to contact his
client who had declined to come to Pakistan over security concerns and fear
of being detained indefinitely. Despite the fact that Ijaz did not consent to
appear the commission gave him one last opportunity to appear before
February 9.
With Mansoors refusal to risk coming to Pakistan and the
commission deciding not go abroad for collection of evidence Gilani was
pleased to take a somersault saying now the situation has changed; COAS
and DG ISI had committed no unconstitutional or unlawful act. This
prompted the observers to note that Memogate knob has been placed on
mute position.
Meanwhile, General Lodhi moved IHC against his sacking as defence
secretary arguing he was forced to sign an affidavit which he had refused.
Sherry Rehman presented credentials to Obama in Washington. Drone
attacks continued, NATO supplies kept trickling under cover of Afghan
Transit Trade and fighting in Kurram and Orakzai agencies continued
unabated.

NEWS
In Pakistan, Memo Commission resumed hearing on 16th January.
Akram Sheikh read out his written statement during the proceedings saying
970

that Mansoor Ijaz was ready to come to Pakistan but he and his family have
been receiving threats since the last proceeding of the case. Akram Shaikh
also told the court that Mansoor Ijaz has applied for a visa at the Pakistani
embassy in Switzerland. Meanwhile, PCNS summoned Mansoor to appear
on 26th January.
Mansoor Ijaz asked the court to give him time till January 25 to come
to Pakistan. Justice Esa responded by saying that the commission has limited
time to conclude the case and it would be better if Mansoor Ijaz comes to
Pakistan as soon as possible. According to recent reports, legal experts in the
country said that Ijaz can be charged with 'high-treason' on his return to
Pakistan, despite his American nationality.
The AGP told the commission that Haqqani's old BlackBerry phone
had been lost in the United States. The commission subsequently directed
the authorities to look for his phone. Meanwhile BlackBerry maker refused
to release data related to the memo. They said that their privacy laws
prohibit disclosure of a customer's data to any other party without the
consent of the parties concerned.
The commission asked counsel of Haqqani if he had more to prove
innocence of his client. He declined to give additional information till
Mansoor appears before the commission and describes the allegations.
Talking to the media he once again claimed that Mansoor would never come
to Pakistan.
A former chief of R&AW claimed that Mansoor Ijaz has links with ISI
and was working for it. In an interview he (Ijaz) talks about the ISI being
out of control. He says that is what prompted both that memo and also what
he wrote recently for The Financial Times. If that is so, then, why did he
spend four hours in some hotel in London with the DG of ISI? Meanwhile,
Shujaat and Khwaja Asif appeared before Abbottabad Commission. CJCSC
General Wynne met Zardari.
Next day, a journalist was gunned down in Charsadda. General Lodhi
moved IHC against his sacking as defence secretary arguing he was forced
to sign an affidavit and was removed without any notice. Mansoor Ijaz got
the visa and was set to appear before commission as scheduled. Sources told
that Pakistan declined visit of Grossman to Islamabad. Drone strike was
canceled after refusal of permission. Hina told Hillary that unauthorized
flight would be shot down.
On 18th January, DG ISI provided the Abbottabad Commission with a
detailed briefing on the events of May 2. The commission also held a
971

question answer-session with the DG ISI. Sherry presented her credentials to

Obama. Aitzaz said Gilanis remarks about affidavits filed in Memo case
were flawed. Plea for registration of an FIR against Mansoor Ijaz was
rejected by a court.
Next day, the State Department announced Marc Grossman would fly
from India to Kabul for talks with President Karzai. The US official noted
that New Delhi was added to Grossman's itinerary only at the last minute
and was not in his initial schedule. Grossman's India trip came within days
of Pakistan saying no to him traveling to Islamabad.
Its been almost two months since Pakistan closed the two key border
crossings into Afghanistan used to supply NATO troops in Afghanistan. A
Pentagon official said the cost of moving supplies into Afghanistan is now
$104 million a month. Thats $87 million more than the $17 million it used
to cost to transport supplies when the border crossings were open.
Sherry presented credentials to Obama, who desired close Pak-US
ties. Mansoor Ijaz obtained multiple entry visa from Pakistan High
Commission in London. He is due to appear before the memo commission in
Pakistan on January 24 and before the Parliamentary Committee on January
26. Intelligence chief of Norway resigned after revelations about presence of
his spy agents in Pakistan working with CIA.
At least seven people including an SHO were injured when a suicide
bomber detonated himself up during a routine check-up at a check post in
Nowshera. Two foreign aid workers were abducted in Multan. Authorities at
Chaman border crossing seized fuel being carried for NATO in trucks
ferrying Afghan Transit trade goods.
On 20th January, president and COAS met informally over tea at the
Presidents House after the Nishan-i-Imtiaz ceremony for Naval Chief. They
discussed the state of security relations with the US/NATO and the president
agreed with the army chiefs suggestion to keep NATO supplies blocked.
Rehman Malik said that the government would provide fool-proof
security to Mansoor Ijaz upon his arrival in Pakistan. However, questions
will be asked as Ijaz was responsible for toppling the first government of
Benazir Bhutto and he would have to answer for his role in this regard.
Repeating his claims of receiving threats from Pakistani officials on a
daily basis, Mansoor Ijaz said he had now been assured by the US
government of its support during his forthcoming visit to Pakistan. I am
absolutely confident that the American government will do the right thing if
972

something went wrong. He said he offered Haqqani to stop telling lies

about him (Ijaz) and he would stop telling the truth about him (Haqqani)
but said the former ambassador did not stop.
Interior Minister said ISI and IB were responsible for countering
Norwegian spies working inside Pakistan. During hearing of a petition the
AGP told the court that the government has no plans to dismiss COAS and
DG ISI. The court directed to file reply in writing within two weeks.
Next day, Rehman Malik urged Mansoor Ijaz to bring to the fore the
facts involved in the alleged memorandum written to the US government for
its impelling clout against the Pak Army. He said the Interior Ministry will
ensure Ijazs security in Pakistan and ISI as the secret service has nothing to
do with his security. Malik warned his name might be put on ECL if
Parliamentary Committee recommends so.
Akram Shaikh told the media that his client was all set to come to
Pakistan along with his lawyers. He said he was going to Dubai to receive
his client. Referring to Maliks statement regarding placing Ijaz on ECL,
Akram said that if that be so then he would advise his client not to come to
Pakistan.
Secretary Defence and AG in a high level meeting decided to provide
fool proof security to Mansoor Ijaz under a DIP Police. If necessary, Ijaz
will be provided with the security of army. This was not acceptable to
Akram Shaikh. Earlier, Chief of the Army Staff was requested by Mansoor
Ijaz to provide security for his visit to Pakistan.
A Lieutenant was among three people killed in fighting in Kurram
Agency. The police and sensitive agencies carried out a raid at a house
occupied by foreigners located in University Town Peshawar. Three German
nationals, who claimed to be staff members of embassy but failed to produce
required documents, were taken into custody. Three militants were arrested
from jungle near Islamabad.
Fox News reported that US military trainers will be invited back into
Pakistan as early as April or May, but the nation has ruled out allowing
CIA drones back into the country. NATO supplies would also be allowed
after levying taxes.
Dr Fauzia Siddiqui said that she has come to know through Pakistani
Counsel General in Houston that her sister Dr Aafia has been diagnosed with
a cancer. She added that earlier there were reports that the she had become
pregnant due to alleged sexual abuse during imprisonment.
973

On 22nd January, Prime Minister said that it seems as if it was some

viceroy, not Mansoor Ijaz, coming to Pakistan, making it clear that
government would not spend billions on his security. Gilani said that
according to the rules and the constitution, it was duty of the interior
ministry to provide him security on arrival in Pakistan and he could not be
provided the security and protocol as demanded by him.
To a question, he said that though his government did not feel any
threat from the memo controversy, but it was dangerous for countrys image
abroad. To another question, he said he referred the memo issue to the
Parliamentary Committee on National Security after developing consensus
as a result of consultation with all the stakeholders including the president,
the army chief and ISI director general.
The Sunday Times report quoted Farahnaz Ispahani, wife of Hussain
Haqqani, who herself is President Asif Zardaris spokesperson, as saying that
she fled to the US for fears that ISI might kidnap her to force her husband to
sign a confession and implicate the president. The report also said that
moderate voices in Pakistan are being silenced by the ISI, and militant
groups. It listed some journalists, politicians and civil society members who
were allegedly killed by the military itself or the extremist forces enjoying
militarys backing.
Defence of Pakistan Conference held in Liaqat Bagh Rawalpindi
threatened to march on to the Parliament if the government restored NATO
supplies. The speakers demanded expulsion of Hussain Haqqani from PM
House. They also urged not to grant MFN status to India. Meanwhile, two
militants were killed while planting a bomb in Khyber Agency. ASI was
among three killed in two incidents of firing in Quetta and Qila Abdullah.
Next day, Mansoor Ijaz declined to come to Pakistan over security
concerns and fear of being detained indefinitely. He took the decision at
Dubai on his way to Pakistan after his counsel Akram Sheikh apprised
him of the proposed security plan on his arrival in Pakistan. Akram alleged
that the government defied the orders of the Supreme Court and the Army
has withdrawn from implementing the decision made up at the Corps
Commanders meetings.
Akram Sheikh submitted an application outlining Ijazs position to the
judicial commission. The application said Ijaz had decided not to come to
Pakistan as he had not received adequate assurances about his security.
Hussain Haqqani said that the right of Ijaz to depose before the commission
should be withdrawn if he failed to appear before the panel on 24th.
974

Sheikh said, No assurance has been given with regards to his (Ijazs)
life or property. It seems like a well-orchestrated trap to hold Ijaz
indefinitely in Pakistan after his deposition before the commission. Mr Ijaz
refuses to walk knowingly into the trap being laid by the government and
waits to speak the truth of this case. He added Ijaz had also declined to
appear before a parliamentary committee. The committee cant summon a
foreign national and could instead, after taking an appointment from Mr
Mansoor, record his statement in London or Zurich or use his testimony he
gives to the commission.
On Interior Minister Rehman Maliks assurances of arranging the
army for Ijazs security, Sheikh said: I dont trust Rehman Malik. I trust
Hussain Haqqani more than I trust Rehman Malik... Did Benazir Bhutto not
die in this country even after getting security assurances? He further said,
Mr Ijaz has a concrete fear that electronic evidence in the memo case can be
completely destroyed. ISI chief lieutenant General Ahmad Shuja Pasha
said last month that Ijaz had enough evidence to back up his allegations and
called for a forensic examination of the memo.
Ijaz decided in Pakistans best interests that his statement should be
recorded outside Pakistan. He is not a criminal that he has to appear before a
court He offered to cooperate on a voluntary basis and no court or
commission has the powers to summon a foreigner, Akram said.
The Pakistan Army rejected the detailed findings of the NATO probe
into the Salala killings. The fundamental cause of the incident of November
26, 2011 was the failure of US/ISAF to share its near-border operation with
Pakistan at any level. This obviously was a major omission, as were several
others, like the complicated chain of command, complex command and
control structure and unimaginative/intricate rules of engagement as well as
lack of unified military command in Afghanistan. In addition to the
foregoing, US/ISAF violated all mutually agreed procedures with Pakistan
for near-border operations put in place to avert such uncalled for actions,
Army said.
HEW annual report said that in 2011 the fledgling democratic
government, under increasing pressure from the military, appeased extremist
groups, ignored army abuses, and failed to hold those responsible for serious
abuses accountable. Meanwhile, at least five people were killed in drone
attack in North Waziristan tribal region on Monday. The attack took place at
Degan village, 25 kilometers west of Miranshah. Two soldiers and three
abductors were killed in Jamrud area.
975

On 24th January, the Memo Commission gave Mansoor Ijaz, who had
refused to come to Pakistan for security reasons, last opportunity to appear
before it on February 9. The commission cannot go abroad because the
Supreme Court has restrained Husain Haqqani, so in the same way, Mansoor
Ijazs statement should be recorded in Pakistan, said Justice Qazi Faez Isa.
The commission directed the government to ensure fool proof security
arrangements for Ijaz during his stay in Pakistan and guarantee his safe
return. Secretary of the commission was directed to personally receive Ijaz
from the airports parking area. The commission also directed higher
authorities of FIA and CAA to facilitate secretary commission in doing so.
Earlier, Rehman Malik was summoned, who accused media of
misquoting him and claimed that he did not threaten anyone including Ijaz,
and said that he had just said, If parliamentary committee orders to put
anyones name (Ijaz) on ECL then the orders would be complied with. He
added: I am stating under the oath that he (Ijaz) will be given full security
and IG Islamabad, the Rangers and an army officer would be deployed in
Ijazs security team.
However, Ijaz declined to appear before the commission until
commission makes sure that no one from the ruling PPP and its allied
political parties, was included in his security team. Akram Sheikh insisted
that the army be the focal organization for Ijazs security.
The counsel for Husain Haqqani claimed that Ijaz has ridiculed the
commission by not appearing before it despite promising twice; therefore
commission should withdraw his name from the list of witnesses. However,
chairperson of judicial commission ignored his point.
The Parliamentary Committee on National Security rejected the
application moved by Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz
seeking placement of Mansoor Ijaz on the exit control list. The committee
termed the demand as absurd and disposed of his application with the
comments that there was no need of it at all.
Foreign Minister, Army Chief and DG ISI held a detailed discussion
with Prime Minister at Prime Minister House on regional security situation,
with specific reference to the severed Pak-US relations. The meeting was
held ahead of the prime ministers visit to World Economic Forum at Davos
to give the impression that the political and military leadership of the
country was on same page regarding the policy towards the blockade of the
NATO supplies via Pakistan and other regional security related matters.

976

The meeting decided that Pakistan would take on board Afghanistan

on the steps being taken to redefine its role in the ongoing war on terror and
would seek Kabuls help in containing cross-border insurgency. It was the
consensus view of the participants that government should take a stiff stand
on resumption of the NATO supplies and United States should be made to
realize that they had committed a mistake by launching unprovoked attack
on Pak Army border check-posts.
Earlier, Cameron Munter called on Foreign Minister. The minister told
the US envoy that Parliamentary Committee on National Security had
finalized and submitted its recommendations to the prime minister and
would soon be put up to the parliament for approval. The minister made it
clear to the US envoy that Pakistan wanted to have relations with United
States entirely based on mutual respect and mutual interest.
Rehman Malik indicated in the Upper House of the Parliament that
the government would take up the matter of drone attacks in the United
Nations after two opposition parties JUI-F and JI, staged a protest walkout
from the House over the issue. Both the parties condemned the top brass of
armed forces and said that they, soon after the Salala incident, had issued a
press release that any such attack in future would be well responded to
without having any instructions from the proper chain of command.
Next day, at least six security personnel and 17 militants were killed
and 13 militants sustained injuries in ongoing operation in Kurram Agency.
The Supreme Court accepted a plea to inquire about death of four missing
persons, who were allegedly picked up by intelligence agencies from outside
Adiala Jail following their release in 2010. The court sought reply from the
AGP by 30th January and also issued notices to Defence Secretary, DG ISI,
DG MI, and JAG Department.
Gilani while leaving for Davos dismissed the impression of civilian
governments clash with military leadership over the memogate scandal. He
added that he wanted to clarify that the statement (about COAS and DG ISI)
was given in a particular context and it does not hold any importance now.
There was a clash of institutions at that time, but now there isnt.
On 26th January, talking to reporters after an interview with the BBC,
Prime Minister Gilani said the civil society, the intelligentsia, the media, the
parliamentarians, they all want democracy in the country. Nobody is in
favour of something other than democracy. Democracy is strong and will
stay intact and no one has a desire to violate the constitution.

977

He recalled his statement to a foreign media channel which led some

to believe that there were some differences between the army and the
government and said following his statement the person who was
responsible was removed. And since he has been removed I have nothing
against them (army and ISI chiefs).
PCNS also gave last chance to Mansoor Ijaz and asked him to appear
on February 10. The committee expressed satisfaction over security
arrangements made for Ijaz. Shahbaz offered Mansoor Ijaz safe visit and
arrangements for the commission at Lahore. Meanwhile, 35 militants were
killed in Kurram Agency and Hangu area.
Next day, at least 11 militants were killed and two hideouts destroyed
in security forces action in Kurram and Orakzai Agencies. Rockets were
fired at Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul damaging outer wall. Akram
Shaikh decided to beg the Supreme Court for recording Mansoors statement
abroad. The Supreme Court constituted larger bench to hear Memo case.
Shahbaz Sharif reiterated his commitment for providing security to
Mansoor Ijaz. He asked Mansoor Ijaz to arrive in Punjab where the
provincial government would provide him security and he also gave
personal guarantee to the US citizen. Rehman Malik termed Shahbaz
Sharif's statement on providing security to Mansoor Ijaz as 'contempt of
court'. He planned to approach the court over the issue.
On 28th January, two soldiers were killed in roadside bombing in
Kurram Agency. A militant was killed in FR Kohat. One policeman and a
militant were killed in an encounter in D I Khan. Leon Panetta said he is
very concerned about a Pakistani doctor who was arrested for providing
key intelligence for the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden last year, while
also repeating US claims that someone in authority in Pakistan knew about
al-Qaeda leaders whereabouts.
Prime Minister said that there was a trust deficit between Islamabad
and Washington. He criticized the resumption of US drone strikes in
Pakistans northwestern tribal region, adding that they only served to bolster
militants. Gilani told reporters at the Davos forum. It makes the job of the
political leadership and the military very difficult. We have never allowed
the drone attacks and we have always maintained that they are unacceptable,
illegal and counterproductive.
Advocate Akram Sheikh moved an application in the Supreme Court
of Pakistan, requesting that his clients statement be recorded abroad. He

978

said in the application that it seemed that the government and army had
compromised over the memogate issue.
Next day, participants of third Difa-i-Pakistan Conference at Multan
resolved to forcefully block all NATO supply routes and besiege the
parliament, if the government restores the supply. They also vowed to wage
jihad against anti-Islam and anti-Pakistan powers; US, Israel, India and
others. The participants included; JUI-S, Jamat-ud Dawa (JuD), Ahl-eSunnat Waljamat Pakistan (ASWP) and Jamat-e-Islami. The council also
includes Sheikh Rashids Awami League and Ijazul Haqs Zia League.
Presenting a 10-point manifesto of the council, Samiul Haq said it
would get Pakistan clear of US and her allies footprint, and exert pressure
on US to stop drone attacks and vacate Pakistani bases. He added that the
conferences by the council would disseminate the message of national
solidarity to the world, besides reducing the national divisions on regional,
lingual and sectarian biases.
Hafiz Saeed demanded the government announce date for quitting
American war on terror. He warned that religious parties would stop NATO
supply by force, if the government restored it. He said that US and India
were highly worried because of their defeat in Afghanistan and therefore
they have launched a propaganda campaign against Pakistan.
Saeed said Multani prime minister is quick to accepting his mistakes
like his retreat on Abbottabad operation and a statement in Supreme Court. I
advise him to confess this land was used against Afghanistan. He opined
that the nation was mired in multiple crises because of disobedience to Allah
Almighty. Lets seek forgiveness from Allah. Lets accept publicly that the
strategic partnership with US was a wrong decision.
Munawar Hassan said any resolution in the parliament for restoration
of NATO supply would tantamount to committing treason and they would
block it. He demanded the army chief to bring army back to its motto: Iman,
Taqwa, Jihad fi Sabilillah. I say enough is enough. Youll have to adopt a
clear stance on national issues. Our security and solidarity is being
challenged by American and Indian agencies.
Lt-Gen Hamid Gul said that all national institutions had failed to
protect national security and sovereignty. He regretted that our own security
institutions bombed own people and handed over our sons to the
Americans. He said that the Americans committed aggression against
Pakistan and warned that the country would face serious security threats if
the supply line was restored.
979

Addressing a public gathering in Gujranwala Fazlur Rehman Pakistan

needed to free itself of US and Wests slavery. He was of the view that
Pakistan had been acting on an imported foreign policy for last 10 years and
verbal compromises had destroyed the national integrity. Prime Minister
does consult his allies and the Parliament but unable to implement its
decisions and forced to work on imposed agenda, he said.
Fazl said after fall of communism in Afghanistan, the capitalism was
also breathing its last on the streets of the United States. The Americans are
now demanding Islamic economic system before Wall Street after
experiencing two extremes of communism and capitalism. Extremism is a
global problem which must not be labeled with Islamic world and especially
Pakistan should not be painted as a terrorist state, he said. Meanwhile, eight
militants were killed in Kurram Agency.
In Afghanistan, NATO helicopter crashed in Helmand Province on
16 January; three people were killed. UN added two Haqqani Groups
leaders to terrorist list. Two days later, two British soldiers were arrested for
inappropriate behavior after a newspaper report of child abuse. Afghan
President had said in a statement that his government was deeply disturbed
by reports of abuse, and said their alleged behavior was immoral.
th

On 19th January, hundreds of people rallied in Kabul to protest night

raids by occupation forces. Next day, a suicide bomber killed at least seven
people and wounded eight in attack at Kandahar Airport. Six vehicles,
including two of NATO Special Forces were destroyed. Ten NATO service
members were killed in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan, NATO.
Taliban fighters were enraged by a video which shows US marines urinating
on 3 corpses, believed to be insurgents, and some say they do not understand
their leaderships relatively measured response to the tape.
On 22nd January, Afghan government would agree if the US
transferred Taliban prisoners from Guantanamo to Qatar to reunite with their
families. Afghan government has made its position clear and would agree of
the US transferred Taliban prisoners to Qatar to reunite with their families.
An Afghan soldier who shot dead four French troops said he did it because
of a recent video showing US
On 26th January, four people were killed and 34 wounded when a
suicide bomber hit his car into a convoy of occupation forces in southern
Afghanistan. Next day, Afghan negotiators claimed that Taliban were willing
to compromise. On 28th January, a British soldier was killed in Helmand.

980

France planned to pull out of Afghanistan early, bit Britain stuck to 2014
schedule.
Next day, Taliban kidnapped a member of Afghanistans peace council
during a bid to promote talks in the volatile east, underscoring the difficulty
negotiators face in winning support for nascent negotiations from the Taliban
front line.
With the tacit approval of Pakistan, several Taliban negotiators have
held talks with American officials in Qatar, where they are discussing
preliminary trust-building measures, including a possible prisoner exchange.
Four to eight Taliban representatives had traveled to Qatar from Pakistan to
set up a political office. The State Department spokeswoman said that Marc
Grossman, the Obama administrations special representative for
Afghanistan and Pakistan, had a number of meetings related to Afghanistan
when he visited Qatar last week.
On 18th January, after offering to sell its F-35 fifth generation fighter
jets, the US said it was open to work with India on joint development of a
ballistic missile shield. Robert Scher said the Indo-US defence ties were
valuable and critical for the security and stability of the region and the world
as well. Indian Border Security Force killed a Pakistani national in the
border area. The BSF claimed that the man killed was a narcotics smuggler.
On 20th January, Pakistan asked the UN Security Council Thursday to
implement its resolutions uniformly and without discrimination so as to
uphold its credibility. Raza Bashir Tarar said upholding the principles of
justice and the rule of law, sovereign equality, settlement of disputes by
peaceful means, the conduct of international relations without threat or use
of force, and non-interference in domestic affairs was essential for the
maintenance of international order. On 26th January, Kashmiris observed
Black Day. Two days later, 22 Indian fishermen were held by Pakistan.
In Balochistan, ten militants and a soldier were killed on 16 th January
in an encounter in Chamalang area; several militants were also wounded.
Three bullet-riddled dead bodies were found on Lasbela and Pishin areas.
Gas pipeline blast disrupted supply to Sindh.
The Supreme Court sought report from security agencies regarding
governments claims to have improved the law and order situation in
Balochistan. The court ordered authorities of key security agencies
Intelligence Bureau (IB), CID, and other law enforcement agencies to
submit till Jan 20. The court ordered following Advocate General

981

Balochistans claims in the court during the course of hearing that law and
order situation had been improved in Quetta.
On 17th January, a bullet-riddled dead body was found in Panjgur.
Next day, two persons were shot dead in Quetta and Hub. On 20 th January,
four people were kidnapped in Kalat. The security personnel arrested five
militants involved in Chamalang attack from a private hospital in Dera
Ghazi Khan. The nabbed terrorists had attacked and killed 14 security
personnel, including a Major rank official, while they were going to take
their duty at a coal mine project.
On 25th January, FIA policeman was among four killed in Quetta
shootings. Next day, six soldiers were killed when gunmen attacked a check
post in Dera Bugti area. At least six Pakistanis were killed and two others
were wounded by the firing of Iranian security forces for illegally entering
into Iran. They were allegedly smuggling cattle to Iran.
On 27th January, the Supreme Court expressed dissatisfaction over IB
report on law and order situation in Balochistan. FC soldier was killed in
Dera Bugti area. Next day, four people were killed in incidents of violence
across the province.

VIEWS
On 17th January, A R Jerral opined: In Pakistans political scenario,
military coups without significant establishment backing and political
support are not sustainable. Although the present COAS has made it quite
clear that he has no intention of such a venture, yet it is the latent fear and
mistrust of the PPP that manifests itself into panicky situations. If the PM
and his colleagues think that they are in danger, they should go to the people.
And if the people support them, they have nothing to worry about. The
people are the best assurance against any real or perceived threat of a coup.
Becoming panicky and calling on uncertain quarters does not help.
In India, for instance, Morarji Desais government had to go to the
people before completing its term of office; it lost but the system won. If
PM Gilani wants democracy to prosper, perhaps, that is the safest way
out. It will close all avenues of extra-constitutional adventures. Thus, go
seek the peoples support, instead of asking for alien help and assurances.
Imran Malik talked of Pak-US relations: The onus is now on the US
to determine the future of this non-functioning alliance. Will it be
terminated once and for all? Will the US seek to attain its vital interests with
982

other regional allies, like India and Afghanistan? Will this alliance remain
interrupted as of now? Will it grow albeit in a stunted manner only becoming
operational when required - as a transactional deal? Will it eventually gain
new roots and blossom into a full-fledged alliance once again, but with
clearly defined paradigms, parameters and terms of engagement?
The US and Pakistan both need absolute clarity on these issues.
However, the US needs to:
Reassess its policy towards India and Pakistan - the hyphen in the
Indo-Pak subcontinent must return. Apparently, the CFR and Richard
N. Haass inspired policy tilt towards India has failed to secure USAs
vital interests till date.
Realign strategic direction in the APR-SCAR and win over Pakistan,
as a genuine and willing ally. The two need to maximize convergent
national interests, minimize clashing interests and reconcile divergent
interests.
Revise its biased nuclear policy towards the subcontinent, meeting
Pakistans genuine energy needs at the same level as the Indians.
Re-determine its regional policy ends and objectives, seeking mutual
harmony with Pakistan (India must stay out of Afghanistan)

Rewrite fair and unambiguous terms of engagement with Pakistan.

Realize that the road to the achievement of its vital national objectives
in the APR-SCAR Complex runs through Islamabad and not through
New Delhi or Kabul.
Recognize that it will have to become a genuinely reliable and
trustworthy ally, and not an arrogant, betraying and exploitative
master!
Revive its alliance with Pakistan. Otherwise, the US will find it
impossible to secure any of its interests in the APR-SCAR- GMER
(Greater Middle East Region).
Two days later, TheNation observed: A report in the Washington Post
points to the extent to which the Pak-US relations have soured on account of
the perceived cross purposes for which the two countries have been working.
As a result, both entertain a deep sense of betrayal. The Americans
believe that Islamabad is letting them down in the war on terror. The
Pakistanis feel aggrieved that their territorial sovereignty is being violated
983

and their hostile neighbour is being aided and encouraged to have a role in
the Afghan settlement to the detriment of their interests. Latest
developments include Pakistans refusal to let US Special Representative for
Pakistan and Afghanistan Marc Grossman to visit the country; the stand to
shoot down any unauthorized flight (drones); to exercise the option of
getting the Iranian natural gas in preference to the Turkmen gas; and the
continued blockade of NATO supplies.
Pakistan is maintaining a befitting response to the US disregard
of its sensitivities reflected in a certain specific manner. For instance, drone
strikes, even though they might have been tacitly allowed by dictator
Musharraf and have not been formally questioned by the present political
dispensation that followed him, are intensely resented across the length and
breadth of the country. Rising demand for putting an end to these raids
Thus, a long tally of growing inroads into our sovereignty led the
outraged public to compel the government to reassess the entire range of
relationship with the US, with a particular focus on the cooperation that
Pakistan was extending it in the so-called war on terror. In framing new
terms of engagement with the US the government has the full support of
Parliament and the all parties conference decisions and, of course,
unqualified approval of the people. As an immediate measure, Pakistan
stopped the transiting of containers and vehicles to Afghanistan to deliver
supplies to the ISAF troops operating there. Islamabad should not be
cowed down by the WP report that the US patience is wearing thin. It
must act only in the manner that suits its national interests. For that a clearcut agreement in writing that respects our sovereignty should form the basis
of the new phase of relationship with the US. No raids in any form, aerial or
with boots on the ground!
The News wrote: While the NRO cases have overshadowed the
Memogate proceedings in the Qazi Esa Commission, issues have become
focused as the commission has proceeded and now everyone is waiting for
the main testimony of US businessman Mansoor Ijaz, when he appears
before the respected judges. The main interest will not be in his statement
before the commission, as he has already said what he wanted to say in his
affidavits, it would be in the possible cross-examination to point out holes in
his testimony. The question of a personal appearance by Ijaz has also
become critical as the BlackBerry Company has refused to provide any data
to the government of Pakistan but has announced it can only provide the
data to its clients Mansoor Ijaz and Husain Haqqani, if they so desire. Ijaz
has sought the data but Haqqani says his phone sets are mysteriously
984

missing and are untraceable. The commissions chairman has sought

explanations from Haqqani as to how, when and where he lost that
critical piece of evidence which could lead to his exoneration. This may
create doubts and questions in the minds of the commissioners.
While the commission grapples with the nitty-gritty of how to collect
and collate the evidence from different players, the larger picture is that
too many necks are on the line in this case, whichever way it may go. If
Mansoor Ijaz can prove his case, Haqqani will be in serious trouble and if a
stage of his proper interrogation comes, he may spill many beans, pointing
fingers at people much higher than him. If Ijaz fails, eyes then will turn on
the Pakistan Army chief and the director general of the ISI because they
have stated on oath more than once that they found the evidence with Ijaz
credible and worthy of action. Questions will also be raised about Mian
Nawaz Sharif and his party for their decision to take this issue to such a high
pitch in the apex court of the country. Many complex legal actions may
follow from one side or the other, no matter who is proved right or wrong in
this case. The stakes have risen to colossal proportions for all the players and
whoever wins, or loses, the Memogate will be remembered as our
Watergate.
On 21st January, TheNation wrote: The news that the head of
Norways internal security, the PST, Janne Kristiansen, had resigned soon
after she disclosed to a parliamentary body that its spies were operating in
Pakistan, shows a number of things. First, that parliamentary oversight as
well as government supervision was so strong that Madam Kristiansen could
not lie. Second, that even an apparently benign country like Norway had
agents in Pakistan, and that too maintained by its military. It must be
remembered that Norway has troops as part of the ISAF, and thus a foothold
in the region allowing its J Service a presence here. It should be noted that
the J Service, even if a designated friendly intelligence service, has no
business having agents in Pakistan. However, having such agents have not
earned the ire of our ISI, who have professed to being informed of the
presence of such agents. Ms Kristiansen, it may be remembered, was already
under fire because of the failure to detect the Christian extremist who killed
77 people in July. The revelation of the presence of these agents in Pakistan
should not only encourage the Pakistani government to instruct the ISI to
obtain information from Norway but also other ISAF members.
Pakistan must have a very cautious approach, towards all foreigners,
for their own safety. This is a possibility with the German and the Italian
kidnapped from Multans Qasim Bela area on Thursday, while working for a
985

German NGO among neighbouring Muzaffargarhs flood victims. To avoid

such incidents from spreading, the government must tighten its control
and ensure that agents who are present in the country with the
permission of the authorities are identified and NGO workers not
mistaken for anti-Pakistan forces. It also requires examination why this
knowledge came to Pakistan through testimony before Norwegian
Parliament rather than its own agencies. That will be another thing the
government and the agencies will have to answer for.
Three days later, TheNation commented: A Reuters report quotes an
unidentified intelligence source in Pakistan, to affirm that despite the
political tension existing between Pakistan and the US, their intelligence
level cooperation has been continuing. According to this source, the drone
attacks, which were resumed on January 10 this year after a break of about a
month and a half, were the outcome of this cooperation. This obviously
indicates that Islamabad and Pindi are on board with these attacks. In fact,
Pakistani intelligence, the source maintains, has helped the CIA-operated
unmanned planes to target al-Qaeda operatives by spotting their hideouts in
the FATA for them. It was on its tip that the drones targeted al-Qaeda highprofile operative Aslam Awan, a Pakistani national from Abbottabad also
known as Abdullah Khorasani, about whom there are conflicting reports as
to whether he was killed or succeeded in escaping. The source also claimed
that the two sides hashed out a joint priority of the targets in regular faceto-face meetings.
The story about the ongoing cooperation that results in the carrying
out of drone strikes in our tribal region, thus enabling it to commit violation
of Pakistans territorial sovereignty, has sent shock waves across the
country. If true, it reveals the duplicitous mindset of our decision makers,
who strongly denounce these attacks in public while closely cooperate in
their launching. And, most unfortunately, this behaviour constitutes a most
blatant betrayal of the sentiments of the people of Pakistan whom they claim
to represent. People have been hoping that recent events would have made
our rulers, both political and military realize that cooperation in the war on
terror was not sustainable in its present form. These attacks were totally
against the demands of self-respect and national interests. The people
apprehend that if Islamabad has once again given a go-ahead to Washington
for drone strikes, it would not be long before the blocked military supplies
meant for Nato troops in Afghanistan are resumed.
The government must beware the wrath of the public, which
already feels wronged by its policies, turning their lives into a total misery.
986

It is a great pity that the resumed drone attacks have not elicited any critical
comment from the powers that be, affirming the truth in the revelations
made in the Reuters report. The nation would like to know what happened to
loud declarations by all leadership, civilian and military, about the
unacceptability of drone attacks.
In another editorial the newspaper wrote: Mansoor Ijazannounced
on Monday through his lawyer that he would not be coming to Pakistan out
of fear for his security. This announcement comes after doubts about his
intentions to come to Pakistan, after having missed one scheduled
appearance before the commission of Chief Justices, although Mr Ijaz
obtained a visa for Pakistan and the Prime Minister made a statement in
Lahore on Sunday about his security. The Prime Minister was dismissive
and had vowed that his government would not spend billions on Mr Ijaz's
security. Most significantly, he said that the government could not provide
the security and protocol that Mr Ijaz demanded. It is worth noting that the
Prime Minister interpreted the demand for security in terms of a
viceroys protocol, symptomatic of the attitude of politicians towards
security, which they seem to see more in terms of pomp and show rather
than actual utility. Mr Gilani also insisted that Mr Ijaz appear before the
Parliamentary Committee on National Security, whose investigation the
government prefers to that of the commission set up by the Supreme Court.
With Mr Ijaz having declined to come, it will appear that the
government will have succeeded in dissuading him from coming to Pakistan
to testify, which started with efforts to refuse him a visa, vague threats of
criminal cases, and now the refusal to provide him the security he asked for.
It heightens suspicions that Mr Ijazs testimony would have somehow
worsened the case against the government, and may have involved a
personality no less than the President in the drafting and sending of the
memo. The final government tactic, of refusing Mr Ijaz security, may have
been unnecessary, given that Mr Ijaz's claims of telling-all once he came to
Pakistan were become more and more difficult to believe. Now the
commission, not to forget the committee, will have to do without Mr Ijazs
testimony. The expenses of having Mr Ijaz testify is another issue, with the
possibility remaining of Mr Ijaz making his deposition abroad.
Whether or not Mr Ijazs demands were reasonable, the failure to
meet them will be the states, and Mr Ijaz will use this as an excuse not to
appear before the commission. The government must arrange for his
deposition to clear up the memogate matter and expose Mr Ijaz as a liar,
if indeed he is one. The affair has shaken the nation, which needs the truth
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behind the matter, which can only be given to it if the high-level probe body
is allowed to hear testimony unhindered.
On 25th January, TheNation observed: The Pakistan army on Monday
rejected the US report on the November 26 Salalah attack The armys
statement contended that the fundamental cause of the attack was the
failure of US/ISAF to share its near-border operations with Pakistan at
any level. Thus, it rightly argued that US/ISAF violated all mutually agreed
procedures with Pakistan for near-border operations put in place to avert
such uncalled for actions. And most importantly one fully agrees with the
opinion that the NATO forces were acting outside their mandate. Likewise,
another crucial point which rebuffs the US report is the armys categorical
argument that several emergency calls to the NATO high command to stop
the attack fell on deaf ears.
At the same time, what shows the double-standards in the probe was
the appointment of the same General as the investigation officer who was
piloting the gunship chopper that slaughtered Pakistani troops without any
remorse. His appointment itself was a proof that the American side did not
take seriously the concerns raised by the Pakistanis in carrying out
impartial investigations, this only adding insult to injury. Imagine on the
other hand, how the Americans would have reacted if Pakistani troops had
opened fire on their soldiers, and later without tendering an apology stated
that it would give the responsibility of carrying out the probe to the person
who pulled the trigger. The US military's use of military terms like, friendly
fire, etc, have been sternly rejected by the army as a smokescreen to hide
the grievous and allegedly deliberate attack on Pakistani check posts.
Meanwhile the drone attack in North Waziristan on Monday, killing
five men, indicates that the drone wars are intended to continue in Pakistan.
The government that has been considering possible restoration of NATO
supplies must give up the thought in the wake of the armys report and
the resurgence of drone warfare. If the government gives in at this stage, it
would amount to encouraging world powers to regard Pakistans soil as their
fiefdom.
Next day, TheNation commented: The countrys top civil and
military leadership met at Prime Ministers House on Tuesday to reaffirm its
earlier stand about US-Pakistan relations, now under review. it was
unanimously declared that there could be no question of a compromise on
Pakistans sovereignty and integrity. ultimately resulting in the
government decision to redefine, in writing, the new terms of engagement
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Pakistan would like to have with the US. Till then, the NATO supplies
transiting through the country would remain stalled.
Islamabads reaction served as an eye-opener to Washington that was
not, perhaps, expecting it in such a concrete form. The US attempts at
explaining its position did not succeed and the inquiry report on the Salalah
attack conducted by the very General, who had ordered it, has not found
credence with Pakistan. However, as the resumption of drone strikes has not
provoked any government functionary, whether from the army or the
political setup, to utter a word of criticism it has decisively reinforced the
feeling that Pakistani authorities are complicit with the CIA in
recommencing these murderous raids. An important organ of the American
media has also maintained that the attack started recurring with the
consent of Pakistani officials
If true, this is an extremely unfortunate situation that cannot fail
to incite nationwide protests. There has already been a walk out from the
Senate session and several political parties, have threatened to picket
Parliament in case the drone strikes did not end. Should one hope that the
government, already under a cloud for its anti-public policies, would, after
all, realize the depth of peoples feeling against the violation of Pakistans
territorial sovereignty by drones and take a firm stand in the national
interest.
In another editorial the newspaper wrote: The memogate affair
continued, even though leading witness Mansoor Ijaz did not appear before
the investigative commission of the Supreme Court on Tuesday At this
point, the government and its ministers can afford to be gracious, for Mr
Ijaz is not coming to Pakistan, and the commission is not going abroad,
and thus this testimony, which is crucial to establishing the authorship of the
memo, will not be available, and therefore the chance that he might
incriminate the President disappears. However, the President will not be able
to escape suspicion easily. For that, it was necessary that Mr Ijaz appear
before the commission, record his testimony, and for the President, through
counsel, to present whatever rebuttal, as needed. The commission has given
a fresh date of hearing, February 9, to Mr Ijaz, though it has already given
him two dates to come and depose. There is so far no indication that he will
revise his decision, even though Mr Malik assured the commission that he
would be provided foolproof security, and that an Army officer would be
part of the command team.

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The commission must determine the truth. The commission can

either issue orders itself, or have them issued by the Supreme Court, for Mr
Ijaz to be provided the requisite security, so that he can depose before it. The
Parliamentary Committee on National Security has rejected an application
that Mr Ijaz be placed on the ECL, and has asked the Attorney General to
brief it on the security measures for Mr Ijaz. The government must make
sure that Mr Ijaz appears, for otherwise the suspicion cast on the
President will linger.
On 27th January, The News commented: They say the key to being a
good politician is having an enviable suppleness and manoeuvrability.
Translation: You cant trust them further than you can throw them. So heres
our plea: will the real prime minister please stand up? Honesty, integrity, and
accountability, the values that should be the hallmark of this government,
have instead been thrown under the bus by our arrogant leaders in their
misguided campaign to shield themselves from accountability and further
confuse the already perplexed masses. In a move deeply symptomatic of this
tendency, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Wednesday that his
remarks about the replies filed in the Supreme Court by the chiefs of the
armys and the ISI in the memo case were not against COAS Kayani and
Lieutenant-General Pasha and that they had done nothing unlawful.
According to the prime minister, the remarks to the Chinese media were
spawned by a unique situation that involved a lack of clarity that was no
longer relevant. So strong were the PMs persuasions then that he even
launched a full-throated tirade against the khakis on the floor of the National
Assembly, portraying them as errant generals trying to create a state within a
state.
However, the PM has now changed his stance altogether but offered
no cogent reasons for the drastic review except some vague reference to
overlapping events and lack of clearness. Surely, his earlier position must
have come after serious deliberations and based on advice, legal and
otherwise, given to him by top government functionaries and aides. Does
that input now stand negated? Are ties between civil and military leaders
genuinely on the mend through backchannel meetings? Can we trust this
latest effort to defuse tensions between the government and the armed
forces? The answers to these questions none withstanding, theres nothing
more alarming than a prime minister consistently acting on incomplete
information and flawed advice. Unless visible accountability takes place on
this count, the nation may be led to believe that the series of reversals and
apparent faux pas are of the PMs own making and lack of seriousness.
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Either that, or, as many say, the new emerging reality is a consequence of a
deal. In either case, the people deserve to have a prime minister whose
word is his bond with them and not one that is constantly open to suspicion
and review.
TheNation wrote: It was expected of US President Barack Obama,
also Democratic party nominee for the next general elections in the US, to
use the last annual State of the Union address to Congress, primarily as an
election speech. That is what he did. Yet, the absence of any mention of the
USAs crisis with Pakistan, something which lasted all of last year and
which shows signs of being an important talking point in the months to
come, was surprising. This omission also means that, in his re-election bid,
President Obama will not venture to fulfill any promises of the gestures
towards the solution of the Kashmir issue that helped him win accolades
when he stood for election for his first term. This decision to avoid crucial
issues shows that the Indian lobby in Washington has succeeded in its
agenda. He did mention the killing of Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in
Abbottabad, as well as the expected reduction of troops in Iraq as successes,
though this qualifies more as electoral rhetoric, than fact. The USA may
indeed be withdrawing troops from Iraq, but it leaves the chaos of sectarian
strife behind. In Afghanistan too, the USA is facing defeat at the hands of a
militant opposition with limited resources, but seemingly unlimited
energy
President Obamas omission of any mention of Pakistan, save his promise
to pursue al-Qaeda from Pakistan to Yemen, should not be taken to mean
that Pakistan has been discounted from the war on terror. It's cooperation
and sacrifices will continue to be demanded, without the appreciation they
deserve. Pakistans policymakers should study the address as the
roadmap for US policy in the next Obama term, which coincides with the
endgame in Afghanistan, where the American withdrawal will set the stage
for the next phase of events.
Next day, Inayatullah observed: Our Chief Executive has managed
to remain in position after another somersault. In his latest, he retracted
his earlier statement that the COAS and DG ISI had violated the
Constitution and rules of business when they submitted their statement in
response to the Supreme Court orders. He did so on Wednesday at the
Chaklala Airbase, while talking to the media.
After recalling some of the somersaults Inayatullah added: All these
twists and turns, revolve around the core issue of civil-military relations.
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One may here recall an earlier sharp reaction expressed in an ISPR press
release threatening the government of grievous consequences. BBCs Nik
Gowings interview with Gilani, at Davos, highlights the impression created
abroad of the recent tussle between the PM and the COAS. (Mani Shankar
Aiyar a former Indian Minister, writing in a Pakistan daily has aptly referred
to the straight confrontation between the government and the top brass: It
was a situation ripe, in the light of the past six decades, for a coup to send
the civilian government packing, more ripe perhaps than ever in the past, but
there is no charismatic Bhutto at the head of the political establishment,
(there is) a fragile coalition held together by leaders, who can feel under
their feet the heaving discontent of their own supporters.) Just read the
question put by Gowing: Mr Prime Minister, I have listed some of the
tensions and confrontations that you are now facing. Many observers believe
that a creeping coup was somehow taking place in your country with the
army tightening its grip on the levers of the power. Are you really in
charge? When Gilani denied any such threat, Nik repeated the question
bluntly: Are you in charge? Do you feel under challenge from the military
still? No, not at all, was the Prime Ministers short response. When the
BBC anchor asked if democracy is under threat and Pakistan is now a
failing State, the PM replied that democracy was not under threat and even
the military wants democracy. Niks next question: Do you control the
military as the elected government? All the Prime Minister could say,
without stepping on any toes, was: I follow the Constitution and everybody
has to follow the Constitution.
It is often Kayanis restraint and the judiciary stern warnings not
to accept any future martial laws that are credited with having kept the
army from directly taking over the reins of the government. The civilian
governments extremely poor performance and stories about horrendous
corruption at the highest level aired in the media could have pulled an
ambitious general to just walk over and put an end to the civilian rule.
In the memogate case, Mr Gilani could not resist the temptation to
brag that whatever the verdict in the memo case might be, only the
government ultimately had the power to implement it and the thanedar
(SHO) would be assigned by the Prime Minister himself. My question is:
Does it behove the Chief Executive of a country to make such bizarre
statements? What message does he give to the civil servants working under
him?
No wonder on January 23, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad
Chaudhry remarked that the apex court was being abused and no official was
992

ready to submit files as directed, while hearing the case about the
distribution of 4,000 plots by the Capital Development Authority (CDA).
The Chief Justice further said that the country was run like a rented
house.
There is little doubt that the Prime Minister is bound to serve his
boss and must balance this with abiding by the Constitution and accord due
respect to the highest court of the land and its pronouncements. He is lucky
to be dealing with a Chief of the Army, who has more than once publicly
expressed his commitment to democracy and the Constitution. Considering
the poor record of his governments performance and the menacing
challenges the country is facing, internally and externally, as also alleged
charges of corruption leveled at him and his family, isnt it time that he
ruthlessly and thoroughly reviews the state of the nation?
Zafar Hilaly opined: Half the world believes that Husain Haqqani
is being set up and is an innocent victim of the present tussle between
the PPP-led coalition and the establishment. Its all about the latter
wanting to get rid of the former so that early elections can be held in which
the PPP is expected to lose badly. But its also about the blood lust of the
military against Haqqani with the real target being Mr Zardari, the
establishments bte noire.
But there are just as many who are convinced that Husain
Haqqani is guilty and, what is more, so too is Mr Zardari, who appointed
him to his post in Washington and has stood in his thrall as Haqqani worked
diabolically, skillfully and tirelessly to convince the Americans that together
they could tame Pakistans military and reclaim Pakistan for the Americans;
and also wrest back the power snatched from the civilians by the military
decades ago.
In the view of Husain Haqqanis opponents, having been seemingly
caught in the act as a result of a falling out with his American co-conspirator,
Haqqani must now vindicate himself, or else swing as traitors should. Even
if he is able to escape conviction, for one procedural reason or another,
Haqqani will continue to be dubbed a traitor. Which wont bother
Haqqani because we know he has a thick skin; but not so his mentor,
Mr Zardari, who has more at stake than even his own freedom, as he has a
legacy to defend.
The trouble is that while a military dictator can tear up the
Constitution and escape the consequences, no civilian leader can
undermine national security and expect a similar reprieve. Curiously, the
993

two offenses are not regarded as equally dire, even if the law prescribes the
same extreme penalty for both. A military coup is viewed as a development
we civilians are supposed to take in our stride without too much fuss. It has
become an existential reality; a part and parcel of life in Pakistan, much like
the risk of getting shot during the course of a mugging in Karachi, which is
common fare if you happen to be walking in a dangerous neighbourhood.
On the other hand, endangering national security by acting in the
way the notorious memo promised is an intolerable and dastardly crime,
however harebrained the scheme may be and whether or not it could even
remotely have been implemented.
But how will Mr Zardari being kicked out in rough style give us
deliverance and hope? In my view, if it is done roughly we will have yet
another false dawn. Just look around what we have and what might happen
if the civilian side is badly fractured. Moreover, how can a fractured elite
measure up to the task we confront. But, sadly, such is the plight of the
people that they hardly care.
Common sense, therefore, suggests that if Husain Haqqani feels he
is blameless then he must really try harder to remember where he left
his two earlier BlackBerry models before his departure from Washington
and present them for inspection. And even if he may have erred on some
dates, or to whom he spoke, he would still be safe because, come what may,
the BlackBerry controllers, RIM regardless of what Haqqani or anyone
else may ask, do or say they wont squeal and reveal the data. For business
reasons they cannot afford to do that.
I am, of course, presuming that Haqqani had taken the precaution of
deleting the messages from his BlackBerrys in case the phones are
eventually discovered and did not save them as material for his next
bestseller. Assuming, then, that Haqqani has nothing to hide, and hence
neither does Mr Zardari, why scare off the star witness Mansoor Ijaz
from coming to Pakistan and prevent him from making a fool of himself?
As for the fear of death that Ijaz has suddenly developed having
earlier proclaimed himself to be fearless, to be fair to him thats somewhat
understandable, considering that Husain Haqqani, the regimes blue eyed
boy, is himself mortified that someone may get him; so much so, that he
insists on sheltering behind the recently re-fortified walls of the
Presidency/Prime Ministers House. Even his wife has publicly claimed that
she too would have been done in by the ISI had she stayed on in Pakistan.
Come to think of it, the way some of the protagonists in the Memogate
994

drama are behaving suggests they should be in the psycho ward at

Mayo rather than in their present abodes.
Another issue on which opinion is divided is whether the commission
investigating the case should indulge Mansoor Ijaz by traveling abroad to
take his deposition, or do so by video conferencing. Traveling abroad means
that Haqqani would have to leave the country to be able to cross-examine the
witness, presumably never to return, and hence that is not considered an
option. But why not? If Haqqani chooses to bunk, thats good riddance
and it will probably also sink the government which, many think, is the
real aim of the move against him.
On the other hand, it is baffling why video conferencing Mansoor
Ijazs testimony, and his ensuing cross-examination, should not be
possible. If this matter is ever to end in a definitive verdict, and not plague
us for decades to come, surely thats the best method. Besides, its only a
question of time before some such procedure will have to be adopted to save
time and expense in future cases so why not begin with this case? Its as
good an opportunity as any likely to emerge in the future.
Its best if all the major players work together co-existentially
within a broad common framework, both for internal and external
reasons. If they must still fight, it must be with the gloves on. A barroom
brawl today (even without the knuckle duster) would be manna from heaven
for the extremists and our undoing at this critical moment in our troubled
history. Moreover, someone like Mansoor Ijaz should not have the sinister
pleasure of claiming that it was he that started it all off or, if you like,
originated the harebrained scheme of pitting us against each other.
The bottom line is that this country is fast becoming
ungovernable. However, we can still save ourselves, especially if the
mainstream parties dont get at each others throats that normal relations are
not chucked aside for vengeful and malicious bickering and the military
carries on as in the past. The fact is that the military will lose its aura if it
remains the object of political criticism by all and sundry and is viewed as
hell-bent on destroying civilian regimes, only so that it can maintain its grip
on power. Good civil-military relations are critically important, especially
given our internal security situation.
There are some hopeful signs that sense is beginning to dawn on
all the parties. The prime minister has yet again retracted his charges
against the military, although he looked far from contrite. Gen Kayani has
also taken to flashing a smile or two when in the prime ministers company
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and, as for Mr Zardari, he has resumed doing what he is best at, namely,
circling the globe with a vacuous grin while dishing out awards and
homilies. Of course, all the while planning how to duck the next thunderbolt
hurled at him.
On 29th January, Asif Ezdi opined: Inquiry commissions in Pakistan
seldom reach clear conclusions, and hardly ever when the finger points to
powerful persons. But for a time it seemed that the Memogate commission
set up by the Supreme Court would defy the odds and come to a clear
finding. After the commissions hearing last Tuesday, we cannot be sure.
The commission gave Mansoor Ijaz a last chance to testify on Feb 9 but
refused to go abroad to record his testimony. If Ijaz does not appear on this
date, the commission would be denied a vital input for its work and might be
unable to arrive at any definite conclusions.
This was a double victory for the government. It not only
succeeded in scaring away the principal witness in the case from testifying,
but also got a ruling that the commission would not go abroad to gather
evidence, at least for the present. In most countries of the world,
intimidating or threatening a potential witness would be punishable as
obstruction of justice. But in Pakistan, we play by different rules.
Haqqanis friends, in the country and abroad, are rejoicing. One
leading Pakistani newspaper puts all the blame on Ijaz, holding him
responsible for pitting the institutions of state against one another and
declaring that it is time to move on.
It is very easy to fault Ijaz for our own failings. He has often made
tall claims on which he has not delivered and he has shown a weakness for
self-publicity. Some of our newspapers have now also found a video that
suggests that he may not be leading a saintly private life. But Memogate is
not about him. It is about us. It raises the question whether our current
rulers can be trusted with safeguarding our national security. Finding an
answer to this question is of vital importance to the whole nation.
Having failed to prevent an inquiry by the commission, the
Zardari camp has resorted to a number of shenanigans to obstruct its
work. It has been trying very hard, so far successfully, to discourage Ijaz
from coming to Pakistan to testify. It has also tried to generate international
pressure against a meaningful inquiry. His media adviser has been in
Washington for this purpose with the governments blessings. In an
interview with a British paper, she was reported to have spoken of an ISI

996

plot to kidnap her in order to force her husband, Haqqani, to sign a

confession and implicate Zardari. (She later denied the story.)
Another trick that the Zardari camp has resorted to is to present
the Memogate affair as one more instance of the military trying to
destabilize an elected civilian government that refuses to do the armys
bidding. That is completely untrue. Hardly anyone in Pakistan, including the
army leadership of today, questions the principle that the military is
subordinate to the elected government.
The point at issue is quite different. It is whether a civilian
government, which invites the help of a foreign power in order to change the
military command and promises in return to give that power a say in the
countrys defence and security policies, has committed a treasonable act.
Regrettably, it is a fact that the memo was not the first instance of a
Pakistani government seeking foreign intervention in the countrys
internal political squabbles. Our military and civilian leaders have been
equally guilty of this offence. The latest instance was a panicky telephone
call reportedly made by Gilani to the British high commissioner earlier this
month to ask for British help in warding off a military coup.
If all the shenanigans employed by the government to prevent the
commission from carrying out its assigned task fail, Zardari has already
declared that he will not accept its findings but would only respect those
of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, where the PPP and its
coalition partners have a majority. Although it is highly doubtful that this
Committee has any power to hold an inquiry into Memogate it has already
started its own investigations and summoned Ijaz to appear before it on
Feb 10.
The committee chairman, Raza Rabbani, seems to have found
another field in which to make his mark on the history of Pakistan. But he
has yet to explain on what constitutional or legal authority a parliamentary
committee is issuing these summons. Civil servants and military personnel
can no doubt be called by the committee because they are subject to
government discipline. But Rabbani must be told that ordinary citizens
and foreigners can only be invited by the committee and they are free to
turn down the invitation.
The big question at this stage is whether Ijaz will make use of the
last opportunity given to him by the commission to appear before it. His
hesitation in coming to Pakistan is easy to understand. First, he faces a
very real possibility of being targeted physically. Second, there have been
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veiled threats that he might be detained on some preposterous charge such as

complicity in toppling the Benazir government in 1990.
Third, Ijaz fears that the original record of the case in his possession,
including the Blackberry handsets, recorded messages, emails, call logs and
handwritten notes, might be seized and destroyed. The government has
given assurances that it will provide adequate security to him and that he
would not be prevented from leaving the country except with the approval of
the commission. But if Ijaz remains sceptical, we cannot blame him.
At its last hearing, the chairman of the commission said that it had no
objection to collecting evidence outside the country but there must be cogent
reasons for doing so. If Ijaz does not appear on the appointed date, the
commission would have to decide whether there are good reasons for it go
abroad to hear his testimony. The entire outcome of the inquiry could turn on
the answer to this question. Several strong reasons can be given why the
commission should go abroad in that event to collect the evidence needed
for carrying out its task of ascertaining the origin, authenticity and purpose
of the memo.
First, it is quite normal for an investigating agency to go abroad to
collect evidence from a witness who is not under its territorial jurisdiction.
Mansoor Ijaz, like James Jones or Mike Mullen, the deliverer and recipient
of the memo, is neither a citizen nor a resident of Pakistan. He is therefore
under no legal obligation to appear before our investigating or judicial
authorities.
Second, Ijazs fears about his security, should he come to Pakistan to
testify, are genuine, at least from his point of view, despite the arrangements
made by the Interior Ministry and the assurances given by Rehman Malik.
Third, the commission has specifically been mandated by the
Supreme Court to collect evidence both within and outside the country in
accordance with our laws. That not only gives the commission the option
but, more or less, places it under the obligation to go to the remotest corner
of the world, if necessary for the completion of its task.
Fourth, this is not a criminal trial in which the refusal of the main
witness to testify usually leads to a dismissal of the case. This is an inquiry
in which all possible avenues of ascertaining the facts must be explored.
Fifth, the members of the commission would be going abroad in their
capacity as an inquiry team, not as chief justices of three high courts. Their

998

overseas trip will not therefore compromise the dignity of our superior
judiciary in any way.
The task assigned to the commission is potentially of historic
importance for the countrys political evolution. The commission can
make a big difference for the better. Let us hope it will make use of the
opportunity.
On 22nd January, Tariq Ali commented in the context of
Afghanistan: In essence both sides confront a stalemate. The insurgents
cannot win militarily, but they have made a NATO victory impossible. The
US could only win the just war by destroying the country and wiping out a
million or two Afghans but that is politically unfeasible. Negotiations are
the only possible route to a settlement and US withdrawal from the country.
What we are witnessing is the end of a disastrous occupation that
achieved even less than the Russian version did during the 1980s. Within
the United States, realist critics of imperial adventures have been warning of
hubris for some time. John Mearsheimer, avoiding euphemisms of every
sort, pointed out acutely in The Tragedy of Great Power Politics that the
foreign policy of his country was devoted not to good governance or liberal
values, let alone peace but to the defence of US interests against those of
other states. And it was this fact that would determine the politics of the 21st
century. A version of this message from the maverick libertarian, Ron Paul,
is currently being repeated on US television in its coverage of the
Republican primaries. Paul is the only figure in national politics to demand
the dismantling of the American empire. Interestingly, he wins more support
from military families than all his rivals.
Next day, James Dobbins wrote: Its certainly true that Karzai
would prefer to be at the centre of the process than at the periphery,
where the Taliban is trying to keep him. Its also true that if Washington
does not soon overcome the Talibans resistance to direct Afghan
government participation, the talks will not go far. But US officials surely
recognize this as their proximate objective in these talks and will condition
progress on substantive issues on so expanding the participation. The US
failure in 1975 to enforce adherence to the peace accord North Vietnam
signed two years earlier derived largely from the domestic political effects of
Watergate, President Nixons resignation and the consequent, if short-lived,
collapse of presidential authority. A similar failure might follow the
conclusion of a peace agreement in Afghanistan. But if it does, failure will
occur with or without such an accord.
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In 2010 I joined several former officials in testing the waters for an

Afghan peace process by talking to all the potential participants, including
Taliban intermediaries. We concluded that the time was right and so advised
the US administration. Certainly the United States will need to be
prepared to enforce any agreements it reaches in such talks. Whether
Washington proves willing to do so will depend not on the presence or
absence of a peace agreement but, rather, on the resilience of US support for
a commitment that will certainly require no more of it in the presence of an
accord than in its absence.
On 28th January, TheNation wrote about Kashmir occupied by India
for the last 64 years: Kashmiris all over the world, marked Thursday, Indias
Republic Day, as a Black Day. One result was that the occupation forces
clamped a curfew on Srinagar, and did their best to prevent demonstrations
being brought out. Because of this curfew and the desire to suppress any
gathering, the city was deserted except for patrolling Indian forces.
Thus with such high-handed tactics, the occupation forces made a
mockery of Indias Republic Day. The Indian forces also suspended
mobile services for several hours, thereby making it harder for the people to
gather. That also prevented the sending, by text or voice, of Republic Day
greetings for they were well aware that no Kashmiri wished even to receive
greetings on the occasion.
One purpose of this protest was to bring to the attention of the
world community the atrocities committed by Indian armed forces on a
daily basis. Some of the Kashmiri activists even protested outside Indian
missions abroad. This would serve to bring to the attention of the world
community that it is not just a liberation struggle, or a bilateral PakistanIndia dispute, but also a dispute to which the international community has
been a party, through the UN Security Council. It should not be forgotten
that the Kashmiri people are not asking for the revision of anything. They
are demanding the right of self-determination that had been denied to them
by Indian duplicity. This commitment had been promised to them by the
international community in the UNSC resolutions on the subject.
One of the problems faced by the Kashmiri people was shown on
Thursday, the present Pakistan governments lack of commitment to their
cause. Having all but abandoned them, the present setup is not properly
giving it the diplomatic and moral support promised. This is a gross
disrespect to the vision of PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who said that
Pakistan would fight for a thousand years if needed, or his successor Benazir
1000

Bhutto, who first made February 5 Kashmir Solidarity Day back in 1989.
The present government seems to prefer to answer Indian prayers to avoid
even the very mention of Kashmir, even when negotiating through bilateral
relations. The ongoing Indian theft of Pakistani water proves the correctness
of the Quaid-i-Azams assessment that Kashmir was Pakistans jugular vein.
The government must renew its own commitment to the Kashmir cause, and
work to raise awareness in the international community to ensure that the
Kashmiris sacrifices bear fruit.
On 17th January, Akbar Ahmed observed: Pakistanis seem to forget
that Balochistan may only have a tiny population but comprises 44 per
cent of Pakistans land territory. They forget it has vast natural resources and
hundreds of miles of sea coast which make it a key geopolitical area. While
Balochistan can survive without Pakistan, it is Pakistan that simply cannot
survive without Balochistan.
Time is running out. Everything, therefore, must be done to resolve
the civil war situation in that province. The stakes are too high for
Pakistan. The power elite, obsessed with the place intrigue involving the
sordid Memogate affair, needs to focus its attention on Balochistan.
Prime Minister Yousuf Reza Gilani and General Ashfaq Parvez
Kayani, head of the army, need to fly to Balochistan together and, setting
aside personal egos for the sake of the country, apologize to the people of
Balochistan for the grievances they have suffered. They must promise a new
beginning and radical shift in Pakistans strategy for the Baloch. The Baloch
must be made to feel an integral part of the federation; they need to be
treated with honour and dignity. This initiative should have been taken after
the disastrous actions of Musharraf in Balochistan. Muddling through is no
longer an option - time is running out for Pakistan.
Perhaps these Pakistani leaders, no doubt both patriotic in their own
ways, need to ask themselves what the great MA Jinnah, the founder of
Pakistan, would have done in a similar situation. Jinnah would have met
the people of Balochistan and ensured that they knew they were a welcome,
respected and genuine part of the federation of Pakistan. No democracy can
be built on the foundations of the kind of mistrust and anger that prevails in
Balochistan.
When I asked Malik what he had to say to Pakistan, he replied: My
message to Pakistan is simple: everyone should be provided equal
opportunities of progress and prosperity. Who would like to live in a
country which sends bullet-riddled dead bodies of young Baloch
1001

professionals on a regular basis? Underestimating the situation in

Balochistan would amount to committing political suicide.

REVIEW
Zardari regime with plenty of experience to know the importance of
keeping witnesses away from the court room worked round the clock to stop
Mansoor Ijaz from coming to Pakistan. Zardari gang from Gilani to Rehman
Malik and from Raja Riaz to Shazia Murri hurled threatening statements
which had the desired impact.
PPP rank and file erupted in jubilation when Mansoor Ijaz declined to
appear before the judicial commission in Pakistan. His refusal to come to
Pakistan is now being exploited to portray Haqqani and by implication his
boss as innocent. However, this victory is attributable to few more factors
other than statements of jiyalas and jiyalis.
It is for certain that the US administration sent a word of caution to
Mansoor to stay away as a probe could go against American interests linked
with Haqqani and his boss. Mansoor being an American citizen is under oath
to regard American interests as supreme.
To ensure it further, the US administration threatened to disown him
in case he went to Pakistan, saying that he will not be provided any special
security. Such abandoning of an American citizen is not common. Mansoor
met US diplomats in Switzerland and since that debriefing he has been
showing concern about his security.
Another American citizen was let lose in and around Washington.
Haqqanis wife, who is member of Pakistans National Assembly and
spokesperson of Zardari, worked overtime to help her husband by defaming
ISI and Army. She was allowed to do all this by Zardari regime to prove her
husband Hussain Haqqani and his boss as innocent.
Hectic diplomatic and lobbying efforts resulted in activating think
tanks with which Hussain Haqqani had been working for years in pursuit of
the objectives spelled out in the memorandum. This diplomatic and lobbying
onslaught pushed petitioners, Army and ISI on to the back foot.
The Canadian Company, RIM was told not to provide any record of
BlackBerry sets of Haqqani and Mansoor. Hussain Haqqani has already lost
his BlackBerry and forgotten the SIM numbers. This closed the door to

1002

forensic confirmation of the evidence so as to make it acceptable in a court

of law.
Mansoor Ijaz, while refusing to come to Pakistan, expressed his
willingness to record his statement in London or Zurich. This offer was quite
fair and logical as compared to egoistic response of Chief Justice Qazi Faez
Isa, who said if he cant come then why should we go abroad to get his
statement recorded.
Justice Faez Isa seemed to have forgotten that he was heading a
commission which is under obligation to collect evidence on an issue related
to vital interests of Pakistan. He was not heading a bench of BHC where
evidence has to be presented on a platter and he only had to judge the quality
of that and then give his verdict.
The honourable Justice also forgot that Mansoor as an American
citizen is under no obligation to provide evidence that too even at the peril of
his life. Justice Faez had no justification in refusing to go abroad, especially
when he and other members of the commission wont be risking the safety
of their persons. If cricket matches can be organized at neutral venues, then
Justice Faez can have no reservation on going abroad.
In addition to the egoistic approach of the judicial commission, it is
mysteriously significant that at critical juncture of probe into memo, the
petitioner-in-chief, Nawaz Sharif was absent from the country. Two main
complainants, COAS and DG ISI, were silent though their silence can be
justified by the demands of discipline or rules of business as the Prime
Minister would like to say.
In view of the foregoing the regime is genuinely pleased over its
efforts to block any headway into the probe into Memo Scandal. But,
inquisitive analysts have not stopped thinking and asking questions as the
prevalent situation is ripe for all kinds of intriguing speculations.
Why has Nawaz lost interest in pursuing the matter? Why are two
Generals silent, notwithstanding the demands of discipline? What will be the
fate of the probe? What will the Supreme Court decide; just call it a day?
Has the regime finally proved that memo a trash; no more than a kaghaz ka
tokra (piece of paper)?
Prime Ministers statement before departing for Davos in which he
said now things are Okay indicated that some sort of understanding has
been reached on Memo Scandal. The observers immediately started

1003

pondering whether it is the result of a sincere reconciliatory effort or an

outcome of yet another secret deal.
Some observers feel that it could have been due to American
mediation. The United States is conscious of the fact that it cant pursue its
goals in Afghanistan with civil-military tension prevalent in Pakistan. Some
kind of patch up is necessary for resumption of NATO supplies.
The Saint and the Scoundrel seemed to have decided to defuse the
tempo for a while and wait for striking again at an opportune moment. There
are no reasons to believe that they have given up their mission to exact
democratic revenge. Next time they will certainly hit harder.
More than any reconciliatory effort, this temporary change of heart is
the result of realization of some ground realities. It was the realization on the
part of those seeking meaningful action against those involved in Memo
Scandal that they were heading towards a dead end. They were pitched
against heavy odds for fulfillment of their noble desires.
Army and ISI realized that nothing could be proved in a court of law
without Mansoor Ijaz appearing before the inquiry commission and
subsequently in a court of trial. Whatever he said has to be confirmed
through record provided by the Canadian company dealing with Blackberry
mobile telephone sets, which has refused to oblige.
Most importantly it was overlooked that the US was at the back of
Zardari regime and it wont allow Mansoor and RIM to give any
incriminating evidence as long as Zardari was delivering in the context of
US interests. This was not kept secret by the US as it had publicly stated
more than once that it supported democratic setup in Pakistan. And in the
prevalent Pak-US tension the US certainly has grudges against the Pakistan
Army.
These ground realities were not ignored by the Army and ISI alone.
The petitioner-in-chief and the Supreme Court were also carried away by the
gravity of the possible crime committed against the interests of Pakistan but
ignored the fact that it wont be possible to prove it without collecting
sufficient evidence.
Whatever the contributing factors for Gilani-Kayani patch up, Army
and ISI wont be let waiting for too long before another assault would be
launched by the democratic forces. The process of democratic revenge that
started with placing of ISI under Rehman Malik would continue.

1004

Each move since then has inflicted some damage on military

establishment though an outright victory has remained elusive. It was
followed by Kerry-Logar Law which set the trend for future despite strong
reaction from the Army. Raymond Davis incident was cleverly exploited to
shift blame on to Army/ISI by asking them to resolve amicably.
In fact, it was quite foolish to become mediator in a case in which
Hussain Haqqani had played major role by issuing visas to American spies.
Abbottabad raid and Mehran terror attack took further toll in terms of the
damage to the standing of the military as a whole. Memo was a calculated
attempt at achieving an outright victory against military establishment.
To conclude it can be said that the Memo Scandal has not been
resolved permanently as result of any mutual urge for reconciliation. If that
is so then it implied surrender on the part of Army, ISI, Judiciary and PMLN (political opposition) before the might of an evil coalition of the US and
its puppets ruling Pakistan. However, this will be confirmed only by the
future proceedings of the Supreme Court.
The present lull, presumably, is the result of some secret mediation
as was evident from the happiness of a US spokesperson over reports that in
Pakistan the government, military and judiciary were talking to each other.
In view of this mediation it can be inferred that NATO supplies could start
flowing through Pakistan while drone attacks have already started taking
their toll.
As regards the desire of elected civilian rulers to have control over
military there is nothing wrong with it in principle. They have every right to
seek and pursue such ascendancy. However, the timing of this pursuit is
drastically wrong as it falls amid the ongoing war and unending
unreasonable demands of the US.
Moreover, as already said in a previous review, this supremacy has to
be claimed on the basis of performance. They cannot be allowed to run the
affairs of armed forces the way they have done in case of Railway, PIA,
PSM and so on. Not even Bhutanese Army would allow that.
An alarming aspect of Memo Scandal has been the manner in which
masses remained aloof to the happenings. The questions that come to mind
are: Have the people resigned over the issues related to well-being of our
nationhood? Do they think: Why care about a carcass that in any case is to
be scavenged by dogs and vultures?
30th January, 2012
1005

LAW AND LOYALTY

During the proceedings on 19th January, Justice Khosa on seeing
Gilani in the court room had remarked that today is the Greatest Day of
Pakistans history. What Khosa had in mind only he could tell, but the
people were neither impressed by the presence of Gilani nor by the remarks
of honourable judge.
Their perception about the entire episode was contrastingly different.
It had to be so because on that day they saw Prime Minister of Islamic
Republic of Pakistan driving a car with fake registration number and
appearing before a bench on the charge of contempt of court.
On that day Aitzaz Ahsan was able to get about two weeks to prepare
for defence of the indefensible; or the court was gracious to grant him so
many days. Aitzaz spent most of these days in correcting the
misperceptions about him and his client through TV channels rather than
preparing arguments to contest the case. This was quite evident from what
he said in the court on 1st and 2nd February.
The court patiently heard him beating about bush for two days and
decided to proceed and frame contempt charge against Prime Minister,
although his defence counsel wanted few more days to speak. On 3 rd
February, the front page headline of TheNation read: Caught between law
and loyalty. And, Aitzaz could say no more than that his client can continue
as Prime Minister despite court ruling.

NEWS
On 22nd January, former Justice Ramday said immunity has to be
claimed in the court; it cannot be claimed while sitting at home. He added
that the matter related to Swiss cases in Civil in nature, not criminal as
widely claimed and there is no immunity in civil cases. Addressing a public
gathering in Sargodha Imran said change is not too far.
Next day, failing to show due reverence to the Supreme Court (SC)of
Pakistans order on preparation of electoral rolls by February 23 and
seemingly joining hands with pro-government political forces to defy the
courts instructions, the ECP said that voter lists could not be completed by
the deadline and staying the by-polls by the SC was unconstitutional.
The consultative meeting of political parties with the EC management
was held on the pretext of discussing the preparation of new electoral rolls,
1006

by-polls, political finance and purchasing Electoral Voting Machines

appeared defying the SC instructions. The Chief Election Commissioner
Justice (r) Hamid Ali Mirza repeatedly and Secretary Election Commission
Ishtiak Ahmed Khan impliedly resorted to the language that clearly
amounted to outright contempt of the SC.
The ECP management expressed inability to prepare the Electoral
Rolls 2011 by February 23 and announced to complete the task by May 25,
despite that SC had turned down the ECP request to extend the deadline.
Justice Mirza, who himself remained a senior judge of the SC, seemed
overlooking to uphold the Apex Courts dignity when he termed the SC
decision of barring the ECP from holding by-polls on existing voter lists as
unconstitutional.
Ishtiak Ahmed Khan, who is on two-year extension after retirement,
went too far and said that ECP was As important as Supreme Court, as
independent and respectable as SC and people and political parties stood by
the ECP the same way they stand by the apex court. Khan, however, did not
elaborate as on what grounds he drew a comparison between Pakistans
highest and the most esteemed judicial organ with an electoral body.
Ishtiak Khan claimed that 11 of the 14 political forces were
supporting the ECP in its decision to prepare ER 2011 by May 25. One the
other hand, he conceded that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf and Jamat-e-Islami were opposing any delay in the
preparation of ER 2011. Maulana Fazlur Rehman clarified that his party did
not offer any support to ECP.
Responding quickly the Supreme Court said on Monday that an
erroneous impression had been created during the meeting of the Chief
Election Commissioner with the political parties as well as statement of the
Secretary, Election Commission of Pakistan that as if the Supreme Court had
stayed the holding of bye-election on casual vacancies in the country. The
Supreme Court had directed the ECP not to hold bye-election on the basis of
polluted/un-verified voters list, after deleting 37, 185, 998 un-verified voters
by the Nadra as per their statement before the Supreme Court.
The Senate unanimously adopted a resolution asking the federal
government to institute a case against Pervez Musharraf under Article 6 of
the Constitution and arrest him immediately on his arrival in the country.
Having voted for the resolution the MQM showed reservations at the time of
signing it; the MQM wanted resolution against all the military dictators and
their allies who had been ruling the country.
1007

Aitzaz Ahsan admitted that Article 248 of the Constitution which

gives immunity to the President is a discriminatory law. He however added:
There is no need to go to any court for seeking immunity by the President.
The apex court should also accept this protective clause in the
Constitution, PPP stalwart said while talking to journalists at Lahore High
Court premises. If a writ petition against the Chief Justice Pakistan or the
Chief Justice of High Court is filed, the court office would not accept it
because applications could not be filed against them and neither the CJs
would come to claim the immunity, he said. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court
decided to hear Asghar Khans 16 year old plea on February 29.
On 24th January, the Supreme Court directed the ADG FIA to proceed
against Khushnood Lashari Principal Secretary to PM, former DGs FIA
Waseem Ahmed and Malik Iqbal for ordering not to arrest Khurram Rasool,
ex-Media Coordinator of Prime Minister. The Chief Justice said if it was
proved that those officials have ordered the Director General not to arrest
then immediately arrest Lashari, Waseem and Iqbal and submit a report in
this regard by 25th.
Rashid Rizvi, counsel for the petitioners, argued that Mian Khurram
has swindled over Rs 430 million from Karachi-based business concern on
the pretext of managing petroleum export licence to NATO forces. He
informed the court that Rasool received money on the pretext of managing a
Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) quota and oil export licence to NATO forces in
Afghanistan for two companies of the petitioners including Sahara Gas (Pvt)
Limited and Pak Delta Enterprises (Pvt) Limited.
Khurram Rasool and his brother Shahid Mehmood and one Ghulam
Ghaus managed to forge the signature of Secretary Petroleum and Natural
Resources on various agreements. The Prime Minister taking notice of it
directed his Principal Secretary to write to Interior Secretary for initiation of
an inquiry. As inquiry found Rasool guilty and an FIR was registered against
him, his brother Shahid Mehmood and other accomplices and officials of
that bank.
But FIA neither arrested any accused mentioned in the FIR nor did it
conduct an investigation. Upon that the petitioners filed writ petitions before
Islamabad High Court against the DG FIA. Rizvi pleaded that Khurram
Rasool also allegedly got the support of officials of a bank in Islamabad
where, he said, accounts were opened in the name of fake partnership
without observing the State Bank of Pakistans instructions in opening a new
account.
1008

Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan urged Supreme Court to investigate the

ISIs present role and the role played by it during Musharrafs era. He said
that if Supreme Court could reopen a 23-year old case then why it could not
investigate the role played by the agency during Musharrafs era. He said
that if the present role (political manoeuvring) of ISI was not investigated
then it would be a big joke.
Five more heart patients including a woman lost their lives at different
health facilities in the City due to reaction of free medicine provided by
Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), taking the death toll till today to 72.
The heirs of the deceased staged a demo outside the PIC to protest against
the death of their dear and near ones. Shahbaz Sharif warned of stern action
against the persons guilty in the issue of deadly medicines of Punjab
Institute of Cardiology.
With the reaction of free medicine causing deaths on daily basis, the
Punjab Government has enhanced security at the Punjab Institute of
Cardiology to avoid any untoward incident during protests of heirs. At
present, 174 patients are under treatment at various hospitals of Lahore
including 90 at Services Hospital, 45 at Mayo Hospital, 37 at Jinnah
Hospital, 13 at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, 08 at LGH and one at Kot Khawaja
Saeed Hospital.
The Supreme Court directed the ECP to review the modalities whether
overseas Pakistanis could exercise right of vote in the election, analyze the
matter in lieu of the experience of other countries and submit report by
February 6. Joint Secretary (Elections) ECP told the court that problems
were being faced while giving the right of vote to the overseas Pakistanis as
it was very costly.
The Supreme Court referred Afaq Ahmeds petition to the Chief
Justice SHC to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the
government for not removing no go areas in Karachi. Six people were
killed in the city as targeted killing staged a come back.
Next day, Rehman Malik ordered arrest of Khurram Rasool within 48
hours. In apparently a target killing incident, three lawyers were shot dead
by armed assailants in Karachi. The attackers managed to flee from the
scene afterwards. Supreme Court Bar Association President Yasin Azad has
announced that the lawyers fraternity will observe country-wide strike and
boycott court activities against the killing of three lawyers in Karachi.
Shahbaz blamed Centre for faulty drugs as drug control mechanism is
still the responsibility of the federal government despite 18 th Amendment.
1009

FIA foresaw shocking revelations in deathly drug probe as the death toll
crossed one hundred. Altaf Hussain demanded judicial inquiry.
On 26th January, an accountability court indicted Khurram Rasool in
absentia and issued arrest warrants for him in a bank fraud case; sentencing
him for three years in prison. Four co-accused were handed down four-year
imprisonment and Rs500,000 fine each. The court convicted Khurram under
section 31-A of the NAB ordinance for not appearing before the court even
after his being declared a proclaimed offender.
Earlier, a two-member bench of the LHC dismissed Khurrams
petition for protective bail as he did not appear himself. NAB officials
requested the court not to allow protective bail to Khurram Rasool. Late at
night the convict reported in FIA office in Islamabad seeking safer custody
which was reported as surrender.
Initial FIA investigations revealed that the six companies involved in
manufacturing suspected drugs were providing medicines only to Punjab. As
FIA started probing in to how Punjab awarded contracts to these companies,
the Punjab authorities refused to hand over the relevant record. The Supreme
Court admitted a plea against Sharmila Farooqui challenging her eligibility
to hold office of advisor to CM because of being a beneficiary of NRO.
Quorum-less Balochistan PA adopted unanimous resolution in support of
Zardari and Gilani.
Next day, President Zardari said that everyday a new conspiracy is
hatched against us but, by the grace of God, we defused every conspiracy.
He said that we want that new generation would not face hardships which
we have faced.
Prime Minister maintained that he would not object if the Supreme
Court sends him to jail for contempt. In an interview with CNN in Davos, he
said the Constitution of Pakistan provides complete immunity to President
Zardari not only in the country but a transnational immunity.
Altaf Hussain said that 'divide and rule policy' of rulers have come to
an end. Addressing a public gathering in Sukkur, Altaf Hussain said that
today's rally is a challenge for the people who want to make Pakistan their
personal asset. He said he only wants elimination of feudalism.
JUI-F held a mammoth public rally at Mazar-e-Quaid. Fazlur Rehman
vowed to defeat Sindhi feudal elite and the forces which want to make
Pakistan a secular state. He urged the establishment stay away from election
process and let the people decide what they want.
1010

ECP deferred by-polls for five days. Khurram Rasool was produced
before the Supreme Court hand-cuffed. He admitted to serving as Gilanis
media adviser. The bench sent his case to trial court while rapping FIA for
claiming credit of his arrest. DG FIA was ordered to appear on February 10
in contempt of court plea.
On 28th January, State Bank released First Quarterly Report on the
State of the Economy, which warned of galloping inflation. Trend of high
energy prices, circular debt and rupee depreciation would continue. Shutterdown and wheel-jam strike was observed in Sindh over 20th Amendment
Bill.
Unleashing vengeance the extortion mafia swore on a trader in
Karachi a hand grenade was lobbed at his hardware shop, leaving five
people wounded. A doctor and a MQM activist were killed in ethnic and
sectarian violence in the metropolis.
Punjab government requested LHC for judicial inquiry to find out
cause of deaths occurring due to use of medicines provided at Punjab
Institute of Cardiology (PIC) and fix responsibility on the persons
responsible for this tragedy. Meanwhile, Secretary Health Punjab and Head
of PIC were made OSDs for their negligence. Meanwhile LHC was moved
against CM as 3 more died.
Next day, three more women lost their lives in the city on Sunday due
to reaction of free medicine provided by the Punjab Institute of Cardiology
(PIC), taking the death toll to 110. FIA arrested PIC Chief Executive while
Punjab Government suspended former Punjab Health Services Director
General Dr Muhammad Aslam Chaudhry and Punjab Chief Drug Inspector.
The medical community vowed to launch a strong protest over the recent
developments.
Sheikh Rashid declared the prime minister the mother of all evils. He
categorically said that the prime minister and his sons were responsible for
the prevailing fake medicine crisis. I am saying this while standing in
Multan that the sons of Yousuf Raza got issued 4,000 licences of medicines
in a day from health ministry. This family is corrupt. Even the in-laws of
Gilani are corrupt too.
Fazlur Rehman said that masses in Pakistan are not satisfied with the
government and Balochistan problem should be solved on political basis. It
was due to flawed policies that insurgency was re-surfacing in Balochistan
province. He said corruption would remain rampant in the country until and

1011

unless the economic system was bettered and the philosophy of Islamic
economic system was the only solution to the global economic problems.
Thousands of activists of Sipah-eSahaba and JuD marched in
Rawalpidi to protest against establishment of a prayer house by Ahmedis.
Two Sunni Tehreek activists were shot dead in Karachi. MQM-H activist
was wounded in mysterious firing outside Afaqs house. Sunni Tehreek
decided to convert itself into a political party and take part in elections all
over the country. Javed Hashmi led a rally in Lahore.
On 30th January, CJP took suo moto notice of PIC deaths in Lahore.
FIA got four-day remand of Khurram Rasool and he boasted of proving his
innocence standing in protective custody of FIA. Shahbaz launched laptop
scheme to bring change.
Next day, Supreme Court observed that the government was not
giving priority to murder case of Benazir. The court issued notices to 12
people including Babar Awan, Rehman Malik, Pervez Elahi, Pervez
Musharraf and eight others in petition, seeking to lodge a new FIR in
Benazir Bhutto assassination case. The Chief Justice sought trial court
record into Benazir murder case and ruled that a larger bench of the apex
court would take up the petition on new FIR.
Two more heart patients lost their lives, pushing the death toll to 121.
According to sources, Central Drug Laboratory of Karachi declared one of
the seven PIC medicines as substandard. Meantime, the investigations under
Punjabs aegis also revealed that some PIC officials are involved in the
scam. Shahbaz Sharif suspected a conspiracy against his government
The Supreme Court took suo moto notice of the deaths and sought
complete report from FIA and Chief Ministers Inspection Team by February
06. The SC also instructed LHC-appointed commission to continue the
probe in spurious drugs case. The FIA informed the court that all the record
is under possession of CM's Inspection Team and it is not possible for them
to proceed.
National Assembly Standing Committee on Law and Justice gave
approval to the draft of 20th Amendment for providing constitutional cover to
the parliamentarians elected in by-elections. The main aim of the bill tabled
by Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khursheed Shah is to rectify a flaw
which came to fore when the Supreme Court questioned the legal status of
lawmakers elected to national and provincial assemblies in the by-elections
held while the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was incomplete due
to non-appointment of its members.
1012

The government increased the prices of POL products up to six per

cent while a surcharge up to Rs 14.70 per mmbtu was also imposed on CNG
with immediate effect. Ogra had recommended to maintain the POL prices
by reducing the petroleum levy, but the Finance Ministry, turned down the
recommendations. Similarly, Ogra had recommended no increase in gas
prices but were overruled by the Federal Government.
Six people were killed and several hurt in Karachi violence, bringing
the death toll in the month of January to 143 as compared to 130 last year.
Sindh Government imposed a ban on pillion riding with effect 1 st to 5th
February. Altaf Hussain said Karachi's peace was being disrupted under an
organized plot and he urged the citizens to take their own security steps
because 'the government was not protecting their life and property'.
On 1st February, A larger bench of the Supreme Court heard the
contempt of court case against Prime Minister. Aitzaz Ahsan argued that the
premier could not read the detailed verdict of the court thus he had to act on
the advice of aides. Justice Nasir said that the PM had said the decision not
to write the letter to Swiss authorities was his own.
Ahsan added the President of Pakistan had immunity both in and
outside the country. My opinion was there is no issue in writing the letter,
Aitzaz said. Justice Nasir remarked that there would be no need for contempt
proceedings if immunity was proven. Aitzaz also said that implementation of
court orders is the responsibility of high courts so the case should be
transferred to IHC. The hearing of the case was adjourned for the day.
A laboratory in London declared one of the cardiac drugs as
contaminated with an anti-malarial, which caused the deaths of more than
hundred patients in Lahore. According to details, the samples of Isotab
(tablet), which were dispatched to a state-of-the-art lab in London, were
tested as substandard and injurious to health. WHO issued global
instructions to stop the use of Isotab tablets manufactured in a Karachi based
company.
The lab report revealed Isotab samples to be heavily contaminated
with Pyrimethamine, a commonly used anti-malarial. Experts are attributing
Pyrimethamine to those deadly reactions, which continue to kill cardiac
patients using the tainted life-saving drugs. The Punjab Government Health
Department said an antidote has been produced about which guidelines have
been issued to all hospitals.
Shahbaz Sharif reiterated his accusation saying now it remained to be
established that it was an incident of neglect or a result of a conspiracy. The
1013

pharmaceutical company which makes Isotab was sealed. FIA Deputy

Director said the raw material used in making the drug had been seized and
would be sent for further tests. Meanwhile, PM House received an envelope
containing Anthrax.
It was agreed between the PPP and PML-N that the resolvable issues
relating to the eight members of the Election Commission of Pakistan, two
from each province, would be made part of the 20 th Amendment Bill. The
PPP leaders had also given assurance to the PML-N counterparts that they
would not give extension to the incumbent chief election commissioner who
would be retiring in the coming March and would appoint the next Chief
Election Commissioner strictly in accordance with the procedure laid down
for it in the 18th Constitutional Amendment.
MQM, PML-N and JUI-F Senators staged walk out from Senate
against hike in petroleum product prices. Meanwhile, MQM MPs also staged
walk out from National Assembly in protest against POL price hike and
target killing in Karachi.
Next day, a seven-member bench after hearing the arguments of
Aitzaz Ahsan, said: After the preliminary hearing we are satisfied that there
is enough case for further proceeding. The case is adjourned till February 13
for framing the charges and the prime minister is required to be present on
the next date.
During the proceedings Aitzaz contended that the question arises
whether to send the prime minister to jail for not writing letter to Swiss
authorities or not. He said whether the court wanted to implement its orders
by arm-twisting and issuing contempt of court notices, adding that prime
minister was being punished though he did not commit any crime. He only
followed the advice of the law secretary, which was not a criminal act. He
prayed that show cause against his client should be discharged.
Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa questioned, If we accept your request
to discharge the notice, will the prime minister write letter to the Swiss?
Aitzaz said he would never want that notice to PM is discharged on this
basis that letter will be written. You want to nail down the PM for refusing
to write letter, he asked. He said the PM had stated before the bench that he
has all the intention to write the letter but no such advice has been given to
him so far.
Justice Gulzar Ahmed said there should not be defence for the sake of
defence but you have to satisfy the court on the bona fide of the PM for not
writing the letter. Justice Khosa asked the learned counsel if his stance is that
1014

PM had valid reasons to believe that letter should not be written because
president has immunity under Article 248? Aitzaz replied that advice was
tendered to the PM that the judgment could not be implemented due to
constitutional impediment.
The court observed that for not implementing the order two attorney
generals and law secretary had to resign. The learned counsel said
investigation and proceeding in Switzerland were closed due to lack of
evidence. Justice Khosa said the letter written by Malik Qayyum, former
AG, played a role in closing the cases. Aitzaz contended that inquiries and
proceedings in Switzerland were closed not because of Malik Qayyums
letter but due to lack of evidence. Justice Khosa remarked how the inquiry of
money laundering cases could be completed by the Swiss authorities without
Pakistans assistance? Therefore, the letter played a major part, he added.
Talking to media after the short Supreme Court order, the PMs
counsel said the government could file an intra-court appeal. Aitzaz said he
wanted the democracy to flourish in the country and an end of tension
between the institutions. He pointed out that unfortunately contempt charges
had so far been leveled against four sitting prime ministers. He said it was
not appropriate to hold civilian prime ministers as contemnor and the court
should also hold the generals responsible for contempt, who not only
dismissed the judges but also arrested them along with their children. Aitzaz
warned that there was a tension between institutions, with a danger that the
third party could take advantage of it.
Prime Minister told the National Assembly that he would reappear
before the apex court in the contempt of court case, initiated against him for
failing to pursue corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. Later
the prime minister chaired a meeting of the Core Committee PPP. Aitzaz
Ahsan briefed the meeting about Supreme Courts decision of indictment in
contempt case and the party then decided that PM Gilani would file an
appeal against the decision.
Shahbaz Sharif distributed portfolios of several ministries after being
criticized by opposition for holding the portfolios and concentration of
power. However, Shahbaz Sharif still holds the health ministry despite
severe criticism over the deaths. Five more people died in Lahore of
defective drugs.
On 3rd February, the embattled Prime Minister clearly hinted he will
stay in power even after the coming budget, telling journalists on the launch
of Pak Business Express at Lahore Railways Station that those seeking early
1015

general elections should come to him after June 2012 budget. When asked
that whether he would write or not to Swiss authorities for reopening
President Zardaris cases, the he said the matter was sub-judice and he
should not comment on the issue.
Shahbaz Sharif wrote a letter to Prime Minister as a protest for
discrimination with the province of Punjab over the supply of gas and
electricity. Chief Minister through the letter has asked the Prime Minister for
maintaining equal treatment to the federating units over gas and electricity
load shedding duration.
The Punjab Assembly went through a worst clash between the
opposition and the treasury wherein the members had a free fall to accuse,
abuse, taunt and grill each other, creating a whole time rumpus throughout
the proceedings. The opposition members wanted the chief minister to be
present in the house to respond to the queries on drug related killings. Led
by Raja Riaz the opposition in chorus began to blame the CM for killings
and demanded his resignation.
Two separate petitions were filed praying the apex court to order halt
to Senate election and by-elections on the vacant seats of the national and
provincial assemblies. Meanwhile, two policemen were shot dead in an act
of targeted killing in Karachi.
Next day, An ASI and a girl were killed when unidentified bandits
opened indiscriminate fire in Karachi. Differences between PPP and MQM
on local bodies setup in Sindh widened despite intervention by Zardari. Six
countries including Sri Lanka and Afghanistan banned import of medicines
from Pakistan after deaths due to medicines reaction in Lahore.

VIEWS
On 23rd January, Malik Tariq Ali from Lahore wrote: The sanctity of
Supreme Court of Pakistan was violated by few lawyers, who raised
slogans within premises of the court. These men had no business to be
there, nor can they deny to Aitzaz the honor and prestige he has earned for
himself by standing up to a military dictator, when many others were quietly
going around their business appearing before Dogar courts and being
handsomely rewarded for such services. It was Aitzaz who dared to defend
Mukhtaran Mai, a poor woman raped and humiliated by a tribal jirga. Every
citizen of Pakistan has a right to be represented by a lawyer of his choice.
Those who are raising issues of morality questioning Aitzaz for defending
1016

this government tainted with allegations of corruption, had no hesitation to

take up cases defending others, who had defrauded national exchequer. The
sanctity of SC was also violated by a handful of jialas who managed to
squeeze in and chant slogans, as it was grossly violated previously by a fake
PHD holding controversial lawyer, responsible for pitting this regime on
confrontational path with superior judiciary.
If these lawyers group who raised slogans against Aitzaz have no
political motives than they must be seen defending common citizens who
cannot afford to hire their services, although they have been denied their
rights by state organizations or powerful feudal and traders. It is high time
the Supreme Court delivered justice to people of Pakistan, instead of
being entangled in technicalities, political and constitutional issues since it
alone has jurisdiction to do so and set precedents for other courts to follow.
Unfortunately the courts in Pakistan do not deliver justice in the puritanical
sense, because they are slave to technicalities raised by lawyers, who are
paid to so, knowing fully well that their clients have no case.
Two days later, TheNation observed: The Chairman, Election
Commission of Pakistan (ECP), has kicked up a row with the Supreme
Court by saying that its order barring the holding of by-elections on the basis
of existing voter lists was unconstitutional. Chairman Justice (retd) Hamid
Mirza maintained that the ECP was an independent body and was
completely autonomous in taking any decision regarding electoral rolls.
However, by adding that, Every organ of the State should act within its
limits, Justice Mirza seems to be putting forward the same argument
that the government and political parties allied to it are in the habit of
using when confronted with the question of not complying with the apex
courts verdicts. It seems that the ECP has missed the underlying point in the
SCs order. The court had asked it to prepare up-to-date electoral rolls on the
ground that the present lists contain a whopping 37 million bogus voters,
and had ruled that any elections held on the basis of these lists could not
meet the constitutional requirements
No one would question the independence and autonomous nature of
the Election Commission, but the overarching position of the Supreme Court
in interpreting the Constitution must not be challenged either. Instead of
entering into a controversy with the SC, the ECP should have employed
the required number of staff to expedite and prepare the lists by
February 23 so that the by-elections which would fall due by that date as
well as the general elections if called earlier could be held on the basis of
accurate electoral rolls. After all, the ECP is obliged under the rules to
1017

update these rolls every year. It might as well avoid further vitiating the
already existing unsavoury climate of clash of institutions.
Dr Haider Mehdi wrote: Let us call a spade a spade: The presently
ongoing political battle for a viable democratic Pakistan is not about the
martyrdom or personal sacrifices of the Prime Minister, the President or
the PPPs so-called democratic mandate for a five-year term. The fact of the
matter is that in a parliamentary democracy, the public mandate is not for a
fixed term; the privilege to exercise public confidence is conditioned by and
subject to political economic performance and the management of the States
affairs to the overall satisfaction of the public in measurable and absolutely
prismatic proofs of delivering in the service of peoples welfare.
The fact is that the Zardari-Gilani regime has totally failed on all
these counts, and democratically speaking, in ethical and political terms, its
public democratic mandate stands morally revoked, automatically. In
civilized democratic dispensations, failed elected governments have been
known to offer their resignations in the overall interest of the nation. But in
Pakistan, the Prime Minister is indulging in theatrical performances of
political craftsmanship completely devoted to power politics and personal
cult making. This nations misfortune cannot be overstated.
The Prime Ministers recent political performances remind me of
David Bowies 1976 British science fiction film, The Man Who Fell To
Earth. Newton (Bowie), a human-like alien, crash lands on earth with a
mission to transport water to his native planet, which is experiencing a
calamitous drought. In the process, Newton becomes incredibly wealthy as
head of World Enterprises, falls into commercial rivalry, indulges in
crippling deceptions, fails to understand the rules of the game on earth,
develops an incredible appetite for TV, gets so obsessed with his personal
self-interests that he neglects his true undertaking of saving his people, and
amid intense media exposure, finally fails in his earthly mission. End of
story! In my political judgment, I find comparable scenarios in Bowies and
the Prime Ministers failed political missions.
Is the Pakistani Prime Minister, too, seized by a political fantasy
to do and manage political performances beyond the realm of
possibilities? Is the PM confident that he can move the entire nation in
believing that his and the Presidents political survival are tantamount to the
survival of democracy in Pakistan? Or has the PM, under intense media
exposure, proved that his mission - the democratic mission and public
mandate of serving the people - has already faulted, faltered and failed?
1018

Perceptual fantasies do not help in nation-building. Neither do the

assumed martyrdoms and self-believed tales of personal sacrifices. At the
end of the day, it is the political performance judged impartially against the
facts of whether the mission of public service is accomplished or not. That is
how democracies work, and are judged! Whether the hero offers
martyrdom is inconsequential in a democracy! End of story!
Zaheer Bhatti opined: In the present standoff, in which government
defiance has been grossly miscalculated under the advice from the
Presidents loyalists, who may turn out to be his worst enemies, Mr Asif
Zardari may have bought some time, but would have sensed that he
cannot avoid the inevitable. If, indeed, as often professed by his team
(perhaps, never by him personally that he was innocent) that in spite of
suffering a jail term for eight or nine years nothing could be proved against
him, he ought to have volunteered to face the law, despite his immunity. That
surely would have resurrected his image! But if he had much to hide and
returned to politics from the oblivion to hijack his wifes political
inheritance after her demise, one can make sense in his option to seek cover
by vying for the presidential slot that would provide him immunity as long
as he was in the saddle.
I do not endorse those expressing surprise over Aitzaz Ahsan
appearing as the Prime Ministers counsel, and many ridiculing him for
what they call a volte-face in deposing to the court contrary to his position
taken outside it on the writing of the letter. Mr Ahsans contention that he
would attempt to satisfy the court on the applicability of immunity since it
had been forced upon him by it although the specific proceedings for
contempt did not require bringing in the subject is not correct because it
was the Prime Minister, who landed him in this situation by taking the cover
of immunity; the relevance of which was promptly questioned by Justice
Sarmad Jalal Usmani during the proceedings.
More importantly, the letter ought to have been written
irrespective of the presidential immunity because in the case under
question there are other parties, who are enjoying its cover to which they are
not entitled to any way. But more discerning analysts maintain that the
defiance may not be all that miscalculated, as unless the letter is written by
the third week of February, reopening of the case would become time barred.
It remains to be seen if the rule of law or brinksmanship finally prevails.
On 27th January, M A Niazi wrote: The flurry of activity surrounding
the two major crises surrounding the government, the memogate affair and
1019

the NRO verdict, has obscured the opposition campaign for fresh
elections. Because it was an opposition campaign, it seems that the only
possible way out for the President has been sacrificed.
After discussing the developments in the two crises Niazi concluded:
The present situation, therefore, leaves many questions of importance, but
mainly for the constituencies where by-elections are due. However, those
questions would have to be asked, many times magnified, were there to be a
dissolution. The ECP would find itself at the centre of a storm, and
would, probably, rely on the elections being put off until the rolls are
prepared.
The government must realize the inadequacy of the motive it has of
avoiding that dissolution, of its members not just remaining in the National
Assembly, but of remaining Ministers. It should realize that this might be a
natural motive to put off elections, but it does not bring to an end the
political crises that demand the elections. Another reason not to have
elections is that elections will not solve the problems that might cause them.
However, holding elections now would let the government avoid the election
being about its record, which is patchy at best. However, if the government
is allowed to complete its term, it might be able to do something that would
allow it to claim re-election. The holding of an election now, while fraught
with difficulties, still offers the government a chance of handling the
crises it faces.
Two days later, Dr Farrukh Saleem wrote: The PPP, GHQ and the
Supreme Court have turned Pakistan into a country where it is now
impossible to exactly describe either the existing state or a future outcome.
We dont know what we are and we dont know what is to become of us.
The GHQ, the Supreme Court and the PPP have turned Pakistan into a
terrain where the order or nature of things is unknown; where the
consequences, extent or magnitude of circumstances, conditions or events is
unpredictable and where credible probabilities to possible outcomes cannot
be assigned. Thats extreme uncertainty.
The PPP, the Supreme Court and the GHQ have turned Pakistan
into a borderland where the state no longer functions because of
conflicting directions from the three power seekers. The PPP, the Supreme
Court and the GHQ are infighting to gain control of the state and this
infighting has created a situation in which nothing is moving and absolutely
nothing is getting done. Thats gridlock par excellence.

1020

The PPP, the Supreme Court and the GHQ have given Pakistan so
many strokes and traumas that there is now a severe impairment of activity.
The State of Pakistan is now completely unable to function. Thats paralysis.
Uncertainty, gridlock and paralysis. The PPP is bent upon preserving a
predatory state where there is rationalization of theft, public policy is
to benefit the rulers and there is massive under-investment in human
capital as well as infrastructure.
In a predatory state, there are four visible phenomena. One;
human life is poor, nasty, brutish, and short. Two; citizens live in fear of
each other. Three; individuals are free to harm all who threaten their own
self-preservation. Four; there is an endless war of all against all (Thomas
Hobbes).
The new Supreme Court is bent upon establishing a rule of law state.
In a contractual state, that the Supreme Court seems to favor, there are
at least three visible phenomena. One; the general will decides what is
good for society as a whole. Two; a neutral judge protects the lives, liberty
and property of those who live within it (John Locke). Three; individuals,
including the administrative head of state, who could be a monarch, must
bow to the general will, or be forced to bow to it (Jean-Jacques Rousseau).
The GHQ is confused, indecisive and erratic-all at the same time.
Should they be in the barracks or out fathering political parties? The GHQs
messages to the PPP and the Supreme Court are ambiguous, dubious and
inconclusive-all at the same time. Either effect a regime change or stop
destabilizing. It was Henry Miller, the American novelist and painter, who
said, Confusion is a word we have invented for an order which is not
understood. Certainty and economic growth are first cousins. Uncertainty
kills whatever comes its way. Uncertainty means unemployment,
inflation, chaos, anarchy and turmoil-all at the same time. Uncertainty is
killing me; And Im certainly not asleep; Maybe Ive gone far too deep;
Maybe Im just far too weak; And thats the last place I want to be the last
place.
On 30th January, Ikramullah observed: The pathetic state of affairs
is partly due to the indifferent attitude of the opposition towards
national issues. For instance, the leader of the largest opposition party,
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), in Parliament had in person filed
a petition in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, seeking an investigation into the
memo affair, since the alleged letter/document involved issues of national
security, so that all those involved in the conspiracy could be identified and
1021

charged with high treason. Regardless of its sensitivity, reportedly, he is

currently in London - perhaps, for a medical check-up. Yes, this shows the
level of commitment!
Similarly, he had publicly declared more than once that the rulers
in Islamabad were a security risk for the nation. Therefore, his party
would not hesitate to use all options, including mass resignations and long
march to Islamabad, to oust the federal government. He maintained that his
party would motivate people to come out to protest, like Arab Spring, and
force the government to resign and hold snap polls. Adding that, it would not
be allowed under any circumstances to complete its tenure.
Just look at the irony where political manoeuvring has taken over a
previously stated policy or position, resulting in wriggling out and retreating,
albeit without any apparent explanation, and regardless of losing face in the
eyes of people, carrying out political gimmicks, pretending business as usual
to avoid any comments and questions from the media; the easiest way out is
to go abroad for a medical check-up!
Anyhow, the people of Pakistan, at large, are not only confused,
but also frustrated with the prolonged suspense and uncertainty
prevailing in the country, and thus they have lost confidence in the
democratic setup. The PPP-led government definitely needs to make sincere
efforts to improve governance and redress the grievances of the masses,
rather than resorting to politically-motivated rhetoric. Otherwise, it should
be prepared to face severe consequences.
Meanwhile, how can the international community trust Pakistan
when its Prime Minister, attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) in
Davos, Switzerland, chooses to inform the world that Pakistani courts
might send him to jail for which he is ready? In his interview to CNN, he
said that I am ready to go to prison, if the court so desires, clearly hinting
how far his government was prepared to go to defend President Asif Ali
Zardari on the issue of immunity in Swiss cases. The question, however,
remains: Is this likely to attract the worlds sympathy and support for the
survival of Pakistans rapidly sliding economy?
On 1st February, TheNation wrote about Laptop politicking. The
initiative is one which will provoke much thought, and among the
questions arising is the cost of the project and how much of an impact it
will have on the average school child in Punjab. With teacher standards
and attendance at dismal levels, curriculums which are insufficient and
unprepared for modern times, schools with corrupt enrolment practices, what
1022

has the government planned for these more basic, grass root problems?
Private schools are unregulated and springing up on every corner, while
government schools pay teachers highly but get little effort in return.
There is great use in distributing computers, but the utility of a
good basic education cannot be underestimated, and is needed to make
use of the laptops. The same money if spent on correcting the curriculum
and weeding out the undeserving from the education system may be a better
investment in our future. Government schools which lack even blackboards
may not be the best place to teach computer skills, and they deserve to have
their facilities completed if they are to impart the right education in future. It
is not so much a matter of lower or higher standards, as of a completely
different kind of education. Meanwhile, the Punjab government must not
think that its giving its students laptops in any way absolves it of its
responsibility towards students of private schools, or to provide government
schools missing facilities. It must do so alongside the distribution of laptops
and on top priority. Over 50% of our uncontrolled population is under 20
years of age. The only security of Pakistan's future is in their education.
Two days later, Mohammad Malick commented: The meandering
prime minister had long stood convicted in the court of public opinion,
guilty of crimes like incompetence and corruption. Now he has also earned
the sobriquet of being indicted in a court of law. But we know what will
happen. Unlike any ordinary law abiding citizen who would hang his head
in shame for falling foul of the law, the prime minister will instead wear
this stigma as a badge of honour. He has been heard talking about how he
has chaired more cabinet meetings than late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto; has served
longer than both Mr Bhutto and Shaheed Benazir; and will bring honour by
being the Seraiki to sacrifice himself for the party instead of being one to
sacrifice the party for his own personal motive (ala Farooq Leghari). Noble
words indeed but the reality remains that he has been indicted for refusing to
honour the verdict of the highest court of the land, and there is no honour in
this. But a word here for the honourable court as well. Hopefully, it will also
not shirk from passing similar indictments and convictions against erring
generals an opportunity that may soon be coming its way in the form of
the Asghar Khan case.
And talking of generals, till a few days back, the chief of the army
staff had felt it beneath his dignity to attend even official functions of the
prime minister who had spoken unkindly of him and his institution. There
was talk of the army doing everything to help the judiciary take the memo
affair to its logical conclusion Next, both the COAS and the DG ISI called
1023

on the prime minister a day before his departure for Davos. Barely had this
sudden development been digested that the prime minister returned the
favour by giving the duo a clean conduct slip and then slipping away to
Davos.
On the sidelines, Mansoor Ijaz huffed and puffed and decided to be a
no-show in court Everyone, it seems suddenly wanted to just hush up
the matter and move on with life. Everyone, it appears knows something
about a dirty deal here, but well of course never know.
One day the country was faced with a near existential threat. The
civil and military establishments openly squared off against one another. It
had come down to being a do-or-die situation. Ambassador Haqqani lost his
job, and his freedom. The president reportedly lost his mind. The COAS
came close to losing his pips. The judges faced the dilemma of losing their
credibility. Meanwhile the country lost whatever little remained of any
semblance of working order.
Then, in a few days, magically, it was all over Will this shameless
circus of dirty power arrangements ever end in Pakistan? Will there ever
be closure on issues? Because unless matters are taken to their logical
conclusions, things will keep recurring and with greater ferocity. Absence of
desired accountability only guarantees the presence of undesirable
happenings.
The prime ministers indictment, being seen by many as a prelude to
serious accountability, has started the next round of political uncertainty in
the country. The loyalists will deem it the latest threat to democracy at the
hands of an activist judiciary. The complexion of matters to come will
however be decided not by the judges but by the response of the ruling
coalition. The prime ministers future may stand threatened by the judges
but not of the democratic system and this fine difference must not be
deliberately smudged.
Ironically, the charging of the prime minister may prove the finest
hour for democracy in our political history. Could there be a greater
example of the maturing of the political system than an elected prime
minister submitting himself to the Supreme Court and for the democratic
process to cough up his replacement were he to lose his job in the process?
The judges may have contributed to adding to the uncertainty of affairs but
the real challenge to democracy comes not from a bunch of judges but from
the future actions of those lording over the parliament. How the democrats
behave today will determine democracys future in Pakistan.
1024

The prime minister still has nine days to comply with court orders
and avoid any extreme action but judging from the mood of the PM house
and the presidency, defiance will persist. And this may make political
sense for the PPP in particular because the beleaguered party could easily
use another political martyr in the coming elections. Gilani has almost run
his entire term in office and even if the PPP were to come to power again
there would be a new prime minister in office. Surely, Gilani would have
little desire to sit in the same house as an ordinary parliamentarian. Were he
to remain steadfast in his stance and be convicted by the court he would then
go out in a blaze of glory. He would secure a special place in his partys
history and also ensure loftier perches for his children, all of whom are
already active in politics. On the other hand, were he to beat a conviction
somehow, he would emerge as a much stronger prime minister.
The issue of writing the letter will not go away with Gilani and
any future prime minister too would have to face the dilemma, in theory
at least. In practical terms, the issue would be as good as dead if Gilani was
mowed down in this standoff. Its not easy for even the mightiest of supreme
courts to strike down two prime ministers in one case. Gilanis replacement
would definitely get time from an understanding court for formulating
his/her actions. The PPP leadership would be able to get through with the
Senate elections and the new prime minister could then announce early
elections and thus set the transition process in motion. In such a scenario,
where general elections are scheduled, say, a few months down the road and
matters like the formation of a truly independent election commission
cobbling together an acceptable interim-care taker setup etc are being
tackled, the supreme court will surely be weary of upsetting the delicately
balanced apple cart by insisting on another conviction. Three cheers for
democracy, PPP-style; three cheers for justice Pakistan-style!
On 4th February, TheNation observed: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza
Gilani will face a formal contempt of court charge in the Supreme Court on
February 13 Mr Gilani should understand well that obedience to the
law is not merely achieved by appearance in court. By announcing it, and
that too before the National Assembly, he is doing no one any favours. If he
does not, he should be made to understand his position by his lawyer. If he
refuses to write to the Swiss authorities, he might demonstrate thereby his
resolve to protect the President from prosecution. He himself runs the risk of
conviction, and thus of disqualification from membership of the National
Assembly.

1025

Also he could possibly lose his present office and be unable to

contest in future. He should also understand the compulsion of the Supreme
Court in prosecuting him for contempt. It has to make sure that its orders are
obeyed. It is this obedience which ensures that all courts are obeyed and that
the same law applies to everyone. Thus there can be no exceptions, relying
on the high office enjoyed by an individual.
Tallat Azim wrote: The Supreme Court (SC) has stood its ground and
if the government thought Aitzaz was the answer to its contentions with
it, it miscalculated. Aitzaz has, probably, advised the PM well on presenting
himself and refraining from histrionics, but the fact remains that the
honourable judges did not buy any of the reasoning presented by the PMs
lawyer. Particularly interesting was the reply of a judge when he said,
hamay sharminda honey dain, in reply to the argument that writing of the
letter may embarrass the SC as the Swiss authorities might not oblige. The
only feel good in this episode is that we are inching towards the goal of
respecting and protecting democratic processes
Babar Sattar commented: The prime ministers contempt case
involves no legal complexity. Our Constitution and contempt law define
civil contempt as willful disregard of a court order. So the question is
whether the Supreme Court should make an exception to this wellunderstood legal principle because the person willfully disregarding the
court order is the prime minister of the country. When Lord Mansfield used
the phrase fiat justitia, ruat coelum (let justice be done though the heavens
fall) in John Wilkes case back in 1770, he was merely reiterating the courts
obligation to rule of law that requires it to disregard extraneous
considerations in deciding cases. Justice doesnt demand that courts dispense
justice such that the heavens fall. It only requires that they be oblivious to
the consequences of enforcing the law, including the possibility of
heavens falling.
Even if Yousuf Raza Gilani is indicted on February 13, it will neither
cause the PPP-led government to fall or the skies to cave into Pakistan.
If the court holds the prime minister guilty of contempt, it could possibly
hand him a jail term for up to six months and also disqualify him as a
parliamentarian. The prime minister could seek a review of such conviction
by a larger bench. As the review jurisdiction is extremely narrow and only a
means to correct an obvious error floating on the surface of the order,
utilizing such opportunity might only delay the inevitable for a little bit. In
case the Supreme Court hands down a guilty verdict on the next hearing and
doesnt suspend the sentence pending review, Gilani could conceivably wind
1026

up in jail and continue to function as prime minister from there till such time
that his successor enters office.
If the Supreme Court finds that the prime ministers actions have
ridiculed the judiciary or prejudiced judicial independence, Gilani could
stand disqualified as member of the National Assembly under Article 63(g)
of the Constitution and consequently as PM. If such declaration is made, the
question of whether or not the prime minister has become disqualified as
member of the National Assembly would stand answered and there would be
no need for the matter to be considered by the speaker of the National
Assembly or the Election Commission. The court could simply instruct
the Election Commission to issue a notification of disqualification as it
has done in other cases. Even if convicted Gilani could remain prime
minister under Article 94 of the Constitution if President Zardari asks him to
continue till his successor enters upon office.
If found guilty of contempt and disqualified as member National
Assembly under Article 62(g) of the Constitution, Gilani would be barred
from becoming a parliamentarian for at least five years. The president could
pardon and remit any sentence passed by the court against Gilani. That
would protect the prime minister against being sent to jail. But such pardon
would not erase the conviction or override the five-year ban against
becoming a parliamentarian. Either way, the PPP and allies in the
government have a comfortable majority in the National Assembly to be
able to elect a successor prime minister. But none of this really needs to
happen. The prime minister can simply show up on the next date of hearing
with an unconditional apology and give the court a solemn commitment that
the letter required to be sent to the Swiss authorities will be written as
instructed.
Should the Supreme Court desist from applying the law out of fear of
grave consequences, as the PPP government continues to negotiate with the
court holding a gun to Gilanis head? In the NRO implementation case
things have reached this ugly pass not because of the courts failure to
apply restraint, but despite it. At each hearing it is obvious that the court
desperately wants the government to follow the NRO judgment in letter
(forget spirit), save face and be done with it. It is the PPP government that
wishes for the circus to continue. The Zardari-led PPP seems to entertain
with relish the idea that the heavens might fall and throw up further
opportunities to claim victim-hood and slander the court. But the judges
ought not take account of such sadism or the political mileage the ruling
party seems to be vying for in case of a guilty verdict.
1027

Let us quickly revisit what the prime ministers contempt case is

about and what it is not. This case is not about Asif Zardari and his
immunity from criminal proceedings. It is arguable that the NRO case and
its ruling requiring the federal government to reclaim Pakistans status as
civil party in the money laundering proceedings pending in Switzerland (that
were relinquished under the NRO) were linked to Zardari. The judgment in
that case could possibly be criticized on the ground that the court didnt
address the issue of presidential immunity. And as withdrawing the previous
withdrawal letter could possibly open up cases against Zardari, the net result
of such letter could be the initiation of criminal proceedings against the
president and that is prohibited under Article 248.
The counter-argument could be that a cause of action can lead to both
criminal and civil proceedings. Money laundering, if proved, could result in
a jail term and such proceedings are of a criminal nature. But there is also
the issue of who has a claim over the $62 million, previously frozen by
Swiss authorities, if such money is found to be laundered. And a claim to
recover such amount would be of a civil nature. Now whether or not the
accused are guilty of money laundering and should be handed jail terms is a
criminal matter between the state of Switzerland and the accused, including
Zardari. But as Pakistani state is only claiming such money that is found
by Swiss authorities to have been laundered from Pakistan, reasserting
a claim to the $62 million is not a breach of Article 248 of our
Constitution.
We can continue back and forth about the scope of Article 248, the
nature of proceedings that were initiated against Zardari in Switzerland and
the nature of Pakistans claim in such proceedings. But all of this is
irrelevant for our present purpose. With apologies once again to Justice
Robert Jackson of the US Supreme Court, who succinctly summarized the
nature of authority of apex courts by claiming that, we are not final because
we are infallible, but we are infallible only because we are final. All courts
can and do make mistakes, including our Supreme Court. But even if we
agree that in ordering that the letter be written to Swiss authorities the
Supreme Court erred, the NRO ruling is now infallible because it has
attained finality.
The question before the seven-member bench hearing the prime
ministers contempt case is not whether the NRO judgment is correct or
desirable, but whether the chief executive of the country has flouted it. The
question is not whether the Supreme Court erred in the NRO case or the
Bhutto case, or whether the khakis have historically been above the law or
1028

this apex court has followed a go-slow policy toward them (though it is
welcome that even that seems to be changing with the Asghar Khan case
fixed for hearing and the ISI/MI being pushed to produce missing persons).
The question simply is whether the prime minister willfully disregarded a
court order and whether he can get away claiming that the advice of the Dr
Babar Awan-led law ministry superseded the unambiguous order of the
Supreme Court. How should we describe ourselves if we have become a
society where uniform application of the law to the weak and the mighty
alike is odious for it might cause the heavens to fall?
Next day, Ikramullah wrote: Needless to say, the basic conflict in the
words of the so-called respect shown to the court for compliance with its
verdicts by the PPP leadership and its total defiance in not implementing it
by the Chief Executive is at the heart of the present unfortunate standoff
between the two major organs of the State, namely the Executive and the
Judiciary. This had been building over a period of time and reached its
peak when the court issued a show cause notice to the PM.
PM Gilani is a seasoned politician and not new in this game
where advisors can mislead or misguide him, as if he was a novice. No
sir! He has been a Speaker of the National Assembly. Many analysts believe
that the PM may be heading for a political martyrdom. This time around the
party may have chosen him to play this role, since there are speculations that
the general elections will, probably, be held by the end of 2012 i.e.
September-October. Otherwise, the PM during his visit to Davos would not
have said: I will rather go to jail than write a letter to the Swiss government.
Keeping this in view, Barrister Aitzaz had no choice, but to follow
the instructions of his client no matter what his personal views might have
been on the matter. At the moment, the only available option before him is to
quit from this case. But, perhaps, the stakes are too high! So, Aitzaz might
have decided to put at stake his professional credibility for the sake of
saving the party and the PM during the interim period till the situation
takes a favourable turn. Only time will tell whether Zardaris gamble pays
off or not in which the PPP and major stakeholders are playing their cards.
Nevertheless, it would be best to wait till the next hearing, i.e. on
February 13, when charges are to be framed against the Prime Minister.
Thirteenth is an ominous figure and anything could happen, including
Gilani writing the letter to the Swiss courts even before the fateful date. Had
the Chief Executive chosen to write the letter earlier, he would not be in
trouble today!
1029

REVIEW
As pressure on the regime mounted on account of non-implementation
of the NRO verdict and constitution of judicial commission yet another front
was opened to ridicule the judiciary. Chief Election Commissioner accused
the Supreme Court of committing an unconstitutional act by ordering
stoppage of bye-elections.
In a display of blatant defiance the ECP expressed its inability to
update voter lists by date given by the Supreme Court. Election Commission
asserted its independence by announcing that the lists would be completed
by 25th May; not by 23rd February as ordered by the apex court.
One of the two prongs that put the regime under some pressure was
blunted quite effectively. This prong pertained to the memo to Mullen. It
happened not because of ECP overtures but due to many other internal and
external factors. The other prong of contempt however remained active.
The regime did not appear doing well on this front.
The chosen defence counsel of the Saint argued in the court for two
days. Talking to media after court proceedings on 2nd February Aitzaz Ahsan
cut a very sorry figure. Like a typical lawyer he did not admit that he had
miserably failed to convince the judges on the bench despite frequently
claiming that he would do that.
He lacked the courage to admit that he was defending a very weak
case. By mere parroting out a statement that no contempt charge could be
framed against his client Aitzaz could convince no one, not even a man in
the street what to talk about the learned judges of the court.
The line of defence preferred by him was stinking of moral
degeneration. Aitzaz said that Gilani had acted on the advice of his advisers;
thereby trying to say that he had not deliberately disobeyed the court orders,
but because of the wrong advice of the subordinates.
Only a democratically elected leader could dare passing the buck to
his subordinates so blatantly. Any other leader worth their salt would have
owned the responsibility of his decision and action no matter how faulty his
advisory channel had been.
His post-hearing media interaction stripped the jiyala naked that has
been hibernating inside Aitzaz since the days of Lawyers Movement. He
appeared no different from Babar Awan when he blamed Judiciary for
1030

framing charges against civilian prime ministers and turning the face other
way when Generals committed contempt against the Constitution.
The events have proved the extent to which the Scoundrel could go to
protect his personal interests. For him the Saint is worth a black goat that the
Scoundrel slaughters daily. He is prepared to slaughter Gilani, the black goat
from Multan, to protect his black money that he has kept in banks in
Whitemans lands.
But it wasnt without duly rewarding the Saint before attempting to
use him as a sacrificial goat. The Scoundrel had given about four years to the
Saint to plunder as much of national wealth as he could for his family and
near and dear ones. The Scoundrel too believes in tradition of feeding
sacrificial animals well before slaughtering them.
However, the observers which have been disappointed by the
judiciarys activism that has invariably ended up in exercise of unjustifiable
restraint were of the view that nothing would happen on 13 th February. Even
if Gilani is indicted on contempt charge it would mean fulfillment of
regimes desire of achieving political martyrdom.
According to them if the apex court was serious about punishing
someone out of those accused of committing crimes it had plenty of
corruption cases pending before it. In last three years not a single accused
was punished and based on that experience the observers feel that in
contempt case too Gilani may be rewarded with martyrdom status.
In a democratic system the political opposition capitalizes on
governments failings, but the PML-N failed to do so in any of opportunities
presented to it. Presently, however, PML-N was in deep trouble in Punjab to
think of taking any advantage of adversarys failings. The defective drugs
after Dengue were taking toll of the rulers and the ruled in Punjab.
Amid turmoil in the province Shahbaz Sharifs made a stunning
revelation that during Dengue fever attack a prominent person in Islamabad
had tried to scare away the team if Sri Lankan experts from Lahore. Based
on that anti-Punjab act, Shahbaz feared that the present drug debacle too
could have been deliberately triggered.
If apprehension of Shahbaz comes true, it would unveil yet another
ugly aspect of the ongoing democratic revenge. The Scoundrels revenge, in
general, targets Pakistan, but he specifically has been focusing on Pakistan
Army, ISI, Judiciary, political opponents linked to Punjab and religion, and
the province of Punjab. He has taken all of them on simultaneously and
1031

inflicted considerable damage on Army and Punjab. Nevertheless, it was not

the right time for Shahbaz to mention Dengue.
5th February, 2012

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
The genetically engineered Arab Spring in North Africa was over
weeks ago. The harvest of this spring hasnt been to the likes of the
cultivators, because in Egypt Islamists have won a thumping victory. The
people of the region, however, have yet to taste the fruits of democracy.

1032

The West has left the North Africans alone to sort out the mess they
have created in their own backyards on the coaxing of their foreign
liberators. The Yemenis too have been allowed more time to create similar
chaos in their country; whereas their erstwhile ruler, Ali Abdullah Saleh left
for America, the country at whose service he has been for decades.
These developments allowed the Crusaders to pay more attention to
solve the crises in Syria and Iran. As usual the Arab rulers were at their
service out which those who ruled Saudi Arabia and Qatar stood head and
shoulder above others. The US deployed three aircraft carriers in the Gulf
region to augment economic and diplomatic pressure.
Using the time-tested strategy the Crusaders moved a resolution in the
UNSC to pave the way for Libya-like action. Of course, Arab and Pakistani
stooges stood with their master. But, Russia and China read the intentions of
the Crusaders correctly and decided to allow the history repeat itself so soon.

NEWS
North Africa, the southern flank of Europe, or its underbelly to be
more precise has been secured for the foreseeable future. Moreover, its
natural resources, discovered or unexplored were now in the virtual control
of the West. Nevertheless oil-related violence continued at places. A
governor was kidnapped by al-Qaeda in Algeria on 17th January.
Police and protesters clashed in Nigeria on 9th January; three people
were shot dead. Tens of thousands had demonstrated nationwide over fuel
price hikes and a general strike shut down the country. Tensions particularly
ran high in Kano, the largest city in Nigerias north. Two days later,
thousands of protesters defied an order to end a three-day-old strike about
price hike of petroleum products.
On 12th January, Nigerian oil workers vowed to begin shutting down
production. Five days later, gunmen killed at least 51 people in the latest
ethnic clashes in South Sudan's troubled Jonglei state. Last month an 8,000strong tribal militia of Lou Nuer youths marched on Pibor, to exact revenge
on the Murle people there for alleged attacks, abductions and cattle raiding.
Now officials claim the latest violence is the Murle's response.
On 21st January, bomb attacks targeting security forces and gun battles
killed at least 121 people in Nigeria's second-largest city of Kano. A curfew
was imposed on Kano in Nigeria's mainly Muslim north after it exploded

1033

into violence on Friday evening. Scores of such attacks in Nigeria's north

have been blamed on Boko Haram.
Next day, gunmen raided a northern Nigerian town and killed at least
nine people. On 25th January, gunmen rained bombs and gunfire in the town
of Kano. On 27th January, gunmen killed 15 people in Zamfara state. Next
day, Nigerias army killed 11 suspected Boko Haram insurgents during a gun
battle at a check point in the Islamist sects heartland of Maiduguri.
On 30th January, two people were killed when Police opened fire in
Kano. On 7th February, explosions rocked army barracks, a bridge and an air
base in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna amid a wave of attacks blamed
on Islamist group Boko Haram. Troops returned fire and killed eight people.
During second week of January Libya received roughly $20 billion in
assets that were held overseas by Gaddafi's regime and had been frozen. On
21st January, a home-made grenade was hurled at Libya's ruling National
Transitional Council office in Benghazi. On 1 st February, a gun battle
erupted in central Tripoli.
In Egypt, the electoral commission announced on 21st January that the
Muslim Brotherhood's party won 47.18 percent of seats in the parliament.
The Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) won 235 seats in the new People's
Assembly, or 47.18 percent, and the ultra-conservative Salafist Al Nur party
was in second place with 121 seats or nearly 25 percent, while the liberal
Wafd Party follows with nearly nine percent.
On 24th January, Egypt decided to partially lift emergency. Next day,
Egyptians poured into Tahrir Square to commemorate first anniversary of
mass public protests. On 27th January, thousands gathered in Tahrir Square to
push for another change.
On 31st January, Egyptian Bedouins captured 25 Chinese workers in
Sinai to demand the release of relatives detained over bombings in the
peninsula between 2004 and 2006. The Chinese, who work for a militaryowned cement factory, were abducted on their way to work. Next day, at
least 79 people were killed and thousand wounded when supporters of two
teams clashed after a football match in Port Said. China confirmed its 25
workers kidnapped in Sinai have been released.
On 3rd February, two protesters died of tear gas inhalation as clashes
raged between police and protesters in central Cairo amid nationwide rallies
demanding the ruling military cede power. A soldier injured outside the

1034

Cairo interior ministry building yesterday died in hospital. Next day, Police
fired tear gas at protesters on third day of clashes in Cairo.
On 6th February, one protester was killed in clashes with police outside
Cairos security headquarters in the wake of deadly football violence and
amid calls by activists for civil disobedience in Egypt. The latest death
brought the toll to 13 in last five days. On 10th February, armed Bedouin
kidnapped three South Korean tourists and their Egyptian guide in the Sinai
Peninsula. The kidnappers demanded the release of fellow tribesmen held by
the authorities, the official added.
On 29th January, rebels in oil-producing border state of Sudan - South
Kordofan - said they were holding Chinese workers for their own safety
after a battle with the Sudanese army. Next day, at least 79 people were
killed in South Sudan by gunmen; authorities blamed Khartoum for arming
the raiders.
On 7th January, at least sixty militants were killed in Somalia in air
strike by Kenya. Five days later, gunmen killed six Kenyans including four
policemen and abducted three others, in a string of attacks in the
northeastern region that borders Somalia.
On 15th January, all 21 Indian crew members, held hostage by Somali
pirates on a chemical oil tanker since August were released. On 31 st January,
two people were killed when a suicide bomber attacked the house of a senior
militia commander in the central Somali town of Galkayo and four people
were injured.
On 8th February, a suicide bomber killed at least 11 people in
Mogadishu when he detonated an explosive-laden vehicle near the
presidential palace. Two days later, Ayman al-Zawahri said Somalias
militant group al Shabaab had joined the al-Qaeda network.
In Middle East, Syria and Iran remained in the focus of the
Crusaders, but rest of the region also kept smouldering. In Iraq, 17 people
were killed in attacks across the country on 9 th January. Next day, bomb
attacks in Baghdad and north Iraq killed six people, including an army
colonel. Colonel Hassan Ali was killed when a roadside bomb struck the
convoy he was traveling in the disputed town of Saadiyah, Diyala province;
three of Ali's bodyguards were wounded.
On 11th January, separate gun attacks in Baghdad and western Iraq left
five policemen dead, including two working in the anti-terror department.

1035

Three days later, a suicide bomber attacked a procession of Shiite devotees

in Basra killing 53 people and wounding more than 130.
On 16th January, a car bomb exploded in Mosul, killing at least eight
people and wounding four. Americans were among foreign contractors
detained by Iraqi authorities. Two days later, gunmen killed a Sunni Arab
village chief and his three sons when they burst into his home just south of
Baghdad. The son who was hurt was a fighter in the anti-Qaeda militia
known as the Sahwa, which had sided with the US military against al-Qaeda.
On 20th January, security forces detained a Sunni Arab politician in
central Iraq while a second escaped in the latest round of detentions to hit
the minority group. The arrest took place amid a political row that has pitted
the Shiite-led government against the main Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc,
stoking sectarian tensions. Next day, Police killed a senior leader of alQaeda leader while attempting to arrest him in Mosul; two Palestinians were
arrested in the gunfight south of the city.
On 24th January, four car bombs exploded in Baghdad, killing at least
13 people and wounding 75, underlining a political crisis that threatens to
revive sectarian strife in Iraq. Two days later, thirteen people were killed
attack 60 kilometers south of Baghdad. On 27 th January, a suicide bomber
detonated an explosives-packed car near a funeral procession in southeastern
Baghdad, killing at least 31 people.
Israel killed a Palestinian in air strike and Police detained three
Gazans on 19th January. Next day, Hamas prime minister called on Mahmud
Abbas to end all dialogue with Israel after troops arrested parliamentary
speaker Aziz Dweik. The parliamentary speaker, who is a member of the
Islamist Hamas movement, was arrested by Israeli troops late on Thursday,
sparking a furious response from Gazas Hamas rulers as well as from
Abbass Fatah movement.
On 24th January, an Israeli military court ordered the Hamas speaker
of the Palestinian parliament be held in administrative detention for six
months. The order against Aziz Dweik, who was detained by Israeli troops
last week, came as Israeli officials arrested another Hamas lawmaker, the
fifth senior member of the Palestinian movement to be held in the past five
days. Next day, Israeli Army drove a trailer over the legs of a Palestinian in a
bid to stop construction of a house in a village in Hebron.
On 31st January, Israel arrested a Palestinian who had been released in
recent prisoners swap. Two days later, as the UN chief entered the
Palestinian territory, protesters threw shoes, sand and small stones at his
1036

convoy, which was briefly held up before continuing on to Khan Yunis in the
southern Gaza Strip. On 3rd February, two Palestinians were wounded in
Israeli air strike in Gaza. A week later, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak
approved the construction of buildings in the West Bank.
On 8th January, Leon Panetta warned that the United States would
respond if Iran tries to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to
the Gulf. Iranian had threatened to close the strait if the European Union
goes through with an embargo on Iranian oil.
On 11th January, nuclear scientist was killed in bomb blast; Iran
blamed the US and Israel. Next day, Iran called on the United Nations to
condemn the killing of nuclear scientists, which it said were cruel,
inhumane and criminal act of terrorism.
On 22nd January, Israel could launch a unilateral strike on Iran's
nuclear facilities without much prior notice to its closest ally US. While the
Israeli leadership has signaled support for US president Barack Obama in his
re-election bid by urging Jewish voters in America to vote for him, Israel's
defence minister Ehud Barak is said to have told general Martin Dempsey,
chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, that Israel will give the US no more
than 12 hours notice before it ventures to demolish Iran's nuclear
installations. Next day, EU agreed to clamp oil embargo on Iran.
On 25th January, Pakistan signed an agreement for purchase of gas
from Tehran. Five days later, India defied US sanctions and refused to cut oil
imports from Iran. On 3rd February, Leon Panetta said Israel is poised to
attack Iran in the first half of this year to stop Tehrans nuclear programme.
Israeli Defence Minister said at a news conference that the country should
confront Iran to keep its nuclear programme from continuing to grow and
claimed that foreign governments would support such an attack. Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei said Iran has its own threats to respond to any military attack
or sanctions against its oil exports.
On 5th February, Iran will attack any country whose territory is used
by 'enemies' of the Islamic state to launch a military strike against its soil,
said the deputy head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards. Iran has warned
that its response to any such strike will be painful, threatening to target
Israel, and US bases in the Gulf, along with closing the vital oil shipping
route of the Strait of Hormuz. On 11th February, Iranian President said the
Islamic Republic would soon announce very important achievements in the
nuclear field. He was speaking on the 33 rd anniversary of the Islamic
revolution.
1037

In Syria, eleven soldiers were killed in clashes with deserters on 8 th

January. Next day, Turkish Prime Minister warned of a civil war in Syria,
where Bashar al-Assads regime is persisting with a deadly crackdown on
opponents. Four days later, thousands protested in support of the rebel Free
Syrian Army as Moscow kept up its opposition to calls for tougher action
against Damascus, calling them flagrant attempts at regime change.
On 15th January, Assad decreed a general amnesty for crimes
committed during unrest in the country over the past 10 months. Next day,
twelve people were killed in violence across Syria. On 21 st January, bomb
blasts killed at least 14 prisoners traveling in a security vehicle in northwest
Syria and troops fought rebels elsewhere as the Arab League weighed
whether to keep monitors in place.
On 23rd January, Syria rebuffed as a conspiracy; an Arab League call
for President Bashar al-Assad to step down in favour of a unity government.
Three days later, Arab League took the Syrian crisis to the UNSC and the
world body said it cant keep the count of the toll in violence.
On 27th January, more than hundred people were reported killed by
security forces in last two days. Two days later, at least 66 people, including
40 soldiers, were killed in violence across Syria. Arab League sought the
help of Russia and China to stop the bloodshed.
On 30th January, Russia offered mediation as 29 more people were
killed. Next day, Syrian troops reasserted control over suburbs of Damascus.
On 1st February, Russia resisted UN campaign against Syria as 59 more
people were killed in violence. Two days later, 17 people, nine of them
government troops were killed in violence across Syria.
On 4th February, Russia and China exercised their veto power and
quashed a UNSC resolution, backed by the Arab and Western countries that
demanded Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down amid escalating
violence. The other 13 members of the council, including Pakistan, voted in
favour of the resolution aimed at ending the ongoing bloodshed in Syria.
Explaining his vote, Pakistans Ambassador to the UN Abdullah
Hussain Haroon called for more work on the draft in view of the worsening
situation in Syria. The suffering of the people must come to an end, he
added. At the same time, he called for respect for the independence, unity,
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria.
It is a sad day for this council, a sad day for Syrians and a sad day for
all friends of democracy, French Ambassador Gerard Araud said after the
1038

resolution was vetoed. US Ambassador Susan Rice said her country was
disgusted by the vote, calling the move shameful. But the Russian and
Chinese envoys defended their decision to block the resolution which they
called unbalanced, while voicing their opposition to regime change in Syria.
On 7th February, the rocket and shell bombardment of protest hubs left
another 79 civilians dead as Washington closed its Damascus embassy and
Britain recalled its ambassador. Next day, dozens of civilians were reported
killed as security forces pounded Homs.
On 9th February, Germany expelled four diplomats from the Syrian
embassy in Berlin after the arrest of two men suspected of spying on regime
opponents. Next day, at least 28 people were killed and 175 wounded as two
blasts hit the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. The blasts were the first in
Aleppo, Syrias largest city, which has been relatively quiet since the
uprising against President Bashar al-Assads regime.
On 11th February, Syrian armour moved on protest centres and a
general was gunned down in Damascus as the bloodshed showed no signs of
abating. Zawahri announced support for protesters; once again al-Qaeda
sided with the West after Libya
In Turkey, security forces killed 13 Kurdish militants in fighting in
the southeast on 9th February, marking an escalation in violence at a time
when cold winter weather normally limits clashes. Kurdistan Workers Party
(PKK) fighters attacked some 10 different security force locations at 2:30
a.m. in Cukurca in Hakkari province near the Iraqi border. One soldier and
four militants were killed in the fighting and military operations were
continuing in the area. Separately, nine PKK guerrillas died in clashes with
Turkish troops in a mountainous region of Bingol province after the soldiers
discovered a winter shelter used by the militants.
In Bahrain, the king announced constitutional amendments on 15 th
January giving parliament more powers of scrutiny over government, but the
opposition said they fell far short of demands for democracy that have
driven a year of unrest.
In Saudi Arabia, 16 al-Qaeda men were put on trial on 8 th January.
Five days later, security forces shot dead a protester in Qatif region. On 11 th
February, Saudi police exchanged fire with masked gunmen at a protest in
the Shiite-populated east, killing one of them in the second fatal clashes in
the oil-rich region in 24 hours.

1039

In Yemen, twenty gunmen were killed in clashes between Zaidi Shiite

rebels and Sunni Salafist gunmen in the north on 12 th January. Next day,
firefights between police and southern separatists killed five and wounded
23, as protesters nationwide denounced a plan granting the Saleh immunity
from prosecution.
On 15th January, twenty-five gunmen were killed in three days of
fighting between tribesmen and rebels in Yemens north. Three days later,
intelligence chief of Yemens main southern city of Aden escaped an
assassination bid by unidentified gunmen.
On 21st January, Yemeni parliament adopted a law giving Ali Abdullah
Saleh immunity from prosecution in return for stepping down under a Gulfbrokered transition deal. Next day, Saleh left Yemen for medical treatment in
the USA. Two suspected al-Qaeda fighters were killed in clashes with
Yemeni troops in the restive southern province of Abyan.
On 26th January, at least 22 people were killed in clashes between
Shiite rebels and Sunni Islamists in northern Yemen. Two days later, Yemeni
troops killed four Islamist fighters in a southern town which they had seized
from government control.
On 29th January, Abdullah Saleh finally arrived in New York on a
politically loaded visit to seek medical treatment for bombing wounds. Two
days later, US air raids struck al-Qaeda elements in southern Yemen
overnight and killed 15 people, including a long-hunted militant leader, the
extremists responded by killing two soldiers. Three of the raids targeted a
school in which al-Qaeda fighters and chiefs of a local militant network
were meeting around midnight.
Newly appointed Information Minister Ali Ahmed al-Amrani escaped
an assassination attempt as he was leaving government headquarters in
Sanaa, a government official told AFP. Amrani was a member of Saleh's
General People's Congress who joined the opposition along with several
other party members last March in protest over a deadly crackdown on antiregime protests by the president's loyalists. On 4th February, armed clashes
between supporters and opponents of a presidential election in Yemen left
dozens of people wounded in the main southern city of Aden.
In Mainland Asia, especially the region under the influence of
Russia seemed experiencing comparative peace, which could be an illusion
due to lack of interest by the Crusaders and thus resultant media black out.
Only one incident was reported during the period in which seven militants,

1040

four officers and one civilian were killed in three separate incidents in
southern Caucasus region on 27th January.
In Far East, Bangladesh military foiled a plot by hardline Muslim
officers, their retired colleagues and Bangladeshi conspirators living abroad
to overthrow Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Sources said plotters belong
to an anti-India group, and felt Dhaka was getting too close to New Delhi. At
least 15 people were killed in southern Philippines on 2 nd February. Six days
later, an Indonesian court jailed three Muslim extremists to between seven
and nine years over a suicide bomb attack on a police mosque last April.
In Europe, the Court of Human Rights stopped Britain on 17 th
January, from extraditing an alleged top aide of Osama to Jordan, saying the
evidence against him may have been obtained through torture. On 28 th
January, Holland also decided to ban covering of face by Muslim women.
Two days later, two people were convicted in Norway in bomb plot. On 1 st
February, four British inspired by a former al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaqi
admitted in court to plotting to blow up the London Stock Exchange in 2010.
On 6th February, a British judge ordered the release on bail of radical
cleric Abu Qatada, allegedly a former top aide of Osama bin Laden, despite
government concerns he poses a security risk. The interior ministry
condemned the decision, saying the 51-year-old is a dangerous man who we
believe poses a real threat to our security and who has not changed in his
views or attitude to the UK.
On 9th February, a British judge sent nine men to prison for plotting to
set up a terrorist training camp and bomb the London Stock Exchange. The
British Muslims had pleaded guilty last week.
In America, authorities arrested an al-Qaeda sympathizer accused of
plotting deadly attacks on sites in Florida on 9 th January. His arrest followed
a months-long surveillance during which he was closely monitored by law
enforcement officials. On 26th January, The US planned to reduce
conventional forces and rely more on drones and Special Forces operations.
On 4th February, several Muslim and interfaith groups staged a rally
outside New York police headquarters to call for more police oversight and
protest against discriminatory practices in the department. Three days later,
an American of Pakistani origin in Chicago pleaded guilty of funding
militants.

1041

VIEWS
On 8th January, John M Owen IV wrote: Egypts final round of
parliamentary elections wont end until next week, but the outcome is
becoming clear. The Muslim Brotherhood will most likely win half the
lower house of Parliament, and more extreme Islamists will occupy a
quarter. Secular parties will be left with just 25 percent of the seats.
Islamism did not cause the Arab Spring. The regions
authoritarian governments had simply failed to deliver on their
promises. Though Arab authoritarianism had a good run from the 1950s
until the 1980s, economies eventually stagnated, debts mounted and
growing, well-educated populations saw the prosperous egalitarian societies
they had been promised receding over the horizon, aggrieving virtually
everyone, secularists and Islamists alike.
The last few weeks, however, have confirmed that a revolutions
consequences need not follow from its causes. Rather than bringing
secular revolutionaries to power, the Arab Spring is producing flowers of a
decidedly Islamist hue. More unsettling to many, Islamists are winning
fairly: religious parties are placing first in free, open elections in Tunisia,
Morocco and Egypt. So why are so many Arabs voting for parties that seem
politically regressive to Westerners?
The Wests own history furnishes an answer. From 1820 to 1850,
Europe resembled todays Arab world in two ways Owen enumerated the
history of revolutions to prove his point and then added: Today, rural and
urban Arabs with widely varying cultures and histories are showing that
they share more than a deep frustration with despots and a demand for
dignity. Most, whether moderate or radical, or living in a monarchy or a
republic, share a common inherited language of dissent: Islamism. Political
Islam, especially the strict version practiced by Salafists in Egypt, is thriving
largely because it is tapping into ideological roots that were laid down long
before the revolts began. Invented in the 1920s by the Muslim Brotherhood,
kept alive by their many affiliates and offshoots, boosted by the failures of
Nasserism and Baathism, allegedly bankrolled by Saudi and Qatari money,
and inspired by the defiant example of revolutionary Iran, Islamism has for
years provided a coherent narrative about what ails Muslim societies and
where the cure lies. Far from rendering Islamism unnecessary, as some
experts forecast, the Arab Spring has increased its credibility; Islamists, after
all, have long condemned these corrupt regimes as destined to fail.

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Liberalism in 19th-century Europe, and Islamism in the Arab

world today, are like channels dug by one generation of activists and
kept open, sometimes quietly, by future ones. When the storms of
revolution arrive, whether in Europe or the Middle East, the waters will find
those channels. Islamism is winning out because it is the deepest and widest
channel into which todays Arab discontent can flow.
On 10th January, Hamza Ali from Muzaffarabad wrote: The US the
other day reached a deal to sell $3.48 bn worth of missiles and related
technology to the UAE, a close Mideast ally, as part of a massive buildup of
defense technology among friendly Mideast nations near Iran. Pentagon
spokesman George Little announced the Christmas Day sale and noted that
the US and UAE had a strong defense relationship and are both interested in
a secure and stable Persian Gulf region. Fair enough but my question is
what does the UAE stand for? The country got Shamsi base from Pakistan
and handed it over to the US without consulting Pakistan. There are reports
that the same is getting on lease thousands of acres of land for securing food
supplies to Balochistan in future. Qatar has opened offices for the Taliban
and in future the Americans would not bother to approach Kandahar. UAE
has great influence in Pakistan and it is using against Pakistan, which is
strange. The UAE has no capacity to fight against an enemy but it is
getting the weapons of such a scale.
Next day, Los Angeles Times wrote: Libyas leadership is reportedly
seeking advice from Bashir on ways to integrate former insurgents into the
nations military and police forces. There may be nobody on Earth less
qualified to offer such guidance. Bashir is a master at displacing and
destroying whole communities in the name of disarming insurgents, and in
arming proxy militias to carry out his regimes genocidal work. Taking him
on as a consultant on community policing is like soliciting cooking
advice from Hannibal Lecter.
Whats arguably worse than Libyas embrace of its monstrous
neighbour is the silence about it from the rest of the world. Every time
Bashir crosses the borders of his own nation for another country that defies
the ICC by failing to honour the courts arrest warrant, the practice of
sheltering war criminals and disrespecting international law becomes more
acceptable and when this becomes so routine that world leaders cease to
comment, it has devastating consequences for global human rights. Not a
word about Bashirs visit has been issued from Washington, London or other
world capitals. The Arab League, meanwhile, is further sanctioning
Sudanese genocide by appointing Lt. Gen. Mohammed Ahmed Dabi, former
1043

head of Sudans murderous intelligence agency, to head its observer mission

in Syria. This has to stop. President Obama and other global leaders
should speak out loudly and forcefully, before Bashir gets another stamp
on his passport.
On 12th January, Walter Rodgers urged consulting history before war
with Iran. He opined: The longer the list of excuses, (possible weapons of
mass destruction, phony Iraqi ties to the 9/11 terror attacks, the bestial nature
of the regime, and building democracy etc.), the shakier is the casus belli.
Conservative warmongers criticize Obama for his quiet reaction to Iranian
jingoism. But the president has behaved in the finest tradition of one of the
best Republican presidents, Theodore Roosevelt. Obama has spoken softly
but carried a big stick. His stick is the US Navys 5th Fleet in the
Persian Gulf.
On 14th January, David Ignatius wrote: The time for communication
may be running out. Economic sanctions are creating a worsening crisis for
Iran, one that is a potential threat to the regimes survival. And more potent
sanctions are on the way. Meanwhile, Israel, the United States and other
allied nations are conducting covert actions against the Iranian nuclear
programme.
Iran called the assassination this week of one of its nuclear scientists
another in a series of malicious terrorist attacks. At some point, the
Iranians may conclude that the broad pressure campaign, overt and
covert, means that a state of undeclared war exists and respond in
kind. The Obama Administrations squeeze on Iran has been powerful, but
also carefully calibrated. US officials insist that America had nothing to do
with the recent killing of Iranian scientists, for example, and their denials are
credible in part because it would be so difficult for the CIA to direct
motorcycle assassins in North Tehran.
The pressure campaign has international support, and theres no reason to
stop it. But this is a moment when a US emissary should make clear that
Iran has a choice it can seek to be a nuclear-weapons power or remain
an oil power, but not both and communicate that to someone who can
report directly to Ayatollah Khamenei. As in the Cuban missile crisis, the
message should be one of resolve and of a desire for a settlement that
avoids war.
Ten days later, Gulf News wrote: The situation in Yemen today is
fragile and the country needs all the support it can get from all the concerned
parties if it is to move towards a stable future. This will prove to be critical
1044

as Yemen stands at a crossroads. No one would be able to pave the way for
a democratic and peaceful Yemen except its own people. For many
months, they have made their voices heard through demonstrations and
protests. It is the sacrifice of the people as well as their insistence to pursue a
better future that has made the difference for over a year now.
Such sacrifice should not be given up or given away as the nation
attempts to construct the building blocks for the next chapter. The road to
nation-building is tedious and demanding and requires the input of all
the people in order for it to be successful. This perhaps is the most
important long-term goal that should never be compromised.
Yemens Parliament has recently approved immunity to free
President Ali Abdullah Saleh from prosecution which followed a previous
deal for him to give up power. And although the deal has been reached
through the involvement of various parties and with an international
endorsement, it is controversial as there are opposition voices calling for
prosecution of all members of the old regime including Saleh.
Yet the important thing today is that the points of disagreement
should not stop the process from moving forward. Yemen is at a dangerous
stage where every single step will have grave ramifications on its future.
The focus should be on the upcoming presidential election which will be
the litmus test as to where the country is heading after which everything
can be open for debate. But for now, it is vital for Yemen to move on and
end the state of uncertainty.
Javid Husain opined: The Islamic Republic of Iran since the very
beginning has incurred Washingtons enmity and wrath for having
challenged its hegemony. It is a reflection of Washingtons double standards
that the same US, which now opposes Irans uranium enrichment
programme, offered full nuclear fuel cycle facilities, including nuclear
reprocessing and uranium enrichment, to Iran during the days of the Ford
Administration when the Shah of Iran was viewed as a close ally of the
West. The Western countries, which bear the responsibility for Israels
nuclear weapon programme, too lack the moral authority to object to
Irans nuclear programme, which in any case is peaceful in nature.
Since Tel Aviv considers the Islamic Republic of Iran a mortal
enemy, the Israeli lobby in the United States has been pushing for increased
pressure on Iran to stop its uranium enrichment programme. Israel has made
known its readiness to launch military strikes against Irans nuclear facilities
with or without the collaboration of the US to stop or delay the progress of
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its nuclear programme. The Obama administration has been trying to

dissuade Israel from adopting this course of action because of its dangerous
consequences for the peace and stability of the Middle East; for the US
influence and forces in the region; and for the American economy that is
undergoing a fragile recovery from the recession. Perhaps, in response to the
US concerns, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak announced on January 18
that any decision to launch a strike on Irans nuclear facilities remained
very far away. However, Israel has been involved in terrorist activities in
Iran. It is, generally, believed that Israel was responsible for the recent
assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan, who
was the fourth Iranian scientist to be killed during the past two years.
There are also reports of the involvement of Israeli and Western
intelligence agencies in the covert campaign of explosions at Iranian
factories and military sites. The latest example was the huge explosion that
destroyed a missile testing site near Tehran on November 12 last year, killing
General Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, the head of Irans missile programme.
According to an American columnist, Roger Cohen, who writes for the New
York Times, these explosions and the earlier havoc caused by the Stuxnet
computer worm were the result of a covert US-Israeli drive to sabotage
Irans nuclear programme.
The standoff between the US and Iran has raised tensions in the
Persian Gulf region to the boiling point. The need of the hour is for all the
parties concerned to avoid hostilities and adopt the path of negotiations for
resolving the issues relating to Irans nuclear programme. Neither side
should cross the others red line. Iran would not accept any measure, which
would have the effect of choking its oil exports. Similarly, the US would not
tolerate the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. A military strike against Irans
nuclear facilities would have catastrophic results for the region and the
world, as warned by the Russian Foreign Minister recently.
Regional countries, like Saudi Arabia and Turkey, should take
steps to persuade both sides to cool down and work for a negotiated
solution. It is a pity that at this critical juncture when Pakistan should have
been actively engaged with the US and Iran to lower the political
temperature and encourage negotiations, it is instead bogged down in
domestic turmoil and its foreign policy is marked by inactivity on the issue.
The ultimate solution of the issues related to Irans nuclear programme lies
in the acknowledgment by the US and other Western countries of its right to
carry out uranium enrichment under the NPT and the avoidance by Iran of
any step towards the development of nuclear weapons. A specially designed
1046

IAEA regime for oversight of Irans uranium enrichment facilities to

overcome the Western concerns may provide the way out of the current
impasse. Hopefully, the expected talks at Istanbul would help the parties in
reaching such a solution.
On 27th January, The National observed: The big problem after a
revolution is authority. Taking to the streets or to the hills to get rid of a
dictator takes courage, certainly. But once hes gone, even rarer qualities are
demanded to build a new government that can command loyalty and respect,
instill order and solve problems. Libyas National Transitional Council
(NTC) is discovering this the hard way. It will need some fresh political
inspiration if it is to keep alive the hope of a united and peaceful country.
The ejection from office of Muammar Gaddafi and the ensuing civil
war has led to a sheaf of problems the NTC has so far not managed well.
Big-picture advantages such as international goodwill and the speedy
resumption of oil exports have not saved the NTC from a discouraging
range of domestic problems.
Some of the tribal militias which fought as allies against Gaddafi
now baulk at submitting to the NTCs authority. That is bad, but a more
severe problem is the widespread resentment of Gaddafi-era officials who
still hold regional or administrative offices. Recent protests, some of them
violent, reveal the publics revulsion against the old regime.
In almost any post revolutionary country, administrators who are both
capable and clean are a rare breed, and Libya is no exception. That is the
NTCs first problem on this issue. The bigger difficulty is that without broad
national reconciliation, Libya could descend into a damaging tumult of
recrimination and vigilante justice. On top of these problems, the NTC has
now created a new hurdle for itself, by promulgating an election law
which excludes anyone with dual citizenship from elective office,
possibly even from voting.
It is no surprise that those who stayed in Libya, before and during the
civil war, feel morally superior to those who fled to safety and prosperity
elsewhere. But the draft election law risks alienating an important, wellconnected international element of the NTCs support. Surely the voters
can be trusted to decide if they trust returning expatriates.
On all these issues, and others, NTC chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil faces a
challenging agenda, and his deputy Abdel Hafiz Ghoga resigned this week
after being roughed up by demonstrators. For all its problems, the NTC has

1047

much more legitimacy, and governance ability, than anyone else. But it
still has to convince the country of that.
Three days later, Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg observed: Double standards
are nothing new in politics. The gap between rhetoric and actual practice is
especially wide when it comes to lofty claims about human rights. US
administrations, in particular, are frequently singled out for criticism of
employing one standard for its rhetoric and another for its own
practices.
Is such criticism fair or valid? A report issued last week by Human
Rights Watch may help answer this question. Few governments invoke
principles of human rights as much as the United States government
does. By its own rhetoric, the US sets a higher standard for human rights
compliance, which is logically used by its critics to evaluate its record. At
least since the Carter Administration, the US has employed human rights
compliance or lack thereof as a key element in its foreign policy, or at least
public pronouncements about its friends and adversaries, in varying
degrees.
Nowadays, the US probably has the largest human rights section in
its foreign affairs bureaucracy However, the more important test for the
US governments human rights pretensions is in the actual practice of
its own agencies. How does the US fare in actually living up to the high
principles it advocates? Is there a double standard operating here, as is often
claimed?
Human Rights Watchs report issued on Jan 22 provides several facts
that make reasonable people conclude that there may in fact be a double
standard operating in more cases than can be explained by bureaucratic
failures or cultural norms. Consider these examples that the HRW report
documents:
The US incarcerates more people than any other country in the world,
sometimes imposing very long sentences marred by racial disparities.
Some 363,000 non-citizens are held in immigration detention
facilities, although many are not dangerous or at risk of flight.
Detentions without charge at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Seriously flawed military tribunals.
Blocking lawsuits seeking redress for torture victims.

1048

 46 million people live in poverty in the US, the largest number in

recent memory. Poverty often intersects with racial and gender
inequalities.
Keep in mind that HRW, which has documented these infractions of
the US own standards, is a moderate, middle of the road American
organization. If anything, it is accused sometimes of soft-peddling, not overcriticizing, US human rights violations. There is no question that US
advocacy of human rights has been frequently quite useful for a variety
of reasons, but its value would be greater if it had a better record of
compliance.
On 3rd February, James M Dorsey in the context of football match
violence observed. Egyptians are growing increasing intolerant of their
violence and militancy, as evidenced by recent Gallup and other polls.
Wednesdays violence suggests that the rank and file see matters differently,
and will not take direction from anyone. The conspiracy theorists may be on
to something: The riots in Port Said will likely strengthen the hand of those
in the ruling military council who want to crack down hard on the ultras,
who have formed the backbone of street protests that have not quieted down
even though Egypt has seated an elected parliament and will soon choose a
new president. And this time, it seems, the Egyptian people will be with
them.
Awrence Davidson commented on as to why Islamists won elections
in Arab countries. It is a mistake to think that this process penetrated
deeply within Middle Eastern society. One way to think of the result is in
terms of a volcanic landscape. Here you have a thin crust of surface material
beneath which is a deep pool of magma under building pressure. When the
pressure gets high enough the magma breaks through. The thin crust
represents Westernized elites, the magma is the great mass of Middle
Easterners who have always identified with Islamic civilization and
increasingly resent the penetration of Western culture into their lands.
Historically, the resulting occasional volcanic eruptions, if you will, have
occurred in the form of revolution, a modern example of which is Iran in
1979.
Of course, Tunisia and Egypt had their own brief revolutions which
led to democratic elections. You can think of these elections as controlled
breakthroughs of the Islamic magma. Given the state of society in the
Middle East, the results were predictable. On January 22, 2012 Juan Cole
wrote a revealing piece on his blog, Informed Comment. It was entitled
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South Carolina & Gingrich, Egypt & the Muslim Brotherhood. What Cole
notes is that you can get a large number of religious fundamentalists
swaying the primary election in South Carolina and the media hardly
consider it an event to be looked into
On 5th February, Robert Fisk opined: If Israel really attacks Iran
this year, it and the Americans will be dottier than their enemies
think. True, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is not right, but then so is Avigdor
Lieberman, who is apparently the Israeli Foreign Minister. Maybe the two
want to do each other a favour. But why on earth would the Israelis want to
bomb Iran and thus bring down on their heads the fury of both the Lebanese
Hezbollah and Hamas at the very same moment? Along with Syria, no
doubt. Not to mention sucking the West Europe and the US into the same
shooting match.
Maybe its because Ive been in the Middle East for 36 years, but I
sniff some old herrings in the air. Leon Panetta, the US Defence Secretary
no less, warns us that Israel may strike. So does CNN an older herring it
would be difficult to find and even old David Ignatius, who hasnt been a
Middle East correspondent for a decade or two, is telling us the same, taken
in, as usual, by his Israeli sources
Panetta who lied to US forces in Iraq by claiming to them they were
there because of 9/11, should know better than to play this game. CNN ditto.
I shall forget Ignatius. But what is all this? Nine years after invading Iraq
an enormously successful adventure, we are still told because Saddam
Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, we plan to clap our hands as
Israel bombs Iran because of more unprovable weapons of mass
destruction. Now I dont doubt that within seconds of hearing the news,
Barack Obamas grotesque speech-writers will be groveling to find the
right words to support such an Israeli attack. If Obama can abandon
Palestinian freedom and statehood for his own re-election, he can certainly
support Israeli aggression in the hope that this will get him back in the White
House. If Iranian missiles start smashing into US warships in the Gulf,
however not to mention US bases in Afghanistan then the speechwriters
may have much more work to do. So just dont let the Brits or the Frenchies
get involved.
Pepe Escobar commented: Heres a crash course on the democratic
machinations of the Arab League rather the GCC League, as real power in
this pan-Arab organization is wielded by two of the six Persian Gulf

1050

monarchies composing the Gulf Cooperation Council, also known as Gulf

Counter-revolution Club; Qatar and the House of Saud.
Essentially, the GCC created an Arab League group to monitor
whats going on in Syria. The Syrian National Council based in North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries Turkey and France
enthusiastically supported it. Its telling that Syrias neighbour Lebanon
did not. When the over 160 monitors, after one month of enquiries, issued
their report ... surprise! The report did not follow the official GCC line
which is that the evil Bashar al-Assad government is indiscriminately, and
unilaterally, killing its own people, and so regime change is in order.
The Arab Leagues Ministerial Committee had approved the
report, with four votes in favour (Algeria, Egypt, Sudan and GCC member
Oman) and only one against; guess who, Qatar which is now presiding the
Arab League because the emirate bought their (rotating) turn from the
Palestinian Authority.
So the report was either ignored (by Western corporate media) or
mercilessly destroyed by Arab media, virtually all of it financed by
either the House of Saud or Qatar. It was not even discussed because it was
prevented by the GCC from being translated from Arabic into English and
published in the Arab Leagues website. Until it was leaked. Here it is, in
full.
The report is adamant. There was no organized, lethal repression
by the Syrian government against peaceful protesters. Instead, the report
points to shady armed gangs as responsible for hundreds of deaths among
Syrian civilians, and over one thousand among the Syrian army, using lethal
tactics such as bombing of civilian buses, bombing of trains carrying diesel
oil, bombing of police buses and bombing of bridges and pipelines
The Syrian National Council is essentially a Muslim Brotherhood
outfit affiliated with both the House of Saud and Qatar with an uneasy
Israel quietly supporting it in the background. Legitimacy is not exactly its
cup of green tea. As for the Free Syrian Army, it does have its defectors, and
well-meaning opponents of the Assad regime, but most of all is infested with
these foreign mercenaries weaponized by the GCC, especially Salafist
gangs.
Still NATOGCC, blocked from applying in Syria its one-size-fits-all
model of promoting democracy by bombing a country and getting rid of
the proverbial evil dictator, wont be deterred. GCC leaders House of Saud
and Qatar bluntly dismissed their own report and went straight to the
1051

meat of the matter; impose a NATOGCC regime change via the UN

Security Council
But BRICS members Russia and China see it for what it is.
Another BRICS member India alongside Pakistan and South Africa,
have all raised serious objections to the NATOGCC-peddled draft UN
resolution. There wont be another Libya-style no fly zone; after all the
Assad regime is not exactly deploying Migs against civilians. A UN regime
change resolution will be blocked again by Russia and China. Even
NATOGCC is in disarray, as each block of players Washington, Ankara,
and the House of Saud-Doha duo - has a different long-term geopolitical
agenda. Not to mention crucial Syrian neighbour and trading partner Iraq;
Baghdad is on the record against any regime change scheme.
So heres a suggestion to the House of Saud and Qatar; since youre
so seduced by the prospect of democracy in Syria, why dont you use
all your American weaponry and invade in the dead of night like you
did to Bahrain and execute regime change by yourselves?
TheNation observed: The Washington Post on Friday predicted that
Israel would attack Iran in the first half of this year Iran has replied, with
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei weighing in during his televised
sermon, delivered as he led the Friday payers in Tehran. He said that Iran
had its own threats to respond to any military attack or sanctions against
their oil exports. The US is already waging a war identified by its occupation
of two predominantly Muslim countries. It will certainly win no more
friends in the Muslim world if it makes the mistake of attacking yet another
Muslim country, especially when it is seen as doing so on behalf of Israel.
The war on terror has also caused questions to be raised both at home and
abroad, and whereas it would not initially be an American war, ultimately, if
Israel attacks, it is virtually impossible to see a situation in which the USA
does not join in. A region already suffering from massive disruptions and
insecurity, would only be further threatened should aggressive action be
taken against Iran. Can the US afford a war between Israel and Iran in an
election year? And can the world in general afford another full-blown war?
On 7th February, Mohammad Akef Jamal wrote: Today, after 11
months of bloody clashes and thousands of people dead on the streets, the
regime has started losing control. It has almost lost the battle, and there
is almost zero support for it at the Arab level. On the international level
again, the Syrian regime has no allies except those who are themselves
facing a crisis.
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On the political level, the regime has adopted policies that increased
its Arab and international isolation. Its strategic alliance with regional forces
that have controversial agendas was not a smart move, as it contributed to
Syrias isolation from its Arab neighbours and made it a source of concern
for other strong neighbouring countries. On the diplomatic level, the regime
failed in marketing its pro-Arab policies. It has also failed in the media
war.
Internally, the countrys economy is in dire straits as a result of
sanctions. The inflation rate is increasing while the foreign currency reserves
are depleting. The value of the Syrian pound is going down rapidly. Though
the armed forces and the security apparatus are still under the regimes
control, there are indications that it may not be so indefinitely, as a number
of military personnel are defecting all the time.
Russia and China have worked to protect the Syrian regime at the
Security Council. However, in the long run, even this may not last as both
powers have interests in other countries in the region, and more interests
with the US and the EU. Moreover, Russia and China are not in a
strategic location that will enable them to counter the pressure exerted
by the West. The Arab Spring has brought down four rulers so far. The last
was Yemens Ali Abdullah Saleh, after he accepted the GCC plan. The Arab
League had given Al Assad a similar chance, which he has refused.
The Syrian regime will eventually fall, but not before rivers of
blood flow, and not before the economy is completely destroyed. As a
result, Syrias sovereignty will be compromised and its people will suffer for
years to come. The departure of the Syrian regime will also have great
repercussions on regional alliances.
TheNation commented: It comes as a surprise that Pakistan has
favoured a US-backed resolution proposing the ouster of Syrian President
Bashar al-Asad, for his role in violently cracking down on protestors. The
resolution was, however, vetoed by China and Russia. The Chinese
Ambassadors statement briefed that the resolution would have been
counter-productive. Putting more pressure on the country would, indeed,
further complicate the situation.
Islamabad, as well as all middle-Eastern countries, also teamed
up with the US against a brotherly Muslim country. Being responsible
and influential players within the world spectrum, Muslim countries are
expected to recommend a path of moderation and patience. We hold a nonpermanent seat at the UN Security Council, which puts additional
1053

responsibility on our shoulders to protect the interests of our fellow UN

member countries. These interests are best served by negotiations and debate
not open war. Has the world not seen enough of war in the last ten years?
First Iraq, now Afghanistan. Can anyone really say that these adventures
have been successful? Granted that Syria's chaotic situation and President
Asad's violent clampdown on protesters is worrying, yet is military action
the oil to smooth these troubled waters?
There is evidence of US and Western help to the opponents of the
Syrian President. We have seen the limitless death and destruction wrought
by military interference in countries such as Libya, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Libya is now embroiled in civil strife. A stable and economically prosperous
state has been turned into a war-ravaged country, overnight. There is a thin
line dividing a terrorist from a genuine freedom fighter when it comes to the
international definition of terrorism. A sympathetic Syria would be useful as
a vantage point to contain Iran. If the US and other Arab countries that
supported the resolution are so eager to help Syria, they must extend a
friendly hand, not one holding a detonater. It is for the Syrians
themselves to decide which course suits them best.
On 9th February, Pepe Escobar wrote: The current Syrian drama is
far from the usual, clear-cut good guys vs bad guys Hollywood shtick.
The suspension of the Arab League observers mission; the double veto by
Russia and China at the UN Security Council; the increasing violence
especially in Homs and some Damascus suburbs: It is all leading to
widespread fears in the developing world of a Western-backed armed
insurrection trying to replicate the chaos in Libya a liberated country now
run by heavily weaponized militias. Syria slipping into civil war would open
the door to an even more horrific regional conflagration. Heres an attempt
to see through the fog.
1. Why has the Bashar al-Assad regime not fallen? Because the
majority of the Syrian population still supports it (55%, according to a midDecember poll funded by the Qatar Foundation. See Arabs want Syrias
President Assad to go opinion poll, and note how the headline distorts the
result.
Assad can count on the army (no defections from the top ranks); the
business elite and the middle class in the top cities, Damascus and Aleppo;
secular, well-educated Sunnis; and all the minorities from Christians to
Kurds and Druze. Even Syrians in favour of regime change yet not

1054

hardcore Islamists refuse Western sanctions and North Atlantic Treaty

Organization (NATO)-style humanitarian bombing.
2. Is Assad isolated? As much as US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton may wish it, and the White House stresses Assad must halt his
campaign of killing and crimes against his own people now and must step
aside no. The international community proponents of regime change in
Syria are the NATOGCC (North Atlantic Treaty Organization-Gulf
Cooperation Council) or, to be really specific, Washington, London and
Paris and the oil-drenched sheikh puppets of the Persian Gulf, most of all the
House of Saud and Qatar.
Turkey is playing a very ambivalent game; it hosts a NATO
command and control centre in Hatay province, near the Syrian border, and
at the same time offers exile to Assad. Even Israel is at a loss; they prefer the
devil they know to an unpredictably hostile post-Assad regime led by the
Muslim Brotherhood.
Assad is supported by Iran; by the government in Baghdad (Iraq has
refused to impose sanctions); by Lebanon (the same); and most of all by
Russia (which does not want to lose its naval base in Tartus) and trade
partner China. This means Syrias economy will not be strangled (moreover,
the country is used to life under sanctions and does not have to worry about
a national debt). The BRICS group is adamant; the Syria crisis has to be
solved by Syrians only.
3. What is the oppositions game? The Syrian National Council
(SNC), an umbrella group led by Paris exile Barhoun Galyan, claims to
represent all opposition forces. Inside Syria, its credibility is dodgy. The
SNC is affiliated with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) composed of
weaponized Sunni defectors, but mostly fragmented into armed gangs, some
of them directly infiltrated by Gulf mercenaries. Even the Arab League
report had to acknowledge the FSA is killing civilians and security forces,
and bombing buildings, trains and pipelines.
The armed opposition does not have a central command; it is
essentially local; and does not hold heavy weapons. The civilian opposition
is divided - and has no political programme whatsoever, apart from the
people want the downfall of the regime, taking a leaf from Tahrir Square.
4. How are Syrians themselves divided? Those who support the
regime see a foreign Zionist/American conspiracy with Turkey and parts
of Europe as extras bent on breaking up Syria. And they see the armed

1055

terrorist gangs infiltrated by foreigners as solely responsible for the

worst violence.
Dissidents and the fragmented civilian opposition were always
peaceful and unarmed. Then they started to receive protection from military
defectors who brought their light weapons with them. They all dismiss the
government version of events as pure propaganda. For them, the real armed
terrorists are the sabbiha murderous paramilitary gangs paid by the
government. Sabbiha (which means ghosts) are essentially depicted as
Alawis, Christians and Druze, adults but also teenagers, sporting dark
glasses, white sneakers, collared armbands, and armed with knives, batons
and using fake names among them; the leaders are bodybuilder-types driving
dark Mercedes.
Even mass rallies are in conflict. The protest rallies (muzaharat) were
confronted by the regime with processions (masirat). Its unclear whether the
people who joined them were constrained civil servants or moved by
spontaneous decision. Syrian state media depicts the protesters as agent
provocateurs or mercenaries and roundly dismisses the anger of those who
live under a harsh police state with no political freedom.
An extra dividing factor is that the UN death toll of over 5,000
people (so far) does not identify pro-regime and opposition victims, and
simply ignores the over 2,000 dead Syrian army soldiers (their funerals are
on state TV virtually every day).
5. What do Christians think about all this? The Christian West
who used to love shopping for bargains in the Damascus souq should pay
attention to how most Syrian Christians see the protests. They fear that
Sunnis in power will crackdown on minorities (not only themselves but also
Druze and Alawites). They view the majority of Sunnis as ignorant and
backward Islamic fanatics, without the slightest idea about democracy,
human rights or a slow, negotiated path towards democracy.
This illiterate bunch, according to them, lives in the periphery, have
no respect (or understanding) for life in the big city, support the violence
caused by armed gangs, and want an Islamic state (by the way, essentially
what the House of Saud wants for Syria.) Secular Sunnis for their part
criticize Christians, stressing that most Sunnis are businessmen and
entrepreneurs and sport liberal ideas and certainly dont want an Islamic
state. It must be stressed that the opposition is trans-confessional - it does
include Christians and even Alawis.

1056

6. Whats the Western strategy on the ground? Borzou Daragahi

from the Financial Times has just confirmed that militias in Misrata, in
Libya, announced the deaths of three Libyan de facto mercenaries in Syria.
These Libyan Transitional National Council assets landed in Syria
alongside weapons stolen from Gaddafis warehouses courtesy of NATO
cargo planes.
For months now, as Asia Times Online has reported, French and
British special forces have been training fighters in Iskenderun, in southern
Turkey. The Central Intelligence Agency is involved in intel and
communications.
The FSA uses the ultra-porous Syrian-Turkish border at will. Turkey
built several refugee camps; and Ankara hosts the leaders of both the SNC
and FSA. Theres also the Jordanian front the connection to the heavy
Islamist (and backward) Daraa. But the Syrian-Jordanian border is infested
with mines and heavily patrolled; that implies a long 200-kilometer detour in
the middle of the desert.
Most of all FSA fighters go back and forth from Lebanon. The
privileged smuggling route is from the northern Bekaa Valley in Lebanon
toward the opposition strongholds, the Sunni-majority cities of Homs and
Hama. Theres another route from the central Bekaa Valley going south
toward the suburbs of Damascus (that explains how both strongholds are
being supplied). But the whole thing is very dangerous, because Syrian ally
Hezbollah is very strong in the Bekaa Valley.
7. Whos winning? Assad has promised once again this Tuesday to
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov there will be a new constitution
and national elections by summer. Half-hearted or not, this is an attempt at
reform.
Yet the usual, unnamed government officials have already leaked to
CNN that the White House has asked the Pentagon to simulate game
scenarios for a direct US military intervention in favour of the rebels. So a
NATOGCC intervention bypassing the UN remains a solid possibility; a
false flag operation blamed on the Assad regime might be the perfect casus
belli.
8. And what about the Syria-Iran connection? Syria is crucial to
Irans sphere of influence in Southwest Asia/the eastern flank of the Arab
nation. BRICS members Russia and China want to keep the status quo
because it implies a regional balance of power that pins down American
hegemony. For China, uninterrupted Iranian supplies of oil and gas are a
1057

matter of extreme national security. On top of it, if the US is tied up in the

Middle East, so the much-touted Obama administration/Pentagon pivot
towards Asia, and especially the South China Sea, will take much longer.
The bulk of Washington elites see regime change in Syria as a crucial
way to hurt Iran. So this goes way beyond Syria. Its about shattering the
Iranian regime, which is not a Western satrapy; energy flows from the
Middle East to the West; the Wests grip on the GCC and the intersection
between the Arab and Persian worlds; and preserving the role of the
petrodollar. Syria-Iran is a now a titanic match between NATOGCC and
Russia/China to try to expel them from the Middle East. The Pentagons
Full Spectrum Dominance doctrine is never more alive than when the jackals
and hyenas of war are screaming and kicking.
On 11th February, Daisy Khan wrote: A report released this week has
at last confirmed what we Muslim Americans have long known to be true:
the threat posed to US national security by the radicalization of its
Muslim community is minuscule. The study, by the Triangle Centre on
Terrorism and Homeland Security, found that only 20 Muslim Americans
were charged with violent crimes related to terrorism in 2011, and of the
14,000 homicides recorded in the United States in that year, not one was
committed by a Muslim extremist.
We are thrilled that an objective, comprehensive investigation has
revealed that only a tiny percentage of American Muslims support violent
acts. However, we remain concerned that the greater danger to Americas
civic union comes from an increasingly organized campaign that
portrays all Muslims as potential terrorists and traitors. Yes, there may
be some Muslims who resort to violence; but its clear that these individuals
signify nothing more than a statistical aberration
In recent years a network of politically motivated special interests has
emerged that is determined to stigmatize and marginalize Muslims in all
areas of American public life. After the Cordoba Initiatives proposal to
build an Islamic community centre near Ground Zero was distorted into a
manufactured controversy by one such group, we were called stealth
jihadists and wolves in sheeps clothing. One person even claimed: They
seem like nice people now, but they will probably turn into extremists in 10,
15, or 20 years.
What began as the work of fringe groups with racist ideologies
has moved into the mainstream. The Islamophobic film The Third Jihad
was played continuously between training sessions for new recruits to New
1058

Yorks police. The filmmakers were linked to an organized movement with a

budget of more than $40m and sophisticated lobbying efforts in all 50
states
It was not always this way Our allies in the interfaith and civil
rights communities are working to counteract the fabricated opposition to
Islam that is gaining strength in America today. In response to Kings
hearings, a coalition of 150 interfaith organizations sponsored a rally
proclaiming Today I am a Muslim too. It is the Brennan Centre for Justice
at New York University that took a lead in exposing the New York City
Police Departments missteps with regards to the Muslim community.
We know that the bulk of the American public recognizes the truth of
Islamic moderation and tolerance. The hysterical invective may be wellfunded, but it does not capture the heart of the nation. By standing tall
together we will overcome those who spread hate and suspicion and return
respect and trust to their rightful place at the centre of American political and
civic life.

REVIEW
During the last five weeks the Crusaders focused on Iran and Syria.
America with the help of European allies tightened the screw against Iran by
imposing wide range of economic sanctions. It added military pressure to
that by positioning two aircraft carriers within the striking range of Iran and
the third was ordered to move into the region.
Despite the economic, diplomatic and military actions the United
States did not seem inclined to wage yet another fully-fledged war in the
region for dismantling nuclear infrastructure in Iran. It would prefer to
accomplish the mission through economic and diplomatic pressure or at
worst by encouraging Israel to carry out surgical air strike.
The US and its Arab stooges moved closer to punish Bashar al-Assad
for the crime he has committed by maintaining intimate relations with Iran
and Hezbollah of Lebanon. The dollar-dependent Pakistan also extended
helping hand by supporting the UNSC resolution. The move, however, was
foiled by Russia and China when they decided to say enough is enough by
vetoing the resolution.
12th February, 2012

1059

MEMO MURMUR
When Memogate Commission asked Mansoor Ijaz to appear before it
on 9 February, while expressing no desire to record his statement abroad, it
appeared that three chief justices had condoned the regimes endeavours to
silence the hue and cry over a piece of paper. When Mansoor did not turn
up on that date the fate of probe appeared to have been sealed for good.
th

1060

The commission extended the hearing to next day and in a rather

surprising change of heart turned down the plea of counsels of Hussain
Haqqani and the regime for closing the probe. It ordered all concerned to
arrange recording of his statement through video conference and told
secretary of the commission to go to London and collect items containing
evidence. This order ensured that the Memo would keep murmuring for
some time.
In gratitude to its foreign facilitators the regime quietly worked to
find ways and means to express it explicitly. Drone attacks have returned, of
course unhindered. The source reports about resumption of NATO supplies
have been in abundance. The regime was also helping the US to have talks
with Afghan Taliban.

NEWS
In Pakistan, the Supreme Court on 30th January extended time limit
by two months for the Memogate Commission to probe the alleged
memorandum on plea by the commission as it could not complete the
inquiry within four-week time. The court also lifted the ban on Hussain
Haqqani to travel abroad. However, the former ambassador was directed to
appear before the commission whenever he is required by the court or
commission on four-day notice and that he will inform Registrar about all
his schedule prior to his travel.
The court did not hear the application of Akram Sheikh, the counsel of
Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz seeking the court to allow
the commission to record his clients statement abroad. The court said it
cannot hear the plea as the matter is currently being heard by the Memogate
Commission, directing Akram Sheikh to put forward his plea before the
Commission. Justice Mian Saqib Nisar said if the tradition gets root, then all
witnesses will demand the record of their evidences sitting at home.
The Supreme Court hearing the case of 11 missing prisoners from
Adiala Jail ordered the spymasters to produce the remaining seven prisoners
on February 9. Last year when the Supreme Court took up the matter the
counsel for ISI and MI had accepted that prisoners were in custody of
agencies and being tried under Army Act. The petition was filed by Mst
Ruhaifa, the mother of three of the prisoners who had died in custody.
Muhammad Aamir, Tehsinullah and Said Arab had been killed on 15 th

1061

August, 17th and 18th December, 2011 respectively, while other died a few
days ago.
Tariq Asad, ASC appeared on behalf of the petitioner while Raja M
Irshad represented ISI, MI and JAG branch, The court expressing concern
over the death of four missing prisoners mysteriously, who were in the spy
agencies custody, sought reply, explaining the circumstances under which
four persons had died and file the charges leveled against them and directed
the counsel for DG ISI, MI and JAG Branch Raja Muhammad Irshad to
produce the remaining prisoners of Adiala Jail on the next date of hearing.
The counsel requested the court for more time to file a comprehensive
reply to the petition regarding death of four missing prisoners. He said he
had been engaged two days ago. He denied that four prisoners died in the
custody of agencies, however, submitted that the remaining missing
prisoners were in custody of provincial government. After the hearing Raja
Irshad, talking to media, said if the court would not be satisfied by his reply,
the law would take its course.
The CJP said: We have given the custody of the prisoners to you
(agencies) and now you have to produce them no matter from where you
bring them. The CJP added that even if airlifting was required he should do
that to produce the prisoners. The counsel said that everything was done as
per law. Which law you are referring to? That four persons killed brutally
and their dead bodies were thrown on roads, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain
angrily inquired from him. He wanted to refer the custody law but the chief
justice said that Article 9 of the Constitution, says, No person shall be
deprived of life or liberty in accordance with law. The chief justice
observed that law was not above Constitution.
Meanwhile, six militants were killed in Kurram Agency. Three
commanders of Ansar-ul-Islam were killed in suicide attack in Peshawar.
Authorities had not yet decided on charges against Dr Shakil Afridi (Dr
Polio). Haqqani wasted no time and departed for the US via Dubai. Mansoor
Ijaz reiterated that he was receiving direct and indirect threats from Rehman
Malik and in spite of that he showed willingness to come to Pakistan if Chief
Justice gives him assurance.
Next day, Taliban militants attacked a military post in Kurram
Agency; ten soldiers were killed and another 10 wounded. In the ensuing
clash 40 militants were also killed. Gunmen kidnapped 14 employees of
WAPDA from outskirts of Peshawar.

1062

Cameron Munter called on President Zardari here at Bilawal House

and discussed Pak-US relations. He said that his country would try to
prevent Salala like attacks on Pakistan in future. He claimed that the raid on
Pakistani outposts was not intentional. He termed the incident as terrible.
We are also trying to improve bilateral relations between both the
countries, he said.
On 1st February, 38 militants were killed in Kurram and Orakzai
agencies. The World Trade Organization approved EU waiver on duties for
75 products from Pakistan, a scheme intended to boost textile exports to help
Pakistan recover from massive floods in 2010. The waiver will apply from
Jan 1, 2012, until Dec 31, 2013, but first needs to be rubber-stamped by the
WTO's General Council. (Reuters).
As Hina Rabbani visited Kabul a secret NATO document claimed
Pakistans security services are secretly aiding Afghanistans Taliban, who
assume their victory is inevitable once Western troops leave. Hina said
Pakistan has no hidden agenda in Afghanistan and would back a peace
process with the Taliban as long as its driven by Afghans and not other
figures on the international stage.
Munter threatened over IP pipeline project. Pakistan clarified that it
needs to meet its energy demands immediately, and for this all options are to
be availed. Further, it was made clear to the US that sanctions on Iran are a
separate issue while pipeline project has its own dimensions.
Next day, three policemen were killed in an ambush near Lakki
Marwat. Five militants were killed in Khyber Agency. The US issued travel
warning to Americans in Pakistan. Agencies arranged meetings of all
suspects with families on Supreme Court order.
Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan asked the premier to rein in the spy
agencies and demanded formation of a court of inquiry, comprising
parliamentarians and judges, for a thorough probe into the killing of missing
persons. Gilani said: All the institutions are answerable to the Parliament.
All the institutions require to work within their parameters. The matter is sub
judice; therefore, let the court decide this case.
On 3rd February, at least 24 militants were killed and eight soldiers
embraced martyrdom in Taliban attack on a check post in Kurram Agency
and skirmishes with insurgents in Orakzai and Khyber agencies. Four
persons were killed and four others sustained injuries in a car bomb
explosion at the hujra of a tribal elder on Ring Road in Peshawar.

1063

Doubting the willingness of Pakistan to go after the militant groups

enjoying sanctuary in the country, David Petraeus told lawmakers at a
Congressional hearing that these elements have caused major problems for
the Afghan and coalition forces working for a new Afghanistan.
Congressman Adam Schiff asked that should Afghan Special Forces
be allowed to take the fight to the enemy leadership in Pakistan, and the
sense of immunity from risk that the senior Taliban leadership enjoys in
Pakistan. Well, I think thats obviously a question for Afghanistan, but I
think they probably have sufficient fights on their hands without invading
the soil of another country, even as significant as is the threat that is posed
by some of these safe havens across the border, Petraeus said.
On 5th February, Marc Siegel a lobbyist working for Pakistan said the
US has to apologize for attack on Salala border posts. A British media report
said the US drones have been deliberately attacking civilians in Waziristan.
Next day, the last fleet of three F-16 fighter jets arrived in Pakistan.
On 7th February, eighteen militants were killed and eleven wounded in
Orakzai Agency. Defence Minister said Pakistan must get its conditions
approved for the resumption of NATO supply routes. He said the
parliamentary committee, working on drafting the conditions, has
responsible members in it. The matter of drone attacks is still unresolved and
Pakistan would continue to raise it until it is decided.
Mansoor Ijaz filed an application through his counsel before the
Judicial Commission constituted by the Supreme Court for appointment of a
suitable local commissioner for recording his testimony outside Pakistan
either in Dubai or London. The provision in Rule 5 of Order 26 to issue a
commission for examination of a person living abroad is to be liberally
exercised to advance the cause of justice, particularly in a case of public
importance taken up by the apex court under Article 184 of the Constitution.
It is also respectfully submitted that the nature of enquiry in public
interest litigation is inquisitorial rather than adversarial and, therefore,
consideration of public interest is of paramount importance and no rule of
procedure can be permitted to operate as a tyrant master to stand in the way
of this objective. He further contended that by virtue of Para 9 (e) of the
order of the Supreme Court dated December 30, 2011, the Commission was
also mandated to collect evidence within and outside Pakistan according to
prevailing laws on the subject.
It is submitted with respect, the fact that the examination of a relevant
witness may entail heavy costs is not sufficient ground for refusing to
1064

exercise discretion for appointment of a Commission. Rather the paramount

considerations are that whether evidence of the witness, sought to be
examined, through Commission is necessary and relevant and that the
appointment of Commission is conducive to the just and proper decision of
the case. It is, therefore, most respectfully prayed that a suitable local
Commissioner may graciously be appointed.
Next day, at least 10 suspected militants of Haqqani network were
killed in a US drone attack in Miranshah, North Waziristan. The sources said
foreigners were also among the dead. However, their nationalities could not
be identified. The Supreme Court sought a comprehensive report from the
Inquiry Commission regarding the progress in missing persons cases. The
court also directed the Commission to accelerate its work regarding the
investigation into cases of disappeared persons and give its timetable for
hearing of these cases.
Islamabad High Court restrained the government from appointing new
Defence Secretary, ordering that status quo be maintained till the disposal of
the petition. The court issued the order while hearing a petition filed by
former Defence Secretary General (R) Naeem Khalid Lodhi against his
dismissal by the prime minister.
On 9th February, at least five suspected militants including a senior alQaeda leader were killed in a US drone attack in North Waziristan. The
senior al-Qaeda leader was identified as Badar Mansoor associated with
Harkatul Mujahideen. Hina Rabbani said drone strikes multiply militants.
As the high-powered commission formed to resolve the 'Memogate
mystery', resumed hearing, Mansoor Ijaz failed to avail a final opportunity to
appear in person. Akram Sheikh said a Pakistani commission had no
authority to summon and record statement of a US citizen in Pakistan;
however, he was quick to add that his client was willing to appear before the
probe body to give details and documentary proof in Zurich or London.
The commission has obviously an authority to go abroad to get
records or statements but Mansoor Ijaz can't appear before a Pakistani
commission as per the law, he opined. Justice Faez Isa observed that Ijaz
had made a U-turn on the issue of visiting Pakistan to depose despite all
sorts of assurances given by the government about his security.
Sheikh maintained that his counsel was under the impression that
Pakistani laws would be immediately applicable on him after he arrived in
the country, and that the parliamentary commission, which is also
investigating the issue, could ask for his arrest. The commission countered
1065

the argument, observing that Ijaz had not come to Pakistan despite all sorts
of assurances given to him by the government. The panel further observed
there was no guarantee that he would record his statement abroad.
Attorney General Maulvi Anwar-ul-Haq opposed Sheikh's request for
the commission to travel abroad. He added that former US security adviser
James Jones and Admiral (r) Mike Mullen had also refused to appear before
the commission and there was no guarantee that Mansoor would do so.
The commission accused the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of creating
hurdles in obtaining the record of BBM, which Mansoor Ejaz and Hussein
Haqqani exchanged, the judicial commission asked the authorities concerned
to write a letter to the Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM), which
owns the BlackBerry cellular phone service, through the Pakistani mission
in Toronto.
The Memo Commission had summoned the foreign secretary to give
his version within half an hour. Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, who
appeared before the commission on a 30-minute notice, offered
unconditional apology about not writing the letter to the RIM and promised
to assist the commission in every possible way in future. The commission
adjourned the hearing till Friday and ordered the Foreign Ministry to submit
the details of the agreement (if it exists) between Pakistan and Canada to
swap documents.
The Senate was informed that the Pakistans embassy in Washington
issued more than 52 thousand visas in three years. Munter said that supplies
for the NATO forces were continuing through Pakistans airspace; indirectly
asking for resumption of land routes. He expressed the hope that ties
between the two allies would normalize soon.
Next day, the judicial commission constituted to probe memogate
scandal resumed the hearing and decided to record Mansoor Ijazs statement
via video link. The statement would be recorded in London while the date
would be decided later. The commission instructed the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs to make necessary arrangements.
Barrister Zafarullah, while presenting his arguments, said that
Mansoor Ijaz is an absconder in the US Supreme Court as well and that he
would not appear even in the Pakistani High Commission in London to
record his statement as it is also falls under the jurisdiction of Pakistan.
While giving arguments, Husain Haqqanis lawyer Zahir Bukhari also
told the court that Mansoor Ijaz is an absconder of an American court and
1066

that is why he is asking the commission to record his statement elsewhere.

On this, Justice Isa told Bukhari that he would be heard completely on this
issue once he gets the evidences of such accusations.
Mansoor Ijazs counsel Akram Sheikh told that the commission could
record his clients statement in London as he cannot come to Pakistan due to
security reasons. On this, Barrister Zafarullah remarked that his statement
should be recorded in the US. During the break, petitioner in the memogate
scandal Barrister Zafarullah and Akram Sheikh exchanged harsh words with
each other on the issue of recording Ijazs statement abroad.
Parliamentary Committee on National Security took serious notice of
the US Ambassadors statement that they were using Pakistani airspace for
NATO supplies and sought explanation from Foreign and Defence
Secretaries that who exactly had given this permission. Later briefing the
media, Rabbani said that Prof Khursheed Ahmad had resigned from the
Committee to protest over the repeated US drone strikes and NATO supplies
issue. He, however, said Prof Khursheed Ahmad is a signatory to the
recommendations of the Security Committee and dispelled the impression
that the JI member had differences over the memo issue.
The JI member had no reservations on all recommendations of the
PCNS. His dissident note is about only one recommendation of the
Committee and that is about US drone attacks. Khursheed signed all other
recommendations, he stated. He said in fact resignation of the JI leader was
due to his partys extreme position regarding the NATO supplies issue.
The Parliamentary virtually shelved the probe into memo controversy
after Mansoor Ijaz had not responded to the notices of the Committee to
appear before it on Feb 10 and the Committee members authorized
Chairman of the Committee to keep watching the investigations into the case
by the Judicial Commission and if required the findings of the Commission
be presented before the Committee for review. The Committee has refused to
record the statement of Mansoor Ijaz outside the country and it was the
unanimous view of the members that committee would only record the
statement of Mansoor Ijaz in the premises of the Parliament House and
would not proceed abroad for the purpose.
The Supreme Court ordered the DG ISI, DG MI and chief secretary
KPK to ensure the production of seven missing persons on February 13; they
were allegedly picked up by the spy agencies from outside the Adiala Jail.
Out of them four prisoners had died in the custody.

1067

The court also issued notice to governor KPK through provincial chief
secretary to apprise the bench as to whether under Article 14 of the Actions
(in Aid of Civil Power) Regulation, 2011 an oversight board had been
constituted. The court added if that has happened then procure the report
from the board as to whether they had visited the missing prisoners detained
in the Internment Centre for ascertaining their condition.
The court had ordered the counsel for the ISI and MI on January 30 to
produce the prisoners at next date of hearing, but he failed to comply with
the court order. He, however, filed a report on behalf of the agencies. The
chief justice expressed annoyance over non-compliance of the order and
asked him to tell the name of the person creating hurdles in the compliance
of court order.
Peshawar City DSP appeared and stated that he had no knowledge of
admission/detention of the four above named persons in the Lady Reading
Hospital. The advocate general of KPK also expressed his ignorance about
their presence at the hospital. The court noted that the persons said to be at
the Internment Centre, Parachinar cannot be kept over there without the
sanction of the competent authority/Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor.
Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq, on a query, stated that at
about 3:30pm, he was informed that the detainees in Parachinar could not be
brought as they had to cover a long distance. He added that the detainees in
Peshawar shall also be brought along with them. The CJ observed that they
had directed Raja Irshad to shift the prisoners by helicopters then why they
were being transferred by road. He asked Commander Shahbaz, the legal
director at defence ministry, to tell defence secretary for giving his statement
on the matter before the court.
The court warned that if the respondents would fail to produce the
missing prisoners on February 13, the defence secretary will have to appear
before the court in person. Tariq Asad, counsel for the petitioner, said that
defence secretary had nothing to do with the matter and main responsible
were DGs of ISI and MI, therefore the court should issue contempt notices
to them. The court however rejected his plea and said that their prime
objective was the protection of the remaining prisoners.
At least 12 people were wounded in an attack on a police van at a PTI
public meeting venue, minutes after Imran Khan left the place telling
attendants they will shoot US drones down if voted to power. The attackers
lobbed two hand grenades and opened fire at the vehicle of policemen
performing guard duty at PTI meeting in Swabi. Earlier, in his address Imran
1068

Khan had said the rulers should be ashamed at their inability to get stopped
the unending drone attacks on Pakistani soil that are killing innocent people,
besides violating countrys sovereignty.
Meanwhile, security forces targeted suspected hideouts of TTP
affiliated insurgents with heavy artillery, killing 11 and wounding 19 others
in Mamozai area of Upper Orakzai Agency. Police used force at rally in
Karachi that demanded release of Dr Aafia from US jail. Her sister Dr
Fauziua was arrested along with others.
The lawyer for Aafia Siddiqui urged a three-judge panel of the US
Court of Appeals to reverse her conviction and sentence to 86 years in
prison, citing her mental illness and arguing that some of the evidences
related to the case were questionable. She is now spending time in a prison
in Carswell, Texas.
On 11th February, two Pakistani nationals who were abducted by
Afghan security forces after entering into Pakistani territory in Qila Saifullah
district have been killed and their bodies are yet to be handed over to
Pakistani authorities. Afghan forces had entered about one kilometre inside
Pakistani territory and abducted them on 10th February.
The Army started court martial proceedings in Sialkot against Brig Ali
Khan and four other officers over suspected ties to the Hizb-ut-Tahrir group.
Brig Ali and the four officers were detained in May 2011. Khan was working
at Armys headquarters in Rawalpindi at the time of his arrest.
On 30th January, Taliban rejected the US demand of ceasefire and
wanted swap of prisoners first. Preliminary negotiations at Qatar wavered
and 140-strong Taliban delegation left. On 1 st February, a man in an Afghan
army uniform shot dead a soldier with NATO-led forces in southern
Afghanistan.
On 2nd February, Pakistan signaled that it could shortly end a more
than two-month blockade on NATO supplies entering Afghanistan for
foreign forces. Responding as to when parliament would pass the review, she
said: Im going to hopefully ensure and push it very hard that it is no later
than within a week... first half of February is probable.
She said Pakistan would encourage Afghan insurgent groups like the
Haqqani network and the Taliban to pursue peace if asked by Afghanistan.
Khar also told reporters that the Afghan reconciliation process was active on
several fronts but was far from producing results. Khar was speaking after a
trip to Kabul.
1069

On 6th February, Imran Khan said a coalition government must be set

up in Kabul or there would be more bloodshed when Western troops pulled
out. Two days later, it was reported that Washingtons chief envoy to
Afghanistan met Taliban leaders in Qatar as part of US efforts to bring the
insurgents to the negotiating table. The talks between the Taliban and Marc
Grossman came in late January.
On 10th February, a roadside bomb hit a police vehicle on patrol in
Uruzgan province, leaving five policemen dead and one wounded. A car
was also hit by a roadside bomb in the Khinjak area of the provincial capital
of Uruzgan province, killing one person and wounding two others.
On 31st January, Supreme Court of India started hearing Kasabs
appeal against death sentence, who pleaded that he was denied fair trial. On
4th February, a Kashmiri youth was shot dead by occupation forces in
Srinagar. The top Kashmiri leadership in IHK was detained following a
crackdown launched, seemingly to foil the preparations for the Kashmir
Solidarity Day being observed in Pakistan and both sides of Line of Control.
Chairman Kashmir Committee Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that Kashmiri
leaders have reservations over granting MFN status to India by Pakistan.
On 10th February, India released five Pakistanis. Next day, an Indian
court upheld death sentences handed down to three people, including a
married couple, for planting bombs that killed 52 in Mumbai in 2003.
Protesters blocked a main highway in Indian-occupied Kashmir after a
young Kashmiri was shot dead by the army in what military officials
described as an accidental shooting. Ashiq Hussain Rather, 22, was killed
when a soldier accidentally fired his rifle as security forces combed the area
for militants. The killing occurred in the Baramulla district.
On 30th January, wife, daughter and driver of Domki MPA
Balochistan and grandson of Akbar Bugti were shot dead in Karachi. Next
day, six FC soldiers were killed and 13 wounded when militants attacked
four posts in Marwar coalmines area near Quetta.
On 1st February, the death toll of FC soldiers in last nights attack on
posts by militants of BLA reached 16. The attack was termed as reaction to
the killing of Domkis wife in Karachi. A man was killed and eight others
including three women sustained injuries in an explosion occurred in Sibi.
PPP ministers cousin was shot dead in Naseerabad. Next day, policeman
was among five killed in Balochistan and shutter down strike was observed
over killing of Domkis family.

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On 4th February, two persons were killed and five received injuries
when security forces opened fire on protesters in Sibi. Two policemen were
killed in bomb attack on a post in Naseerabad. Next day, Chief Justice of
Pakistan took suo moto notice of the targeted killing of Balochistan MPA
Bakhtiar Domki's wife and daughter. He summoned IG Mushtaq Shah and
Advocate General Sindh.
On 6th February, unidentified people blew up three gas pipelines in
Dera Bugti and a railway track in Dera Murad Jamali. Five people, including
a Punjabi settler and a woman, were killed and two others wounded in
different incidents of firing in the province.
The Supreme Court ordered the IG Sindh Police to arrest the killers of
wife and daughter of Bakhtiar Domki within four days irrespective of their
influence. Nasreen Khaitran resigned as MPA in protest against murder of
wife and daughter of Domki and wave of target killing in the province.
Next day, a bomb rocked a market in Quetta late night damaging cars
and buildings. Talal Bugti and his son were named in a kidnapping case.
Law and order situation in Balochistan dominated the National Assembly
session. MNAs from Balochistan condemned Interior Minister for his
statement over the murder of granddaughter of late Nawab Akbar Bugti.
Malik while speaking on the floor of the House had said that all were
concerned about the murder of family of MPA Bakhtiar Domki but no one
was raising a voice against the murder of 40 FC personnel in Balochistan.
On 8th February, four people were wounded in grenade attack in
Quetta. Residents of Railway Colony clashed with police during eviction of
illegal occupants. Minister informed the National Assembly that targeted
killings and sectarianism were on the rise in Balochistan.
The US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs
started congressional hearing on Balochistan. Republican Congressman
Dana Rohrabacher, who chaired the sitting, described Balochistan as a
region enjoying great strategic significance. He said gross human rights
violations were being committed in the province, which had been a victim of
insurgency-related violence.
A representative of Amnesty International, who was present in the
meeting, alleged that the security forces were using US-made weapons in
Balochistan and a policy of kill and eliminate had been employed. The
session will also give suggestions to try to minimize the difficulties of the
people in Balochistan.

1071

The United States wants the Balochistan issue be resolved peacefully

within Pakistan, State Department spokesperson said Wednesday.
Responding to a question, spokesperson Victoria Nuland said that a
Congressional hearing on a particular issue does not mean that the US
government endorses the move. In a recent article, Rohrabacher had
expressed support for an independent Balochistan.
Next day, Pakistan censured US on Congressional hearing of
Balochistan. A settler was shot dead in Turbat. On 10 th February, one man
was killed in bomb blast in Khuzdar. Two policemen were kidnapped from a
post in Jaffarabad.
Pakistani embassy spokesman in Washington said ambassador Sherry
Rehman forcefully raised the issue of an exclusive hearing on Balochistan
by a House Foreign Affairs sub-committee in her meetings with the
members of Congress and senior officials of the US administration.
Ambassador said Pakistan government strongly rejects purpose and findings
of the hearing and considers this an ill-advised and ill-considered move
that will have serious repercussions for Pakistan-US relations.
On 11th February, a Sindhi settler was killed in Turbat. The federal
government had announced Rs50 million reward to identify the killers of the
wife and daughter of Mir Bakhtiar Domki. Talking to reporters after chairing
a meeting, the interior minister said he had directed all the provisional police
chiefs and other officials to cooperate with the Sindh Police in investigating
the matter.
General Kayani said that there is no military operation being carried
out in Balochistan and not a single soldier is involved in any operation in the
province. The rumours about military operation in Balochistan were mere
propaganda while the Frontier Core (FC) was helping out the provincial
government under the article 245. The situation that appeared after the
murder of a Balochi leader Habib Jalib tells enough who was behind
creating law and order situation, but unfortunately the blame has been put on
to the army.
Insurgency is restricted to only three districts of Balochistan while
major part of the province is in peace. Militant outfits, particularly Baloch
Republican Army, Balochistan Liberation Front and Balochistan Liberation
Army are actively involved in the insurgency. During last four years,
insurgents have established various camps and arms are being supplied to
them from Central Asian States, Afghanistan and India.

1072

The extremists are provided training in camps set up in Afghanistan

and then sent to Balochistan with enough funds and arms. Brahamdag Bugti,
Harbiyar Marri, Javed Mengal and Dr Allah Nazar were leading four groups
of miscreants. First three of them are presently in Europe while Dr Allah
Nazar is active in the mountains of Khuzdar. A former student leader Dr
Allah Nazar was now a days active in hitherto most peaceful areas of Turbat
and Makran. He is being provided funds and arms by the Indian intelligence
agencies and whoever opposes his acts of terrorism is killed.
According to figures, 1,476 incidents of terrorism were reported in
Balochistan in 2011. These included 36 bomb attacks, 68 explosions and 134
attacks on gas pipelines. There were 116 attacks at railways tracks and 20 on
electricity installations during the year. During the year 117 rockets were
fired and 215 landmine exploded and 291 people were kidnapped, and only
last month 38 security personnel were martyred. Attacks on FC personnel
have intensified in 2012.
The role of provincial police is limited and confined to particular
areas while the general responsibility of security throughout the province has
been put on the FC. Due to insecurity and bad governance, development
funds are also not being properly utilized. No serious efforts have been
carried out so far to implement Aghaz-e Haqooq-e-Balochistan and residents
have not bore any fruit from this support package.
Every member of the provincial assembly gets Rs250 million
development funds in addition to those given to national assembly members
and senators but there is no sign of any development in the province. They
said the proposal to talk with the estranged Baloch leaders some six months
back has not been implemented and there are no basic facilities for the
people. Seventy percent of schools in the province are closed and there is no
doctor or medicine in the hospitals. In addition there are no assistant
commissioners and other officers in Tehsils.
Influential people are behind acts of kidnapping and theft and when
the security institutions take action against them, a well-orchestrated
campaign is launched against them through political leaders and media. The
situation is disturbed in only five districts out of thirty in the province.
Involvement of security institutions in the kidnapping of people was
strongly denied. In addition to US, India, Iran and Gulf states, European
countries too were playing games to protect and advance their vested
interests. There is no presence of Jandola and there has been no complaint
from Iran in the last seven months in this connection.
1073

VIEWS
On 30th January, Ahmed Quraishi observed: Pakistan comes out
worse off after Memogate. Before the case, we knew a group of Pakistanis
would not hesitate to invite a foreign power to decapitate their own military
commanders. But after the case, we know that our political elite will not
only cover up a national security breach but also blackmail the country to
avoid prosecution.
The case also shows that our military might be able to shake off
the American mess on our borders but not the domestic mess. Not yet at
least. This mess is a national security threat to the well-being of Pakistani
citizens. Our country is drifting headless in the second decade of the 21st
century. And let us not forget that our current mess at the top was largely the
bright idea of a former US government and was endorsed and executed by
our previous president. What other country in the world gambles its future
like this?
Lets not mince words here. The memo was a breathtaking
example of treason. The only thing not determined yet is at what level of
federal government. It was a serious national security breach and deserved
immediate judicial attention.
But if the memo was bad, what we see now is worse: a government
blackmailing its army and intelligence chiefs with dismissal from service if
they pursue the security breach; a prime minister dragging an ally like China
into the case and embarrassing it; and a main accused in the case and his
spouse blatantly inviting foreign rescuers. Talking about MNA Farahnaz
Isphahani, is there a law that bars a sitting member of parliament from
touring foreign capitals inviting interference in a national security case
pending before her countrys Supreme Court?
Not to mention the farce over deposing a key witness. In what
democracy can senior government officials get away with blunt threats
to a witness? And why is it that the judicial commission probing the case
has not heard of something called Skype?
We want accountability, especially after a decade of selling Pakistan
cheap for someone elses war. But what we see instead is everyone walking
scot-free. It doesnt matter if you kill a hundred heart patients, plant a bomb,
or openly act as an agent of foreign powers, you will never be punished in
Pakistan. This has to stop. Giving the Pakistani state some backbone has
1074

become indispensable. Without accountability, Pakistanis are losing faith

in their countrys future.
Memogate can create a much needed precedent for the kind of fate
that should await anyone in Islamabad who decides to betray the country. If
nothing else, lets learn how beacons of democracy like United States and
Israel have dealt with their treason convicts. We are even softer than India,
where a female Indian diplomat accused last year of spying for a foreign
government was initially handed over to the countrys spooks for
interrogation. We are too soft for our own good. We lodged the main
accused in Memogate at the Prime Minister House.
In a responsible democracy, senior members of PPPP should have
been the first to ask our president and the (now ex-) ambassador to
Washington to de-link themselves from party and government pending
their legal cases. But ours is hardly a democracy thanks to politicians that
lack maturity and good judgment. [Congratulations to our nation, by the
way. Peshawar airport now has a new name. A key development goal
achieved. Someday when we have real democracy someone please introduce
legislation to bar failed politicians from naming public properties after their
leaders.]
It is a failure of our democracy that no veteran politician in the
ruling party was ready to put loyalty to the party and country above
loyalty to the president. And this is how a failed experiment in democracy
scuttles an important probe linked to national security.
Wajahat S Khan Wrote: Modern militaries call it net-centricity: the
ability to look at and control a battle-space as an interconnected entity where
primary approaches as well as several alternatives could all lead to the
desired objective, along with achieving other collateral results However,
two under-represented approaches to Memogate that Ijaz works for
Langley and/or the Fortress on 7th Avenue need to be revisited under the
auspices of a net centric logic. Heres how.
Option 1 Mansoor Ijaz is a CIA agent: If you were the Central
Intelligence Agency, Ijaz could serve a larger, peaceful purpose. Given the
volatility youve been experiencing with your Pakistani counterpart of late,
he could be the deliverer of the olive branch you would extend to the ISI.
Think of the possibilities: Every grad student in Washington
knows that the honourable Husain Haqqani was tough on the Pakistani
military. At dinner parties and power lunches, Haqqani was overheard
privately sniping at, if not taking on, the Pakistani brass. Though he was a
1075

sober defender of the order in public, Haqqani was reputedly tongue-incheek about the army, especially regarding the intellect levels of the warriors
of Rawalpindi. He was oft quoted for a popular introductory quip: No
relation to the other Haqqani, referring to Sirajauddin and gang.
Thus, as the CIA, you and every other operator in DC know that
Pakistans khakis are displeased at Haqqani. And in the aftermath of the
Raymond Davis/OBL turbulence, theyre also displeased with you. And in
the larger scheme of things, you see that the Haqqanis of the world will
rotate out and the PakMils of the world will stick around in
permanence.
Thus, you deliver a guy whos already at the end of his
diplomatic cycle and of little use to you, considering hes so disconnected
with the stakeholder muscle in his own country. As for making Pakistans
elected government look bad and get pressured, so what? What good have
they done of late for you?
Now, the operational linkages for packing off the GHQs major
Washingtonian irritant through a well-imagined counter-coup could be
of several varieties: Ijaz would get recruited and approach Haqqani to
deliver the idea. Or a senior/known/trusted Pak-centric agent would deliver
the idea to Haqqani in Washington (or even the highest authority in
Pakistan), suggesting Ijaz be the deliverer of such and such memo as he can
be easily disclaimed and bashed, given his dubious history (as well as the
Orange Flag your analysts have given him for his inability of being a
heavyweight).
Either way, someone in the Pakistani governments chain of
command would buy the idea, after which Ijaz would deliver, and then go
public with the memo. Alternatively, Ijaz would still go public if no one
brought the idea but if he had enough circumstantial evidence to prove that
he was discussing such matters with important Pakistani government
officials. The bottom-line: the man closest in circumstantially evident
proximity to Ijaz (Haqqani) and the man high on the GHQs Unhappy
List (Haqqani) would overlap and blip red, and effectively be served to
Pindi in time for Thanksgiving.
Alternatively, if youre the CIA and want to teach those PakMil
good-for-nothings a lesson, you follow the same strategy but hope that
the ISI/GHQ bite. In this case, your psychoanalysts project that the minute
your man Ijaz goes public, General Kayani of the Baloch Regiment and
General Pasha of the Frontier Force Regiment shed the decorum of their
1076

combined seven stars, become the good old chaps of the infantry and declare
war on their own system.
Suddenly, the already scandalized and cornered PakMil now becomes
the coup-making nuclearized Republican Guard of South Asia a hated,
suppressive entity that you can bash with sanctions under the Leahy
Amendment and wither into nothingness with international isolation (as
recommended by your own Bruce Riedel). Not bad for a few months work!
And yes, you cover your own governments tracks by ensuring that Ijaz goes
public at a time when the two recipients of the memo, James Jones and
Mike Mullen, have honourably retired from their positions and dont
necessarily need to be defended/spoken for by the White House or its arms.
Game, set and a sitting-duck PakMil.
Option 2 Mansoor Ijaz is an ISI agent: As the Inter-Services
Intelligence, youve expected better from Haqqani in all these years. You
havent forgiven him for that darned book he wrote about you loving the
mullahs more than you should have, and he has taken the high road of
civilian development versus the tunnel for military funding with the entire
Kerry-Lugar-Berman saga.
In your perspective of his patriotism, you would rather have Sachin
Tendulkar as your ambassador to Washington. So you hire Ijaz, a publicity
hound whos tried to squeeze your foreign office in the past for jet deals
after the Brown Amendment/played at convincing Benazir Bhutto of
imaginary coups involving military intelligence/attempted to ink a ceasefire
pact between the Kashmiri Mujahideen and the Indians/maintained that you
have the right to keep your nuclear weapons after the AQ Khan
debacle/connected Daniel Pearl with Khalid Khwaja etc. Thus, you know
that Ijaz has been wishy-washy about his opinions and goes where the
action (or the money) is.
So you engage him with a similar strategy to the CIA: Ijaz goes
public at a politically opportune time for you to start pressuring this
government for a variety of reasons, but the leading among them being that
you dont want Haqqani in the drivers seat in Washington any longer as you
begin to redefine your red lines with DC. Nor do you want him about in
Islamabad where, prior to Memogate, word had started to flow that the good
ambassador had been green-lit as prime minister material for the next
government or maybe even this one).
Thus, at the end of the day, you come across as looking good: Mature
enough to not fire from the hip and launch a coup, and sober enough to let
1077

the honourable justices of the Supreme Court figure out what to do with the
memo, as the law so requires. Either way, a sleepy kleptocratic
government and its ambassador look bad, shaken and stirred: always a
good drink to order at the bar of spooky dreams.
Next day, Ayaz Wazir wrote: At this stage Imran Khan does not
need advice and that also from a political layman like myself. Nor has
this piece been penned with that purpose. It is just my intention to draw his
attention to what his admirers say about those who joined his party, without
uttering a word of regret for their past conduct of extending support to the
dictator in trampling the Constitution repeatedly, handing over of sons of the
soil to the West in return for a few dollars apiece, deploying the army in
FATA, etc., etc. The list is too long for its contents to be enumerated here.
Many believe this has dented Mr Khans avowed cause of
weeding the country of corruption. It is because of this task that he took
upon himself that people are thronging to him in droves. These politicians
joining his party without a word of remorse or repentance over their services
to a dictator has raised many eyebrows, particularly on their having been
given important positions in his party. His well-wishers believe this will
enable them to influence, in accordance with their own ends, the policies he
will pursue if he is voted into power. He could have fared much better
without them if they were not willing to publicly apologize for, or to express
regret for, the role they had played in the dictators cabinet.
If it was the leadership qualities of Mr Imran Khan that had inspired
the electables, then they should also have tendered apology like him for the
sins of others to the people of Balochistan (I wish he had included FATA as
well in that apology). It will be in the interest of the party members and
sympathizers, as well as in the interest of the electables themselves, to
express repentance in the next public meeting for their conduct during the
dictators time.
The successful public meetings so far held have raised the hopes and
expectations of the people to new heights Like elsewhere, people in the
tribal areas also have their hopes and expectations from Imran. They
want him to dream for them like he dreamt for himself and his team. They
expect him to make Fata a province where they will have a government of
their own choice as in the other provinces of the country. If the people of
Hazara and the Seraiki-speaking areas in Punjab can have their provinces
what is wrong with Fata that it cannot have the same privilege.

1078

FATA has remained neglected and been kept backward on

purpose. Nobody seems to be concerned about development of that area or
to even mention the problems faced by the people there. The cries and
lamentations of the tribesmen fall on deaf ears. Even parliamentarians from
that area do not voice the tribesmens woes as forcefully as is expected of
them. They spend time in other more gainful and lucrative activities than in
articulating the cause of the people they claim to represent. Their vigour and
voices only return when it comes to distribution of funds meant for
development of that area. Fata is burning because the sons of the soil are not
allowed to play any role in the resolution of the problems that they face. Nor
do they have any part to play in administering the area which could have
greatly helped to alleviate poverty there.
The coming elections will certainly bring in a change in FATA
because this will be the first time in the history of the country that political
parties will be allowed to work there. That is where the role of Imran Khan
comes into focus. That is precisely when the tribesmen will expect him to
demand in much stronger words what they have been dreaming of for many
years i.e., a separate province for FATA. They want their dream to come
true like so many of Mr Khans. The time is fast approaching when their
dream could become a reality and they hope the great Khan will not
disappoint them.
On 1st February, The News observed: The Supreme Court has come
down hard on the ISI and MI chiefs and ordered immediate production of 11
suspects picked up by intelligence agencies for their alleged involvement in
the Oct 2009 attacks on the GHQ and ISIs Hamza Camp in Rawalpindi
At the latest hearing, the spy agencies counsel told the court that four of the
prisoners had died but the others were no longer in the custody of
intelligence agencies and had been handed over to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
government, which should be asked to produce them. The court is right to
inquire how four of the prisoners were killed and left by a roadside. And
it is certainly not enough for the spy agencies counsel to reject as wild
allegations the news that the prisoners were found dumped on a roadside.
Indeed, as the chief justice has repeatedly pointed out, the government had
given the prisoners custody to the agencies and now it was their duty to
explain where they were and also follow the courts orders and produce
them, especially since given the confirmation that four of the prisoners are
dead there seems to be a breach of Articles 9 (security of person), 10
(safeguards as to arrest and detention) and 10A (right to fair trial) of the
Constitution.
1079

The matter of Pakistans disappeared is significant. It concerns

not only the rights of the missing persons themselves but also of their
families who are in agony because of the inexplicable disappearances of
their loved ones. The SC has been hearing cases on missing persons since
2005; the issue has been taken up by several national and international
human rights bodies and has also received extensive media coverage.
Despite this, there are still incidents where dumped bodies have been found
and there is no one to answer for what really happened. Instead, what we
saw in court on Monday was obstinacy on the part of the spy agencies, with
the counsel suggesting that the court appoint someone to go and meet the
prisoners in the hospital because they could not be produced before the
court. When the CJ reminded the counsel that even the countrys prime
minister had appeared before the court when summoned, the counsel replied:
The prime minister has not done anyone a favour; he appeared because he
was an accused. The counsel should be reminded that as things stand, the
spy agencies are also being accused of allegedly taking people into custody
without following the prescribed process of law. They are as much
answerable to the law as anyone else and must explain the circumstances
under which four of the prisoners they have themselves admitted to picking
up have turned up dead and produce the remaining seven before the court, as
directed, on Feb 9. Nothing less will do.
Next day, Rustam Shah Mohmand commented: The opening of an
office by the Taliban in Doha, Qatar, could herald purposeful and serious
negotiations for an end to the decade-long conflict. The establishment of
an office was preceded by extensive contacts between the emissaries of the
Taliban and representatives of the governments of Germany and the United
States. The process was facilitated by the authorities in Qatar.
The Taliban have not moderated their stance on negotiations with
the US. They remain committed to their position that they will engage in
regular negotiations only after foreign forces have left Afghanistan. The
Qatari-brokered talks are therefore preliminary and exploratory contacts that
will enable the parties to understand each others position better.
Formidable problems remain. The Taliban will not agree to accept
the validity and legality of the Afghan government, parliament and
constitution, because these in came into existence while the country was
under foreign occupation. A way around this problem can be found only
when ironclad guarantees are given for the complete withdrawal of the US
forces. There is a strong and influential lobby within Afghanistan that is
opposed to any reconciliation. Elements in Afghanistan who are
1080

beneficiaries of the status quo would not like to see the withdrawal of
foreign forces.
The real obstacle to serious talks would be the signing of a
strategic partnership agreement allowing the US to station up to 30,000
troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014. Under the accords, four major bases
would be retained by the American forces. At the moment the US has 400
landing strips and military bases in Afghanistan.
A factor that will heavily influence the course of the talks is
whether, and to what extent, Pakistan will be on board. It would be a
fatal error of judgment if Pakistans crucial role is ignored. Countries like
Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia could not be substitutes for Pakistan and
Iran, particularly Pakistan.
Endeavours for reconciliation and peace in Afghanistan should
not be exclusive of the role of India. There is no reason to believe that the
goals of India and Pakistan would be mutually exclusive. With some robust
diplomacy and meaningful engagement, the two countries can help achieve
the larger objective of Afghanistans stability while taking care of their
respective concerns and vital interests.
Sooner or later, the United States will have to understand that the
Islamist movement in Afghanistan does not pose an existential threat to
the Americans. Nor will it endanger their vital interests. Indeed the
Americans may eventually realize that this would be in the long-term
strategic interests of the United States to have partners which have the
support of the population, rather than oligarchs whose staying in power is
linked to the US military presence. They will not survive without US
support. It must be a matter of deep introspection for the US to realize that in
the event of its withdrawal from Afghanistan, the structure that the
Americans have installed in that country at such enormous cost will not
survive beyond three months.
While many hurdles lie ahead on the bumpy road to peace, there is an
overwhelming urge for a quick breakthrough. A solution should not be too
far if the US is only focused on punishing al-Qaeda and ceases to have
regional ambitions which require a foothold in Afghanistan. But if the
strategy includes containing the role of China, establishing claims over the
energy sources of Central Asia, browbeating Iran or keeping a menacing
watch over Pakistani nukes, then we are in for a long haul. In that case the
region will continue to remain in perpetual turmoil.

1081

On 3rd February, Mohammad Jamil talked of the cost of NATOs

adventurism. He wrote: The US military planners expanded ground supply
routes known as the Northern Distribution Network (NDN), coursing its way
through Russia and the former Soviet Republics bordering Afghanistan. But
they were the main entry points for non-lethal supplies. NATO has two
main transportation routes via NDN, which connects the Baltic and Caspian
ports with Afghanistan via Russia, Central Asia and the Caucasus: The NDN
North and NDN South. The NDN North transit route initiates in Latvia;
crosses the Russian territory and enters Afghanistan via the Afghan-Uzbek
border. Richard Weitz, Director of the Centre for Political-Military Analysis
at Hudson Institute, in a treatise wrote: Even before the latest incident
(attack on Salalah border post), Western governments had sought permission
for the reverse flow of transit along the NDN so that their forces could exit
through the former Soviet republics, rather than Pakistan, where theyd be
more vulnerable to retaliation by the Taliban and its Pakistani allies.
But the fact remains that supplies to NATO through NDN are
also vulnerable, as the Taliban has its pockets in north, south, east and west.
After the demise of Soviet Union, its influence had waned. However, with
petro-dollars flowing in, especially as a result of phenomenal increase in
petroleum prices, its dependence on the West has declined; and it has been
able to enhance its influence in the world. Secondly, there is no free ride,
like Pakistan, as the Central Asian Republics charge for the transit facility.
Thirdly, they do not allow the transport of military equipment through their
territories. Russias Ambassador to Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, recently
stated: Its not in Russias interests for NATO to be defeated and leave
behind all these problems... Wed prefer Nato to complete its job and then
leave this unnatural geography. But Russia has to understand that if the US
and NATO troops decimate or make the Taliban ineffective, the US would
maintain a contingent of few thousand troops plus a strong air force base in
Afghanistan to meet any eventuality and pose a palpable threat to it.
As a result of its leaderships monumental stupidity, America is now
in a pickle with their peace foray with the Taliban turning into an
intractable dilemma for them. The venture has run into troubles that,
probably, it had not even imagined. Also, its erstwhile-pampered Afghan
minorities, who were pitted in a fierce civil strife with the Taliban before
their ouster by the US-led foreign armies, are furious with them for keeping
them out of the parleys, even threatening to take to the gun again, if the
Taliban are brought into the power structure. President Hamid Karzai, too, is
very sour for being kept out of the loop. The Americans with their peace
1082

wand have thus veritably walked into a minefield of uncertainties, all of

which could have been avoided had they kept in mind the Afghan polity and
deeply held ethnic and tribal fault lines. It really is so stupefying that they
could be so ignorant of these slippery slopes when they were no stranger at
all to Afghanistan or its people.
Next day, TheNation observed: Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar
stated on Thursday that the case of reopening of NATO supply route would
be decided by the parliament. She stated that she could not pre-empt the
decision but added that it should not be made so much of a problem. This
gives the impression that a suitable price for forgetting the Salalah
incident has been agreed upon. However the government has left the
matter to the will of the Parliament. This is a welcome change from its usual
practice of bulldozing the nation into accepting its decisions
It is hoped that parliaments decision will be in line with long
term policy and interest. Pak-US relations should be based on equality and
mutual respect. Concurrently, our role in the Afghan war should now be
more than that of a bystander, who gets caught in the crossfire. The country
can ill-afford to undergo continued outrage from the tribal areas. It is
pleasing to note that Islamabad has offered to help in mediating a negotiated
settlement of the conflict. The US must also appreciate Pakistans sacrifices
made so far and avoid recommendations which could further destabilize the
country.
On 5th February, George Monbiot wrote: The CIA, which is running
the undeclared and unacknowledged drone war in Pakistan, insists that there
have been no recent civilian casualties. So does Obamas chief counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan. It is a blatant whitewash. As a report last
year by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism showed, of some 2,300
people killed by US drone strikes in Pakistan from 2004 until August 2011,
between 392 and 781 appear to have been civilians; 175 were children.
In the period about which the CIA and Brennan made their claims, at
least 45 civilians have been killed. As soon as an agency claims we never
make mistakes, you know that it has lost its moorings, as Aleksandr
Solzhenitsyn suggested in his story of that title. Feeling no obligation to
apologize or explain, count bodies or answer for its crimes, it becomes a
danger to humanity. It may be true, as the US air force says, that because a
drone can circle and study a target for hours before it strikes, its missiles are
less likely to kill civilians than those launched from a piloted plane. But it

1083

must also be true that the easier and less risky a deployment is, the more
likely it is to happen.
This danger is acknowledged in a remarkably candid assessment
published by the UKs ministry of defence, which also deploys drones, and
has also used them to kill civilians. It maintains that the undeclared air war
in Pakistan and Yemen is totally a function of the existence of an unmanned
capability it is unlikely a similar scale of force would be used if this
capability were not available. Citing the German military theorist Carl von
Clausewitz, it warns that the brutality of war seldom escalates to its absolute
form, partly because of the risk faced by ones own forces. Without risk,
theres less restraint. With these un-manned craft, governments can fight
a cowards war, harming only the unnamed
In October last year, a 16-year-old called Tarek Aziz was traveling
through North Waziristan in Pakistan with his 12-year-old cousin, Waheed
Khan. Their car was hit by a missile from a US drone. As always, their
deaths made them guilty: if we killed them, they must be terrorists. But they
werent. Tarek was about to start work with the human rights group
Reprieve, taking pictures of the aftermath of drone strikes. A mistake?
Possibly. But it is also possible that he was murdered out of self-interest. If
you have such powers, if you are not held to account by Congress, the
media or the American people, why not use them?
Jalees Hazir commented: The Nobel Peace Prize winner and
President of the United States Barack Obama confirmed last week that his
country uses unmanned aerial vehicles to bomb targets in Federally
Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Though this has been an open secret,
it was the first time that the international crime was publicly admitted. He
didn't stop there and went on to defend these attacks that have killed
thousands of innocent people in FATA. According to him, the US carries out
these attacks to avoid more intrusive military action, that the bombing is
carefully targeted and that these precision strikes are carried out to kill AlQaeda and its affiliates. He was not put on the spot about the innocent
civilians, including women, children and the elderly, who have been killed
by the US drones; not that it would have made him uncomfortable.
Representatives of the wicked superpower have coined a standard term
to justify that kind of thing. Very conveniently, they call it collateral
damage.
The streets, fields and graveyards of Iraq and Afghanistan would give
a good idea about what that collateral damage means. They are not the only
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examples of countries that have been ravaged by large scale death and
destruction at the hands of the US, all in the name of high-flying principles
like democracy and human rights and catchily-named fake bogeys like the
war on terror and weapons of mass destruction. The badmash superpower
doesn't mind killing large numbers of people in whose name they wage
these wars, people whose rights it seems so eager to defend and fight for. It
doesn't mind creating terror for millions of people on a daily basis to wage
its spurious war on terror. It spends hundreds of billion dollars waging war
in distant lands, killing innocent people, destroying their homes and cities,
turning their lush fields to charred earth, but it has no money for its poor, no
money for its citizens who might need the help of their country, supposed to
be the richest on earth
Of course, the US is made possible with more than a little help from
accomplices in the targeted countries, whether they come in the form of
pliant governments or disenchanted groups that are funded and armed to
serve as tools of imperialism. In Pakistan, the most important ally of the
US is the so-called democratic government. While we condemn the deaths
and destruction, the loot and plunder, perpetrated by the US, it is important
not to forget the support that it gets from those in charge of our destiny
When a CIA agent posing as a US diplomat killed two Pakistanis in
broad daylight on a crowded square in the centre of Lahore, our leadership
engineered his escape from the country. When US commandos conducted
their get-Osama raid deep inside Pakistani territory without so much as
informing the so-called ally, our President congratulated the US in an op-ed
piece published the very next day in a major American daily. What kind of
signals are we sending to the US? The military leadership seems to have
come out of the US hypnosis, but the government is obviously still ready to
serve the two-faced master. Despite the unwillingness on part of the US to
apologize for the death of Pakistani soldiers killed in the attack on the
Salalah check posts, or to even guarantee that it won't happen again,
government ministers are talking about re-opening the NATO supply
routes after taxing the containers.
An elderly friend says that we should not blame the foreign invaders
and colonialists for their crimes and exploitation, as they could not have
been successful without help from local players. He is well versed in history
and quotes many battles and intrigues to prove his point; the betrayals and
selling out of insiders that made it possible for imperialism to thrive.
Naturally, it gets worse if those willing to sell out the interests of their
people are not few but an entire political elite, an elite that is so
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hopelessly sold out that it sees its own country and its people through the
eyes of the imperialists, an elite weaned on loans and hemmed in by the
framework of those who want to control what goes on in the country that it
is supposed to govern, an elite that parrots what the master says and has no
narrative of its own. We cannot hope to break the stranglehold of the global
badmash with people like that calling the shots in Pakistan.
However, my elderly friend is only partially right. While citizens of
Pakistan continue their struggle to rid themselves of colonial stooges
pretending to be the leaders of a free country, and to put in place a
government that will work for their interests, they must not turn a blind eye
to the slithery machinations of imperialism that have been perfected over the
years, complete with new divisions that it must sow to rule and new burdens
of democracy and human rights that it must carry to the ends of the world.
Whatever the crimes of our own elite, it does not absolve the leaders of the
so-called free world of their crimes against humanity. President Obama's
drone attacks are a crime too big to be hidden by his Nobel Peace Prize.
On 8th February, S M Hali wrote in defence of intelligence agencies
in the case of missing persons: Under direction of the Supreme Court,
intelligence agencies and law enforcement agencies worked relentlessly to
trace the suspects and apprehended 20 suspects, including the former 11 and
on December 9, 2010, the Supreme Court was apprised of their detention.
The court ordered for their Field General court martial proceedings and
arrangement for them to meet their families. It has been established that
during the period of their remaining underground and, at times, under
pathetic hygienic conditions, the suspects contracted diseases and their
health continued to deteriorate. Suitable treatment was provided to them at
the CMH and Lady Reading Hospital at Peshawar, but, despite best
treatment efforts, four of the accused succumbed to their illness on varying
dates. Their mortal remains were handed over to their dependants, in
accordance with Islamic rituals, and requested for permission for autopsy,
but their families declined. According to the death certificates issued by the
respective hospitals, the death of all these accused occurred due to natural
causes and not torture or duress, as being alleged.
In view of the linkages of suspects with terrorist groups in FATA, the
detainees were interned under Action in Aid of Civil Power Regulation 2011
for FATA/PATA, but the media campaign by vested interests against the
intelligence agencies continues unabated. Whereas, there should be
compassion for genuine missing persons, the media should also respect the

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survivors of the innocent civilians and security forces brutally slaughtered

by the terrorists.
On 11th February, TheNation observed: US interference in
Pakistans internal affairs continues, with its House Foreign Affairs
committees hearings on Balochistan. Though there have been governance
failures which have pushed people in that province towards a sense of
deprivation, that grievance is being exploited by our less-than-friendly
neighbourhood to the East and the West of our borders. The Parliamentary
Committee on National Security must draft a set of recommendations for
Parliament to debate and then pass. A relationship with the US, although
important, must exist on conditions of equality. Being treated like serfdom is
the worst thing possible for US interests themselves, in the region and it
must stop its suicidal policies in its treatment of Pakistan. The committees
recommendations have not yet come on the agenda of the National
Assembly, though even the US authorities have said they await that process.
Equality, not slavery is what Pakistan will accept. The US would do well to
treat us with the respect we deserve, having lost thousands of lives in a
hastily imposed War on Terror. And if our government has made a fool of us
once again, telling us to our face that NATO supplies are blocked and behind
closed doors giving tacit approval for them to be airlifted, then we must look
within ourselves to discover our faults, which have saddled us with such
two-faced leadership.
Next day, the newspaper wrote: The judicial commission which the
Supreme Court tasked to investigate the memogate affair has decided to
record the evidence of Mansoor Ijaz by a video link from the London
Embassy, directing the registrar of the Islamabad High Court, who has been
acting as the Commissions secretary, to go to London and bring back the
evidence. Mr Ijazs evidence was vital for the commission, in view of his
prior admissions, yet at the same time he also refused to come to Pakistan
because of threats to his life. In this age of modern means of
communication, it was perhaps not possible to prevent the deposition, but
the attempt was made. The only possible beneficiary was the President,
who would be seriously embarrassed if, as Mr Ijaz has claimed in his
article in a British newspaper that started the whole affair, he indeed initiated
the memo. That the contents of the memo are damaging enough is beyond
doubt. Mr Ijazs statement has been confirmed that the memo was, indeed,
delivered to Admiral Mike Mullen, who was at that time Chairman of the US
Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. The commissions investigation would
show who, if anyone, was behind Mr Ijaz at that time.
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Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, with

which the President would feel safer, because it has a built-in PPP majority,
tried to prevent Mr Ijaz from appearing before the Supreme Court by
deciding that it was the only place Mr Ijaz would record evidence, and he
would not be allowed to record his evidence elsewhere. Though the
committee had summoned Mr Ijaz through embassies, it had received no
reply. It should be noted that Mr Ijaz has felt it necessary to be represented
by a lawyer before the judicial commission, but has felt no such need to be
represented before the committee. It almost seems as if Mr Ijaz, like most
Pakistanis, sees the commission as impartial and engaged in a genuine
search for the truth, and the committee as a charade which will only serve
to ensure that its investigation will be a whitewash of the President. The
issuing of a summons has been made necessary for the committee partly
because of the pressure created on it by the commission, but mainly by the
fact that there cannot be even a whitewash of the President without a
deposition from Mr Ijaz.
However, it should be remembered that the nation does not want
the President implicated; it only wants the mystery solved, the questions
answered. The government must stop behaving as if the President has
something to hide, and buckle down to facilitating the commission in its
work, and arrange for the testimony by video link. The fact that the
testimony is in the hands of the government should not provide yet another
barrier behind which the President is to be hidden.
The News commented: The Memogate Express is back on the rails
and Mansoor Ijaz, one of the main characters of the drama, has vowed to put
the truth on the table through his video testimony to be recorded in the
Pakistan High Commission in London on February 22. It is not clear why
during the initial hearings when things were rather cloudy the Qazi Issa
commission had taken off the table the option of the commission going
abroad to record testimony. But the wrong, if it was one, has been
corrected. It seems the government has been playing politics over the
physical appearance of Mansoor Ijaz in Pakistan offering him full security
on the one hand and scaring him off through different tactics on the other.
However, there was no reason for the commission to focus on anything else
but getting the evidence from whoever had it.
While the PPP-dominated Parliamentary Committee on National
Security may still be concerned about the political consequences of Ijazs
testimony as it has announced that testimony only given inside
Pakistan will be accepted the memo commission has done the right thing
1088

by deciding to use the latest technology to get the evidence and also keep its
dignity and respect intact. Thus the decisions taken by the commission on
Friday not only make sense but also revive the issue when many were
writing it off, with some declaring that the military establishment had
backed off, others saying that the Supreme Court had thrown it on the
backburner and many believing that the petitioners including Nawaz Sharif
had realized they had made a political mistake. But it seems the only change
is that Husain Haqqani has been allowed to leave Pakistan after giving an
undertaking that he will return within four days if summoned by the memo
commission or the Supreme Court. Even if he is not present physically, his
testimony, through a videoconference, could still provide the commission
with the necessary data and evidence to form an opinion about who may or
may not be the author of the controversial memo in addition to Mansoor
Ijaz, who admits that he wrote it and sent it to US military leaders, but as
he alleges at the specific request and with active help of Husain Haqqani.
That this case must reach its logical end is important because the
top army and ISI leadership has committed in writing to the Supreme Court
that Haqqani compromised national security, that the evidence Mansoor Ijaz
had was credible and that it must be determined whether Haqqani was alone
or had the backing of his bosses. If the army and the ISI had reached a
wrong conclusion, it will have grave consequences and reflect poorly on
their competence and their conceptions of national security. And they must
be made to pay for it. If Haqqani is found involved, he must be made to
answer why he did it. If he seeks asylum in the US, which he may if
indicted, he must be pursued. If Mansoor Ijaz turns out to be a publicityseeking bully, Haqqani and others must sue him and seek adequate
compensation. Someone, somewhere, somehow must pay.
On 30th January, Khalid Iqbal took a fresh look at Afghanistan and
concluded: Iran and Pakistan know that there is no viable solution to the
Afghan quagmire without their participation; the Americans also know it too
well. In all probability, however, the ongoing anti-Iran campaign is not likely
to slow down before the US elections. Thus, Washington has lost the chance
of availing Irans prudence that came to its rescue in Iraq; at least for the
time being. Thanks to USAs unilateralism, despite these odds, the necessity
of a hurried negotiated settlement with the Taliban has become its obsession.
America is eager to demonstrate, or make the world believe of a
breakthrough with the Taliban before the NATO and G8 summits scheduled
for coming May.

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This urgency has attracted criticism from several Northern

Alliance members, which was duly articulated during a recent meeting with
US delegates in Germany. Ahmad Rashid Dostum said that the talks could
give the Taliban time to regroup and strengthen, and that they could be more
beneficial if they included the anti-Taliban Afghans as well. The Northern
Alliance cannot be wished away in the final settlement of Afghanistan.
Likewise, the Afghan government cannot be excluded from the
process. President Hamid Karzais reaction on such likelihood is not out of
place. India understands that its vast presence in Afghanistan would be
minimized, if an agreement was reached between the occupation forces
and the resistance. Perhaps, in this context, Indian Ambassador to
Washington Nirupama Rao told a gathering that the US should not let the
dark forces emerge victorious.
Going by the traditional stance, Pakistan has once again indicated its
willingness to be a part of the Afghan negotiation process. Its offer to engage
the Taliban in dialogue has also received a positive nod from the Afghan
High Peace Council. This change in outlook between the two nations comes
at a time when they are being increasingly side-lined by the US to engage in
negotiations directly with the Taliban. Against this backdrop, Pakistan
needs to rise from the slumber and take a proactive approach. Above all,
America needs to face the defeat with grace and take a fresh look at
Afghanistan.
Next day, TheNation commented on US-Talibab talks. It must be
noted that the positions taken by both sides in public have been
uncompromising, with the US insisting on an end to local resistance, as a
precondition to peace negotiations, and the Taliban asking for prisoner swap
and departure of foreign troops from their country. Only last week, US
Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman said in Qatar
that the Taliban would first have to renounce international terrorism before
the Americans could sit with them on the negotiating table for a peace deal.
Meanwhile, it appears that both Pakistan and Afghanistan will be
holding separate talks with Taliban representatives in Saudi Arabia, because
they feel left out of the process. According to the Afghan Foreign Ministry
spokesman, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar is scheduled to visit Kabul
on Wednesday to meet President Hamid Karzai. She is expected to exchange
views about the war on terror and the talks in Saudi Arabia for bringing
peace to Afghanistan. Pakistan being a neighbour and having a large
Pashtun population has a seat at the table in the final settlement. It has
1090

always favoured Afghanistan to lead any negotiations in this regard. For the
solution to be long-lasting, it must be home grown and acceptable to all
sections of Afghan society. As Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul
Basit has said, outsiders can facilitate the process, but ultimately the shape
the peace settlement should take must be decided by the Afghans
themselves.
On 4th February, The News commented: A funnel is a conical object
which narrows sharply from top to bottom, and allegorically has application
to our relationships with Afghanistan and the USA. Foreign Minister Hina
Rabbani Khar spent a day in Kabul on Wednesday, the day that purely
coincidentally of course a critical NATO report that highlighted the alleged
links between the Afghan Taliban and Pakistans intelligence agencies was
leaked. Ms Khar characterized the report as old wine in an even older
bottle and swiftly moved on to other matters. The funnel is now tightening
and a number of currents in the flow of relationships that make up the
Afghan conundrum are starting to meld into a single stream. Ms Khar had
gone on a fence-mending mission so the leak was unfortunate, but both sides
seem to have sidestepped it and focused on the main event and Afghan
solution to an Afghan problem which happens to be our problem as well.
President Karzai is currently playing catch-up in the peace process, and
has been somewhat sidelined by the Taliban opening an office in Qatar
with the blessing of the Americans who have doubtless facilitated the
process.
Pakistan has had little involvement thus far, in part because of the
near collapse of relations with the US over the last year. But it needs to be
more engaged than hitherto if it is to preserve its place at the top table in any
negotiations. Perhaps in an effort to get into the tight end of the funnel
Foreign Minister Khar and Prime Minister Gilani will travel to Qatar later
this month and President Karzai is due to pay a visit here at around the same
time. Minds are being focused by the imminent withdrawal from
Afghanistan of US combat troops and the likely withdrawal of troops from
other countries. In effect, the Taliban have fought the western forces to a
standstill despite their protestations to the contrary. Speed is now of the
essence and for its own part Pakistan needs to be securing its western flanks,
not as strategic depth but as a less permeable boundary than currently exists.
There is a real risk that Afghanistan will slide back into chaos and civil war
post the coalition pullout, and that will have serious negative consequences
for Pakistan. Karzai may be yesterdays man, and although we deal with him
in the here and now, it is his successor who is going to be the key to any
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future relationship and who that may be is unclear as yet. There is much to
play for in the Afghan Game and Ms Khar will need to pay close attention to
her footwork in coming weeks.
On 7th February, Javid Husain opined: The flawed Afghan policy
that the US pursued in the past was the result of unrealistic assumptions
and an exaggerated view of its power. When the US invaded Afghanistan
in the aftermath of 9/11, it loomed large like a colossus on the global scene.
The ease with which the US was able to decimate al-Qaeda and overthrow
the Taliban government with the support of the Northern Alliance confirmed
its belief in the invincibility of its military power. The exuberance of easy
victory also led Washington to expand its objectives in Afghanistan. Instead
of concentrating on defeating al-Qaeda, it decided to pursue the elusive goal
of nation-building in Afghanistan in Washingtons lights and not necessarily
as desired by the Afghan people.
Over the years, the ground realities have turned to the
disadvantage of the US because of the enormous cost in blood and treasure
of the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, the relative decline of its economic
power, the tenacity and resilience of the Taliban, and the war weariness of
the American public. The goal of nation building in Afghanistan was set by
the US in woeful ignorance of its cultural traditions and history
The Taliban, who were themselves mostly Pashtuns, took full
advantage of the Pashtun discontent turning it into a full-fledged revolt
against the Karzai government. The relative neglect of Afghanistan by the
US during the initial few years after 2001 because of the invasion of Iraq
provided the Taliban with the political and military space to regroup and
launch the struggle against the foreign occupation, as they saw the US-led
forces in Afghanistan and against the Karzai government, which was seen by
them as Washingtons lackey. It was inevitable that sooner or later the
Pashtuns in Pakistans tribal areas because of their tribal and ethnic links
would be drawn into the conflict raging in Afghanistan between the Taliban
and the foreign forces Pakistan paid a heavy price in the form of the loss
of lives of more than 30,000 civilians and 5,000 security personnel, besides
an enormous damage to its economy running into tens of billions of dollars.
This apparently has not been enough for the American policymakers,
especially its generals, who keep on asking Pakistan to do more This
relentless pressure amounts to asking Pakistan to pull the Western
chestnuts out of fire, even at the cost of its internal stability, security and
economic health just because Washington has offered a few crumbs to
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Islamabad. Tragically, that is precisely what our political and military

leadership had been doing in the past till the Americans intoxicated by their
military power attacked the Pakistani check post in November last forcing
Pakistan to review its relationship with the US.
Time has come for Pakistan to tell the US in categorical terms that
while it would continue to support fully the latters effort to defeat al-Qaeda,
it cannot be a party to any US attempt to impose a government of its
choice on the Afghan people. The solution of the internal armed conflict in
Afghanistan lies not in military action against the Afghan Taliban, but rather
in a negotiated settlement with the full involvement of the various Afghan
parties and groups for the establishment of a government, which enjoys
broad-based support of its people. It is high time that the American
policymakers, instead of making baseless allegations against Pakistan,
should remove the cobwebs in their thinking and concentrate on the
initiation of a dialogue among the various Afghan parties, including the
Taliban, the Karzai government, the Northern Alliance and others for the
restoration of durable peace in Afghanistan. They must accordingly shift
their focus from counter-insurgency to counter-terrorism to defeat al-Qaeda
and leave the destiny of Afghanistan to the Afghans.
It appears from the latest reports about the secret contacts between
the US and the Taliban representatives that finally Washington may be
inching towards the route of negotiations for a settlement in Afghanistan.
The Taliban decision to open an office in Qatar indicates that the ground is
being prepared for such negotiations. It is contradictory on the part of
Washington that while the US is getting ready for negotiations with the
Taliban, it expects Pakistan to escalate military pressure on them even
at the risk of aggravating its domestic instability. The US decision to
terminate the combat role of its forces in Afghanistan in the second half of
2013, announced by the US Defence Secretary a few days ago, would pave
the way for ending its military occupation of Afghanistan by the end of 2014
as decided earlier. It may also help in overcoming the misgivings of the
Taliban, who insist on the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
These American moves are in the right direction and should be
encouraged by Pakistan. We should extend our cooperation and help in
the initiation of talks in the firm belief that only a negotiated settlement
can restore durable peace in Afghanistan. In so doing, we should not
repeat our policy blunders of 1990s when we extended our support to an
exclusively Taliban government in Afghanistan. We must coordinate our
Afghan policy with Iran to avoid those mistakes. While the Afghans must
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play the central role in the peace process, the tribal and ethnic realities
militate against an exclusive government of either the Taliban or the
Northern Alliance in Afghanistan. Both the Taliban and the Northern
Alliance must recognize this reality.
Next day, Patrick Cockburn wrote: Americas wars launched in the
aftermath of 9/11 led Washington to overplay its hand disastrously. This was
not so obvious at the time as it is now. At first sight, both wars looked easy
because they were against feeble, isolated enemies, unpopular in their own
countries. But successful invasion is very different from successful
occupation. In neither Baghdad nor Kabul did the US have an adequate local
partner. No neighbouring countries wanted the occupations to succeed.
Above all, the US underestimated the extent to which foreign occupation
generates resistance. The NATO report, based on no fewer than 27,000
interrogations, is full of interesting facts about the Taliban prisoners
optimistic perception of where they stand today. It is not so much that
Taliban are greatly liked, but that the government and its local
emissaries are loathed for their corruption, incompetence and violence.
This is evident even among people whom self-interest should lead to support
the status quo. I was talking to an estate agent in north Kabul just over a year
ago, when, after denouncing government corruption, he furiously told me
that people are so angry there will be a revolution. On an earlier occasion, I
was having a rather boring interview with a mid-level official, who told me
of all the good things the government was planning to do. I asked him,
without expecting much of interest to emerge, if he wanted to say anything
off the record. He said quietly that indeed he did and, without changing his
tone of voice, went on to describe the members of the government he had
just been praising as a gang of warlords and racketeers.
Such opposition to the government does not necessarily mean
support for the insurgents, but it creates a political vacuum which they
swiftly fill. The former Communist political and military commander for the
whole of southern Afghanistan, General Nur al-Haq Ulumi, told me that the
Communist Party in the 1980s had 200,000 members as core supporters. I
doubt if there are more than 40 people really loyal to Karzai. he added:
He does not even have the full support of his own cabinet.
Candid about Afghans criticism of their government, the NATO
report is diplomatically reticent about the other main reason why the Taliban
has been able to survive, recover and absorb the US counter-offensive in
2010-11. The Taliban benefits from simply being Afghans who are
fighting foreign occupation, and occupation is the word used by both
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Taliban and government officials. The Pashtun, the community to which the
Taliban mostly belong, are notorious for their detestation of foreigners.
In one respect, Afghanistan has been militarily more difficult for
the US than Iraq. In the latter country, in the aftermath of the sectarian
slaughter of 2006-07, Sunni and Shia were more frightened of each other
than they were of American troops. The presence of US soldiers in any
Baghdad neighbourhood at this stage of the war meant less violence inflicted
on ordinary people. The situation in Afghanistan is exactly the reverse of
this, with the arrival of foreign forces inevitably bringing more violence as
Special Forces carry out night raids to kill local Taliban militants.
The US faced the same strategic weakness as the Soviet army
during its Afghan campaign. However many setbacks the anti-Soviet
mujahideen or the anti-American Taliban suffered, they could always retreat
across the 1,600 mile-long border with Pakistan to rest, re-organize and reequip.
The US has failed in Afghanistan and the Taliban will become
stronger. But it is unlikely they can win a total victory. The non-Pashtun
communities, a majority of the population, will resist them. Reconciliation
will be very difficult in a country as deeply divided as Afghanistan. The war
may soon be over for the Americans, but not for the Afghans.
On 9th February, Azam Khalil opined: As far as Pakistan is
concerned, the US must understand that it has vital strategic interest in
Afghanistan. It will also be in its best interest that peace and stability
returns to the hapless country as quickly as possible. It is the American
administrations responsibility to ensure that the training camps being
managed by the Indian forces are closed so that insurgency can be stopped in
Pakistan, especially Balochistan.
The Afghan government must also ensure that its territory is not
used for terrorism in Pakistan and elsewhere because in case terrorists
continue to infiltrate into this country from Afghanistan, all efforts to defeat
them will not bear fruit. It is absolutely essential that the evidence provided
by the authorities in Islamabad about the training camps for terrorists in
Afghanistan and the involvement of Indian security forces in acts of
sabotage in Balochistan are investigated at the earliest. Nevertheless, if it is
established that the Indians in collaboration with the Afghan government are
engaged in efforts to destabilize Pakistan, no effort will be able to bring
peace to Afghanistan.

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One can only hope that the effort, which has been initiated by the
Government of Qatar to facilitate the process of reconciliation in
Afghanistan, reaches its ultimate goal. In case all the Afghan factions agree
to work for peace, it will not only be a great achievement, but would also
mean that the entire region will benefit from the efforts of the Gulf States.
All stakeholders must realize that failure to achieve peace and stability
in Afghanistan is not an option and must, therefore, work to achieve peace
that has shattered the entire Afghan fabric to pieces.
As a final word, a major thrust for the achievement of the elusive
goal of peace could be obtained by holding free, fair and transparent
elections in Afghanistan under the supervision of the United Nations.
Indeed, the Afghans want peace more than anything else. This is the only
road available to the people of Afghanistan in case they decide to move on
and bring prosperity, which will improve their daily lives.
On 5th February, TheNation remembered the Kashmir occupied by
India: That Eid-e-Milad and Kashmir Solidarity Day are falling the same
day, today, should hopefully prove to be a good omen for the oppressed
people of occupied Kashmir The international community, which goes
about preaching the principle of government of the people, by the people and
for the people should also pressurize this so-called great democracy to abide
by these resolutions. The world, in fact, is party to the UNSC resolutions and
obliged to ensure that the Kashmiris get their birthright of casting their vote
to determine their future.
Indias enforced bondage is costing the people of Kashmir dearly.
The pity is that while New Delhis 700,000-strong security force in the
Valley commits untold excesses against them, the world looks the other
way, downplaying the unbiased accounts of their miseries complied by
international human rights agencies. Shooting down unarmed protestors,
disappearances, accounts of torture and rape all have remained largely out
of the view of world public, thanks to the lure of Indias growing market for
Western governments and its perceived strategic importance in the game of
global influence.
But the spirit of solidarity with the Kashmiris calls upon Pakistan
to remain steadfast in espousing their cause, rather Pakistans own
natural interests, without any fear. There should be no hesitation in
extending them moral, political and diplomatic support, highlighting the
sufferings of the people of the Valley. The Pakistan government must realize

1096

that the grant of concessions like the MFN to India, without the precondition
of the disputes just settlement, can only harm the Kashmir cause.
On 10th February, TheNation observed: US Congress House Foreign
Affairs Committee began hearings on Balochistan, with Rep Dana
Rohrbacher, the California Republican who chaired the meeting, describing
Balochistan as of strategic importance. Only the US Congress might need
to be told that, as Pakistanis know only too well that Balochistan is
strategically important. However, Rep Rohrbacher has recently written in
support of the creation of an independent Balochistan, to diminish radical
power, which is akin to suggesting the break-up of the USA to prevent it
offering a target to militants. It is thus no surprise to have MNAs protesting
at this in Pakistans National Assembly, though it was perhaps surprising that
Interior Minister Rehman Malik was not there to answer their queries.
The USA has taken an interest in Balochistan ever since it feared a
Soviet drive towards warm waters in the 1980s after its invasion of
Afghanistan, and its importance to it has increased with the building of
Gwadar port, where it does not wish to see a Chinese presence. Pakistan
should make it clear that it will not tolerate any designs on its territory, and
its government representatives shying away from the National Assembly,
lest they might end up being asked some tough questions, has led to this
pass. The US government has said, through the State Department
spokesperson, that the hearing does not mean it endorses the move. The
most effective response from the Obama Administration would be a
forthright statement distancing itself from the hearing and a statement of
respect for Pakistani sovereignty. However, since this is the same
Administration, which is welcoming Indian consulates in Afghan towns,
without worry for their contribution in kindling violence in Balochistan, one
must expect to be disappointed once again in the US's treatment of its
allies.
As if the hearing was not enough, federal Information Minister
Firdous Ashiq Awan also held forth on the Balochistan situation, saying that
the government could not talk to Baloch youth who burnt national flags. She
was speaking at the inauguration of Radio Pakistan Turbat, but did not
mention how those people were to be spoken to. After all, the flag burnings
were caused by a deprivation which the government has failed to address. It
must stop relying on such cosmetic policies as the Presidents apology, or the
Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan package, and get down to seriously dealing
with the root causes. That will not only stop the burning of the flag, but
also such blatant interference as that of US Congress.
1097

REVIEW
The probe into Memogate ordered by the apex court was deliberately
impeded, if not sabotaged by the Zardari regime. Its domestic and foreign
allies played significant role in commission of this unlawful act. Politicians
in pursuit of their urge to shackle military had completely ignored the all
important aspect that they were ridiculing their national security forces.
The list of such facilitators is quite long. According to one report even
former imported Prime Minister of Pakistan played an effective role in
deterring Mansoor Ijaz from appearing before the commission. He used his
Citibank contacts to warn Mansoor of the consequences if he went to
Pakistan as the latter has business links with the bank.
On whose behest Shaukat Aziz did that can be guessed fairly
accurately by those who have been closely following the events related to
the Memogate. He certainly did not do that out of love for Zardari, but on
the instructions of those who have control over the shares of the Citibank.
Chaudhry Shujaat, who too had been Prime Minister for one month in
stop gap arrangement played reconciliatory role. Reportedly, he worked
behind the scene to arrange patch up between the regime and the Generals.
In other words, he did with the memo what he often prescribes for settling
various issues: mitti pao (put the dust).
How did the Generals agree to this Gujrati solution? Did it not dawn
upon them that to put the dust on this case after having gone that far to
submit affidavits amounted to biting the dust? It is annoying that it did not
occur to them that their retreat would adversely affect the morale of the rank
and file of their command far more than the Memo itself had done.
How did they ignore that all has not been well within the armed forces
since the day these were employed as mercenaries in the ongoing American
Crusades. There have been several incidents reflecting resentment over this,
wherein the serving soldiers were involved in attacks inside Pakistan,
including failed attempts to assassinate Pervez Musharraf.
Even at present there are many issues which should be source of
worry for top military commanders. To quote; the ongoing court martial of
Brig Ali Khan in Sialkot, attack on a Police Station in Misri Shah, Lahore
and the case of missing persons reflect poorly on the state of militarys
internal affairs. One fears speculating that its on downward slide like other
state institutions.
1098

The decision of the judicial commission comprising three chief

justices to record Mansoor Ijazs statement using video-conference facility,
however, raised a glimmer of hope that Army could be saved of humiliation.
At least, the loss of composure by the counsel for the regime over the
decision to go ahead with recording statement of Mansoor, indicated that the
guilt lies where it is suspected.
While Memo Scandal remained the lead news, the United States
maintained pressure on the puppet regime for resumption of NATO supplies,
although its suspension has made no serious impact on occupation forces in
Afghanistan. Perhaps, only the comfort-level of their logistic stocks and
supplies could have been slightly.
This has been due to various factors. First, the occupation forces had
dumped more than six months reserves of its supplies. Second, the critical
supplies could always be air-lifted as flights into Afghanistan using
Pakistans airspace continued uninterrupted. Third, Afghan Transit Trade
trucks and containers were used for clandestine movement of NATO
supplies. Fourth, private companies handling air cargo have been
dispatching NATO supplies on forged documents. Lastly, supplies from the
north had never stopped.
12th February, 2012

SIGNS OF LIFE
The events of 10th February indicated that the superior judiciary in
Pakistan was not only alive but has the desire to safeguard its credibility,
honour and prestige. This revived the hope and expectations of many that the
Judiciary would ensure establishment of rule of law in the country.
On that day the apex court rejected an Intra Court Appeal filed by
Aitzaz Ahsan in contempt case against his client. The Judicial Commission
decided to record statement of Mansoor Ijaz using modern information
1099

technology. Another bench of the Supreme Court showed resolve during

hearing of the case of missing persons, though the counsel of the suffering
families was not happy as he rightly wanted some heads to roll.
Earlier, on the 60th coronation ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II
Pakistani cricketers had whitewashed the British cricket team in Dubai. This
free-of-cost service could be termed as a thanks-giving gesture in return of
the verdict of British judge that helped in getting rid of match fixers in
Pakistani cricket team.
The victory of the cricketers carried a timely message for the judges
of Pakistans Supreme Court, who have been avoiding punishing the Saint at
the service of the Scoundrel. One could only hope that the judges have read
that message.They must press for accountability of the ruling elite and
punishing few of them would bear the same result as has been in the case of
cricketers.

NEWS
On 6th February, the Supreme Court suspended the membership of 28
members of parliament and provincial assemblies, including two federal
ministers (Abdul Hafeez Sheikh and Asim Hussain, whom the government
appointed as advisers) whose elections had been challenged on the plea that
they had been elected on bogus voters lists. Imran Khan had filed a petition
in the apex court.
Chief Justice, as head of a four-member bench issued the order. He
remarked that the court did not receive any clear stance on the issue of bogus
voter lists. He said the court did not declare election of the members null and
void and only suspended their membership. He said the suspended members
will not get any privileges unless they are restored.
Intense talks between the ruling PPP and the opposition parties to
evolve consensus over ratification of the 20th Constitutional (Amendment)
Bill-2012 from the National Assembly remained inconclusive because the
stakeholders kept sticking to their positions on the issue of future caretaker
setup. Meanwhile, IMF warned Pakistan over its widening fiscal deficit and
slow growth, saying the economy remains deeply at risk to both internal and
external shocks.
Next day, Imran termed the 'unholy' troika of Zardari, Nawaz Sharif
and Fazlur Rehman, as root cause of prevailing bad governance and
corruption. Efforts to seek consensus on 20th Constitutional (Amendment)
1100

Bill, failed to make break through as PML-N insisted upon consensus on

care-taker setup. Syed Khurshid Shah hoped that both sides would succeed
in evolving consensus over the issue.
Iran offered Pakistan assistance in building the much-awaited gas
pipeline, as the two countries resolved to enhance the volume of the bilateral
trade from $1.5 billion to $5 billion by exploring new avenues of economic
cooperation. The offer to build the Pakistani portion of the Iran-Pakistan Gas
Pipeline project was made by the visiting Iranian Vice-President meeting
with President Zardari. The offer came amid mounting economic pressure
exerted on Iran due to sanctions.
On 8th February, in the appeal filed through his lawyer PM Gilani
pleaded before the court to set aside the February 2 order as well as recall
the notice forthwith in the interest of justice, and suspend the proceedings
before the seven-member bench. The appeal was instituted with the request
for fixation on February 10, 2012. The chief justice then issued a short order
saying the hearing could not be fixed on the requested date of February 10
because of prior engagements and, with consent of AOR, he fixed it for
February 9.
It was also a demand of Gilanis counsel that judges who ordered to
indict the PM should not be included in the new bench and it should have
more members than the seven-member bench. Barrister Aitzaz told reporters
after filing the ICA at the Supreme Court that it was inappropriate for the
judges who ordered to indict Gilani to sit in the larger bench that would hear
the appeal.
Ahsan had several times stated that he will not appear before the chief
justice in the hearing of any case, but during the press conference, he agreed
to appear before the CJ in this case. After the restoration of chief justice it
would be the first time that Aitzaz would appear before him in any case
except as amicus curae in Presidential Reference on Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
murder case.
An eight-member larger bench of Supreme Court will hear the appeal
in which the learned counsel; has raised 54 questions of law for
consideration in the instant appeal, and cited 51 judgments from Pakistan,
India, United Stated, UK and Australia. Aitzaz contended that it was
necessary for the larger bench to satisfy itself that he had completed his
arguments before it passed an order to frame a charge upon the PM, while he
had informed the bench that he had yet to make further submissions. Aitzaz
stated in the appeal that the larger bench did err during the preliminary
1101

hearing in departing from the apex courts own precedent of patience and
forbearance in the PCO judges case, where arguments were allowed to be
made on 24 actual dates spread over several months.
The principles against arbitrariness and use of unfettered discretion
require that every court (indeed authority) must pass speaking orders i.e.
orders that spell out the facts, the law applicable, the submissions made, and
the reasons for the decision/order. The impugned order does not reflect the
salient and salutary guarantee against arbitrariness that all judicial (even
quasi-judicial and many plain administrative) orders must state the express
reasons for the conclusion arrived at by the court.
The failure not to record the submissions made to it, as well as the
reasons justifying the order, particularly in a criminal trial, are violative of
article 10A of the constitution. The said order could not have been passed
without even recording the submissions thus far made by the counsel for the
appellant, and such an order could not have been made without allowing him
the opportunity to even complete his submissions.
When section 17(3) itself and specifically requires the court to pass an
order in the interests of justice, it is essential for that court to expressly
spell out the specific interests of justice that will be served by its order, and
how. It is essential for any court to spell out those specific interests of
justice required by statute, and seek the appellants opinion/version/defence
with respect to those specified interests.
A statutory right of appeal is a continuation of the main cause, and
therefore all the pleas taken and submissions made (and those that could
have been taken/made but for a denial of adequate opportunity) before the
larger bench (and not adverted to in the impugned order) are now to be
decided on merits by this court under its appellate jurisdiction.
In the circumstances of the case in question, contempt of court
proceedings are not at all appropriate proceedings for enforcement of a
judgment, even if a judgment is enforceable and implementable in its true
letter and spirit. It may be added that the constitution itself provides a
mechanism in Art 187 (2) read with the Explanation to Art 175(1) for the
implementation of the orders of the Supreme Court. Where the order or
judgment in question is either not implementable or for some compelling
reasons, could not be implemented immediately (for the time being), it will
not make it a case of willful disobedience and that too, to call for contempt
proceedings.

1102

The Rules of Business having been formulated under Article.99 of the

constitution for transaction of business by the federal government been held
to have a binding force and have to be strictly adhered to by the appellant
before taking any decision. Thus the appellant had offered valid
justification with respect to his own conduct regarding the implementation
of Para 178 of the NRO judgment. It was a valid justification on the part of
the appellant that he acted in accordance with the advice given to him, which
too was in compliance of the aforesaid Rules of Business and the appellant
had no reason to believe otherwise.
Moreover, a decision taken by the appellant on the basis of legal
advice would be covered under the provisions clause (1) of article 248. In
view of the foregoing, the appellant had a right to show that the directions in
the judgment in the NRO case had entirely been acted upon, except those
that had already been acted upon before that judgment; or, such as were
impossible to be acted upon due to there being no proceedings pending in
respect thereof, in Switzerland; or such that would be impossible owing to
an immunity allowed to all incumbent heads of state by international law.
The apex court has itself held that Rules of Business are binding and
mandatory. The advice of the Law Department is crucial towards the
interpretation of the law, including judgments of this court, and action of a
prime minister on such advice is immune from criminality. The prime
minister does not commit a crime when, even after having accepted the
advice of the Law Minister and the Law Secretary, he writes expressly that:
The law secretary, as well as the Attorney General for Pakistan may
appropriately explain the position to the Honble Supreme Court.
The prime minister cannot be even issued a show cause for contempt
of this Honble Court leave alone being indicted for it. Such conduct cannot
be described as contempt of this Honble Court, leave alone talk of willful
contempt. Furthermore, a prime minister who undid the draconian action of
a dictator (of arresting judges of the superior courts, including the chief
justice and his children) even before he had taken oath as prime minister,
cannot be presumed to have contemplated committing contempt.
In any case, it is not contempt of court to remind the court that its
orders may not be actionable abroad and thus may jeopardize its esteem. It is
not contempt of this Honble Court to thereby try to maintain its esteem. The
incumbent prime minister is being dealt with in a manner far worse than
real, actual and blatant contemnors, who sacked the superior courts and their
judges in November 2007.
1103

PPP Core Committee approved the draft of a tentative agreement

reached with PML-N-led opposition parties for the unanimous passage of
20th constitutional amendment from the parliament. Zardari and Gilani who
co-chaired the meeting reiterated their partys wish to continue the policy of
reconciliation and consensus. Earlier in the day efforts at securing a full
consensus on the 20th amendment bill did not bear fruit as the negotiating
teams decided to meet again.
Khurshid Shah briefed the party leaders on the negotiations with the
PML-N for the smooth passage of the amendment and the proposals on
which both sides agreed for making the interim setup neutral and
independent, which would be made part of the amendment. He informed that
it was agreed between the two sides that a parliamentary committee
comprising members of the national assembly with equal strength from
ruling and opposition sides would be made which would finalize the names
for the interim setup to ensure its neutrality. The same procedure would be
adopted for making interim setup at provincial level where the equal number
of treasury and opposition members in the respective provincial assembly
would appoint such a setup with consensus.
After the PPP leadership gave approval to these agreements, the draft
would be put up before PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif so it could then
culminate into a final accord after agreement on the remaining points too. It
was further decided in the meeting that prime minister would appear before
the apex court if asked and would fully comply with the dictates of the court.
The party leadership also discussed the matters pertaining to partys
relations with the coalition partners and it was agreed that genuine concerns
of the partners would be addressed keeping in view the mutual benefit and
interests. The party leaders who attended the meeting reposed their full
confidence in the party leadership and their policies.
Demonstrations against gas load shedding in Faisalabad turned
violent. Protesters stopped Pakistan Express and clashed with Police. About
one hundred protesters were detained. In Gujranwala a court ordered
registration of cases against 8 SHOs for patronizing gas theft.
As the court proceedings began on 9 th February, the CJ showed
displeasure over certain parts of the 200-page draft of the appeal. The
premiers appeal had said it would be ironic to send to prison a
democratically elected prime minister who had released detained judges of
the court even before taking oath as the chief executive. Justice Chaudhry
remarked that a countrys prime minister should have high ethical standards
1104

and that the language of the appeal gave the impression that the premier
wanted to influence the courts judgment.
The chief justice questioned Ahsan on how he (Gilani) could include
paragraphs in his appeal which say that the contempt case cannot be initiated
against a prime minister who helped in restoring the judges. Ahsan, in reply,
said that even if a contempt case was initiated against him, keeping in view
his struggles for the restoration of the judges, he would have taken the same
stance. The court said relief was being sought in return for so-called favours.
We do not know how you were convinced to write such things in the
appeal, the CJ remarked. By the grace of Allah we did not bow before
those who considered themselves powerful, he added.
Justice Tariq Parvez in his remarks said that the prime minister keeps
reiterating that he freed the judges and that whatever a prime minister does,
he does in his official capacity. We refused to take oath under the PCO and
did not request anyone to reinstate us, Justice Parvez said. The three
objectionable paragraphs of the draft appeal were later removed on the
directions of the CJ, after Aitzaz and the advocate on record agreed.
He said that Gilani was appearing before the court in a personal
capacity and if convicted, he would be sent to jail not as the prime minister,
but as a citizen. He also maintained that the court should dispose of the
contempt notice, saying that the case is not one of contempt whether the
prime minister is right or wrong. Aitzaz argued as per the Rules of Business
the PM followed advice of law secretary and attorney general therefore has
not committed any contempt.
Justice Saqib inquired from the learned counsel why the PM not
applied his mind to take stance on the summary. He said summary is actually
the proposal and has no binding effect. He further asked should the PM
follow the advice given to him by the law ministry or need to follow orders
of the Supreme Court. Aitzaz maintained there was no willful disobedience
on the PMs part and he had good faith in not writing the letter.
The bench remarked that instead of asking to dispose of the notice, the
prime minister should be asked to tender a statement of repent and assure the
court that he will comply with its orders. The counsel said that it is not the
duty of the Supreme Court to enforce the orders, but is the responsibility of
the High Court. The bench, in response, said that the High Court can
proceed with the case, but even then there would be no way out. You have
to implement the judgment in any case, the chief justice said, addressing

1105

himself to Aitzaz. You have to persuade the chief executive that this is court
judgment and you have to implement it, the CJ insisted.
Justice Saqib Nasir asked the learned counsel that the NRO judgment
has to be implemented at all cost and for that give us the options how the
para 178 of judgment would be given effect in letter and spirit. Your client
was issued show-cause notice as he was not implementing the 17-member
benchs judgment. Aitzaz said that he was prime minister of Pakistan. The
chief justice remarked it does not mean that being a PM he ridicules the
judgment of the apex court.
The chief justice insisted that the prime minister should have taken the
initiative in re-opening those cases instead of defending chairperson of his
party. He said in the interest of the nation, being the chief executive of the
country, it was the duty of the prime minister to implement the court order.
The court said it had shown patience in the two years and three
months, since it ordered that the matter be taken up with the Swiss
authorities. The judges, CJ Chaudhry said, had taken their oaths under the
constitution of Pakistan and gave judgments in accordance to it. The prime
minister should not be the person to undermine any institution. This money
will not come to our pockets. Actually it is the nation which wants this
money, the chief justice said.
Justice Khawaja inquired whether the government has probed how
much money was lying outside the country. We should not feel ashamed
that the money lying in Swiss banks pertains to money-laundering cases, but
have to see this as national wealth, the court observed. The chief justice said
that huge amount of national wealth is lying in Swiss banks. Yousuf Raza
Gilani is representative of 180 million people of Pakistan and he was elected
without any opposition. The prime minister should rise above the party
affiliation.
The court noted that President Asif Ali Zardari in an interview to
Hamid Mir, an anchorperson of a private channel, stated that letter to Swiss
authorities would not be written. Aitzaz said that for almost one year the
court did not take up the NRO case. The chief justice said: We have shown
restraint.
The court questioned what are the impediments in writing letter to
Swiss authorities if the government says there was nothing in Switzerland?
Aitzaz Ahsan said even if the government writes to Swiss authorities on the
Supreme Court order, it would be great embarrassment if the Swiss courts
refused to accept apex court verdict. Justice Saqib Nisar remarked the shame
1106

for Supreme Court would be when the government will refuse to implement
its judgment, while under Article 190 the executive and all other authorities
are bound to obey apex court judgments.
Aitzaz said that international law grants immunity to the head of the
state. Justice Saqib said that if the international law has immunity for the
president then those could not be imposed domestically. He argued that the
court should not use contempt of court (CoC) notices as tool to implement
its order. Justice remarked that the power of CoC will always be with the
court to implement its orders.
Aitzaz said that money could be brought back from the Switzerland
after the conviction. Following that the Pakistan government will have thirdparty right to bring back money. But present position is that the cases of
NRO beneficiaries stand closed. He said in 1997 numerous documents under
International Mutual Legal Assistance were brought to Pakistan.
The chief justice said these things were not brought before the
knowledge of the apex court at the time of appeal and review petitions,
while Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa and he himself (CJP) asked the
federations counsel that whether he wanted to seek immunity under Article
248. The court directed Gilanis counsel to complete his arguments on
Friday by 10:30am and adjourned.
Zardari said there were very few politicians, who had been benefited
by the NRO, as most of the cases were related to criminals and bureaucrats.
He asked the politicians not to target each other, just like the generals and
the judges, who never got involved in infighting. The president was
addressing a dinner hosted in honour of the outgoing senators at the
Presidency.
The Council of Common Interest (CCI) approved in principle, the
Petroleum Exploration and Production Policy 2012. After a presentation by
Sindh Chief Minister, Prime Minister directed the Planning and
Development and Economic Affairs divisions to provide full support in
arranging funds for the Thar coal project on a priority basis.
Chief Justice took suo motu notice of Lahore factory collapse. Threemember bench headed by Justice Shakirullah Jan would hear the case on
Friday. The report said that the CJ took notice on note written by Justice
Shakirullah Jan and Justice Khilji Arif. The death toll in the collapse of
factory reached 26.

1107

Contempt case of Babar Awan was adjourned till 20th February.

Railways Minister said his resignation was no solution to the problem to the
plight of rail network. PPP claimed that consensus has been reached on 29 th
Amendment. PTI accused government and opposition were reaching
underhand agreement.
On 10th February, the Supreme Court (SC) rejected the Intra Court
Appeal (ICA) filed by Prime Minister against the verdict of a smaller bench
for framing charges of contempt of court against him. Gilani will now have
to appear before the SC on February 13 for contempt proceedings.
The CJ again said he wanted a clear answer on whether the prime
minister would write the letter, telling his lawyer: We are ready to give you
10 minutes to talk to the prime minister on the phone and let us know. I
have no mandate to do that, replied Aitzaz Ahsan. No one wants unrest. We
are exercising restraint, the CJ observed. Tell the prime minister this is not
in the interests of the country (to defy the court order), he told Ahsan.
Next day, Registrar Islamabad High Court rejected application filed to
challenge restoration of deposed judges of Supreme Court including Chief
Justice. The applicant contended restoration of the judges under executive
order was in complete violation of the Constitution. However, it was yet to
be accepted or rejected for hearing by the court registrar.
Addressing a public gathering in Jaranwala Prime Minister hinted he
was prepared to forego his office, saying it was time leaders rendered
sacrifices. Nawaz Sharif has said that defiance of the judicial decisions is
akin to weakening the base on which the whole democratic structure rests.
Implementation of the court decisions is imperative not only for the stability
of the constitutional institutions but also for the smooth running of the
democratic system.
The State Bank of Pakistan on Saturday announced to keep its key
policy rate unchanged at 12 per cent for the next two months in a bid to
contain expected inflation in the second half of the fiscal year 2011-12. The
move came as fastest inflation in Asia after Vietnam curbs scope to ease
policy and bolster economic growth.
On 12th February, all eyes are on the Supreme Court and legal experts
were of the opinion that if found guilty of court contempt, the prime minister
can face prison and disqualification from his office, besides losing his
parliamentary seat and a five-year ban on holding any public office. The
prime minister has two options: one, he seeks unconditional apology from
the court for non-compliance of orders and expresses his willingness to write
1108

the letter to the Swiss authorities; two, he sticks to the stance that Zardari
enjoys immunity.
However, there is greater possibility that Prime Minister Gilani would
opt for the second course. He had reportedly indicated in his interview with
Al Jazeera TV channel that if convicted he would resign. However, the
Prime Ministers House in a clarification said there was no question of his
resignation as the PM would automatically stand disqualified if convicted.
In the event of his refusal to write the letter, Gilani would face the
proceedings until conviction that could land him in prison for at least six
months. But President Zardari, who is also Co-Chairman of the ruling PPP,
could exercise his powers as President of Pakistan to pardon the prime
minister.
Abrar Saeed reported: The coalition partners of the ruling Pakistan
Peoples Party advised President Asif Ali Zardari to avoid confrontation with
judiciary as it would have negative fallout on the incumbent political
dispensation as well as the future of democracy in the country.
All the coalition partners of the government were against
confrontation with apex judiciary and all of them had advised President
Zardari to play cool in the apex court in the contempt of court case. Except
ANP all the coalition partners would not stand with PPP in case of clash
with the superior judiciary and they had tacitly conveyed the message to PPP
leadership as well.
Sources further informed that President Asif Ali Zardari was also of
the view that the party would not go for confrontation with Supreme Court
of Pakistan and would devise the future strategy in the light of the court
decision in the case and would most likely project the party image as victim
and not as oppressor.
Earlier, in a Core Committee meeting of the party held under the chair
of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, after participants blowing hot and
cold, the saner elements prevailed and it was decided that party would not
take any hostile posture against the judiciary and would face the brunt with
fortitude and patience.
On the other hand in the earlier meeting of the Core Committee of the
party which was held under the chair of Prime Minister Gilani at Prime
Minister House some of the hawkish elements in the party blew hot and cold
against the superior judiciary and some of them even asked the prime

1109

minister to withdraw the notification which lead to the restoration of the

judges to their slots after remaining under suspension for several months.
Sources in the party informed that the senior party leaders which later
joined the meeting at Awan-i-Sadr were present in the Core Committee
meeting it was finally decided that PPP would not take any hostile posture in
the Supreme Court and the prime ministers demeanour in the court would
remain that of a gentleman which he demonstrated on his previous
appearance on Feb 2.
The legal wizards of the party threw light on the legal implications of
the case and it was the consensus view of the legal team of the prime
minister that the merits of the case be presented before the court and the
court would be convinced that all what had done by the prime minister was
in good faith and there was no intention, whatsoever, to defy the dictates of
the apex court. Before the Core Committee meeting Prime Minister Gilani
had long telephonic conversion with his counsel Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, who
could not attend the meeting due to some personal reasons.
Legal and constitutional experts commenting on volatile situation said
that the chances of Prime Minister Gilanis acquittal in the contempt case are
bright, as the focus of the case would likely turn towards the debate on the
merits of article 248, providing immunity to President of Pakistan in
criminal cases as long as he is holding the office of president. These experts
said that Gilani could easily save his skin by simply submitting before the
court that article 248 of the constitution bars him to write letter to the Swiss
authorities and in his mind he had acted as per the constitution of Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court administration took a number of
security measures ahead of the hearing. Special security cameras were
installed in the courtrooms, at public entry gates and reception areas of the
court. The office of additional registrar, Supreme Court, would issue the
passes. Entry into court building would be allowed after checking/frisking
and searching of bags/purses etc. No mobile phones would be allowed inside
the courtroom.
Imran Khan said the corruption is the biggest problem plaguing the
country. Talking to the media on his arrival at Karachi Airport said the rulers
were responsible for rampant corruption in the country. He urged the public
to forge unity against the corrupt rulers.
Referring to Prime Ministers contempt of court issue, the PTI chief
reiterated his partys support to the judiciary. He added that billions of
rupees were looted from the country. About the ISIs alleged involvement in
1110

funding political parties to defeat the PPP, he said the case was already in the
Supreme Court and everyone knew who took money from the ISI in
elections.
The PML-N announced the names of its candidates for the upcoming
senate elections. Zulfiqar Khosa, Rafiq Rajwana, M. Hamza and Zafarullah
Dhandla will be the candidates for the general seats. Ishaq Dar will contest
the technocrat seat while Kamran Michael will be the candidate for the
minority seat. Nasba Aamir Sadiq will be candidate for the womens seat.
The PPP awarded tickets to two diehard party workers ignoring
Zardaris close aides. PPP circles have hailed the decision of awarding
Senate tickets to party workers describing it a matter of happiness for old
PPP guards who had been giving vent to their anger over party policies in
the past. Aslam Gill is likely to contest against a general seat, and in that
case, one of the two other ticket holders, Aitzaz Ahsan and Babar Awan, will
have to file nomination papers against a technocrat seat.
The PML-Q has nominated only one candidate, Kamil Ali Agha, from
Punjab as a result of seat adjustment with the PPP. Negotiations among the
parties are underway to make the upcoming Senate polls end up unopposed,
though there is some resentment within the parties over the move.
Firdous Ashiq Awan said the government is taking concrete steps to
overcome energy and gas crisis. She announced that one more gas pipeline is
being laid down from Wazirabad to Sialkot to resolve the problem of gas
shortage in the city. We are focusing to generate electricity from hydel
power which is cheaper and also directed provinces to initiate small projects
to overcome the energy crisis, she said.

VIEWS
On 10th February, M A Niazi commented: Though the Prime Minister
seems intent on fighting the contempt charge, and even though his appeal on
Thursday was heard by the Supreme Court and turned down, the question
remains: Why is he so intent on protecting the President? One reason
seems to be that he holds his position because of the President, and once
he leaves it, he will not get it back again. However, by not protecting the
President, he would be accounted in PPP circles a failure. More important,
that is how he would be accounted in PPP Co-Chairman Bilawal ZardariBhuttos eyes.
1111

The argument that the letter would be written after the President
leaves office may not have been persuasive in getting the appeal accepted,
and so it is unlikely to be very successful in the trial itself, but as the PMs
counsel does not have much else to argue, it will probably be raised at
the trial.
The consequences of the PMs conviction are very serious. It means
straining the Constitution to its maximum limits. It is even possible to
sympathize with Mr Gilani, at the figure he will cut, of a Prime Minister
convicted of contempt of court, and thus under threat of disqualification, but
not allowed to dissolve, awaiting the time when he will have to vacate
office. However, probably of greater importance will be the consequences
to the country, which has already suffered from having a Prime
Minister, who has to answer to the President, not to Parliament. The PM
may see as his primary duty the defence of the President, not the solution of
the problems of the people, the reason for which they voted in this
Parliament, which gave both President and Prime Minister their offices.
Next day, TheNation observed: The Supreme Court turned down, on
Friday, the Prime Ministers appeal against the show cause notice There is
no doubt that the apex court has demonstrated remarkable restraint in
the face governments defiant attitude to its orders. There were
observations galore made by Mr Gilani, though, even on the floor of the
National Assembly which questioned the justification of judiciarys
interference in the executive domain. In fact, it was pointed out by the
court to the Prime Ministers counsel Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan that in order to
avoid the possibility of any discontent or turmoil in the country, the judges
adopted a soft posture, yet there could be no compromise on obeying the
court. Mr Gilani, it would be recalled, had stuck to the position that the
government had no intention of writing to the Swiss respecting the wishes of
the PPP, rather than asking for the reopening of the cases in compliance with
the courts wishes. The Prime Minister was given another chance during the
inter-court hearing on Thursday to write to the Swiss authorities in order for
the court to drop the idea of indicting him. But his attorney could not give
any assurance to that effect, thus losing a golden opportunity of having the
case against his client dropped.
The only attitude befitting a democratic order would have been
an unqualified and unquestioned obedience to judicial decisions.
Defiance at the highest echelons of power, in particular, only threaten the
system so painstakingly reinstituted in the country. That Pakistan has to face
a situation unheard of in a civilized society functioning on democratic
1112

principles in itself constitutes the greatest indictment on its ruling leadership.

The sooner this attitude is dropped the better for the nation and the future of
democracy in the country.
The News wrote: The Supreme Court on Friday threw out an appeal
by embattled Prime Minister So theres another court decision and more
mounting anxiety. But the rejection of the prime ministers intra-court appeal
by the eight-member bench did not come as a surprise. The learned counsel
was able to offer nothing that was new on Friday. He ventured to some
degree towards the related issue of presidential immunity, but then backed
away from this and held steadfastly to his clients old mantra of not
implementing the NRO verdict handed down by a full bench of the Supreme
Court. Still, despite the fact that the brilliant Aitzaz brought none of his
brilliance to the proceedings, he was given a patient hearing by the larger
bench, a fact also ceded by him. Legal arguments notwithstanding, the court
also offered every possible opportunity to the prime minister to walk away
from a possible eventual conviction by performing the simplest of acts:
placing obedience to rule of law over party loyalties; doing the right thing
over doing what the boss would approve of. Clearly the premiers priorities
are different.
Now, the next step will be the formal framing of contempt of court
charges on the prime minister come February 13. If the court rejects Aitzazs
pleadings at that stage, as is expected, we will see a full blown trial. It is
indeed unfortunate that politics is being played by the ruling party in what is
clearly a straightforward judicial matter that has attained legal finality. The
ruling partys dilemma, that the implementation of the NRO verdict will
harm the PPPs co-chairman, is certainly understandable but it is in no
way condonable. If anything, it has thrown the country into another
unsettling storm of what-ifs. Indeed, while the prime minister may emerge a
political hero within his own party ranks. whether he is spared or speared by
the court, Pakistan will inevitably be damaged by these destabilising flurry
of events. The country needs political stability, economic certainty, an
anxiety-free polity and, above all, a system based on the inalienable
principle of the supremacy of rule of law. The buck stops with the prime
minister to make all this happen. And he can still do the right thing by
implementing the apex courts verdict. It is still within his grasp to prevent
the political system from descending into another needless spiral of
uncertainty, the consequence of which will be a certain contempt conviction.
Will better sense prevail? While everything about this governments track-

1113

record suggests no, the well-wishers of Pakistan cant help but keep
praying.
Babar Sattar observed: Given the feeble arguments in the intra-court
appeal filed by the prime minister against the decision of the apex court to
frame charges in the contempt case, its dismissal was a foregone conclusion.
The manner in which the bench led by the chief justice conducted the
proceedings made justice stand tall. But unfortunately the text of the intracourt appeal included within it an obituary of spirit that drove the rule of law
movement.
Aitzaz Ahsan had ably led the movement for constitutionalism and
rule of law that galvanized this nation and unleashed winds of change. The
combination of his political dexterity and legal acumen deserves all credit
for enamouring ordinary people with the idea that in Pakistan law can be
king. When Prime Minister Gilani stood in parliament on that historic day of
March 2008 and announced that his first order as prime minister would be to
release the deposed judges from illegal detention, people had tears in their
eyes. These were tears of joy inspired by the sense that democracy and
rule of law were finally being wedded together in Pakistan.
But the joy was short-lived. Even disregarding how the PPP-led
government dragged its feet over the restoration issue, the manner in which
it has conducted itself as the executive and the ruling party over the last four
years has nurtured the destructive notion that democracy and rule of law are
pitted against one another.
The proceedings in the intra-court appeal on Thursday probably
exposed the falsity of this projected duel when Aitzaz Ahsan stood in Court
Room No 1 and called in the favour the prime minister had done the judges
now sitting in judgment over the conduct of the prime minister. The
contempt case is now largely an open and shut case, its importance lying
primarily in the political consequences it could produce. The real
significance of this case is not legal or even political, but sociological. It
provides an insight into the mindset of our ruling elite and our collective
approach to state authority, patronage, loyalty and rule of law.
It is hard to see how parts of the appeal reminding the judges that the
prime minister now being tried for contempt had released them (and their
kids) from illegal detention were meant to emphasize the high esteem in
which Gilani supposedly holds the judges. The reminders were in bad
taste to put it mildly, as also noted by the judges. But they raise crucial

1114

questions not just about the nature and exercise of state authority, but also
the rationale of the rule of law movement. Lets start with the latter.
What was this movement about? Was it merely a service matter,
to use legal jargon, limited to getting wrongfully dismissed judges their jobs
back? Or was it about ensuring that the courts in Pakistan become neutral
arbiters of the law, rule of law restrains whims of rulers, and the judicial
system ensures legal equality for ordinary citizens and reduces the gap
between the letter of the law and its practice? If the lawyers movement was
about a higher ideal aimed at reigning in abuse of state authority,
perpetration of injustice and strengthening constitutionalism and democracy,
wasnt restoration of judges only the means to this worthy end? In standing
behind the rule of law and restoration of judges, didnt every lawyer and
citizen stand for his personal cause i.e. building a state decent enough to live
in and raise ones kids?
The biggest failing of the rule of law movement was that it
cultivated within lawyers active in the movement a sense of entitlement
and an expectation of reward for their role in facilitating the restoration of
the judges. Those who were of age thought they deserved to become judges.
Those who were beyond that stage in their careers thought they deserved
preferential treatment in courts. The younger ones thought they had a licence
to indulge in hooliganism.
And the biggest failing of the restored judges was that they did
not quell this sense of entitlement. The appointment of judges to the high
courts and the Supreme Court at times affirmed the impression that loyalty
during the movement was being rewarded. Bar councils got divided on the
basis of allegiance to restored judges. Elections were won and lost on
grounds of closeness to the bench.
The reminder during court proceedings on Thursday that the
prime minister was a key benefactor of judges was a culmination of this
toxic trend. The judges handled it well. Enough time has now passed for the
hangover of restoration to subside and the nonsense about lawyers being
foot soldiers of the court to wither away.
When the prime minister ordered the release of the judges, did he not
exercise state authority vested in him to undo an illegality? Is the chief
executive of the country not a fiduciary mandated to exercise public
authority in accordance with the law and the Constitution? What is Gilanis
self-perception of his job and the responsibilities it brings along if

1115

upholding the law and doing the right thing seems to him to be doing
others a favour?
Isnt that the larger problem with exercise of public authority in this
country that even elected representatives treat state authority as a
handmaiden meant to benefit and patronize individuals and not a trust to
be discharged for the collective good of all citizens? Do elected public office
holders ever consider that once elected they have a solemn duty to serve all
citizens and not just the local clique that secured their electoral victory?
Will we ever graduate from the present state where the
government is an assemblage of personalized networks of patronage to
one where parties are judged on the basis of the system of governance and
the policies they propose to bring along? And can it even happen in a society
where loyalty is meant to be unconditional and all criticism personal?
At the back of the melodrama this country is presently enduring
is the simple matter of legal charges brought against the PPPs cochairperson in Switzerland, that carry the possibility of establishing that he
is corrupt. And the largest political party of this country (together with its
political allies) has sprung into action to ensure that the veracity of charges
against the person of Asif Zardari is not determined.
Such idol-worship and blind allegiance to individuals transcends
political parties and characterizes all our state and societal institutions.
Abraham Lincoln had famously stated: I am not bound to win, but I am
bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the
light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with
him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong.
Is our sense of loyalty such that it will always demand of us to
stand with a comrade whether he is right or wrong? Must devotion to an
individual or a cause trump ones ability to say it as it is? Is flattery and
hypocrisy now an integral part of our national character?
The change that we crave will not be brought about by a change
of faces. Instead the choice of a different lot to lead the nation will be the
consequence of a preceding change in our existing individual and collective
attitudes and preferences that are neither compatible with the spirit of
democracy nor with rule of law.
We must realize that in a constitutional democracy legal
accountability and political accountability are complementary concepts
and the latter is not a substitute for the former. And in a civilized country
1116

ruled by the law, those who hold law in contempt and celebrate its defiance
are criminals and not heroes.
Inayatullah observed: What takes the cake in the current picture of
the country is the cavalier way the verdicts and directives of the highest
court have been and are being defied so to say, to save the boss. The
Prime Minister has repeatedly refused to obey the Supreme Court order to
write the letter to the Swiss courts.
It is sad how an honourable and capable lawyer, like Aitzaz
Ahsan, is playing party politics in his arguments before the court. We all
know how the deposed judges were restored. Aitzaz himself was the
recipient of a phone call from the Chief of Army Staff about the decision to
restore the judges. It was much later in the night that the Prime Minister
followed this development when he formally announced the decision.
For Aitzaz to advance the plea that the Prime Minister had
obliged the Supreme Court by restoring them was, to say the least,
inappropriate. Again referring to the PMs acceptance of advice from
government legal officials as a ground for not obeying the courts order was,
indeed, inapt.
Dr Haider Mehdi wrote: I suggest that, for the sake of deliberation,
we look at the political agenda of Tehrik-i-Insaf. Let us put Imran Khan
aside for the time being as a hopeful in the future political landscape of the
country. Let us simply analyze what he says and has been saying, what he
has done in the past and what he promises to do for the nation in the future.
Lets examine how Khans envisioned and planned socio-economic-political
prescriptions can bring the country out of its present crisis, and how the
country can be saved from internal and external subversive and ruinous
political discourse.
There are two distinct and yet intrinsically linked areas in this
respect: a) the ongoing economic meltdown with its significant negative
socio-cultural fallouts; and b) externally linked issues of foreign policy,
foreign alliances, national sovereignty, stability and peace associated with
major external interventions in Pakistans domestic policy and national
decision-making. It is hoped that the PTI will offer the nation a
comprehensive economic-financial plan by the end of the month for national
scrutiny and analysis. It is only then that the people will be able to determine
the credibility, viability and implicit promise in the PTI agenda of change
and socio-economic equality necessary for an Islamic welfare State. That is

1117

a fundamental challenge that its leadership must address and offer with a
visionary and realistic approach.
As for national stability, integration, peace and the issues of foreign
policy and external alliances, Imran seems to have already taken bold and
impressive initiatives. He has been consistently vocal on ending the socalled war on terror, the need for a fresh reengagement with the US and
Western Europe, ending external interventions in Pakistans domestic affairs,
resilience in economic self-reliance, ending dependence on foreign loans and
US aid, and the exercise of full sovereign rights as a nation.
Imrans latest sincere reflection on political change and justice for all
has been his ingenuity to talk to Baloch leaders in Dubai, readjust the date of
PTIs Quetta jalsah on their demand, make plans to travel to London for
further talks with them and to bring Balochs nationalists back into
mainstream politics. The Baloch leaders reaction to his initiative has been
very positive and it is good news for Pakistans stability and salamati. Be
mindful that Balochistans plight is Pakistans top priority issue and the
PTIs chairperson is already taking steps for its peaceful resolution. By far,
his most impressive accomplishment has been the political mobilization of
the Pakistani people: From all segments of the society, men, women, young,
middle-aged and even the elderly. Let us see if the PTI becomes successful
to move the Balochi people on a massive scale in Quetta soon. That will be a
test of his political popularity and political effectiveness. It seems that
Imran Khans message to the people of Pakistan is: Uttho, jaago, badal
doh, Pakistan! (Arise, wake up and transform Pakistan!).
On 13th February, The News wrote: When the express train is coming
down the track with its horn blaring it is a good idea to get out of the way.
The horn will have been heard when the train was still far away. Other
warnings of its approach will have sounded. But the government stands there
bland-faced and smiling, and the impact is imminent. The horn in todays
scenario is the State Bank of Pakistan and the train it is attached to is
the economy. Government finance is not a simple matter of in one pocket
and out of the other. It is a complex weave of educated guessing, outright
gamble, calculated risk and sober book-keeping and prudent and thrifty
housekeeping. Prudent and thrifty are not part of the script for the current
dispensation. The SBP has reiterated what financial analysts have been
saying for months that our financial woes are in large part driven by the
government borrowing from itself, from the SBP, and that this is increasing
inflationary pressure with a rise to 11 or 12 percent by the end of this year
now inevitable.
1118

The gamble for the government is whether support funding which

will slow or halt the erosion of forex reserves will come to the rescue. It is
too late now in this term for the structural reforms that might have averted
the current crisis, so hopes are being pinned on payment of $800 million into
the Coalition Support Fund; and the auction of the 3G licences which is
expected to bring in $850 million. Even if these gambles pay off, they are
short-term solutions to a chronic problem. International oil prices are
unlikely to fall and may rise sharply if the face-off between Iran and the US
worsens; and our own imports of oil and oil products rose by 33.7 percent to
a value of $19.7 billion in the last H1 FY12. The government has borrowed
(from itself, remember) Rs197 billion between July 1 last year and Feb 3 this
year, a 25.8 percent growth year on year, and tax collection falls far below
the target alongside ever-shrinking inwards investment driven by domestic
insecurity and a lack of confidence by investors. How we finance the fiscal
internal and external current account deficits is a massive challenge,
and the SBP has blown the horn as loudly as it can. Whether the
government has heard the horn is entirely a matter of speculation. Is it even
capable of hearing, embroiled in the ear-deafening din of massive corruption
and a stampede for its survival?
Ikramullah observed: The intra court appeal filed by Prime Minister
Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani against the decision of the apex court to frame
charges in the contempt case, has been rejected The decision was final,
since the eight-member bench hearing the intra court appeal had provided
ample opportunities to amicably settle the contempt issue. But Barrister
Aitzaz, instead of saying that the letter would be written in order to save
his client from the consequences, took this opportunity as give-take
bargaining. The Chief Justices offer was not heeded, giving the
impression that the Prime Minister, as he declared would rather go to jail
than write the letter to the Swiss authorities. It seems, however, that the PM
has been left with no other options, but to appear before the court on
February 13 to face contempt charges.
Whatever happens, one can imagine that this case will make history
and be long debated for the consequences that the judgment shall apply. The
issue shall follow legal and constitutional course of action, resulting in
conviction, if not an honourable acquittal. In democratic countries, usually
the Prime Minister resigns before reaching such a situation. But Aitzaz has
ruled out this possibility, which was reflected in his brief statement before
the media and after the rejection of the intra court appeal by stating that his
client should be present before the court on February 13. Perhaps, the
1119

constitutional expert has something up his sleeve, since he did not

choose the option offered by the Chief Justice on February 10.
The President would, most likely, exercise his constitutional
power of pardon. But it is likely to raise a debate whether the constitutional
pardon can whitewash contempt charges itself in the manner that money
laundering turns the black money into white. Perhaps, some circles feel that
the presidential pardon can enable Gilani to continue holding office of the
PM.
`
Regardless of high moral ground that the Prime Minister should
enjoy, Pakistan will suffer if an attempt is made to reinstate Gilani. The
best course would be to appoint a new PM through an in-house change. In
spite of this, it should be remembered that the letter issue cannot be put on
the backburner; it will be equally applicable to the new Chief Executive. If
he, however, follows Gilanis footsteps, he will meet the same fate!
It is quite evident that Pakistan cannot afford such a ridiculous
situation and yet call itself a democracy. The question, however, remains:
Under such a political environment, can Parliament complete its tenure and
will the next elections be held on due date? It is time that the political
leadership seriously think and work out solid programmes before the next
general elections.

REVIEW
Aitzaz Ahsan, who sang in praise of rule of law through length and
breadth of Pakistan, was now defending the Saint and the Scoundrel, the two
men at the top of the ruling elite which have defied the law to the best of
their evil prowess. Reportedly, he has charged Rs100 only from the Saint but
the payment to be made by the Scoundrel in kind is never mentioned a seat
in the Senate of Pakistan.
It is not an easy thing to defend a naked king. The best option is to
yell like the child and say king is naked. Unfortunately, like Gilanis
loyalty to the Scoundrel, Aitzaz Ahsans loyalty also prohibited him from
accepting the naked reality. He, therefore, wove a fabric to cover up exterior
and posterior of the Saint that stood naked before his nation.
The fabric so woven and presented before the Supreme Court had 54
threads. The golden strand of this precious fabric carried a clear message
for the judges not to punish the culprit because he had done a favour to them

1120

by freeing them from illegal detention ordered by a military dictator. This

fabric ought to have made the Saint more naked.
The judges of the superior judiciary must at least understand that
masses know that the king id absolutely naked, if not they care for what the
people want. They have often conveyed very clear messages that they want
speedy justice, especially against plunderers and looters. Recently, a
message came from Multan where the residents got hold of three
robbers/dacoits and thrashed them at will.
If the judges cant perform the duty assigned to them let the people do
that. Hand over some of these distinguished plunderers to them and the will
make an example of them. If the judges dont favour such out of court
dispensation of justice, they should at least learn a lesson from what a
British judge did to purge Pakistani cricket of criminal elements by sending
three players to jail and the result so produced.
Indications are that the judges have resolved to establish the rule of
law and punish those who defy them. This was made quite clear when
Aitzazs fifty-four points elaborated over two hundred pages intended to buy
time could only get him no more than two days.
The Don and his gang also seemed determined to defy the judges and
a dangerous element has been added to their defiance. Aitzaz is a meekly
defiant person as compared to Babar Awan who was irritatingly crude in
defying the court. It could mean that in the longer run a quieter dog could
prove more harmful than the barking one.
13th February, 2012

SELF-DETERMINATION
Refusal of Mansoor Ijaz to come to Pakistan for recording his
statement regarding Memo Scandal and Supreme Courts generous
relaxation of the time limit to the judicial commission by two months
allowed all actors in play in the region to attend to other issues. The puppets
in Islamabad remained engrossed in finding pretexts to resume NATO

1121

supplies through Pakistan despite the fact that drone strikes had picked up
the post-Salala intensity.
The American masters did not like the puppets taking so much time in
serving their interests which led to expression of their anger. For the first
time the US Congress talked about right of self-determination for the
oppressed people in search of independence. These people were not
Kashmiris or Afghans but Baloch tribes inhabiting Pakistan and Iran.
This love for the Balochis was expressed in a resolution moved in the
US Congress on the day the three heads of state from Iran, Afghanistan and
Pakistan had held third tripartite summit. Earlier, three of them were
welcomed by killing at least 21 people in two drone strikes in Waziristan and
later thirty more were killed in suicide terror attack in Parachinar.
Not perturbed by all that happened in the West, the regime remained
focused in appeasing India as part of Zardaris regional strategy. Amin
Fahim went to Wahga to receive his Indian counterpart and later three
agreements were signed to enhance bilateral trade with the ultimate plan to
grant MFN status to India despite opposition from many quarters.

NEWS
In Pakistan, Prime Minister Gilani told an Arab TV channel on 12 th
February that he had termed Abbottabad operation a great victory in belief
that the operation was jointly planned by CIA and ISI as the two agencies
had been working together.
Demanding of the government to immediately cut the ties with United
States, the leaders of Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC) said the restoration of
NATO supplies would be tantamount to make mockery of the national
honour and sovereignty of the country. The leaders vowed that they would
stage a sit-in at the Parliament on February 20 to protest restoration of
NATO supplies.
Difa-e-Pakistan Council is a coalition of over 40 political and
religious parties and some banned outfits that have been loud in demanding
the government to keep the NATO supply routes closed and withdraw its
decision to grant India the status of most-favoured nation (MFN).
The central meeting of the DPC, organized by Jamaat-e-Islami
Karachi at Bagh-e-Quaid, was addressed by various leaders. Addressing the
meeting, Maulana Samiul Haq underlined the need of unity among people of
1122

Pakistan to defend the geographical and ideological frontiers of the country

and playing role for its stability.
Presenting the 10-point agenda of Difa-e-Pakistan Council he said the
agenda of the DPC was to get the country liberated from the slavery of the
United States, which was being defeated in Afghanistan and wanted to
avenge Pakistan by creating unrest in Balochistan. He said the DPC would
take people of Balochistan on board and would fight for their rights.
Hameed Gul, in his address, said the Supreme Court should take suo
moto notice of Balochistan situation and release of US Spy Raymond Davis.
JI Secretary General Liaquat Baloch and Haq, while addressing the rally,
said the DPC parties would besiege parliament on February 20 to protest
against any decision related to reopening of NATO supply routes.
In his address, JI Pakistan Chief Syed Munawar Hasan said people
had welcomed the DPC across the country which reflected their trust in the
Council. The biggest challenge faced by Pakistan was the US interference in
countrys affairs. He said the DPC was formed for the defence of countrys
territorial and ideological boundaries and it would help people get rid of the
corrupt rulers. The DPC would strive for eradication of corruption,
elimination of poverty, hunger and joblessness from the country.
Jamatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed said the US was leaving Afghanistan
after facing a humiliating defeat. He also said the government should quit
US partnership. He accused India of stopping Pakistans waters and
presenting it as a fight between Punjab and Sindh.
Chief of Ansarul Ummah, Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil said that
America wanted to take revenge from Pakistan for its defeat in Afghanistan
and said the Council would not allow the Americans to succeed in their evil
designs. AML Chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said the people had to rise
against the loot and corruption of the rulers and make the country Al-Tahrir
Square.
Next day, the Supreme Court sought the record of proceedings and
legal justification of keeping in detention the terror accused, allegedly
picked up by the agencies outside the Adiala Jail after their release, at an
internment centre in Parachinar. Attorney General and Raja Muhammad
Irshad (counsel for the ISI MI chiefs and the JAG) were ordered to procure
record to satisfy the court about their detention prior to January 26, 2012 and
tell whether they were proceeded under any provision of law, and if so, what
was the result. The chief justice also questioned the spy agencies counsel
who would be answerable for the death of four prisoners.
1123

The Khyber PK chief secretary was asked to collect the relevant

records to satisfy the court that under what circumstances the detainees were
allowed to be admitted in the internment centre by the internment authority
(KPK governor), as the action could not be taken in a mechanical manner,
but had to be taken through an order passed by applying judicial mind, as
authorized in the Actions in Aid of Civil Power Regulation 2011.
Earlier, the spy agencies counsel produced seven of the 11 missing
prisoners. Four of them Muhammad Amir, Tahseenullah, Said Arab and
Abdul Saboor have already died in custody. Mazharul Haq, Shafiqur
Rahman and Muhammad Shafique were brought from the Parachinar centre,
while the reaming four, Dr Niaz Ahmad, Abdul Majid, Gulroze and Abdul
Basit, were transported from the Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar.
Their condition was not good and they were unable to walk properly.
On this, the chief justice expressed grave concern, saying if they were
criminals then the court had no sympathy with them, but they should be
treated in accordance with the law. The court inquired from Raja Irshad why
his clients had not produced the prisoners before the bench on the last date
of hearing. Keep it in mind that the court will not run according to your
wishes, CJP told him.
The counsel stated that for the last hearing on 10 th February, the
arrangements were being made to shift them from Parachinar to Islamabad,
but the helicopter was not in a position to operate on account of snowfall and
poor visibility there. Justice Iftikhar directed him to submit his explanation
regarding the matter in writing.
Tariq Asad, the counsel for the petitioners, said all the seven persons
had been kept in illegal detention and were not provided proper food and
medical care, on which the chief justice said, There should be proper
medical treatment and they shall not be shifted to the internment centre in
Parachinar, as long as the matter is pending before the court.
The court also ordered the chief secretary to arrange meetings for
prisoners with their family members and to submit a report about the health
and condition of the detainees after every four days to the Registrar Office.
Later, the relatives were allowed to meet the prisoners at the attorney
generals office.
Meanwhile, a US citizen was held at Peshawar Airport after 17 live
bullets were recovered from his luggage. The arrested man, identified as
William Arthur Charles, was shifted to Police Station Gharbi for further
investigation. A suspect involved in the murder of former minorities minister
1124

Shahbaz Bhatti was arrested by police in Dubai; Malik Abid had managed to
flee to the Arab country last year.
On 14th February, the US diplomat, who was detained while going to
Islamabad from Peshawar by PK-218 flight, was handed over to the US
Consulate. He happened to be yet another jija as 17 cartridges recovered
from him were of the same type which were used by Raymond Davis;
internationally banned ammunition.
The United States used the 2005 Kashmir earthquake to send
operatives from the Joint Special Operations Command, or JSOC the elite
military unit that killed Osama bin Laden into Pakistan, reveals a new
book. The JSOC has proven to be the most lethal weapon in President
Barack Obamas arsenal; its units are credited with capturing or killing many
of the most wanted terrorists and insurgent leaders, including Saddam
Hussein and Osama bin Laden.
Did the US use the 2005 Kashmir earthquake to send JSOC operatives
into Pakistan? Thats the bold-faced charge the authors make in The
Command. They say that the US intelligence community took advantage of
the chaos to spread resources of its own into Pakistan. Using valid US
passports and posing as construction and aid workers, dozens of CIA
operatives and contractors flooded in without the requisite background
checks from Pakistans ISI. The Pakistani doctor who aided the CIA to track
Osama bin Laden, has reportedly been dismissed from his post. She was the
principal of the Government Girls Degree College in Darra Adam Khel. The
US was reportedly considering conferring the highest civil award on Dr
Afridi.
Pakistan resumed partial NATO supplies after over two-month
deadlock. Pakistan would resume regular NATO supplies in the first week
of March while the US would not offer an official apology. The rules of
military engagement with the US have been finalized following intense
deliberations between Pakistans Ambassador to the US Sherry Rehman and
between Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar and US Embassy officials here
but Pakistans Parliament has been kept out of the loop.
Next day, one person was killed in bomb blast in Khyber Agency and
three militants were killed in operation in Bara area. Abbottabad
Commission summoned Rehman Malik. On 16 th February, at least 21
suspected militants were killed in two separate US drone attacks in North
Waziristan Agency. In the first attack on a house at Spalga village near

1125

Miranshah six suspected militants were killed and several others wounded.
In the second attack in Mir Ali, at least 15 militants were killed.
One soldier and another seven militants were killed in a clash in South
Waziristan. Nine militants were killed while five others were injured when
security forces pounded suspected militant hideouts with gunship helicopters
and fighter jets in Orakzai Agency. Seven people were wounded in grenade
attack in Peshawar, A suicide bomber killed three persons including the son
of a tribal militia chief and injured four others in Upper Dir.
Mansoor Ijaz on Thursday submitted his affidavit in Memo
Commission through his counsel Advocate Akram Sheikh. The statement
would be recorded via video conference in the next session of Memo
Judicial Commission from the Pakistani High Commission in London. He
reiterated in affidavit that he wouldnt step behind from his words.
The United States has expressed deep concern over the rallies being
staged by Difa-i-Pakistan Council across Pakistan. a State Department
spokesperson said: The US government is concerned about the recent public
appearances of Jamaat-ud-Dawa leader Hafiz Saeed, including at a recent
rally in Karachi. Lashkar-e-Taiba, and its front group Jamaat-ud-Dawa, is
internationally sanctioned because of its associations with al-Qaeda.
Amid an escalating domestic pressure on the government over the
restoration of NATO supplies via aerial route(s), Raza Rabbani said that
notices have been issued to the Defence and Foreign secretaries over the
statement of US ambassador. He added that the government had taken
serious notice of the statement by the US ambassador over the resumption of
NATO supplies.
On 17th February, a suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest
outside a mosque at a market in Parachinar, killing at least 30 people. Soon
after the incident security personnel rushed to the blast scene and cordoned
off the area. Three more people were killed when police shot at protesters
from the Shia community after the bombing. Meanwhile, a man was killed
and three others sustained injuries yesterday when miscreants hurled a hand
grenade into a house in Dogar area of Central Kurram Agency.
Troops killed 17 Taliban in a clash in Khyber Agency; one soldier and
three militiamen also died in the fighting. Meanwhile, Firdous Ashiq Awan
has said that NATO supply was restored only for the reason that there were
books of school children in some consignments.

1126

Nawaz Sharif visited the protest camp set up by family members of

missing persons to show solidarity with them. Amna Masood Janjua and
other relatives of missing persons demanded of Nawaz Sharif that a
resolution may be tabled in the Parliament like 20th Amendment about
missing persons and efforts should be made for early recovery of all the
missing persons.
Next day, the death toll of Parachinar suicide attack rose to 39. Two
soldiers were killed and four wounded in bomb blast in Tirrah Valley and six
militants were killed in a clash. Two people were killed when a mortar shell
landed at them. Taliban commander was arrested in Swat.
It was reported on 12th February that more civilian contractors
working for American companies than US soldiers died in Afghanistan
last year for the first time during the ongoing war. Next day, The Taliban
confirmed that its one-time defence minister died of heart disease in a
Pakistan jail two years ago. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said
Obaidullah Akhund, who was defence minister when the Taliban ruled
Afghanistan in the late 1990s, died in 2010. The US-led NATO force
conceded that several children died during a bombing raid last week in the
northeast province where French troops are based.
On 15th February, NATO-led forces in Afghanistan said they killed
eight young Afghans in eastern Kapisa province last week in an air strike
that enraged the Afghan government, and came soon after a United Nations
report showed civilian casualties of the decade-long war rose again in 2011.
Next day, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Islamabad for third round of trilateral
summit, scheduled for tomorrow. President Zardari and Prime Minister
Gilani received the visiting dignitaries one after another upon their arrival at
Aiwan-i-Sadr. Trilateral mechanism provides a platform for discussing and
resolving the issues pertaining to border management and cooperation
against terrorism, transnational organized crime and drug trafficking.
President Zardari reiterated commitment to work together with
President Karzai for further enhancing bilateral interaction and evolving an
institutional approach to deal with the common challenges. The two
presidents agreed upon the need to resolve all the issues and remove
bottlenecks if any, in the way of Pak-Afghan Transit Trade Agreement.
Iranian President after arrival also held separate meetings with
President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani. President Zardari reiterated

1127

commitment for expeditious implementation of Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline

Project, 1000 MW electricity transmission line and 100 MW Gwadar power
supply in order to meet the countrys growing demand for energy and power.
Ahmadinejad said Pakistan was an important neighbour for Iran and assured
continued support and assistance of his government in all sectors.
On 17th February, at the tri-lateral summit among Ahmedinejad,
Karzai and Zardari the three states expressed their resolve to work
collectively for peace and stability in the region and enhancement of mutual
cooperation in different sectors, particularly economy and trade. Addressing
a joint news conference Zardari stated that Pakistans relationship with the
brotherly countries cannot be undermined by the international pressure of
any kind. Pakistan and Iran need each other and no foreign pressure can
hinder their ties.
He said Pakistan will not assist the US if it attacks Iran. Pakistan will
not provide Americans airbases to launch attack on its neighbour. About
international pressure on Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project, the head of the
state facing chronic energy shortages, said Pakistan is lobbying the world
and our point of view has been looked at and accepted. Reportedly, Tehran
has offered Islamabad to double the gas supply promised under IranPakistan gas line project.
Ahmadinejad said several of the problems have been imposed on the
region by outside forces. He also said that nuclear-armed nations were not
superior to others, a day after his sanctions-hit government told world
powers it was ready to resume stalled atomic talks.
Hamid Karzai, who reportedly adopted a hard line during the talks
between Islamabad and Kabul, said the impediments in the way of PakistanAfghanistan cooperation need to be removed sooner than later and stressed
the need for evolving an actionable policy to deal with all the confronting
issues. Karzai said the tripartite summit was futuristic, recognizing the
opportunities and dangers that surround the region.
In a joint statement issued at the end of the summit, the three countries
pledged to develop framework of comprehensive cooperation and to take
pragmatic steps for realizing mutually beneficial cooperation to promote
stability, peace and shared prosperity. They resolved to ensure respect for
their countries sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity, as
enshrined in the UN Charter. The summit mandated senior officials to meet
regularly to monitor the implementation of the decisions taken by the
Trilateral Summit.
1128

Bilateral talks between Islamabad and Kabul were also held. President
Karzai made a torrid attack on the Pakistani leadership in a face-to-face
meeting with Prime Minister Gilani, demanding that Islamabad produce top
Taliban leaders to negotiate with him, forcing Gilani to halt the meeting
where the countrys military and intelligence brass was also present.
The arrogance of Karzai, who considered a puppet of the US by his
own countrymen, earned him a sharp rebuke from Pakistani foreign minister
who said: We are willing to look at anything. But if you have unrealistic,
almost ridiculous expectations, then you dont have sort of common ground
to begin with. This made clear enough that the Afghan delegation is
returning with gaining little form this important bilateral engagement.
Hina said it would be preposterous for Afghanistan to expect
Islamabad to deliver the Talibans leader to the negotiating table, as talks
between the two countries on the peace process ended with little sign of
progress. Hina said her government is still unclear on exactly what
Afghanistan wants, and cautioned against Kabul expecting too much in
terms of Pakistan providing access to the Talibans leaders.
Karzai confronted the Pakistanis at delegation-level talk. He boiled
over apparently at his frustration with the country he accuses of harbouring
the Taliban. Pakistan has consistently been denying allegations of hosting
the so-called Quetta Shura, but has been saying it remains committed to
supporting an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation
process. Another major reason of Karzais frustration is a feeling on his
governments part that Kabul has been left out of the loop in the
Washingtons initiative of dialogue with the Taliban.
General Kayani refused to answer queries about reopening of NATO
supply line and ISI chiefs tenure. The COAS said that the prime minister is
the right person to ask about next chief of ISI. The COAS also refused to
answer reporters queries regarding reopening of NATO supply line and
court martial of military officials. The defence minister can tell better about
reopening of NATO supply line, he added. On a question regarding the
Memogate, Kayani once again kept quiet. On 18th February, Karzai called
for Pak-Afghan jirga and sought Sami-ul-Haqs help for contacting Taliban.
In a major development in Samjhota blast case, National Investigation
Agency of India arrested one suspected person on 12th February after police
interrogation from the Indore district of Madhya Pradesh. According to
sources, Kamal Chouhan had allegedly planted bomb in the train.

1129

Next day, Pakistan indicated it would not meet the February timeline
for normalizing bilateral trade, a development which would delay grant of
MFN status by Islamabad to New Delhi. Commerce Minister Amin Fahim
received Indian counterpart Anand Sharma at the Wagah border said, We
will try... If we set a new deadline today and tomorrow we slip, it will not be
good. Fahim said Pakistan is gradually moving towards free trade with
India. He said the positive list would be replaced with negative list first after
which the MFN status would be accorded to India.
On 15th February, Pakistan and India signed three agreements on
customs cooperation, mutual recognition and redressal of trade grievances
that would help in addressing the issues related to non-tariff barriers between
the two countries. On the other hand, Pakistan is expected to grant the Most
Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India by the year-end as it is likely to
phase out the Negative List by then.
Commerce Minister Amin Fahim and his Indian counterpart Anand
Sharma witnessed the signing ceremony. Addressing a joint press
conference, Anand Sharma said economic engagement would bring
prosperity, peace and stability in the region. Talking about the opening of
bank branches, Sharma said both the central banks were scheduled to hold a
meeting in Mumbai in the first fortnight of next month.
According to a joint statement issued after the talks, a meeting of
experts group on electricity is planned next month in Lahore to finalize the
modalities of electricity supply between Pakistan and India. Similarly, both
sides also agreed that first meeting of the expert group on trade in petroleum
products would be held in the first week of March at New Delhi.
Next day, Prime Minister Gilani said that South Asian Free Trade Area
(SAFTA) has the potential to establish a regional bloc with collective goals,
and diversified abilities and potential as well as accelerate trade among the
member countries. He said that while addressing the SAARC Commerce
Ministers here at PM House.
On 12th February, Cameron Munter has maintained that his countrys
position on Balochistan has been very clear, but the human rights violations
being committed there are a big problem. In an interview with BBC, Munter
said the issue necessitated talks with Pakistan government, but the US had
no intention to do anything more than that, which could destabilize Pakistan.
He described the recently held congressional hearing on Balochistan a
routine matter and said the US government had no control over the

1130

Congress. Munter said the US had always expressed concerns wherever

human rights were abused and shared its standpoint with that country.
A Hindu trader was kidnapped from Wadh Tehsil of Khuzdar, who
was on his way along with his family from Khuzdar to Karachi in a car when
a group of armed men intercepted him and abducted the trader at gun-point
and dropped his family in the midway.
Next day, the legislators in the National Assembly unanimously
passed a resolution to condemn the US congressional hearing on Balochistan
and termed it interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state and
breach of international law. Leader of the Opposition Ch Nisar Ali Khan
moved the resolution in the House, which was adopted after making
consensus from all parliamentary parties.
The resolution urged the Government of Pakistan to convey to the US
Administration, in no uncertain terms, that such hearings relating to internal
affairs of Pakistan are totally unacceptable and the US Administration needs
to play a more proactive role to discourage such ill-informed and motivated
debate on sensitive issues of a sovereign country like Pakistan. Moreover, to
rebuild mutual trust and confidence, the US Administration should respect
and comply with the will of the people of Pakistan as expressed through
various Parliamentary resolutions and discontinue drone attacks forthwith.
The foreign office said the US Charge dAffaires, Richard Hoagland,
was called to the ministry and officially conveyed the governments serious
concern over a US Congressional hearing last week that reportedly discussed
human rights abuses in Balochistan. Hoagland assured that the US
administration had neither extended any support to the initiative nor did it
subscribe to such views, the statement
Two children were killed and 23 others including a police officer and
his guard received injuries in a bomb attack in Dera Murad Jamali. Banned
Baloch Republican Army claimed responsibility for the bomb attack. A
bullet-riddled body of Baloch Republican Party (BRP) leader Sangat Sana
was found dumped near Turbat in Kech district.
On 14th February, at least nine people, including seven labourers, were
shot dead and two others wounded in separate incidents in Turbat and Qilla
Saifullah. BLF claimed responsibility for the killings in Turbat. Two more
decomposed bodies of Baloch missing persons were recovered from the
Lasbela district.

1131

On 16th February, a local trader was killed by some unidentified

miscreants in Khuzdar. Next day, the US once again stabbed its terror-war
ally in the back by introducing a resolution in Congress calling for
independence of Balochistan. A week after he chaired a Congressional
committees hearing on Balochistan, Dana Rohrabacher tabled a resolution
in the US Congress, calling for giving the Baloch right of selfdetermination and their own sovereign country, which was adopted.
Foreign Office spokesperson termed the move was as irresponsible
act, violation of Pakistans sovereignty and violation of international laws.
Provincial law enforcement agencies have been fighting insurgents, who are
supported by India, US, Afghanistan and even Israel. Pakistan has repeatedly
raised the issue with all these countries, except Israel with which the country
has no diplomatic relations, but the flow of men and material from
Afghanistan has been continuing.
The House Concurrent Resolution in the US House of Representatives
has been co-sponsored by Representatives Louie Gohmert and Steve King. It
highlights the US perspective of the history of Balochistan, and says that
revolts in 1958, 1973 and 2005 indicate continued popular discontent
against rule by Islamabad, and the plunder of its vast natural wealth while
Balochistan remains the poorest province in Pakistan.
Bringing Israeli interest more fully into the picture, the text says that
there is also an insurgency underway in Sistan-Balochistan, which is being
repressed by Iran. Sistan-Balochistan is the Iranian province bordering
Pakistani Balochistan and both these cross-border territories share large part
of their cultural and historical traditions.
Rohrabachers resolution says that it is the US policy to oppose
aggression and the violation of human rights inherent in the subjugation of
national groups as currently being shown in Iran and Pakistan against the
aspirations of the Baloch people. The resolution then involves Afghanistan,
saying the people of Balochistan that are currently divided between
Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan, have the right to self-determination and to
their own sovereign country and they should be afforded the opportunity to
choose their own status among the community of nations, living in peace
and harmony, without external coercion.
In a statement from his office, Rohrabacher, who is also the Chair of
the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations,
said, The Balochi, like other nations of people, have an innate right to selfdetermination. The political and ethnic discrimination they suffer is tragic
1132

and made more so because America is financing and selling arms to their
oppressors in Islamabad. The press release further added that Balochistan is
rich in natural resources but has been subjugated and exploited by Punjabi
and Pashtun elites in Islamabad, leaving Balochistan the countrys poorest
province.
Rohrabacher is the same Congressman who had earlier this week
introduced a bill calling for awarding the Congressional Gold Medal, the
highest civilian award, to Dr Shakil Afridi for revealing the location of
Osama bin Laden, directly aiding in the SEAL team operation to kill the
former al-Qaeda leader. Rohrabacher had previously introduced a bill in
Congress seeking US citizenship for Dr Afridi.
The US overtures on Balochistan were previously being taken in
Islamabad as mere pressure tactics to coerce Pakistan back into the fold, but
Fridays resolution is surely something that would lead to more sharp and
concrete reaction from Pakistan.
On 18th February, Gilani said, this resolution violates our sovereignty
and we condemn it. Pakistans ambassador in Washington reacted sharply to
the development, calling it a meddling in Pakistans internal affairs, which
was detrimental to Pakistan s relationship with the US.
The Foreign Minister said the bill was against the very fundamentals
of the long-standing Pakistan-US relations. she expressed the hope this
latest tendentious move will not be allowed to sail through the House by a
vast majority of US Congressmen who continue to support friendly relations
between the two countries.
The Foreign Office described the mover of the bill as (being)
oblivious to the ground situation and expressed hope that the move would
never succeed. It said that presentation of the bill was in violation of the
international laws and showed a highly-irresponsible attitude on the part of
Congressman Rohrabacher.
The US embassy in Islamabad said the US respected Pakistans
sovereignty and Balochistan was an internal matter of the country. Several
issues are discussed in the US Congress, the embassy said, adding it would
not comment on the resolution regarding Balochistan. It noted that the US
supported human rights across the world. Meanwhile, two FC soldiers were
killed and nine wounded in remote-controlled bomb blast in Dera Bugti area.
Altaf Hussain urged establishment to talk with Baloch dissidents.

1133

VIEWS
On 14th February, The News commented: The Defence of Pakistan
Council rally, which marched its way through Karachi on Sunday,
demonstrated the street power wielded by religious parties. The rally raised
issues about which direction the bulk of public opinion swings or what
people see as the true destiny of their troubled nation. The message that went
out was loud and clear: eradicate US influence in Pakistan, stop NATO
supplies passing through the country and end drone attacks. As far as this
stance goes, there are many who will agree that this needs to happen. But the
reality of our situation also needs to be considered; slogans alone are
meaningless.
Banned parties, including the renamed Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan and
the Jamaatud Dawa were able to attend, with their leaders taking the stage.
No official attempt appears to have been made to prevent this even though
the content of some of the speeches can be described only as highly
provocative. India, and the possibility and efforts of improved ties with that
country, came under vicious attack with threats made to punish those who
chose to sing or dance in that country. Other messages were equally
obscurantist and, to make matters worse, leaders of so-called
mainstream parties, including Shaikh Rashid of the Awami Muslim League
and Ejaz Chaudhry of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf joined in with the 40 or
so religious groups leaving us to assume that they back the vitriolic heard
at the event. Encouraged by the success in Karachi, another rally is planned
in Quetta at the end of the month. It is in many ways ironic that such a rally
took place in the city of the liberal PPP and MQM. We may wonder
whether the activists and leaders of these parties have in any way been able
to influence opinion; the outpouring of hatred we heard suggests they have
not.
TheNation wrote: The Difa-i-Pakistan Councils rally in Karachi
was just one of the series, and apparently served merely to introduce its
agenda, but for once its most important announcement was not that its next
rally would be in Quetta on February 27. More immediate, and perhaps more
significant, was its announcement of a sit-in in front of Parliament on
February 27, to protest the resumption of supplies to NATO forces in
Afghanistan. The rally was the fourth by the Council, after its rallies in
Multan, Lahore and Islamabad. Ever since the Council was established, as
an umbrella organization, it has been strongly opposed to any
resumption of supplies to the NATO forces. Adding opposition to the

1134

granting of Most Favoured Nation status to India, the Council has revealed
the underlying nexus between the USA and India, which the former wishes
to prop up as its regional bulwark against China. Because of this nexus, the
USA is intrinsically opposed to Pakistan, as is shown by its facilitation of
India in playing a hitherto non-existent role in Afghanistan, which India is
using to fan flames in Balochistan.
The Karachi rally was addressed by the DPC Chairman, JUI(S) chief
Maulana Samiul Haq, as well as Jamaatud Dawa Chief Hafiz Muhammad
Saeed, as well as PML chiefs of their own factions Ejazul Haq and Sh
Rashid Ahmad, former DG ISI Lt Gen (retd) Hameed Gul, Jamaat Islami
Amir Syed Munawar Hasan and PTI central leader Ejaz Chaudhry. The
Council Chairman also mentioned that it would maintain pressure on the
government not to allow resumption of supplies to NATO, as well as
stop drone attacks. Supplies have not been restored after they were stopped
following the NATO helicopter gunships attack of the Salalah check post, in
which 24 Pakistani troops were killed. However, the government is
attempting to resume ties with the USA, and so the resumption of military
representation at various forums, and the resumption of activity at
coordination centres, are indications that the government will work towards
resumption of supply.
The government should view the Councils call as an impending law
and order problem, especially as those answering it will expect action from
Parliament, not from the DPC itself, as other than three senators it has no
political representation to speak of. The USA has been unrepentant about the
attack, with President Obama desisting from making a necessary apology in
an election year. Indeed, events since then have strengthened the case in
Pakistanis minds to completely pull out of the war on terror, especially
since many feel Pakistan should not have joined the war in the first place.
Dr Haider Mehdi opined: In absolute fairness to the army
establishment, let us acknowledge the fact that initiating a process of
transformation in civilian-military relations, the onus falls squarely on
the shoulders of the incumbent civilian regime. So the question is: Why
has the Zardari-Gilani regime not taken steps in making effective policy
changes to enact a fresh legitimate and conducive civil-military alliance in
the governance of the country?
The answer to this question of fundamental importance is in the
dubious so-called democratic practices of the government: For example,
consider the three-year job extension to the COAS and another extension
1135

given to the Director-General of the ISI. This questionable conduct,

portrayed as an act of benevolence to the COAS and DG, was, in fact, a
cover up for the vested political interests and a political premium earned
by the PPP leadership in paying back the favour for US-Britain NRO
patronage. Quite frankly, it seems that the Zardari-Gilani perception was that
the COAS and DG ISI would continue to tow the US-NATO line on the socalled war on terror and an extension in their services would oblige them and
other future aspiring military generals to do their bidding for at least the
tenure of PPP office.
Hence, in the altering domestic political scenarios in the country and
changing geopolitical realities (the US-India alliance and the unfolding
unstable Afghan situation), discord between the civilian rulers and the top
military commanders have come to the surface. Of vital importance here,
in the context of worsening civilian-military relations, is that the
international media has voiced the impression that Zardari and Haqqani were
aware of the Abbottabad US raid and had, in fact, approved it.
Understandably, the military leadership must have gone berserk daggers
drawn, effective communication shut down irrespective of the truth of the
matter.
It is notable that the Zardari-Gilani regime prefers confrontational
politics over the conciliatory process. It seems reasonable to assume that
Zardari, in his habitual political conduct of fear, retaliation and
manipulation, went full gear in reverse, instead of going forward to resolve
the issue in the national interest. Hence, memogate and rest of the fallouts
(Presidents Dubai visit, etc) are the stories discussed over and over again and memogate is now in the Supreme Court under investigation.
In the meantime, the questions for the Pakistani nation and its top
military commanders that beg resolute answers are: How long can the
army fail in its constitutional and legitimate role to protect the nations
territorial integrity? How long can the army tolerate drone attacks against the
country and its people? How long can the army continue to support the socalled war on terror? Will the army cave in to the American perception of a
free reign in Afghanistan? Can the army stay completely out of the loop
for input on American-Indian alliance against the containment of China and
its implicit geopolitical threats to the sovereignty of Pakistan?
Only a competent, efficient, visionary and nationalist democratic
government in Pakistan can provide practical policy-orientated
resolutions to the nations problematic and the predicaments faced in
1136

decision-making at present by the armed forces as a vital national institution.

Visionary guidance and an appropriate policy-orientated democratic
approach in civilian-military relations has been totally absent during the
Zardari-Gilani administration: The constitutional transgressions of some
Generals have been tolerated because the political leadership has been weak,
inefficient, manipulative, incompetent and unable to address vital public
concerns while serving the vested interest of Pakistans traditional ruling
elite.
It is true that had there not been Ayub Khan, Ziaul Haq and Pervez
Musharraf, this country would have been a much better place. But then the
civilian administrations have not done much better, except creating
chaos, national disarray, corruption, instability, violence, subjecting
Pakistan to US-centric foreign policy (we now have open American
interference in the Balochistan quagmire) and working tirelessly for their
own vested self-interests.
Be mindful, I am not supporting past or future military dictatorships.
My question is: Why has the elected democratic government not
implemented a policy to rein in military transgressions? Two wrongs do
not make a right: Instead of army bashing, why doesnt the Leader of the
Opposition in the National Assembly constitute a Truth and Reconciliation
Commission for the army leadership to confess all their wrongs, past and
present, before the public and apologize for the recent abduction of prisoners
from Adiala jail and face the music in a court of law. Rhetoric is easy; to
act is the test of political morality! It seems that they wont do it because is
hammam men sab nange hain (everyone is involved equally in sins and
evils here).
Next day, TheNation wrote: Many who witnessed the sight of the
seven missing men held in ISI custody since they were kidnapped from
Adiala Jail in 2010 being brought to the Supreme Court say they will never
recover from the sheer horror of the scene. Even the chief justice himself,
who had ordered the production of the men, conceded he was badly
shaken. The prisoners, picked up for involvement in terrorism cases, hours
after they were released by an Anti-Terrorism Court in 2010, presented a
vision that could have come straight from hell. They had no warm clothes,
their skins were scarred by disease, one carried a urine bag, another limped
and all were emaciated. Given their condition, it is hardly surprising that
four of the 11 who were picked up are dead. With the plight of the now-dead
over, its the suffering of the remaining seven that is in focus. On Monday
the prisoners, who were briefly allowed to meet relatives, spoke of their
1137

condition of detention and the refusal of those who detained them to have
them treated when they fell sick.
The CJs attempt to shame the ISI lawyers and officials, as he
spoke of the manner in which they were being held apparently at
Parachinar Fort seemed to have little impact. But what stood exposed is
how our security agencies seek to strike terror against those they target and
that they are involved in the disappearances and the most terrible acts of
prolonged torture. Even now other detainees may be suffering just the same
treatment.
We do not know whether to be happy for the families of these
men who know now that they are alive or pity them because they now
know that they live and suffer, day after day, hour after hour. The families
and others present at the court will not forget what they saw. The court has
sought more details of the case and inquired whether a trial of these
prisoners was held under the Army Act. This of course is important. But,
such brutality must end in our land and the realm of humanity restored
which, as the CJ noted, seems to have vanished. Regardless of any crime
they may have committed, all prisoners have rights. And here they appear to
have been as brutally violated as at Abu Gharaib or Guantanamo Bay, and
someone must be held answerable for this.
On 17th February, TheNation wrote: Victoria Nulands statement that
divorce is not an option in ties with Pakistan, demonstrates that while
Washington might not want to abandon us, leading to a complete
estrangement, it also is not considering seriously the Pakistani desire to
distance itself from the War on Terror. Since the US has vital strategic goals
to achieve that are particularly linked with its military presence in
Afghanistan it has been using Pakistan as a steppingstone towards that end.
So why would the US want a divorce?
But our leaders have also been ineffective to the point that the
Americans have started taking our help for granted. The US
Ambassador, therefore, should not be blamed for assuming that Pakistani
politicians do not want the Americans to pull out from their country. The
Ambassador, however, confessed that relations soured after the Raymond
Davis incident and deteriorated further after Operation Geronimo and
continued drone attacks. Also he confessed that US leaders have failed to
fulfill their promises. His words are a strong indictment of US dealing with
Pakistan and his has been cited as the most difficult diplomatic position in

1138

the world. The Tina Turner philosophy 'What's Love Got To Do With It?'
Is the main fault with the US strategy
This policy, started with General Musharraf who jumped aboard the
War ship following a telephone call, continues to this day although with a
slight aberration, as exemplified by the ban on NATO goods. While
relations with the US are important if not a necessity, they must be
maintained on the basis of equality. Our national interests, security and
sovereignty must receive precedence over everything else. And until the US
abandons its Tina Turner philosophy, it will continue to fail with getting
through to Pakistan.
Saleem Safi observed: Today at international forums, where other
countries sell their policies with slogans of peace, opportunities and
picturesque sites, we plead that Pakistan is the most devastated country
in the world due to terrorism and extremism. The present condition is the
ultimate result of a confused and helpless government against organized and
single-minded terrorists. The failure of state organs in combating terrorism
and extremism is a matter of unmatched response. The issue is complex and
multidimensional while the response is confused and weak.
In Pakistan the core dimension of the issue is strategic. The policies
we adopted in the last three decades to safeguard our security against India,
the US and Afghanistan necessitated official patronage or at least our turning
a blind eye to extremist groups. Thus, despite the fact that extremism is
now a cancer for our national integrity, state institutions are not focused
on efforts to eliminate it.
Another dimension is ideological. Extremism and terrorism do
depend on ideology. Such ideology is provided in the literature that is
available worldwide, but in Pakistan its availability and following is
incomparable. To spread that literature US invested millions of dollars
during the Afghan jihad. In Pakistan we observe no serious or
coordinated effort to combat the ideological stances presented in such
literature. Secular forces try to combat it but with wrong methodology and
intentions. However, there is no public policy to combat the ideology of
terrorism.
The third important dimension is penetration of al-Qaeda in Pakistan.
The role of al-Qaeda in the last one decade decreased in Afghanistan and
increased in Pakistan. Al-Qaeda does not enjoy the same degree of
influence on the Taliban in Afghanistan. It has active and vibrant franchises
groups in Pakistan. Due to tight control and proactive policies in Western
1139

and Arab states, al-Qaeda concentrated on Pakistan for its survival and
growth. Al-Qaeda gives much importance to Pakistani policies against
terrorism, and for all their terrorist activities they act upon the slogan of
Pakistan First!
The fourth factor is the misuse of religion in the name of politics.
The majority of religious parties in Pakistan, instead of spreading awareness,
prefer to use religious sentiments for political mileage. Such parties mobilize
their followers on the basis of sectarian fault lines. They thrust the once
academic discourse of sectarian and legal divide to the level of popular
debate and all this results in mutual hatter and ultimate disbelief of voters
over them.
The fifth and perhaps the most embarrassing dimension is
absence of any national combat policy. Even after ten years of 9/11, unlike
many nations of the world, we dont have any mechanism against
terrorism. We lack a coordination body like the Homeland Security
Department
The last, and perhaps the most cited, dimension is poverty.
Poverty, coupled with joblessness, lawlessness and bad governance, results
in a situation where terrorist and extremist organizations get maximum
benefit and government fails in attaining popular support.
Keeping in view all the six dimensions listed above, one could not
refute the fact that Pakistans number-one problem is terrorism and
extremism However, what we observe is preparation for new elections
in Pakistan. New parties are formed and old chaps from old parties are
borrowed. In desperation, old parties are trying everything for their survival.
The NRO, the possible exit of some leader or Memogate are discussed in
details and with vigour. Mansoor Ijaz publishes a worthless piece in a
Western paper, and influences all politicians and the media in no time. The
ground realties are grim and serious.
Next day, TheNation observed: The drone strike on Thursday that left
21 suspected militants dead in North Waziristan Agency coincided with the
trilateral summit in Islamabad. The general perception is that the strike was
a message to the three leaders: Karzai, Ahmedinejad and Zardari, that
there were those other than them, who are actually in command of the
Afghan conundrum.
There are those who would argue that the US would not kill a whole
bunch of people merely to send messages. Yet it has in the past been
manoeuvring the drone warfare to bully as well as coax us into
1140

submission. For instance after the Raymond Davis incident, the US carried
out a few deadly attacks and then abruptly took a break -- although a short
one because it was worried about the fallout of the strikes. Likewise a
sudden and alarming increase in the frequency of the attacks occurred when
the government showed the door to CIA covert operatives. Yet another
example was when after the Salalah incident, and subsequent embargo on
NATO goods, the US called off strikes in order to win support for restoration
of the supplies. Hence for these reasons, it can be assumed that drone
warfare apart from their apparent raison detre of eliminating the terrorist
sanctuaries is used as a political weapon.
Thursdays attack must be condemned strongly An anonymous US
official rightly puts it that these strikes are a recruiting windfall for the
militants. Our Chief of Air Staff has already assured that the air force can
shoot down the drones. There should hence be no reluctance on the
governments part to give it a go ahead especially given the Parliaments
resolution calling for a firm stand against such aerial aggression. The fear
that bringing down the drones would lead to open hostilities is also
misplaced. The US is already pushed to the wall in Afghanistan by the
Taliban. And secondly because of its long drawn tussle with Iran over its
nuclear programme, it cannot dare confront Pakistan head on.
On 14th February, Gareth Porter wrote: An analysis by Lieutenant
Colonel Daniel Davis, which the US Army has not approved for public
release but has been leaked to Rolling Stone magazine, provides the most
authoritative refutation thus far of the official military narrative of success in
the Afghanistan War since the troop surge began in early 2010.
In the 84-page unclassified report, Davis, who returned last autumn
after his second tour of duty in Afghanistan, attacks the credibility of
claims by senior military leaders that the war strategy led by the United
States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has succeeded in
weakening the Taliban insurgent forces and in building Afghan security
forces capable of taking primary responsibility for security in the future
Davis is in a unique position to assess the real situation on the ground
in Afghanistan. As a staff officer of the Rapid Equipping Force, he traveled
more than 14,500 kilometres to every area where US troop presence was
significant and had conversations with more than 250 US soldiers, from
privates to division commanders. The report takes aim at the March 2011
Congressional testimony by General David Petraeus, then the top
commander in Afghanistan, and the Defence Departments April 2011
1141

Report to Congress as either misleading, significantly skewed or

completely inaccurate. Davis attacks the claim in both the Petraeus
testimony and the DOD report that US and NATO forces had arrested the
insurgents momentum and reversed it in a number of important areas.
That claim is belied, Davis argues, by the fact that the number of
insurgent attacks, the number of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) found
and detonated and the number of US troops killed and wounded have
all continued to mount since 2009, the last year before the addition of
30,000 US troops and 10,000 NATO troops. Davis notes that Petraeus and
other senior officials of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF),
the US-NATO command in Afghanistan, have boasted of having killed and
captured thousands of insurgent leaders and rank and file soldiers, cut
insurgent supply routes and found large numbers of weapons caches as well
as depriving the insurgents of their main bases of operation since spring
2010.
If these claims were accurate measures of success, Davis writes, after
the Taliban had been driven out of their strongholds, there ought to have
been a reduction in violence not a continual, unbroken string of increases.
In fact, Davis writes, Taliban attacks continued to rise at almost the
same rate it had risen since 2005 all the way through the summer of
2011 and remained well above 2009 levels in the second half of 2011 even
though it leveled off or dropped slightly in some places.
Davis notes that total attacks, total number of IEDs and total US
casualties in 2011 were 82pc, 113pc and 164pc higher, respectively, than the
figures for 2009, the last year before the surge of 30,000 troops. The annual
number of US dead and wounded increased from 1,764 in 2009 to 4,662 in
2011. The veteran Army officer quotes Congressional testimony by Admiral
Mike Mullen on December 2, 2009, as citing a lesser increase in Taliban
attacks in 2009 of 60pc over the 2008 level as a rationale for a significant
increase in US troop strength in Afghanistan, implying that the war was
being lost
Davis leaves no doubt about his overall assessment that the US
war effort has failed Describing the overall situation, Davis writes: [I]n a
number of high profile mission opportunities over the past 11 months the
ANA [Afghan National Army] and ANP [Afghan National Police] have
numerous times run from the battle, run from rumours, or made secret deals
with the Taliban.

1142

The draft posted online notes after that statement that the classified
version of the paper has been redacted, indicating that Davis provides
further details about those secret deals in the classified version. The Army
dissenter calls on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to
conduct a bi-partisan investigation into the various charges of
deception or dishonesty in this report. He urges that such a hearing
include testimony not only from senior military officials but from mid- and
senior-level intelligence analysts from the Defence Intelligence Agency and
other intelligence agencies.
Both Senate and House Armed Services Committees have
exhibited little or no interest in probing behind the official claims of
success in Afghanistan. That passive role reflects what many political
observers, including some members of congress, see as cozy relationships
among most committee members, military leaders, Pentagon officials and
major military contractors.
It remains to be seen whether Daviss raising of the issue of
misleading claims of success in a front-page New York Times story
Meanwhile, the US military leadership in Afghanistan is brushing off
Daviss critique as having no importance. During a briefing in which he
claimed continued steady progress in Afghanistan, Army Lieutenant General
Curtis Scaparrotti, deputy commander of US Forces-Afghanistan, dismissed
the Davis report as one persons view of this.
Nick Turse observed that despite the failings the US was preparing
for longer stay. In late December, the lot was just a big blank: a few
burgundy metal shipping containers sitting in an expanse of crushed
eggshell-coloured gravel inside a razor-wire-topped fence. The American
military in Afghanistan doesnt want to talk about it, but one day soon, it
will be a new hub for the American drone war in the Greater Middle
East.
Next year, that empty lot will be a two-story concrete intelligence
facility for Americas drone war, brightly lit and filled with powerful
computers kept in climate-controlled comfort in a country where most of the
population has no access to electricity. It will boast almost 7,000 square feet
of offices, briefing and conference rooms, and a large processing,
exploitation, and dissemination operations centre and, of course, it will be
built with American tax dollars.
Nor is it an anomaly. Despite all the talk of drawdowns and
withdrawals, there has been a years-long building boom in Afghanistan
1143

that shows little sign of abating. In early 2010, the US-led International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF) had nearly 400 bases in Afghanistan. Lt.
Lauren Rago of ISAF public affairs has told TomDispatch, the number tops
450.
The hush-hush, high-tech, super-secure facility at the massive air
base in Kandahar is just one of many building projects the US military
currently have planned or underway in Afghanistan. While some US bases
are indeed closing up shop or being transferred to the Afghan government,
and theres talk of combat operations slowing or ending next year, as well as
a withdrawal of American combat forces from Afghanistan by 2014, the US
military is still preparing for a much longer haul at mega-bases like
Kandahar and Bagram airfields. The same is true even of some smaller
camps, forward operating bases (FOBs), and combat outposts (COPs)
scattered through the countrys backlands.
Bagram is going through a significant transition during the next year
to two years, Air Force Lt. Col. Daniel Gerdes of the US Army Corps of
Engineers Bagram Office recently told Freedom Builder, a Corps of
Engineers publication. Were transitioninginto a long-term, five-year, 10year vision for the base. Whether the US military will still be in
Afghanistan in five or 10 years remains to be seen, but steps are
currently being taken to make that possible. US military publications,
plans and schematics, contracting documents, and other official data
examined by TomDispatch catalogue hundreds of construction projects
worth billions of dollars slated to begin, continue, or conclude in 2012.
While many of these efforts are geared toward structures for Afghan forces
or civilian institutions, a considerable number involve US facilities, some of
the most significant being dedicated to the ascendant forms of American
warfare: drone operations and missions by elite special operations units. The
available plans for most of these projects suggest durability. The structures
that are going in are concrete and mortar, rather than plywood and tent
skins, says Gerdes. As of last December, his office was involved in 30
Afghan construction projects for US or international coalition partners worth
almost $427 million.
The Big Base Buildup: Recently, the New York Times reported that
President Obama is likely to approve a plan to shift much of the US effort in
Afghanistan to special operations forces. These elite troops would then
conduct kill/capture missions and train local troops well beyond 2014.
Recent building efforts in the country bear this out.

1144

A major project at Bagram Air Base, for instance, involves the

construction of a special operations forces complex, a clandestine base
within a base that will afford Americas black-ops troops secrecy and nearabsolute autonomy from other US and coalition forces. Begun in 2010, the
$29 million project is slated to be completed this May and join roughly 90
locations around the country where troops from Combined Joint Special
Operations Task Force-Afghanistan have been stationed.
Elsewhere on Bagram, tens of millions of dollars are being spent on
projects that are less attractive but no less integral to the war effort, like
paving dirt roads and upgrading drainage systems on the mega-base. In
January, the US military awarded a $7 million contract to a Turkish
construction company to build a 24,000-square-foot command-and-control
facility. Plans are also in the works for a new operations centre to support
tactical fighter jet missions, a new flight-line fire station, as well as more
lighting and other improvements to support the American air war.
Last month, Afghan President Hamid Karzai ordered that the US-run
prison at Bagram be transferred to Afghan control. By the end of January,
the US had issued a $36 million contract for the construction, within a year,
of a new prison on the base. While details are sparse, plans for the detention
centre indicate a thoroughly modern, high-security facility complete with
guard towers, advanced surveillance systems, administrative facilities, and
the capacity to house about 2,000 prisoners.
At Kandahar Air Field, that new intelligence facility for the drone
war will be joined by a similar-sized structure devoted to administrative
operations and maintenance tasks associated with robotic aerial missions. It
will be able to accommodate as many as 180 personnel at a time. With an
estimated combined price tag of up to $5 million, both buildings will be
integral to Air Force and possibly CIA operations involving both the MQ-1
Predator drone and its more advanced and more heavily-armed progeny, the
MQ-9 Reaper.
The military is keeping information about these drone facilities under
extraordinarily tight wraps. They refused to answer questions about whether,
for instance, the construction of these new centres for robotic warfare are in
any way related to the loss of Shamsi Air Base in Pakistan as a drone
operations centre, or if they signal efforts to increase the tempo of drone
missions in the years ahead. The International Joint Commands chief of
Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations, aware that

1145

such questions were to be posed, backed out of a planned interview with

TomDispatch.
Unfortunately, our ISR chief here in the International Joint Command
is going to be unable to address your questions, Lt. Ryan Welsh of ISAF
Joint Command Media Outreach explained by email just days before the
scheduled interview. He also made it clear that any question involving drone
operations in Pakistan was off limits.
Whether the construction at Kandahar is designed to free up facilities
elsewhere for CIA drone operations across the border in Pakistan or is
related only to missions within Afghanistan, it strongly suggests a rampingup of unmanned operations. It is, however, just one facet of the ongoing
construction at the air field. This month, a $26 million project to build 11
new structures devoted to tactical vehicle maintenance at Kandahar is
scheduled for completion. With two large buildings for upkeep and repairs,
one devoted strictly to fixing tires, another to painting vehicles, as well as an
industrial-sized car wash, and administrative and storage facilities, the big
bases building boom shows no sign of flickering out.
Construction and Reconstruction: This year, at Herat Air Base in
the province of the same name bordering Turkmenistan and Iran, the US is
slated to begin a multimillion-dollar project to enhance its special forces air
operations. Plans are in the works to expand apron space where aircraft
can be parked, serviced, and loaded or unloaded for helicopters and
airplanes, as well as to build new taxiways and aircraft shelters. That project
is just one of nearly 130, cumulatively valued at about $1.5 billion, slated to
be carried out in Herat, Helmand, and Kandahar provinces this year,
according to Army Corps of Engineers documents examined by
TomDispatch.
These also include efforts at Camp Tombstone and Camp Dwyer,
both in Helmand province as well as Kandahars FOB Hadrian and FOB
Wilson. The US military also recently awarded a contract for more airfield
apron space at a base in Kunduz, a new secure entrance and new roads for
FOB Delaram II, and new utilities and roads at FOB Shank, while the
Marines recently built a new chapel at Camp Bastion.
Seven years ago, Forward Operating Base Sweeney, located a mile
up in a mountain range in Zabul province, was a well-outfitted, if remote,
American base. After US troops abandoned it, however, the base fell into
disrepair. Last month, American troops returned in force and began
rebuilding the outpost, constructing everything from new troop housing to a
1146

new storage facility. We built a lot of buildings, we put up a lot of tents, we

filled a lot of sandbags, and we increased our force protection significantly,
Capt. Joe Mickley, commanding officer of the soldiers taking up residence at
the base, told a military reporter.
Decommission and Deconstruction: Hesco barriers are, in essence,
big bags of dirt. Up to seven feet tall, made of canvas and heavy gauge wire
mesh, they form protective walls around US outposts all over Afghanistan.
Theyll take the worst of sniper rounds, rifle-propelled grenades, even
mortar shells, but one thing can absolutely wreck them the Marines 9th
Engineer Support Battalion. At the beginning of December, the 9th
Engineers were building bases and filling up Hescos in Helmand province.
By the end of the month, they were tearing others down. Wielding pickaxes,
shovels, bolt-cutters, powerful rescue saws, and front-end loaders, they have
begun demilitarizing bases, cutting countless Hescos which cost $700 or
more a pop into heaps of jagged scrap metal and bulldozing berms in
advance of the announced American withdrawal from Afghanistan. At
Firebase Saenz, for example, Marines were bathed in a sea of crimson sparks
as they sawed their way through the metal mesh and let the dirt spill out;
leaving a country already haunted by the ghosts of British and Russian bases
with yet another defunct foreign outpost. After Saenz, it was on to another
patrol base slated for destruction.
Tell Me How This Ends: No one should be surprised that the US
military is building up and tearing down bases at the same time, nor that
much of the new construction is going on at mega-bases, while small
outposts in the countryside are being abandoned. This is exactly what you
would expect of an occupation force looking to scale back its footprint and
end major combat operations while maintaining an ongoing presence in
Afghanistan. Given the US militarys projected retreat to its giant bases and
an increased reliance on kill/capture black ops as well as unmanned air
missions, its also no surprise that its signature projects for 2012 include a
new special operations forces compound, clandestine drone facilities, and a
brand new military prison. Theres little doubt Bagram Air Base will exist in
five or 10 years. Just who will be occupying it is, however, less clear. After
all, in Iraq, the Obama Administration negotiated for some way to station a
significant military force 10,000 or more troops there beyond a
withdrawal date that had been set in stone for years. While a token number
of US troops and a highly militarized State Department contingent remain
there, the Iraqi government largely thwarted the American efforts and now,
even the State Department presence is being halved. Its less likely this will
1147

be the case in Afghanistan, but it remains possible. Still, its clear that the
military is building in that country as if an enduring American presence were
a given. Whatever the outcome, vestiges of the current base-building boom
will endure and become part of Americas Afghan legacy.
On Bagrams grounds stands a distinctive structure called the
Crows Nest. Its an old control tower built by the Soviets to coordinate
their military operations in Afghanistan. That foreign force left the country
in 1989. The Soviet Union itself departed from the planet less than three
years later. The tower remains. Americas new prison in Bagram will
undoubtedly remain, too. Just who the jailers will be and who will be
locked inside five years or 10 years from now is, of course, unknown. But
given the history marked by torture and deaths of the appalling treatment
of inmates at Bagram and, more generally, of the brutality toward prisoners
by all parties to the conflict over the years, in no scenario are the results
likely to be pretty.
On 16th February 16, Atle Hetland wrote: My childhood Kandahar
deserves better destiny than what is the case today. Afghanistan has the
right to a better fate. It is a disgrace that children die in their homes due to
cold, or being bombed; it is as bad as the way women and girls often are
treated in Afghanistan. We the Westerners must take our large share of
responsibility for both. Now we have had 10 long years to change and
improve Afghanistan, but we have not achieved much if children and women
still keep dying.
A few years ago, I was contemplating taking a job in Afghanistan. I
am glad I didnt because I would have been seen as a representative of my
home country, which is also a NATO and ISAF member, and I would have
had my share of responsibility for the Wests misguided actions and meagre
positive results. Do I say too much? No, I dont think so! We should have
had a development, peace and reconciliation strategy from the very
beginning. NATO shouldnt have been called in to assist the Afghan
government, even under UNSC cover. The Soviet Union was also said to
have come in 1979 on the request of the Communist leaders in Afghanistan,
but it was a military occupation. If they had used common sense, and
followed democratic rules and human rights ideals, the military operations
would have been minimal, or none at all! Through a peaceful approach,
we would today have been able to see a prosperous Afghanistan and,
probably, a country friendly towards its neighbours and the West.

1148

I often refer to the wisdom of Professor Evelin Gerda Lindner, the

founder and leader of the Network for Human Dignity and Humiliation
Studies, based in Oslo and New York. She draws upon her own familys
traumatic history in Hitlers Germany during World War II, and uses her
recent empirical studies in Somalia and Rwanda/Burundi. She also uses her
gender research and normative studies, emphasizing equality in dignity.
Brutal actions and humiliation against individuals, groups, genders, and
nations are always counterproductive and will be remembered for
generations, even after the real causes and concrete actions have been
forgotten.
The humiliation of the Afghan people and the lack of building a
culture of peace will cause serious difficulties for a long time to come.
The two decade-long invasions have happened under disguise and hidden
geopolitical agendas where the occupiers pretended that they came to give
freedom, justice and prosperity to the Afghan people out of concern for
them. If they came with compassion, how come the recent Kandahar deaths
could happen, or those in the northeast of the country? How come Afghan
lives are so cheap and Pakistani lives, too, when attacks take place on both
sides of a porous border? Drones and airplanes have bombed wedding and
funeral processions, village homes, shops and mosques.
I do cry for you Kandahar and the whole of Afghanistan. I am
ashamed of the Wests actions, as a pacifist, yes, but just as a human
being. No, I dont think it will be a perfect land after the said withdrawal of
the foreign forces takes place. I, probably, disagree with most of the age-old
cultural traditions and the political culture in Afghanistan. But then the only
way to contribute to improve the situation is to use positive approaches.
I do cry for you Kandahar. I want my childhood picture of Kandahar
back. It wasnt a real picture. We didnt see things the way they were. But
we should have helped the Afghan people make things real by now. We can
no longer humiliate adults and children. Or can we? At what cost? We
must do the good we want to do, not the evil we do not want to do!
On 14th February, Shamshad Ahmad wrote: Pakistan has expressed
serious concern over a recent Congressional hearing devoted exclusively to
discussing the issue of Balochistan. Republican congressman from
California Dana Rohrabacher known for his oscillating public positions
chaired the controversial hearing and as anticipated, criticized Pakistan for
what he alleged its appalling human rights violations in Balochistan. Our
concern on this unsavoury thinking in the US Congress is understandable
1149

but as in many other cases, it reflects our exaggerated sense of anxiety and
an ostrich-like mindset.
We tend to ignore the new dynamics in the world and like to live a
lone wolfs life in our own world of eccentricities showing no sensitivity to
universally acknowledged fundamental values, freedoms and human rights.
We are a self-centred egomaniacal nation always obsessed with a fear that
the whole world is out there to destroy us. India and America in particular
are easy scapegoats for us. Instead of blaming others for our problems or
continuously agonizing with imaginary fears, a genuine soul-searching is
what we need on our part.
As a large country with 180 million people, there could be no threat
to our existence or national unity from outside if we all as a nation remained
faithful to our country and to global norms of civilized behaviour. But lets
be honest to admit we ourselves are the main threat to our own existence
as a sovereign, independent state which on its birth was considered a
twentieth century miracle created entirely through a democratic and
constitutional struggle by the same people who are today overtaken by
parochial and ethnic discontent as a result of bad governance and lopsided
national priorities
Shamshad mentioned 1971 debacle and added: In our case, the rulers
were just incapable of managing the magnitude of socio-economic and
political disparities among different parts of the country Because of our
misdirected policies, we are now experiencing an implosion-like
situation in Balochistan. The brutal murder of Baluchistans revered tribal
leader Nawab Akbar Bugti five years ago was worst thing that could happen
to our already unstable and tormented country. It triggered the current unrest
in Pakistans largest province
In addressing the question of the basic rights of the people of
Balochistan, it was always clear that ad hoc approaches and military
operations will not do. Baluchistans grievances should have been met
constitutionally by addressing its legitimate political and economic
grievances. No one denies that despite its abundance of natural resources,
Balochistan remains the most backward province of the country. There has
been a strong underlying resentment in this as well as other provinces
against what is seen as continued Punjabi dominance and inequitable
distribution of power and resources. All these perceptions, real or unreal,
must be removed.

1150

What is even worse is that Pakistan is today going through the

gravest crisis of its history It is time for drastic change in our
anachronistic set-up to get rid of the outmoded feudal and tribal
political structures and elitist-led status quo in our country. Balochistan
needs economic development which will come only in an environment of
peace and tranquility, free of exploitation, blackmail or duress from any
source. With greater share in political power and better economic
opportunities, the people of Balochistan could chart for them a new and
better place in the federation of Pakistan.
If the universal principles of democracy, equality and human rights
have any relevance in the context of Balochistan, the people of Balochistan
also need to be extricated from the outdated, exploitative darbari and
sardari tribal system which keeps them backward only to sustain its own
privilege and power. The sardars must understand the new realities of the
world. Instead of obstructing genuine development and security related
projects, they should welcome any public or private investments in their
province which would ultimately bring direct or indirect socio-economic
dividends to their people.
Rohrabachers Balochistan hearing on the Hill should be an eyeopener to us. Instead of always blaming outsiders for our problems, lets
have the courage to admit that there is something fundamentally wrong
with ourselves We need to put our own house in order before it is too late.
For a country domestically as unstable and unpredictable as ours there
cannot be many choices. In todays world, our options are limited. Our
domestic failures have seriously constricted our foreign policy options. We
have ransomed our sovereignty and freedom of action for personal gains.
From being a major power in the world, we are today an attachment to
foreign powers including a couple of neighbouring kingdoms.
And yet our ambassador in Washington had the cheek to describe the
Congressional Balochistan hearing as interference in Pakistans internal
affairs. She was perhaps oblivious of the recent vote on UN Security
Council resolution on Syria which we subserviently supported even
though it was vetoed by China and Russia on the ground that it sought to
legitimize regime change through external interference as an accepted
global norm. But for our vulnerable rulers, external interference is already
an accepted norm.
On 17th February, Mohammad Malick commented: Balochistan is
caught in a vicious cycle of violent lawlessness. The possibility of its
1151

breaking away never loomed larger. Can Balochistan be saved? Rather,

can Pakistan be saved by resolving the Balochistan crisis? Yes, provided
our political leadership adopts Balochistan as a numero uno priority, thinks
prudently rather than emotionally, and moves without wasting another single
day.
A day in Balochistans life is a lot more than a typical 24-hour
time band. It is a lifetime. Another person could go missing, further
stoking the fires of hatred and disenchantment. A day could see one more
settler losing his life, or property, adding to the crippling climate of
insecurity and fear. We have wasted enough days already.
The government must start talking, and to everyone. Even those
elements, who currently have no desire to engage with the government
must be approached. It will even have to talk to players who ostensibly have
nothing to do with the crisis. We have a situation where one segment of
insurgents is motivated by genuine grievances while another is pushing
foreign agendas for self-serving vested interest.
Balochistan, unfortunately may no longer be a purely internal
matter of Pakistan, as put by Prime Minister Gilani in his latest interaction
with newspaper editors. The premier went into a huff when asked about the
inevitability of engaging India, Afghanistan and the United States to end
their meddling in Balochistan by withdrawing their overt and covert support
for the insurgents. Spewing the usual rhetoric about the US Congress
Committee on Foreign Affairs crossing the red line by discussing
Balochistan, the PM thundered that there was no need to talk to any
outsider. If only life were that simple
Foreign players are fishing in the troubled waters of Balochistan.
We need to start clearing our own waters to minimize such exploitative
opportunities. We must foster a conflict free environment and create a
convergence of interests with the interfering powers. To have peace in
Balochistan, it is imperative that we have peace in and with Afghanistan.
That India and Pakistan move away from a destructive narrative to a
constructive dialogue. There has to be more profit in peace than in acrimony.
And the US too must gain more from playing with us rather than against
First of all, however, we need to start putting our own house in order.
All political stakeholders must be aggressively pursued and be brought
back into the Balochistan dialogue. To cite one example, Akhtar Mengal
was the chief minister Balochistan during Nawaz Sharifs power days in
Islamabad but today he is living in exile in the UAE, forced into adopting a
1152

separatist stance by the compulsion of circumstances. Everyone like him, the

Bugtis, Murris etc must be made a stakeholder in the system otherwise they
will naturally favour carving out their own new system based on a new
Balochistan.
The government should also announce a general amnesty. Surely
questions will arise about differentiating between crimes against the state
and the citizens (read: settlers) but the government could take care of that
part through generous compensations. It would not be an ideal solution for
the grieved but compromises may have to be made for the countrys larger
good, and that is why it is essential that such compensations are extremely
generous.
Will development initiatives and amnesty bring insurgents down
from the hills and back from Afghanistan and spell success? No, because a
pull factor alone will not work in Balochistan as it must be complemented
by the push factor The rule of the FC must give way to the rule of law.
The only thing that should go missing from Balochistan is lawlessness, and
not its people. The nature of resistance is always decided by that of the
oppression. For a positive and meaningful change to happen, Pakistan will
have to change its own paradigm of being a security state to a secure one.
A strong pull factor could be created but it cannot deliver without
the push factor involving Afghanistan, India and the United States. The
spectre of an independent Balochistan, with its strategically located long
coastline and trillions of rupees worth natural wealth, is too tempting an
option for the agitating elements to give up without persuasion. The public
and international face of this insurgency is none other than the younger crop
of the traditional ruling sardars and chieftains, used to being the most
important stakeholders in the power equation. They will only come back to
the negotiating table if deprived of the material and political support of their
international backers. And India, Afghanistan and the US will create this
critical push factor only if Pakistan develops mutually beneficial bilateral
relations. We need the three to end their open and secret support for the
insurgents and thus push the angry Baloch leadership towards an honest and
fair dialogue with the Pakistan government.
Ahmed Quraishi observed: The hearing on the Pakistani province of
Balochistan by American legislators is the latest sign of the deep antiPakistanism prevalent among US politicians and media. Since 2002, the
United States has probably produced more anti-Pakistan propaganda than
our traditional rival India has in decades. The US is not an enemy for us but
1153

has been certainly acting like one for quite some time now. It would be a
miscalculation to ignore powerful quarters in Washington pushing for a
confrontation with Pakistan.
Apart from the deliberate murder of 25 Pakistani soldiers in
November, the Central Intelligence Agency works closely with the Indians
and US-trained Afghan intelligence officers to hide, support and organize
terrorists killing innocent Pakistanis in southwest Pakistan. The Americans
have even shifted some of these terror leaders to Europe to use them to
blackmail Pakistan over Balochistan. There already is unusual activism in
the US media and think tanks over Pakistani Balochistan.
We need to understand that we cant be friends with the Americans if
they dont want to be. But thats not the only thing we need to consider. We
need to stop being apologetic about Afghanistan. Well be in Afghanistan
for some time to come. The bulk of Afghan food and trade passes through
our seaports and Afghan politics impacts Pakistan more than any other
neighbour.
If others dont stop using Afghan soil against us, we shouldnt
either. Pakistan must stop obsessing about being the good kid on the block.
From 1948 to 1991, Afghanistan was used by other countries against
Pakistan. First it was the USSR and India. Now it is the US and India. The
first time we meddled in Afghan affairs was on Afghanistans request when
their tribesmen asked for our help in the 1970s to thwart foreign-backed
communists.
Pakistan should stop being too defensive when it comes to links to
Afghan resistance groups. First, we are not helping Afghans resist foreign
occupation. Afghans are doing this themselves. Then no matter what we do,
we cant stop the natural links and bonds that tie Pakistanis and Afghans. So
if the Afghan Pashtun tribesmen from Afghan Taliban link up with
Pakistanis, theres only so much that Islamabad can do to stop that short of
going to war with its own citizens. Washington needs to find ways to stop
Afghans from helping and joining resistance. The problem is there, not
here.
We abused and mistreated the Taliban governments last ambassador
in Islamabad before delivering him to the CIA in 2001. We could have
apologized to him for having no choice, if that was the case. We shouldnt
have humiliated him en route to the airport. That incident is a poster
example of how eagerly we helped an ungrateful Washington. Now, we
should do the right thing: declare neutrality in the Afghan conflict and
1154

announce opening up our own direct talks with the Afghan Taliban. We have
no conflict with this or any other Afghan political faction.
The last point that we need to accept is the American antiPakistanism in Afghanistan. Groups like the TTP and the BLA kill Pakistanis
in streets and market places. They sprang up after Americans landed in
Afghanistan. The TTP was founded by an unknown Pakistani in
American custody at Gitmo and released into Afghanistan. His first act
of terror was to kill Chinese government engineers in Pakistan in 2004.
Even now, we choke the TTP from the Pakistani side but it
continues to get money, fuel and weapons from the Afghan side. The TTP
terrorists have a support network in Afghanistan that operates with the CIAs
knowledge and is sustained by Indians and anti-Pakistan elements in the
Afghan intelligence, which, again, is an offshoot of the CIA.
The CIAs help in targeting the TTP through drone strikes has
been limited and cosmetic at best. The same goes for the BLA. Washington
refuses to designate it as a terror group. Its links to multiple intelligence
agencies in Afghanistan was exposed in 2009 when a UN worker in Quetta
who was kidnapped by the BLA turned out to be a US citizen.
A detailed probe by Pakistani officials and US diplomats in
Islamabad and Kabul found the kidnapping remote-controlled from a house
in the Afghan capital not far from President Karzais residence. Since then,
the US intelligence has moved the BLA assets to Europe. The TTP and
the BLA will die a natural death the day the CIA leaves Afghanistan. These
are realities that Pakistan needs to talk about openly to improve its position
in the Afghan endgame.
Next day, Inayatullah wrote: Gilanis call for an All Parties
Conference (APC) is a good move. There is, however, no urgency visible.
He says it will be held as soon as possible. But what is stopping him from
holding it without delay? A burning situation just cannot be allowed to
further flare up like this. It was also good that Nawaz Sharif visited
Balochistan and talked to some of the alienated Balochi leaders. He, too,
called for an APC. Despite this, the trouble is that there is no serious and
sustained endeavour to do the needful on the part of either the
government or the opposition.
As Asghar Khan once said: We Pakistanis have seldom learnt
anything from history. The enormous and heartrending tragedy in 1971
should have shaken us into a new frame of mind. To let Balochis raise the
banner of separation and allowing the situation to slip out of hands thus
1155

tempting outsiders to fish in the troubled waters is, indeed, unpardonable. It

is myopic to assume that throwing in some money, starting some
development projects and offering a few jobs would satisfy the raging
Balochis, who feel that they have been and continue being maltreated,
deprived of their rights and resources and their lives are being extinguished
by invisible forces. It is sheer stupidity, insensitivity, deliberate neglect and
poor governance that have brought the affairs in Balochistan to the present
pass.
The remedy lies not just in attempting at this late stage to talk to
some of the Balochi leaders. A sincere and, indeed, humble administration
should go miles out of the way, to seek to bring all the stakeholders and
especially the aggressively alienated Balochi activists inside and outside the
country to the talking table. It has to be realized that the problem is rooted in
lack of trust born out of the agonizing way the Balochis (beginning with the
Kalat merger episode in the fifties) were handled by Ayub Khan and Zulfikar
Ali Bhutto. How the Balochi sardars have come to view the army and the
Punjabis? The Balochi memory bears the marks of wounds inflicted on it by
one regime after the other. The recent happenings where even Baloch
women are said to have been dishonoured and the gruesome murder of
women of the Bugti family (Mir Bakhtiar Domkis wife and daughter) are
bound to add fuel to the fire. The new turn of violence, targeting Pakhtuns,
will unleash uncontrollable bloody clashes, spawning a horribly troublesome
situation.
An APC is not enough! A lot more needs to be done. Balochistan is
no longer a provincial matter, as Mr Gilani is dishing out. It is a national
issue with disturbing international dimensions. The PM himself is on record
handing over papers to his Indian counterpart at Sharm El-Sheikh as
evidence about the latters involvement in the happenings in Balochistan.
The question is: Do the politicians in power and the opposition have
the will and the wisdom to comprehensively understand the various
dimensions of the horrendous challenge which Balochistan is today? Can
they find the time and energy to evolve a workable and viable programme to
deal with the political, military, administrative and developmental aspect of
this challenge? The province just cannot be left to an incompetent
provincial administration and the Frontier Corps.
Time is of the essence. The corroded confidence of the disaffected
Balochis cannot be restored by ad hoc, sporadic and inadequate
measures. The government and the opposition will have to wholeheartedly
1156

immerse itself into a ruthless resolve to do whatever it takes, intelligently

and expeditiously, to ward off the growing outside interference and douse
the flames of Balochi rage.

REVIEW
In the wake of Salala massacre the Parliamentary Committee for
National Security compiled recommendations for revisiting various policy
matters related to the ongoing war and bi-lateral relations with the US.
Meanwhile, US drone strikes inside Pakistan continued without much
resentment shown by Pakistans civil and military authorities.
The draft recommendations prepared by the committee are yet to be
presented in the National Assembly for discussion and approval, but
reportedly, a copy of the draft is already available to Cameron Munter. That
is how it ought to happen between contractors and the contracted in the holy
war; NRO-regulated puppets supposed to be obliged more than those
contracted in routine.
Immediate interest of the US, of course, is the resumption of NATO
supplies. It is quite confident that these would be resumed but time taken has
been a source of irritation. Something had to be done to expedite positive
response from the puppets.
A resolution was moved in the US Congress by a rogue Senator. The
text of the resolution was a formal official version of the ideas which were
first published in an American military magazine a few years back. The
author had recommended that there was need for correcting the existing
borders of Islamic countries.
Out of the anomalies identified in the delineation of Islamic states,
two have been corrected since the start of ongoing Crusades. Borders of
Indonesia and Sudan have been redrawn to create two Christian states of
East Timor and South Sudan respectively.
Balochistan has been talked about since long but it would lead to
creating another Islamic state, yet it would cut to size two three countries of
the Muslim World. The chunks of territories so taken out these countries,
including Afghanistan, are rich in mineral resources like East Timor and
South Sudan. Once another client state is created the mining rights for the
natural resources would be doled out to multi-national companies of the
West as well as Australia.

1157

In addition to the incentive of riches of minerals, the new state would

fit-in in the scheme of prolonged occupation of Afghanistan for which a safe
corridor is mandatory for reliable logistic support. The independent
Balochistan will have a deep sea port at Gwadar and road network leading
up to Afghanistan and in addition a wide air corridor from Middle East to
American ships floating in the Arabian Sea.
More importantly, as already referred to, the primary goal is to cut
both Pakistan and Iran to size, which is part of overall aim of the war, i.e.
fragmentation of Islamic World. Therefore, in future it could be expected
that the issue of human rights of Balochs would be raised after every
incident and one day it would be placed before the UN Security Council.
While a puppet has no option but to obey the commands received
through the strings attached to them, these two Karzai and Zardari tried
to pretend to the contrary. They, in the company of someone who acts on his
will, tried to play buddy-buddy during third tripartite summit in Islamabad.
Their pretensions utterly failed in impressing anyone on earth. Zardari
and Karzai definitely wanted to impress, or fool, someone with their antics
but it did not occur to them that they as contracted killers of own people
could not do so by making friendly advances towards Enemy Number one of
the United States.
Who on earth could be impressed by such clumsy antics is a question
that needs an answer. No one, the least of all Ahmedinejad, would have been
impressed and so was the possibility of fooling anyone barring, of course,
themselves.
They simply wanted to gain strength from the presence of
Ahmedinejad with them, but in the process they tarnished the image and
reputation of the guest from Tehran. All this relates to begging the American
masters that they must not ignore their obedient servants at the time of the
end game in Afghanistan.
19th February, 2012

MEMO AND MOREOVER

1158

During the week the memo once again overshadowed events related to
the Crusades raging inside and around Pakistan as Mansoor Ijazs statement
was recorded through video link. He presented all the evidence that he
possessed regarding the memo and dared Hussain Haqqani to do the same if
he considered challenging his statement. During the recording of the
statement the most perturbed person was Zahid Bokhari, the counsel of
Hussain Haqqani.
While Mansoor Ijaz reported to Pakistan High Commission for three
consecutive days, the two women managing the foreign relations of Zardari
regime Hina Rabbani and Sherry Rehman converged on to London
where they met Hillary Clinton. The two ladies presumably carried the
message from their boss to earn favours of his American Masters.
Meanwhile, the self-determination resolution about Baloch nation
moved in the US Congress was widely and bitterly criticized in Pakistan.
The criticism, not the resolution, compelled the regime to make some kind
of reconciliatory move. It came out with its favourite solution and Interior
Minister announced general amnesty for crimes committed by rebel Baloch
leaders. Zardari has undoubtedly excelled in forgiving the criminals.
In Afghanistan, desecration of Holy Quran by occupation forces in
Bagram Base triggered violent protests resulting in loss of life and property.
It appeared an effort to subvert Taliban-US peace talks, though these had
otherwise made no worthwhile progress. Nevertheless, it could be related to
differences between Pentagon and State Department over the issue.

NEWS
In Pakistan, a bomb blast in Tirah Valley killed nine members of a
tribal militia and wounded six others on 19th February. Secretary Memo
Commission left for London, He will collect evidence including electronic
devices, besides reviewing arrangements for Mansoor Ijazs video
conference for the Memo Commission on February 22.
The Difa-e-Pakistan Council decided to go ahead with the planned
rally at Aabpara and contact the Supreme Court against governments move
to ban entry of Hafiz Saeed and Ahmed Ludhianvi into Islamabad. Interior
Minister ordered the arrest and institution of cases against Difa-i-Pakistan
Council leaders, Hafiz Saeed, Maulana Ahmad Ludhianvi and Khadim
Hussain Dhaloon, in case they violate ban on their entry into Islamabad.

1159

Next day, the memogate commission finalized preparations to depose

Mansoor Ijaz via video link. The technical staff has put in place two mega
screens in the courtroom at Islamabad High Court (IHC) for the next hearing
of the judicial commission to facilitate communication between the
commission members and Mansoor Ijaz.
A large number of people protested against the US policies as they
gathered under the umbrella of Difa-e-Pakistan Council in Islamabad.
Supporters and leaders of as many as 40 parties participated in the show of
Defence of Pakistan which in fact, failed to attract majority of students and
progressive class of the country.
The lively and charged crowd responded with great enthusiasm when
the speakers chanted death to America and demanded jihad (holy war)
against the US which was, according to them, a bitter enemy of Islamic
Republic of Pakistan. America wants to get hold of our nuclear assets.
Sadly, the incumbent leaders of Pakistan are also playing in the hands of
Americans. Let us join hands and step forward to break Pakistani
governments alliance with the US to save Pakistan, speakers said,
addressing the charged crowd.
On 22nd February, Mansoor Ijaz recorded his statement via video link
from London as the judicial commission held the hearing in Islamabad.
Besides repeating his claims that he has been in contact with the highest and
the mightiest of country and that he was asked to write the memo, Ijaz also
presented the stock of evidence in his possession to back his claims to
Commission Secretary Raja Jawad Abbas, who was present at the London
High Commission. Lawyer of PML-N Rashid A Rizvi was also present at
the High Commission on this occasion, while Husain Haqqanis counsel
Zahid Bokhari and Mansoor Ijazs lawyer Akram Sheikh participated in the
proceedings from Pakistan.
Ijaz handed over a 29-page testimony, his BlackBerry, PIN, phone
numbers, emails, code words, documents and other key information in
connection with writing of the memo and its delivery to US Admiral Mike
Mullen through Gen James Jones. After taking oath Ijaz started reading his
written statement. Husain Haqqanis lawyer, present in IHC building,
objected that he (Ijaz) could not read a written statement. But Ijaz
maintained that one year has passed to the occurrence of important events
and he could not verbally state such events.
Mansoor Ijaz told the commission that he had met former president
Musharraf, incumbent President Zardari, Husain Haqqani, incumbent ISI
1160

chief and former ISI chief Gen Ehsan on different occasions in the past.
While I maintain high-level political and military/intelligence contacts in
nearly two dozen countries around the world, during the past decade, I have
had no contact with any Pakistani government official civilian, judicial,
military or intelligence with the above said four exceptions (excluding
Haqqani, Mansoor said.
While recording his testimony, Ijaz said Mr Haqqani had suggested
the code name Isfahani for the Americans Mr Haqqanis wifes name is
Farahnaz Isfahani. He maintained that they used words Friends for
Pakistanis and Friend or Boss for President Asif Ali Zardari, while the
words Bad Boys used in their BBMs (BlackBerry messages) referred to
Army Chief Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and DG ISI Ahmed Shuja Pasha.
Zahid Bokhari, the counsel of Husain Haqqani objected over the video
link hearing and called for cross-examination of Ijaz in London, which
prompted the head of commission Justice Esa to intercept him. Do not try to
intervene in the recording procedure, and sit down, Justice Qazi Esa said.
Zahid Bokhari reiterated that a witness outside the country could not be
controlled. The memo tribunal asked Bokhari to raise his objection that
would be addressed.
Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq said that the issue was about
81 BBMs (BlackBerry Messages) and the commission secretary in London
was not a forensic expert. He also requested the commission to appoint a
forensic expert to check Mansoors Blackberry handset before making
record of proceedings. However, commission did not respond to him.
The commission asked Mansoor Ijaz to show his BBMs to secretary
first and then to the commission. The BBM of Mansoor Ijaz was shown to
the commission by zooming camera because Mr Haqqanis lawyer objected
as to how the BBM could be verified.
At one moment Haqqanis lawyer said that Mansoor Ijaz was nonserious as he was playing with his BalckBerry phone during the proceedings
of the commission. Ijaz put his phone on the table after the commission
directed him to behave. Mansoor Ijaz also objected to Zahid Bokharis
attitude, saying he found Mr Haqqanis lawyers behaviour perturbing.
Ijaz gave PIN code of BlackBerry and Email address of Husain
Haqqani and said that the Email address could not be changed. Mansoor Ijaz
provided bills of mobile phone service to commission secretary. The
commission asked its secretary to send the email containing bills via fax
without reading and all the numbers must be kept secret.
1161

Ijaz said that contacts between Mr Haqqani and him started in May,
2011. He noted that Mr Haqqani sent him a message inviting him for coffee
or dinner, saying he (Haqqani) had come to London for 26 hours. Haqqani
told him that Pakistan Army was putting pressure on President Asif Ali
Zardari and wanted to topple his government. Ijaz said he had noted that Mr
Haqqani seemed panicked during his talk.
Mansoor Ijaz told the commission that Mr Haqqani had told him
President of Pakistan wanted to establish a security team and Gen (r)
Jehangir Karamat and Gen (r) Mehmood Durrani would be part of that team.
Mr Haqqani also said that if US helped government to remove Gen Kayani,
US could chose its own people to be included in Abbottabad commission
that was to probe US raid killing Osama bin Laden.
Ijaz said Mr Haqqani told him that he was doing so on the directives
of President Zardari. He said he did not know then US Joint Chiefs of Staff
Committee chairman but Haqqani knew that he (Ijaz) had contacts with Gen
James Jones. Ijaz said that Mr Haqqani wanted a message to be conveyed to
the Americans. He said that Haqqani also said that Pakistan would provide
access to widows of Osama bin Laden and would also help India in
investigating Mumbai terror attacks. Ijaz said Mr Haqqani had also sought
US protection for Pakistans nuclear assets.
Detailing his meeting with Gen Pasha, Ijaz Mansoor told commission
that he met the ISI DG in the evening of 22 nd October 2011 in London at the
Park Lane Intercontinental Hotel, Room 210, from approximately 1830hrs
until 2230hrs. Ijaz told that ISI chief inquired about his qualification, family
and relations with then Pakistan ambassador to US Husain Haqqani. Pasha
had told him that he did not know his (Ijaz) background.
I brought my electronic devices and a notepad to the meeting. We
both agreed to take batteries out of our telephones while we spoke. The
telephones were stored in a drawer near the table we sat at. Gen Pasha
brought a notepad as well. After being seated face to face at a small dining
table, Gen Pasha opened the meeting by stating his purpose in asking to
meet me. He made clear he was not there to interrogate but rather to
understand with evidence supporting my statements what exactly had
happened in the days in question. He made clear he was in London with the
consent of Army Chief Gen Kayani, Mansoor stated.
Ijaz told commission that Gen Pasha read the memorandum himself in
about three or four minutes, demonstrated surprise and dismay at times
disgust and disappointment over the content of the document. General
1162

Pasha did not ask a single question about the content of the document other
than if I was willing to divulge the names of the others besides Haqqani that
he had told me were to be part of the new national security team. I did so
with the caveat that I did not believe either Karamat or Durrani knew
anything about the plan to deliver the memorandum, the contents of the
memorandum or the mindset of Mr Haqqani and those behind him in
dreaming up the scheme.
There were no other issues relevant to this subject matter discussed
during the meeting. It ended on a cordial note with Gen Pasha thanking me
for providing a clear record of events and asking if it was okay to follow up
if other questions arose in the aftermath of his further investigation into the
matter, Mansoor said.
Commenting on statement of Mansoor Ijaz, analyst said that Ijaz
made it clear that the only alleged link between Haqqani and the memo are
handwritten notes made by Ijaz himself of a telephone call. None of the text
messages and BBMs included in the affidavit directly refer to the memo.
Most of the BBMs are timed and dated well after the delivery of the
controversial memo to James Jones, according to the time on the email sent
by Ijaz to Jones. An overwhelming majority of the BBMs are from Ijaz to
Haqqani, which shows that he may have been creating a trail of BBMs to be
used later to create circumstantial evidence. There is no BBM or email from
Haqqani to Ijaz written before the writing and sending of the memo on May
9, 2011 that asks Ijaz to write and send the memo if indeed the memo was
Mr Haqqanis idea.
Although Mansoor Ijaz claims that Mr Haqqani asked him to call him
by sending a BBM message when Haqqani arrived in London on May 9,
most phone calls and BBM messages and all emails are from Mansoor Ijaz
to Haqqani. According to the communications log provided in the witness
statement, Haqqani only made two short phone calls of less than 2 minutes
each to Ijaz, which support Haqqanis version that he kept in touch with
Mansoor Ijaz as a courtesy. From the flow of communications it seems Ijaz
is the one who was eager to communicate with Haqqani.
The alleged transcripts of text messages and BBM conversations
establish communication between Haqqani and Ijaz but do not shed any light
on the memo. Ijaz accepts in his statement that he drafted the memo albeit
with content originating from phone conversation with Haqqani. Husain
Haqqani has already denied telling Ijaz to write or deliver the memo or
giving him the contents of the memo.
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Earlier, while criticizing the late arrival of his visa, Bokhari told
media before the start of the proceedings that in Wednesdays hearing, he
will ask the judicial commission to facilitate him as per his legal right.
Bokhari said that the witness and the counsel should be face to face during a
courts proceedings because there are some professional techniques that
needed to be followed. Your body language, your expressions and the way
you put forth your arguments are different when you are not in front of the
witness, said Mr Haqqanis lawyer. Bokhari alleged the commission has
been facilitating Ijaz throughout the proceedings of the case. I also request
the court to provide me with appropriate facilities. He said that his visa
came at a time when he could not be present in the Pakistan High
Commission during Ijazs testimony and had he tried, he would have also
missed out the commissions proceedings in Islamabad.
The proceedings were adjourned until Thursday. According to a
private TV channel, Pakistan Ambassador to the US Sherry Rehman reached
London while Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar also visited Pakistani
High Commission in London on Wednesday.
Faisal Kamal Pasha of The News mentioned some additional points.
The commission told Mansoor Ijaz that they will not consider his statement
as a piece of evidence, and it will remain only a statement. Ijaz told the
commission that the BBM record may not be retrievable even after waiving
privacy rights of as he has been told by the Research in Motion
(RIM)company that they do not store BBMs for more than three months. He,
however, said that the only option left with the commission is to examine the
BlackBerry sets of both Ijaz and Haqqani.
Mansoor Ijaz produced before the secretary to the commission a piece
of paper with handwritten notes at its both sides. Secretary to the
commission who has been in London signed that paper on both sides while
counsel for Husain Haqqani, Zahid Bukhari, termed it a fabricated
documents. Referring to the main points of the memorandum that according
to Ijaz, Haqqani dictated to him and also told him that what Pakistan is ready
to do in return? Ijaz said that Haqqani intimated him that there will be an
inquiry into the raid that killed Osama bin Laden and the Pakistan
Government is contemplating to take the US authorities on board.
The Pakistan government will also provide cooperation with regard to
the investigation into the Mumbai attacks that the US government wanted
Pakistan to do. After finishing all the points written on both sides of the
paper, Ijaz told the commission that he also took some notes in a blank email
1164

message. One other offer that was made to the US was to provide an access
to the widows of Osama bin Laden.
Ijaz told the commission that when he inquired Haqqani that why he
wanted to communicate this message through him, Haqqani said that he
(Ijaz) would be a plausible deniable source. Ijaz said that Haqqani told him
that this will be a very sensitive matter.
Meanwhile, legal counsel for Haqqani, Zahid Bukhari, insisted to the
commission to decide his applications first. He wanted forensic examination
of the evidence prior to his cross-examination. The commission said that his
application will be heard Thursday (today) 11am while the recording of Ijaz
statement will continue from 2pm onwards on Thursday. Zahid Bukhari
further applied before the commission that he wanted to cross-examine Ijaz
in London and for that purposes he needs some days.
The Blackberry Company has refused to provide access to its records
in relation to the memogate case. A reply received from Blackberry to the
government was filed in the commission in this respect. The company
refused to furnish message records exchanged between Mansoor Ijaz and
Husain Haqqani. The company stipulated that the data on messages of the
consumers could not be provided to any third party. Despite the fact that
Mansoor Ijaz had made an offer to withdraw his privacy rights, the
Blackberry Company still declined to provide the records.
On 23rd February, at least 17 militants were killed after jet fighter
planes pounded their positions in Orakzai Agency. Meanwhile, militants
fired four rockets at Anjali village, resultantly, two persons died and two
houses were damaged. Thirteen persons were killed and 35 injured when a
powerful car bomb blast ripped through a bus terminal in Peshawar. More
than one dozen vehicles were damaged while body organs of the victims
were strewn all over the blast site.
Hillary met her Pakistani counterpart in London and hours after the
meeting she called for the resumption of a full range of formal contacts. She
described her meeting with Hina a constructive discussion of our common
concerns. We are continuing to do a lot of work together. The work hasnt
stopped, Clinton told reporters.
Earlier, the meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere; Sherry Rehman
was also present during the meeting. The frozen relationship has slowly
begun to thaw with a secret meeting early this month between CIA Director
David Petraeus and Pakistans intelligence chief, Lt-Gen Ahmed Shuja

1165

Pasha, that focused on counterterrorism cooperation and ongoing US drone

attacks in Pakistan, said Washington Post.
Clinton also told Khar that the US administration wanted to resume
high-level visits to Pakistan by aid officials and Marc Grossman. Pakistan
has welcomed the idea of resuming cooperation with the United States on
counter-terrorism and Afghanistan after its parliament reviews badly strained
ties. Clinton told Khar that the United States fully respected the Pakistani
parliaments need to review relations carefully but also stressed the need to
resume joint work.
Hina Rabbani Khar also had a brief meeting with the Prime Minister
of Britain David Cameroon. The discussion focused around the current visit
of the Foreign Minister of Pakistan to London for the Enhanced Strategic
Dialogue. The Foreign Minister also met with the foreign ministers of
Turkey and France.
The judicial commission continued recording testimony of Mansoor
Ijaz, he continued from where he had left his statements on the first day of
the recording and presented more documents to the judicial commission
panel. He claimed that Haqqani said Islamabad would assist the United
States in locating other bad guys and we also commit American boots on
the ground, if Kayani stepped down.
Ijaz said Haqqani wrote him a message on his BlackBerry referring to
the Pakistani government as friend, and army chief General Kayani and ISI
chief as bad boys. Asked by the commission, what he meant by bad boys,
Ijaz replied: they are army chief and DG (director general) ISI (Pakistans
intelligence service).
Giving further details, Ijaz said on May 12 Haqqani informed him that
either the US President (Barrack Obama) or Mike Mullen had telephoned
Rawalpindi (GHQ). He said many exchanges of messages took place
between him and Husain Haqqani which he can send the Memo Commission
through email. Mansoor Ijaz also showed this email to the commission from
his email account.
Ijaz said he also talked to Haqqani on the phone and the conversion
lasted for 2 minutes and 34 seconds. I told him the draft of the memo was
ready and then emailed it to Haqqani on May 9, he added. He said they
discussed some of the points of the memo in another telephonic conversation
held later between the two.

1166

Ijaz said he had asked Haqqani if he had the permission of Boss

(President Zardari) to which the he replied yes. Ijaz said he then sent the
memo in PDF format to Gen James Jones on the night between May 9 and
10, 2011 at 1:28am after getting a green signal from Haqqani. He sent a final
email to Husain Haqqani and Gen James Jones at 8:45am on May 10. The
identity of Jones was kept hidden in the email sent to Haqqani, he added. I
did not want Haqqani to know who was helping me, said Mansoor Ijaz.
On May 12 Husain Haqqani informed him that either the US President
(Barrack Obama) or Mike Mullen had telephoned Rawalpindi (GHQ).
Haqqanis counsel, Zahid Bukhari objected on the manner in which Mansoor
Ijaz spoke while recording his testimony. Justice Esa directed Mansoor Ijaz
to speak in short phrases while recording his testimony.
The commission observed that the bill Mansoor Ijaz had provided
yesterday did not bear his name. In response, Ijaz said that the phone was
under his corporation and it could be verified. Haqqanis counsel Zahid
Bokhari expressed doubt about the faith of Mansoor Ijaz, who some media
reports had suggested as being a Qadiani. But Ijaz claimed he was a Muslim
and he recited Kalma-e-Tayibba: There is no God but Allah and Muhammad
(SAW) is His prophet.
Bokhari said that media had misreported the statement regarding
seeking US help for COAS removal. The court ordered the media to show
responsibility in the matter. The commission also took exception to the
airing of proceedings footage on TV channels and warned of action in case
it is repeated.
The commission disposed of three applications of Bokhari seeking
permission for cross-questioning Mansoor Ijaz in London, forensic
evidences and a verified copy of Mansoor Ijazs testimony before the crossexamination. The Judicial Commission instructed Mansoor Ijaz to cooperate
with Husain Haqqanis counsel, Zahid Bukhari if the latter wanted to crossexamine the former and termed forensic examination of evidences at this
stage as premature.
Next day, militants wearing suicide jackets stormed into a police
station in Peshawar killing four police personnel and leaving six others
injured; attackers also blew themselves up. Another planted device exploded
in Gulshan Colony injuring a person.
Two FC men were killed and another two sustained injuries in two
separate incidents of firing in Bara. Separately, five Lashkar-i-Islam men
were killed in a blast in Surghar area of Landikotal when an explosive
1167

device went off in their hideout. Hundreds of people across country took to
the streets chanting death to America, demanding that their leaders resign
and setting fire to a US flag over the burning of Qurans in Afghanistan.
During the proceedings on the third consecutive day, Ijaz showed only
four out of 39 pages of his telephones bill to the commission, arguing that
his telephone was registered on his companys name and he cannot reveal
the bills entire content because it was classified. The commission directed
its secretary to contact and retrieve the copy of bill from the telephone
company and courier it to them. Ijaz further told the commission that
Haqqani uses two phones one official and one personal, adding that Haqqani
used his personal phone during their communication on May 9.
An interesting situation developed during the proceedings when Ijaz
called Zahid Bukhari a non-sense. Bukhari objected that the bill is fake to
which Ijaz said, Zahid Bukharis objection is bordering on the insane. Hot
words were exchanged afterwards and Bukhari raised objections over Ijazs
behaviour. The commission directed them both to behave in accordance with
court norms.
Mansoor Ijaz informed the judicial commission about the events
followed by his article published in Financial Times. Haqqani sent me a
Blackberry message around 21:50 GMT on the evening of October 10, 2011,
shortly after my opinion article appeared on the Financial Times website.
The message read: This FT op-ed of yours is a disaster. Before I had a
chance to see it and respond, Haqqani telephoned me at 21:57 GMT in a
somewhat panicked voice, reiterating what he had just said by BBM
message and then asking me whether there were any other senior Pakistani
diplomats I knew in Islamabad that he could name to throw the press
hounds off my scent, Mansoor told the commission while recording his
statement.
He maintained that Haqqani was extremely upset and unhappy over
the disclosure of memorandum. I responded Haqqani by querying why the
op-ed (piece) was such an issue for him and why was he so upset about.
Haqqani replied simply by saying everyone would now assume it was he
(Haqqani) who was the brainchild of the memorandum and that I (Mansoor)
understood nothing about Pakistans domestic situation, Ijaz said, adding
that it was a short call lasting for only 45 seconds.
Ijaz said that Haqqani called him to inform that he had just learnt that
ISI DG Lt-Gen Pasha was coming to London. His only concern was
whether General Pasha would be meeting with the FT editors in London,
1168

whether I knew anything about it and whether I would do him the favour of
intervening with the FT editors to insure they did not provide Gen Pasha
with a copy of the memorandum or any other evidence that I had provided
the editors when I wrote the opinion piece, Mansoor Ijaz stated.
Ijaz said he responded by again asking Haqqani why was he so
paranoid about the memorandum and whether we had done something
wrong in delivering it to Adm Mullen. Haqqanis response was to simply
reiterate that I (Ijaz) understood nothing about Pakistans domestic political
situation and that there were some (people) who would say Haqqani was
playing for your [US] side, if the content of the memorandum was revealed
in public.
The moment when Mansoor Ijaz started unfolding details of his
meeting with DG ISI, it made everyone present in the courtroom to show
great interest and there prevailed a pin drop silence. Ijaz told the commission
that he had received a call from a senior staff officer of ISI and was asked if
he (Ijaz) wanted to meet DG ISI.
I was contacted by a person, whose real name I do not know to this
day, on or about the 16th of October, to see whether I would be willing to
meet General Pasha. I inquired about the purpose and proposed location (of
the meeting). I was told that purpose of meeting was to determine the
truthful facts surrounding the content of the memorandum and its genesis
(authorship, operational details of the effort to get it delivered to Admiral
Mullen etc). As London was the most convenient location for both of us to
meet so we decided to meet there, Mansoor Ijaz said.
Mansoor told the commission that General Pasha was keen to know
the reality of the memo draft. We met on the evening of 22 nd October in
London at the Park Lane Intercontinental Hotel, Room 210, from
approximately 1830hrs until 2230hrs, according to my records. Pasha made
clear he was not there to interrogate but to understand with evidence
supporting my statements what exactly had happened in the days in
question. He made clear he was in London with the consent of the army
chief, Gen Kayani In my recollection, Gen Pasha read the memorandum
himself in about three to four minutes, demonstrated surprise and dismay at
times disgust and disappointment over the content of the document.
Meanwhile, a petition was filed with the judicial commission probing
the memo controversy to summon President Zardari as, according to
petitioner, he was an important player of this scandal. The petitioner, Sardar

1169

Muhammed Siddique Khan submitted an application to the acting secretary

of the commission to this effect.
The plea stated that Mansoor Ijaz employed the word boss for
President Zardari during the last hearing; hence, it is imperative that he
(Zardari) should be sought to explain, to satisfy the prerequisites of justice.
The petitioner prayed to the commission to direct President Zardari to appear
before the commissions session being convened at Islamabad High Court.
However, the commission was yet to consider this petition for hearing. The
commission adjourned hearing of the memo case until Monday noon.
On 25th February, a US drone crashed in North Waziristan and Taliban
militants said they had shot it down. Taliban militants led by Hafiz Gul
Bahadur said they had collected wreckage of the destroyed drone and would
provide its pictures to the media. Security officials said they did not know
what caused the drone to crash. Meanwhile, a US official denied Taliban
claims that the militants shot down the US drone.
A mortar shell landed on a house in the Khyber tribal region killing
three children and wounding four others. In an operation jointly conducted
by the security forces and agencies, Osama bin Ladens compound was
demolished. It was an attempt to blot the stain of shame.
In was reported on 19th February, Senator John McCain endorsed US
talks with the Taliban. McCain had recently said he was for a long-term
American presence in Afghanistan. Next day, a suicide car bomber
rammed the gate of a police station in Kandahar killing at least one
policeman; another policeman and three civilians were injured.
The Afghan government said that police had rescued 41 children in
Kunar province from becoming suicide bombers as they were about to be
smuggled across the mountains into Pakistan. Interior ministry spokesman
told their families were fooled by terrorists, who promised to send them to
seminaries in Pakistan where they would be prepared for suicide bombings
against Afghan and international troops in Afghanistan.
On 21st February, an Albanian soldier was killed and another wounded
when Police opened fire at them near Kandahar. Protesters hurling petrol
bombs and firing slingshots besieged the largest US-run military base in
Afghanistan, furious over reports that NATO troops burned copies of the
Holy Quran. The enraged crowd shouted Death to Americans and Death to
infidels as guards at Bagram airbase responded by firing rubber bullets from
a watchtower.

1170

Hamid Karzai telephoned Prime Minister Gilani and thanked for the
hospitality extended to him during his recent visit to Pakistan. Karzai
underscored Pakistans importance for the peace process in Afghanistan and
reiterated his request for Pakistans assistance to the reconciliation process.
Nearly a year after the US began negotiations with the government of
Hamid Karzai on US military presence in Afghanistan beyond 2014, both
sides confirmed last week that the talks are still hung up over the Afghan
demand that night raids by US Special Operations Forces (SOF) either be
ended or put under Afghan control.
Next day, three Georgian soldiers were killed in Afghanistan in road
side bombing. At least eight Afghans were shot dead and dozens wounded in
clashes between police and demonstrators protesting over the burning of
Holy Quran at a US-run military base. In the eastern city of Jalalabad,
students set fire to an effigy of President Barack Obama, and the US
embassy in Kabul went into lockdown. Demonstrators set fire to part of a
housing compound used by foreign contract workers.
Karzai urged US military to speed up transfer of controversial Bagram
prison to Afghan control. he spoke during a meeting with the visiting US
deputy defense secretary, Ashton Carter, in Kabul amid bloody riots over the
burning of copies of the Koran at the US-run Bagram airbase. US officials
told AFP the military removed Korans from the prison because inmates were
suspected of using the holy book to pass messages to each other.
On 23rd February, an Afghan soldier shot dead two NATO troops in
eastern Afghanistan today, which came on the third day of fierce protests
against the burning of the Koran at a US-run military base. Many Afghans
are incensed at the discovery of charred Qurans at the US-run Bagram
airbase north of Kabul.
Thousands of demonstrators besieged the base of a US-led militarycivilian provincial reconstruction team (PRT) in Mihtarlam, the capital of
Laghman province east of Kabul. Two people were wounded by gunfire
from the base as they stormed the walls and hurled rocks under a pall of
thick black smoke. In northern Afghanistan, around 400 protesters hurled
rocks and set fire to cars at a Norwegian-led military base.
Taliban exhorted Afghans to attack and kill foreign troops to avenge
the burning of Qurans at a US-run base, but stopped short of cutting off
contacts with American officials in Qatar over the crisis. Their spokesman
said that the Quran burning would not affect contacts with US officials in

1171

Qatar, designed to build confidence and pave the way for a prisoner
exchange.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai called for calm as the Quran incident
is investigated by the US-led NATO force, and ordered his own security
forces to avoid violence and protect peoples lives and property. But
demonstrations flared Thursday in the capital Kabul, Jalalabad and Kunar in
the east, the northern provinces of Takhar and Baghlan, Faryab in the
northeast and Uruzgan in the south. Afghans rejected apology rendered by
Obama and General Allen. These foreigners are always repeating their
desecrating acts, and only apologize over the incident, said Mohammad
Islam, a 25-year-old demonstrator in Kabul.
Next day, twelve people were killed in the bloodiest day yet in
protests that have raged across Afghanistan over the desecration of copies of
the holy Quran. Anti-US protesters tried to storm a US consulate and march
on NATO headquarters in Kabul as violent demonstrations pushed into a
fourth day. Hundreds of Afghans marched toward the palace of Afghan
President, while on the other side of the capital protesters hoisted the white
flag of the Taliban.
In the western city of Herat, a group of more than a 1,000
demonstrators broke off and tried to march towards the US consulate but
were prevented by security forces. Other protests broke out in northern
Baghlan and Kunduz provinces, as well in central Bamiyan and Ghazni and
eastern Nangarhar. Two persons were killed in Kabul; seven more protesters
were killed in the western province of Herat, two more in eastern Khost
province and one in the relatively peaceful northern Baghlan province.
The Afghan government and the US commander of the NATO mission
in Afghanistan, General John Allen, called for calm and restraint in a country
wracked by 10 years of war against insurgents. Government investigators
urged Afghans to avoid resorting to protests and demonstrations that may
provide ground for the enemy to take advantage of the situation.
Prime Minister Gilani made the first-ever public appeal to Afghan
militant groups including Hizb-i-Islami to participate in an intra-Afghan
peace. This was in response to a request of Hamid Karzai and it was a clear
sign that Pakistan was gearing up to supporting an Afghan-led reconciliation
in the neighbouring country.
The momentum for a US-led peace initiative has been growing,
especially with the Talibans setting up a political office in Qatar. And the
group has said it would prefer to negotiate with the United States, which has
1172

100,000 troops in Afghanistan, rather than the weak Afghan government.

This trend has triggered concern in both Afghanistan and Pakistan that both
the prime stakeholders could be sidelined in the peace talks. So both nations
are likely making efforts to remain central to the process.
PM declared Pakistan firmly believes that respect for Afghanistans
sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity as well as
adherence to the principles of non-intervention and non-interference in the
internal affairs of Afghanistan are of critical importance. The PM resolved
that Pakistan, on its part, will support such an authentic Afghan process and
is prepared to do whatever it can for its success.
On 25th February, NATO pulled all its staff out of Afghan government
ministries after two of its officers were shot and killed within the interior
ministry. Seven Afghans were killed as protests continued for fifth day. Six
Afghan army soldiers were killed and 16 wounded in western Afghanistan
when a bomb planted Taliban exploded as the troops attempted to defuse it
in Badghis province.
On 19th February, Gilani said that granting a country the mostfavoured nation (MFN) status was not the same as declaring it the mostfavourite nation. The Reserve Bank of India barred the Indians from
investing in Pakistan's manufacturing sector, despite the repeated claims by
New Delhi that no Pakistan-specific Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) have been
imposed.
On 22nd February, speaking at a reception in honour of Indian
parliamentary delegation led by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar at Prime
Minister House, Gilani hoped that the ongoing dialogue process with India
will prove productive. He urged that India and Pakistan should work
together for the poor people and against hunger, disease and poverty in the
two countries.
Sardar Akhtar Mengal, while talking to the BBC on 19th February, said
it was astonishing that so much noise was being made in Pakistan over the
resolution on Balochistan tabled in the US House. He said the role played
by the rulers, both previous and present, and the corpses of Baloch elders
and youth had widened the gulf between Pakistan and Balochistan.
Meanwhile, three people were killed in separate incidents of firing in Quetta
and Panjgur.
Next day, Foreign Ministry summoned the acting American envoy and
lodged a strong protest over the US Congress resolution seeking the right to

1173

self-determination for the Baloch people. Hoagland was told in clear terms
that the move in the US Congress was contrary to the spirit of friendly
relations and in sheer violation of the principles of the United Nations
Charter, international law and recognized norms of inter-state conduct.
Meanwhile, two people were killed in landmine blast in Chamalang area and
unidentified gunmen killed two people in Quetta.
On 21st February, TheNation quoted military sources saying that
foreign countries and agencies strongly opposed to the Gwadar Port and
determined to drive a wedge between Pakistan and Iran are involved in
terrorist activities in Balochistan. Next day, a man was killed in Kech while
three people were kidnapped from Pishin.
Nawaz Sharif has set conditions for attending the All Parties
Conference convened by Prime Minister to address the Balochistan issue.
He has asked the government to apprehend the killers of Akbar Bugti and
produce the missing persons. The PML-N said every Baloch shares the
demand of fulfilling the stated conditions, which would go a long way to
appease them.
Supporting the US Congress resolution on Balochistan,
Republican Party (BRP) President Brahmdagh Bugti sought the
States and NATO intervention to stop the genocide of the Baloch
saying sheer violation of human rights were being committed
province.

Baloch
United
people,
in the

The KPK Assembly unanimously passed a condemnation resolution

against the US Congress resolution on Balochistan issue. The resolution said
that this House considers the US Congress resolution a conspiracy to create
rift among the Pakistani nation in order to avenge the suspension of supplies
to NATO forces in Afghanistan and vacation of the Shamsi airbase.
On 23rd February, Interior Minister announced withdrawal of all the
criminal cases against the disgruntled Baloch leaders, including top
separatists Harbiyar Mari and Barhamdagh Bugti. Malik said all the cases,
except one against Mr Marri, will be taken back if they returned to Pakistan,
adding that he would himself receive the Baloch leaders upon their arrival.
Commenting on Pervez Musharraf and calls from the Baloch
leadership for taking action against the former president in Akbar Bugti
murder case, Malik said he would get issued red warrants of Musharraf
when the Balochistan government would write to him. But Malik came up
with a new version on the missing persons issue, saying those being termed

1174

as missing persons were killed during jihad in Afghanistan. He said that the
relatives and heirs of the missing persons must accept that fact.
A propaganda campaign was being carried out regarding the issue, he
added. He gave unbelievably less number of missing persons, saying there
were now 42 missing persons cases in Balochistan and the figure had been
exaggerated in the past. Authorities are trying to trace those 42 missing
persons also, he said, adding that a task force had been constituted in
Balochistan that would get registered the cases of such disappearances.
Reacting over the statement of Interior Minister Israrullah Zehri, a
BNP-Awami leader and Federal Minister for Food Security said that how the
interior minister can quash cases against the Baloch leaders when he cannot
evacuate a single check post in Balochistan. He said they would not
participate in All Parties Conference (APC) on Balochistan issue till the
arrest of the killers of Bakhtiar Domkis family members, adding the APC
was wastage of time before taking practical steps to resolve the issue.
The United States fully supports Pakistans security and territorial
integrity and both the Republicans and Democrats are against the resolution
tabled by an individual on Balochistan. These views were expressed at a
meeting of US Congressional delegation leader, who called on Prime
Minister Gilani here at the PM House.
Next day, the prime intelligence agencies responsible for national
security and thwarting foreign designs against Pakistan requested the
Supreme Court to provide them an opportunity to give in-camera briefing at
the chamber after March 5. They want to brief the apex court on Balochistan
law and order situation in-camera, just like they did in case of Karachi,
because of the sensitive nature of the issue and foreign involvement. The
Supreme Court had directed the ISI and MI to submit a detailed report on the
targeted killings and law and order situation in Balochistan by March 7,
while agencies sought time for presenting the report.
Hearing the case of the Domkis assassination, Justice Shakirullah
remarked no tangible progress had been made in the matter. He also
expressed dissatisfaction over the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report,
submitted by the Sindh additional advocate general, saying it did not contain
anything new. The court directed the Sindh Police chief to take the matter
seriously and look into it personally. Justice Shakirullah said two weeks had
passed but no progress had been made so far.
DG ISI met Prime Minister Gilani. During the meeting matters
pertaining to the overall security situation of the country came under
1175

discussion with specific reference to the role of ISI in countering the covert
attempts to destabilize the country came under sharp focus. G ISI gave a
detailed briefing on the involvement of elements, having support from some
neighbouring states, in the Balochistan unrest.
Foreign Office Spokesman said Pakistan was fully cognizant of the
problems in Balochistan and trying to tackle the internal issue politically,
adding that Pakistan considered the US resolution on Balochistan as arrogant
step and ignorance on the part of few American legislatures. When asked
about the US pressure on Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline, Basit said Washington
had its concerns on the project, but Islamabad would pursue the course that
was in the best national interest.
On 25th February, at least nine missing persons belonging to different
parts of Balochistan reached home in past three days. Nasrullah Baloch,
chairman of Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) confirmed that four
missing persons have reached their homes during the last three days. Three
gas pipelines were exploded in Dera Bugti district, suspending supply to
purification plant.

VIEWS
On 21st February, TheNation observed: The Difa-e- Pakistan
Council created quite a scene with its Death to America Rally in Islamabad
on Monday despite governments orders to arrest its leadership. A day
earlier, the DPC demanded the resignation of Defence Minister Ahmed
Mukhtar, accusing him of being a lackey who has compromised national
interest by restoring NATO supplies, without a national consensus or
parliaments decision...
As things stand, Mr Mukhtar might be a pawn in the game given his
own blunt and at times humble statements in the recent past suggesting that
it is the army that calls the shots. And in fact it is an open secret that as of
now it is the troika that rules the roost. But Mr Mukhtars undoing is that
he has been acting as if he lacks the acumen to at least be able to show
that he is in the saddle of his own ministry. The DPCs criticism aside, as
a member of government, Mr Mukhtar ought to be the one representing the
people he represents, instead of leaving the job to the DPC, who are not
represented on any political platform as yet. He ought to have told the nation
straightforwardly that he and not anyone else was responsible for the
restoring the supplies, and if the reverse was true than he had better step

1176

down. This would prevent the unrest that is most likely to brew on the streets
owing to his complacency in ensuring the goods embargo until a verdict
from the parliament.
DPC may not be a flash in the pan whose tremors will fade away
anytime soon. It can become a problem for the troika as well as the
government if the current American policies continue in violation of our
sovereignty. Keeping in view rampant poverty and the worsening law and
order situation, those in the vanguard of Mondays rally can also easily tap
into growing despondency and aversion for the rulers. Instead of warning of
arrest and intimidation, the government must take the matter of NATOs
supply to the parliament and immediately stop the aerial route.
On 24th February, TheNation observed: Mansoor Ijazs confirmation
of the details about the memo that has come before the public in bits and
pieces, since the scandal broke has come as a severe jolt to the
government Mr Ijaz stressed on his accusations of the readiness of
Pakistans political setup in power to surrender its nuclear assets to the care
and protection of the US if they could provide it guarantee against a military
coup it feared was in the offing. If Mr Ijaz's allegations are found to be true,
nothing could endanger the security of the country more and nothing could
be more shameful on the part of the ruling leadership. It is simply
unthinkable that any country could pawn its safety to an outside power by
handing it over the control of its nuclear arsenal, as the memo and its central
character Mr Ijaz, alleges.
The US, it must be recalled, had manoeuvred to impose the severest
possible sanctions on Pakistan for not complying with its wishes to end its
nuclear programme. Thus, for the US receiving an offer from Islamabad to
protect its nuclear assets would have been an excellent opportunity to probe
into just how secure the nuclear programme in Pakistan was. Admiral Mike
Mullen, then Chief of the US Army, spoke rashly against the ISI, soon
after the dates the memo had supposedly been authored. He accused
Pakistan Armys intelligence agency of not only hobnobbing with the
Haqqani group, but also charging it with direct involvement in attacks
against American interests in Afghanistan. If the purpose was to pressurize
the army to avoid a coup, this may have been a way of doing just so.
However, the criticism came in tides and melted away as the White House
and the Pentagon tried differing strategies to handle Pakistan.
Among the other disclosures, almost exactly as phrased in the
memo Mr Ijaz brought to light, was the offer to the US to choose people
1177

to be included in the Abbottabad Commission investigating the US raid, if it

could help the government remove COAS General Kayani and ISI Chief LtGeneral Pasha. The accusation of a pledge to provide the US access to the
widows of Osama bin Laden and help India investigate into the Mumbai
incident, was also repeated by Mr Ijaz.
One of the main accused Hussain Haqqani is on record having
espoused views that suggest sharply paring down the role of the armed
forces in Pakistan, and limiting them to defence. The memogate
commission would now put up its report before the Supreme Court for it to
judge whether the evidence Mansoor Ijaz is presenting is in any away
credible.
On 19th February, TheNation commented: Representative Dana
Rohrabacher apparently did not find he had interfered enough in Pakistans
internal affairs when he had the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee of its
Oversight Committee hold a hearing on Balochistan, and so he has moved
a resolution before the whole House calling for the separation of that land
from Pakistan, and calling for giving the Baloch the right of selfdetermination and to stop the occurrence of human rights abuses there.
Though the Obama Administration has taken the plea that the
Legislative Branch is separate from the Executive, and has dissociated itself
from the original hearings, it seems clear that the continuing of the issue
owes itself to Indian machinations. There appear to be two reasons why
this resolution is being made. First, the USA wishes to tackle Iran, and to
dismember it. If there is a move for an independent Balochistan, it will have
to involve Iranian Balochistan as well. Second, the USA is interested in
producing a regional counterweight to China, and thus it wants to help India
with its regional agenda. This agenda includes the weakening of Pakistan. It
should not be forgotten that when East Pakistan was separated, and made
into Bangladesh in 1971, India spent the succeeding years in fomenting
trouble in Balochistan, where there was a full-fledged insurgency in the
1970s. Though a new generation has grown up, the current troubles in
Balochistan, which owe themselves to that insurgency. However, at that
time, India did not have the international support it is now gathering, and
which is reflected in the current moving of a resolution in US Congress.
The process would not have taken place if the province did not
suffer from a sense of deprivation, which made them vulnerable to
exploitation by foreign elements. The USAs help to India in doing this, by
allowing it to open consulates in Afghanistan (which it occupies), is widely
1178

known. It shows that it will not pay any attention to the fact that Pakistan has
been an ally in the war on terror.
It is incumbent on the PPP government to acknowledge the mandate
that the province gave it. At the same time, the apology given to the Baloch
people by President Asif Zardari was not enough to dispel the sense of
deprivation in the process, nor was the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan
package, which has not been implemented. This is inappropriate, since the
President himself is also an ethnic Baloch, and should be the first to
ensure that the Baloch do not suffer the deprivation they feel, nor should
they be made to suffer as missing. It must not be forgotten that Balochistan
joined Pakistan through an unforced referendum in a jirga of its sardars.
Therefore, it cannot be expected that the Baloch will accept any nonsense.
While the Baloch are as patriotic as the rest, they must be accepted as fellow
countrymen by the rest of the country.
Next day, the newspaper added: The reaction in Pakistan to the
moving of a resolution in the US House of Representatives calling for selfdetermination for the Baloch in Pakistani Balochistan was, as easily
guessable, strong. The reaction showed that it did nothing for Pakistan-US
ties, which have been rocky for some time It thus is not difficult for
Pakistan to agree to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejads suggestion
to Pakistan, made during the Trilateral Summit, not to allow the USA a
consulate in Quetta. While the Iranian President was obviously concerned
about the US putting up a centre near his countrys border, Pakistan would
be extremely foolhardy to give a country which has gone public with its
intention of dividing Pakistan, a base in the very province it has
announced it will break off. Though the Obama Administration will claim
that it does not control the House, expression of American interests through
such activities by Congressmen, think tanks and the media, among others.
One immediate consequence is that the expected restoration of
NATO supplies will not take place in the near future. The case for
abandoning the US alliance entirely is getting stronger, because the USA has
now posed an existential threat to Pakistan, by suggesting the secession of
Balochistan. Pakistani ruling classes, politicians and civil and military
officials alike are asking the question: With friends like these, who needs
enemies? The same ruling class must also wake up to the situation: the USA
wants Balochistan to separate. Refusal to face just such a reality led to the
secession of East Pakistan. Let there be no repetition.

1179

On 21st February, Malik Muhammad Ashraf commented: True, the

province has not received fair treatment by successive governments that
have further aggravated a sense of deprivation among the Balochis, but that
hardly provides any justification for killing the members of minority
communities, who have lived there for generations and are part of the
Baloch society. Also, the links between the insurgents and foreign powers,
who are hell-bent on destabilizing the province for their ulterior motives, is
an established fact. These despicable actions on their part are equally
condemnable as are the killings of Balochi youth and political activists. The
government has the responsibility to identify those responsible for such
crimes and punish them.
Anyway, the government has made an effort to minimize the
grievance of the Balochis through the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochi-stan
package, under which about 10,000 youth have been provided employment
and more than 5,000 recruited in the army on preferential basis. There is no
military action going on in the province; rather it is playing a constructive
role in its development. As far as ending insurgency is concerned, the
government, the opposition and the military leadership must sit
together to deliberate on the issue and evolve a workable strategy to bring
the Balochi leadership back into mainstream politics for the betterment of
Balochistan.
Next day, Dr Haider Mehdi observed: Now, we are faced with yet
another grave national crisis: The fast deteriorating political situation in
Balochistan. The US has internationalized the Baloch issue, and those who
think that it is only making tactical moves to pressure Pakistan into
resuming NATO supplies are certainly mistaken. The move in the
American Senate is part of the US doctrine of global expansion of power
through regime changes and the shifting of territorial boundaries in this
region for its greater geopolitical, hegemonic objective of containing China
and Russian. Make no mistake about it: The US will employ all means
manipulative, coercive, military, and diplomatic and the use of political
force to get what it wants!
So, the question is: Cognizant of the fact that Pakistans civilian
regime is inefficient, dysfunctional and helpless in the face of American
demands, how is its military leadership going to act in the political
resolution of Balochistan and save the country from the impending
crisis of further destabilization? Indeed, rightly or wrongly, much of the
Baloch problem has been pinned on the conduct of past military leaders
(turning political issues into military confrontations).
1180

Anyway, the Inspector-General of Frontier Corp (FC), a serving twostar military general, in a TV talk show on February 17, confidently
articulated the role of the FC, as a credible force of stability, peace and
development in Balochistan. He also said that there are 50,000 soldiers
stationed under his command with the FC having access to all civilian
administrative departments in every district of Balochistan assisting the
civilian administration on the constitutional and legitimate request of the
provincial democratic government.
Lets assume that what the IG has said is true. But, to some
extent, the Balochi perception of its role is quite contrary. It is not
perceived as legitimate; it is somewhat perceived as a de facto military
power engaged in terror against the dissidents. So, here is a word of caution
for the COAS: Given the ground political realities in Balochistans
simmering situation, it is not time to offer technical or legal justifications of
the armys role and its presence there.
Indeed, the FC is a part of the military outfit and that is a fact. It is
the need of the hour to make visionary, imaginative, versatile,
determined, and effective political judgments on the Baloch issue that
is how the federation of Pakistan can be saved and national sovereignty
safeguarded. The honourable COAS would be well-advised to counsel the
civilian leadership in the country to completely disengage the FC from
civilian affairs in Balochistan and pave the way for a political resolution in
the province. Nothing less will suffice!
It is time to pay heed to the pressing situation of Pakistans largest
province and address the issues before it is too late! The hounds are at our
doors! Dont provide them an opportunity to manipulate and control the
situation! I suggest that the COAS must act now to disengage the FC from
Balochistan.
S M Hali opined: Indeed, most of the grievances the Balochis have
are not unfounded. Successive Pakistani governments, even those led by
the Balochi leaders, have done little or nothing to alleviate the misery of
people and uplift of Balochistan. The feudal and tribal system prevalent in
the troubled province has not helped matters, since the warlords have kept
their followers immersed in ignorance to keep them subservient.
Anyway, the US congressional hearing on Balochistan is a
deliberate attempt to destabilize and weaken Pakistan. The move follows
the last two or three years of souring relations between Pakistan and the US.
Blackballing Pakistans nuclear arsenal, installing CIA agents in the country,
1181

the Raymond Davis affair, the Osama bin Laden episode, the unwarranted
attack on Pakistani military check posts in Salalah, and now the resolution
on Balochistan are all part of the greater plot. What the US has forgotten is
that the USSR had also indulged in similar machination, but paid heavily by
disintegrating into the Central Asian States. By following in its footsteps and
indulging in numerous wars, America has overstretched its resources; its
economy is on the verge of collapse and there is a strong possibility that its
50 states may disintegrate into independent ones. It should concentrate on
stemming its own rot, rather than sullying Pakistans affairs.
On 23rd February, Azam Khalil commented: Anyway, after this
sinister resolution Pakistanis are curious to find out about the people
of Texas, who were forcibly put under American subjugation after the
territory was annexed from Mexico. How would the Americans feel, if
some elected representatives of Pakistan's National Assembly moved a
resolution asking it to grant the right to self-determination and an
independent status to them?
Similarly, the Americans need to answer about the American
Indians (i.e. Red Indians), who have been forced to live in small enclaves
as second class citizens, although they are originally owners of that land;
they, too, have the right to ask for an independent state. Dont they?
Next, before the superpower can talk about the rights of people living
in independent and sovereign countries, it must answer about what has it
done to free the Kashmiris from the occupation of 900,000 Indian
troops? Unfortunately, Washington has never pressurized New Delhi to
grant even limited freedom to them, and that is why they have lost more than
100,000 lives in the last six decades or so fighting for their right of selfdetermination. It has also failed to invoke the Charter of United Nations,
which has passed several resolutions demanding that the Indians grant
Kashmiris their right to self-determination. Also, USAs encouragement and
Indian interference are the main reasons for the unrest in Balochistan. The
Indians are operating insurgent camps in Afghanistan to train and fund
Balochi dissidents.
With such a shady past and now pursuing a policy of unilateralism,
America cannot succeed in imposing its brand of imperialism in today's
world. There are many examples where its interference on dubious grounds
has resulted in creating chaos and turmoil in several countries. USAs
intervention in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya are recent examples. These days,
there are widespread riots in Syria with irrevocable evidence suggesting that
1182

the rioters are being helped financially and supplied with arms and
ammunition by the Americans through their agents to create unrest in the
country...
As far as Pakistan is concerned, the public statement issued by
President Asif Ali Zardari that the country will not allow its territory to be
used for any adventure against Iran has been welcomed by both Pakistanis
and Iranians. One hopes that the Government of Pakistan was also
attentively listening to President Ahmedinejads advice, who wants that
Pakistan should not allow the US to establish a Consulate in Quetta. He
rightly feels that it could seriously jeopardize Irans national security by
patronizing the sectarian forces. In the years and months to come, hopefully,
security and economic cooperation between Iran, Pakistan and China, and at
a later stage maybe Afghanistan, will ensure peace and prosperity in the
region.
Next day, TheNation commented: The government is ending the
cases against the disgruntled Baloch leaders if they come back to Pakistan.
This was announced by Interior Minister It would be a tragedy if such
an important issue as the fate of one of the countrys provinces was to
depend on the credibility of Mr Malik. There is a general disinclination to
believe him, and the result has been that this latest offer has not received the
belief it should have got, not just as a removal of the disabilities under which
these leaders suffer, but also as a sign of government purposefulness. The
lack of trust in Mr Malik is a sad comment on him, for this was very much
something it was in his power to do, as it involves his portfolio.
This step was also necessary to save the APC, which has already
been effectively torpedoed by the refusal of the Baloch nationalist parties to
attend, as well as the setting of conditions by the PML-N which the
government is unlikely to meet, going by what Mr Malik told the meeting.
As for arresting former President Pervez Musharraf in the Akbar Bugti
murder case, he said that he would get red warrants issued from Interpol if
the Balochistan government wrote to him. Throwing the blame on the
Balochistan government would not work, because the blame would come
on the PPP. As the hold-outs from the APC have pointed to the PPPs lack of
credibility, this only enhances the problem. Mr Maliks informing the
meeting that the number of missing persons was much lower than believed
either by the PML-N or the Baloch parties was also discouraging, because it
minimized the problem, even if it was positive in the sense that it at least
acknowledged that there was a problem. While Mr Maliks statement made
it evident that the Bugti murder case as well as the missing persons were
1183

both proper issues for the APC, it also made it seem that Mr Malik was
veering dangerously close to the view that these issues did not exist.
The meeting also examined several measures to improve the pace of
development in Balochistan, but Mr Malik showed no sign of understanding
that an existential threat was being posed to Pakistan. He also maintained
an ominous silence on the question of outside interference, possibly
because he wished to avoid treading on any toes

REVIEW
All the parties which had shown interest in memo scandal for one
reason or the other had quietly agreed to shut the case before it was actually
opened. This consensus had been reached after the realization that it would
be very difficult to punish the culprit(s) by any court of law; though
identification of the offender(s) is quite obvious in this case.
It would be difficult because Pakistans apex court which could not
get a letter written to Swiss authorities from Gilanis government could not
touch the accused that would have protection of the global power and its
puppets ruling Pakistan. No one will risk giving any incriminating evidence.
Despite this unpleasant, rather harsh, realization the judicial
commission could not forego recording the statement of Mansoor Ijaz,
though many had wished and even advised as such. The amended Evidence
Act of Pakistan has made the use of technology permissible.
Zahid Bokhari, counsel of Hussain Haqqani, remained restless
throughout the recording of Mansoors statement. He seemed an expert of
reading body-language rather than letters of law under which the evidence
related to a case is evaluated. This practicing lawyer, however, did not
regard oral and written evidence more important than body language.
He, after having been shocked and awed by the decision of judicial
commission to record statement of Mansoor Ijaz via video link, kept
behaving like a lunatic. He asked the commission to postpone the hearing
because he could not get British visa in time to be present in Pakistan High
Commission, London. Surprisingly, the man who could issue thousands of
visas in one night could not arrange one for his legal counsel.
Zahid kept insisting, till he was told to be shut, that his presence in
London was necessary so that he could frame questions during crossexamination depending on the body-language of Mansoor Ijaz. Despite
1184

Zahid Bokharis unreasonable attitude the judicial commission heard

Mansoor for three days, before adjourning till 2nd March when he would be
cross-examined.
Mansoor Ijaz had finished his testimony on memo in two days but
then he prayed to the commission to listen to him for one more day, which
was granted. What he said on third day mostly related to Haqqanis reaction
to publication of Ijazs article in Financial Times. this part of Ijazs statement
could be termed as refined version of Sardarjis proverbial utterance of
moreover.
To conclude it might be said that those who want the culprits to be
taken to task were still not very optimistic despite the statement of Mansoor
Ijaz. They have reasons to apprehend that the judiciary would also join
others in listening to the advice of Chaudhry Shujaat, but with little
variation: karvai pao, phair miti pao.
26th February, 2012

CONTEMPT COMPOUNDED

1185

Till the eve of appearing before the Supreme Court, Gilani and other
PPP leaders continued harping loud and clear that no letter would be written
to Swiss authorities. When the charge sheet on the same count was read out
in the court room, Gilani rejected the charge and vowed to contest.
And, outside the Supreme Court Gilanis information minister and
Zardaris spokesman were compounding the contempt by reiterating that
Para 178 of the NRO verdict would never be implemented, yet the bench
gave two weeks to AGP and Aitzaz to prepare prosecution and defence
respectively for the contempt case. It was quite intriguing that both of them
were men of choice of the accused.
The prevalent situation was aptly described by the renowned
cartoonist Maxim. In one of his latest cartoons for TheNation he showed a
man lying on rail-track and telling his wife standing besides him: Begum if
train comes I will be a martyr; if it doesnt come I will be a martyr. The man
was Saint from Multan and Prime Minister of Pakistan.
He knew very well that through courtesy of GA Bilour the trains
seldom come in Pakistan. And, even the danger so depicted has never
materialized in Pakistan. The judicial trains often come rumbling and rattling
contempt but always stopped short of crushing anyone. Gilani being
descendant of Ghaus-ul-Azam must have been blessed with revelation that
no train would turn up.
But many Pakistanis hoped that the train might come this time. With
bundles of evidence submitted and copy of that handed over to the counsel
of Gilani, now a Senator, the people expected some logical outcome of the
proceedings that would commence from February 28.

NEWS
On 13th February, Prime Minister Gilani arrived at the Supreme Court
along with Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Asfandyar Wali, federal ministers,
Governor Punjab and a large number of members of the parliament and
leaders belonging to PPP. He was indicted for contempt of court for willfully
defying the Supreme Court judgment requiring him to write to Swiss
authorities for reopening cases against the NRO beneficiaries, including
President Zardari. If convicted, Gilani could be imprisoned for six months
and face possible removal from office after being disqualified from holding
public office for five years.

1186

The prime minister appeared in person and within minutes of

appearing Justice Nasirul Mulk read out the indictment. Gilani pleaded not
guilty and said he would defend his case. Two-page charge-sheet signed by
all seven judges of the bench read. Attorney General was asked by the apex
court to act as the prosecutor by the Court. He would produce the relevant
documents and list of the witnesses by February 16 and then exhibit them in
the court on February 22. The court dismissed Barrister Zafarullahs plea to
become party in the case.
Gilanis counsel Aitzaz Ahsan said: I have to file nomination paper
for Senate in Lahore and from 18th to 21st (of February) I will be in London
so give me time to file the reply. The court adjourned hearing of the case till
February 22, asking Aitzaz to file the defence document and list of the
witnesses by February 27. The evidence of the defence will be recorded on
28th, after that, a date will be set for trial.
Some experts pointed out that President Zardari could pardon Gilani
by using his powers. S M Zafar was of the view that if Gilani is convicted
and is granted a presidential pardon, the amnesty would apply only to the
punishment handed down by the court while the conviction would remain on
record. Therefore, he says, the premier could be disqualified despite securing
presidential pardon.
In the wake of NROs judgment, it was incumbent upon the federal
government to implement it, particularly with reference to revival of the
cases outside the country. On different occasions the federal government and
the prime minister were asked to implement the order, but the same was not
done.
Soon after the indictment of Prime Minister, the coalition parties
heads gathered at PMs House and expressed solidarity with the Prime
Minister and pledged to stand by him. All the coalition partners were
appreciative of the demeanor of the Prime Minister in the courtroom and
once pledged that the government would continue to work together for
continuation of the political and democratic process in the country by
avoiding clash between the institutions.
Earlier talking to media persons outside the Supreme Court of
Pakistans building PML-Q President Ch. Shujaat Hussain said that he had
given good piece of advice, how to get out of crisis but he did not disclose
what exactly he had said to the Premier Gilani a day before. Similarly
signals have also come from the MQM Quaid Altaf Hussain from London

1187

wherein he had stressed upon the government to respect the proceedings of

the Supreme Court of Pakistan and avoid confrontational course.
Imran Khan asked Prime Minister to step down under the light of his
induction in the contempt of court proceedings. He posed a question to the
Pakistan Peoples Party-led government What moral justification does
Prime Minister Gilani have after being charged with contempt-of-court? He
said that democracy is governed by morality, not force, as force remains
with the armed forces. Why was the contempt done? Imran questioned.
Was this done to benefit or to serve the people of the country? No.
Nawaz Sharif demanded of the government to write the letter asked
by the Supreme Court o Swiss authorities so that peoples money could be
brought back from Swiss banks. He criticized the government and its allies
for not respecting court verdict and aspirations of the nation for getting back
the public money, looted and moved abroad. He also blamed the government
for hiding behind immunity.
The process for the Senate polls, scheduled for March 2, started as
candidates from various political parties submitted their nomination papers
at the offices of the ECP in the federal and provincial capitals. The
nomination papers will be scrutinized on coming February 16 and 17, while
the rejected candidates could file appeals on February 22 and 23. The final
list of contestants would be displayed on February 24.
An MQM activist was shot dead whilst three dead bodies, stuffed in
gunny bags, were found in different areas of Karachi. Tension erupted in
Kharadar, Lea Market, Khadda Market and Jodia Bazaar where shops were
closed. The Rangers arrested 40 suspects in separate raids whereas the police
apprehended six men allegedly involved in various crimes.
Next day, the NA unanimously passed 20th Amendment Bill 2012,
which would primarily give a constitutional cover to some 28
parliamentarians placed under suspension on the directives of the apex court.
The amendment will also guarantee establishment of an independent
Election Commission and appointment of a neutral chief election
commissioner and impartial caretaker set-ups at the federal and provincial
levels to ensure free and fair elections in the country.
The Supreme Court directed the Defence and Interior Secretaries to
submit a detailed report over the Railways lands under the possession of
armed forces. The court expressed dismay over the Railways Chairman, who
did not turn up despite the court notice, and directed him to ensure his
personal appearance on next hearing. Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad
1188

Chaudhry observed that it had become culture of the country that law was
enforced only on poor and no one dared to touch the influential.
Meanwhile, the federal cabinet unanimously reposed confidence in
the leadership of Prime Minister Gilani and applauded his conduct in the
Supreme Court. Two activists of Sipah-e-Sahaba were shot dead by known
gunmen in Karachi.
On 15th February, Marvi Memon said 20th Amendment was a golden
opportunity to include minimum electoral reform agenda, but that has not
been done. I had personally been leading one of those caucuses in my
parliamentary days and so I am eyewitness to the wealth of superb
recommendations parliamentarians from all sides of the divide could have
included in the 20th Amendment.
Imran Khan asked the federal government to call All Parties
Conference for adopting a way to appoint the interim set-up for holding next
general elections. He criticized the PML-N, PPP and other coalition partners
for passing the 20th Amendment, saying his party would not allow anyone to
act against the peoples will. He said the amendment had not been made for
the people but it was a compromise of the PPP and PML-N to save their own
interests. Meanwhile, three senior PML-N of KPK resigned from the party.
Next day, Attorney General submitted four volumes of documentary
evidence before the Supreme Court regarding contempt of court proceedings
against Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani for not implementing the
apex court judgment on NRO. The AG has not submitted any list of the
witnesses. His stance is that this is civil nature contempt; therefore, there
was no need of witnesses. But former acting Attorney General Shah Khawar
and former Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan told The Nation that if
they were summoned in the case, they would appear as witnesses.
The AGP said proceedings regarding the NRO case were civil in
nature, but the court had directed him to act as a prosecutor under Order 27,
Rule 7, of the Supreme Court Rules, 1980, which was applicable in criminal
contempt of court. He said he would contend on the next date of hearing that
such an order regarding him to work, as a Prosecutor General was not
applicable. He said he would express his viewpoint to the court, but he was
bound to obey the courts order.
An international money-laundering watchdog added Pakistan,
Indonesia, Ghana, Tanzania and Thailand to its blacklist of nations that fail
to meet international standards. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has

1189

found that those five countries were flaunting recommendations made to

them toward fighting money-laundering and financing terrorism.
Assets of Senate nominees Babar Awan, Aitzaz Ahsan, Zulfiqar Khosa
and Zafarullah were challenged in the Election Commission. Babar Awan
has assets worth Rs20.5 million in Spain, while Aitzaz Ahsan and his wife
have 27 bank accounts. Zulfiqar Khosa of PML-N pays tax of Rs 7,000 a
year. Babar Awan pays agricultural tax worth Rs 3000.
On 18th February, the probe into the assassination of Benazir Bhutto,
ordered by the Interior Ministry, revealed that Musharraf orchestrated the
murder through two police officers and TTP leader Baitullah Mehsud. The
report to be submitted before the Sindh Assembly says a cell had been
established at Room No 96 of Haqqania Madrassa, Akora Khattak, to plan
the execution and the students of the seminary were in contact with
Baitullah.
But the plot was originally finalized in Waziristan, while Baitullah
executed the al-Qaedas orders on December 27, 2007 and assigned various
groups the task to carry out suicide bombings with the assistance of
Musharraf and the two police officers. Members of Sindh Assembly were
upset over Rehman Maliks decision to abort briefing over murder of
Benazir as had been promised by him. Maulana Sami-ul-Haq denied
involvement of Madrassa Haqqania.
Next day, Gilani while commenting on the contempt charges framed
against him said he would either be martyred or return as a victor. In his
address to thousands of women and children who had gathered for the
Baiktiar Aurat, Mazboot Pakistan (Empowered Women, Strong Pakistan)
rally, the MQM chief Altaf Hussain said that to make Pakistan stronger and
more prosperous it was essential to ensure the empowerment of its women.
On 20th February, the Supreme Court directed its office to make
arrangements for showing the footage of the Press conference held by Dr
Babar Awan along with other PPP leaders at PID on December 1 wherein
they ridiculed the court order to constitute a Commission on memo scam.
Justice Athar Saeed, member of two-member bench during the proceedings,
said: We have noted the conduct of those lawyers who made mockery of the
court when contempt of court notice was issued to Babar Awan.
Barrister Zafar on behalf of Babar Awan had filed a reply to a
contempt of court notice issued to his client. He argued that the court is like
a parent while the alleged contemner is similar to an errant child, and this is

1190

why the world over this contempt jurisdiction is used sparingly, in

exceptional circumstances and not by way of punishment.
Another expressed serious concerns over the increase in number of
Polio and Hepatitis C cases in the country, holding the faults in drug
regulator mechanism responsible for the insurgence of disease. The matter of
Polio and Hepatitis C was taken up by the two-member bench during a
hearing of suo-motu on the deaths of the cardiac patients due to spurious
medicines provided by the Punjab Institute of Cardiology. The court would
review the reasons behind the increase in Polio and Hepatitis cases besides
the drugs reaction issue of PIC.
IHC directed ISI chief to ensure presence of an army major before it
on next hearing scheduled for March 14 of missing persons case. Families
of Doctor Qayyum and Doctor Waheed had filed a petition with the court
saying the two had gone missing from Rahim Yar Khan last August. The
families, in the petition, claimed that Major Tariq had allegedly kept the two
doctors under illegal custody and subjected them to torture in agencys office
located at Sector G-9 in Islamabad.
Senate passed the 20th Constitutional Amendment with two-thirds
majority after government mustered support of all the parliamentary parties
except Jamaat-i-Islami (JI). The bill was passed after payment of record
development of funds to Senators and Rs8 billion package to FATA area.
Meanwhile, five people were killed in Karachi violence.
In compliance with the resolution passed by the Sindh Assembly,
which urged the federal government to make public the findings of the probe
into murder of Benazir, the federal minister along with the JIT members
from the FIA and police, briefed the house on the findings on 21 st February.
The report said the assassination was planned and implemented by the
Taliban, while at least 27 terrorist groups associated with al-Qaeda and TTP
had been planning to eliminate Benazir because of her firm belief in
democracy and strong stance against the extremists.
Malik told the Sindh Assembly members that the government was in
the final stages of asking the Interpol to help arrest Musharraf by issuing a
red notice, adding that his name had already been mentioned in the final
challan of the FIR, as he had deliberately denied the VVIP security to
Benazir Bhutto on her return to the country.
JIT chief Khalid Qureshi said they had examined the then IB chief
Aijaz Shah, whose name was mentioned by Shaheed Benazir Bhutto in the
email, but he had not cooperated with them. However, he said, the findings
1191

did not show any link between Aijaz and the assassins. Similarly, Saud Aziz
claimed that he took the decision of hosing the scene on his own and he did
not get any instruction from Musharraf, the JIT chief said.
Malik said the TTP chief, Baitullah Mehsud conspired, planned and
financed the suicide bombers. The JIT report says Saeed Bilal, with the help
of Qari Ismail, carried out the suicide hit on October 18, 2007, adding that
the DNA samples retrieved from his body parts matched with those collected
from the clothes at his house.
Malik recalled that on October 18, 2007 in Karachi, some people
wanted to throw a child towards Benazir, but she did not accept the offer
and said the baby was a dummy carrying a bomb, adding that the terrorists
adopted the idea from Palestine, where dummy baby had been used in
bombing.
The minister said renowned journalist Mark Siegel in his statement
said Musharraf, in his presence, threatened Benazir in a telephonic
conversation not to return home before the 2007 polls. And he would not be
responsible for her security in case she did not follow his dictates. But
Benazir categorically declared that the decision to come to Pakistan was
final and of her own.
Malik said he tried to get a confirmation of Afghan President Hamid
Karzais statement, who had advised Benazir not to return to Pakistan as
terrorists were planning to kill her, but Karzai refused to do so. Similarly,
former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, who in her book claimed
that she arranged reconciliation between Benazir and Musharraf, but she was
also not ready to record her version.
To a question, Malik said he was not in charge of Benazirs security
and had been assigned the task to negotiate with Musharraf and his team as
well as PML-N, MQM and other political parties for reconciliation in the
country. Malik also caused aspersions on Nawaz Sharif for his links with alQaeda and Taliban.
On 22nd February, AGP submitted before the Supreme Court certified
copies of judicial verdicts and orders passed earlier by the court in support of
contempt of court charges against Prime Minister Gilani. The court rejected
a plea against Attorney Generals acting as a prosecutor in the contempt
matter against the prime minister. The court directed PMs counsel Aitzaz
Ahsan to submit complete evidence to the court by February 27 and
adjourned the hearing until Feb 28. Meanwhile, the ECP failed to follow the
Supreme Courts directives to finalize voters lists.
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On 25th February, Prime Minister Gilani interacted with media and

hinted at creating around one hundred thousand job opportunities in the
country and announced that his government would present tax-free next
budget. He said that it was the opposition which had violated the Charter of
Democracy (CoD) by fielding their candidates on the seats which were
previously held by the PPP.
He denied making any bargain for the passage of the 20th Amendment
and said that it was actually the outcome of the policy of reconciliation and
consensus being pursued by the PPP led coalition government. To a question
about the possible fallout of the Contempt of Court hearing against him,
Gilani said it was not a rocket science as he would either be a Shaheed or
Ghazi.
Regarding the shortage of power and gas, Gilani said the government
has been taking a number of steps to overcome the shortages. On the issue of
Seraiki province, PM said that he was committed to fulfill the demands of
the people of southern Punjab as their grievances were grave. Answering a
question about Khuram Rasool, who is being investigated for corruption
charges, the prime minister said these charges against Khuram relate to a
time prior to his assuming the office of adviser to PM.
About the resolution in the US House of Representatives on
Balochistan, he said, it had already been clarified by the US. To a question
about the Defah-i- Pakistan Council which is opposing resuming of NATO
supplies, Gilani said its leaders were not popular among the masses.
PPP and PML-N were proved equally strong in Multan as they won
one seat each in the by-polls held on Saturday. PPP also retained the vacant
seat NA-168 in Vehari, while ANP was leading the much-awaited race for
NA-09 Mardan. A total of ten seats, six of National Assembly and four of
provincial legislatures, were to be decided in the bye-polls. PML-F was sure
to win in NA 195. The battle between two independents for NA 140 Kasur
was close, as Dr Azeem-ud-Din Lakhvi got 47, 477 votes, while Malik
Rashid, also enjoying the support of PML-N, obtained 47, 213 votes.
Festivities proved fatal, as aerial fire claimed a life during a rally by
the PPP workers, as they celebrated the victory of Syed Musa Gilani, the
PPP candidate and son of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. It resulted in
immediate reaction by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who ordered
an inquiry into the incident.
There were reports of incidents of violence and a low voter turnout in
other constituencies, as rivals used the opportunity to flex their muscles for
1193

the next general elections expected later in the year. In a disgusting incident,
PPP candidate Waheeda Shah lost her temper at a polling station of PS-53
Tando Muhammad Khan and thrashed the polling staff.
Imran Khan pledged the people of Umerkot, after Swat, that he would
free them from clutches of the landlords. Separatists attacked railway tracks
at 14 locations across the Sindh and jammed rails movement for hours. The
Interior Ministry issued directives to the FIA to contact the Interpol for
issuing red warrants for former Musharraf in Benazir Bhutto murder case.
Next day, the provincial election commissioner received the report on
the incident of manhandling of a woman assistant presiding officer, Shagfuta
Memon, by the ruling PPP candidate, Waheeda Shah, at a polling station
during the by-election to PS-53, Tando Muhammad Khan. Meanwhile, PPP
candidate arranged a press conference along with the victim presiding
officer, who happened to be fake. Meanwhile, ANP activist was among three
killed in Karachi.

VIEWS
On 14th February, The News Commented: Indeed, the prime minister
has become the face of the governments brazen refusal to write to
authorities in Switzerland asking them to re-open corruption cases against
President Zardari and the contempt indictment could see him jailed for six
months and disqualified from office. After the PMs intra-court appeal was
rejected by the court last week, we hoped against hope that the prime
minister would finally do the right thing and instead of falling for party
loyalty, he would stand up for rule of law. But the much hoped for did not
happen in Courtroom No. 4; the expected did. Do you plead guilty?
asked Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk. No, said the prime minister, who had
swept into court dressed to the nines and looking like he hadnt a care in the
world.
The court has now ordered the attorney general to prosecute the
case Its never too late to do the right thing, and the right thing would be
for the chief executive to set an example of submitting to the rule of law
regardless of the adverse political and personal costs involved. This case is
no longer about President Zardaris immunity or PM Gilanis unflinching
loyalty towards him; it is a defining moment in Pakistans politicojudicial history, one that cannot be sacrificed at the altar of selfish

1194

leadership. Democracy trumps autocracies and the misrule of military

juntas primarily because of its moral authority as exemplified by the rulers.
If the verdict of the countrys top court is blatantly violated by the countrys
top elected leaders, we can call this a dark moment not only for one mans
political fortunes but for democracy itself. The prime minister may be hailed
as a hero within his own partys ranks, but history will definitely not be as
kind to him in its own hour of judgment.
TheNation wrote: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday
became the first head of government in Pakistans history to have been
indicted for committing contempt of court. He is accused of flouting the
Supreme Courts decision advising the government to write to the Swiss
authorities about reopening the corruption cases against President Asif Ali
Zardari. The court told Mr Gilani, who appeared before it, that under the
Constitution he was obliged to obey judicial verdicts. But, in this particular
case, he had failed to abide by the order contained in para 178 of the
Supreme Court judgment
It would be recalled that Mr Gilani had, in his previous appearance
before the court, refused to rethink his position and tender an apology
Although there have been reports that the PPP would make a public show
of defiance of the court in the eventuality of Mr Gilanis conviction, the
latest advice given by saner elements within the party and allies appears to
be not to clash with the judiciary, but accept its decision. Speculations are
also making the rounds that the President might pardon him, as he has done
in some previous cases of close associates. But that would not undo the
penalty of Mr Gilanis disqualification, albeit for a limited period. One
would very much like to hope that the President does not exercise this
privilege; for, it would once again prove that the leadership is ready to go to
any extent to save its skin, even if that meant disobeying explicit judicial
verdicts. The manner in which the ruling leadership has violated the court
injunctions has already brought a bad name to Pakistan in the eyes of the
world. Democracy, restored in the country after a long and arduous struggle,
already stands greatly weakened, thanks to the rulers shenanigans. Any
further jolts would pose too great a danger for its survival for the nation to
bear with equanimity. To avoid that calamity, the government must change
its attitude of being above the law.
Next day, Dr Farooq Hassan wrote: On the last day of the hearing of
contempt case, the Supreme Court (SC) had ruled Keeping in view the
current state of this important matter involving international law, other
countries and domestic constitutional developments, it is necessary to
1195

understand the situation properly. Under international law, money laundering

is the most serious of contemporary crimes and now specifically designated
as such by the international conventions of the UN. On the NRO case, I had
earlier deliberated that Pakistan is a signatory to this treaty and thus bound
to act upon it. No head of state can claim immunity under any
international law or convention, if guilty of money laundering. Ex
hypothesis, if President Zardari felt that the money in the Swiss banks
genuinely belonged to him, he would have surely declared it before the
Swiss authorities to end this process.
Nevertheless, the facts of the Swiss case are so damning against the
accused as to make us realize why the PMs counsel did not press the
immunity issue after raising it in the contempt case. Even a moments
reflection would bear this emphasis. Mr Zardari had not only been
convicted in October 2007, but also his appeal against his conviction was
rejected by the Swiss Court of Appeals on March 19, 2008. Not only this,
it had even rejected his plea to exclude the State of Pakistan as a civil party
from the money laundering case; it may be emphasized that Pakistan had
made requests of mutual legal assistance as well. The Zardari government
never brought this to the notice of the court, nor did it sought any relief for
it. So, this vital distinction has never been clearly spelled out by the
government. But why?
Perhaps, to keep the pretence of it being somehow a criminal matter
and thus conceivably covered by the immunity clause of the Constitution.
The involvement of the State of Pakistan was under the general rules of
international law pertaining to procuring the mutual assistance from another
sovereign state; this particular request for mutual assistance pertained to a
state claim to have a verdict in its favour in the property on question that at
the relevant time was in the physical control of that state. Initially, the
criminal process began since Jens Schlegelmilch, the manager of the
company that had been set up by the accused, was a Swiss citizen thus
enabling the local authorities to proceed against him. Furthermore, Zardaris
plea that the Swiss Court of Appeals should keep the issue pending till the
court in Pakistan, the then Dogar court, decides the fate of NRO was also
decisively rejected for being utterly irrelevant to the merits of the appeal
filed by the accused; thus, furnishing no grounds whatsoever to him.
The Court of Appeals found Zardaris appeal so weak that it even
ordered the costs and fees to be paid by the appellant. Whether these
crucial facts were purposely withheld or the PMs counsel may not have
known these matters, the reality is that Zardari had presented such a poor
1196

case before the Swiss courts that despite being convicted he was ordered to
bear its expenses; be that as it may, the case in Geneva shows eloquently the
modus operandi of those who wield power in Pakistan.
At the time, the Pakistani government played its final part. The
Swiss trial court was to sentence Zardari on the basis of conviction by
investigating magistrate, which had been upheld by the Swiss Court of
Appeal consisting of three judges. It was presided over by Judge Valerie
Laemmle-Juilliard, along with two judges Mr Louis Peila and Mrs Carole
Barbey, who had rejected all the pleas and passed an order OCA/67/2008
that was delivered on March 19, 2008, within the legal time of three months.
To satisfy the Swiss law, Attorney General Malik Qayyum withdrew the
requests of mutual legal assistance, thereby surrendering the civil party
status of the State of Pakistan for claiming its right on the plundered money
lying in the Swiss banks. It is also noteworthy that at the time of the post2008 elections, Malik Qayyum had continued as Attorney General just
to undertake this ugly task. Just after the passage of the NRO in 2007,
Zardari sent Farouk H. Naek to Switzerland for the same purpose. However,
he had returned empty-handed because the Swiss authorities had told him
that that was not possible!
The Swiss concept was that there had to be a direct order, rather than
a general kind of law to bring about the desired result by Zardari, which
should come from the Attorney General rather than the government; the
Swiss authorities believed the Attorney General to be independent as it is
in their case. So instead of going home after the 2008 elections, Malik
Qayyum proceeded on this mission for which he got a few more months
in office.
The immunity matter, therefore, has no substantive value to the
contempt case and this realization forced the PMs counsel to just not argue
anything about this point during the two days that he presented this case.
The learned judges reminded him about this striking omission. Furthermore,
the court was well aware of the fact that in the NRO matter itself was this
immunity point ever raised by either the government or the President.
On the matter relating to contempt, the PMs counsel contended
with the astounding admission that Mr Gilani did not read the detailed
verdict of the SC and had acted on the advice of his legal aides. He also
submitted that different benches of the apex court had taken up the matter
of implementation of courts order on the NRO; however, the PM was not
held responsible for not abiding by the court order. Even a moments
1197

reflection will show that the court was deeply concerned about the constant
delays by the government on the issue. These are, to put it mildly, strange
tactics that display a devastatingly lack of application by the PM, both in the
style of his working and pursuit of the case in court. Anyway, the PM cannot
be allowed to plead the kind of ignorance that is being pleaded on his behalf
by his own counsel. As such, it is obvious that the defence having adopted
the plea of saying that PM is not guilty as charged would mean either an
acquittal or conviction in the absence of an apology; manifestly, it seems
legally probable, that should his lawyers surmises be rejected by the court
there would be a conviction of the PM.
It is apparent that the writing of the letter to Swiss authorities is
not covered by this supposed embargo of immunity, nor in substantive
terms does it prohibit them from annulling the earlier decision to stop the
hearings of this case before it was unlawfully stopped by the antics of the
infamous NRO declared as such by the SC. The questions, however, remain:
If the stage has been reached to take the shelter of international conventions
to hide the alleged corruption of the President, what is left to be said to
anybody with any dignity? Is morality an alien concept when we deal with
the top leadership of the country?
Roedad Khan commented: A long line of thinkers, going back to
Aristotle have spoken of the middle class as an enforcer of democracy and
the rule of law. The middle class is the backbone of Pakistan. It provides
the social glue that holds society together.
By middle class, I mean people who are neither at the top nor at the
bottom of their societies in terms of income. It means people who are
relatively well-educated, own property and are technologically
connected to the outside world. They mobilize easily as a result of their
access to technology. The chief instigators of the Arab Spring were welleducated Tunisians and Egyptians whose expectations for jobs and political
participation were stymied by corrupt, authoritarian rulers.
In the course of its evolution, the capitalist society necessarily
becomes polarized into two classes: the rich and the poor. This is what is
happening in Pakistan today. The country has bifurcated into these classes.
The yawing gap between the two is increasing, with a tenuous common
culture linking them.
There was always a gap between the rich and the poor in this
country, but it wasnt this big. What is worse, the salt of the earth poor are
preyed upon by a decadent, nefarious financial elite. The rich live in gated,
1198

affluent enclaves, segregated from the poor who live like animals in
disorganized slums lacking drinking water, electricity, gas and other
necessities of life. You might say the two live on different planets.
The rich are getting richer; the poor are getting poorer and rapidly
increasing in numbers No nation has ever lost an existing middle class
but Pakistan is in danger of losing it. If the middle class withers, what
might Pakistan look like? The middle class should be the barrier that
protects the citizens from the howling winds of revolution. If it withers
away, who will be able to stand the winds that follow?
The middle class has always played a major role as a stabilizer
and harbinger of change in the politics of Pakistan. All the uprisings
against elected or unelected rulers in the history of our country were
bourgeois democratic revolutions, not real revolutions not simply the
removal of a ruler but the complete overthrow of the social, economic and
political structures. Revolution is like fever. It passes through different
stages. That is what is happening in Pakistan today. Khan recalled Lawyers
Movement in this context.
He then added: After the restoration of the deposed judges, the clock
of history had stopped. Now it has started again. While political leaders are
dithering, the middle class is preparing for another showdown. Today, they
are, in the words of Marx, the bulldozer of history and are writing a page of
history that would one day be read and admired by their children. Unlike the
Arab Spring which produced flowers of a decidedly Islamist hue, the
political awakening in Pakistan is driving the middle class into the arms
of Imran Khan with his clarion call for corruption-free politics, good
governance and change radical change, not cosmetic change.
In Imrans public meetings, one can see a clean, neatly-dressed
crowd, a variegated mixture of people with faces that betray intellectual
pursuits: lawyers, clerks, professors, students, engineers, school teachers,
civil service employees, shopkeepers and traders. The predominant
element in the picture is the de-classed middle class, creatures visibly
down at the heel, spiritually crushed in the struggle with everyday reality,
distraught under a perpetual worry about the indispensable necessities of
life. They are mostly young.
One thing is clear: the youth of today, the new angry ones are the
light at the end of the long, dark tunnel. Today Imran alone represents the
passionate optimism of the youth. There is an authentic feel to him. Let us
hope he bends historys arc back toward justice
1199

In the current political debate one hears only two words. The
first is leadership. The second is change. The rest, as the French say, is du
blah blah. If the people decide that clean, honest, dynamic leadership in
sync with the spirit of the times, is more important, they will elect Imran but
if they decide that tried and trusted leadership should be given another
chance, they will, as Dr Samuel Johnson said of second marriages, embrace
hope over experience and re-elect Nawaz Sharif or Zardari.
On 16th February, TheNation wrote: The National Assembly has
passed the 20th Amendment unanimously. While the affected legislators
experience relief at not being unseated, the major political parties would
prefer to dwell on the provisions relating to the Election Commission and
the setting up of interim governments that were also included. The
Amendment was made necessary to avoid the unseating of legislators
elected in by-elections carried out by an incomplete Election Commission.
The opposition took this opportunity to have some amendments made to the
Constitution which also reduced the role of the President in the appointment
of caretaker governments. This also made sure that the Election Commission
had a role in resolving any dispute that arose over such appointments, at
both the federal and provincial levels. This role was made necessary by the
ignoring of consultation with the Leader of the Opposition that the
government has practiced so far in respect to other appointments where there
is supposed to be consultation. This has given the opposition some
assurance that its input into these crucial appointments will not be
ignored. It was already settled at the time of the passage of the 18th
Amendment that there were supposed to be caretaker governments, even
though the original 1973 Constitution did not include them. So it was
perhaps inevitable that these provisions would be subject to amendment. The
issue was given more importance by the fact that the opposition has been
demanding elections which might take place later this year.
One of the most important things to keep in mind is that this
provision is part of the Constitution. It will govern any future election, and
as such demands from all the parties which have passed it complete
obedience. The unanimity of the passage also means that the Senate should
also see smooth passage, and since the Amendment was the result of an
agreement by the parties, there should be no problem with its receiving
presidential assent. Since the nation has been traumatized by a number of
issues, such as the NRO implementation and the Memogate Affair, it was
something of a relief to have this matter resolved. It was perhaps not
going to be something to break the government that there would have been
1200

so many legislators unseated, but it would not have been conducive to

smooth governance
Ameer Bhutto commented: I watched a show on television some time
ago in which a young contortionist, in an amazing display of flaccidity and
litheness, passed his entire body through the frame of a tennis racket. It was
an incredible sight. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is trying to achieve
an even more spectacular feat: he is trying to pass his unconstitutional
conduct, specifically the non-implementation of the NRO verdict, through
the eye of the constitutional needle. Judging from his indictment for
contempt of court on February 13, he does not appear to be having
much success.
The position adopted by the prime minister is totally untenable. On
the one handthey say doing so would amount to putting the grave of
Benazir Bhutto on trial. On the other hand, the prime minister has pleaded
not guilty to charges of contempt of court. If he is adamant about not writing
the letters, a stand further confirmed by the information minister
immediately after the prime ministers indictment, then it is a non sequitur
that he is not guilty of contempt.
All talk of not putting Benazir Bhuttos grave on trial is a
smokescreen, an appeal to peoples emotions, on which the Peoples Party
thrives in lieu of any political substance or vision. No legal system in the
world is so blind as to put a deceased person on trial. The real issue is
that of saving Zardari from prosecution for corruption.
In his first appearance before the Supreme Court in this matter, the
prime minister blurted out that he could not implement paragraph 178 of the
NRO verdict because the president enjoyed immunity Subsequently, the
court repeatedly pressed his lawyer, Aitzaz Ahsan, to convince them on the
matter of presidential immunity; he declined on the grounds that his brief
was limited to the contempt of court case. He chose, instead, to defend his
client on the grounds that he could not be held in contempt of court because
he was following rules of procedure and was acting on the advice rendered
to him by his advisers, including the law secretary and the attorney general.
This is a pretty lame defence in light of the fact that three AGs resigned
because the government refused to heed their advice on this matter.
The prime minister is under no compulsion to act on anyones advice
as he is ultimately responsible for his decisions and the consequences that
flow from them. He must give precedence to court rulings, which he is
constitutionally bound to follow, over the informal and subjective advice of
1201

any advisers or state functionaries. The Supreme Courts NRO ruling

leaves no room for exercise of discretion. It is not up to the prime minister
or his advisers to decide whether or not to implement a court ruling.
The contempt case which could have been wrapped up in one
hearing by asking the prime minister the simple question are you going to
write the letter or not?, has unnecessarily been dragged out till at least the
end of the month even though, prima facie, the prime minister has no fresh
line of defence that he has not already tried and tested to extricate himself
from this legal knot. The emperor has no clothes and he knows it.
As if it was not enough that Pakistan has had to endure
unmentionable global ignominy because of the soiled hands and ill-repute of
those who govern it, we must now also suffer through this prolonged
humiliation and uncertainty. The fact that the countrys pride and selfrespect are being dragged through mud due to the governments
obstinate defiance of the rule of law is evidently of scant significance for
those whose sole objective is survival in power to continue their recordbreaking loot and plunder of the state, come hell or high water.
But it matters deeply to the rest of us for whom strengthening the
state institutions and establishing supremacy of law is the only way forward.
Leaders have resigned and governments have fallen around the world on far
lesser grounds than this to save national institutions and interests from harm.
But here, in the land of the pure, the past of one man, whom this government
is going out of its way to protect, stands in the way. The whole nation has
been made hostage to the legal consequences of his misspent life.
The important question now is not regarding the fate that awaits
Yousuf Raza Gilani. He may have sealed his own fate with his impudent
defiance of the apex court, but in the larger scheme of things, he is
insignificant. The issue that we need to grapple with is establishing the
writ of law and dealing with the real impediments. So what if Gilani is
sent to prison? Another prime minister will take his place. But will the next
prime minister implement the NRO verdict? How can he, when he is likely
to be handpicked by Zardari, who stands to lose the most with the
implementation of paragraph 178 of the NRO ruling and who has already
declared that his government will not implement it? Then what? Will the
next prime minister be sent to prison as well? And then what? Before we
know it, we will have a cozy little fraternity of prime ministers in Adiala jail,
but the NRO verdict, together with a long list of other judicial orders, will
remain unimplemented.
1202

Zardari is very fond of talking about mindsets. When asked whom

he was referring to as the qatil league, he said he was talking about a
mindset, though at that time he left little doubt as to whom he was
referring to. Well, there is also a mindset that is preventing the
implementation of the NRO verdict and it emanates from Aiwan-e-Sadar.
Unless this mindset is nipped at the source, it will continue to poison
our political and legal systems and sending a long line of prime
ministers to jail will not produce the desired result.
When Benazir Bhutto took over the leadership of the Peoples Party, it
underwent a dramatic transformation, leaving no doubt in anyones mind
that the party had distanced itself from its past under Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and
had been moulded into Benazirs own image. Similarly, when Zardari took
control of the party, he not only moved it even further from its original roots
but also distanced it from the identity it enjoyed under his wifes leadership.
Make no mistake about it; this Peoples Party is an entirely new entity,
owing allegiance only to Zardari, despite all the futile, hollow lip-service
paid to the Bhuttos who lie at rest in Garhi Khuda Bukhsh Bhutto, who are
now no more than convenient political ATM cards for the scavengers that
feed off their legacies.
Having jettisoned the ideology and vision of the Bhuttos to make room for
a corrupt mafahimat and a vile, unquestioned servitude of foreign masters,
these wily scavengers know that if Zardari falls, they will fall with him.
As long as Zardari occupies Aiwan-e-Sadar, the present mindset will
prevail.
Next day, M A Niazi wrote: It is symptomatic of the general clamour
drowning out specific noises that the Prime Ministers supplementary
declaration, that the cases against the President are politically motivated, did
not drawdown the sort of accusations that followed what he said about the
military. Or perhaps, no one really believed that there was need for any
more evidence that he was on a collision course with the judiciary. The
political motivation argument would stand the test of a Swiss court, where
the Pakistani state has no influence, not even that (which it still has in
Pakistan) of a court feeling the need to prove its independence.
One glaring motive is that of saving the President and that statement
by the Prime Minister reveals it. However, what the PPP should realize is
that the Supreme Court has nothing against the President. But not
having anything against him does not mean favouring him. If the Prime

1203

Minister expects the Supreme Court to help in covering up any crimes

committed by the President, he is mistaken.
The Prime Minister has taken the stand that conviction would mean
losing office. That would mean a replacement, and it has already been
decided that that would come from within the ranks of the PPP. If that
indeed took place, then it would put off elections. It would also mean that
this Parliament, too, would see a change of Prime Minister before its
end. However, the removal of Mr Gilani would not solve the matter, for the
letter would still remain unwritten.
Then it would depend on the USA. That Musharraf had a pact with
the Presidents late wife, Benazir Bhutto, is borne out by then US Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice in her memoirs. Therefore, the present
government has USAs blessing. However, the present government has had
difficulties rooted in two things. First is US imperialism, which has made
them disliked. Then has been the regimes greed and incompetence which
has made it less useful than was supposed. There is still the memogate affair
in the background, which has more American figures than the NRO. The
President must not forget the fate of his predecessor.
On 21st February, TheNation observed: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza
Gilani has said that he would return from the Supreme Court either
victorious or a martyr. He said this at Pir Jo Goth The Supreme Court
would convict him unless it felt that his disobedience of its orders by not
writing to the Swiss authorities to re-institute the case against the President,
did not constitute contempt. Though he might portray his refusal as
martyrdom, only the President could regard it as such. He should
remember that after a conviction for contempt, one is not a martyr, but a
common criminal, a convicted contemner. And if acquittal means victory,
over whom? The Supreme Court? The Prime Minister claims to respect the
Court. Is this the language in which respect is expressed?
Two days later, the newspaper assed: Interior Minister Rehman Malik
briefed members of the Sindh Assembly on Tuesday about the joint
investigation teams findings into Benazir Bhuttos assassination that took
place on December 27, 2007. He, however, failed to make the eager
Pakistani, particularly her fans in the party, any wiser in that he unveiled
virtually nothing new Mr Malik vowed to bring former President
Musharraf back through the intercession of the Interpol any time soon
to stand trial for not providing adequate security to Ms Bhutto.

1204

Interestingly, at the same time, Mr Malik charged al-Qaeda and the

Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan with planning as well as executing the
assassination. He maintained that as many as 27 terrorist groups had been
involved and that Haqqania madrasah had been used for undertaking the
sordid affair. He could not say, though, whether Maulana Samiul Haq, who
runs the seminary, was in the know of it. The question is: How the Interior
Minister would establish collusion between the self-exiled President and
the militant outfits. It would hardly convince the man in the street, let alone
an informed person, who is quite aware that General (retd) Musharraf was,
in fact, fighting these outfits. That is what the war on terror is all about. He
could not possibly be in league with them, facilitating the murder. It is, thus,
doubtful whether the government would be able to persuade the Interpol to
issue red warrant, arrest and deport him to Pakistan on the basis of the
perception that he had not provided security in accordance with promise.
Reacting to Mr Maliks statement, General Musharraf said that he
was sure the Interpol would not touch him; the local administration and not
he, as President, was responsible for her security. He raised two questions:
who advised Ms Bhutto to raise her head out of the sunroof, and who
was beneficiary of her death? Considering the loopholes in the charge
against him in the PPP leaders case, one should have wished that he was
rather formally charged with the assassination of Nawab Akbar Bugti for
which the evidence implicating him was much more solid enough for the
Interpol to act. One really wonders whether the government is at all serious
about getting hold of dictator Musharraf and bringing him to trial.
The News wrote: The briefing given to the Sindh Assembly by
Interior Minister Rehman Malik about the death of Benazir Bhutto may not
have been earth-shattering but it certainly held everyone who heard it
spellbound. The briefing followed a demand by the assembly that the report
on the assassination of Benazir which had been kept a secret so far be
made public. After the talk and the slideshow in the Sindh Assembly, the
report was made public in Lahore. People everywhere wanted to know what
it said. We now know. It directly points an accusing finger at General (r)
Pervez Musharraf
New points have also been raised. One is that of the possible
involvement of some former students of the Darul Uloom Haqqania
seminary run in Akora Khattak by the leading cleric Maulana Samiul Haq.
This has, of course, been immediately denied, but does raise questions about
the possible scale of the plot and all the elements involved in it. Pervez
Musharraf, from abroad, has added to what will inevitably be a growing
1205

controversy saying Asif Ali Zardari knows precisely who killed his wife.
Also, there are some significant omissions, and insinuations, in the report.
There is no mention of PML-Q leaders whom the Peoples Party and Zardari
had accused earlier of having a hand in the deed. That party is now a key
PPP ally.
There is also an apparent effort to contort some realities. Naheed
Khan, who was Benazirs political secretary, is rather oddly held responsible
for her security or the lack of it while Rehman Malik, long believed to be
responsible for this key role, says he had nothing to do with it. How many
will be convinced? Other questions, such as those about the choice made of
the route for Benazirs entourage, go unanswered. However, now that the
report has been brought into the open, it can be discussed, matters of
credibility can be raised and the issue of an assassination that changed the
course of our history can be taken finally off the backburner where it had
lain for long with many wondering what ingredients were being stirred in
as the time passed.
On 26th February, Jalees Hazir observed: The government continues
to outsource its economic policy to the IMF bent upon squeezing the last
drops of blood from the poorest section of the country's population. The
democratic government is eager to disregard public outrage and open up the
NATO supply routes. The scary reality of Pakistan's democracy is that it has
nothing to do with public interest or popular opinion. The Zardari-led
dispensation can shout about their faith in democracy and make loud
claims about caring for the people, it can pretend that it is concerned about
the issues that affect the lives and livelihood of those it represents, but these
claims ring hollow for the people of Pakistan. As they say, actions speak
louder than words.
Raja Arsalan Khan discussed inadequacies in Imran Khans political
manifesto and then concluded: So far, you have failed to offer any
definite programme, particularly about the economy or the problems it
is facing. The kind of team you have gathered around yourself without
exceptions is rural-cum-feudal. With no specialist of any field, who can
make a difference in any particular sector, are you trying to prove that PTI is
a jack of all trades and master of none?'
Close to 60 years of age, you say you discovered the true Islam and
values. Is it the waning age or should we expect another discovery from you
after a few years? Voting for somebody should not be whimsical. I have

1206

been betrayed in the past too. So, I want to be sure this time, who should
I vote for. Isnt it my right?

REVIEW
The setting is not at all favourable for those who want rule of law
established in the country. As of today, a convict and an accused are
President and Prime Minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. In heavens, it
must have led Quaids head to hang in shame.
Gujrati cousins and descendants of Sarhadi Gandhi stand steadfastly
with the Scoundrel. It would be appropriate to recall that Chaudhry Zahoor
Elahi and Khan Wali Khan once sued Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for contempt of
court. Irony of Pakistani politics is that Chaudhry Shujaat son of Zahoor
Elahi and Asfandyar son of Wali Khan recently went to the Supreme Court
as allies of Bhuttos son-in-law to stand alongside his front man Gilani who
faced contempt charge.
Both have forgotten, or made to forget, the bitterness of the past. The
credit of this historic transformation goes to the Scoundrels politics of
reconciliation. Both of them were indebted, the former for NICL case and
the latter for giving new name to the province he belongs to.
The convict Scoundrel, the accused Saint and their allies have no
shame in all that is happening to them in courts and instead they feel some
kind of pride. Even a day before the Saint assembled countrys media men in
PM House and proudly announced that he would come out of the Supreme
Court of Islamic Republic of Pakistan as shaheed or ghazi.
The drama of martyrdom is linked to the forthcoming general
elections as the year 2012 has been often termed as an election year. The
Zardari regime, however, is not leaving everything solely to the drama of
Contempt of Court. It is working on many fronts with elections in mind; two
of these need brief mention.
PPP once again indulged in playing card-game by choosing the venue
of Sindh Assembly to brief parliamentarians about the progress made into
the probe into the murder of Benazir Bhutto. But, Interior Minister could
hardly add anything to what investigators had found within few days after
her assassination, except of course, that he accused Musharraf, Baitullah and
Naheed Khan of conniving in unison to kill his beloved leader.

1207

Persistent violence in Balochistan has been one the many issues which
tarnished image of the regime. The medication diagnosed was no different
from what the nation has been seeing in the past. APC (All Parties
Conference) the widely used medicine in self-prescription was
recommended by Gilani and Dr Rehman Malik recommended withdrawal of
criminal cases; as part of pardon policy of which he himself a beneficiary.
27th February, 2012

1208

COME CLEAN
Americas holy war on terror owned by Zardari and his political allies
raged almost everywhere in Pakistan from court-rooms to hill-tops. With
Pakistan already sandwiched into East-West two-front scenario, its NorthSouth outlets were being choked through escalation of sectarian violence to
unexpected places like Kohistan, where Gilgit-bound buses were stopped
and their Shiite passengers were shot dead.
At the week-end more than seventy people, including ten soldiers
were killed on a single day but their deaths did not draw appropriate
attention of the media as it was too busy reporting proceedings of
commissions and court rooms. In judicial commission probing memogate,
Mansoor Ijaz dropped few bomb-lets, which not only further complicated its
task but also that of the one probing Abbottabad raid.
Amid all this bloodshed and the one across western borders in the
wake of desecration of Holy Quran only the democracy continued its
fruitful journey. By-polls of assemblies and Senate elections were held
wherein the ruling parties strengthened their respective positions using
conventional means, while the masses wished clean dealings for a change.
They wanted too much, just as Mansoor Ijaz had wanted Hussain Haqqani to
come clean on memorandum.

NEWS
In Pakistan, a homemade bomb exploded next to a military patrol in
the Sararogha area of South Waziristan on 26 th February, killing two soldiers
and wounding another. Separately, militants fired rocket-propelled grenades
at a military check post in the Sarwakai area, killing two soldiers. Six
militants were killed when forces shelled their hideouts in Khyber Agency.
The operation conducted against the defunct Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) continued
on the second day with heavy artillery fire in Narai Baba, Tehsil Landikotal.
TheNation reported that the DG ISI, whose second term expires next
month, might be given another extension in service because of the critical
challenges to the national security. Recent reports had said that Karachi and
Lahore Corps Commanders were among the top contenders for the post.
Mansoor Ijaz said that BBM has refused to give him evidence. He
said he had presented all the evidence and now it was courts job to analyze

1209

it. Ijaz said his counsel Akram Sheikhs cross-examination of Husain

Haqqani could get lengthy and that perhaps the latter may not say yes.
Next day, a remote-controlled bomb fixed in a motorcycle hit the ANP
rally venue in Nowshera. Seven people were killed while 22 others,
including four policemen were injured. The bomb went off soon after chief
minister and other ministers had left the meeting.
Hina Rabbani Khar offered her services to defend the Obama
Administration on the issue of Balochistan resolution, saying that it was act
of an individual and in no way represented US government or even the
Congress for that matter. Hina said that Hillary told her that US government
has repeatedly said Balochistan is Pakistans internal matter, and there has
been no change in that stance.
On 28th February, four soldiers and ten militants were killed in a clash
in South Waziristan. A Chinese woman was among the two people gunned
down in a busy business area in Peshawar. Unknown men riding on a
motorcycle opened fire and killed the foreigner and her friend.
At least 18 people were killed when gunmen opened fire on a
passenger bus in Kohistan district as it traveled from Rawalpindi to Gilgit.
The ambush happened near the town of Harban, 130 miles north of the
capital Islamabad. Mostly Ismaili Shiites travel on this route.
General Kayani called on Prime Minister Gilani; they discussed
internal and external security situation and the Gilani met Zardari; the issued
discussed included Balochistan and appointments of new DG ISI and Air
Chief. Meanwhile, Mansoor Ijaz asked Haqqani to tell the truth.
The counsel of DG ISI and DG MI submitted the report about
detention of 11 missing persons as had been sought by the court. In his reply
it was said that they were detained under the provisions In Aid of Civil
Power Regulation 2011 which was promulgated by the President to cater for
such situation. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court was moved against political
wing of ISI begging its elimination.
Next day, Hillary threatened Pakistan of dire consequences over PakIran gas pipeline project. She also termed detention of Dr Shakeel Afridi as
immoral and illegal as he had committed no crime by providing information
about Osamas presence in Abbottabad.
President Zardari chaired a high-profile meeting at the President
House to discuss Pak-US relations. The meeting, attended by Gilani, General
Kayani, Hina Rabbani, Sherry Rehman and other relevant officials discussed
1210

at length the current state of Pak-US relationship with special focus on

NATO supplies, state of affairs in Afghanistan, US resolution on Balochistan
and Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project. Meanwhile, two women and a child
were killed in bomb blast in Bara.
On 1st March, six mortar shells landed in the Dattakhel area of the
North Waziristan tribal region, near the Afghanistan border, wounding six
people, four of them children. NATO forces had allegedly fired the mortars
from the Afghanistan side. At least 22 militants were killed and 26 others
injured as the security forces pounded the hideouts of the terrorists located in
Upper Orazkari Agency areas of Sama Bazaar, Berlas and Barmila.
The inquiry commission on Abbottabad Operation held a detailed
interactive session with Air Chief Marshal. The commission asked different
questions related to air defence from Rao Qamar Suleman. On the
memogate, Gilani said Mansoor Ijaz did not enjoy good reputation;
therefore, his claims had no importance.
The Supreme Court expressed dissatisfaction over the replies
submitted by the intelligence agencies in Adiala Jail missing prisoners case.
The court issued the ISI and MI a stern warning that they must not consider
themselves superior to the civilians and work under the law of the land.
Chief Justice said they were surprised to read the report of the
intelligence agencies, which does not justify under which law the civilians
were picked up by agencies and kept in detention for more than a year. Who
gave you the right to hound people? the CJP questioned. He told the MI and
ISI counsel Raja Muhammad Irshad, Take this out of your mind that you
(ISI and MI) are superior and others (civilians) are inferior.
Eleven missing persons were allegedly picked up by the agencies after
their release from Adiala Jail. Out of them four prisoners Muhammad Amir,
Tahseenullah, Said Arab and Abdul Saboor died in the custody. The CJP said
that they were frightened to the see the condition of prisoners. The court
should be informed which agencies kept them in their custody. If these
people had attacked GHQ, even then it is necessary for you to produce
evidence against them for fair trial. You must go by the book, Justice
Chaudhry said.
The chief justice said that the agencies have become insensitive to
the issues. He said that the things have become so bad that mother of three
sons, killed in the custody, also died after seeing the condition of the
prisoners. He said they would be held accountable to God even if one

1211

prisoner is proven innocent. We are grateful to God that rest of the prisoners
have been saved, he said.
The chief justice said that the government officials were apathetic as
the relatives of the missing persons who were protesting in the open sky in
cold weather, while they were sitting in their rooms in front of heaters. For
the last 15 days the relatives of missing persons are sitting in front of the
parliament, but no one cared for them.
The judicial commission on memogate resumed hearing and Mansoor
Ijaz carried on dropping bomb shells and accused influential Pakistani and
American officials of harassing him in connection with the controversy.
When asked to reveal the name of those who tried to harass him, Mansoor
replied that Rehman Malik was one of the prominent personalities who
threatened him of dire consequences if he dared to travel to Pakistan.
I have been receiving threatening SMS on my cell phone in different
languages including English, Urdu and Arabic. Husain Haqqani never sent
any hostile SMS ever; however, I am sure he was using some of his
American and other friends to threaten me, Mansoor told the commission.
During the cross-examination, Mansoor made another startling
revelation that there was a real threat of military coup in Pakistan following
the unilateral US covert operation in Abbottabad. He added that the threat
was also confirmed by the security agencies of four other countries. He went
on to say that the information about the bloodless coup was based on the
secret draft he had received from a reliable source, adding that he had to pass
the memo to a higher American official, following the confirmation of
Haqqanis claim by the officials of the secret services of four different
countries.
On a query by the panel, Mansoor agreed to send the classified
document, containing all the details about the meetings held between
General Kayani and President Zardari on May 12, 2011 after the Abbottabad
raid. Send us the document in a sealed envelope with a signature of the
secretary of judicial commission, the panel directed Mansoor Ijaz. Talking
to the media after days hearing Mansoor Ijaz said that if Hussain Haqqani
also tells the truth the matter will be settled in no time.
Meanwhile, an extremely vital and independent piece of evidence,
proving Mansoor Ijaz right and General James Jones wrong, in the
memogate case has been provided to the Qazi Isa Commission by a British
telephone company to give this case a new impetus. British
telecommunication company, Red Rock ICT Limited, has authenticated to
1212

the Memo Commission that the telephone and mobile phone exchanges
between Husain Haqqani, General James Jones and Mansoor Ijaz did take
place on May 9, May 10 and May 12, 2011.
In his affidavit, sent to the Supreme Court during the hearing of the
Memo case, Gen James Jones had stated that he had received a phone call
from Mansoor Ijaz a few days before May 9, 2011 but the latest independent
evidence proves the former US national security adviser had not stated a fact
but was wrong.
General Jones sworn affidavit in the Memogate case had given a lot of
strength to the governments/Haqqanis case as the government functionaries
including even the prime minister had propagated that after Jones affidavit,
under oath, that Mansoor Ijaz contacted him a few days before May 9 and
not on May 9 as claimed by Ijaz, the memogate had become a none issue.
But now Red Rock proves Jones wrong and established the claim of
Mansoor Ijaz that there was a phone exchange between the two (Ijaz and
Jones) on May 9 and May 10, and not a few days before May 9 as claimed
by Jones in his affidavit.
It is not yet known why General Jones had stated what was untrue but
it is interesting to note that like the Jones case the former Chairman US Joint
Chiefs of Staff Committee Mike Mullen had also initially lied and denied
receiving the memo from Mansoor Ijaz but later confirmed to have received
the same. Whether it was a genuine lapse of memory on part of the two top
former US generals or an effort to cover up the memogate but the Red Rock
evidence goes exactly in line with what Mansoor Ijaz had stated in his
affidavit about his telephonic interactions with Jones and Haqqani.
In his affidavit, Mansoor Ijaz stated that he called Haqqani at his
London hotel number following a BBM message that he received from
Haqqani. Ijaz stated that the said call was made at 12:35:49 (London time)
and that the call lasted for 16:03 minutes. According to Ijazs claim during
this call Haqqani discussed the memo issue for the first time.
Within a few minutes of the completion of this telephonic
conversation, the Red Rock shows Mansoor Ijaz calling General James
Jones residence number. In his affidavit Ijaz had claimed that this call lasting
02:25 minutes to Gen James L Jones at his home number at approximately 7
am local EST his wife received this initial call. Red Rock also confirmed
that Ijaz received a phone call from Washingtons mobile number belonging
to Gen James Jones within an hour of Ijazs call to the latters residence.
They talked for 19:26 minutes, according to Red Rock.
1213

After a few hours, Ijaz made an outgoing call at a mobile number that
he claimed was Husain Haqqanis private cell number. Red Rock data shows
Ijaz talking for 0:23 minutes at 00161795322835 (HHs Boston private cell
number as per Ijazs claim) but after almost half an hour Ijaz received a call
from the same mobile number and talked for 02:34 minutes. In his affidavit
Ijaz said that the above 0:23 minutes call to Haqqani was actually a
voicemail at Haqqanis mobile, requesting the return call so the two could
clear a few points before Ijaz started drafting the memorandum.
According to Red Rock soon after Ijaz finished his talk with, he talked
to Gen James Jones for 00:48 minutes. In his affidavit, Ijaz had claimed that
in this call he relayed Haqqanis clarifications (to Jones), that he would
insure the requisite authority was behind the memo once finalized and that
he (Haqqani) had agreed to let it go out in writing as opposed to verbal
transmission. Ijaz further stated in his affidavit that the memos first draft
had just been sent out to Haqqani for review and editing.
On May 10, according to Red Rock Ijaz received a phone call from
what Ijaz claimed was the private mobile number of Haqqani. This call
lasted for 01:17 minutes. In his affidavit Ijaz claimed that in this call he had
informed Haqqani that two of the three options for transmission were out,
why they were out and that in order to proceed with the third option he
needed him to confirm the memos draft form or send him his changes, and
that Ijaz needed Haqqanis confirmation that HH had the highest political
authority to proceed. Ijaz said that Haqqani told him that he would review
the memo during the night. On authority, Haqqani was quoted by Ijaz to
have said something like dont worry about that, Ive got it sorted out with
the boss.
After few hours of the above call, according to Red Rock, Ijaz called
Jones number and they talked for 01:39 minutes. In his affidavit, Ijaz had
stated about this call. At 09:06:16 on May 10, the Red Rock certification
confirms, Ijaz received a call from hotel (of Haqqani). About this call, Ijaz in
his affidavit had said, Call (to Intercontinental Hotel, Room 430) lasting
11:16 in which I asked Haqqani if he had any last minute changes to the
Memorandum, and then informed him it was sitting on the US interlocutors
desk ready to be given to Mullen later that day. I then asked him one last
time if he indeed had the authority from the highest political level to proceed
with the operation because the US side would not proceed without that
understanding and he said, Ive got the bosss approval; go ahead. I told
him we would need to wait until just after lunchtime for me to reach the US

1214

side and give the final delivery instruction. We discussed briefly his schedule
for return to the US and next contact time.
Red Rock confirmed Ijaz Mansoor calling Gen Jones mobile number
at 14:51:33 on May 10. According to Ijazs affidavit, Call lasting 02:55 to
Gen Jones to make sure he understood both the cover note as well as the
Memorandum, and to get an idea of what time he was planning to deliver it
to Adm Mullen. During this call, Gen Jones made it clear to me that it was
hard for him to believe anyone in Pakistan could deliver on the agenda
presented in the Memo. He commented it was a compelling set of ideas but
appeared almost as if composed by an opposing party. I reminded him it was
coming from Amb Haqqani with the appropriate political authority.
On May 12, Red Rock certification shows, Ijaz making last call to
HHs private mobile number, which lasted for merely 03 seconds. In his
affidavit, Ijaz, however claimed that he had tried HHs number for four
times. On three occasions there was no answer while on one occasion he was
connected to HHs mobile number where he left
In Sialkot, Brigadier Ali Khan, currently facing court martial for
alleged links with the banned Hizbut Tahrir, had conspired with an air force
pilot to bomb the General Headquarters with an F-16 jet during a conference
of the corps commanders, reported BBC. Major Suhail Akbar, a prosecution
witness, said in his written statement to a military court that an F-16 pilot at
a military airbase near Rawalpindi was persuaded to carry out the attack.
Akbar further said Khan also had plans to target an Americancontrolled airbase in Pakistan and installations of the Blackwater security
company with an F-16.Akbar admitted that he had been meeting Hizb
members for seven years. The PAF pilot and the civilian conspirators,
however, remained untraced.
Hillary said, Zardari knows that terrorists killed his wife. And yet
there has been relationship between terrorist groups and the military and the
intelligence services for many decades. The fact that this democratically
elected government has survived longer than any other democratically
elected government, is a unique thing. For the first time in the Parliament,
you have questions being asked of the military and the ISI. You have the
Supreme Court asking questions about actions of the military and the ISI,
she told the lawmakers. We want to continue to support the democratic
trend inside Pakistan, she added, while terming Zardari as good partner.
On 2nd March, at least 17 militants were killed and 13 others injured
when security forces targeted suspected hideouts of militants in Akhun Kot
1215

area Orakzai Agency. Spokesman TTP said that during the security forces
aerial raid not a single Taliban fighter was killed and they had targeted
vacant houses in the area.
Ten soldiers and 23 Laskar-e-Islam (LI) militants were killed in
fighting that took place in Lakaro Baba area of Tirah Valley; eight security
personnel were also injured in the clash. In retaliation, the forces claimed to
have killed 23 LI militants including nephew of LI Ameer Mangal Bagh.
Separately, at least 23 Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) militants were killed and
13 others were wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up among the
LI supporters when they came out of a mosque after offering their Jumma
Prayers at Nakai Said Noor Centre in Malikdin Khel of Tehsil Bara.
In Tehsil Jamrud, two volunteers of Tawheed-ul-Islam were killed,
when their vehicle hit a roadside planted explosive device in Dwa Toai area;
two others sustained injuries. Unidentified gunmen shot dead an IB official
in Peshawar, while his son was injured. Three Americans and two Pakistani
women (running NGOs) were detained by police in Attock.
US lawmakers introduced legislation in the Congress to divert
American aid meant for Pakistan to the Mexican border until Islamabad
takes concrete and satisfactory action against Haqqani terrorist network. But,
the legislation does not seek to touch Defence and intelligence aid. The
Foreign Office, under constant pressure from the US, said the state law
would take its course over the issue of Shakeel Afridi.
A day after Mansoor Ijaz told the judicial commission, that he was
done with recording his statement, the panel asked Husain Haqqani to
appear before the commission on 15th. The commission asked the authorities
concerned to submit record of telephone bills of the former ambassador.
Following the revelation of the business tycoon and the central figure
in the memogate scandal, Mansoor Ijaz, that President Asif Ali Zardari was
aware of the Abbottabad operation that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden
by US Special Forces on May 2, 2011, analysts were under the impression
that next hearing of judicial commission would be of great importance.
The commission also directed Mansoor Ijaz to appear on the same
date at 9 am via video link from the Pakistani High Commission in London.
Ijaz had also agreed to provide all the details about of the meetings between
General Kayani and President Zardari after the May 2 raid.
Earlier, Mansoor Ijaz in London appealed to the Pakistani government
to get Pakistans erstwhile ambassador to US Husain Haqqani to come clean
1216

on issues surrounding the memogate investigation. Ijaz said a speedy and

rational conclusion of the judicial commissions inquiry hinged on
Haqqanis firm evidence-supported cooperation with the commission. He
maintained that he was not the agent of any government and didnt receive
payments from anyone.
This could all end today if Haqqani tells the truth. Its that simple,
Mansoor Ijaz said at the doorstep of Pakistan High Commission in London
at the end of the first day of cross examination, adding: The people of the
great nation of Pakistan deserved to know the truth and its the responsibility
of the people in the government to make Haqqani come clean.
He said Justice Qazi Issa had made it crystal clear that Haqqani
should produce evidence in his support or provide some form of evidence in
his support to say his version is true. All they (Haqqani and his legal team)
have done is deny and walk away. Our evidence has been confirmed in all
forms so far, BlackBerry handsets will be dealt with in coming days. The
point here is that the search for the truth requires that everybody tells the
truth Its becoming clear that one side has told the truth with crystal
clarity and the other side has done everything to obfuscate everything that
we have said, Ijaz told the Pakistani media in his statement.
During his cross-examination, Mansoor Ijaz added that the threat of a
military coup was also confirmed by the security agencies of four other
countries and that the ISI chief had courted the help of different countries for
the military coup. Ijaz said he had received a classified draft about Pashas
visit and the May 2 incident but refused to comment on the source or how he
had received the draft.
Ijaz revealed details about his two high-powered meetings with
Zardari on two occasions Its a safe bet that these meetings were arranged
by Husain Haqqani, who is now involved in a ferocious legal battle with
Mansoor Ijaz, the man who says he authored the controversial memorandum
for Admiral Mike Mullen on the instructions of Haqqani. Ijaz claimed
Haqqani also supported his views of Pakistans dual policy in an article he
penned soon after the Abbottabad operation but refused to publicly support
his (Ijazs) views.
Mansoor Ijaz announced upon his arrival that he would start legal
proceedings against a private television network for slandering him. A few
channels had reported that Mansoor Ijaz was found drunk in a London
nightclub. He declared: I have never touched alcohol in my life; therefore,
there is no question of being drunk. Its a slanderous and mischievous
1217

campaign against me and I will not tolerate my name, my fathers name or

anyone else in my family being slandered by yellow journalism.
During the cross examination Mansoor Ijaz said that US pilots and
Pakistani Air Traffic Control (ATC) were in contact with each other before
the May 2 Abbottabad raid, suggesting that Pakistani authorities had prior
knowledge of the operation. He claimed he received a transcript that
contained detailed records, almost minute by minute, of the conversations
that took place between the Pakistan Air Traffic Control and pilots of the US
helicopters, from the time American helicopters entered the Pakistans air
space until they returned to Afghan air space on May 02. He said that the
transcript also contained the actions and reactions of the Pakistani army
chief, the military secretary of President Zardari and president himself.
Mansoor Ijaz said that the Government of Pakistan intimidated him
not to come to Pakistan and he mentioned Rehman Malik as a senior
Pakistani official who tried to stop him by issuing intimidating statements. I
find it a very difficult moment to reveal the secrets between the nations, he
said. Mansoor Ijaz said that he had received six death threats till this time.
He said that Haqqani had been using his links in the US to issue slanderous
statements against him from some senior officials of the US government.
To a question posed by Mustafa Ramday about the capacity in which
he knew Husain Haqqani, Ijaz said he had been known to Haqqani for the
last 10 years. In this time period, we have exchanged almost 80 to 85
emails. On the order of the memo commission, Ijaz produced all the emails
and submitted them to the secretary to the commission, Raja Jawad Abbas.
Mansoor Ijaz said that he used to consider Haqqani a good friend and would
keep doing so.
Ijaz, however, said that at one time he exchanged adversarial remarks
about Haqqani when Gen Jones inquired about the former ambassador. And
I told him that he (Haqqani) plays all sides against the middle, always
ensuring that he is standing in the middle. Haqqani and me jointly drafted
two oped pieces that were not published in newspapers back in 2004. When
I first wrote an article in the Financial Times I sent a BBM to Haqqani
saying my dear friend as much as I respect you personally, youll not like
what I have written in the FT today. But it had to be written. I hope you are
managing the extraordinary stresses with your usual grace and charm. If I
could help you personally let me know. Haqqani replied to me Actually I
agree with your FT piece, just cant say so publicly. Then Haqqani sent me
another BBM saying Let us work in Tandem to save the situation.
1218

Mustafa Ramday asked Ijaz why Haqqani chose him to deliver the
message. Ijaz replied that Haqqani knew he knew Gen Jones and Gen Jones
knew Michael Mullen. I was a plausibly deniable source to convey the
message. Before responding to the question, Ijaz in a lighter note said that
Haqqani chose him because he was the unluckiest guy on earth that day.
The commission expressed its concerns about why Haqqani had not
produced any counter evidence such as his telephone sets or telephone bills
the way Mansoor Ijaz did. The commission said that it had to get to the truth
and Haqqani was a government servant bound by disciplinary laws.
Next day, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao and his son narrowly escaped a
bomb blast; however two policemen succumbed to their wounds. The
suicide bomber struck as the former chief minister of the province returned
with his son and another lawmaker from a rally on the outskirts of
Shabqadar. A local leader of the Pakistani Taliban militia, Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the attack. The security forces
arrested four suspected Taliban commanders from Dherizardad Road area in
Charsadda.
Referring to the statement of Mansoor Ijaz as reported in the media,
ISPR said that there was no telephone conversation between the President
and the COAS on the night between May 1 and 2, 2011. The spokesman
further said that the Military leadership has briefed the Joint session of the
Parliament as well as the Abbottabad Commission on the subject matter and
there is nothing more to add to it.
Presidency spokesman denied any communication between President
and Chief of the Army Staff regarding Abbottabad operation. The reports
doing rounds in the media are groundless, President neither ordered the army
chief to stay out of US incursion nor gave any green-signal for the same.
As the Presidency and the ISPR dismissed media reports regarding
conversation between President Zardari and Army Chief on the night
between May 1 and May 2 last year, Mansoor Ijaz is thinking of requesting
the Memo Commission to summon the president, record his statement about
what had happened on that night and let him be cross-examined by lawyers.
A section of the press had reported a couple of days ago that it was the
president who had allowed the Americans to carry out the operation to kill
the Al-Qaeda chief in Abbottabad, ordering the countrys defence forces not
to react as everything was being done on permission. The F-16s which flew
to shoot down the intruding helicopters were called back.

1219

If the Commission granted the request, the president would also have
to explain the contents of his article he wrote for the Washington Post on
May 3, i.e. only a day after the operation. In the write-up titled Pakistan did
its part, President Zardari had stated that although Abbottabads was not a
joint operation, a decade of cooperation and partnership between the US and
Pakistan led up to the elimination of Osama bin Laden as a continuing threat
to the civilized world. And we in Pakistan take satisfaction that our early
assistance in identifying an al-Qaeda courier ultimately led to this day'.
Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleiman, in an interview to a local
daily, had accepted responsibility for the failure of air defence on May 2. He
said the entrance of the US helicopters in Pakistans airspace was not
detected because the radars deployed on western borders were not active
that day.
He dispelled the impression that the radars had been jammed by the
Stealth helicopters. These radars are quite expensive and their maximum life
is 25,000 hours. They need overhauling after three years. According to
knowledgeable sources, the statement recorded by the Air Chief with the
Abbottabad Commission a few days ago is different from the interview he
had given to the newspaper.
Despite the fact that the army chief and the ISI chief filed such
statements about the memo issue which were contradicting the governments
point of view, the ties between the two sides appear to have normalized in
the recent past. The PML-N leaders allege that the two sides have struck
some deal. However, they dont know the quid pro quo.
On 26th February, seven US soldiers were wounded in grenade attack
on NATO base in Kunduz. Reportedly, US officials discussed new
transportation agreements with five Central Asian countries that would
enable the military to withdraw from Afghanistan without having to rely
mainly on land routes through Pakistan. A team drawn from several US
agencies visited Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and
Uzbekistan.
Next day, Taliban suicide car bomber targeting a NATO base at
Jalalabad airport in eastern Afghanistan killed nine people, following days of
deadly anti-US protests over the burning of the Quran. Six civilians, an
Afghan soldier and two local guards were killed; Taliban insurgents claimed
responsibility. Afghanistans spy agency said that a senior foreign ministry
diplomat and three other government officials had been arrested over
charges of spying for neighbouring Iran and Pakistan.
1220

On 28th February, two separate blasts in southern Afghanistan killed

14 people, including a group of insurgents who were trying to cut a pipe
bomb and fit it into a vehicle in Helmand province. On 1 st March, two
NATO soldiers were shot dead by two Afghans, including a man believed to
be a soldier, NATO said, attack is likely to raise further questions about the
future of the countrys struggling security forces. The killings in south
Afghanistan came after two senior U.S. officers were gunned down in the
heart of Afghanistans Interior Ministry on Saturday by what Afghan
security officials say was a police intelligence official.
British Secretary of State for International Development called on
President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani. About the Afghanistans issue,
Zardari reiterated Pakistans support to Afghan-owned and Afghan-led
process of peace and reconciliation. Next day, a suicide bomber on a
motorcycle attacked a NATO convoy in Afghanistans southern province of
Kandahar, wounding seven people including four soldiers. On 3rd March, a
committee investigating the burning of copies of holy Quran at a US base
has rejected apologies from the United States. The Committee is of the view
that those responsible must be tried publicly.
On 27th February, the Supreme Court India ordered the government
to implement a project to link major rivers in the region in a time-bound
manner. The court also appointed a committee to plan and implement the
project. The over $100 billion project was to link around 30 rivers. It is to
ensure flood control and equitable distribution of water by efficient transfer
of water from surplus to deficit areas. It was also aimed at increasing the
area under irrigation, hydro-electric generation and water supply.
The judges said the project had been long delayed, resulting in an
increase in its cost. In 2002, the government announced plans to link major
rivers in the region to reduce persistent water shortages in parts of India after
a court order. The project was announced by then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee who said the scheme will free India from the curse of floods and
droughts. He also set up a task force to get the project going.
Water experts and agriculturists in Pakistan Army sharply reacted to
the dangerous Indian move of inter-linking of disputed rivers in the
Occupied Kashmir and said that the $100 billion project to link around 30
rivers was intended to turn Pakistan into a barren field.
They further said that New Delhi was actually pursuing ambitious
policies to strangulate Islamabad by exercising control over the water flow
of Pakistani rivers. New Delhi is constructing 300 small and major dams and
1221

linking the rivers to contain Pakistans water share by violating the Indus
Basin Water Treaty 1960. Meanwhile a Pakistani businessman was thrashed
in Ludhiana, probably to grant him MFM (man) status to him in Indian style.
On 29th February, Indian troops martyred eight innocent Kashmiris
during the month of February and 87 people were critically injured while 28
civilians, mostly youth, were arrested. The Federal Cabinet approved a
roadmap to normalize trade with India by gradually eliminating the list
containing 1209 negative items. Firdous Ashiq Awan said the government
would protect the interests of the local industry. The Cabinet decided in
principle to phase out the negative list between the two countries by
December 31, 2012. New Delhi welcomed the decision. On 2 nd March,
Pentagon commander disclosed that US Special Forces teams are currently
stationed in five South Asian countries including India as part of the counterterrorism cooperation with these nations.
On 26th February, another missing Baloch returned home. Rail track
was blown up near Quetta. All the main Baloch and Pakhtun political and
nationalist parties decided not to attend the All Parties Conference on the
Balochistan issue organized by the Difa-e-Pakistan Council.
The acting US ambassador, Richards Hoagland, said the US Congress
would not adopt the resolution moved on the Balochistan issue. The
Balochistan government received a notification that formalized quashing the
cases registered against top Baloch nationalist leaders namely Hyrbyair
Marri, Brahamdagh Bugti and Akhtar Mengal.
On 28th February, two persons were shot dead in Quetta and Jhal
Magsi. Next day, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Defence
expressed its resentment over the absence of ISI and MI officials at the brief
on Balochistan situation and rejected their request for more time. DG IB and
Balochistan Home Secretary briefed the Standing Committee of the National
Assembly on Defence regarding Balochistan situation. The home secretary
told the standing committee that a high-level committee, consisted of six
commissioners and IG police, has been constituted for withdrawal of Baloch
leaders cases.
DG IB stressed upon the monitoring of foreign NGOs. He said that
various foreigners were active in the province under the cover of the NGOs.
He said that 643 on record foreigners were working in Balochistan province.
DG IB told the committee that 10 missing persons of the province have been
recovered. The committee directed the intelligence agencies to perform their
due roles within their limits.
1222

The Supreme Court directed the Balochistan minerals secretary to

dispose of the appeal regarding granting the mining licence to Tethyan
Copper Company Pakistan by antedating the hearing for March 3 to decide
the matter on the same day. The court noted that the decision on appeal at the
earliest was important because International Chamber of Commerce had
allowed a 15-day time to the provincial government to nominate an
arbitrator.
On 1st March, bullet-riddled dead body was found in Dasht area and
six people were killed in incidents of violence across the province. The
prime minister said the resolution tabled in the US Congress was
inconsequential, as it did not represent Washingtons policy. He said it was
Nawaz Sharif who had first suggested an All Parties Conference (APC), but
when he talked about it, the PML-N leader termed it a futile exercise and
presented some conditions.
He asked the US to restrain from meddling in Pakistan, saying such
attitude generated anti-Americanism in the country. He said Pakistan would
benefit through trade with Iran, adding that an agreement was expected with
Tehran for 1000MW of electricity supply to cater the energy needs in the
country.
The chief justice, while hearing missing persons case said there is a
hue and cry throughout the country that agencies abduct people and later
their bodies are found in hospitals. He said the agencies are also blamed for
the missing persons. Balochistan is burning and people are blaming the
intelligence agencies of the country.
Raja Irshad, counsel for ISI and MI, held that the prisoners were
getting funds from abroad and were involved in anti-state activities. He said
that foreign elements were involved in terrorism in Balochistan are active
and the agencies cannot work with their eyes closed to the issue. The chief
justice said that if this attitude is not changed then the warlords would
become powerful. Who have set Balochistan on fire? We ask you time and
again and you always tell us stories. Are we here to listen to your stories?
On 3rd March, at least three persons were killed and another injured
when unknown armed men opened fire at them here in Dera Bugti. The
appellate authority of Mines and Mineral Department of Balochistan
government has dismissed the appeal of Tethyan Copper Company (TTC)
Pakistan for mining licence for multi-billion dollar Reko Diq copper and
gold project in Chaghi district.

1223

Pakistan issued tender for laying Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline in its

territory to a German company. According to the secretary petroleum,
Pakistan has offered $250 million to a German company, ILF Engineering,
for laying the gas pipeline inside its territory. The gas pipeline would be
completed till 2014.

VIEWS
On 28th February, Saleem Safi commented: So far the US is pursuing
the same carrot and stick policy for Pakistan. Both parties are playing
different cards to keep pressure on each other. However, there is no serious
and real clash between them. Behind the scenes relation between the two
countries are now becoming positive. The CIA and the ISI are now getting
close. The so-called parliamentary recommendations are not anything but a
stamp that would be sealed over the real recommendations agreed between
the establishments of the two countries.
This behind-the-scene homework and preparation already surfaced in
the recent meeting of Hillary Clinton and Hina Rabbani Khar. So by the
middle of March it is probable that a core group of Afghanistan,
Pakistan and the US will restart working and the hawks in the media
again opt for silence. It is also possible that the Difa-e Pakistan Council will
prefer to change its target from the US to the other threats to Pakistan.
All this is fine but the problem is that 2014 is approaching. The year
when the US will need Pakistani help no more and the carrot will be
removed from the carrot and stick policy. This challenge demands a serious
effort for internal peace and harmony. It is a challenge for state
policymakers, to eliminate the causes that result in a civil-war situation in
Pakistan in all seriousness. However, as 2014 is approaching, we are more
divided and frustrated. In Pakistan the media and politicians select issues
on the basis of ratings.
Thus, nowadays the only issue is Balochistan, which is heard
about and discussed everywhere. Indeed, this does not mean that every
other issue in the country has been solved. Balochistan is burning, and must
be given top priority. However, this does not necessitate ignoring all other
issues of the same urgency and importance.
In FATA and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa the issue of militancy is still very
serious. Every Pakistani has the same importance and respect, but the
Baloch are not receiving the importance they deserve, and this is
1224

unfortunate. After the Swat operation the government announced it had

detained 2,500 persons. The figure, according to unofficial sources, is
higher. However, so far the state has persecuted less than 200 persons. The
rest of them are missing. In FATA military operations are being conducted
for the last eight years. Balochistan has never seen bombardment, while
FATA has regularly experienced bombing from jets.
There is not a single district in Balochistan where access is blocked,
but Kurram Agency has experienced total blockade for many years. There
are many zones in FATA where no official person could enter. The total
number of killings in Balochistan in a year cannot match the number of
people killed in a month in FATA and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. All this
does not mean that everything is fine in Balochistan, but FATA and KhyberPakhtunkhwa are also burning.
However, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are not the only
issues confronting the state of Pakistan. People living in the Pakhtun belt
of Balochistan are also frustrated. Under the leadership of Mehmood Khan
Achakzai they may soon demand a separate province of their own. Karachi
is still a huge ammunition depot, where warring parties are prepared for an
ultimate war. In interior Sindh people are living under the threat of dacoits
and their patrons. People in the Saraiki belt and in Gilgit-Baltistan are also
desperate.
And Punjab is also experiencing anxiety because of this entire
situation. Sectarian, linguistic, ethnic and territorial biases could be seen
everywhere. At the macro level there is an ever-growing divide between the
rich and the poor, and there is no bread, no shelter and no respect for the
common man and this has turned the whole society into a boiling pot.
In this bleak scenario, the only safe way of escape was an open and
positive dialogue between the military and civil leadership. However, it is a
fact that at present the two parties have the worst relations in Pakistans
history. In public both issue statements of mutual trust but in private
politicians accuse the military of wrongdoing and military personnel accuse
the civil leadership of being the centre of corruption and bad governance.
The establishment considers the judiciary as being the main hurdle in
efforts for the removal of extremism and militancy in Pakistan while the
judiciary considers the establishments policies as being the main hurdle in
the dispensation of justice. The media is a critic of the establishment but also
is fearful of it, while the establishment dislikes media criticism. It is

1225

fashionable to raise slogans against India and the US, but in the present
conditions we really need no external threat or enemy.
Cosmetic smiles and courtesy calls cannot change the situation. The
only way out is a serious and open dialogue between the civil and
military leaderships. This is the only way to reach a new social contract, a
plan that could remove mutual distrust, mark boundaries of authority, and an
agreed-upon plan for all major issues Pakistan is facing right now.
On 1st March, TheNation observed: The chilling report of the murder
of 18 persons belonging to a particular religious sect in an otherwise quiet
northern region of Kohistan on Tuesday raises more than one question.
Killers in military uniform stopped a bus and three minibuses, traveling from
Rawalpindi to Gilgit, as they reached Harban Nala, about 210km from their
destination. Boarding the vehicles, they asked the passengers to identify
their sect called their targets out and mercilessly shot them down
That the attackers were clad in military fatigue was not only intended
to increase the possibility of the drivers obeying their command to bring the
buses to a halt without much fuss, but was also meant to convey the
impression that the security personnel were taking sides in the
unfortunate sectarian clashes in the country. The wicked stratagem to put
the blame on the army would not, however, have any credibility since the
people across Pakistan are well aware of the genuine efforts of the armed
forces to put down militancy in the country. Besides, the involvement of
Jundullah, a faction of the Taliban that is engaged in destabilizing Iran by
committing terrorist acts against it carries far-reaching implications for
Pakistans relations with the friendly neighbour Iran. Jundullah, it is no
longer a secret, has been brought into being by certain foreign forces with
the intention to create mistrust between Iran and Pakistan. Its staging point
has been Balochistan, but to engineer a sectarian attack by it, far removed
from its usual crime scene, could possibly reflect the mischievous intent of
its masters to suggest that Jundullah is not a foreign-installed terrorist group
but represents some religious groups in the country. And that would convey
a wrong message to Tehran making the Iranians rethink their offers of $250
million for the implementation of Iran gas pipeline and delivery of 80,000
barrels of oil per day to Pakistan. Similarly, the murder of a Chinese woman
in Peshawar appears to be sponsored to affect Pak-China relations.
The people of Pakistan must see through this hostile game and
root out the menace of militancy among them. At the same time, the
situation constitutes a clarion call to put aside its internal differences and
1226

like one man stand together to frustrate nefarious designs. The Ummahs
inaction has led to the destruction of Iraq and Afghanistan and is
encouraging hostile forces to threaten another Muslim country. It should not
at all be difficult to foil these designs, given the huge resources at its
disposal. If it does not recognize the looming danger now it would be left to
rue the day when it failed to act.
Next day, the newspaper wrote: Jettisoning all professions of
abiding friendship with Pakistan, the US has threatened it with
sanctions A high-level meeting chaired by President Zardari was held in
Islamabad to discuss the Pak-US relations in the light of, among other
things, our plans to build a pipeline to get the natural gas from Iran. The
meeting left it to Parliament to decide upon the future state of Pak-US
relations. In the face of Clintons warning, the energy-deficient Pakistan
faces a dilemma. It is compelled to go without power for hours on end every
day that has ruined its economy and disturbed life. It finds the Iranian gas
project the most feasible. The Turkmenistan option that the US favours
instead is not a substitute, but an additional project, which Pakistan is
already working on. However, the timeline for this project is significantly
longer, since the pipeline would have to pass through a particularly disturbed
area of Afghanistan.
Already the subject of US criticism for its perceived failure to abide
by the terms of the war on terror and facing big cuts in the promised aid
Pakistan has given indication of taking a courageous stand and ignoring the
bully-ish warning. Should the sanctions be imposed, all that the people
and, of course, the leadership need to do is to adopt austerity measures
in every sphere of life and fully and sincerely exploit the local resources. As
for Washington, it has already opted for India to the detriment of our
interests.
Islamabad has, after all, served its purpose in the war on terror
for more than 10 years and no longer figures much in the strategic
scheme of things in the region. The US eyes are fixed on the containment
of China and the plentiful energy resources of Central Asian region. In its
exit from Afghanistan, Pakistan has no doubt, a crucial role to play
especially in helping bring about peace in the post-withdrawal period, but if
the example of Iraq is to go by, it will be a thankless task and perhaps one
we would prefer to stay well away from. That would raise the prospects of
Obamas re-election this year. Building up the bogey of Iran as a threat to the
American and Israeli interests and the punitive action the US takes to
destroy Iranian economy (the IP project would help sustain it) would bring
1227

in more votes for him. Yet, a united and determined nation can scale all
hurdles and successfully emerge from the most straitened of conditions.
On 3rd March, Inayatullah observed: Madam Clintons recent threat
of dire consequences for Pakistan if it goes ahead with the Iran-Pakistan
pipeline project has been rightly addressed by Foreign Minister Hina
Rabbani Khar. We are a sovereign country and we will do whatever is in the
interest of Pakistan. Brave words, indeed! One only hopes that our
otherwise weak and vulnerable government will not later succumb to
mounting pressure from Washington.
Already we have wasted a lot of time in finalizing the agreements for
the supply of gas (and electricity) from Iran and the pace of implementation
has been much too slow. Khars statement is unequivocal: All of these
projects are in Pakistans national interest, and will be pursued and
completed irrespective of any extraneous considerations. The opposition in
Pakistan should welcome the stand and strengthen the hands of the
government. Already there has been a reiteration of Hillarys warning shot.
Victoria Nuland, US State Department spokesperson, in answer to a
journalist has stated: Well I dont think what the Secretary said was
appreciably different from what we have been saying for weeks and
weekson this subject And we would just encourage them to think twice
about aligning themselves with an unreliable partnerwe have a variety of
sanctions on the bookswhich is you know among the reasons why we
think this is a bad idea and hope it doesnt move forward.
The question of resetting US-Pakistan relations after the Salalah
slaughter has been hanging fire for quite some time. A Parliamentary
Committee, headed by Raza Rabbani, is seized of the matter. Washington
has been anxiously waiting for the new terms of engagement and has been
asking Islamabad to finalize the process expeditiously. Already it has been
revealed that NATO supplies by air were never halted and these are
continuing non-stop. On February 29, a high-level meeting on the Pak-US
relations was held at the presidency, chaired by Mr Zardari and attended by
Prime Minister, Chief of the Army Staff, Foreign Minister and our new
Ambassador to USA. Foreign Minister Khar is reported to have briefed
those present of what had transpired in her recent meeting with the US
Secretary of State in London. Ambassador Sherry Rehman, too, provided her
assessment of the current thinking in Washington on US relations with
Pakistan. Notice was also taken of Hillarys threat about Pakistans gas
pipeline project agreement with Iran. It is time the foot-dragging stops and
the US-Pakistan relations are thoroughly debated in Parliament to hammer
1228

out a policy which takes into consideration hard realities and is based on
mutual interest and respect for each other.
On 27th February, Paul Miller observed: The widespread expectation
that U.S. forces will completely withdraw from Afghanistan by 2014
could become politically impossible to resist. Iraq is an instructive
precedent. The 2011 deadline in Iraq was never meant to be a deadline for
complete withdrawal. U.S. and Iraqi policymakers understood that 2011 was
to be a transition during which the status of U.S. forces would be normalized
and a long-term foundation laid for continued U.S. and NATO training
assistance. Misperception, political pressure and public opinion in both the
United States and Iraq complicated negotiations, making it easier for Obama
and Maliki to walk away from the whole thing.
Obama is risking a similar dynamic in Afghanistan. He may win a
few points with his political base for appearing to move towards a complete
withdrawal in 2014, but virtually no one outside of the anti-war left
believes a complete withdrawal on a set timetable would be helpful for
the Afghans, the Pakistanis, or the United States. Obama himself has
repeatedly stressed the need for a responsible withdrawal. The war is only
now entering its culminating phase and the ultimate outcome, for good or ill,
will probably be decided by the choices, battles, and negotiations of the next
two years more than the previous ten. It is a poor time to indulge in
politically-expedient ambiguity.
Next day, The News observed: At least 29 have died in Afghanistan
in protests against the desecration of the Holy Quran and all NATO foreign
staff in Afghan ministries have been withdrawn. Many NGOs are
considering withdrawing their western staff also and several already have.
Britain, France and Germany have also withdrawn their civilian nationals.
The killing of two senior American officers, probably by an Afghan
intelligence officer at the interior ministry in Kabul, speaks of the depth to
which anger has spread as well as perhaps the level of infiltration
achieved by the Taliban into the heart of the intelligence community.
President Obama has endorsed Karzais call for calm and Hilary Clinton has
said the protests ...must stop though neither of the pronouncements is
likely to have much impact on an enraged populace. What will sound like
hollow apologies, will fall on deaf ears. The withdrawal of staff by NATO
from ministries is going to bring instant paralysis to technical support and
intelligence sharing as well as any number of current security operations. It
severs, at a stroke, coordination between ISAF and the Afghan government,

1229

and there is no indication that links will be restored in the near future. Other
civilians withdrawn by their home countries were key advisers and
technicians working on national reconstruction.
It is unbelievable that the desecration could ever have happened in
the first place. What is worse is the fact that after so many days of the
incident, there has been no official action from the US to punish those
who were responsible and it is feeding directly into the widening antipathy
in Afghanistan towards America particularly and ISAF forces more
generally, and will do nothing to burnish the American image in the eyes of
the Muslim world. Afghanistan is no more secure or stable than it was ten
years ago and the accelerated withdrawal of foreign forces and the handing
over of the responsibility for security to the Afghan National Army and
police forces is not going to improve matters. The Taliban who already run
parallel governments in large parts of Afghanistan were quick to claim the
US officials killings as their handiwork, which is possible. And our own
security concerns today are shifting westwards rather than to the east.
Two days later, Rahimullah Yusufzai opined: Afghanistan continues
to lurch from one crisis to another. The ongoing talks between the United
States and the Taliban had given rise to expectations that this could lead to
formal peace negotiations to end the long-running Afghan conflict.
However, the burning of the Holy Quran by members of the NATO forces at
the huge US airbase at Bagram on February 21 has destroyed those hopes
and changed the scenario from one of promise to utmost concern about
the future.
The incident, whether intentional as the Taliban and most Afghans
believe or unintentional as US President Barack Obama insisted in his letter
of apology to his Afghan counterpart President Hamid Karzai, caused
outrage in Afghanistan and triggered massive anti-western protests. It
inserted a new element of uncertainty into the situation and there is now real
concern whether the Afghans who are part of the Karzai Administration and
security forces and their western allies could trust each other. Their relations
were never cordial considering the frequent spats between Karzai and the US
officials and keeping in view the numerous incidents in which Afghan
soldiers and policemen turned their guns on NATO troops, but the
relationship has now hit an all time low. Many believe this could be a
turning point in the uncertain and unequal relationship between the two
sides and prompt a review aimed at lowering expectations from each other
and changing the goalposts.

1230

It is difficult to believe that even after more than 10 years the US and
NATO soldiers deployed in Afghanistan still dont understand certain basic
facts about Islam and are unable or unwilling to respect the religious and
cultural sensitivities of the Afghan Muslims. There have been quite a few
occasions in recent years when the Afghans have reacted angrily and
sometimes violently whenever Islam, the Quran and the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) were insulted anywhere in the world.
More Afghan protestors died than other Muslims in rest of the world
while protesting against the provocative publication of caricatures of their
Prophet in Denmark and last years Quran burning by an obscure American
priest Strangely though, these lessons are still to be learned by the western
governments and armies trying to subdue the Afghan people. Due to its
relative detachment from religion, the mostly Christian West is unaware
of the deep attachment of most Muslims with Islam and its principles.
They are sometimes surprised to know that the Muslims believe the Quran is
a divine book and the literal word of Allah and that every copy of it is
sacrosanct.
Ignorance could be one reason for western soldiers showing
disrespect to Islamic beliefs and symbols, but another factor is the manner in
which Islam and Muslims were often demonized after the 9/11 terrorist
attacks on the US. This increased hatred for all things Muslim which
surfaces in different ways and places. How could one explain the
sustained abuse of Muslim prisoners in Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay and
Bagram and the image of four US troops urinating on the corpses of two
Afghans?
Why did some US soldiers burn the bodies of slain Taliban fighters
or kill for fun in two well-documented incidents? How come NATO soldiers
cut off fingers of dead Taliban to take home as trophies? How could one
explain instances of some Western soldiers indulging in sexual abuse of
Afghan children? Why do NATO jet-fighters bomb funerals, graveyards,
passenger caravans and poor Afghans gathered near a hijacked oil-tanker to
get their hand on some free fuel? All these actions have been termed
isolated involving a handful of soldiers, but recurrence of such incidents
explains a pattern that cannot be ignored.
Many points concerning the unprecedented anti-western protests
across Afghanistan for the last one week are significant. The protests were
spontaneous, which explains the pain felt by common Afghans over the
desecration of the Quran. The first protest was outside the Bagram base
1231

north of Kabul where the Quran burning had taken place. Afghan workers at
the airbase burnt their fingers trying to retrieve the unburned copies of the
Quran and thus managed to control the damage, but this also spread the
word and provoked people to stage protests at the gates of Bagram.
The Bagram base is sited in Parwan, a relatively peaceful province
populated mostly by the ethnic Tajiks who oppose the predominantly
Pashtun Taliban. It is thus clear that the Taliban didnt instigate the
violent protest, though they are certainly trying to exploit the situation to
their advantage by urging the Afghan soldiers and policemen to turn their
guns on the NATO troops. The first deaths of six protestors also happened in
Parwan in the Shinwar district
Alarmingly, a US colonel and major working as military advisers at
the interior ministry in Kabul were shot dead by an Afghan police
intelligence officer. Such advisers are working at many Afghan
government ministries and it reminded one of Afghanistan under the
occupation of the Soviet Red Army in the 1980s when a similar practice
was adopted much to the chagrin of nationalist Afghans. This led to NATOs
decision to withdraw all foreign advisers from government departments and
make it even more difficult for the two sides to work together.
The suspected killer, 25-year Abdul Saboor Salangi, is at large and
could end up joining the Taliban, who rather unconvincingly claimed
responsibility for the assassination of the two Americans. Salangi, who as
the name suggests is from the Salang area in the Parwan province where the
Taliban lack support, reportedly acted after being provoked by the slain
US military advisers making fun of the protests over the Quran
burning. If true, this again is a case of religious and cultural insensitivity
causing violence and deaths.
The protests show that there was a groundswell of anger at the
western military presence in Afghanistan and it was waiting to explode at the
first opportunity. The Quran burning provided the spark and the violent
protests thus far have claimed the lives of 30 Afghans and caused injuries to
over 200. Matters werent helped by the trigger-happy and
inexperienced members of the Afghan security forces firing straight at
the unarmed protestors.
Use of excessive force and lack of experience in dealing with mass
protests have caused avoidable deaths and further stoked anger. Such has
been the fervour at the protests that some carried the white Taliban flag and
some Afghan policemen joined the demonstrations instead of stopping
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the protestors. The weak Karzai government has come under renewed
pressure and is facing the ire of Afghans due to its keenness to sign a
strategic partnership agreement with the US as a guarantor of its own
survival.
Though the Taliban havent called off their talks with the US in the
wake of the Quran burning incident, it is clear that the chances of the
success of the faltering Qatar peace process have receded further. The
intensity of the protests would also force the NATO member countries to do
some rethinking about their 2014 withdrawal deadline from Afghanistan and
take decisions accordingly at their Chicago summit in the summer. The
failing Afghanistan project could yet see more twists and turns.
On 1st March, Tom Engelhardt & Nick Turse discussed the recent
desecration of Quran at Bagram Base and resultant violent protests across
Afghanistan. They mentioned some similar incidents, out of the long list of
those, in which Afghans and their religion has been deliberately ridiculed
and then concluded: As the Quran burning scandal unfolded, TomDispatch
spoke to Raymond F Chandler III, the Sergeant Major of the US Army, the
most senior enlisted member of that service. Are there times that things
happen that dont go exactly the way we want or that people act in an
unprofessional manner? Absolutely. Its unfortunate, he said: We have a
process in place to ensure that when those things dont happen we
conduct an investigation and hold people accountable.
In Afghan eyes over the last decade, however, its accountability
that has been sorely lacking, which is why many now in the streets are
demanding not just apologies, but a local trial and the death penalty for
the Quran burners. Although ISAFs investigation is ongoing, its statements
already indicate that it has concluded the book burnings were accidental and
unintentional. This ensures one thing: those at fault, whom no American
administration could ever afford to turn over to Afghans for trial anyway,
will receive, at best, a slap on the wrist - and many Afghans will be further
outraged.
In other words, twist and turn as they might, issue what
statements they will, the Americans are now remarkably powerless in
the Afghan context to stop the unraveling. Quite the opposite: their actions
are guaranteed to ensure further anger among their Afghan allies. Chandler,
who was in Afghanistan last year and is slated to return in the coming
months, said that he believed the United States was winning there, albeit
with caveats. Again, there are areas in Afghanistan where we have been less
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successful than others, but each one of those provinces, each one of those
districts has their own set of conditions tied with the Afghan people, the
Afghan governments criteria for transition to the Afghan army and the
Afghan national police, the Afghan defence forces, and were committed to
that. He added that the Americans serving there were doing absolutely the
best possible under the conditions and the environment.
It turns out, however, that in Afghanistan today the best has not
been sufficient. With even some members of the Afghan parliament now
calling for jihad against Washington and its coalition allies, radical
change is in the air. The American position is visibly crumbling. Winning
is a distant, long-faded fantasy, defeat a rising reality. Despite its massive
firepower and staggering base structure in Afghanistan, actual power is
visibly slipping away from the United States. American officials are already
talking about not panicking (which indicates that panic is indeed in the air).
And in an election year, with the Obama Administrations options
desperately limited and what goals it had fast disappearing, it can only brace
itself and hope to limp through until November 2012.
The end game in Afghanistan has, it seems, come into view, and
after all these fruitless, bloody years, it couldnt be sadder. Saddest of
all, so much of the blood spilled has been for purposes, if they ever made
any sense, that have long since disappeared into the fog of history.
TheNation wrote: The message is apparently making its way to the
capitals of the West that they should have not invaded Afghanistan
This would help explain US Secretary of State Hillary Clintons testimony to
the US Senate Appropriations Committee where she dilated on the role of
Pakistan in the region. Though Ms Clintons testimony indicated the Obama
Administration realized the centrality of Pakistan to any resolution in
Afghanistan, it also showed that the USA had no intention of making
amends for the Salalah incident, even if there had been a slaughter of so
many soldiers supposedly allied to the USA in its war on terror.
The latest developments should show to Pakistans ruling class
that it cannot afford to be a one sided ally to the USA. The incident of the
desecration of the Quran shows that Salalah was not an aberration, but part
of a pattern of ignorance. Thus Pakistan, if it continues the relationship, may
be seen to be encouraging such behaviour. At the same time, the USA should
consider hard whether it has in any way achieved the aims it announced
when it invaded Afghanistan. It has not even achieved its aim of dominating

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the region, for if it is forced to join the flight from Afghanistan, its prestige
worldwide will be in ruins, and its ability to act will be rendered dubious.
Pakistan should realize that slavish obedience to the USA will not
make the situation after their inevitable withdrawal better, and it will
have to deal with a post-US Afghanistan. It should make the USA
understand that it should not postpone the inevitable, and only its withdrawal
will help achieve the stability that it used as an excuse to invade, and which
the entire region needs.
Next day, Fareed Zakaria opined: Accepting reality in Afghanistan
would not leave America without options. Even with a smaller troop
presence, we can pursue robust counterterrorism operations. We will be
able to prevent the Taliban from again taking over the country. The north and
east populated by Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras will stay staunchly
opposed to the Taliban. We should support those groups and, more crucially,
ally with the neighbouring countries that support them. The natural, and
historic, allies of the Northern Alliance are India, Iran and Russia; they have
permanent interests that will keep them involved in the region. We should
try to align our strategy with those countries strategies (obviously, the
alignment will be tacit with Iran).
The United States could, of course, maintain its current approach,
which is to bet on the success of not one but two large nation-building
projects. We have to create an effective national government in Kabul
that is loved and respected by all Afghans, whatever their ethnicity, and
expand the Afghan economy so that a large national army and police force
are sustainable for the long term.
On 29th February, Shahid Asad opined: The next biggest shortage is
water. In a single generation our nation has seen per capita water availability
dwindle from 5,000 cubic feet to 1,500 per person per annum. The United
Nations definition of a desert region is where the per capita supply of water
is below 1,000 per person per annum. India is in finishing stages of several
dams on river Jhelum and Chenab.
During the recent visit to Lahore, the Indian Water Commissioner
Oranga Nathan openly refused to share critical information with Pakistan
and claimed that it was not his mandate to release information to Pakistan.
Yet the reluctance by his Pakistan counterpart to raise this issue on
international forums as well as the International Court is beyond
understanding. Foreign and Commerce Ministers did not bring up this issue

1235

while granting MFN to India. Attitudes like these are now raising anxiety
among farmers.
Water and fertilizer shortages has now resulted in a ripple effect of
fruit and vegetable shortages. State Bank of Pakistan reports clearly warned
about the fall in the growth of all major crops has stalled. Politicians are
falling over each other claiming credit for the record wheat output, but
recent fall in mango, orange and fruit exports indicate changing trends. They
conveniently forget that the wheat yield has not increased in the last five
years. Only rise in support prices resulted in an over cultivation of wheat,
causing a glut of supply. While vegetables and other crops have seen a
proportionate fall in supply. The economy needs a viable water management
plan for the coming decade. For the farmers of Pakistan, shortage of
water alone is enough to break the spirits. The shortage of basic inputs
like quality pesticides and certified seeds has done the rest.
TheNation commented: Even the Indian Supreme Court has now
joined the Indian government to deal a final blow to Pakistans hopes
that New Delhi would, after all, realize the merits of respecting treaties it has
signed in the interest of peace in the subcontinent. The court has ordered the
central and state governments to implement an ambitious project of linking
30 rivers, as a flood control measure and to divert waters from surplus areas
to the deficient ones. Our water experts, already voicing concern at Indian
moves to appropriate Pakistans share of water, have sharply reacted to the
court decision by terming it water hegemony, part of an all-encompassing
strategy to destabilize Pakistan, etc. The linkage of rivers would mean the
strangulation of our economy since it would pass total control of the
headwaters of our rivers on to India. Simultaneously, it is staging military
exercises on Pakistans borders to exert pressure.
It is tragic that all this while we have done virtually nothing to
increase our water storage capacity. The Kalabagh Dam project, an ideal
and ready site, for a large reservoir that would generate nearly 4,000MW of
power and store water not only to facilitate large-scale agriculture, but also
to reduce the impact of floods has been the victim of parochial sentiments
and squabbling. It is time to give up such attitudes and seriously take up this
dam as well as other water storages projects.
S M Hali observed: Pakistan Naval (PN) Chief Admiral Asif Sandila,
in an interview to the US weekly, Defense News, responding to a question
regarding the threat Pakistan faces from an Indian nuclear-powered, nucleararmed ballistic submarine upsetting the current strategic balance in South
1236

Asia, stated that the strategic dimension of Indias naval build-up is a

cause of concern not only for us but for the entire Indian Ocean region.
Indian Navy (IN), in effect, is on a massive upsurge plan to build a
blue water armada. Its colossal development plans include the acquisition
of both indigenous and leased nuclear powered submarines and various
other platforms capable of launching nuclear weapons to complete its triad
i.e. delivering nuclear weapons from the air, surface and sub-surface thus
confirming its second strike capability. Indias initiation to nuclear subs
came with its acquisition of a Chakra class nuclear submarine from former
USSR in 1987 on 10 years lease. The invaluable experience led to its desire
for the development of indigenous nuclear submarines under the head of
Advanced Technology Vessels (ATV) at Shipping Centre Vishakhapatnam in
1998. Indian scientists claimed that they have been able to fit an indigenous
Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) of 90 MW in the ATVs hull. However, it
is assessed that the PWR has been acquired from Russia. By mid 96, an
amount of US$ 185.7 million was spent on ATV project and the cost has
now escalated to US$ 3.7 billion.
At present, India has 14 active submarines in the fleet whereas IN has
contracted France for 6 Scorpene submarines. These subs are being
constructed in Indian shipyard and are likely to be inducted in Indian fleet
by 2018. The Defence Committee of India has also approved procurement
of 6 more conventional Submarines in addition to the six already being built
with the help of France. The PWR of Indias first indigenously developed
ATV, INS/M Arihant went active last year, while its sea trials are completing
soon and Arihants induction is expected by end 2012. Simultaneously,
fabrication work on the three follow-on nuclear-powered submarines is in
full swing whereas, the reactor for the 2nd S/M is being constructed with the
help of Russia. The 2nd INS/M Aridhaman is expected to be ready for sea
trials by 2015. The IN nuclear subs are to be armed initially with the 750
km Sagarika (K-15) Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBM) and at
a later stage with the under-development 3,500 km K-4 SLBMs. INS/M
Arihant has four silos to carry twelve 750 km range, Sagarika SLBM or four
K-4s. Meanwhile, IN has acquired two Russian Akula-II class nuclear
submarines on lease from Russia because it wants to have three SSBNs and
six SSNs (Nuclear-powered Attack Submarines) in the long term. It is
envisaged that by 2025 India will have around 30 conventional
Submarines in her flotilla.
The induction of the nuclear submarines in the Indian Ocean will
have serious implications for the region. It is going to elevate the
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international status of India amongst regional and extra regional

nations/navies, while the existing security calculus in Arabian Sea vis-vis PN will significantly shift in the favour of IN. The threat to Chinese,
Australian, Indonesian and other regional navies will increase multifold.
Nuclear submarines provide the reach to attack the adversary in far flung
waters across the globe as well as remain undetected under water at great
depths for prolonged periods, without needing to come up to the surface for
recharging its batteries or refueling. Operationally, they will act as a force
multiplier armed with nuclear tipped missiles, their induction will further
enhance INs capabilities to strike inside Pakistan while staying well away
from Pakistani coast line.
INs other acquisitions include the aircraft carrier Admiral
Gorshkov, renamed as INS Vikramaditya with 16 MiG-29K/KUBs and 6 to
8 Ka-31 AEW helicopters. India is also constructing 3 Indigenous Aircraft
Carriers for the IN. It also plans to construct 3 destroyers of Kolkata class
and Guided Missile Frigates, four ASW Corvettes, four 4 Saryu class
Operational Patrol Vessels, four Landing Platform Docks, and acquire two
Osprey Class Mine Hunters and eight P8-I Long Range Maritime Patrol
Aircraft from USA, besides developing additional strategic naval bases.
In the face of such a massive build-up, PN has its task cut out. It
cannot match IN ship to ship but the Pakistani Naval Chief in his interview
stated We are mindful of this development and taking necessary measures
to restore the strategic balance. The nation thus needs to invest prudently
into building its navy.
On 3rd March, TheNation commented: Perhaps nothing could have
better illustrated the true nature of the Pakistani decision on Wednesday to
trade with India on the basis of a negative list for 2012, and then to abolish
that list, than the respective reactions. While Indian Foreign Minister S M
Krishna immediately welcomed the decision, it was not until Thursday that
the Minister actually in charge, Commerce Minister Anan Sharma,
welcomed the move. This alone should have shown that India thought itself
to have achieved a foreign policy goal, not a mere commercial one. That
Pakistani opinion was disapproving showed that the decision did not make
economic sense, and certainly made sense only for India in the foreign
policy sense. The Pakistani decision, formally taken by the Cabinet on
Wednesday, was merely a step towards Pakistan granting India the Most
Favoured Nation (MFN) status it covets. It must not be thought that India
has any genuine commercial motives behind obtaining this status. While it
has mercantilist motives foremost, in which it assumes that the purpose of
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trade is to impoverish its partner and transfer its wealth to itself; with
Pakistan it has the additional motive of making it keep quiet about the core
issue between the two, Kashmir.
Even without granting India MFN status, Pakistan has done
enough to sink its trade and industry, already buffeted by the energy
shortages afflicting the whole country. Only a few importers will benefit
from the open trade with India that will take place after the abolition of the
negative list. The motivating force for this is not the business community,
but the USA, as it has adopted the trade route as the road to peace between
the two countries, which it can use both on its old friend, Pakistan, and the
power it is building as a regional counterweight to China, India. Among the
many favours it is showering on India is the solution of its many regional
problems. The trade process with India thus has a political dimension
beyond the two countries actually involved.
The government should take due note that the decision has raised a
storm of protest. This is motivated by a regard for the welfare of the country.
Thus the government should reverse the decision, if need be in another
Cabinet session. It must also take all necessary measures to bring Kashmir
back onto the bilateral agenda.
26th February, TheNation commented: Admittedly, the
Balochistan issue is not a simple case of deprivation. It is a veritable
imbroglio that hides within itself foreign interference that lends it a grave
dimension. The Foreign Office is, apparently, in possession of credible
evidence of outside interference in destabilizing the province. Its spokesman
Abdul Basit, replying to question at his media briefing on Friday, said that
Foreign Minister Khar had raised the issue with her British counterpart. It
must be pursued vigorously at the diplomatic as well as at local level. As a
peace-loving nation, we should not be paying back in the same coin, and to
quote Mr Basit, Pakistan does not interfere in the internal affairs of other
countries, and it expects the same from the international community. Our
security and intelligence agencies must bear the burden of proof, if the
accusations of machinations of foreign elements are to carry effect. Incidents
of target killings, abductions and the discovery of tortured and defaced
bodies occur daily. Both the ISI and MI have sought the Supreme Courts
permission for an in-camera hearing in view of its sensitive nature, when the
court asked them to file their report on the Balochistan situation. The SC
was hearing a petition of the Balochistan High Court Bar Association on
On

1239

continued target killings and the murder of Mir Bakhtiar Domkis wife and
daughter.
Joining the countrywide protests at a US Congress subcommittees
uncalled for interference in the internal affairs of Pakistan the Punjab
Assembly passed a resolution decrying it. That Congressman Dana
Rohrabacher has, meanwhile, stuck to his call for the grant of the right of
self-determination reflects the arrogance born of the impression that as a
public representative of a superpower he could not be faulted with views he
chooses to pronounce on any subject on earth. The challenge he poses can
only be met with a wise and negotiated approach to the issue.
Khurshid Anwer Mirza wrote: While the conspiracy of free
Balochistan was being hatched by the outside powers in collusion with the
dissident Baloch sardars, there was hardly any protest by the 65 elected
members of Balochistans Provincial Assembly with 58 ministers and
advisors and no opposition! Each had been, reportedly, been paid Rs25
crores for the uplift of their respective districts with little visible results! It
was also reported that most of the Provincial Assembly sessions were
cancelled due to lack of quorum, as majority of the ministers, including the
Chief Minister, were missing from Quetta for months. Apparently, the
mantra of democracy is not working for Balochistan.
Next day, Khalid Iqbal observed: Balochistan does not belong to
the Baloch community only; they represent only half of the population of
the province. A workable power-sharing arrangement needs to be evolved,
whereby the Pashtun population and the settlers have guaranteed
representation in all spheres of life, proportionate to their numbers. Though
the situation in Balochistan is deteriorating, it is also being over-projected.
Out of 30 districts, only five Quetta, Sibbi, Dera Bugti, Turbat and
Khuzdar have volatile situation, rest of the province is calm. The effort of
Pak Army in bringing the Baloch youth into national mainstream need
political ownership; otherwise, even its positive outcomes would continue to
carry negative tags. At diplomatic front, a concerted campaign should be
launched to expose the blatant involvement of CIA, RAW, Mossad, RAAM,
MI5/6 etc.
The Balochistan situation is manageable; national consensus and
political will can bring an early calm to the area. More so, piecemeal
political appeasement must be avoided. A meaningful all parties conference
could be the starting point, followed by the effective implementation of its
decisions.
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Shamshad Ahmad observed: The sharp reaction in Pakistan over the

US congressional anti-Pakistan slur in the context of Balochistan was
understandable. The government and the people have been furious that
within a week after the controversial hearing on Balochistan in the House
Sub-Committee on Foreign Relations, a handful of misguided if not
mischievous congressmen should have crossed all limits by moving a
resolution in the US House of Representatives that called for giving right of
self-determination to the Baloch people. There could not be a more
unabashed example of double standards and blatant violation of global
norms of inter-state relations and decency. It was outright interference in our
internal affairs.
We must however note that the man behind this whole episode was
Dana Rohrabacher A renowned American scholar and an authority on this
region, Professor Christine Fair who was invited as a witness to the hearing
aptly described the whole affair as a stunt which a staff member in
Rohrabachers office confided to her was organized only because they
wanted to stick it to the Pakistanis.
It was indeed a stunt motivated not by any genuine concern for the
situation in Balochistan but largely by a level of frustration in the US
Congress over the situation in Afghanistan. The sub-committee was a
convenient forum to bring Pakistan under pressure by using the human
rights situation in Balochistan. But instead of burning ourselves with anger
and frustration on these unfriendly acts or resentfully arguing as to who gave
the right to the US Congresss Committee on Foreign Affairs to discuss
human rights situation in Balochistan, we should be doing some real soulsearching to find who made us an easy target for foreign interferences
and humiliating coercion and reproach.
The congressional focus on Balochistan should have been an eyeopener to us. Our problems will not end just by making anodyne noises
that do not reflect our pathetic reality of being a client state whose selfcentred rulers have themselves been espousing foreign interferences not
only as an instrument of their statecraft but also as the basic plank of their
political survival and strength. The words sovereignty and territorial
integrity have no relevance in their philosophy of greed and power. This
has been a legacy of total subservience to foreign powers including a couple
of neighbouring kingdoms and sheikhdoms which seem to have gained an
intrusively decisive role in our domestic affairs.

1241

We must be truthful to ourselves by at least recognizing our own

frailties and accepting our own responsibility for being where we are today.
A cursory look at the events of the last few years will show how committed
our rulers have been to the established norms of inter-state relations. Under
the UN Charter, no country, however powerful or dominant, can resort to
pre-emptive or preventive use of force, or to any punitive action, unless it is
authorized by the UN Security Council within the scope of Articles 42 and
51 of the Charter. We never had the courage to invoke these principles
and remained totally complacent if not explicitly consensual to repeated
violations of our territorial integrity
In our case, humiliating territorial transgressions and frequent
distant interventions in the form of unlawful drone attacks are almost a
daily routine. The use of force against our territorial integrity and foreign
intrusions in our internal affairs are an accepted and at times solicited norm
for our rulers. The illegal NRO and notorious memo scandal are clear
evidence of this sordid reality.
We have also been a shameful accomplice at the UN in the
legitimization of a highly exceptionable Right to Intervene in the name
of Right to Protect which the West has in recent years been using as a lethal
political weapon of their regime change policy. After Qaddafis ouster, this
weapon was tried for a similar result in Syria
The noises made by our rulers on the Balochistan stunt in the US
Congress were no more than the same double talk and double deal for
which their skills are known not only in the country but also the world
over. No one took them seriously. Instead of crying foul and blaming others
for interfering in our internal affairs, they must accept the situation in
Balochistan is not normal. It is not merely a law and order problem. It is an
issue of gross governance failure in removing the regional disparities
inherent in our lopsided federal structure and resultant sense of inequality
and deprivation among different parts of the country.
Despite its abundance of natural resources, Balochistan remains the
most backward province of the country and its legitimate political and
economic grievances have long remained unaddressed. The Quaid, himself,
was mindful of the injustices of the colonial period inherited by the
people of Balochistan and acknowledged the need to redress their longstanding grievances by giving them a direct say in the administration and
governance of their province. At the first Sibi Darbar on February 14, 1948,

1242

he pledged to them the same position and the same political status within the
polity of Pakistan as were open to their brethren in other provinces.
He also assured them of a future reform package on their socioeconomic and political well-being but with his early demise, the promised
package never came. With a deeply entrenched feudal and tribal power
structure in the province and totally apathetic ruling elite in Islamabad,
things continued to worsen. It is time now to deliver on the Quaids
promise to the people of Balochistan. Our Baloch brothers must also
understand that their future lies in Pakistan alone. Whatever grievances they
may have must be resolved through political and economic means, not by
force or militancy.
Balochistans sardars and nawabs must also come out of their
exploitative mode and instead of fuelling self-serving nationalist unrest
and obstructing genuine development and security related projects; they
should join the countrys political mainstream and genuinely work for the
socio-economic well-being of their people. The Baloch interests will be best
safeguarded only in a strong and stable Pakistan and in an environment of
peace and tranquility in their province free of exploitation, blackmail or
duress from any source.
Momin Iftikhar wrote: The onerous responsibility of presenting the
Baloch cause was resting on the shoulders of Dr M Hosseinbor, a member
of the bar of the District of Columbia, who had earlier authored a book Iran
and Its Nationalities: The Case of Baloch nationalism. Of Iranian descent
and a well known figure in the US public diplomacy circles including CNN
and BBC, the presence of Dr Bor as a witness should be sufficient in
understanding why the hearing was termed as a political stunt by
Christain Fair; another member of the witness panel. T. Kumar, the
Advocacy Director for International Issues for Amnesty International USA,
of Sri Lankan origins, who called on the US to apply the Leahy Amendment
without waivers to all Pakistani military units in Balochistan is another
active member of the US public diplomacy team who has been active in
projecting US hidden agenda in Bosnia, Haiti, Guatemala and now in
Pakistan. The holding of the highly objectionable hearing which is a stark
US interference into the internal affairs of Pakistan is loaded with ominous
possibilities; calling for deliberations and well thought out action at our
end.
First, US is very flagrantly providing sponsorship to Baloch
nationalists to get a firm handle on Balochistan and the consequence is that
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America has become a lodestone to Baloch nationalists for gaining

prominence, monetary resources and legitimacy. While these US
chaperoned intellectuals can openly lobby their cause from the podiums in
USA, Baloch Liberation Army hardcore terrorists, involved in large scale
acts of terrorism in Pakistan, enjoy CIA patronage, money and shelter in the
safe harbors of Afghanistan; right under the nose of the ISAF and NATO
commands. Brahamdagh Bugti who is currently seeking asylum as a UN
refugee in Switzerland remained for years in Afghanistan along with a large
retinue before making his move to reach Europe where he is leading a posh
life style, splurging millions of doled out dollars in promoting the cause of
his oppressed people. So is Harbiyar Murree who is fabricating a poisonous
propaganda campaign from UK and concurrently leading a band of proxy
assassins to kill non-Baloch settlers, security officials and destroying
infrastructure in Balochistan. One wouldnt have to think too hard to unmask
the sources of his seemingly inexhaustible funds sustaining his luxurious life
style as well his bloody campaign.
Second, the voices from the witness box may sound as theater of the
absurd, yet if one deliberates upon the tone, tenor and antecedents of the
participants at Washingtons Balochistan hearing, a method to the madness is
discernible. The context in which Balochistan is being framed is not
human rights but its expanded interpretation, maliciously attempts to
throw open the settled and sealed issue of a right of self determination for
the Baloch population, not only in Pakistan but Iran as well; a devilish idea
propounded six years earlier by Colonel Ralph Peters. It is highly
questionable if this nightmare will survive the light of the day but certainly it
provides a rallying cry to paid agents to destabilize the Region to create
space for the US designs in Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. It comes across
as truly ironic that while US has shown little inclination to support the UN
sponsored call for self determination for Kashmir, an acknowledged disputed
territory, her alacrity and enthusiasm towards right of self determination of
the Balochis who are inseparable part of the Pakistani State, duly echoed by
vehement expression of support from a posse of US legislators, comes
across as a truly disgusting display of vested opportunism and double
standards.
Third, even if it is an unequal contest of resources, power and reach,
Pakistan must mobilize national media to expose the antecedents of the
so called leaders of the Baloch cause and their extremely narrow
support base. There are no Nelson Mandelas, as exuberant sections of the
US media are wont to call some renegade scions of the decrepit Sardari
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system; who by themselves constitute the biggest hurdle to the forces of

democratization, progress and change in Balochistan. From among 250
Baloch Sardars there are only three houses, the Mengals, the Bugtis and
Marris who are supporting militancy. They have; particularly Marris and
Bugtis, deep divisions and while some of them or their forefathers have
remained the Chief Ministers of Balochistan, they have done nothing to
improve the lot of their hapless people. Their much touted demands for
autonomy and control over natural resources are not motivated to improve
the lot of the Balochis but to cling on to the vestiges of a system that has
outlived its life and is bound to disintegrate with the passage of time.
Lastly, we must deny space for maneuver to outside forces to run
amok in Balochistan and take effective measures to cut the umbilical
chord that siphons in money and weapons to feed militancy. As it turns out
refusing permission to US to open a consulate in Quetta has been a prudent
step. We must also clip the liberty of action of the foreign intelligence
operators and contractors, working under the garb of diplomats and aid
organizers, in line with the established norms and globally accepted
diplomatic protocol, to ensure they dont run roughshod over our vital
security concerns in the highly sensitive and strategically placed province of
Balochistan.
On 2nd March, Nadir Mir commented: Recently, a resolution was
passed in the US Congress to divide Pakistan and carve out an independent
Balochistan. With this, an old neocon dream was revived. This time the socalled globalists and propagandists, masquerading as human right activists,
are the cheerleaders. Against this backdrop, Colonel Ralph Peters map of
the New Middle East truncating, balkanizing every country - Turkey, Saudi
Arabia, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan - was reproduced. Despite the fact
that it was scorned and reviled even at the time of its earlier exhibition. It
seems that the neocons and influential globalists of America desperately
want to initiate World War III. Former Secretary of State Henry
Kissingers interview, If you cant hear the drums of war, you must be deaf,
with Alfred Heinz on November 27, 2011, is a clear expression of this
desire.
The neocon-globalist geopolitical wish list the rationale for the
so-called independent Balochistan is as under:
Cripple Pakistan by separating Balochistan (46 percent of its territory
with large mineral resources, besides the future global port of
Gwadar).
1245

 Balkanized Pakistan forced to give up its nuclear arsenal.

Establish Indias hegemony over Pakistan.
Leftover US forces in Afghanistan and US controlled new
Balochistan to act as strategic central position for multi-regions.
US controlled Afghanistan-Balochistan to link the Central Asian
energy oil and gas pipelines with Gwadar.
Delink Pakistan and Iran by carving out Balochistan and obviate the
Iran-Pakistan energy/gas pipelines.
Establish US military presence in Balochistan for upcoming USIsraeli war against Iran.
Block Russia-Pak cooperation with Gazprom (Russian Gas Company)
reaching Gwadar.
Balochistan and Kurdistan to be artificially created to have imperialist
bases in the heartland of Islam.

Independent Balochistan a prelude for Kurdistan to break away

from Turkey; separate Xinjiang and Tibet from China; Siberia from
Russia; and separate Makkah and Madinah from Saudi Arabia.

US military presence in Gwadar to control the Gulf. To use the port as

an alternative for USAs 5th fleet based in Bahrain or another fleet if
brought near the Gulf.
Use Gwadar as a military base for intervention in the Saudi
Peninsula.
The rationale of these ill-intentioned pseudo thinkers is absolutely
absurd. According to them, since the Pakistani elite is exploiting
Balochistan, so it should be balkanized. Those who believe that Balochistan
should not be a part of Pakistan are geopolitical imbeciles. Indeed, the
propagandists making these claims are clueless about regional realities
because:
Pakistan: It will fight a war, even a nuclear war of national survival to
defend itself.
Iran: The Iranian Seistan is part of Balochistan, which the imperialists
want to carve out. Therefore, Iran will fight a war in unison with
Pakistan to defend Balochistan against the US threats.
1246

 Afghanistan: The Taliban are winning; the Americans are leaving. No

Afghan not even Karzai will cede the Afghan territory to become
greater independent Balochistan. Nor can landlocked Kabul take up
fights with both Islamabad and Tehran.
Turkey: The Turks will support Pakistan and oppose independent
Balochistan. Those who are plotting Balochistan also support
Kurdistan to balkanize Turkey. Turkey will oppose Balochistan
splitting by NATO, even if NATO is foolhardy to play the diabolical
game of neocons.
Saudi Arabia: The Saudis, too, will support Pakistan and oppose the
Balochistan movement.
India: It has been supporting the destabilization of Balochistan and
will continue to do so. But for India to overtly support Balochistan
can lead to a nuclear war with Pakistan. Besides this can also trigger
freedom movements in Kashmir, Khalistan, Assam, Tamil Nadu and a
dozen other places. Playing the US-Israel game will spoil its relations
with Iran, Russia and China.
China: It will support Pakistan. USAs aim in Balochistan is to block
China from Gwadar. Balochistan today, Xinjiang tomorrow! Chinas
defence begins from Pakistan.
Russia: It is Pakistans new friend. Besides, the Pak-Iran link is
supported by Moscow.
So, the geopolitics of the region negates any viability of an
independent Balochistan. In addition, anti-Americanism in Pakistan has a
complex dynamic. The US meddling in Balochistan will not create an
independent Balochistan, but will initiate a war, perhaps, leading to
World War III.
The situation in Balochistan certainly demands immediate attention.
Out of 150 Baloch tribes three major ones Marris, Bugtis, and Mengals have
had problems or are in conflict. The issue of Bugtis is greatly linked to the
murder of Nawab Akbar Bugti. A fair trial of those responsible is their
demand. The Mengals can be communicated with. Some of the Marris
leaders are more adamant and would need to be worked on. Pakistan needs
to accommodate most of the Balochistan demands and satisfy the
people, while ensuring its national interests. Half the demography of
Balochistan which is Pakhtun are patriotic like the great majority of Baloch.

1247

Bugtis killing by Musharraf led to the present Balochistan crisis. The

army or the ISI is not responsible. USA and India did not oppose
Musharrafs actions in Balochistan. This was a US-India baited gambit (to
lure Musharraf into a crackdown and create turmoil for instigating
independent Balochistan). Musharraf was praised by Washington and
assured by Delhi of its non-involvement in Balochistan, luring him into the
mess Pakistan faces today in the province. For all this time a covert war was
being waged for claiming independence of Balochistan. During this period a
worldwide network was established. This became overt in February 2012 as
war with Iran is near centre stage in 2012. However, those who are planning
war against Pakistan must be told that the choice is between peace and total
war; indeed, the country will be defended at any price!

REVIEW
Benazir Bhuttos return to Pakistan under NRO was part of Americas
strategy for its holy war in the context of Pakistan. She was, however,
eliminated by her adversaries before she could practically join the war after
winning general elections. This provided an opportunity to her husband to
be at the service of Americans.
They carried out a recheck of their strategy and reliability of Asif Ali
Zardari and having done that replaced Musharraf with new incumbent. Since
February 2007, Zardari has stood by his wifes promise with the Americans
to deliver more than what Musharraf could in serving the American cause in
exchange of staying in power in Pakistan.
Most of what he has delivered, especially during last year starting
from Raymond Davis episode, was conceived by her wife through her
interaction with the Americans. It was an irony that honour of delivering that
went to her husband. The contents of the memorandum reflected nothing,
but his unending desire to deliver more for the Master.
The disclosure of the memorandum toppled the apple cart pulled by
Zardari. In the process he had his old ailments aggravated. He was rushed to
American hospital in Dubai for immediate medical care; where apart from
receiving doctors attention in ICU, he had time and assistance to deliberate
over his options in the wake of memorandum mishap.
The main issue deliberated over was that whether to return to
Islamabad or make his escape good. His masters help was needed in either
case. In case the escape option was to be adopted, he would seek political
1248

asylum in the West and go to the UN for help of international community

against the forces threatening his democratic rule, which could be provided
quite gleefully.
He could wait in Dubai till the danger subsides and for that also he
would need the help of his masters. America and its close ally gave the
assurance he wanted and he returned quite triumphantly. His main political
opponent also extended helping hand by dragging the issue into judicial
jigsaw instead of exploiting it politically.
The Scoundrel not only returned but also quickly managed to regain
the control which he seemed to have lost. Indeed, his political allies,
especially Asfandyar and Shujaat, stood besides him. The latter proposed his
favourite treatment of miti pao (put the earth) and the Scoundrel also relied
on time-tested magic spray of delaying and defiance tactics.
Two out of his three adversaries, Army and PML-N, saw the support
that the Scoundrel had been able to muster and decided to step back, or in
other words, consented to pursue Shujaat strategy. But, Judiciary the third
adversary had gone too far; therefore it decided to try the variation of that
strategy; karvai pao, phair miti pao.
Then the judicial commission faltered in taking the risk of opening
Pandoras Box through video link rather than sticking to what Chief Justice
Qazi Esa had said, i.e. not to record Mansoors statement if he could not
come to Pakistan. Mansoor has now made the task of gorkuni (burial), or
miti pao quite cumbersome.
Esa Commission may have to once again refer the matter to the
Supreme Court for seeking more time to complete the probe. Not only that,
the bomb-lets that Mansoor has been dropping for five days have also
complicated the work of another commission that has been probing
Abbottabad raid by the US forces.
In the beginning of last December, Justice Javed Iqbal heading that
commission had held a press conference in pleasant mood and hoped to
complete the probe report by the end of the month. In reply to a question
about presence of Osama at the time of raid he had said lug pata jaoo (come
to know hard way).
How right the judge was, but more so for his commission rather than
the journalist for whom it was said. Mansoors log-revelation about
communications between Presidency and COAS office has added to the list
of avenues to be explored by the commission.
1249

It has become mandatory, perhaps for both the commissions, that

starting from President Zardari, General Kayani and Air Chief down to the
force commander which reacted on ground in Abbottabad night between
May 1 and 2 must be called to answer few questions. No one could come
clean without that; not even the probing commissions.
4th March, 2012

1250

LOOMING LARGE
Annihilation of the Islamic World, as had been vowed by Bush Aides,
is almost complete. Only three countries, Pakistan, Iran and Syria, remained
to be administered their share of the treatment that Bush Team had
prescribed. The treatment comprises shock and awe dished out through
perpetration of death and destruction the clouds of which are now looming
large over these three countries and that can burst over any one of these.
Elsewhere the arrangements have been set in place to ensure incessant
bleeding of the Muslims. In Nigeria, clashes between Muslims and
Christians take place frequently. Sudan has been divided but bloodshed
continues unabated. Islamists in Somalia have been sandwiched between
Ethiopian and Kenyan armies. There has been no let fighting in Yemen.
The remote-controlled killing machines of holy warriors of the US
have also started operating in the Far East. Early last month, Tausug
villagers on the Southern Philippine island of Jolo heard the dreaded buzzing
sound of a drone. Within minutes, 15 people lay dead, thus restarting the
unfinished holy task started by the Spaniards.

NEWS
Muslims in North Africa have yet feel change, or even respite, from
oppression of their rulers despite the Arab Spring. They seemed to inhabiting
bush lands where the lightening has lit fire at various places which subside
at one spot and flare up at another.
Suspected Islamist gunmen bombed their way into a prison in central
Nigeria and emptied the jail of its 200 inmates on 16th February. The attack
in the central Kogi state left one warden dead. Four days later, extremists
opened fire and set off bombs at a market in the northeastern city of
Maiduguri killing at least 30 people. On 22nd February, suspected Islamists
threw explosives and fired at a military check point igniting a gun battle in
the city of Kano. The soldiers repelled the attack and arrested four suspects.
On 25th February, suspected Boko Haram Islamists razed a police
station and killed 14 people in an overnight raid in northeastern city of
Gombe. Next day, a suicide bomber drove a car packed with explosives into
a church in the central Nigerian city of Jos, killing two people and wounding
38 and angry Christian youths reacted by beating two Muslims to death.

1251

On 10th March, Nigeria quizzed the alleged kidnappers of two

Westerners killed during a failed British-Nigerian rescue bid amid a
diplomatic row between London and Rome over the operation. A Nigerian
security source said one had confessed to killing Italian engineer and his
British colleague Chris McManus during the assault authorized by British
Prime Minister. The radical Islamist Boko Haram sect, blamed for scores of
gun and bomb attacks mainly in the countrys northeast in recent months,
denied responsibility for the kidnappings. A car laden with explosives detonated
outside of a Catholic church in a city in central Nigeria, killing at least three people and
injuring others.

On 11th March, Christian youths killed at least 10 people in reprisal

attacks after a suspected suicide bomber hit a Catholic church in the city of
Jos. Four days later, Nigerian government has in the last week held its first
indirect peace talks with Islamist sect Boko Haram, meeting mediators to
discuss a possible ceasefire.
At least three people were killed and about twenty others injured by
14 February during two days of clashes in eastern region of Ivory Coast.
The violence was sparked by frustrations over the continued policing of the
area by former northern rebels which degenerated into ethnic clashes.
th

On 3rd March, a suicide car bomber drove into a gendarme

headquarters in southern Algeria; ten gendarmes and 14 civilians were
injured. Ten days later, a court sentenced the fugitive head of al-Qaedas
North African offshoot to death for a string of 2007 attacks, including
bombing at the prime ministers office. Abdelmalek Droukdel, leader of alQaeda in the Islamic Magreb and eight co-defendants were sentenced in
absentia for premeditated murder, membership of a terrorist group and
attacks using explosives. They were among 18 people, nine of whom were
absent, put on trial for three bomb attacks in Algiers on April 11, 2007 that
killed 20 people and wounded 222.
Tribal clashes erupted in remote southeastern desert of Libya on 14th
February; five people were reported killed on third day of the clash. At least
17 people were killed in fighting between the Zwai and the Toubu tribes in
the town of Kufra during the first two days. On 21 st February, fierce clashes
between two tribes in Libyan desert have killed more than 100 people over
the past 10 days. At least 113 people from the Toubu tribe and another 20
from the Zwai tribe have been killed in the desert town of Kufra since the
fighting erupted between them on February 12.

1252

On 3rd March, Islamists and independents formed a new political party

and elected a representative of the Muslim Brotherhood as its leader after a
three-day conference. Next day, authorities were extremely apologetic over
the desecration of Commonwealth graves in the eastern city of Benghazi.
Meanwhile, a committee on missing persons said that it had recovered the
bodies of 163 people who were killed in the 2011 conflict that toppled the
regime of Moamer Gaddafi.
On 26th February, a court in Egypt adjourned the trial of dozens of
democracy activists including 16 Americans to April, raising hopes among
their supporters that the case could be dropped to spare further damage to
Egypts ties with its ally Washington. Forty-three foreign and Egyptian nonprofit workers including the son of the US transportation secretary are
accused of receiving illegal funds from abroad. Meanwhile, the US
threatened to stop $1.5 billion aid.
On 29th February, security officials said a man they arrested at Cairo
airport believing him to be a senior al-Qaeda leader is an Egyptian Islamist
wanted in his homeland not Seif al-Adel. Muhamed Ibrahim Makkawi, had
left for Afghanistan to join the war against Soviet troops in the 1980s, and
later settled down in neighbouring Pakistan.
A fortnight later, members of Mubaraks regime, in jail for corruption,
offered their assets in exchange for their release. The government says it is
considering the deal, which would pump vital money into the suffering
economy, but the move risks infuriating protesters who pushed to put the
officials on trial.
Warplanes of Sudan dropped several bombs on 14th February,
wounding four soldiers in an area claimed by South Sudan, breaking a fresh
non-aggression pact between the two sides. On 20th February, rebels in
Darfur region detained 49 international peacekeepers and three suspected
Sudanese intelligence agents for investigation. The UN denied the report
saying the fifty-five peacekeepers from the joint African UNAMID were not
taken as hostages.
On 24th February, in fresh fighting in Darfur region killed 12 soldiers.
The official news agency made no mention of military or rebel casualties but
said the Minawi faction killed six civilians and wounded four in the attack.
On 1st March, ICC said it has issued an arrest warrant for Sudan's defence
minister for crimes against the civilian population in Darfur. He is the sixth
person sought by the ICC or before the court for crimes committed in the
war-torn African region.
1253

On 12th March, at least 300 people were confirmed dead and over
15,000 displaced as fighting escalated between two rival ethnic groups in
South Sudans troubled Jonglei State. The fighting started when an armed
group of 3,000 angry youth from Pibor County attacked cattle camps in
Akobo County. An estimated 230 people were wounded, 305 bodies buried
and 200 people were still missing. Next day, insurgents in one of Sudans
conflict-torn border regions said they shot down a government drone which
was doing reconnaissance but the army dismissed the claim.
In Somalia, hundreds of people fled their homes on 16 th February,
fearing clashes after African Union troops attacked Islamist Shebab militia
positions on the outskirts of Mogadishu. Next day, a car bomb exploded
inside the compound of a major police building in Mogadishu, wounding at
least one police officer.
On 22nd February, Ethiopian and Somali troops captured a key Islamist
militant stronghold as the rebels left their positions. The loss of Baidoa in
central Somalia is a major blow for the al Qaeda-backed al Shebab rebel
group. Six days later, Danish Navy rescued 18 people held by pirates.
On 10th March, an offensive by Somalias Islamist Shebab fighters on
Ethiopian troops left many combatants dead. The fighting around the village
of Yurkut was the most intense since Ethiopian forces entered Somalia in
November in the countrys southwestern region. On 14 th March, a suicide
bomber killed at least five people in an attack at the compound of Somali
President that was claimed by al-Qaeda affiliated Shebab rebels.
In Middle East the old fires kept smouldering in Palestine and Iraq;
whereas Yemen continued burning as hither-to-fore. The Crusaders planned
to fan the fire in Syria and lit a new one in Iran. The Arab stooges ruling in
Arabian Peninsula were rendering the helping hand to the Crusaders.
In Iraq, bomb and gun attacks killed two people, including an army
brigadier, and wounded 16 others in western Baghdad and Mosul on 14 th
February. Four days later, at least 19 people were killed in suicide bombing
at Police Academy in Baghdad.
On 23rd February, simultaneous attacks across Iraq killed at least 60
people and wounded dozens in one of the bloodiest days of violence since
US troops pulled out in mid-December. The attacks that appeared to pitch alQaeda-linked insurgents raised fears of a return to the widespread sectarian
carnage that tore Iraq apart and cost thousands of lives in 2006 and 2007.
1254

On 1st March, an Iraqi student shot dead his American teacher and
then killed himself in northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region following
an argument. Four days later, al-Qaeda gunmen attacked two check points in
the east and west of Haditha before storming other security posts and raiding
the homes of the two officers. It was deadliest since February 23 killed 27
policemen, including two officers killed execution-style.
On 6th March, authorities arrested four men in connection with a
shooting spree a day ago that left 27 policemen dead, including two officers
killed execution-style. Next day, attacks across Iraq killed 16 people,
including 13 who died in twin bombings in the northern town of Tal Afar.
The violence also left 24 people wounded. The officials insisted Baghdad
was ready for the March 29 meeting, which UN Secretary General is set to
attend.
By 10th March, moral policing had resulted in the killing of at least 90
teenagers in Iraq during the last month, as they were stoned to death over the
charges of emo appearances, reported Al-Arabiya, TV channel. The
violent crackdown against the emo teenagers came after the Iraqi interior
ministry declared them as devil worshippers. Two days later, gunmen
killed nine people in attack on jewellers shop, one of several attacks in and
around Baghdad that left 13 people dead, most of them police officers.
Police of Israel used force at protesters outside prison in Ramalah on
12 February. Six days later, four people were wounded in two Israeli air
strikes on Gaza. On 22nd February, Israel approved construction of 500 new
homes in the West Bank settlement of Shilo and retroactively legalized more
than 200 built without permits.
th

On 24th February, clashes broke out between Israeli police and

Palestinian stone-throwers at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound. Next day,
Palestinians and Israeli troops clashed on the edge of Jerusalem for a second
day after the funeral of a protester killed the previous day. At least nine
Palestinians were injured in the clashes following the funeral in the West
Bank neighbourhood of Al-Ram, adjacent to Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.
On 28th February, Palestinians and Israeli settlers clashed in West
Bank. Next day, Israeli troops raided two Palestinian television stations in
the West Bank city of Ramallah overnight, seizing computers and
broadcasting equipment. The two stations affected were Watan Television, a
local private station, and Quds Educational Television, affiliated with the
Palestinian Al-Quds University. On 7th March, two Palestinian children were
killed when abandoned ordnance exploded in the occupied West Bank,
1255

On 10th March, Israeli air strikes on Gaza killed 15 Palestinians,

including a militant chief in the deadliest 24 hours in the border area in more
than three years. A Palestinian riding a motorcycle was killed and two others
were wounded in an Israeli air raid near Rafah and two men also on a
motorbike were killed earlier in another raid on the town of Khan Yunis.
After that report the Israeli military said an aircraft had attacked a
terrorist squad planning to fire rockets. The raids came as Palestinian
militants fired more than 90 rockets and mortar rounds into southern Israel.
The Palestinian barrage had wounded four people, one of them seriously.
Three of those wounded were Thai labourers working on a farm near the
border with the Gaza Strip.
One of the strikes killed the head of the Popular Resistance
Committees, Zohair al-Qaisi, and fellow member Mahmud Hanani, the ultrahardliner militant group said. The PRC threatened reprisals for Qaisis death,
while Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, said the air
strikes also killed 10 of its members.
Two days later, Israeli warplanes pounded Gaza for a fourth day,
killing four more Palestinians, as a teenager died in a mystery blast, raising
the death toll so far to 23. The latest strike killed a man in his 60s and his
daughter in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip. PM
Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the army could expand its operations if
rocket fire continued.
On 13th March, Israel and militants in Gaza agreed to cease hostilities
after Egypt brokered a mutual truce following four days of bloodletting
which left 25 Gazans dead. Under the agreement both Israel and militants
from Islamic Jihad, who have been responsible for the lions share of the
rockets lobbed at southern Israel, agreed to hold their fire.
Two days later, majority of Israels security cabinet supports an attack
on Iran in a bid to end its nuclear programme, an Israeli newspaper reported.
At this point eight ministers tend to support Netanyahu and Baraks
position, while six object to it, Caspit wrote.
On 18th February, Iran halted its limited oil sales to France and
Britain in retaliation for a phased EU ban on Iranian oil that is yet to take
full effect. On 5th March, Iran's Supreme Court dismissed an execution
sentence passed by a revolutionary court against an Iranian-American
national accused of spying for the CIA.

1256

On 13th March, Qazi Hussain Ahmad denounced the report of the

UNs special human rights rapporteur on Iran. He said that the west is trying
to defame the Muslim countries by issuing false reports. The report claimed
in his report that rights violations have increased in Iran.
Next day, Obama warned Iran that the window for diplomacy to solve
a nuclear showdown was shrinking, stiffening his rhetoric ahead of talks
on the issue. Obama also predicted at a joint news conference with British
Prime Minister David Cameron that a punishing new set of sanctions on Iran
would begin to bite even harder this summer and would further hurt
Tehrans economy.
On 12th February, the Arab League called for the UN Security Council
to send a joint UN-Arab peacekeeping mission to Syria and decided to scrap
its own monitoring team, according to a resolution approved by ministers.
Arab ministers had met in Cairo to revive diplomatic efforts after Russia and
China vetoed a UN resolution that called for President Bashar al-Assad to
step aside.
Next day, Syria ignored a new Arab initiative to end the bloodshed,
with its troops pounding the protest hub of Homs. Russia said a ceasefire is
needed before peacekeepers can be deployed. Pressure mounted on the
Damascus, with the top UN human rights official saying that crimes against
humanity have probably been committed in the bloody crackdown.
On 14th February, army killed at least nineteen civilians in the heaviest
shelling of Homs for several days, as the international community warned of
a humanitarian disaster in the city. Two days later, armour moved on the
main hubs of uprising, with at least 22 killed in clashes a day after President
Bashar al-Assad set a vote for a new constitution. Opposition groups
rejected the newly proposed constitution.
On 20th February, troops massed around Homs as Iranian warships
docked at the port of Tartus in a show of force. At least 12 people were
killed in shelling of various parts of the town. Next day, Syrian forces killed
at least 31 civilians, including 16 in shelling of neighbourhoods in Homs.
The regime had been bolstering its forces outside Homs, apparently to storm
the city in following 18 days of siege.
On 22nd February, American correspondent Marie Colvin and French
photographer Remi Ochlik were killed in the besieged city of Homs when
rockets fired by government forces hit the house they were staying in. Next
day, international investigators handed the UN a list of Syrian officials
suspected of committing crimes against humanity, as a defiant regime
1257

brushed off an outcry over the killing of two journalists. The violence
claimed 46 more lives.
On 24th February, foreign powers were blamed for turning a blind eye
to weapons purchases by Syrian exiles that smuggle light arms,
communications equipment and night vision goggles to rebels inside Syria.
Opposition supporters were also trying to bring anti-aircraft and anti-tank
weapons to the Free Syrian Army rebels, and to get retired Syrian officers
into the country to help coordinate military opposition to President al-Assad.
Next day, security forces killed 41 civilians, while 16 soldiers died in
explosions and clashes with rebels. Among the civilians, 19 were killed in
the flashpoint city of Homs. On 27th February, artillery pounded rebel-held
areas of Homs as government announced that voters had overwhelmingly
approved a new constitution in a referendum derided as a sham by his critics
at home and abroad. Next day, Hillary threatened that Assad could qualify as
war criminal.
On 29th February, troops launched a ground attack in Homs in an
apparent attempt to overrun the rebel-held Baba Amro neighbourhood that
has endured 25 days of siege and fierce bombardment. Next day, forces
seized full control of the Baba Amr district of Homs after rebels pulled out
tactically in the face of relentless shelling and a deadly ground assault.
On 4th March, artillery fire killed seven civilians in Baba Amr quarter
nearby. Next day, forces bombarded the city of Rastan for a second straight
day. Russia and China stepping up efforts to find a peaceful solution to the
crisis, as the Red Cross was again denied access to a battered rebel district.
On 7th March, Panetta said that US was considering all possible
additional steps including potential military options in Syria, but stressed
the administration was focused on diplomatic and political approaches
rather than a military intervention. Next day, Kofi Annan, the UN-Arab
League envoy to Syria, said he would urge President Assad and his foes to
stop fighting and seek a political solution, drawing angry rebukes from
dissidents. One Syrian opposition activist voiced alarm at Annans call for
dialogue, saying it sounded like a wink at Bashar that would only
encourage Assad to crush the revolution.
On a separate mission to Syria, UN humanitarian chief said she was
devastated by the destruction she had seen in the Baba Amr district of
Homs city and wanted to know what had happened to its residents, who
endured a 26-day military siege before rebel fighters withdrew a week ago.

1258

Tunisia and Turkey declared their opposition to intervention by any

force from outside the region, and Annan argued against further
militarization of the conflict. Tunisian President Moncef al-Marzouki said
his country, which has offered Assad asylum to end the bloodshed, would be
ready to join a possible Arab peacekeeping force in Syria. His Turkish
counterpart Abdullah Gul said no government could survive by using
violence on its people.
Western powers shied away from Libya-style military intervention in
Syria. Leon Panetta defended US caution, especially without international
consensus on Syria, but said the Pentagon had reviewed US military options.
China, one of Assads few friends abroad, said its envoy had given his
Syrian hosts a message similar to Annans, urging all parties to stop violence
and allow aid into strife-hit areas.
On 9th March, at least 32 civilians were killed in violence across Syria
as tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets after weekly Friday
prayers. Meanwhile, four generals who had defected from the Syrian army
arrived in Turkey. The four were among some 10 high-ranking army officers
stationed in cities including Damascus, Homs and Latakia, who crossed the
border into Turkeys southern province of Hatay to join the Syrian rebels,
the state-run Turkish agency said.
Next day, President Assad told UN/Arab League envoy Kofi Annan
that no political solution was possible in Syria while terrorist groups were
destabilizing the country. There was no immediate comment from Annan
after the meeting, aimed at halting bloodshed that has cost thousands of lives
since a popular uprising erupted a year ago. While they discussed the crisis,
Syrian troops were assaulting the north-western city of Idlib, a rebel bastion.
On 13th March, Syrian President announced parliamentary elections
for May 7, as more than 35 people were killed in violence across Syria,
including 22 members of the security forces. Meanwhile a pro-government
Syrian newspaper reported that regime forces had recaptured the rebel
stronghold of Idlib in record time.
Warplanes of Turkey bombed suspected Kurdish rebel targets in
northern Iraq on 12th February. The jets hit caves and other rebel shelters in
Iraqs Zap and Hakurk regions. On 5th March, a bomb exploded near the
offices of Turkish Prime Minister in Ankara, lightly injuring one person. On
14th March, Turkey's air force carried out strikes on border areas of north
Iraq. The PKK claimed a March 1 bombing in Istanbul that wounded 16
people, nearly all of them police officers.
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Police clashed with protesters in Bahrain on 13th February, as the

kingdom's security chief warned citizens not to heed calls by activists to
mark the first anniversary of a Shiite-led uprising. Two days later, Bahrain
deported six US citizens for joining pro-democracy demonstrations as the
opposition reported dozens of arrests on the first anniversary of a Shiite-led
uprising.
Al-Qaedas Yemen branch executed two of its members on 12th
February, accusing them of spying on its operations. They were accused of
planting tracking devices in the vehicles of fellow al-Qaeda in the Arabian
Peninsula militants and of providing Yemeni authorities, and the Saudi and
US intelligence services, with information. They were publicly shot dead in
front of dozens of residents after the accusations against them were read out,
the witnesses said.
On 14th February, a man was killed when a bomb exploded as he was
planting it in a polling booth in Yemens southern city of Aden. Two days
later, the killing of a local al-Qaeda leader by his half brother sparked
vicious tribal infighting in his stronghold southeast of Yemens capital which
left 17 people dead. On 20th February, Ali Abdullah Saleh called for a high
turnout in a vote to elect his successor after a year of unrest as a southern-led
boycott campaign turned deadly.
On 25th February, a suicide bomber blew up a vehicle outside a
presidential palace in southeastern Yemen, killing 26 elite troops and
overshadowing the swearing in of the first new president in Sanaa since
1978. Militants loyal to al-Qaeda exploited the decline in central
government control in southern and eastern Yemen.
Two days later, Yemens Ali Abdullah Saleh stepped down after 33
years at the helm, making him the fourth veteran Arab leader to fall in a year
of mass pro-democracy demonstrations in the region. Standing before a
crowd of parliamentarians, tribal leaders and foreign dignitaries at the
presidential palace in Sanaa, Saleh formally ceded power to his deputy
Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, pledging to support his efforts to rebuild a country
still reeling from months of violence.
The main opposition coalition, the Common Forum, which currently
heads the interim government, boycotted the ceremony, saying in a
statement that Hadi officially became president after winning the February
21 election, not because Saleh handed him the post. Hadi will serve for an
interim two-year period under a Gulf-brokered transition plan signed by
Saleh last November.
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On 29th February, al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for a suicide attack

on a presidential palace in southeast Yemen that had killed 26 Republican
Guards over the weekend. Two days later, a bomb blast hit an anti-US
protest in northern Yemen, wounding at least 22 people. The region has seen
bouts of fighting in recent months among rebel groups, but no one claimed
the attack.
On 3rd March, two suicide bombers killed a soldier as they blew up a
vehicle at Republican Guard camp. Next day, fierce clashes between the
army and al-Qaeda in the south killed at least 30 soldiers and 12 militants. A
military official said many more soldiers were wounded in the clashes
south of Zinjibar. By 5th March, more than 100 soldiers were killed in
clashes with suspected al-Qaeda gunmen after the extremists attacked
military positions in the restive south.
On 10th March, US drone attacks killed at least 25 al Qaeda-linked
fighters including one of their leaders while a Yemeni air force raid killed 20
more in the south, in the biggest air strikes since Yemens new president
took office. Militants have expanded their operations in southern Yemen
during months of turmoil which paralyzed the country and eventually
unseated former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
On 12th March, Yemen police and southern separatists clashed in the
southeast province of Hadramawt, with one person killed in the fighting. At
least six other southern activists were injured in the clashes. Next day, ten
people were killed as battles intensified between al-Qaeda and Yemeni
forces, many of which are still led by relatives of former president Ali
Abdullah Saleh, who handed over power three weeks ago. Five militants
were killed in an air strike on their car in Yemens southern Bayda province.
The official said the extremists managed to capture two policemen.
In Mainland Asia, China experienced militancy in Xinjiang
Province where riots in left ten people dead on 28 th February. Next day,
attackers wielding knives killed 20 people in China's Xinjiang region before
police shot seven of them dead. The Xinjiang government said the killings
occurred on a busy pedestrian street in Yecheng County near Kashgar, a city
in the south of Xinjiang that has been beset by tension between the mainly
Muslim Uighur people and Han Chinese. The government sees Xinjiang as a
bulwark facing the predominantly Muslim countries of central Asia. The
region, with a sixth of the country's land mass, is also rich in natural
resources, including oil, coal and gas.

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On 6th March, a female suicide bomber killed at least five policemen

by blowing herself up at a traffic police post in Dagestan region of southern
Russia. Dagestan faces almost daily shootings and bomb attacks as part of
an Islamist insurgency across the mainly Muslim North Caucasus following
two separatist wars in Chechnya.
Next day, a senior Chinese official alleged that militants in northwestern China have deep-seated ties to Pakistan-based terror groups. But
Nur Bekri, the top government official in Chinas north-western Xinjiang
Uighur Autonomous Region, was quoted as saying that the Chinese officials
believed the Pakistani government opposed recent attacks directed at China.
Beijing has long accused Uighur separatists of being part of the East
Turkestan Islamic Movement, known as ETIM, which it says has ties to alQaeda and other terrorist organizations.
In Far East, a militant arrested in Pakistan stood trial in Indonesia
on 13 February, on charges including murder for the 2002 Bali bombings.
Umar Patek, 45, faces five other charges, including bomb-making and illegal
firearms possession, and prosecutors say they will push for the death penalty.
Next day, an Iranian man was seriously wounded in Bangkok when a bomb
he was carrying exploded. On 15th February, Thailand charged two Iranians
Wednesday over an alleged bomb plot against Israeli diplomats.
th

On 27th February, Indonesias top court upheld a 15-year jail term

against Islamist militant Abu Bakar Bashir for terrorist acts, reversing an
earlier decision to slash the sentence to nine years. Bashir is regarded as a
spiritual leader of militant Islam in Indonesia; but the 73-year-old has always
denied being a terrorist. The same day, Thai police said they were holding a
third Iranian for questioning in connection with an alleged plot to kill Israeli
diplomats in Bangkok.
Three American missionaries were injured in northern Bangladesh
after their car was attacked by a mob who suspected they were converting
Muslims into Christians Police arrested two teachers and a student from an
Islamic seminary in Madarganj, 200 kilometres (120 miles) north of Dhaka.
In America, Pakistani national Majid Khan pleaded guilty at a
Guantanamo military tribunal on 29th February in a case that could speed the
trials of September 11 suspects. Majid Khan, a protg of September 11
mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, pleaded guilty to conspiracy,
murder and attempted murder in violation of the laws of war, and to material
support for terrorism and espionage.

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On 2nd March, in a campaign against Muslims, a measure to ban the

use of Shariah law in domestic courtrooms is progressing in Floridas
statehouse, and similar efforts are underway in dozens of states across the
US. Forty such bills are being pursued in 24 states. Backers of the bills say
they fill a glaring hole in legal protections for Americans.

VIEWS
On 15th February, Gareth Porter wrote: President Barack Obama has
finally begun in recent months to signal to Israel that the United States
would not get involved in a war started by Binyamin Netanyahu without US
approval. If it is pursued firmly and consistently through 2012, the
approach stands a very good chance of averting war altogether. If
Obama falters, however, the temptation for Netanyahu to launch an attack on
Iran, indulging in what one close Israeli observer calls his messianism
toward the issue of Iran.
Netanyahu, like every previous Israeli prime minister, understands
that an Israeli strike against Iran depends not only on US tolerance, but
direct involvement against Iran, at least after the initial attack. In May 2008,
his predecessor, Ehud Olmert, had requested the approval of George W
Bush for an air attack on Iran, only to be refused by Bush.
Netanyahu apparently feels, however, that he can manipulate rightwing Israeli influence on American politics to make it impossible for Obama
to stay out of an Israeli war on Iran. He has defied the Obama
Administration by refusing to assure Washington that he would consult
them before making any decision on war with Iran. The Obama
Administrations warning signal on the danger of an Israeli attack began
flashing red after Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta came back emptyhanded from a trip to Israel in September.
US officials then came up with a new strategy for pulling Israel back
from the precipice of war by letting Netanyahu know that, if the US were
denied a full role in coordinating military policy toward Iran, it would not
come to Israels aid in such a war. The first step in the strategy came when
Panetta was answering questions after a talk at the Saban Centre of
Brookings Institution on December 2. He not only expressed clear
disapproval of an Israeli attack as counter-productive something the
administration had avoided in 2009 and 2010 but went on to indicate that
the US was concerned that it could possibly be the target of retaliation
from Iran, striking our ships, striking our military bases.
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Initial hint by the US: Without saying so directly, that remark hinted
that the US would take steps to avoid that situation, if necessary. It was
evidently aimed at planting the seed of doubt in Netanyahus mind that
Obama would be willing to respond to Iranian retaliation against Israel in the
event of an Israeli strike.
The next move came five weeks later, when Panetta, on CBS news
Face the Nation, made the initial hint even clearer... The Israelis could
easily discern that Panetta really saying the US would not retaliate
against Iran unless its own bases or ships in the region were hit by Iran.
Given Panettas statement a month earlier suggesting concern that Iran might
retaliate against US forces, that answer could also be regarded as a signal to
Iran that the US was prepared to decouple from an Israeli war with Iran.
Although publicly there was studied silence from Jerusalem, that
Panetta hint elicited a formal diplomatic protest from Israeli Ambassador
Michael Oren. And Israel still showed no sign of softening its defiant policy
of unilateralism on Iran. Then Obama approved an explicit expression of the
same message to the Israelis Gen Martin Dempsey, told Netanyahu and
Defence Minister Ehud Barak that the US would not defend Israel if it
launched an attack on Iran that had been coordinated with the US.
But Netanyahu had already put into effect his own counter-strategy,
which is to use the influence of the Israeli lobby in Congress help the
Republicans against Obama in the presidential election and to maximize the
pressure on Obama to support an Israeli attack on Iran. Last December,
Netanyahus supporters in the US lobbied the US Congress to pass economic
sanctions against Iran In the end, the Obama Administration was forced
by Congressional action to adopt the sanctions. But the sanctions on
Irans crude oil sector would only go into effect six months later, as would
the EU cutoff of its imports of Iranian oil adopted in January. So the Obama
administration had a six-month window for negotiations with Iran on its
nuclear programme.
How could it maximize the pressure on the Iranians to reach an
agreement within six months? The obvious answer was to bring back an
old theme in Obama policy using the threat of an Israeli attack to gain
diplomatic leverage on Tehran. In order to maximize that leverage, the
Obama administration sought to portray Israel as poised to attack sometime
between April and end of June.
Zone of immunity: That time frame for an Israeli attack was
created entirely by the Obama Administration. Ehud Barak had not
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suggested that the attack would come before the end of June. On the
contrary, discussing in a CNN interview last November when Iran would
reach a zone of immunity the point at which it would have so much of its
uranium enrichment programme protected in well-protected facilities that it
couldnt be destroyed by an attack he had said: Its true that it wouldnt
take three years probably three-quarters, before no one can do anything
practically about it
A story leaked by Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta to Washington
Post columnist David Ignatius last week said Panetta believing there was a
strong likelihood that Israel would attack sometime between April and the
end of June. What appeared on the surface to be an expression of US
alarm about a strike coming so soon was actually an effort to put
pressure on Tehran to make new concessions on its nuclear programme
before the sanctions take effect.
Instead of characterizing Netanyahus posture as irrational and
reckless, Ignatius chose to depict the official view of a short and
relatively painless war with Iran without the slightest hint that it is rejected
out of hand by Israeli intelligence and military leaders. Ignatius was
presumably prompted by Panetta to characterize it in a way that would make
the Israeli threat more credible to Iran. What really gave away Panettas
intention to pressure Iran, however, was the fact that he used Ignatius to
warn Iran that, if it retaliated against Israeli population centres, the US could
feel obligated to come to Israels defence.
That warning clearly undercut the painstaking efforts the Obama
Administration had made over the previous two months to signal to
Netanyahu that Israel would be on its own if it attacked Iran without prior
US agreement. The sudden reversal in Obamas policy dramatically
illuminated the deep contradictions built into its policy.
On one hand, Obama has been pursuing a course aimed at avoiding
being drawn into an Israeli war with Iran, which both Obama and the
military leadership consider as against vital US interests. On the other hand,
Obama believes he needs a deal with Iran to demonstrate both to Israel and
to the US public that he is succeeding in inducing Iran to retreat from its
present stance on its nuclear programme. The belief was supported by the
conventional wisdom in the US national security state that Iran can only be
brought to the table with an acceptable position through pressure. It is also in
line with bit of conventional wisdom: that no Democratic President can
afford to openly decouple the US from Israeli security especially in
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relation to Iran. The contradiction between the two elements of Obamas

policy toward Iran went unnoticed in the US. But the real meaning of the
leak was certainly understood in Iran as well as in Israel. There is still time
for Obama to repair the damage and to return to the policy he had begun
developing in December. But unless Obama warns Netanyahu publicly that
an attack against US wishes would indeed mean he is on his own, the
chances of deterring him and avoiding war with Iran will be sharply
reduced.
On 20th February, Andrew J Bacevich observed: Todays war likewise
bears scant resemblance to Round 2, when Army Gen David H Petraeus
promoted counterinsurgency as a way to bring order out of the anarchy that
was Rumsfelds legacy. The hope was that successive surges in Iraq and
Afghanistan would restore some semblance of order, allowing the United
States to claim victory of a sort. Yet now Petraeus, as the Round 2 leader, is
gone, and so too is any lingering enthusiasm for his favourite tactic.
Round 3 inaugurates yet another approach and brings with it another
emblematic figure. This time its Michael Vickers. Unlike Rumsfeld or
Petraeus, Vickers who carries the title undersecretary of Defence for
intelligence has not achieved celebrity status. Nor is he likely to do so. Yet
more than anyone else in or out of uniform, Vickers embodies the war on
terrors latest phase.
With former Secretary of Defence Robert M Gatesgone, Vickers is
the senior remaining holdover from George W Bushs Pentagon. His
background is nothing if not eclectic. Even during the Bush era, Vickers
never subscribed to expectations that the United States could liberate or
pacify the Islamic world. His preferred approach to combating terrorism is
simplicity itself. I just want to kill those guys, he likes to say, those guys
referring to members of al-Qaeda. Kill the people who want to kill
Americans and dont stop until they are all dead: This defines the
Vickers strategy, which has now become US strategy.
For Vickers, this means acting aggressively to eliminate would-be
killers wherever they might be found, employing whatever means
necessary. Vickers tends to think like a gangster, one admiring former
colleague comments: He can understand trends, then change the rules of the
game so they are advantageous for your side.
Round 3 is all about bending, breaking and reinventing rules in ways
thought to be advantageous to the United States. Much as counterinsurgency
supplanted shock and awe, a broad-gauged programme of targeted
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assassination has now displaced counterinsurgency as the prevailing

expression of the American way of war. The United States is finished with
the business of sending large land armies to invade and occupy countries.
Instead, it uses missile-firing drones along with hit-and-run attacks to
eliminate anyone the president of the United States decides to eliminate
(including the occasional US citizen).
This is Americas new M.O. Paraphrasing a threat issued by
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, a Washington Post dispatch
succinctly summarized what this implies: The United States reserved the
right to attack anyone who it determined posed a direct threat to US national
security, anywhere in the world. Furthermore, the president exercises this
supposed right without warning, without regard to claims of national
sovereignty, without congressional authorization and without consulting
anyone other than Vickers and a few other members of the national security
apparatus.
The role allotted to the American people is to applaud, if and
when notified that a successful assassination has occurred. For example,
when members of SEAL Team Six secretly enter Pakistan to dispatch Osama
bin Laden with two neatly placed kill shots. Vengeance long deferred
renders it unnecessary to consider what second-order political complications
might ensue.
How Round 3 will end is difficult to forecast. The best we can say is
that its unlikely to end soon or well. As Israel has discovered, once targeted
assassination becomes your game, the list of targets has a way of getting
longer and longer. So what tentative judgments can we offer regarding the
ongoing era of persistent conflict? Operationally, a war launched by the
conventionally minded has progressively fallen under the purview of those
who inhabit what Dick Cheney once called the dark side, with implications
that few seem willing to explore.
Strategically, a war informed at the outset by utopian expectations
continues today with no concretely stated expectations whatsoever, the
forward momentum of events displacing serious consideration of purpose.
Politically, a war that once occupied centre stage in national politics has
slipped to the periphery, the American people moving on to other concerns
and entertainments, with legal and moral questions raised by the war left
dangling in midair. Is this progress?
On 23rd February, Seumas Milne opined: If an attack is launched by
Israel or the US, it would not just be an act of criminal aggression, but
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of wanton destructive stupidity. As Michael Clarke, director of the British

defence establishments Royal United Services Institute, points out, such an
attack would be entirely illegal: There is no basis in international law for
preventative, rather than pre-emptive, war.
It would also be guaranteed to trigger a regional conflagration
with uncontrollable global consequences. Iran could be expected to
retaliate against Israel, the US and its allies, both directly and indirectly, and
block the fifth of international oil supplies shipped through the Strait of
Hormuz. The trail of death, destruction and economic havoc would be
awesome.
But while in the case of Iraq an attack was launched over weapons of
mass destruction that didnt in fact exist, the US isnt even claiming that Iran
is attempting to build a bomb The issue, instead, is whether Iran which
has always insisted it doesnt want nuclear weapons might develop the
capability to build them. So Iran surrounded by US bases and occupation
troops, nuclear-armed states from Israel to Pakistan and Gulf autocracies
begging the Americans to cut off the head of the snake is threatened
with a military onslaught because of a future potential the aggressor states
have long ago turned into reality.
Such a capability wouldnt be the existential threat Israeli
politicians have claimed. It might, of course, blunt Israels strategic edge. Or
as Matthew Kroenig, the US defence secretarys special adviser until last
summer, spelled it out recently, a nuclear Iran would immediately limit US
freedom of action in the Middle East. Which gets to the heart of the
matter: freedom of action in the Middle East is the prerogative of the
US and its allies, not independent Middle Eastern states. But if the western
powers and Israel are really concerned about the threat of a nuclear arms
race in the region, they could throw their weight behind negotiations to
achieve a nuclear-free Middle East which most Israelis favour.
What is clear, as both US and Israeli officials acknowledge, is
that neither sanctions nor war are likely to divert Iran from its nuclear
programme. Military attack can set it back along with the prospects for
progressive change in Iran but would offer the strongest incentive possible
for Iranian leaders to take the decision they havent yet done and develop
nuclear weapons.
Obama has every interest in heading off an Israeli attack on Iran
that would draw in the US, until at least until after the presidential
election. But as the sabre-rattling, crippling sanctions and covert attacks
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increase, so do the risks of stumbling into an accidental war. A military

confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz in the next two or three months is now
quite likely, Clarke believes: western policy towards Iran is a slow-motion
road accident.
There is another factor driving towards war. The more they talk
up the supposed threat from Irans nuclear programme and the military
option, the more US and Israeli leaders risk undermining their own
credibility if they end up doing nothing. A potentially catastrophic attack
isnt inevitable, but its becoming perilously more likely all the time.
Next day, Adnan F Sher opined: The soil of Arab kingdoms is
infertile for pluralistic ideals and effective popular movements. Apart from
Bahrain, that initially experienced a political crisis, all other members of
GCC have demonstrated impressive resilience against a revolutionary
shock. Three factors are responsible for it. These are oil wealth, weak civil
society and low level of national integration.
The kingdoms derive most of their revenues from oil. This wealth
has helped royalty to perpetuate its rule in two important ways. Firstly,
unlike leaders of many Arab republics, Arab kings have spent billions on
raising the economic condition of their people. Saudi Arabia, biggest and
most influential of GCC country, spends billions every year on public
welfare programmes. The kingdom's GDP per capita is around $18,500.
Nearly all Saudis receive housing assistance, free healthcare and education.
The government is working on a plan to reduce poverty level (defined as
those living on $1015 per month) from 13.3 percent to 2.2 percent in next 10
years. Last March, to placate Saudi youth, King Abdullah announced a
package of $37 billion aimed at creating 60,000 new jobs, and building
500,000 houses. Such an extensive largesse has improved the regime's
legitimacy, taking away any motive for citizens to protest against the
government.
Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates are immune to unrest because
they have used petro-dollars for impressive economic gains. Rulers of these
kingdoms have turned their city states into regional hubs of international
business and trade, hosting international events and constructing finest
architectural landmarks. Such achievements have won them international
acclamation and domestic plaudit.
Where oil has been a boon for ordinary citizens, there it has
robbed them of political liberty and freedom. It has been used to finance
vast patronage networks, entangling potential opponents, coercing
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opposition, sapping strength from civil society that is indispensable for

planning, coordination and execution of a political movement. In words of
Michael L Ross of University of California: The Arab Spring uprisings are a
reminder of the virtually universal appeal of democracy. But they should
also serve as a reminder that oil wealth is one of the most stubborn obstacles
to democratic reform.
In Saudi Arabia, the first political party was founded in 2011.
Immediately afterwards, its leaders were arrested and thrown into jails. The
country has only one civic group, Shawa-al-Islamaya, organized on the lines
of Egyptian Muslim brotherhood, and even that is a part of governments
patronage network. In Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, so-called Parliaments
are dominated by princes and members of royal families, operating like
cliques, giving a pluralistic cloak to dynastic and feudal power structures.
Third important factor, making it harder for a popular movement to
succeed in Gulf kingdoms, is low level of national integration. For a
successful reform movement, nation has to unite, with a single aim, putting
aside their petty interests for greater communal good. This critical element
of nationhood is missing in GCC states. In words of Kristin Smith,
Assistant Professor of Comparative and Regional Studies at the American
University School of International Service: Gulf publics are factionalized
by ideology, by tribe, by sect, and even by mundane issues such as business
interests. Political projects of reform, then, often fall prey to societal
divisions.
For the time being, Arab Kings have silenced the demands for
political reforms, but ultimately unemployment, corruption, deteriorating
public services, hostility against free expression, demographic shift and
economic pressures, will make it harder for GCC leadership to throw money
at its problems, making it imperative to initiate meaningful political reforms.
In words of a Saudi Shawa Sheikh, Salman al-Adwa: Throwing few crumbs
at the people is not enough. Arab leaders must commit to radical reform or
hear calls for the fall of regime. Without some preventive infrastructure they
may find themselves underwater much like the streets of Jeddah after a flash
flood.
David Ignatius observed: We are of the opinion that the Iranian
regime is a rational actor, said Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, on CNN on Sunday. That sounds right to me, but his
comment raises a tricky question: How much pressure will it take to get
this rational country to curb its nuclear programme?
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The answer here isnt comforting: Recent history shows that the
Iranian regime will change behaviour only if confronted with overwhelming
force and the prospect of an unwinnable war. Short of that, the Iranians seem
ready to cruise along on the brink, expecting that the other side will steer
away. I count two clear instances when Iran has backed down, and two more
maybes. These examples remind us that the Iranian leaders arent
irrational madmen and also that they drive a hard bargain. Here are the
two documented retreats:
In July 1988 Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini drank the cup of poison,
as he put it, and agreed to end the Iraq-Iran war. He accepted a UNsponsored truce but only after eight years of brutal fighting, Iraqi
rocket attacks on Iranian cities and the use of poison gas against
Iranian troops. Khomeinis decision followed the shooting down of an
Iranian civilian airliner on July 3 by the USS Vincennes unintended
but a demonstration of overwhelming American firepower in the
Persian Gulf.
In the fall of 2003 Ayatollah Ali Khameneis regime halted its nuclear
weapons programme because of international pressure, according to
a 2007 US National Intelligence Estimate. The decision came after the
March 2003 US invasion of Iraq, which the Iranians apparently feared
was the prelude to an attack on their soil. The Iranians also agreed in
2003 to start talks with European nations on limiting their enrichment
of uranium beginning the haggling that continues to this day. Two
other examples are less obvious, but they illustrate the same theme of
rational Iranian response to pressure. In both cases the trigger was a
strong back-channel message from the United States:
In March 2008, Iran restrained its Shiite allies in Iraq after a US
warning about shelling the Green Zone. The Mahdi Army had been
firing heavy rockets and mortars into the enclave, causing rising US
casualties. Gen. David Petraeus, then US commander in Baghdad,
sent a message Stop shooting at the Green Zone to Gen. Qassem
Suleimani, head of the Quds Force. The intermediary was Iraqi
President Jalal Talabani, who had close relations with both generals.
The shelling tapered off.
Last month, Iran toned down its threats to close the Strait of Hormuz
after a US back-channel warning that any such action would trigger a
punishing US response. The private message paralleled a public US
statement: The United States and the international community have a
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strong interest in the free flow of commerce and freedom of

navigation in all international waterways. Iranian Foreign Minister Ali
Akbar Salehi subsequently offered reassurance: Iran has never in its
history tried to prevent, to put any obstacles in the way of this
important maritime route.
The Iranians behaviour in negotiations, too, has seemed to wax and
wane based on their perception of the Wests seriousness. When Russia and
China supported UN sanctions in 2010, the Iranians got nervous. When India
and China reduced oil purchases recently, Tehran took notice. Clear
messaging to Iran and to Israel, too is important as the tension
mounts over a possible Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear targets. The
most direct public message yet came from Dempsey in his appearance on
Fareed Zakarias show, GPS. Its worth looking carefully at just what the
nations top military officer said.
The Iranian regime has not decided that they will embark on the
effort to weaponize their nuclear capability, Dempsey said, thereby offering
Tehran a chance to save face in any deal. He argued that because Iran isnt
yet building a weapon, it would be premature and not prudent for
Israel to attack. A strike at this time would be destabilizing and wouldnt
achieve their long-term objectives, he cautioned. But he conceded that the
US hasnt yet persuaded Israel to hold off.
The signal to Israel is very clear: Dont attack! But what about the
message to Iran? History shows that the clerics in Tehran wont accept a deal
unless they conclude that theres no alternative but a punishing war.
Somehow, the United States must convince Iran that this confrontation is
deadly serious and then work to find the rational pathway toward
agreement.
On 26th February, Tom Engelhardt traced the history of Americas
Remotely Piloted War. He wrote: Although early drone technology was
already being used over North Vietnam, its in another sense entirely that
drones have been heading into Americas future since 1973. There was an
eerie logic to it: first came professional war, then privatized war, then
mercenary and outsourced war all of which made war ever more
remote from most Americans. Finally, both literally and figuratively, came
remote war itself.
It couldnt be more appropriate that the Air Force prefers you not call
their latest wonder weapons unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, anymore.
They would like you to use the label remotely piloted aircraft (RPA)
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instead. And ever more remotely piloted that vehicle is to be, until claim
believers and enthusiasts it will pilot itself, land itself, manoeuvre itself,
and while in the air even chose its own targets.
In this sense, think of us as moving from the citizens army to a
roboticized, and finally robot, military to a military that is a foreign legion
in the most basic sense. In other words, we are moving toward an ever
greater outsourcing of war to things that cannot protest, cannot vote
with their feet (or wings), and for whom there is no home front or even a
home at all. In a sense, we are, as we have been since 1973, heading for a
form of war without anyone, citizen or otherwise, in the picture except
those on the ground, enemy and civilian alike, who will die as usual.
Of course, it may never happen this way, in part because drones are
anything but perfect or wonder weapons, and in part because corporate war
fought by a thoroughly professional military turns out to be staggeringly
expensive to the demobilized citizen, profligate in its waste, and by the
evidence of recent history remarkably unsuccessful. It also couldnt be
more remote from the idea of a democracy or a republic. In a sense, the
modern imperial age began hundreds of years ago with corporate war,
when Dutch, British, and other East India companies set sail, armed to
the teeth, to subdue the world at a profit. Perhaps corporate war will also
prove the end point for that age, the perfect formula for the last global
empire on its way down.
Next day, Seth Kaplan listed the realities of death and destruction that
have been created in Somalia by foreign interference and then recommended
remedy to very people who have done it. He wrote: Given the realities
discussed above, assisting countries and international organizations should
follow a multi-pronged approach. First, they should focus on strengthening
the capacity of the autonomous, self-governing units to maintain order
and foster progress within their boundaries.
Second, they should provide incentives so other groups will form
similar entities elsewhere in the country. An offer to empower sub-clans
or independent factions would give local leaders including warlords and
moderate Islamists in the violence-torn south an opportunity to participate
in government. Flexibility over who qualifies for such aid might even
encourage al-Shabaabs less radical supporters to switch sides.
Finally, they should bolster the foreign forces from the African
Union, Kenya, and Ethiopia who are fighting the terrorists. The violence
and chaos that plague the country will take a long time to dissipate. Patience
1273

and on-the-ground intelligence are necessary to discern how best to enhance

local governance and weaken the opponents of stability. Stitching together
even a modest central government will be difficult given the countrys
limited national social cohesion.
But if the international community aims for slow, incremental
progress that builds on Somali strengths, it could play a pivotal role in
bringing about change. Somalis certainly deserve and are ready for an
end to the violence and war that plague them.
Aljazeera commented: Although South Sudan has gained
independence, it remains economically dependent on its northern neighbour.
The South has no refining capabilities and Port Sudan is the only current
outlet for its oil. And this is not just with regards to oil: Much of the
imported goods and agricultural products come from or through the north as
well. A potential deal, however, likely will not represent a long-term
solution, as Khartoum has proven over time that they are not negotiating
from a position of good faith.
Consider the actions of Khartoum in the run up to secession. In May
of 2011, South Sudan accused the north of an economic blockade, which
disrupted transport routes southward. Indeed, in Juba, the price of diesel rose
from about SP2.75 ($1) per litre to around SP5 ($1.90) per litre, and
subsequently the cost of transport was increased. These allegations show
Khartoum flexing its power in a bid to prove to the South that it would
continue to remain reliant on the north neighbours, in case there were
doubts to the contrary.
That episode clearly demonstrates why, in the long term, South
Sudan must take steps to rid itself of its reliance on Sudan, for its own
economic health. With regards to oil and other goods, the countrys leaders
must find alternatives to relying on the north - because the Sudanese
government has already validated fears that they may engage in this sort of
economic interference.
In light of these facts, what options can South Sudan pursue? Its
no secret that South Sudan would like to join its southern neighbours in the
East African Community (EAC) comprising Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda,
Rwanda and Burundi. South Sudan is already a member of the
Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which includes
Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti and Eritrea. However,
the political problems of Somalia, frosty relations between Eritrea and
Ethiopia and the similarly delicate relationship between Juba and
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Khartoum have challenged the ability of IGAD to carry out its charter.
President Salva Kiir has made these ambitions known, and while South
Sudans bid to join was deferred in November, at least Rwanda, Uganda and
Kenya are in support of their application.
In a move that would bind South Sudan economically to the EAC,
Juba has made overtures to the Kenyan government to link to the Kenyan
port of Lamu via an oil pipeline. The two governments have signed a
memorandum of understanding to build a pipeline, which makes sense in
light of regional developments Nairobi is seriously committed to this
project, but the cost (approximately $4bn) and difficulty of the route
still leaves some doubt. Also, renewed fears about Indian Ocean piracy
have raised concerns on whether expanding the Lamu port is a strategically
wise idea.
But there is also another strategic move on the table. South
Sudan has also a strong link with its neighbours in Ethiopia, and Addis
Ababa has been a strong ally and regional force in brokering agreements
and moderating discussion between the former foes. Some of its feats
include the agreement between the NCP and SPLM signing a temporary
administration and security pact for Abyei, the contested border region, and
even committing peacekeeping troops in the region.
Now ties between the countries, and Djibouti, a link to the sea, have
been strengthened. Ethiopia and South Sudan have signed an accord
regarding the pipeline, which includes language strengthening
communications and railway infrastructure. The proposed pipeline to
Djibouti would be of a similar length and cost to the one to Lamu. They
would also both pass through oil rich regions (in Uganda with the Lamu
pipeline and in Gambela with the Djibouti pipeline). The presence of
potentially more untapped oil reserves presents the possibility of one or both
of these plans coming to fruition.
Ethiopia has already made serious commitments to improving
rail infrastructure. In 2010, the country inked a deal with Chinese partners
to create a railway system improving the Djibouti-Dire Dawa-Addis Ababa
link and expanding it from Addis Ababa to Gambela in the west.
Its also important to note that Djibouti hosts a much more productive
port, when compared with Lamu. Much of the imported goods for Ethiopias
80 million residents come through that port, and it has a high terminal
capacity - which has doubled since 2001. This plan is on track to be
completed by 2015, and South Sudan could link Juba to Djibouti by
1275

building a railway to Gambela. This would link the country to a reliable,

productive port that isnt Port Sudan within four years.
On 5th March, Colin H Kahl discussed various aspects of Israeli strike
on Iran and concluded his column: Should Israel rush to war, Iran might
follow Husseins example and rebuild its nuclear program in a way that is
harder to detect and more costly to stop. And while there seems to be
consensus among Iranians that the country has a right to a robust civilian
nuclear program, there is no domestic agreement yet on the pursuit of
nuclear weapons. Even the supreme leader has hedged his bets, insisting
that Iran has the right to pursue technological advances with possible
military applications, while repeatedly declaring that possession or use of
nuclear weapons would be a grave sin against Islam. After an Israeli strike,
that internal debate would be settled hard-line arguments would win the
day.
Short of invasion and regime change outcomes beyond Israels
capabilities it would be nearly impossible to prevent Iran from
rebuilding its program. Irans nuclear infrastructure is much more
advanced, dispersed and protected, and is less reliant on foreign supplies of
key technology, than was the case with Iraqs program in 1981.
Although Barak often warns that Israel must strike before Irans
facilities are so protected that they enter a zone of immunity from Israeli
military action, Iran would be likely to reconstitute its program in the very
sites and probably new clandestine ones that are invulnerable to Israeli
attack. An Israeli strike would also end any prospect of Iran cooperating
with the IAEA, seriously undermining the international communitys ability
to detect rebuilding efforts.
Barely a week after the Osirak raid, Begin told CBS News that the
attack will be a precedent for every future government in Israel. Yet, if
history repeats itself, an Israeli attack would result in a wounded
adversary more determined than ever to get a nuclear bomb. And then
the world would face the same terrible choices it ultimately faced with Iraq:
decades of containment to stall nuclear rebuilding efforts, invasion and
occupation - or acquiescence to an implacable nuclear-armed foe.
Deadly drones are operating unhindered in all parts of the
Muslim World wherever the signs of Islamic militancy are, or whatever
that can be dubbed as such. Muslims of the Philippines are also subjected to
this kind of warfare, but that is seldom discussed or even reported in this
part of the world. However, on 6th March, Akbar Ahmed and Frankie Martin
1276

wrote: Early last month, Tausug villagers on the Southern Philippine island
of Jolo heard a buzzing sound not heard before. It is a sound familiar to the
people of Waziristan who live on border with Afghanistan, where the United
States fights the Taliban. It was the dreaded drone, which arrives from
distant and unknown destinations to cause death and destruction. Within
minutes, 15 people lay dead and a community plunged into despair, fear and
mourning.
The US drone strike, targeting accused leaders in the Abu Sayyaf and
Jemaah Islamiyah organizations, marked the first time the weapon has been
used in Southeast Asia. The drone has so far been used against Muslim
groups and the Tausug are the latest on the list.
Just as in Pakistan and other theatres of the war on terror, the strike
has provoked controversy, with a Filipino lawmaker condemning the attack
as a violation of national sovereignty. This controversy could increase with
the recent American announcement that it plans to boost its drone fleet
in the Philippines by 30 per cent. The US already has hundreds of troops
stationed on Jolo Island, but until now, the Americans have maintained a
non-combat advisory role.
The expansion of US drone war has the potential to further enflame
a volatile conflict involving the southern Muslim areas and Manila, which
has killed around 120,000 people over the past four decades. To understand
what is happening in the Philippines and the US role in the conflict, we
need to look at the Tausug, among the most populous and dominant of the
13 groups of Muslims in the South Philippines known as Moro, a
pejorative name given by Spanish colonizers centuries ago.
Sulu Sultanate: For hundreds of years, the Tausug had their own
independent kingdom, the Sulu Sultanate, which was established in
1457 and cantered in Jolo. The Sultanate became the largest and most
influential political power in the Philippines with highly developed trade
links across the region. From this base among the Tausug, Islam took root in
neighbouring Mindanao Island among the Maguindanao and other groups.
The antagonistic relationship between the Moro periphery and the
centre in Manila developed during the Spanish colonial era. The Spanish
had arrived not long after expelling the Muslims from Spain and,
intoxicated by that historical victory, were determined to exterminate
Islam in the region and unite the Philippines under Christian rule.
In the instructions given by the Spanish governor on the eve of the
first campaign against the southern Muslims in 1578, he ordered that there
1277

be not among them anymore preachers of the doctrines of Mahoma

since it is evil and false and called for all mosques to be destroyed. The
governors instructions set the tone for centuries of continuous warfare. The
idea of a predatory central authority is deeply embedded in Tausug
mythology and psychology.
Of all the Moro groups, the Tausug has been considered the most
independent and difficult to conquer, with not a single generation of
Tausug experiencing life without war over the past 450 years. As any
anthropologist will testify, the Tausug has survived half a millennium of
persecution and attempts at conversion because of their highly-developed
code and clan structure. It is the classic tribe: egalitarian and feuding clans
that unite in the face of the outside enemy and a code which emphasizes
honour, revenge, loyalty and hospitality.
It was only in the late 19th century that Spain succeeded in
incorporating the Sulu Sultanate as a protectorate and established a
military presence on Jolo. The Spanish were followed by American
colonizers who could be as brutal as their predecessors. In a 1906 battle, US
troops killed as many as 1,000 Tausug men, women and children, and
between 500 and 2,000 in a 1913 engagement.
Despite the Moro resistance to US colonial rule, they advocated
for either continued American administration or their own country,
rather than be incorporated into an independent Philippines, which they
believed, would continue the policies of the Spanish against their religion
and culture. The request, however, was rejected.
Special provinces: Following independence in 1946, the Muslim
regions were ruled as special provinces with most of the important
government posts reserved for Christian Filipinos. Despite being granted
electoral representation in the 1950s, the majority of Moro had little interest
in dealing with the central government. Manila, for its part, largely neglected
the region.
The Tausug areas remained impoverished and, in the absence of
jobs, young men turned to looting and piracy. In response, Manila opted for
heavy-handed military tactics and based its largest command of security
forces in the nation among the Tausug.
Central government actions to subdue the Tausug areas in the
1950s resulted in the deaths of almost all fighting age men in certain
regions. The society was torn apart, with the young generation growing up
without traditional leadership.
1278

The current conflict began in 1968 with what became known as

the Jabidah Massacre, when around 60 mainly Tausug recruits in the
Philippine Army were summarily executed after they refused a mission to
attack the Malaysian region of Sabah, where a population of Tausug also
resides.
In 1971, the Moro, incensed by Jabidah and accusing the central
government of conducting genocide, began an open war against the
state. A Tausug-dominated independence movement soon developed called
the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). In 1976, the government
reached an agreement with the MNLF to grant the Moro areas autonomy,
which was further developed in a 1996 treaty that is still being negotiated.
For many Moro living on Mindanao, however, the deal was unsatisfactory
because of the presence of so many Christian settlers, who they complained
were taking more and more of their land under what seemed like
government policy.
Indeed, the population had dramatically changed from 76 per
cent Muslim in 1903 to 72.5 per cent Christian by 2000. The government
was arming Christian settlers to attack Muslims. In 1971, the most notorious
Christian militia, the Ilaga, killed 70 Moro in a mosque. Muslim militias
lashed back, leading to a cycle of violence. A new group, the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF), based in Mindanaos Maguindanao ethnic group,
soon split from the MNLF and vowed to push for secession.
Abu Sayyaf label: Following the 9/11 attacks, the United States
became involved in the region in pursuit of the elusive Abu Sayyaf,
which it accused of having links with al-Qaeda. The group was formed by a
charismatic Tausug preacher in the late 1980s, whose speeches attracted
angry young men from a community rife with orphans due to the previous
decades of war.
Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for kidnappings, bombings and
beheadings, gripping the Philippines with sensational media reports. Manila
has been accused of applying the Abu Sayyaf label to any conflict in
the region, including those involving small armed Tausug groups, many of
them kinship based, which have existed for centuries. Aid workers
kidnapped in 2009, for example, reported that their Abu Sayyaf captor told
them I can be ASG (Abu Sayyaf Group), I can be MILF, I can be [MILF or
MNLF breakaway group] Lost Command. Manila was discovering, like
many other nations after 9/11, that by associating its restless communities on
the periphery with al-Qaeda, it could garner easy American support.
1279

To resolve the conflict between the Moro and Manila, President

Benigno Aquino must demonstrate that the centuries of conflict and forced
assimilation into a monolithic Filipino culture are over. The government
needs to promote pluralism and build trust with the periphery.
With the recent declarations by President Aquinos government that
the state is fully invested in implementing the 1996 autonomy agreement
with the MNLF and hopes to have a peace treaty in place with the MILF by
2013, the various parties have a unique opportunity to work for a
longstanding solution.
Development projects to help the suffering Tausug must be
conducted urgently as the situation for ordinary people is dire. Amidst the
frequent barrages of artillery and bombs and the displacement of hundreds of
thousands over the past decade, a 2005 study found that 92 per cent of
water sources in Sulu Province, where the majority of Tausug live, were
contaminated, while the malnutrition rate for children under five is 50 per
cent. Education and employment are constant challenges.
The sad state of affairs does not only result from a lack of funds, as
the Philippines government, the United States and others have poured
millions into the region, but rather how funds are spent. The association of
development with the military among the population has been an
impediment to implementing necessary projects.
Mediation needed: Between inefficient aid funding and the ongoing
military campaigns, Manila has been drained of desperately needed
resources and diverted from fulfilling its ambitions to become an economic
powerhouse. Development solutions can only work if they have the full
support of the clans that decide local politics, which is no easy task,
considering the tenacity with which clans can fight over resources. Yet with
a holistic plan of engagement in the context of true autonomy, it is possible
to bring them together. Mediation, involving local religious leaders and
international bodies like the Organization of Islamic Co-operation, which
has taken the lead in peace talks between the Moro factions and the
government, can play a key role in this regard.
Major General Reuben Rafael, the Philippine commander formerly in
charge of military operations in Sulu Province, gave us an example of how
to proceed. In 2007, he staged a public apology for transgressions against the
population. The assembled people began to cry, including the Tausug mayor
of the town, who stated that never in the history of Sulu had a military

1280

general apologized to them in such a manner. This is the way to the heart
of the Tausug, and we salute the general for showing us the path to peace.
By unleashing the drones, the US has pushed the conflict between
centre and periphery in the Philippines in a dangerous direction. If there
is one lesson we can learn from half a millennium of history it is this:
weapons destroy flesh and blood, but cannot break the spirit of a people
motivated by ideas of honour and justice.
Instead, the US and Manila should work with the Muslims of the
Philippines to ensure full rights of identity, development, dignity, human
rights and self-determination. Only then will the security situation
improve and the Moro permitted to live the prosperous and secure lives they
have been denied for so long; and only then will the Philippines be able to
become the Asian Tiger it aspires to be.
On 12th March, Gulf News editorial read: Gaza is on fire again. And
Israel is crying wolf again. All this is just three days after US President
Barack Obama assured Benjamin Netanyahu of unshakeable support' and
hinted that the Israelis can easily violate all international laws to defend'
their interests.
The green light given by the world's sole superpower and Israel's
precious ally can clearly be seen behind the unprovoked Israeli air
strike which tore apart a Palestinian popular activist's car, killing him and
his son-in-law. The assassination was followed by 10 other strikes. At least
14 Palestinians were killed by yesterday afternoon.
Israel's justification for killing those men is sheer nonsense. It is
simply the arrogance of a government run by right-wing lunatics
threatening to drag the region into another conflict that led to the weekend
killings. The Palestinians have the right to defend themselves. But they
also need the help of all those who have been raising their voice and
investing their money, against the injustice and oppression in other parts of
the Arab world.
Those western powers, particularly the United States, which have
been putting a lot of pressure, including economic sanctions and severing
diplomatic ties on Syria, need to exercise some of that pressure on Israel to
stop killing Palestinians, release thousands of prisoners, halt land-grabbing
and colony building in the West Bank, stop their racist policies in occupied
Jerusalem, and come back to the negotiation table. But more urgently, Israel
must stop this insane wave of air strikes. Netanyahu must realize that the
Palestinian cause remains the core Arab issue even though we have been
1281

focusing on Syria and other Arab crises since the Tunisian revolution. The
Arabs might diverge on many issues but we all agree on one the just
Palestinian cause. If the Israelis think the Arabs would simply ignore the
plight of Gaza, they better think again.
Next day, Fareed Zakaria anticipated another war in the region and he
concluded his column saying: In fact, the entire punitive strategy against
Iran is premised on the notion that Iran is calculating the costs of these
pressures and will change its policies as a result. The question right now is
not whether Iran can be rational but whether the US and Israel can carefully
evaluate the consequences of a preventive war inside Iran and beyond
and weigh them against its limited and temporary benefits.
On 14th March, Linda Heard wrote: Its hard to believe that a state
would put its own people at risk for a test-run but thats exactly what Israel
is doing in anticipation of retaliation from Hamas, Hezbollah and,
possibly, Syria, should its plan to strike Iran proceed to fruition, which,
of course, hangs on a go-ahead from the White House. Tel Aviv now
knows that its Iron Dome will offer protection against 90 percent of rocket
attacks. While the Israeli government is callously calculating its defensive
capacity, the residents of Gaza are being killed and terrorized during a socalled response to a rocket bombardment which Israel may have deliberately
invited by assassinating Al-Qaissi.
Some 18 Gazans have been killed by Israeli warplanes in recent days,
including a schoolboy. Those people have nowhere to run. Its not hard to
calculate what impact deafening explosions and fear of being randomly
killed is having on young children. The people of Gaza would be forgiven
if they believe the world has abandoned them or that, in the eyes of
major powers, their lives are considered worthless. I wonder what they
think when they witness the prevailing anger against the Syrian regime for
its brutal crackdown eliciting a series of Arab League and United Nations
meets as well as a flurry of high profile envoys to Damascus.
The US and its allies Britain and France have actively supported
Arab Spring uprisings against regimes, yet do nothing to help a people
battling an illegal occupation for more than 40 years. Arab governments
are similarly guilty of neglecting the Palestinian cause; its as though its
been written-off as a hopeless case. Such inaction is shameful. Palestinian
blood is just as valuable as any other, Palestinian fear just as real and
Palestinian hopes and dreams just as valid as yours or mine.

1282

Allowing Israel to use the people of Gaza as ducks in a shooting

range, so it can try out its Iron Dome, scars all of humanity. The words
Palestinian terror are never far from the lips of Israeli spokespersons and
propagandists but if the truth be told Israel is one of the most prolific
perpetrators of terror our planet has ever known.

REVIEW
The Crusaders have zeroed on to final objectives of their holy war, i.e.
Syria, Iran and Pakistan. The US-led West wants to try strangulating Iran
through economic sanctions before applying military means. Options for use
of force are multiple starting from air strikes by Israel to an all out invasion.
Concurrently, the idea of self-determination for the Baloch has been
floated, which has been bitterly contested in Pakistan, but it is equally
harmful for Iran and perhaps it could be first applied there. Once that
happens, annexing Baloch areas of Pakistan would become easier and
justifiable.
Before undertaking any overt military venture against Iran the
civilized world would like sorting out Assads regime in Syria. Use of veto
by Russian and China, however, has created hurdle in this context, but the
US has not given up and Kofi Annan has been appointed as UN Envoy and
tasked to prepare grounds which could be used as a pretext for intervention.
Israels new fit of aggression occurred only couple of days after
Netanyahu met Obama and the latter assured full support for Zionist regime.
This could be part of the scheme to keep Hamas, possibly Hezbollah too,
pre-occupied while regime-change plan is executed in Syria and Iran.
Deadly drones are operating unhindered in all parts of the Muslim
World wherever the signs of Islamic militancy are, or whatever that can be
dubbed as such. Now, Muslims of the Philippines are also subjected to this
warfare, but that is not reported by the media in this part of the world.
However, on 6th March TheNation published an analysis by Akbar Ahmed
and Frankie Martin. Their article indicates that the Americans are pursuing
the same policy which was adopted by the Spaniards when they arrived in
this island.
16th March, 2012

1283

LAST CHANCE
Contempt of court case against Prime Minister Gilani overshadowed
other events of the last eighteen days under review. The learned counsel of
Gilani, Senator Aitzaz Ahsan, had only one thing to say with parrot-like
repetition: My client has not committed contempt of court. The court once

1284

again exercised restraint having nothing else to exercise it gave one last
chance to Gilani to write letter to Swiss authorities.
Meanwhile, the much debated Senate elections were held, which were
more of selection by party leaders than exercising the right to vote.
Nevertheless, as expected, Zardari and his coalition partners emerged
politically stronger after this pseudo-democratic ritual. They are now in
position to block working of the next government if that happens to be
unfriendly.
Having consolidated his position in the Senate, Zardari was now well
set for cooking the goose of his political opponents. His team had been
pressing the Apex Court to resume hearing of 16-year old petition of Air
Marshal Asghar Khan; the court obliged. It was the result of a calculated
hype created by Zardari team; no doubt the sense of timing of the evil
genius is meticulous.
In addition to giving one last chance to the Saint and obliging the
Scoundrel by dusting the Asghar Khan petition, the court remembered and
made a mention of corruption cases of Pakistan Railway and Pakistan Steel
Mills. The only good news during the period was decision to confer highest
civil award on Oscar-winner lady, but its brighter side would remain eclipsed
by the evil shadow of the decision-maker.

NEWS
On 27th February, Aitzaz Ahsan submitted the reply in the Supreme
Court in the contempt of court case against the Prime Minister. The plea
submitted by MS Khattak, Advocate on Record, said PM Gilani acted upon
the summary forwarded by Nargis Sethi, Babar Awan and Masud Chishti;
accordingly, all these three should be called as courts witnesses under
Clause-94 and 540 of Criminal Procedure Code.
PM Gilani, the plea states, cannot defend himself in his personal and
private capacity, as he exercised the powers in official capacity, adding it
would be tantamount to misuse of power if he calls personally not officially
witnesses to defend him. To summon these witnesses is highly vital and the
prosecution should have called them; however failing to do so, it
(prosecution) has lost right to cross-question, the plea states.
Information Minister dispelled the impression that the new laws and
regulations that the government is proposing will threaten the freedom of
media in Pakistan. Firdous said the new regulations will build on the
1285

traditions of accountability and healthy debate and competition which have

been introduced by the media. She said that the objective of the policy is to
curtail all illegal operational mechanisms and enforcement of Pakistan
Media Regulatory Authority rules.
A case was registered against Waheeda Shah, who slapped a female
Assistant Presiding Officer at a polling station. On the directives of the
Provincial Election Commissioner, Retuning Officer Ali Asghar went to the
police station in Tando Mohammad Khan and after an investigation the case
was registered. Sindh Home Minister Mansoor Wasan said the incident was
being investigated.
At least twelve students were injured when two rival student groups
clashed at the Karachi University. Classes were also suspended as a result of
clash while Rangers arrested two students allegedly involved in the riot. Five
people were killed in incidents of violence in the mega city.
Next day, Zardari signed 20th Amendment. The seven-member bench
resumed hearing of contempt case against Gilani. Aitzaz argued that his
client had not willfully flouted, disobeyed and disregarded the court orders.
He only acted on the advice given to him by the Law Ministry, adding that
he was bound to act on the Law Minister's advice. He had recommended
summoning of three persons in this context as court witnesses.
The court agreed to summon Nargis Sethi as witness and hearing was
adjourned till March 7. Aitzaz insisted that the other two, Babar Awan and
Chishti should also be summoned. After the days proceedings Aitzaz said: I
am quite sure that the prime minister will be exonerated in the case. He also
rejected that Senate seat was included in his court fee.
On 29th February, the Supreme Court issued notices to former DG ISI
Lt-Gen Asad Durrani, the defence ministry and dissolved Mehran Banks
chief executive Younis Habib directing them to file their replies by March 8.
The bench hearing Asghar Khan petition also directed its office to trace out
the 1998 record of the case pertaining to the statements of former army chief
General Mirza Aslam Beg, interior minister Naseerullah Babar and Asad
Durrani, and produce it in sealed envelope on the next hearing.
The hearing on Air Marshal (r) Asghar Khan petition, which he filed
some 16 years ago against distribution of million of rupees by the ISI among
the anti-PPP politicians to manoeuvre 1990 election, resumed after the gap
of 13 years. The chief justice said this case is of very sensitive nature and
requires transparency therefore the proceedings of it would be held in open
court.
1286

Akram Sheikh, counsel for Asad Durrani, informed the court that his
client was visiting Colombo and would not be able to come back till March
5 or 6. Earlier, Akram Sheikh had represented Aslam Beg in the case when it
was being heard by an SC bench headed by Justice Saeeduz Zaman Siddiqui
in May 1999. That bench had reserved its judgment in the matter.
The court observed that the affidavit of the Asad Durrani that he had
submitted earlier at the court was very important which states that the case
not only involves two former top generals but also a number of key
politicians and important players in the present political and media
chessboard of the country.
The court noted that receiving of notice to Asad Durrani could not be
ensured due to change of his available address. Salman Akram Raja, counsel
for Asghar Khan, apprised the court that the statement of Asad Durrani was
origin of the case. He said it was a matter of illegal meddling in the
democratic process.
During the hearing, a June 16, 1996 letter of Asghar Khan addressed
to former chief justice of Pakistan Sajjad Ali Shah was also read out on the
court orders. According to the letter, the then army chief Aslam Beg
withdrew Rs150 million from Mehran Bank and used this money to doctor
1990 election.
The chief justice noted that the letter also contained the names of
Bazenjo and Kakar tribes and inquired as to who were the beneficiaries of
these tribes. Salman Akram Raja stated that Asad Durrani had also submitted
three documents along with his affidavit. The chief justice then noted that
presence of Asad Durrani was imperative in the matter.
The Supreme Court directed the Election Commission secretary and
Nadra chairman to explain as to why the court order for preparation of
electoral rolls by February 23 was not complied with. The ECP displayed the
new electoral rolls at over 5,000 display centres across the country. Besides
displaying the electoral rolls, the ECP has also launched a landmark move
and worlds biggest short message service (SMS) for over 83 million voters.
The CJP took suo moto notice of slapping by Waheeda Shah. Prices of
petroleum products and gas were increased, while electricity consumers
have to pay 39 percent more with effect from August last.
On 1st March, the prime minister rejected the impression that the
democracy was threatened and said matters pertaining to security situation
were discussed during the meeting with the army chief, adding the
undemocratic elements would only be disappointed. He refused to answer a
1287

question about the possible extension in the tenure of ISI chief saying, No
comments.
Nawaz Sharif termed the government incompetent and said PML-N
would form next government in Sindh. He was addressing a big rally in Qazi
Ahmed during which bashed the Sindh government, amid exciting chants of
Go Zardari Go.
The Lahore High Court rejected the objections of Babar Awan on the
amicus curies appointed by the court for its assistance on the maintainability
of the petition challenging his nomination papers for a slot of Senator. The
LHC had appointed Khawaja Haris, AK Dogar, Salman Akram Raja and
Salman Mansoor as amicus curies, friends of court for its assistance on
important legal points.
A Supreme Court bench reserved the judgment over the show-cause
notice issued to Senator Babar Awan for addressing a press conference
against the December 1, 2011 court order on the memogate. During the
hearing, the counsel for Babar Awan, Barrister Ali Zafar, argued that his
client had not given any remarks, which ridiculed the judiciary, but the court
said the comments were passed against the family of an apex court judge.
Next day, the PPP-led ruling alliance secured the highest number of
Senates 54 seats, making its tally to 70 in the House of 104 and thereby
gaining ample space to set countrys future roadmap. PPP alone secured 19
seats that raised its number to 41. PML-N emerged as second-top scorer by
bagging 8 seats, bringing its tally to 14 and enabling the party to claim slot
of Opposition Leader in the Senate.
ANP strengthened its position by seven seats while MQM and PML-Q
bagged four seats each. The seven new seats have raised ANPs number of
Senators to 12, making it the third largest parliamentary party in the upper
house. But the MQM has been now left with 7 seats in Senate, while the
JUI-F, which was earlier the main opposition party in the house, has also
been left with 7 seats.
The results of seven general seats from Balochistan were withheld. All
of PPP candidates won their respective seats. Aslam Gill was the only
exception who lost in the Punjab thanks to partys flawed election strategy of
preventing its legislators from casting second priority votes to its candidates
coupled with unexpected desertion by six MPAs.
The Supreme Court, while hearing the case of slapping one of the
polling staff by PPP candidate Waheeda Shah observed the ECP and the
1288

Sindh Police chief had failed to take prompt action in the matter. A threemember bench heard a suo moto notice on the application of Anita Turab, an
officer of District Management Group. Turab had stated in her application
that most civil servants wished to work in an environment where their selfrespect and dignity was not made vulnerable by all and sundry.
During the hearing, chief justice remarked the assault on polling staff
was an act worse than the extrajudicial killing of Sarfraz Shah. The court
said the ECP should have been not only a witness, but also a complainant in
the case. ECP Secretary Ishtiak Ahmed said he directed the provincial
election commission to take action as soon as he received the report, adding
a summary trial was underway. Justice Tariq said slapping a government
employee is like a slap on the face of state, adding the incident had brought
bad name to the country. It was prima facie interference in discharge of the
duties of a public servant, the chief justice said.
The court observed the incident took place on February 25, but the
police registered an FIR under Section 86 (3) (b) of Representation of the
People Act 1976 on February 27 when the TV channels not only in Pakistan
but also in the US and London showed the incident. It was sheer negligence
of the law enforcement agencies, it added. The CJP asked Sindh IGP
Mushtaq Shah not to take the issue lightly as he too could face the same, on
which he replied they had experienced these incidents. He said following the
incident, he suspended two DSPs for not taking timely action.
The accused, Waheeda Shah, who came to the court wearing a burqa,
sought unconditional apology from the aggrieved party and the apex court,
saying it was unintentional. But her apology was rejected. The court ordered
the ECP, Sindh IGP and others to strictly follow the law and the Constitution
and submit their respective reports and adjourned the hearing till March 12.
However, the ECP secretary later resigned as his boss was not happy with
actions he had taken fir the accountability of the culprit.
Yadgar Raisani, the son of the Balochistan chief minister, along with
17 other persons was booked over the charge of quarrelling with law
enforcers in Karachi. The accused along with his accomplices engaged in a
brawl near the residence of former provincial home minister Zulfiqar Mirza
in boozy condition. They not only had beaten up the policemen but also
snatched weapons from them ran away from the scene.
On 3rd March, Prime Minister Gilani said Pakistan PM is the
strongest man at present. He will neither go upward nor downward and will
not go inside or outside, he said while talking to media men after attending
1289

inauguration ceremony of Air University Multan Campus as chief guest. He

said Seraiki province was not his demand but it was demand of the people.
Colluding with the ECP, the government mounted pressure for
reconciliation with the apparent victims of Waheeda Shah slapping incident
in an alleged bid to save the ruling party candidates skin and weaken the
Secretary ECP stance on the issue. The Presiding Officer for PF-53 Habiba
Memon announced forgiveness for the accused Waheeda Shah, who had
repeatedly slapped Habiba Memon and the Assistant Presiding Officer
Shagufta Memon.
Next day, Prime Minister Gilani rejected a proposal from Nawaz
Sharif of creating new administrative units in the country, saying that Seraiki
people wont accept anything less than an independent province of their
own. The PPP was the name of a movement having a rich history of
sacrifices and the people affiliated with it will never sell-out nor surrender,
he added.
Parting her ways with PML-Q, former MNA Marvi Memon on finally
announced to join Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. Before making public
her decision at a press conference, she held a meeting with PML-N chief
Nawaz Sharif at Raiwind, putting an end to speculations about her joining
Imran Khans Tehrik-i-Insaaf.
Addressing the press conference, Nawaz Sharif said that no
compromise would be made on principles. He said that people like Marvi is
an asset of the party and all those who want to do something for the country
should join PML-N. Marvi was of the view that PML-N leadership was
serious and mature politicians as compared to others. She regretted for
becoming part of rivals false propaganda against PML-N leadership.
On 5th March, the Supreme Court issued notices to Interior Minister,
Babar Awan and Pervez Musharraf on a petition regarding the murder of
Benazir Bhutto. The petition seeks lodging second FIR of the 2007
assassination. The court was informed that notices could not be served to
Babar Awan, Rehman Malik and Pervez Musharraf. The bench ruled that
notice be displayed outside Musharrafs residence in Pakistan with a
warning that some other cases were also being heard in the country.
The court was told that Rehman Maliks counsel Anwar Manoor was
abroad. Punjab Police argued that second FIR could not be lodged into
Benazir murder as challan was submitted to the court. The police contended
that petitioner Aslam Chaudhry was not an affected party in the case.

1290

The ECP upheld previous results of Senate elections in Balochistan,

setting aside the reservations of the PML-N, which had accused the
opponents of rigging and wrong use of ballot-papers. The PML-N
challenged the result in the Supreme Court. The ANP demanded eight slots
including deputy chairmanship in the Upper House. Four people were
wounded in firing at rally organized to welcome Shahi Syed on his return to
Karachi after having been elected as Senator. He vowed to continue working
for peace in the mega city.
PML-N and PML-(L/M) group agreed on electoral alliance formula.
PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif will finalize the details. Nawaz Sharif opposed
another possible extension in service tenure of DG ISI and told generals to
stay away from politics. Shahbaz Sharif was elected unopposed PML-N
Punjab president and Ch Jaffer Iqbal senior vice president of the party.
Next day, Chief Justice, while hearing the electoral rolls case,
observed they would not allow anyone or any institution to flout the court
orders. The court noted that ECP Secretary Ishtiak Ahmed on July 4, 2011
told the court the electoral rolls would be finalized by February 23, 2012, a
promised not fulfilled yet.
The chief justice remarked that the finalization of the rolls was not in
the benefit of the Supreme Court but the over 80 million voters who send
their representatives to the legislatures. The chief election commissioner,
secretary, and the Nadra chairman filed their explanations. The secretary
submitted reply on behalf of himself and the chief election commissioner,
while the attorney general read out their replies in the courtroom.
The court observed there was a difference between the stance taken by
the secretary and explanation given by the ECP members, adding that the
secretary kept them in the darkness, as the ECP members did not have any
knowledge about the deadline. They came to know about the deadline first
time in December 2011. The AG said the ECP members were appointed in
pursuance of the 18th Amendment. The members said they came to know
about the 23rd deadline for the first on 10th of December 2011.
The Nadra explained that the delay caused by the census blocks,
which previously stood at 1,04,000 but the Population Census Organization
had now increased their number to around 1,40,000 census block with 250
households. The bench directed the attorney general to assist the court about
the position taken by the ECP secretary and Nadra. The hearing was
adjourned till 14th of March 2012.

1291

On 7th March, Nargis Sethi spoke high of Gilani while recording her
statement during the hearing of contempt case against Prime Minister Gilani.
She gave an excellent character certificate on the requests of defence
counsel but to the displeasure of the court.
When Aitzaz asked Nargis how she would describe the prime minister
during her working with him as principle secretary, she said though she had
worked with many bosses but found Mr Gilani very soft spoken, smiling,
and one who believes in reconciliation and has great respect for the
judiciary. Upon this, Justice Asif Khosa remarked: What do you (Aitzaz)
want to drive out of these questions and whether there was any need for your
client to have a character certificate from his (former) secretary?
Besides recording her statement, Nargis Sethi submitted before the
bench two summaries dated May 21 and September 21, 2010 sent by law
ministry to prime minister regarding reopening cases against President
Zardari. The summaries contained advice/consultation to the PM urging him
not to write letter to the Swiss authorities. According to Aitzaz, the prime
minister was bound to follow the legal opinion of the law ministry. Aitzaz
also presented 18 documents.
Attorney General, who is prosecutor in the case, raised objection on
the contents of the documents. He said there was no problem in submission
of documents by PMs counsel but the correctness of these could (only) be
approved from the persons who have authored them. Aitzaz said the
purpose of submitting the documents was to show that such material was
produced before his client. The counsel said he would take up the objections
at the time of his final submission.
The PMs counsel put over 30 questions to Nargis Sethi. The bench
showed reservations on most of the questions for being irrelevant and
observed that the defence lawyer cannot cross-examine a defence witness.
Justice Ijaz Chaudhry remarked: You cant cross-examine your own
witness. The court however on his insistence allowed Aitzaz to ask
questions from the defence witness as he maintained that those queries were
in fact leading questions and that he was not cross-examining Ms Nargis
Sethi. But during the proceedings many times he himself said, Let me
cross-examine Ms Nargis, the witness.
Mr Aitzaz asked questions that included: What kind of departments
the prime minister deals with on daily basis. What is the relationship of
parliament with the PM? How many members are there in the parliament?
How many sessions of the parliament the PM attended? What kind of
1292

government Mr Yousaf Raza Gilani is heading? How many parliamentarians

meet the PM on daily basis? How many foreign tours the PM did during
your tenure as the principle secretary? How many meetings of the cabinet,
Defence Coordination Committee (DCC) and Economic Coordination
Committee (ECC) he participated in and does the prime minister heads those
meetings and what was normal duration of the meetings.
Justice Asif Saeed Khosa asked the learned counsel what he wanted to
drive out of these questions. Justice Sarmad Osmany remarked: Do you
want to prove that the prime minister is very upright person and work very
hard. He further questioned: Does the PM genuinely showed respect to the
judiciary? Justice Ijaz remarked there are many orders of the apex court
which have not been implemented yet.
Mr Aitzaz further asked that how many files, orders and opinions the
PM has to deal with on daily basis. Nargis replied that 1,000 formal files in a
month; besides that the PM also handles countless informal orders and files.
Aitzaz asked from the former principal secretary to PM that were she aware
that Gilani was sentenced for 10 years in imprisonment along with Rs100
million fine and he served five years in the jail. Justice Asif Saeed Khosa
remarked: (There was) no need for these questions as we (all) are also
aware of it.
Aitzaz maintained there was a purpose of these questions. He also
questioned Nargis whether it was in her knowledge that conviction in that
case was set aside in the appeal and the PM was honourably acquitted and
did the PM show any bitterness to the judge who had sentenced him. Ms
Sethis reply was No. Did he ever utter derogatory words against the
judiciary? Aitzaz further asked and she again replied in negative.
Justice Asif Khosa remarked whether it was required for his client to
have a character certificate from a principle secretary. Aitzaz said it was
relevant. Upon that Justice Khosa expressed his displeasure saying: You
allow the secretaries to write character certificates for prime ministers and
ministers. The hearing was adjourned till Thursday.
The top PPP leadership could not gather on same page on the
selection of the new Senate Chairman. Reportedly, Zardari wanted to
continue with the incumbent Chairman Senate for the next three years but
could not withstand the tide in the party leadership against Chairman Farooq
H Naik who according to them, had fallen far below the expectation of the
party in the trying times on party when the President was abroad in
connection with his heart ailment and instead of boosting the partys morale
1293

Farooq kept mum and not uttered even a single word in support of the party
leadership.
Senator-elect Raza Rabbani was annoyed over the preposition of
making him Leader of the House in Senate in case the incumbent Leader of
the House is made Senate chief as he (Rabbani) considered himself as the
most deserving candidate for the slot of Chairman Senate and previously
kicked the slot of Leader of House in Senate when he was ignored for the
slot of Chairman Senate and Farooq Naik was given the position.
The ECP disqualified PPP candidate Waheeda Shah for two years.
Election Commission also declared her election on PS-53 Tando Muhammad
Khan null and void. She was disqualified with 3-2 split decision with Chief
Election Commissioner Justice (R) Hamid Ali Mirza and member from
Sindh expressing dissent.
Next day, the AGP crossed-examined defence witness Nargis Sethi
and asked her about her precise duties regarding the summaries moved
through the Law Ministry. She replied that she used to forward summaries to
the premier, which is what she had done with the two summaries in which
then law minister Babar Awan and law secretary Pir Masud Chishti had
informed the premier that there was no use of writing a letter to Swiss
authorities because the cases filed against President Zardari in Swiss courts
had already been withdrawn.
Nargis Sethi said the summaries were placed before the PM after
being received. The AG further asked whether the summaries were dealt
with under normal course of business, to which Nargis Sethi replied that
some were dealt with under normal course of work while some were dealt
with under Rules of Business.
The AG asked whether she had made any personal inquiry into
whether the approval of the premier for the summaries was intimated to the
apex court or not. Sethi replied that she did not make any such inquiry,
adding that when directives were not complied with, it was the responsibility
of the concerned secretaries to comply with them.
Once the cross-examination was completed the court told Aitzaz to
conclude the defence. Aitzaz said he reserved the right of defence in case
new evidence came up. He also told the court that his client wanted to
submit a written statement in the matter. To another query, he said his client
would either submit his written statement or personally appear before the
court. Justice Khosa said if the prime minister gave a statement on oath, he
could be cross-examined.
1294

Meanwhile, during the hearing of the NRO implementation case, the

bench was informed that the (NAB had sought a reply from the PM over the
illegal appointment of Adnan Khwaja as the chairman OGDCL. Shaiq
Usmani, senior counsel for the NAB chairman, told the court that Cabinet
Secretary Nargis Sethi, who appeared as PMs defence witness before the
bench, had stated in her statement that the appointment of Adnan Khwaja as
the head of the OGDCL was made by the PM. He said the reply had been
sought from the PM on the statement of Nargis Sethi.
He said an inquiry into the illegal appointment of Ahmad Riaz Sheikh,
an NRO beneficiary, had been completed and a reference was being prepared.
Dr Basit, counsel for Ahmad Riaz Sheikh, said he was seeing seven judges
sitting on the shoulders of NAB officers, adding it seemed as if the president
and prime minister were being involved in the case through Ahmad Riaz
Sheikh and Adnan Khwaja respectively. The court reprimanded him for saying
this.
The Court directed Prime Minister to implement its order in the NRO
case by writing a letter to the Swiss authorities to reopen the cases against
Zardari without seeking any further advice and submit his written statement
before the court on March 19 regarding the implementation of its order. The
court ordered the premier to implement Para 178 of the judgment on the NRO
verdict without seeking any advice from the concerned secretaries and write to
the Swiss authorities to reopen the cases against President Zardari. Regardless
of the advice of the secretaries, the PM must decide the matter, the court
ruled, adding that if the PM decided to submit his written statement, he should
file it before the court on March 19, but if he wanted to record his statement,
he should appear before the court on March 21. The court directed Attorney
General Maulvi Anwarul Haq to communicate the courts orders to the PM
and adjourned further proceedings till March 21.
Prime Minister will not write a letter against his own leadership at any
cost, said Federal Railways Minister Bilour while talking to newsmen after
meeting leaders of the Railways Drivers Association. He said if it was
necessary to write a letter to the Swiss authorities, the Supreme Court should
do this job itself or exercise patience till the government was changed.
He said it needed to be mentioned that when Pervez Musharraf imposed
the martial law, uniformed people belonging to the Establishment and some
politicians became loyal to him. Even the courts ignored the 1973 Constitution
and recognized him. He said the PM was a man who spent six years behind
the bars but remained loyal to his party and leadership. Now he is being asked
1295

to write against his own leadership. How it is possible for him to become
disloyal to his party, Bilour asked.
Another bench of the Supreme Court decided to formally indict Babar
Awan on March 20 in a contempt case, made out against him for addressing a
press conference against the courts order on the memo controversy, in which
he passed derogatory remarks against the apex court and one of its judges.
During proceedings, a large number of lawyers accompanied Babar Awan to
the courtroom. After the court announced its decision, the lawyers raised
slogans in favour of Babar Awan and pasted stickers on the walls of the
Supreme Court building that claimed Babar Awan is innocent.
On the last hearing, Ali Zafar, the counsel for Babar Awan, had argued
that his client had not given any remarks that had ridiculed the judiciary. The
court, however, had pointed out that the remarks were passed against the
family of an apex court judge in the December 1, 2011 press conference.
Ali Zafar had stated that his client, in his statement, had reconfirmed
that he had utmost respect and regard for him (judge) and considered him to
be a leading luminary and in case he (Justice Asif Saeed Khosa) was hurt, he
(Babar Awan) had offered deepest regrets to the honourable judge. Justice Ejaz
Afzal Khan then had observed that Babar Awan had only expressed regrets but
not tendered an apology about his remarks about the family of an apex court
judge. He had said that Babar Awan was a popular lawyer as well as a
politician and, therefore, he should have respected the judiciary.
A three-member bench of the apex court heard a plea moved by Air
Marshal (retd) Asghar Khan in 1996 regarding the alleged disbursement of
money among the anti-PPP politicians by the then army chief General Aslam
Beg, the then DG ISI Lt Gen Asad Durrani and the then Mehran Bank
president
Younis
Habib
to
disrupt
the
general
elections.
Former ISI chief Asad Durrani and Younus Habib, former chief of Mehran
Bank, appeared before the court, while commander Shahbaz represented the
Defence Ministry. Mirza Aslam Beg was also present in the courtroom.
Salman Akram Raja represented the petitioner, Asghar Khan, while
Muhammad Akram Sheikh represented Aslam Beg.
On the court directives, Younis Habib read out his three-page written
statement in the court, stating he met Mirza Aslam Beg at the residence of a
senior army official and then he and Mirza Beg talked to each other
frequently. Later in March 1990, he submitted that Mirza Aslam Beg told
him that President Ghulam Ishaq Khan wanted to talk to him and ordered to
1296

arrange Rs400 million before the elections.

He further submitted that a few months later, Mirza Aslam Beg invited
him to a ceremony held in Karachi where he was treated like the chief guest.
Younis Habib also provided the court a photo with his written statement in
which he had been shown to be one of the persons along with the then
president of Pakistan Ghulam Ishaq Khan and uniformed officers of Pakistan
Army
having
conversation
with
Mirza
Aslam
Beg.
He further submitted that Aslam Beg phoned him again, saying that the
president wanted to meet him at the Balochistan House. He said in the
meeting, President Ghulam Ishaq asked him to arrange the said amount in the
name of a national cause.
Younis Habib said he had told the then president that it was impossible
to arrange such a huge amount legally, however, Ghulam Ishaq asked him to
arrange the money by hook and crook and for the national cause. He said the
then army chief Mirza Aslam Beg demanded Rs340 to Rs400 million for the
election. Younis Habib said Rs400 million were distributed among the
politicians, while over Rs1 billion were utilized by different people for
investment purposes.
He said Mirza Aslam Beg, with a colonel, opened various accounts for
transferring the money. Younis Habib said as the head of a nationalized bank,
he had no other option, but to accept the presidents orders and further said
that he was pressurized by Roedad Khan and the attorney general to get a
case registered against Zardari in 1990.
Upon his refusal to file the case against Asif Ali Zardari, Younis Habib
said he was arrested at the Karachi Airport and was kept in an FIA cell for six
days. Later, after spending four years in jail in the name of national interest,
he said he was bailed out by Jam Sadiq Ali. The chief justice observed that it
was a huge amount and asked Habib to give the court a break-up of the
details. Habib, however, said he it was not possible for him to give the breakup.
During the hearing, former ISI chief Asad Durrani rose up and tried to
say that the ISI was not involved in the distribution of money. The chief
justice asked him to be seated and said that he would be heard later on.
During the hearing, Younis Habib claimed the affidavit filed by him be
considered as a classified document. However, on having gone through it, the
court observed that it did not fall in the category of classified documents, in
respect whereof privilege could be claimed, thus it was declared as not

1297

classified.
The court directed its office to prepare photocopies of the affidavit
filed by Younis Habib and hand over them to Muhammad Akram Sheikh,
Salman Akram Raja, Asad Durrani and Sheikh Khizar Hayat. The court
further directed that they might go through the document and if desire or
instructed, might opt to file their replies.
Meanwhile, in compliance with the courts order of February 29, 2012,
the courts office placed on record a sealed envelope under the cover TOP
SECRET report of the commission to review the working of security and
intelligence agencies. The court observed that commissions review of the
working of security and intelligence agencies has not been filed. The court
ruled that in the interest of nation, the documents shall be kept confidential.
The court also directed Rafaqat Hussain, who produced the said documents
to the court, to hand them over to the registrar of the apex court, who shall
put them under seal.
Similarly another envelope was also produced before the court,
containing two audiocassettes relating to HRC 19/1996 containing details
including cassette number 1: Dated November 20, 1997 timings 10.30 to
11am. Cassette number 2: Dated November 25, 1997 timing, 10am to 11am
and 11:30 to 1pm (side A) and dated November 26, 1997 timings 11:45am to
1:15pm (side B).
A file was also produced before the court, containing three pages in
original. Page 1 of the file included details of May 28, 1999 wherein the then
additional registrar with regard to obtaining the orders of HJ (1) whether Lt
Gen (retd) Nasirullah Babar and Lt Gen (retd) Asad Durrani may be asked to
read their statements and sign them in the presence of an officer of this court.
The Page 2 included the details of June 1, 1999 regarding submission of
unsigned statements/cross-examination of Gen (retd) Naseerullah Babar and
Lt Gen Asad Durrani to the then HJ (1), while Page 3 contained the order of
Justice Saaiduz Zaman Siddiqui in 1999.
Another record was also produced before the court relating to the case.
The court in its order ruled that its office has also made efforts to find out
whether examination of Gen (retd) Naseerullah Khan Babar and Lt Gen
(retd) Asad Durrani was recorded; according to the report, no such document
is available on record.
However, Salman Akram Raja, appearing for the petitioner, stated that
they were subjected to cross-examination on the affidavits, which have
1298

already been filed. The court ruled that as these proceedings were drawn in
camera, therefore, the same be sealed and handed over to Rafaqat Hussain
for depositing them with the registrar. As regards proceedings drawn by the
office of the registrar to locate the documents, they are also made part of the
record and are ordered to be deposited with the registrar. The court adjourned
the hearing till Friday.
The MQM, brushed aside the allegations against its chief in the Asghar
Khan case, said that Altaf Hussain had refused to take money from Brigadier
Imtiaz in 1988 and later from Brigadier Hamid in 1990. The statement noted
that Brig Imtiaz had also conceded before the media that Altaf Hussain refused
to take the money. The statement of giving money to Altaf by Yousuf
Advocate is merely a lie, it said, and added that conscience of MQM
leadership was satisfied and the party leaders were ready to respond to this
allegation at any forum. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, meanwhile,
termed the statement of Younus Habib on the distribution of money among
politicians as baseless, concocted and a bundle of lies.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Sheraz Kiani granted bails to
Director Technical Khurram Munaf and General Manager Plant Shakeel
Ahmed Khan of Efroze Chemical Industries (Pvt) Ltd, accused of showing
negligence which claimed the lives of nearly 150 cardiac patients registered
with the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC).
On 9th March, Chief Justice said that those who had distributed money
and those who had received the money in the Mehrangate scandal were
equally responsible, adding that the allegations would have to be proven.
Former army chief Mirza Aslam Beg apologized for using contemptuous
language in the counter-affidavit in which he had claimed to have completed a
hat trick of appearing before the Supreme Court. Chief Justice took strong
exception to the language used by the former army chief in the counteraffidavit filed in response to the affidavit filed by Younis Habib.
The chief justice admonished Akram Sheikh, counsel for Mirza Aslam
Beg, upon his failure to properly guide his client on filing the affidavit. Do
you think such language could be used for the court, Justice Iftikhar asked
Akram Shiekh, Give us a written apology right now otherwise we will take
action against your client. Akram Sheikh then asked Aslam Beg, who was
present in the courtroom, to come to the rostrum and tender a written apology
before the court, which the former army chief did.
The court accepted the unconditional apology of Aslam Beg along with
1299

the request to delete the paragraph from his counter affidavit. Earlier during
the hearing, when the court drew the attention of Akram Sheikh towards para
14 of the affidavit, Akram Sheikh stated that it was to be read in the context of
other paragraphs as according to him, his client was being maligned at the
behest of the Pakistan Peoples Party government.
During the hearing, Lt Gen (R) Asad Durrani, former DG ISI, submitted
under oath that he received instruction from then army chief Mirza Aslam Beg
that a certain business community in Karachi had raised some contribution to
support the election campaign of the IJI and If I could arrange for it to be
distributed as per the formulas, that would be conveyed to me by the election
cell in the presidents office. He added that he already stated that there was no
political cell in the ISI but that political work could be done by some
designated persons.
Muhammad Akram Sheikh said from day one his point of view was that
this case was absolutely based upon disputed facts. Under instructions, he
said, he was of the opinion that a political cell was created under an
administrative instrument/executive order passed by the late Zulfikqar Ali
Bhutto by means of an SRO issued in the year of 1975. The existence of such
a political cell is unwarranted and is an interference in the fundamental rights
of the people of Pakistan, guaranteed under Article 17 and this court could
declare that no such political cell be allowed to continue in the security
agencies, Akram Sheikh said.
Salman Akram Raja, counsel for the petitioner, stated that his client had
sought relief for direction that all persons, including defence/army officers,
who were respondents, who acted so as to interfere with and manoeuvre the
electoral process in any manner, including through disbursement of funds, had
subverted the constitution. He further recalled that the petitioner had prayed
for direction to the federation to initiate appropriate proceedings under
criminal and election laws against the alleged givers and recipients of funds
for political purposes, including the respondents and the various persons
named in Lt Gen (R) Durranis letter to the premier dated June 7, 1994 and
affidavit dated July 24, 1994.
The court directed the AGP to inquire from the federal government
whether commission reports regarding Mehran Bank and Habib Bank had
been made public and if not, reasons should be assigned and the said reports
should be made available for court perusal in camera. The attorney general
said he would submit an application for permission to go through the crossexamination of the affidavits of Lt Gen (R) Asad Durrani and Maj Gen (R)
1300

Nasirullah Khan Babar and thereafter would assist the court whether such
proceedings could be considered classified by the state or if the courts could
declare them declassified.
The court adjourned the hearing till March 14. Mirza Aslam Beg in his
counter affidavit denied the contents of the affidavit submitted by Younus
Habib. In his counter affidavit, he said Younus Habib had tried to malign him
and former president Ghulam Ishaq Khan and several others in this sordid
game of mixing politics with justice, with the intent to obstruct the wheel of
justice.
He said in response to the allegations of Habib, a self condemned
perjurer, he considered it proper to bring on record for the kind attention of the
court, the disappearance of the statements of General (R) Asad Durrani and
Maj General (R) Naseerullah Khan Babar recorded by this court in camera but
not yet found. This fact supports the respondents apprehension that the
vested interests, which carry the legacy of the vendetta of the lady Prime
Minister Benazir Bhutto against the respondent for allegedly causing the fall
of her government in 1990, continue to haunt him and endeavour to interfere
with even the record of this august court, Aslam Beg said.
The former army chief further said in the earlier statement quoted to
have been made by Younus Habib, there was no mention of Rs1,800 million
and other allegations that he talked about now and claims that he was directed
to produce this amount by hook or by crook. He submitted Habib had tried to
develop a new story to cover up his own crimes of having siphoned of
Rs1,800 million from Habib Bank/Mehran Bank for which he was prosecuted,
jailed and made to pay almost double the amount of over Rs3 billion. Thus,
politics and crime mingled together to create space for denial of justice, he
added.
I find myself handicapped in properly replying to the affidavit filed by
Younus Habib without having in hand the report of Mehran Bank Scandal
Commission and Habib Bank Scandal Commission, Aslam Beg submitted.
He requested the court to direct the present incumbent PPP government to
supply him a copy of the report so that he might submit his detailed response
to what he called malicious, prompted and absolutely false allegations.
The Senate unanimously passed the National Commission for Human
Rights (NCHR) 2011 Amendment Bill, which provides for the establishment
of a national commission to safeguard human rights. The bill was moved by
the Leader of the House in the Senate, Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari. The
establishment of the NCHR will not only fulfill the international obligation of
1301

creating a human rights commission but also serve as a driving force to negate
the propaganda of human rights violations in Pakistan.
Next day, Zardari in consultation with his coalition partners nominated
Leader of House in Senate, Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari, and Senator Sabir
Baloch for the candidature of Chairman and Deputy Chairman Senate
respectively. None of the coalition partners or any senior PPP leader raised any
objection for which Zardari thanked the heads of coalition parties.
The office of AGP received the Supreme Court order on writing letter to
Swiss authorities for reopening of corruption cases against Zardari. On March
8, the court had directed Prime Minister to write to Swiss authorities for
reopening of the cases against the president regardless of advice of the
secretaries. Previously, the directives were conveyed through the Law
Ministry.
Talking to media persons at the Prime Ministers House, Gilani said he
used to go by book while handling the official files daily and that was the
reason he was crystal clear that he had not committed any contempt of court.
He further said he had all respect for the courts and personally appeared before
the Supreme Court. When asked what would be his response to the latest court
directives regarding writing the letter to the Swiss authorities without seeking
advice, the prime minister said he did not know exactly about the order and he
would take decision in consultation with his lawyer, as he did not know right
now in which case the court had issued directives.
Younus Habib, former Mehran Bank chief, revealed that he had
personally given money to PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif. He also revealed that
Rs2.3 million was sent to Shahbaz Sharif through TT on September 27, 1993.
He said he supported PPP in 1993 election to atone for his wrongdoings
committed in 1990. He said he had supported religious elements against
Nawaz Sharif in an attempt to correct the mistake.
Jamaat-e-Islami rejected the recent voter lists and demanded flawless
and transparent electoral rolls. Mehanti claimed that voter lists carried more
than 35 percent bogus entries. He alleged the bogus voters were deliberately
inserted so as to favour a particular political party.
On 11th March, declaring he will follow only the constitution in NRO
case, Prime Minister Gilani said that contempt of court proceedings should
have been started against the parliament instead of him. The parliament and
not the prime minister should have been indicted (for not writing the letter to
Swiss authorities), as it is the parliament that has authored the constitution
1302

providing immunity to the president, he told print media representatives at the

State Guest House in Lahore. I am too small a person not to follow the
constitution, which gives immunity to the president, he said.
When pointed out that Supreme Court has asked him to write the letter
irrespective of anybodys advice and that it (SC) has the power to interpret the
constitution, Gilani replied, The court can only interpret the constitution but
cannot rewrite it. Its only the parliament that could do so. The immunity to
the president was quite visible and hence the relevant law needed no
interpretation, he insisted. There was a need to differentiate between
interpretation of the constitution and re-writing of the constitution, he
added.
The courts insistence on writing the letter had given rise to a global
debate over the question of presidential immunity, he said. All over the
world, the presidents and foreign ministers enjoy trans-national immunity
(from prosecution). I cannot undo it (the immunity). Let the parliament
decide the question of immunity, he added. Gilani said there was consensus
in the parliament that immunity should be retained for the president. None of
the political parties which had extensive sessions over 18th, 19th and 20th
constitutional amendments came up with the proposal to end immunity for the
president, the PM substantiated his point.
Gilani said that if the letter in question was not being written since long,
it was because of this reason (immunity) and reiterated that he would follow
the constitution given by ZA Bhutto over this issue. Those (parliament) who
have given immunity to the president should be tried for contempt of court (if
required) since I have not committed any crime (by following the
constitution), he asserted.
The PM believed that media was mixing up two separate cases the
NRO implementation case and contempt proceedings against him. Is it right
that neither I have the services of a lawyer nor could I seek advice from
anybody over the letter issue, he asked from the media men while referring to
the latest court orders in this regard. How can I write the letter without
seeking advice from Mr Babar Awan, he remarked with a tongue in cheek and
a smile on his face.
When this scribe asked the prime minister if he still saw conspiracies
being hatched against him after successful conduct of the Senate polls, he said
his government was facing conspiracies on almost daily basis. But now the
PML-N people are talking of conspiracies (against them) after the reopening
of Mehran Bank case, he said, adding the case should have been opened
1303

much earlier. It has been opened so late that now the petitioners have become
too old to pursue the case.
About the early elections, he said that he would consult the allies in this
regard after presentation of the fifth budget. He said elections could not be
held before schedule on the demand of a single political party (PML-N). He
said he believed in step-by-step approach and setting small targets to tackle
issues. The first small target I set earlier was holding of Senate polls, and now
it is the national budget. Then I would see the possibility of early elections in
consultation with the allies, he added.
Next day, PPPs Nayyer Bokahri and Sabir Baloch were elected
unopposed chairman and deputy chairman of Senate respectively, after 54
newly-elected senators took oath. The opposition parties did not field their
candidates, a step appreciated by the veteran legislators from treasury benches
who said such practices help strengthen democratic institutions.
Amid continuous sloganeering of PPP Jiyalas during the oath-taking
ceremony, Senator Zafar Ali Shah of PML-N staged a walkout from the house
saying that chanting party slogans in the house was a sheer violation of
parliamentary norms and Senate rules. However, Zafar Shahs protest could
not stop PPP diehards from sloganeering, which went on with intervals until
the election of deputy chairman senate.
The visitors galleries of the upper house were packed with supports and
guests of the new senators and majority of them belonged to PPP. The slogans
in support of PPP and its leadership did not go well with senators from other
political parties as well, and some of them also raised voice against it. PPP
chief whip in house Islamuddin Sheik requested several times the visitors to
maintain order and stop chanting slogans but they turned a deaf ear to his
requests.
Afaq Ahmed made a candid confession that he did receive Rs5 million
from Younis Habib to organize the MQM-H. He alleged that Altaf Hussain had
received money from retired chief of army staff Aslam Beg through Younis
Habib, saying he was a witness to this deal. I am ready to testify before any
court, if needed.
The Supreme Court directed establishment division secretary, chief
secretaries of all the four provinces and Islamabad commissioner to file
comments regarding ways and means for the protection of fundamental rights
of civil servants. A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice was hearing a
suo moto case regarding slapping to polling staff by Waheeda Shah.
1304

The chief justice said that the civil servants are bound to obey only the
lawful orders and directed them to follow the law and adhere to the legal
provisions of the constitution. He observed that when the officers follow the
law and legal provisions they face lot of resistance, humiliation, transfer, they
are made OSD and baseless proceedings of disciplinary nature are initiated
against them.
Referring to a recent incident, the chief justice said DPO Sargodha Dr
Rizwan was transferred to Gilgit-Baltistan for taking action against PPP MPA
Aslam Midhana, who beat a schoolteacher. The IGP Punjab was directed to
look into the matter personally, as the DPO has been transferred out of the
province. The IGP was directed to submit the report in two weeks.
The chief justice quoting Quaid-e-Azam words said that civil servants
are the steel frame of the government and they are the servant of the state and
if they will be demoralized, they would not work whole heartedly, fearing
they will be transferred. The court noticed that there were frequent transfer
and postings in various departments, which are contrary to the rules and
regulations. The court further noticed that the protection of fundamental rights
of the civil servant is given in various judgments of the apex court.
The court directed that the letter of Anita Turab, a bureaucrat, should be
treated as constitutional petition under article 184(3) of the constitution. Anita
in her letter complained that servants were being pushed to the wall by every
succeeding government and were treated as personal servants of the influential
people in the government.
Syed Mehmood Akhtar Naqvi, a human rights activist, informed the
court that a good number of police officers have been given shoulder
promotions in Sindh province. The court observed that shoulder promotion
should not be allowed and stated they expect the IGP and Sindh chief secretary
would take immediate action on the issue of such promotions as these
discourage the merit. The chief justice said the heart burning and uncertainty
among police officers is due to out of turn promotion and he directed the IGP
and chief secretary to file the report in this regard on the next date of hearing.
The case is adjourned till March 28, 2012.
Pakistan Railways increased the fares of the passenger trains (shortdistance) by 15 per cent and express trains (long-distance) by 20 per cent due
to raise in fuel charges. The new fares will be effective from March 15. The
cash-strapped Railways, about six weeks ago, had increased the fares of goods
trains by 30 per cent with the same justification.

1305

On 13th March, the Supreme Court directed NAB to arrest people

involved in Railways corruption within three days and ordered that the
Railways Board Secretary be posted back immediately. The chief justice said
it was the job of NAB to eliminate corruption and not to enter into plea
bargain. He said that even Minister and Chairman Railways were being named
in the corruption in Railways. He said NAB was arresting only poor people
and people in the institution were just passing time and they have no interest
in the service of the country. He said if the NAB had the courage to arrest the
influential people, it could have done so within three days.
The Supreme Court was presented a report by the Pakistan Steel Mills
attorney Fakharuddin G Ibrahim that disclosed that the Pakistan Steel Mills
have borne a loss of 26.5 billion rupees so far. According to the report, the mill
bears a daily loss of Rs 40 million which accumulates to more than a Rs onebillion monthly loss. The attorney also claimed that the officials who were
involved in the corruption have been released on bail and the former chairman
of the mill has never been detained. Ibrahim also suggested that the case
should be forwarded to the NAB to which the Chief Justice agreed. The Chief
justice adjourned the hearing till the March 15.
President Zardari approved conferment of Hilal-i-Imtiaz upon
Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, the first Pakistani to win Oscar for her documentary
Saving Face. Sharmeen Chinoy, known for documentaries dealing with life in
the Muslim world, has produced numerous films and has won a number of
awards and honors including the Emmy Award. She became the first nonAmerican to win the Livingston Award.
Next day, Chief Justice said that the intelligence agencies of the country
are doing things that are beyond their mandate. Hearing Asghar Khans
petition, he observed that this country belongs to all of us and its protection
is a collective responsibility contrary to the thinking of some people who
consider themselves exclusive guardians of the state and think they can run the
country according to their wishes.
The chief justice asked Salman Akram Raja, counsel for Asghar Khan,
to file a petition regarding the distribution of money by IB to topple the
Punjab government in 2009 as reported in an English language daily. The CJP
inquired whether a civilian force too indulges in such practices. Raja said the
case was tip of the iceberg and for the last 65 years the nation is facing this
flouting of mandate by different state institutions. The court issued notice to
the newspaper, publisher and the reporter, who filed story on IB distributing
funds among the politicians.
1306

Attorney General informed the court that he had examined the

statements of Gen (r) Naseerullah Babar and Gen (r) Asad Durrani, which they
had given in-camera at SC registrar office during the hearing of the same case
in 1999. The AG stated he has no objection if the statements of Mr Durrani
and Mr Babar are declassified as all the relevant facts in the documents are in
public domain. The court said that a written order to make the report public
will be passed during the next hearing.
However, the court expressed discontentment with the attorney general
for not producing the former inquiry commission reports regarding Mehran
Bank and Habib Bank. The AG sought time, saying the law secretary did not
have the reports while the secretary interior was out of the country. The
Supreme Court sarcastically remarked whether the interior secretary carries
the reports in his pockets.
Salman Akram Raja said that it was the federal governments
responsibility to procure these documents as Interior Minister had stated two
days ago that he has lot of documents regarding the case and if the Supreme
Court would summon him he would furnish the documents in the court. The
chief justice sought clarity from Gen (r) Durrani regarding his statement
wherein he had said he distributed the amount on his own behalf and not on
behalf of the ISI. The CJP said at that time you were holding the charge of two
agencies MI and ISI. Durrani replied he was not DG MI then.
The CJ wondered that how could Durrani deny the involvement of the
ISI given the fact that he was holding office at the time when the money was
being distributed. Durrani told the court that there were elements outside the
ISI who were appointed for the task of distributing money. He added that he
involved some officer from ISI but not the ISI as an institution. The chief
justice remarked: At that time you and Gen (r) Beg were sitting general,
therefore, now the burden is on both of you regarding the case.
Yunus Habib submitted an affidavit in response to the rejoinders of
General (r) Aslam Beg and Lt-Gen (r) Asad Durrani. He submitted that with
all sincerity, honesty and in order to bring the truth on record he filed an
affidavit on March 8, 2012, and there is no question of scandalizing the
highest court of the country. He stated since Air Marshal Asghar Khan filed
the petition he never met any political figure till he deposited affidavit on
March 8. Only General Mirza Aslam Beg spoke to me in the last two years
only 4 to 5 times.
It is correct that I paid more than Rs3 billion. I actually have so far paid
Rs345 crores to the Habib Bank Ltd and only Rs115 crores is to be paid to
1307

HBL, and this amount can be easily paid by selling a plot of 32 acres situated
at Gulshan-e-Iqbal Karachi. He stated that in his March 8 affidavit he
submitted that Brig Hamid Saeed and Col Akbar were introduced to me as ISI
officers. However, after the affidavit of Lt-Gen (r) Durrani I pray the court to
delete the word of ISI from my previous affidavit.
The chief justice asked Yunus Habib and Lt-Gen Asad Durrani to
engage counsels as under Article 10A the court would like to give them fair
opportunity. The chief justice ordered Yunus Habib to avoid giving interview
to TV channels. The attorney general was directed to get the verification and
attestation of Yunus Habib. The hearing was adjourned until March 30.
Shahbaz said Younus Habib, who had accused them (Sharifs) of
receiving money in two installments of Rs 2.5 million and Rs 3.5 million
before the 1990 and 1993 elections respectively, had repeatedly changed his
stance. Moreover, Younus did not mention even a single allegation against
them in the affidavit presented in the Supreme Court, which proved that his
claim was baseless and a pack of lies. Shahbaz flanked by party leaders
announced to move the court of law for damages against the former banker for
targeting him and his brother through unfounded, false and baseless
allegations.
To a question on the role of agencies, the chief minister said they never
let democracy flourish in the country. Not only will the ISI but the IB also
now have to account for the money it received, he said, while appreciating
the court notice to the IB using of Rs 270 million funds. Shahbaz pledged to
appear as witness if called by the court as he knew certain facts about the said
money.
Meanwhile, PML-N has constituted a panel of jurists at the head of
former Advocate General Punjab Khawaja Harris Ahmad to file a suit for
damages against former head of Mehran Bank Younus Habib, who had leveled
allegations against Sharif brothers which, the party says, are baseless and
unfounded. The panel in the first instance, will serve legal notice on Habib
following a formal suit would be filed before the Lahore High Court to claim
the damages if action was not taken as per the demand in the notice.
The Supreme Court reiterated it will go to any extent for the protection
of the constitution and rule of law in the country. The CJP said the ECP was
bound to review the electoral lists annually but it had not done that so far. He
said on July 4, 2012 the secretary ECP himself gave commitment regarding
updating the electoral rolls.

1308

Referring to a letter written by ECP secretary to the PM complaining

about SCs interference in the affairs of the ECP, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain
said that the court had showed restraint on the delay of preparation of voter
lists but ECP secretary has blamed the court for interference in commissions
affairs. Expressing his displeasure, the chief justice remarked: Everyone has
right to express his views but within certain limits
The court asked the secretary ECP as to why he had kept the ECP
members in the dark about the deadline for the preparation of new lists. The
secretary replied that four meetings were held with the ECP members and they
were aware about the delay in the preparation of lists. The court directed the
attorney general to go through the ECP reply as well as secretarys letter and
then assist the court as to whether after making commitments before this court
on 4-7-2011 to complete the process of revising the electoral lists under the
command of article 219 of the constitution, was there any justification to
postpone this process till the month of May, 2012 even without seeking
permission from the court. The court adjourned the hearing on April 9.
Imran Khan cancelled his participation as keynote speaker in the India
Today Conclave being held in New Delhi immediately on learning of Salman
Rushdies participation in the same. He expressed his regrets to the organizers
but stated categorically that he could not even think of participating in any
programme that included Salman Rushdie who has caused immeasurable hurt
to Muslims across the globe.
On 15th March, Gilani said he was prime minister not a peon and would
prefer jail instead of writing letter to Swiss authorities against President
Zardari. Addressing a public gathering in Mailsi he said the judges consider
him as peon rather than a prime minister. Later in the afternoon, he told PhD
students of Islamia University Bahawalpur that if he writes letter to Swiss
authorities to reopen graft cases against Zardari it would be in violation of the
constitution and he could be awarded death sentence under Article 6 while he
would be sent to jail for six months if punished with contempt of court for not
writing the letter.
Playing to the gallery, Gilani asked the students whether he should write
the letter, to which the audience shouted: No, no. Ok, we will send your
message to the court and tell them that they should charge parliament with
contempt of court because parliament has given immunity to the president. All
heads of state all over the world have this immunity. Gilani said he was loyal
to Pakistan Peoples Party and would not change his loyalty. He said he would
leave politics but would not stab Zardari in the back. Gilanis remarks revive
1309

speculation that he would rather risk losing his job than capitulate in a twoyear showdown with the judiciary.
Federal Minister Khursheed Shah maintained whether court punishes
Prime Minister Gilani or not, he has played his innings. He was talking to
journalists at a function held in connection with Lithuanias national day. To a
question about speculations that he (Khursheed Shah) may be the next PM if
Gilani is convicted in contempt of court case, the minister said: All of our 179
members are eligible of becoming the prime minister.
The Lahore High Court adjourned hearing of a plea seeking
disqualification of Senator Aitzaz Ahsan and asked the petitioners counsel for
arguments on whether the court had authority to disqualify any senator. Tariq
Mahmood had in his petition alleged that Ahsan owned 110 acres of land and
was a defaulter of Rs 204,100 tax on it. He further alleged that the PPP leader
earned Rs1,800,000 in a year but paid Rs55,592 as tax. He pleaded that the
respondent be declared ineligible to hold the seat of senator while invoking
provisions of Article 63 of the Constitution.
The revealing of names of those who tried to buy loyalties of the N
lawmakers during the Governors Rule of 2009 by using Intelligence Bureaus
secret funds will stun the public, Shahbaz Sharif expressed these views while
talking to Waqt News. Shahbaz Sharif said the corrupt rulers had tarnished the
image of Pakistan in abroad. While giving an example, the chief minister said
Turkey had gifted 100 vehicles for cleanliness to the Punjab government and
on the other side no one ready to give even a single penny to Zardari
government.
MQM staged a walkout from the National Assembly session in protest
against rising incidents of extortion and targeted killings in Karachi, saying the
party might not attend the joint sitting of the Parliament if appropriate and
immediate action was not taken to tackle the issue. The Muttahida legislators
raised slogans Bhatta Khori Band Karo (Stop Extortion) and Karachi
Bachao (Save Karachi) before staging walkout from the house. Meanwhile, a
police constable, stationed at the Saudabad Police Headquarters in Karachi
was shot dead.
Chief Justice hearing the case of Pakistan Steel Mills said that
corruption in the PSM has not only been established in the forensic audit
report besides that the government did not take action against the responsible
persons, who sank the mills. The loss was bifurcated into three parts; business
loss Rs 4.68 billion, losses due to corrupt practices Rs 9.99 billion and losses

1310

due to mismanagement is Rs 11.84 billion.

Gul Muhammad Rind Secretary Ministry of Industries informed the
court that on the direction of the court he had discussed the audit report with
the Minister. In the last hearing, the court had ordered Industries Secretary Gul
to come up with an explanation why his Ministry had failed to take timely
action on a forensic audit report (2008-09) that identified cumulative losses of
Rs 26.5 billion suffered by Pakistan Steel Mills in one year.
Rind also told that the Ministry on receipt of the forensic report six
months ago, referred the matter to FIA, but so far have not received their
findings, adding, after receiving the FIA report they would decide about
sending it to NAB. The Chief Justice said that audit report has proved that
massive corruption took place in the Steel Mills.
Barrister Zafarullah, a petitioner, argued that the PSM is facing
functional and financing crisis due to rampant corruption, mismanagement and
incompetence. The FIA instead of proceeding against M/S Abbas Steel
Group, owned by Riaz Lalji, for criminal corruption and Ms Sabina Sakina,
daughter of Riaz Lalji, alleged accused in FIR No.39/2009, have exonerated
them, Zafarullah said.
He said the apex court stopped privatization of the mills, but it bore no
fruits. Justice Khilji remarked that they could not run the PSM. The Chief
Justice stated their mandate is to point out corruption, which they had done.
He said it was up to the government whether it like to run the Mills or not?
The court after the statement of Secretary has not yet decided to refer the case
to NAB and reserved the judgment.

VIEWS
On 3rd March, Tallat Azim observed: All the last week has been about
two Pakistani women; one to be extremely proud of and the other to be
ashamed of with an equal amount of feeling. Almost like from one end of
the pendulum to another. The young lady, who made Pakistanis joyous the
world over was Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy and who showed the talented,
educated and resilient face of Pakistan and spoke so well when receiving the
first-ever Oscar won by a Pakistani. I loved Jemima Khans tweet on the
occasion told you, told you, told you, it is going to be Pakistans year!
Sharmeen was dignified and beautiful as was Dr Jawad, the Pakistani plastic
surgeon, who is central to the documentary.

1311

The other end of the pendulum was Waheeda Shah, PPP MPA elect,
who was caught on camera slapping a couple of teachers handling the vote
count at one of the polling booths in her area. Her act is symbolic of all
that is wrong with our political elite and the culture of power. Whatever
may have provoked her; this is certainly not acceptable behaviour from
somebody we are about to place as a lawmaker. It was a never-ending saga
because after the hue and cry raised on her action, Waheeda Shah went on to
have a press conference with the insulted teacher sitting in complete purdah
with face also covered to say that all was now hunky-dory and forgiven and
forgotten between them. What pressure the slapped woman came under to do
this or even whether it was actually the abused woman or not (because
nobody could see her to identify her, despite the fact that she was not face
covered on the Election Day), we will never know. What is reassuring is,
however, that the Supreme Court has taken suo moto notice and will decide
whether the lady in question can retain her newly won seat or not. I do hope
they take the road less traveled and do justice to the women, who were at the
receiving end of the boorish behaviour.
Nawab Mumtaz Ali Bhutto wrote: All know that true democracy has
to stand on three legs: The executive, the legislature and the judiciary.
Pakistan, however, has made history of sorts by the fact that in the gaps
between 31 years of military rule, which also the generals claimed to be
democratic, it has had 33 years of 13 different democratic dispensations,
seven of which came and went within the first 11 years of the new country.
Examining each of these democracies under the microscope of the
sacrosanct tenets of the same, one clearly sees a picture of Dorian Gray.
Therefore, let the past be interned with the bones of those who have come
and gone and let us examine what we are trapped in now.
Mumtaz went on to describe how two of its legs have been crippled
and then added: This leaves only the third leg of democracy, the
judiciary, which is carrying such a load as to be sinking. It has become
bogged down with petitions ranging from the trivial to murder and treason
together with the suo moto action that it is compelled to take. It is only the
higher courts that the people flock to for relief and look upon the judiciary,
as the only venue of redemption. Litigation in the lower courts is endless
with the complainant carrying the entire burden, while the defendant or
respondent rests unconcerned. Judgments, if and when forthcoming, are
ignored and warrants remain unenforced by the police. Corruption is also
rampant, the burden of which too falls on the person who knocks at the door
of the court. However, regardless of such drawbacks, the lopsided edifice of
1312

the collapsing democracy is being propped up only by the damaged leg of

the judiciary and this cannot last long, as it is under heavy attack from the
executive. Zardari says that the Supreme Court orders to reopen the Swiss
cases will not be carried out. The Prime Minister is charged with contempt.
Here it becomes relevant to recount an event of epoch-making importance:
The whole world knows that Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto did not get a fair
trial and was hanged on Zias orders delivered through the Supreme Court of
the day. Nevertheless, he never committed contempt of court by declaring
that the judgment was unjust and it should not be carried out. When he stood
on the gallows, finish it were the only words he uttered. Thus, out of the
three legs of democracy, it is only the limping judiciary that survives? Can
this honestly be called a democratic setup?
There has to be an immediate rescue operation not just to save the
judiciary, but the entire edifice of democracy. All the institutions of the state
are in a state of chaos and collapse. A complete accountability and
reconstruction job is urgently required. An honest government of technocrats
and patriots with no political ambitions and only the desire to serve, watched
over by the Supreme Court, is one suggestion. But will anyone complain if
the desired results are produced by a dictator? Another year of Zardari will
leave nothing to be saved. Do we want Pakistan or do we want a
democracy standing only on one damaged leg? What is the use of political
leaders organizing and showing off mammoth gatherings, which bear no
results and allow the rot to continue? Nothing is achieved by competing to
put on the biggest show. There are millions of lives at stake here, which
cannot be told to wait and see. While political leaders are busy blowing hot
and cold, termites are eating away at the foundations. If the shows that have
been put on for the media and self-glorification are turned around and aimed
at changing the rotten and intolerable status quo, success will be instant. Not
to do so will make those responsible and as much answerable to the people
as the ruling prophets of disaster and doom, who are the beneficiaries of this
one-legged democracy.
Mariam Habib, despite the adverse circumstances, was proud of being
Pakistani. She wrote: I love being a Pakistani; it is the most exciting
existence ever! I laugh in the face of blue (yes, you read right blue), red
or even yellow (is there one???) passports, for I have my cherished green
one. Like Gollum I clasp it to my bosom, during all security checks at most
airports, when Im stripping halfway in the name of safe passage to
anywhere of any consequence, while I throw furtive glances all around,
protecting my precious from the awe it inspires in all those around; and yes
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I stick my nose up and peer benevolently at the officers who in the name of
random checks take me aside to question me some more. I see through their
facade clearly, they are enthralled by the enigma that I am someone
beyond their comprehension (doesnt say much for their comprehension, still
much must be forgiven of mere mortals) for I am a Pakistani.
Whatever others might think about my identity, I am a formidable
pathan, a noble balochi, a resilient sindhi or a valiant punjabi, but my true
essence still remains adamantly Pakistani. Despite ranking 145th on the
Human Development Index, Pakistanis rank 34th on the list of the most
charitable nations in the world and that too before all our flood relief efforts
were taken into account. So what if our government will not lift a finger
unless it is to cast aspersions at political tsunamis, I make up for all that the
marauding monchars in power lack, you know, intellect, patriotism, merit,
bachelor degrees, the works.
Despite all the hoopla of match-fixing scandals and cowardly covert
slandering of our cricket spirit, we showed the jealous goras what it means
to be the worlds best spinners and are firmly on our way to be the worlds
best cricket team (even if Im the only one saying it). Here a word of thanks
to the IPL without whose bigoted discrimination, we would never have been
spared the boredom of playing inferior cricket. You will find us speculating
on how Bilawal can be a Bhutto when his father is not, whether Nawaz got a
hair transplant or not, or whether a particular TV host is a nut or just a bigot.
All this while we try to decipher what our esteemed head of government was
saying, when he was not saying what he said he meant to say, while he said
what he did not say! Combine this with rumours of impending coups and
threats of civil disobedience and Christopher Nolan could not have given the
world a better thriller - no wonder, the Americans show such meddling
interest in our business when it is none of theirs.
You know the thing, that makes everyone so frustratingly mystified
with us, is I think our resilience, and our stubborn refusal to sink into
oblivion. I mean look at us, political turmoil, sectarian violence, crumbling
economy to no end. So, how is it that we continue to survive, considering
almost 60 percent of our population lives below the international poverty
line? There is this suspicion that it might be due to sheer force of numbers,
after all a 55 percent population growth rate in the last decade alone, is no
laughing matter. At this rate, we just might take over the entire world
literally.

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Considering how many ups and downs (rare ups and rampant downs)
weve endured, it is small wonder weve evolved into a nation where we can
endure traumatic experiences, such as horrific murders, suicide bombers and
natural disasters, with at least a semblance of equanimity if not outright
apathy. Not to say, weve lost any of our compassion, mind you, if any proof
is required, just look at us watching Humsafar and bawling our hearts out.
Just as tired as we are with the mantra of do more from our socalled allies, we are tired of explaining our position to the world. If
sacrificing our blood and our peace for their wars is not enough, I dont
know what will ever be. So, let them bring on their prejudices and their fear,
their questions and their scrutiny, their awe and their bewilderment, I will
remain most adamantly a proud Pakistani!
Next day, TheNation commented on Senate elections: The election
results have brought into focus at least two telling facts. The disunited
Muslim League failed to bag 11 seats it would have easily won had its
splintered groups heeded the call for sinking their differences and joined
hands. The second significant outcome is that the ruling alliance led by the
PPP now enjoys an unassailable position in both the Houses of Parliament.
As for the Upper House, it has secured a two-thirds majority and is able to
give an overwhelming approval to any legislation passed in the Lower
House. One would sincerely hope that it would rise above the game of party
politicking and address itself, unhampered by voices of dissent coming from
the opposition parties, to providing relief to the people. Its policies of the
past four years have had little to do with its election manifesto: roti, kapra
and makan. Rather, it could be blamed for the spiraling across-the-board
inflation that proved counterproductive to its commitments. One would
expect it to do as much as it can to undo the impact of its policies, if
anything, to raise its prospects of faring well in the coming general
elections.
In another editorial, the newspaper wrote: Waheeda Shah, a Sindh
Assembly PPP candidate from Tando Muhammad Khan, was caught by TV
cameras repeatedly slapping a woman official of the ECP and yet for the
CEC to have adopted, allegedly, an attitude that tends to favour the accused
ruling party candidate would obviously raise many an eyebrow. And
questions about his close association with the PPP would be raised, as some
reports appearing in the press have openly done. It is high time that such
cases must be tried and if the accused is found guilty severely punished
to serve as a lesson for others.

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Winning the Oscar Award was loudly applauded by certain sections of

the media and the civil society without paying any attention to the motive of
those who nominate and judge the winners. Madiha Viquar from Karachi
observed: The worlds most prestigious film award, the Oscar, was given to
Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy for her short documentary
Saving Face, which focuses on one of those issues which the West loves to
promote about Pakistan violence against women. I wonder whether Ms
Obaid-Chinoys work would have received the same international acclaim
had the documentary highlighted any positive aspect of our country?
Sami ur Rahman in concluding remarks of his column wrote: In the
flurry of mass communications onslaught, we also overlook some important
piece of information. And it happens almost every time. No one seems to
bother to acknowledge that Obaid-Chinoy also has a co-director on her
documentary: Daniel Junge. Is not it a bit unfair? The good co-director is a
US citizen and some pro-American nincompoop might even say we
cannot achieve anything of value without the USAs help, even in the
entertainment business.
I personally have no problem with the topic in so far as it is treated
with a critical, unbiased and unprejudiced mind. It just so happens, however,
that political theorists and analysts in the West invariably entwine
violence against women with the religion, Islam. Such a practice in itself
is a sorry affair and calls for correction. The shuttlecock burqa, for instance,
is notoriously depicted in the Western press, as the particular brand of
Islamic veil. Few have the realization that such a practice has more to do
with local customs and traditions than the religion itself.
Our past experience with the noble prizes is not that pleasant, too.
Look what we have done to the good physicist; Dr Abdus Salam. He was the
only Pakistani ever to receive the Nobel Prize a prize more revered and
coveted than the Oscars. We even denied him his resting place. No wonder
then. There is a great dearth of great men and women in our land of the
dispossessed.
In the final analysis, Ms Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy deserves all the
kudos, laurels and accolades, for she has bravely exposed the grim,
deformed and maligned face of our society. Her theme is a sorry one. But
thats OK. That is how we are, after all. One just hopes she serves as an
inspiration to all the daughters of the land.
Jalees Hazir was quite forthright in expressing his views hinting at
some valid reservations. He asked: Would Ms Chinoy's sponsors have
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found the cash to fund a film on women and children bombed to death
in drone attacks? What are the chances of such a film being nominated for
an Oscar? Is it just a coincidence that the one shown saving faces of victims
of acid attacks lives in the UK and the film does not highlight similar
initiatives by Pakistanis? It is not difficult to decipher inter-connected and
inter-dependent interests promoting a certain view of the world that fits into
larger political goals that are shared by them. Perhaps, the easiest thing to do
for a filmmaker, or any other creative artist for that matter, is to use her skills
to reinforce the narrative of the powerful international establishment, the
super-rich and the super-famous, those with the funds and the contacts, and
awards for those who sing their tune.
Those celebrating Pakistan's first Oscar say that one should not try to
read conspiracies into everything. For them, the Oscar Awards are about
excellence in film-making and one should not interpret them in the language
of politics. They argue that the craft of film-making is independent of the
content. They would like to ignore the power of films to shape perceptions
and the way Hollywood uses that power to control minds in America and
around the world. The Oscar establishment is an essential part of this project
of the super-rich, promoting films that strengthen the view of the world that
those wishing to control it would like all of us to have. Granted that every
award is not decided on these political motivations, but there are many
that are. Take the case of The Hurt Locker that was awarded the Oscar
Award for the best movie not long ago. It is, perhaps, the best example of
using the medium of cinema to twist reality.
This particular Oscar winner unfolds in Iraq and is the story of an
American bomb squad that goes around defusing bombs in the occupied
country. It humanizes the occupying American soldiers as regular guys
trying to do their job in a difficult environment. The local Iraqis are
constantly in their way, creating problems for them due to their stupidity.
The irony is monumental. The American soldiers are not bombing and
killing Iraqis, they are defusing bombs and actually saving them. The film
not only glorifies the occupying soldiers, it dehumanizes the local Iraqis. Is
it just a coincidence that it got the best movie award? Was it just because the
film was well-made? Is Saving Face just a well-made film that the Oscar
establishment honoured? We will find out on March 8, the International
Women's Day, when it is aired.
On 9th March, Mihannad Malick commented: Who could have
thought that a frail old man, crouched in a wheelchair would bring the
house down on the ruing generals, regretful politicians and a few
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journalists thrown in for good measure. When Yunus Habib was wheeled
into the Supreme Court on Thursday, he was expected to merely dilate upon
the Rs180 million sleaze fund created by Gen (r) Asad Durani-led ISI under
the watchful eye of his boss Gen Aslam Beg, who wants us to believe that he
was acting purely on the behest of late president Ghulam Ishaq Khan.
Having deposed, the headline-making banker of the 90s was
supposed to make a quick exit and go back to his near-invisible existence.
But clearly old habits die hard. After almost two decades, Habib had his
headline moment once again. Why talk about a mere Rs180m gravy train
when the real amount is a massive Rs1.48 billion? Habib told the court,
and the world, that almost Rs400 million were ploughed into the sordid ISIIJI affair. And that it was done through Gen Durrani and his crew, and of
course one mystery man called Advocate Yusuf.
All these years, Yusufs identity had remained an enigma, but as it
transpires the gentleman had started his career as a simple typist at the
MQM markaz and later earned his legal spurs. It was during this period
that he developed an acquaintance with Habib, which was to prove
immensely profitable in his later years. To date, we were also led to believe
that Gen Beg had contacted Yunus Habib on the orders of president Ishaq
Khan but here too an equally interesting revelation is in order.
Yunus Habib was not introduced to Gen Beg by Ishaq Khan; on the
contrary it was Gen Beg who had known Yunus Habib for years and it
was he who had taken him to Ishaq Khan. According to Yunus Habibs
recollection, he had become friends with Gen Beg when he was a brigadier
in 1978. How and why, he no longer remembers. But over the years the two
developed extremely close family terms. It was also obvious that the army
chief had more than a passing interest in the Machiavellian ploy and was
demonstrably doing a lot more that was imposed upon him by his skewed
concept of call of duty.
Clearly, the dirty plan of creating a holy political alliance was not
necessarily hatched exclusively inside the presidency. While Yunus Habib
cannot remember the exact date, he does remember that his first meeting
with president Ishaq had taken place on a balmy May evening at Islamabads
Balochistan House. Why didnt you meet him at the presidency, I asked, to
which Habib replied, I dont know. It was Gen Beg who had organized the
meeting so he would know why we met there. In all, according to him, he
met the late president three times during this conspiracy and each time in the
company of Gen Beg.
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Habib remembers telling the president in their very first meeting that
he could not take out such huge amounts from the bank in a legal manner
and that would have to maneuver things around to which the president
responded: Do it whichever way you want, but this must be done in
national interest (sic). Habib may not have taken the oath to uphold the
Constitution and the law but the two other gentlemen in that room surely
had. What a moment for the country and rule of law.
To this day, Habib appears convinced that he did it all in the
national interest but today has only these words for others, It was a
mistake, we should not have done it and hopefully no other banker ever will.
Thats why I have thrown myself at the mercy of the court.
But memories arent without bitterness either, like that of the biggest
beneficiary of this dirty game, Mian Nawaz Sharif, punishing him (Habib)
after his own falling out with his erstwhile benefactor, Gen Beg. When the
then prime minister Nawaz Sharif had a tiff with Gen Beg over their
divergent views on the Iraq war, Habib recalls, the prime minister removed
him from Habib Banks top job just to make a point with Beg.
Coming back to the present, in his affidavit before the Supreme Court,
former COAS, Gen Beg has indicated that he had been acting purely on the
orders of President Ishaq Khan and while Yunus Habibs statement does not
absolve the late president of being an integral part of a despicable
constitutional violation it also reveals that the roles played by the Begs and
Durranis of this world were way larger than what is being claimed by them.
In his latest submission before the apex court, the other key player
and former spymaster Gen (r) Durrani has described his actions as being
purely of his own accord with the ISI having nothing to do with all that had
happened. Whether the valiant soldier is offering his head to protect
the name of his former agency or this candour is being sired by
something that the agency knows and we dont, is also something we dont
know, and probably never will. But the joke isnt over yet.
While Gen Durrani insisted that he had acted in his personal
capacity, he totally forgot about the affidavit of his former boss Gen Beg
who had insisted that he (Durrani) had been following lawful orders. So if
Gen Durrani was acting on his own while heading the ISI while the ISI had
nothing to do with this entire affair, then which lawful orders had Gen Beg
been referring to, one wonders.
Every time an army dictator is eventually sent packing, we the people
are told that we must learn to differentiate between the individual and
1319

the institution. That all the wrongs he committed were his own doing and
must not be attributed to the institution. We are now hearing the same with
Gen Durrani himself saying he had acted in his personal capacity and thus
the ISI or the army must not be incriminated either in the court of public
opinion and of law. If only reality were so simple. Musharraf remained in
power that was never his, only because the army was. Similarly, Gen
Durrani was in the thick of things not because of his own personal magic but
for the majesty of his office. Whatever he did then was and could be in only
one capacity: official.
A chief of the army staff too cannot claim immunity after violating
the Constitution with criminal impunity. Generals Beg and Durrani have
confessed to their acts of violating the Constitution, their professed national
interest motive notwithstanding. It is time that legal examples are made
of those who have soiled the proud uniforms in pursuit of illegal
objectives.
The national interest will only be served if rule of law is not made
colour-blind. Its time for recrimination for individuals and reform for
the institutions. The erring generals may have paid millions to dirty
politicians but its time for them to pay for their own actions.
Tariq Butt wrote: President Asif Ali Zardaris complete confidence
in the total loyalty of Aitzaz Ahsan and Raza Rabbani is yet to be fully
reinstated otherwise the two would have been preferred for the prestigious
slots of the Senate chairman and federal law minister. The incumbent Senate
Chairman, Farooq H Naek, a committed Zardari loyalist, who retires on
March 11 after completing his first three-year term, is being touted as the
next main legal federal advisor or law minister.
Nayyar Bokharis name as his replacement is said to have been
firmed up by the president Both Aitzaz Ahsan and Rabbani know that they
are unlikely to be picked up by the president for any top position because he
could not have blind faith in their loyalty due to their independent nature. A
source close to Aitzaz Ahsan said that the eminent lawyer has no doubt
that Zardari would not prefer him for any senior government or
parliamentary position. He said in the presidents view Naek was much
more reliable and trustworthy.
However, both Aitzaz Ahsan and Rabbani have been doing their
utmost to bail out the government in one way or the other in difficult
situations. But they have been avoiding taking up unpleasant jobs even in
this pursuit President Zardari still have much more confidence in
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Babar Awan than Aitzaz Ahsan and Rabbani, and was about to re-appoint
him as law minister the day his bar licence was temporarily suspended by
the Supreme Court. But sanity prevailed as some presidential advisors
counseled him that this would amount to taunting the apex court and
ridiculing its decision.
Ansar Abbasi observed: The prime minister is playing politics with
the Supreme Court in the contempt of court case because in the
courtroom his counsel refers to the Law Ministrys advice as the reason for
not honouring the apex courts ruling but in actual practice a political
decision to this respect was taken much earlier.
Not only President Asif Ali Zardari himself recently admitted in a
Geo interview that it was the PPPs decision not to write the letter to
foreign authorities for the reopening of corruption cases but much before the
initiation of the Law Ministrys advice, key PPP and government figures,
including Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, had been clearly indicating that
it would not be done at any cost.
While Gilanis counsel is trying to shift all the blame on the
Baboos by focusing on the Law Ministrys advice given to the prime
minister in Sept 2010, the premier had told the media on December 19, 2009
(shortly after the SCs NRO verdict) that the government could not proceed
with the cases which the Government of Pakistan itself cannot initiate in the
country. On Jan 27, 2010 Prime Minister Gilani reiterated his commitment
On Feb 24, 2010, the prime minister was given a briefing on the Swiss cases
against President Zardari and was informed that these cases could not be
reopened On May 15, 2010 the prime minister told the National
Assembly On April 3, 2010, the then Law Minister Babar Awan said that
the president enjoys immunity On April 4, 2010, Babar Awan told his
parliamentary colleagues that he would prefer to go down fighting rather
than order reopening of money laundering cases against President Zardari in
Switzerland
Ansar kept quoting the defiant utterances and ended with: On Sept
28, 2010, Babar Awan publicly asked the Supreme Court to take up the 2.2
million cases pending in courts instead of focusing on the person of
President Zardari. Babar Awan, in a TV interview, said that there were about
2.2 million pending civil and criminal cases before the courts and all the
attention had been given to one case because of one person.
Major General (retd) Tahir Ali opined: For predicting the future
political landscape of Pakistan, it is imperative that we have a clear
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understanding of our national psyche developed over centuries and where

we stand today with respect to the major players who are likely to shape
Pakistans political future, at least in the near term.
To understand as to why we are what we are, we should
understand that through centuries, warriors from the North
(Afghanistan/Central Asia) invaded the fertile lands of Punjab and further
south, ruled the area by brute force and used influential locals (sell offs) for
collecting tax on their behalf, in return for some privileges and status. The
locals, instead of defending their motherland, always succumbed and a
number of young men normally joined the invading forces as low rank
soldiers to share the booty. The remaining masses in general learned to live
under subjugation, seeking survival by all means, right or wrong.
The British adopted the same strategy, ruled for a century by
using or controlling through enticements the same two segments of this
region-influential who became feudal lords and the uniformed lot. These
became distinct elite classes for serving the British and for the remaining,
subservience became the norm.
After creation of Pakistan nothing changed with the exception
that a tussle started for ascendancy between the same two elite classes,
i.e. predominantly feudal based political leadership and the uniformed
establishment, in which, barring few intermittent periods, the latter mostly
prevailed due to division amongst political leadership and their failure to
deliver whenever in power, successful conversion of Pakistan into a security
state by the establishment ensuring their relevance, indifference of the
masses and most importantly, support by the US administration who felt
comfortable to deal with one man at the top. (This has remained USAs
practice, especially in countries where strong anti-US feelings exist, little
realizing that such sentiments emanate because of this very approach).
Paradigm shift in the political landscape of Pakistan started to
manifest in the last 6-7 years with the reversal of most of the above factors.
It started with the US administrations decision to invest in the political
leadership, albeit a pliant one, rather than Musharraf, who, in their view, had
started double-dealing with them.
Benazir played a major role in bringing about this change of
thought as she, while in exile, was able to convince the US
administration that they were betting on the wrong horse. She was able to
successfully convince the Americans that she had the popularity at grass-root

1322

level, could change public opinion in USAs favour, she was capable of
controlling extremism and willing to play USAs game in the region.
Convinced, the US administration acceded and Musharraf was
accordingly convinced for her return to Pakistan. The other fundamental
change came from within, whereby, an understanding developed between
Benazir and Nawaz Sharif that they would not let themselves to be used by
the establishment against each other, rule by consensus amongst
themselves and let their children and their children reap the fruits.
Benazir was unfortunately assassinated and succeeded by her spouse,
Zardari.
With USAs support waning, Musharrafs fall was a matter of
time, bringing down with him the entire edifice of establishments
ascendancy. Zardari, being a very shrewd politician and bestowed with many
hidden qualities, both positive and negative, successfully formed the PPP led
government, he himself became the president and since then has
successfully overcome many challenges by adopting a simple strategy; for
those who matter, support me and get whatever you want and for the
Americans, support me, empower me and get results.
Today, one can safely assume that Zardari is very close to the US
administration, has out-smarted all politicians, neutralized the establishment,
diluted judiciarys power base and has been able to woo some of those,
including media-persons and journalists, who could act as spoilers in his
pursuit for maintaining ascendancy. He knows how to win-over willing and
unwilling partners and has accumulated enough resources to buy
loyalties. The only thing lacking is his ability to deliver to the masses and
ensure good governance, but then in our beloved country this has never been
the criterion. Those who do not agree may go through the results of recently
held by-elections.
Nawaz Sharif, the second major player in the political arena, simply
stating, lacks the abilities and political acumen to counter Zardari who has
already taken the former for a ride, not once but many a time. Nawaz
Sharifs anti-establishment phobia and unwillingness to forgive those
who sided with Musharraf have been successfully exploited by his main
rival. Living with self-conceived euphoria that owing to his so-called
principled politics he would clinch the top slot in the next elections, Nawaz
Sharif fails to comprehend that, as the indicators are, he is already confined
to Punjab.

1323

Thus, with the establishment cornered, judiciary gradually losing

relevance because of inability to assert in important cases, media with loopholes to be exploited, Nawaz Sharif in a state of war with everybody,
including his own self and living in illusions, as well as delusions, ANP as
willing and MQM as unwilling partners, PML-Q in the bag, Imran Khan
lacking the understanding of Pakistans real politics, un-flinging USAs
support and above all, subservient or indifferent masses, PPP is likely to
head the next coalition government also and we must learn to live with
Zardari as our president for a long haul.
Of course, under him Pakistan will neither remain a security state nor
become a welfare state but will be converted into pliant state, a status we are
doomed to be condemned being a bunch, at least a sizable majority, who stay
indifferent during elections, sell cheaply, consider corruption as a non-issue,
for whom self-elevation by all means, right or wrong, remains the norm and
who willingly allow themselves to be exploited. We deserve Zardari.
Next day, Tallat Azim wrote: I had written earlier that the letter
M seems to play a distinctly furtive role in our national lives. Consider
memogate, Mansoor Ijaz, the military, the mullah, the month of March, the
media, the minorities and now, a cherry on the M factor cake, the Mehran
Bank disbursement! Things are looking bad, as they are revealed with a lot
of black smear on the faces of all involved. What a lot of money has been
used for forging desired election results. It is not just the Chaudhrys who,
according to Mian Nawaz Sharif, should apologize to the nation for
propping up a military dictator, it is each and every one connected to
cheating the people of this country of their rights who have to ask for
forgiveness for their horrible deeds.
Despite the fact that it has been more than a decade since the
disbursement, with many of the key players no longer alive, it is a blessing
that the Mehran Bank case is now out in the open. It serves as an excellent
case study of how not to do things and should be taught as such at the
NDU and wherever else future generals, politicians and corporate executives
get educated. Something also to be learnt out of all this is that history
remembers people like General Waheed Kakar and Justice Salimuzzuman
(Saeeduzzuman) Siddiqui, who opted for doing the right thing in the wrong
circumstances, in better words than it does those who sold us the doctrine of
necessity. It is absolutely time that we stopped manipulating things to the
advantage of the pliable and manoeuvrable. It happens at all levels. Take the
press advertisements placed by the government and other organizations
wanting this or that service in all the papers as an example. They ask for
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certain spelt out services, but 99 times out of 100 the result is already prefixed and the contract awarded to person or company of choice. The shame
is that there is nothing that those deserving the contract on merit can do to
prove this
To come back to the millions spent on manoeuvring election results,
more than meting out punishments, one wishes that Pakistans money could
be re-channelized to providing better health and educational facilities to all
Pakistanis. It is a country that waits to be rescued.
Roedad Khan observed: Today, parliamentary democracy is a
reality in India. This is greatly to the credit of the Indian people as a whole,
but even greater credit is due to the Indian leadership, untainted by
corruption, that has been serving the country as a political leaven The
constitution has kept the country united, allowed its democracy to survive
and kept the armed forces at bay. In our case, the military has seized power
four times since 1947, ruling directly or indirectly for more than half the life
of the country, with disastrous consequences.
Where do we stand today? A palpable sense of melancholy pervades
Pakistan. Tragedy aplenty: no cash; no gas; no electricity; no hope; and
Zardari. How could anyone be hopeful in the face of such a litany of misery?
63 years after independence, this is what we get: a spurious democracy
brokered in Washington, an accidental president facing corruption charges,
a rubber stamp parliament, a figurehead prime minister defending
corruption, Potemkin villages dotted all over the country, the nations army
at war with its own people; flagrant violation of our air space and national
sovereignty by US aircraft, resulting in the killing of innocent men, women
and children.
There is no protest by our democratic government, no expression of
remorse by our coalition partner in the so-called war on terror, no regret. The
state of the federation is chilling. The country is spiraling downward into
anarchy. The rupee is in a death spiral. We are a breath away from ground
zero. Pakistan faces an existential challenge. It is a case of failed leadership,
not failed state...
The most important three words in the American Constitution are:
We The People. In this country the people do not matter. No wonder,
today we have a government that is not a government of the people, by the
people, for the people. We are suffering criminal syndicates, an organized
crime ring. If you want to know how a cabal is plundering this poor country,
visit the Supreme Court and watch the proceedings. An impoverished
1325

population, downtrodden by years of corrupt rule is trying to understand

whether the countrys transition from dictatorship to democracy is real. Like
the Biblical Thomas, they seem to want more proof.
The engine of history is moving Pakistan backwards. Our fledging
democracy may, after all, turn out to have been a historical accident and a
parenthesis that is closing before our eyes. Perhaps no form of government,
said the historian and diplomat Lord Bryce, needs great leaders so much as
democracy. Isnt it a great tragedy that at a time when statesmanship of a
very high order is the need of the hour, the fate of 180 million Pakistanis is
in the hands of Mr Zardari and hordes of weak-kneed triflers, mountebanks
and charlatans begrimed with corruption?
No government which is authoritarian in principle and corrupt
in practice and is built on falsehood can hope, particularly in the
atmosphere of foreign military intrusions, to retain the allegiance of those
who do not share in the benefits of its corruption. The good news is that
the people are thoroughly fed up with the current crop of politicians. That
means there is a chance that the younger lot could come in to fill the
vacuum. The two larger parties have already been drained of political capital
by years of self-interest, corruption and poor governance and are fast
becoming irrelevant.
Ordinary Pakistanis are sick and tired of the corrupt power games
being played in Pakistan today. While there is no sign yet of a spring tide,
millions of tiny waves are lapping the shores of despair. Our only chance is
to revolt against these practitioners of grand larceny who are looting and
plundering this poor country with impunity.
The News commented: The prime minister has appeared before the
Supreme Court twice, his counsel Aitzaz Ahsan has made several attempts to
defend him, and the court has read out its orders: write the letter to the Swiss
authorities to reopen cases against President Asif Ali Zardari without seeking
further advice. So far, Barrister Aitzaz has had two main lines of defence
for why the prime minister has not complied with the court orders in the
National Reconciliation Ordinance case: one, the PM didnt write the letter
because the president has immunity; and two, the PM did not comply with
orders because he had received at least two summaries advising him not to
do so. According to the two summaries recorded in court as evidence on
last Wednesday by Nargis Sethi The summaries also categorically said
that the court orders were not implementable. According to Barrister Aitzaz,

1326

then, the PM was only acting on advice received and following rules of
business.
With its latest orders, the SC has left no room for prevarication
or interpretation: if the PM had previously avoided writing the letter
because he received contrary advice, the court has now ruled that he must
write the letter without seeking or obeying any other advice but the courts.
The onus is now on the government to avoid a possible clash. If one were to
believe the government, parliament is being relentlessly and systematically
relegated to the margins by the courts. But lets not forget that parliament
itself never supported the NRO and so, the court can only be commended for
trying to bury an ill-conceived ordinance that a majority of parliamentarians
have themselves deemed contrary to Project Democracy. Current complaints
of judicial overreach are thus wide off the mark. Many see Pakistan as
slowly moving, over time, from being a country in which the law has been a
tool of consolidation in the hands of those in power, to becoming a country
where everyone, including the chief executive and other power players, is
equal before the law. The SC has adjourned the contempt hearing until
March 21 when the prime minister is expected to inform the court that he
has written the letter. We hope against hope perhaps - that the PM will give
us some good news on that day.
In another editorial the newspaper wrote: In his statement before the
Supreme Court on Thursday, former Mehran Bank president Younis Habib
revealed it all: he was forced by former president late Ghulam Ishaq Khan
and former army chief Aslam Beg to arrange hundreds of millions of rupees
in the supreme national interest The story of a cell set up at the
presidency, of the involvement of many military officers and of a chain of
unfortunate events has now been told. The court wishes to know more and
has asked the attorney general to produce classified documents pertaining to
the affair. The AG said he would seek the governments permission to do so.
The documents could reveal even more about the sordid affair. But at a
broader level, still more significant is all that it tells us about the way
our state is run and crucial matters decided. The hearings by the SC are
beginning to turn conjecture into concrete. Till now, beyond whispers, little
has been said in public about the ISI role in politics. The wraps have
suddenly been thrown off and many of our worst suspicions confirmed.
Democracy needs transparency and openness. Our state needs to be relieved
of the burden of so many secrets and dubious deeds. The SC verdict in this
matter may just help make this possible.

1327

On 11th March, Jalees Hazir commented: Last week, the Supreme

Court of Pakistan released its order detailing the reasons for rejecting the
appeal of Prime Minister Gilani against his indictment on contempt charges.
Authored by Justice Jawwad S Khawaja, the order by the eight-member
bench puts in perspective the spurious debate around the issue kicked up by
the one-eyed champions of democracy. These half-baked democrats with a
thick icing of insincerity are quick to scream about the judiciaryexecutive tussle, supremacy of Parliament, judicial over-reach and
derailment of democracy whenever an attempt is made by the apex court to
hold the erring government accountable for its unconstitutional acts. They
would have us believe that democracy has nothing to do with the rule of law
and our elected representatives have the privilege to flout the Constitution;
disobeying court orders with pride, slapping Election Commission officers
and breaking the legs of school teachers who do not submit to their abovethe-law status.
Elaborating upon the constitutional imperative, the order states: He
(the Prime Minister) has, in his grounds of appeal, asked the court to show
greater restraint and forbearance with respect to a duly elected Prime
Minister...when the very stability of the democratic system obtained by the
people of Pakistan after so much sacrifice, may depend on the outcome of
this case. This averment, coming as it is from the Chief Executive of the
country appears to be based, firstly, on a claim to some special privilege that
accords the appellant preferential treatment by sheltering him from receiving
equal treatment in accordance with the law and the Constitution, and thereby
allowing him to disregard the orders of the court because of his office. And,
secondly, it calls upon the court to formulate its opinion, not in
accordance with the mandate of law as applicable on the facts of this
appeal, but in fear and anticipation of a possible outcome that may flow
out of a decision, which may be arrived at by the learned trial bench on the
basis of the law and the Constitution. In other words, the appellant is urging
this court to resurrect and adopt a form of the doctrine of necessity, which in
the past had blighted constitutional rule in Pakistan.
The reasoning of the Prime Minister, echoed by the army of loyal
yes-men and yes-women populating his party, as well as various one-eyed
commentators infesting the media, exposes a lack of basic understanding of
democratic principles. For the 'all-supreme' cause of not rocking the ratinfested boat of our elected government, they would like the Supreme Court
not to do its constitutional duty of deciding the case according to the law and
Constitution. The reasoning is simple: If the Prime Minister violates the
1328

Constitution, the Supreme Court should violate it as well in order to

save his skin and, hence, the system. These one-eyed champions would
like to put the entire burden of 'saving' our oh-so-fragile democracy on the
shoulders of the honourable judges, while giving a carte-blanche to the socalled democratic government. Shouldn't they be advising the Prime
Minister to save the system by not flouting the Constitution?
As noted in the detailed order: If the appellant apprehends instability
as a consequence of this case, such apprehension can easily be allayed by
ensuring that the Constitution is adhered to... The appellant may also draw
comfort from the fact that institutions and systems provided in the
Constitution ensure political stability. What happens to an individual can
be of little consequence as long as State institutions continue functioning
in accordance with the Constitution.
And this is the distinction that all the well-wishers of democracy
must learn to make. Somehow, the entire discourse on democracy in
Pakistan has been turned topsy-turvy by insincere opportunists and
ignorant commentators, who have created the impression that democracy
is another name for the government of the day and individuals running it. In
their tainted eagerness to save democracy, they are ready to condone any act
of the incumbents, no matter how unconstitutional, criminal or
undemocratic. And any effort to confine these powerful individuals to their
constitutional role and to hold them accountable is viewed as an attack on
the democratic system itself. The PPP-government has actively promoted
this view of democracy by constantly harping on conspiracies against
democracy and vowing to complete its tenure, as if the survival of
democracy depended on it.
Rather than giving any special licence to those in power to violate the
Constitution as demanded by the Prime Minister in his appeal, the Supreme
Court order points out that the onus of responsibility to uphold the
Constitution is greater on holders of high constitutional offices and
more stringent legal standards are applicable to them as compared to
ordinary citizens. In fact, the government must set an example of promoting
the rule of law, rather than hiding behind high offices to trample upon the
Constitution. The order provides a valuable insight that should bring an end
to numerous misguided debates regarding the role of judiciary and its
relationship with the executive: We may at this point add that there is no
conflict in the respective roles assigned to the executive and the judicature,
and nor is there any room for institutional or individual egos to create one.

1329

All that is required is the humility to recognize that these institutions and
their functionaries are in the service of a common master, the people.
It further states: It is thus clear that our constitutional order is
founded on the fundamental instruction that each organ must give effect to
and act in accordance with the Constitution. Insofar as an act of any one of
the organs of the state travels beyond the limits laid down in the
Constitution, the said organ can be said to have strayed from representing
the will of the people of Pakistan. Conversely, in so far as all organs of the
state remain within the limits prescribed by the Constitution, they have a
legitimate claim to being enforcers and exponents of the will of the people.
Our Constitution conceives of an order wherein the various organs of state
are co-equals, each manifesting the will of the people and giving effect to
such through adjudication, executive action or legislation. It is important
that the primacy of the Constitution over the government as also over
the judicature be fully understood.
On 13th March, Dr Haider Mehdi observed: The decades-old and
presently continuing dis-equilibrium in the political system has had
staggering consequences for all major national institutions. The
incumbent political leadership has ridiculed the judiciary; it has failed in
carrying out 39 judicial decisions of the Supreme Court; it has been
attempting to unduly undermine the military establishment; and its foreign
patronage (especially US-Western Europe) has resulted in making foreign
policy compromises that have directly damaged Pakistans vital national
interests. The country has already suffered irrevocable harm to national
security, loss of sovereignty, deteriorating law and order situation and
turning the country into killing fields because of its alliance with the USNATO in the so-called war on terrorism.
The question is: How long can the nation tolerate this skillfullyorchestrated and deliberately organized dis-equilibrium in Pakistans
political structure? The fact of the matter is that no heavenly help from the
skies will change the fate of a nation. It is always the people themselves who
rise in unison and force a change in their national destiny. And that is
precisely what todays Pakistan needs a peoples revolutionary movement
to control their own future and destination as a nation.
Contemporary dis-equilibrium in Pakistans political system is
an enemy of every Pakistani. The common citizens feel they are under
siege; they have a shared feeling of doubt, fear and insecurity, and they have
a common stake in the future. Consequently, people will have a common and
1330

natural reaction to the oppression of dis-equilibrium of their times and they

will seek protection and reassurance in a sense of belonging a peoples
revolutionary movement. That is Pakistans destiny now to go forward or
plunge into the abyss.
One day soon, the Supreme Court, in order to facilitate the end
of political dis-equilibrium in Pakistan, might have to play its
constitutional role and the military establishment might have to come to
the rescue of peoples national predicaments at the call of the Supreme
Court. Indeed, within any important issue, there are always aspects that no
one wishes to discuss.
On 15th March, Azam Khalil opined: Coming back to mehrangate,
one would like to give some marks to the veteran politician, Syeda Abida
Hussain, who had the guts to admit that she received Rs1 million that she
returned later. Her statement also proves that the money was distributed, and
that no denial or side-tracking of the issue will convince Pakistanis to
believe that those who have been named in this gory affair were innocent. It
is now up to the government to formulate laws that would not permit any
such activity in the future, and that no officeholder, however highly placed,
could issue instructions that may lead to the subversion of democracy.
Nevertheless, we as a nation are quite confident that after having created a
consensus that resulted in the enactment of the 18th, 19th and 20th
Constitutional Amendment, the framing of laws that would act as a strong
deterrent against any such activity should be well within the reach of the
government.
As far as interference in domestic political affairs is concerned, the
government can enact laws that will not only discourage, but also streamline
the working of the intelligence agencies ensuring that they concentrate on
their primary job of safeguarding Pakistans territorial integrity. The army
should have no objection, if such rules are framed that will not only guide
them, but also create conditions where Parliament has the authority to
oversee their activities, including the ISI. These measures would help to
create conducive conditions where the civilian and army leaderships
remain on the same page as far as critical matters related with the state's
national interest are concerned.
The army would not like to interfere in a democratic setup and, at the
same time, the politicians should avoid hobnobbing with the generals so
that there is no mishap in future and the country can progress and
prosper. Whatever is the outcome of the Mehran Bank case in the Supreme
1331

Court, but one thing is certain: It will become extremely difficult, if not
impossible, for any general or politician to create another unholy alliance in
the future to challenge the established democratic norms in Pakistan.

REVIEW
With due respect for the honourable judges, it can be said that only a
fool would buy the line of defence taken by Aitzaz Ahsan that his client as
Prime Minister had acted upon the advice of his subordinates put up before
him in the form of a summary. According to the argument of the learned
counsel that summary or advice was binding on the prime minister.
All over the world the summaries are meant only to facilitate
decision-making and under no circumstances these intend dictating or
imposing decision upon the superior in whom the decision-making authority
is vested. Once decision is taken, irrespective of the quality of advice
rendered, the decision-maker is solely responsible for the consequences.
It is also known to all Pakistanis that decision of not writing a letter to
Swiss authorities, in defiance of court orders, was not based on any
summary, but it was taken by the selected members of PPPs core
committee in a meeting held in the Presidency chaired by the Scoundrel and
of course the Saint was sitting besides him. It is a case of well-deliberated
defiance (contempt) of the court orders.
Aitzaz had himself said quite a few times that the government must
write letter as ordered by the Supreme Court. He now has no shame
defending a clear case of defiance of court orders. This shamelessness is
equaled only by his denial that the Senate seat was not part of the package of
his fee as defence counsel of the Saint.
Aitzaz Ahsan as a practicing lawyer accomplished yet another feat
when he coaxed Zardari regimes favourite bureaucrat, Nargis Sethi to issue
character certificate for Gilani. It was just like a head clerk verifying
character of his boss. It is just matter of exercising the freedom of choice
that one person would be ashamed of this while the other would feel proud
of it.
Not to be forgotten that in the process he has knocked out a
professional rival whom he had proposed as a witness in the contempt case.
Babar Awan, who himself was facing similar charge against him in the Apex
Court was constrained not to oblige and thus lost the favours of the Saint and
the Scoundrel.
1332

Irrespective of the strength of the argument of the defence, or lack of

it, Aitzaz has bought few more days for his client. It is the days which
constitute weeks and months; and months make the years. Some observers
feel the court has once again exercised restraint and many of them refuse to
believe that it would be the last chance for Gilani and that has been evident
from his even more defiant stance since then.
In this exercise to administer justice at highest level, the highest court
in country has set an example of justice delayed is justice denied. And, in
the backdrop of this mocked accountability the Saint and the Scoundrel
applied their political acumen to strengthen their position in the Upper
House. As always, money remained the major driving democratic force
behind Senate elections
Soon after this victory the Saint went to his home town and with
confidence oozing out of his mouth like saliva, he disdainfully rejected
Nawaz Sharifs proposal about creation of new administrative units. He
was determined to make the future of next generation of Gilanis secure by
carving an independent Seraiki province.
Meanwhile, Waheeda Shah of PPP faltered while aping her party boss
during by-polls of Sindh Assembly. She slapped a presiding officer at a
polling station and was caught doing that by TV cameras. Thereafter, she
tried every trick to wriggle out of the clutches of law but could not do so.
She first arranged a press conference wherein a fake presiding officer
pardoned her. There was no need for that because rabbits always pardon the
hounds, but the hounds seldom do. Then she and her party tried to influence
the ECP, but to her misfortune there were only two Sindhi members out of
five in the commission. She could also not muster sympathies being a
widow, unlike her party boss who flourished after being a widow.
This woman by default has conveyed a message to the judges of the
Supreme Court. The Election Commission of Pakistan punished her for
slapping a lady presiding officer within 17 days, but a man who has been
slapping 17 judges of the Apex Court for more than two years still remains
at large. Is it a case of gender or provincial discrimination?
Having used authority and the cash to get desired results in Senate
polls, Zardari and his coalition partners and aides shifted the focus onto the
resumed hearing of the petition of Air Marshal Asghar Khan which too
primarily relates to misuse of authority and money about two decades ago.
The government had been urging the Supreme Court to take on the longpending petition.
1333

The timing of the resumption of hearing of the petition suited superbly

to draw attention away from proceedings Abbottabad Commission,
Memogate Commission and contempt of court case against Gilani. It is this
sense of timing that makes the Jiyalas proud while chanting: Eik Zardari
sab peh bhari.
16th March, 2012

TENSION: IN AND AROUND

The bloodshed caused by the ongoing war in Pakistan has been
overshadowed by the proceedings of courts and commissions. This has
allowed the regime to impose ban on more religious groups, or in other
words declaring them terror outfits. This opportunistic act would result in
heightening of the tensions inside Pakistan Army.

1334

Towards the end of the period under review the civil and military leaders sat
together and decided to reopen land routes for the NATO forces occupying
Afghanistan and also welcome the senior US military commanders as and
when they wish to come to Islamabad and Rawalpindi. This decision came at
a time when Afghans were fuming in anger over the occupation forces.
The infuriating factor has been the commission of war crimes by the
occupation forces in quick succession; first they desecrated the Holy Quraan
in Bagram and then in Kandahar an American soldier walked into houses of
a village at night and killed men women and children as if he was playing
video games in which combatants of Delta Force and Navy Seals; he
perhaps could not find the real enemy or was shy of facing him.
Tensions and suspicions were so high that when Panetta arrived in
Afghanistan to meet US soldiers, they were asked to deposit their weapons
before meeting him. The tensions were not confined to Afghanistan, Iran
was also being pressed hard and Obama warned that window of diplomacy
was about to close.

NEWS
In Pakistan, at least two suspected militants were killed and another
got injured when they exchanged fire with police during an encounter in
Peshawar on 4th March. The residence of Dr Shakeel Afridi, who was
arrested over treason charges, has been sealed due to law and order
concerns. Non-payment of utility bills have also forced cutting of
connections of his residence. A local leader of TTP was held by security
troops from Bara Kahu, suburb area of the capital on a tip-off.
Next day, at least four militants were killed and three injured in an
armed clash between two banned organizations here in Bara. Cameron
Munter returned to Pakistan with a set of fresh guidelines on US-Pakistan
relations from his seniors in the State Department where he remained
hectically engaged for almost three weeks. Ambassador Munter after arrival
briefed his embassy colleagues; reportedly, the focus will be on
unconditional resumption of NATO supplies.
Foreign Minister Hina declared that Pakistan would not tolerate any
army intervention in the region as it would impact the territory negatively.
Answering a question, she said: Creating problems for the NATO forces is
not in Pakistans interest but a strong reaction on Salala attack was also
imperative because countrys interest is supreme.
1335

On 6th March, General James Mattis, commander of US Central

Command, said he would travel to Pakistan in about 10 days to talk with
leaders about reopening ground supply routes that have been closed since
late November. He told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the US
needs those supply routes to facilitate the withdrawal of US troops from
Afghanistan.
The Upper House of the Parliament of Pakistan through a unanimous
resolution condemned in strongest terms the outrageous act of burning of the
Holy Quran by the NATO forces in Afghanistan and called upon the UN and
the international community to take effective action against those
responsible for this heinous and blasphemous act.
Next day, at least 18 militants were killed in Upper Orakzai Agency. A
remote controlled bomb blast killed a minor and injured three in Peshawar.
According to police, the terrorists wanted to target a school van. TTP
released fresh video of the abducted Vice Chancellor of University of
Peshawar Dr Ajmal Khan in which he appealed for his recovery from
Taliban. He requested the government of Pakistan to do something for him.
Abbottabad Commission recorded the statement of Rehman Malik.
The Senate passed unanimous resolution demanding the federal and
the provincial governments to take effective steps immediately to ensure the
speedy recovery of missing persons. Senator Prof. Khursheed Ahmad moved
the resolution and expressed deep concern over the issue of missing person
picked up by the security agencies that is the persistent violation of Articles
9 and 10 of the Constitution.
On 8th March, Minister for Interior said Osama bin Ladens three
widows had been charged with illegally entering and living in Pakistan. Bin
Ladens three wives and an undisclosed number of children were among the
16 people detained by the Pakistani authorities after the US Seals raid on
the Abbottabad compound on May 2.
Two of the wives are Saudi nationals, and one is from Yemen,
according to the Foreign Ministry. Rehman Malik did not specify which
court was dealing with the case, or where the women were being held. They
will have to stand trial, but it was not clear what punishment they faced if
convicted. (Trial is a pretext to keep them under detention and prevent
public contact).
According to Brig Shaukat Qadirs report, still officially
unpublished tantalizing possibilities regarding Osamas final circumstances
have surfaced, including rumours of poisonous mistrust existing between bin
1336

Ladens wives, claimed the New York Times. Tensions in the cramped
Abbottabad compound that served as Osamas final hideout erupted between
bin Ladens fifth and youngest wife, Amal Ahmed al-Sadah Sadah
(described as the younger favoured wife), and Khairiah Saber, an older
woman who occupied a separate floor. During interrogation, Sadah accused
her rival of having betrayed their husband to American intelligence.
Osamas youngest wife also told interrogators that her husband shaved
his beard and disguised himself as an ailing Pashtun elder as he leapfrogged
between safe houses across northwestern Pakistan, eventually re-growing the
beard after finally settling in the Abbottabad house in 2005.
Pakistani Taliban commanders are locked in talks trying to heal a
damaging rift that has inflamed tensions over whether to pursue peace
efforts with the government. Mulla Omar, the Afghan Taliban supreme
leader, reportedly asked TTP commanders to stop attacks as his movement
explores confidence-building talks with the Americans at the start of a
nascent peace process in Afghanistan.
The only TTP commander who refused to comply was Hakimullah
Mahsud, putting him at odds with his arch-rival, the older and more
measured Waliur Rehman, sources say. Differences appeared to bubble over
Sunday with the sacking of Hakimullah Mahsuds deputy, Maulvi Faqir
Mohammad, who is considered close to Waliur Rehman, at a TTP meeting.
The TTP leadership has held several meetings with representatives
from the Afghan Taliban and Afghanistans militant Haqqani network to try
to unite, but commanders are constantly on the move, worried about US
drone missiles. Several rounds of talks have taken place but commanders
cant sit together in one place for long as they fear drone strikes, another
source told AFP. Experts are divided over the significance of Faqir
Mohammads sacking with the government and former officials convinced
that the TTP is now weaker than ever, hit hard by the US drone strikes and
by Pakistani military offensives.
A division bench of the Lahore High Court (Rawalpindi Bench)
dismissed the intra-court appeals (ICA) of four appellants, who were
convicted in general headquarters (GHQ) attacking case, for obtaining the
trial court proceedings record. The division bench comprising Justice Kh
Imtiaz Ahmad and Justice Ch Muhammad Younis of LHCs Rawalpindi
bench dismissed the ICA after a representative from the judge advocate
general (JAG) branch told the court that under the army act, Chief of Army

1337

Staff could decline the request of some one to provide him with the trial
proceedings.
Next day, seven Pakistan Army soldiers were killed in a clash with the
local Taliban militants in the Doga Madakhel area in the North Waziristan
tribal region. Doga Madakhel is around 40 kilometres west of Miramshah.
Some villagers said the soldiers launched a search operation in the village
that infuriated the local people. They said the militants were not happy with
the troops for entering the village without bringing it to their knowledge.
They said subsequently, militants and security forces became involved in a
clash. Militants also burnt a double cabin pickup truck of the soldiers.
It is the first incident of its kind in North Waziristan after a long time
in the aftermath of the peace accord between the local Taliban and the
government. The North Waziristan Taliban, led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur,
expressed deep shock over the death of seven Pakistan Army soldiers and
said they would follow their peace accord with the government at all costs.
They said the clash occurred due to a misunderstanding between the soldiers
and local militants.
The chief of the pro-government Ferozkhel Amn Lashkar and
recipient of the presidential award, Malik Waris Khan, was shot dead by a
militant in the Jalaka Mela Ferozkhel located north of Kalaya, the
headquarters of the Orakzai Agency. Malik Waris Khan was leading the
peace lashkar in Ferozkhel and Jalaka Mela and was successful in checking
the infiltration of the insurgents after the security forces completed the
military action against the TTP-led militants in lower Orakzai Agency.
The TTP claimed that the head of rival militant group, Lashkar-eIslam (LI), Mangal Bagh had died from injuries sustained last Friday in the
suicide bombing in Khyber Agencys Tirah Valley, while the LI promptly
denied the claim and maintained that Mangal Bagh was alive.
Lieutenant General Zaheer-ul Islam, Commander 5 Corps, was
appointed the new DG ISI to succeed Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha, who will
retire on March 18. His appointment marks a clear shift in the thinking of
the military and civilian leadership in the sense that he has no connections,
whatsoever, with the Americans unlike Pasha who had a large circle of
American friends and those regarded as Americanized. Zaheer has a crystalclear career with no American connections or background, said one of his
friends.
Gen Zaheer-ul Islams appointment is critical from three aspects: the
expected thaw in Pak-US relations and the Afghan situation; Pakistan
1338

entering into election year with a lot of polarization; and deep-seated tension
between the civil and military leadership. In Lt Gen Zaheers appointment as
DG ISI, Army chief General Kayani got his trusted person to head the elite
intelligence organization, though Lt Gen Pasha too enjoyed his full
confidence and often used to talk to the Americans on behalf of the army
chief, and served as a kind of interlocutor during a period of tense militaryto-military relations between Pakistan and the United States.
In a brief chat with The News soon after his appointment, the new DG
ISI said: I need the prayers and good wishes of friends and brothers. God
willing we will surmount the difficulties coming our way. The general will
come to the federal capital next Saturday to assume the new assignment.
Twelve people, suspected to be militants, were killed in a US drone
attack on their alleged hideout in the Mand Kandao village in Janata area of
Srarogha Tehsil in South Waziristan Agency. There were, however,
conflicting reports about the target of the attack. However, the tribal sources
said the drone attacked a house where militants affiliated with the TTP led
by Hakimullah Mahsud were having their sanctuaries. Most of those killed
are believed to be the local Mahsud and foreign militants.
On 10th March, security forces, backed by gunship helicopters and
fighter jets, pounded militants hideouts in Khyber Agency killing at least 39
terrorists and injuring 15 others while four troops including an officer also
embraced martyrdom; seven troops also suffered bullet wounds. Forces
targeted several hideouts in Bara, Mamozai and Khadezi areas.
In another incident, militants attacked convoy of security forces and
targeted an armoured personnel career in Orakzai Agency, however, security
forces repulsed the attack and 10 militants were killed in exchange of fire as
the forces retaliated. TTP said that not a single militant was killed in these
attacks. Instead, he added, TTP fighters inflicted heavy losses to security
forces and 10 security personnel were killed.
The interior ministry added the name of the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat
(ASWJ) in its list of banned organizations for its suspected involvement in
terrorism activities and sectarian violence. The organization was previously
operating as Sipaha-e-Sihaba Pakistan (SSP) that was banned by Musharraf.
Though no official word came from the interior ministry on the issue,
however, sources unofficially confirmed a BBC report that ASWJ and three
other groups Shia TalbaTanzeem, Peoples Amman Committee and TNA
Gilgit had been banned.

1339

Next day, at least 15 people were killed and 35 others injured when a
suicide bomber exploded himself at a funeral in Badhaber, Peshawar. The
deputy speaker of KPK Assembly, Khushdil Khan, was also present in the
funeral procession but he remained unhurt in the incident. However, his
cousin was killed in the attack. Spokesman for TTP, Darra Adam Khel
Chapter, claimed responsibility and informed media persons that the target
of the suicide blast was Khushdil Khan.
Gilani said that he was having a very cordial relationship with the
Army. Such is the level of our closeness that no air can pass between me
and the military, the premier said while replying to a question about his
working relationship with the Army establishment in the wake of recent ups
and downs after surfacing of the memo scandal and other issues.
Lawyers for the family of a man killed in a US drone attack in
Pakistan said they would begin legal action against Britains Foreign
Secretary William Hague, accusing him of complicity in strikes they say
broke international laws. London law firm Leigh Day & Co said it had
credible, unchallenged evidence that Hague oversaw a policy of passing
British intelligence to US forces planning attacks against militants in
Pakistan. It plans to issue formal proceedings against Hague at the High
Court in London on behalf of Noor Khan, whose father was killed in a drone
attack last year. Malik Daud Khan was part of a local jirga, holding a
meeting in the tribal areas of Pakistan when a missile fired from the drone
hit the group, the law firm said.
On 12th March, at least two persons were killed and 17 injured when
militants targeted a passenger bus with bomb in Kurram Agency near Sadda.
Security forces shelled militants hideouts using heavy guns in different
areas of Upper Orakzai and killed eight militants and destroyed their
hideouts.
Lt-Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha may head the Strategic Planning Division
(SPD), the top tactical body that oversees Pakistans nuclear programme,
after his retirement on March 18. More reshuffling in Armys top hierarchy
is expected as six three-star generals will retire this year.
Haqqani submitted his reply to the commission through his counsel
Sajid Tanoli, while accepting contacts with Mansoor Ijaz, former envoy once
again denied the content of the memorandum which had sought US
intervention to avert any perceived military coup after the May 2 incident.
He further said he had not been provided access to the actual records of the
evidence Ijaz presented before the commission during his testimony through
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video conference from London. He has also submitted his phone bills dated
from May to November 2011 before the commission.
Next day, US drones killed at least 15 people in two attacks in
different areas of South Waziristan. Security and intelligence officials said
that suspected militants including two senior commanders of Pakistani
Taliban were killed in attacks. The second strike was carried out at the same
time when Defence Minister was speaking about how the use of drone was
harmful during war on terror.
The counsel for Haqqani, Zahid Bukhari said that the memogate was a
plot hatched to destabilize the government. He said that the memo issue was
highlighted with an aim to halt the Senate election. He said: the truth will
be unveiled when Mansoor Ijaz will be questioned by me.
Hillary Clinton said Pakistan is vital to Americas counter-terrorism
efforts, economic stability and regional cooperation goals for the region.
There are multiple overlapping worlds in Pakistan and we have to deal with
all of them simultaneously, Clinton said in her address to the Global Chiefs
of Mission Conference.
On 14th March, Senator Raza Rabbani said that drone attacks are not
being carried out with the consultation of government. He blamed Musharraf
government for drone attacks. Unknown armed men opened fire at a police
check post in Mattani area of Peshawar late last night injuring three
policemen. The attackers managed to flee after retaliation from the cops. At
least four people were killed and 3 wounded in a remote control bomb blast
at Gudgay area of Bajaur Agency. Security officials said that a vehicle was
targeted by terrorist.
An unknown caller allegedly threatened to abduct and kill the
daughter of Mansoor Ijaz. The threat was given to Ijazs son in text message
which states that Ijazs eldest daughter living in Canada would be abducted
and killed. New York, Canadian and London police have started
investigations regarding the text message.
The top political and military leadership approved recommendations
presented by the Parliamentary Committee on National Security on new
rules of engagement with the US, NATO and ISAF. These recommendations
will be tabled in the joint session of the Parliament for approval at an
appropriate time.
The matter was taken up by the troika including the President Zardari,
Prime Minister Gilani and General Kayani and later also discussed
1341

threadbare at another meeting with the heads of the allied parties of the
ruling PPP. Those attended the meeting included Prime Minister Gilani,
Pervaiz Elahi, Senator Mushahid Hussain, Asfandyar, Farooq Sattar, Senator
Israrullah Zehri, Munir Khan Orakzai, Shaukatullah, Abdul Hafeez Sheikh,
Hina Rabbani Khar, outgoing Chief of Air Staff, Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha,
Foreign Secretary and former secretary Salman Bashir.
The military and the political leadership declared that the national
interests would not be compromised at any cost. The meeting decided that
the Parliament would hold the right to amend recommendations on the
NATO supplies and other issues. Prime minister will take the leadership of
all the political parties, including the PML-N, into confidence before
presenting the recommendations of the committee in the Parliament for a
final decision so that the policy had the backing of the people of Pakistan.
Reportedly, although the government spokesmen told the media that
the meeting reiterated the governments earlier stance that the Parliament
would take decision on the NATO supplies and relationship with the US, the
leaders agreed to restore land route and revive normal ties with the US. The
meeting also decided to receive the top US visitors whenever they want to
visit Pakistan and they agreed with the proposed visit of the US Centcom
chief General Mattis, who is likely to visit later this month.
The legislators in the National Assembly unanimously adopted a
resolution on the missing persons issue and authorized the speaker to
constitute a committee to monitor the progress made in these cases. Nisar
Ali Khan congratulated the lawmakers for the unanimous passage of the
resolution but said the house could have taken the position soon after taking
the oath.
But he blasted Interior Minister Rehman Malik when he claimed that
the number of missing persons was 6,000 when the PPP came into power
and the government had formed two inquiry commissions to probe into the
matter. Nisar urged the chair to protect the resolution from the interior
minister. He said Malik had done nothing but playing with numbers.
Next day, Swiss couple, who was kidnapped from Balochistan, was
recovered from Miran Shah. Pakistani Taliban had claimed responsibility for
kidnapping on July 1, 2011 from the Loralai district. A suicide bomber blew
himself up near vehicle of SP Rural Kalam Khan while he was on his way to
office in Peshawar; his security guard and driver were injured.
Aamir Malik, the abducted civilian son-in-law of former CJCSC
General (r) Tariq Majid, returned home safely after his family paid Rs 300
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million to the abductors from North Waziristan. He was kidnapped for

ransom by armed men from his Faisal Town Lahore residence. According to
the security sources, the kidnapped man was shifted to the militants
hideouts in South Waziristan from where he was transported to North
Waziristan.
As the judicial commission probing the memogate scandal resumed
hearing, it directed Haqqanis lawyer to complete cross-questioning Ijaz by
Sunday so the commission could finalize its findings in time. Zahid Bokhari
asked Mansoor Ijaz to reveal the names of intelligence agencies whose
chiefs had told him (Mansoor) that Pakistan Army was mulling a coup. The
question is not related to the case, therefore, I am sorry I wont answer it,
Mansoor replied. However, he said he has been in touch with intelligence
agencies of 29 countries but insisted he cannot disclose their names.
Zahid Bokhari said that the US businessman was always against
Pakistans nuclear capabilities. Ijaz replied that he was against proliferation
and not the nuclear programme. He said that though he had written an article
alleging Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan of stealing nuclear secrets, he was not
inherently against Pakistans nuclear programme.
As the cross-examination was continuing, Husain Haqqani also
arrived at the Pakistani High Commission in London and appeared before
the memo commission via video link. Haqqani has so far submitted his
telephone records for the months of May, September, October and
November 2011, but said he cannot locate his Blackberry handsets and
therefore cannot provide them to the commission. Haqqani said that despite
his earnest and sincere efforts, he had failed to locate his Blackberry
handsets.
The commission confirmed the validity of phone bills provided by
Ijaz and also opened a sealed envelope of the draft sent by the US
businessman. Justice Qazi Faez Isa, who heads the commission, said that
this was not a draft but a part of the information. He observed that the
telephone records submitted to the commission confirmed contacts between
Ijaz and Haqqani.
The commission adjourned proceedings until Friday noon. Haqqanis
lawyer planned to impeach Mansoor Ijazs credibility, which has been
widely questioned in US and international media. Mansoors credibility has
also been hurt by his unverified claims that General Kayani and President
Zardari were in touch about the US raid in Abbottabad, something denied by
the Presidency and ISPR. New York Times also poked fun at Mansoor Ijazs
1343

fresh allegations about President Zardari having prior knowledge of the

American Special Forces raid.
In Afghanistan, private TV channels in Pakistan reported on 6th
March that a suicide bomber had attacked a convoy south of Kandahar in
which five foreign and six Afghan soldiers were killed and six civilians had
also perished. Next day, six British soldiers were killed when their armoured
vehicle was hit by an explosion in Helmand province, taking the British toll
to 404 since the 2001 US-led invasion to oust the Taliban.
On 8th March, nine Afghan policemen were killed in an insurgent
attack that was believed to have been facilitated by a fellow officer and
suspected Taliban infiltrator. The rebels broke into the police post and
opened fire on nine sleeping officers, killing all of them and the 10th person
disappeared and hes believed to have gone with the Taliban after the
killings. The Taliban claimed the attack but gave a different account.
A roadside bombing wounded seven policemen and four civilians in
the eastern city of Jalalabad. Meanwhile, five of the six soldiers killed in the
deadliest single attack on British forces in Afghanistan since 2001 were aged
21 or under. Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility for the attack, saying
they had used a land mine.
US authorities were looking into allegations that some Afghan Air
Force (AAF) officials have been using aircraft to transport narcotics and
illegal weapons across the country. The Wall Street Journal, which first
reported the allegations, said the US military was also looking into whether
the alleged transporting of illegal drugs and weapons is connected to an
April incident in which an AAF colonel killed eight US Air Force officers at
Kabul Airport.
Next day, US President Barack Obama and his Afghan counterpart
Hamid Karzai agreed in a video conference to continue a partnership tested
by violence sparked after US troops burned Qurans. The two leaders also
discussed regional security and Afghan-led reconciliation talks with the
Taliban. The US has insisted the Qurans were sent to the incinerator by
accident and that the incident was unintentional.
On 10th March, five Taliban detainees held at the US Guantanamo Bay
military prison have agreed to be transferred to Qatar, a move Afghanistan
believes will boost a nascent peace process. The transfer idea is part of US
efforts to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table to avoid prolonged

1344

instability in Afghanistan after foreign combat troops leave the country at

the end of 2014.
Next day, a US soldier of the ISAF was detained in connection with
shooting dead at least 17 Afghan civilians in the southern province of
Kandahar. The incident took place on Sunday morning when a US soldier
opened fire at four houses in Zangabad area of Panjwae district, killing the
civilians and injuring five others, said Hajji Agha Lalai, a member of
provincial council in the district. The exact number of civilian casualties was
yet to be confirmed but a delegation was sent to the area for further
investigation.
On 12th March, Afghan parliament demanded that the US soldier who
killed 16 villagers should be put on public trial in Afghanistan, as the
shooting spree sparked a new crisis in US-Afghan relations. Lawmakers
warned that Afghans have run out of patience with foreign troops. The
American had walked off his base, heavily armed and with night vision
equipment, and broke into three village homes before dawn Sunday, killing
16 people including women and children.
The strongly-worded resolution came as US officials issued an alert,
fearing reprisals after the Kandahar rampage. Meanwhile, US personnel in
Afghanistan were warned of possible reprisal attacks. Afghan officials fear
there will be violent demonstrations and have deployed extra police and
troops around Kandahar. It is the latest in a series of actions by troops that
has provoked outrage in Afghanistan, and comes just weeks after the burning
of Holy Qurans sparked riots that killed 40 people.
The Taliban, leading a 10-year insurgency against US-led foreign
troops and the government in Kabul, threatened to take revenge against
sick-minded American savages for every single person that was killed. The
US embassy urged its citizens in Afghanistan to take extra precautions,
warning against a risk of anti-American feelings and protests in coming
days especially in eastern and southern provinces.
Barack Obama telephoned Hamid Karzai to promise a speedy
investigation into the shocking killings and an American soldier is in
military detention over the shootings. On the other hand, the Pentagon
rejected calls for an American soldier arrested in the killings of 16 Afghan
civilians to be tried in public in Afghanistan. Investigations, and where
warranted, the prosecutions of US service members are governed by
agreements in place with the government of Afghanistan, Pentagon
spokesman said.
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The White House said that US strategy would not change in

Afghanistan despite the fallout from US soldiers shooting rampage. Our
strategic objectives have not changed and they will not change, White
House spokesman said, adding Washington remained committed to
disrupting, disarming and defeating al-Qaeda and training Afghans to ensure
their own security.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she was shocked and
saddened by the killings of innocent Afghan villagers by the US soldier.
This is not who we are and the United States is committed to seeing that
those who are responsible are held accountable, she told reporters on the
sidelines of talks at the United Nations about Syria. This terrible incident
does not change our steadfast dedication to protecting the Afghan people and
to doing everything we can build a strong stable Afghanistan, Clinton
added.
Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Afghanistan on an unannounced
visit. She is scheduled to meet with German troops at a base near the
northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif and she was due also to meet with
German forces in Kunduz Province but heavy snow prevented landing there.
Next day, The Afghan Taliban threatened to behead US troops in
revenge for the massacre of 16 Afghan civilians in southern Afghanistan,
killings that sparked condemnation and Afghan calls for an early US
withdrawal. Meanwhile, a US Army staff sergeant was taken into custody,
accused of walking off his base in the volatile province of Kandahar in the
middle of night and gunning down at least 16 villagers, mostly women and
children. UN Secretary-General voiced his sadness at the massacre of
civilians in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar and called for a full
investigation to establish the facts of the shocking incident.
Clinton said a critical element of Americas path forward in
Afghanistan will be the success of the Afghans in securing and leading their
country for themselves. Ryan Crocker (the US Ambassador to Afghanistan)
has brought his tremendous lifetime experience to this really difficult job at
this moment. They will need help, she said. Ive asked many of you, as a
key element of President Obamas policy, to press the governments to which
you are accredited to pledge substantial financial support to the Afghan
security forces for the period beyond 2014, Clinton told the Global Chiefs
of Mission Conference.
On 14th March, two bomb attacks killed eight civilians and an Afghan
security official as Leon Panetta was visiting troops in a military camp in the
1346

southern Afghan province. His trip comes at a fraught moment in the Afghan
war after a shooting rampage by a US soldier. A motorcycle bomb blast in
Kandahar city shortly before the Helmand attack killed at least one Afghan
security officer and wounded two others.
Four Polish troops faced a fresh trial on allegations of war crimes after
Poland's top court overturned their acquittal on charges of having killed
civilians in an Afghan village. But the court confirmed the acquittal of three
other soldiers in the case, the first ever court martial for war crimes
involving Polish troops fighting abroad.
Next day, Taliban broke off contacts over peace talks with Washington
and the Afghan president demanded US troops leave village outposts. Karzai
also called for a transition of the nations security from NATO control to the
Afghan government in 2013 rather than the previous deadline of 2014, after
a meeting with visiting Leon Panetta.
A suspected assassin drove a blazing truck on to the runway at the
main British base in Afghanistan as the US Defence Secretarys plane came
in to land. Panetta said he did not believe that the Afghan who crashed a
stolen pick-up truck near his plane was trying to attack him. The Afghan
died of extensive burns later.
US soldier accused of massacring 16 civilians has been transferred out
of the country, a Pentagon spokesman, without saying where he was taken.
The move came amid a tug-of-war over where the suspect should be tried,
with the Afghan parliament demanding a public trial before the Afghan
people and the Pentagon insisting he be prosecuted under the US military
justice system.
On 5th March, Pakistan successfully test-fired a short-range, surfaceto-surface Hatf II (Abdali) ballistic missile only a day after India had tested
Brahmos missile. Next day, seven militants were killed and nine others
wounded in a gunfight with FC men. Unidentified gunmen attacked an FC
convoy in Pat Feeder area of Dera Bugti when the caravan was returning
from a routine patrol. A bullet-riddled dead body was found in Dasht.
On 12th March, expressing commitment to resolving all outstanding
issues with Pakistan through dialogue, India said it looks forward to building
upon progress made so far while being mindful of the need for Islamabad to
take credible action against terror groups and infrastructure. Addressing the
joint sitting of Parliament on the opening day of the Budget Session,
President Pratibha Patil said the government has been pursuing a policy of

1347

promoting peace and cooperation in India's immediate neighbourhood.

Turning to Pakistan, she said, we are committed to resolving all outstanding
issues with it.
On 14th March, a Pakistani Judicial Commission including prosecution
and defence counsels of the 2008 Mumbai attacks case reached India to
collect evidences to be further used in the prosecution of seven militants on
trial in Pakistan in connection with the case. Pakistani Commission will also
participate in the proceedings of an Indian Judicial Commission headed by
Special Metropolitan Magistrate of Mumbai.
In Balochistan, three Frontier Corps check posts Mian Gundi,
Darkhsha and Bulali were closed on 5th March. Militants blew up three 220KV electricity towers in Mach area. FC men repulsed an attack on their
convoy in Dera Bugti, killing three attackers. Security personnel remained
unhurt in the attack. The identity of the attackers could not be ascertained.
DCO Gwadar was found shot dead in Defence area Karachi late night.
Number of disappeared persons increased in the first two months of
the year as 333 new cases of missing persons were received to the Judicial
Commission, which is probing the issue of disappeared persons. The
Commission, led by former Supreme Court judge Justice Javed Iqbal, has
decided to visit Balochistan in the 2nd week March for making all-out efforts
to trace the missing persons. The Supreme Court directed the office to make
arrangement for the delivery of notice to Tethyan Copper Company Australia
(TCCA) regarding award of a contract to the TCCP for exploring gold and
copper at Reko Diq in Chagai district.
On 7th March, tree Punjabi labourers were shot dead and another five
sustained wounds when unidentified gunmen attacked them in Kech district.
In another incident two Bugti tribesmen were killed and a Marri tribesman
injured in Naseerabad. Gas pipeline was blown up in Dera Bugti area.
Levies official was shot dead in Khuzdar. The Supreme Court decided to
hold the hearing of the Balochistan target killings case in Quetta and
summoned the chief secretary, IGP, advocate general and attorney general on
March 20.
Next day, President Zardari reiterated commitment of the present
government to the uplift of Balochistan province and expressed the hope that
the mega development projects and other speedy measures under the Aghaze-Haqooq-e-Balochistan package would help address the grievances of
Baloch people and bring the province at par with the other provinces in
terms of socio-economic development.
1348

A large demonstration was held outside the United Nations on the

occasion of the 19th Session of UN Human Rights Council to condemn the
human rights violations in Balochistan and ask for the end of military
operation in the restive insurgency-hit province. The demonstration was
organized and led by Mehran Baloch, Balochistans representative at the
United Nations and Noordin Mengal. The participants traveled from
London, Germany, Canada, France and Brussels to take part in the protest.
World Sindhi Congress, Baloch Human Rights Council and United Kashmir
Peoples National Party also joined the Baloch demonstrators to support
their demands.
On 9th March, Pakistan made demarches to several countries over the
Balochistan issue. We have been assured that their respective territories
would not be used for anti-Pakistan activities, said Foreign Office
spokesperson. President of the Balochistan Republican Party (BRP)
Nawabzada Brahmdagh Bugti, who was in Switzerland and had applied for
asylum there, welcomed a resolution on Balochistan tabled in the United
States House of Representatives last month. Nawabzada Hyrbyair Marri
also held a meeting with the exiled Balochistan Republican Party chief.
Exiled Balochs stepped up their movement at the international level
with a highly visible and vocal presence this year at the 19th Session of UN
Human Rights Council. This years session comes soon after the US
Congressional hearing which led to the tabling of resolution in the US
Congress by congressmen Dana Rohrabacher, Lousie Gohmert and Steve
King calling for the right of self-determination of Balochistan.
Bharmadagh Bugti, who has sought asylum in Switzerland and lives a
short distance from the UN Human Rights Council building, is regularly
holding meetings here with delegates from different countries but many of
these meetings are being kept a secret on the request of the visitors. His
asylum case is still under consideration but he is involved in active lobbying
for his cause.
On 10th March, at least six volunteers of Aman Lashkar were killed in
an attack in Dera Bugti district when they were on their way from Sui to
Pehlawagh. The attackers also took away the belongings of the deceased.
However, some Bugti tribesmen told the media that the people, who lost
their lives, were not members of the Peace Force.
On 12th March, unidentified armed men gunned down two persons
while dead bodies of two others were recovered from different parts of the

1349

province. One soldier was killed and his companion wounded in a firing
incident in Awaran while Quetta police recovered a body here.
Next day, Bramdagh Bugti said Pakistan is depicting illusionary
picture of Balochistan to the outer world. Denying the thanks giving
statements of Rehman Malik to Afghan Government, Bramdagh said that the
camps along the Afghan border are of the refugees fled from Balochistan to
save themselves from the barbarous Pakistan government policies. Frontier
Corps and Secret agencies are throwing mutilated dead bodies of the Baloch
politicians.

VIEWS
On 6th March, Khurshid Anwer Mirza commented on the covert war
being waged against Pakistan. He wrote: Our politicians with limited
knowledge of strategic dimensions could be forgiven for not fully
comprehending the modus operandi of covert war. Their understanding of
the war is only of an open conflict where tanks and aero planes clash visibly.
Whereas, large-scale and persistent civil disturbances, ethnic/sectarian
violence and widespread militancy are all part of the covert war, which we
are facing and that is slowly eating into our vitals. The covert war by directly
affecting the ordinary citizen and ruining the economy of the country is far
more deadly than the short, sharp conventional war where mainly the armed
forced bear the brunt.
For the armed forces, however, not to fully grasp the changing
patterns of the war and fully appreciate its implications is beyond
comprehension. Why are they reluctant to step forward and aggressively
counter the covert war that is slowly strangulating the country? After all, it is
the primary duty of the armed forces to defend the country against external
aggression as well as internal subversion. Article 245 of the Constitution
clearly states that the armed forces shall defend Pakistan against external
aggression or threat of war (whether overt or covert). Therefore, they are
primarily and constitutionally responsible to pro-actively deal with the
various manifestations of this hidden war. Indeed, defending the countrys
borders and ensuring peace within is the raison d'tre of the armed forces.
Our armed forces must realize that the paradigm shift towards covert
operations, masterminded and supported from across the western border is
posing a far greater threat than the possible threat of overt operations from
the east. The possibility of a large-scale, open conventional war has
1350

receded because of our nuclear capability. The armed forces should,

therefore, equip and train themselves to effectively deal with the challenges
of the covert war in Balochistan, FATA, and the urban areas taking due
cognizance of the fact that what Pakistan is facing today is clearly beyond
the ken and capacity of the police and the paramilitary forces. It is a fullfledged war through covert means orchestrated by the RAW (and others)
based in Afghanistan.
The oft repeated mantra by those who say that political solution
alone would solve the problem are living in a fools paradise. Nowhere in
the world, either in the past or present, has an insurgency that is aided and
abetted externally been effectively dealt with without simultaneously taking
on the militants, who only understand the language of the gun. (Swat was a
glaring example of the failure of political negotiations alone only the
subsequent armed intervention brought peace.)
Among the urgent steps that may be considered to effectively
deal with the widespread militancy in the country are: Close cooperation
among the police, the paramilitary and the armed forces; streamlining and
coordinating their intelligence agencies; establishing interlinked check posts
at suitable locations in the urban centres; establishing ops centres at the
federal, provincial and district levels backed by quick reaction forces,
including heliborne units for timely reaction. Above all, establishing an antiRAW org, manned by experienced hands drawn from among the existing
civil and military organizations to solely focus on the activities of RAW, to
anticipate and pre-empt rather than to react to its nefarious activities and, if
necessary, to give it a dose of its own medicine.
It is imperative for the armed forces to take appropriate
countermeasures on war footing, as there is little time to lose. They
cannot afford to sit back and wait for a call in aid of civil power, which
applies only to peace time conditions. The armed forces must provide the
lead and get proactively involved to effectively counter the covert war and
act as the catalyst for internal security, and thus ensure peace and prosperity
for the country. They must not fail the nation at this critical juncture.
On 9th March, The News wrote: As Memogate grinds on, a watershed
may have been reached. The memo commission reconvenes on March 15, by
which time Mansoor Ijaz will have completed his testimony and Husain
Haqqanis legal eagles will be able, they say, to offer a pointed rebuttal
to all his allegations. They claim to have refrained from comment because
they wanted the Ijaz evidence to be a matter of record and therefore
1351

unalterable before they weighed in from their side. Some of the allegations
made by Ijaz are grave indeed; but there is a creeping doubt emerging that
they may not be of as much substance as he would have us believe. So far he
has not produced any incontrovertible evidence. What he describes as a
receipt from Haqqani for the email he sent is a BBM message open to
alternative explanations and interpretations.
Ijaz is thought by some to be pursuing an agenda beyond just sharing
a truth. Over the last few weeks there has been a surge of articles in the
international media questioning his credibility and painting Haqqani as a
victim even though his lack of judgment in his contacts with Ijaz is obvious.
Without going into the merits of arguments about Ijazs alleged agenda,
what is obvious is that his position has changed a few times and he has
acknowledged drafting the memo himself, though he insists he did so
under Haqqanis instructions. The commission will have to delve deep into
possible interpretations of each and every message once his crossexamination by Haqqanis lawyers has been completed.
When the memo affair first came to light, it shocked Pakistanis
Things were not helped either by the manner in which the government
handled the memo issue and which reflects a basic problem with the
current setup. It comprises elected representatives but is not fully democratic
in outlook and practice. It tends to get into unnecessary confrontation with
other institutions of state as well as the media. It acted in a less than
transparent manner when the memo first came to light, making things seem
worse than they now appear. It must try and learn some lessons from this
episode.
It is still important for the truth to come out and it has yet to be
seen if Ijazs testimony will result in full and undisputed revelations if
there are any to be made and also if the case of Haqqani is going to be as
strong and definitive as his lawyers are promising it to be. The Pakistan
Army and the ISI will also have to explain in detail their positions taken in
Supreme Court affidavits. But for truth and objectivity to be visible there has
to be a lot more beef on the table than there has been to date. It is also clear
that an early resolution of the memo issue is unlikely and, as such, should
not distract the country from other, more significant and less confusing
issues.
On 12th March, TheNation commented: Pakistan has put a popular
religious party, Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), and three other religious
parties on the already imposing list of 28 banned organizations in the
1352

country. The total number of such entities now stands at 32. The charge
against the ASWJ is its suspected involvement in terrorist activities and
sectarian violence It is a great pity that while taking this action, the
government has not kept in mind the credentials of the ASWJ. It
represents an overwhelming majority religious sect of the country and has
involved itself through its alliance with Difa-i Pakistan Council (DPC), to
show that it has enormous public support, as demonstrated by the crowds
DPC gathers. The DPC has been devoting its energies to tinkering into a
roaring fire, the simmering discontentment in most of the populace.
With rousing oratory and dire warnings of the conspiracies being
played out against it by the agents of foreign powers, the DPC began to
demonstrate its strength by holding massive rallies in different parts of the
country, including Rawalpindi. Its widespread appeal from the people of
Pakistan despite or perhaps because of, its religious nature, has rung alarm
bells about Pakistan in international media outlets. However, what has been
ignored is that even though the DPC has no political representation, it has
managed to draw such massive numbers in support simply leaning on
its criticism of the War on Terror, which most Pakistanis wish their
country to no longer be a part of. To try and neutralize such a sentiment by
branding it terrorism, is hardly a winning strategy.
Mainstream religious and religio-political parties have
condemned the Interior Ministrys move as an attempt to weaken the
DPC, at the behest of the US, a move which they claim does not have any
legal or moral justification. Secretary Information of Jamaat-e-Islami
Muhammad Anwar Niazi has maintained that its increasing popularity
among the masses is the reason behind the ban. Jamaaat-ud-Dawa is of the
view that rather than putting the party on the list of banned outfits, the
government should have gone to a court of law. It sounds quite strange that
an order, which was bound to create shock waves across the length and
breadth of the country because of its ban on the ASWJ, an important
component of the DPC, should have been deliberately not released to the
media for the information of the public. Evidently, the Interior Ministry was
well aware that it was an unpopular move that would evoke severe backlash.
The move will not narrow the DPC's support base, if that is what the Interior
Minister wishes, and in fact the ban will be another can of worms the
government may have opened for itself, given the gigantic numbers of
ASWJ supporters.
On 14th March, TheNation commented: Federal Interior Minister
Rehman Malik has offered the Taliban and other banned outfits the
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option of a negotiated settlement but with the condition that they first
dissolved their military wings. One would have advised that he had simply
asked them to hold talks and then during the discussion persuade them to
give up the armed struggle. Talks are necessary to assure them of our
sincerity and neutralize them.
A revision in government policy is, therefore, in order. Keeping in
view the American withdrawal plans from Afghanistan, and the fact that they
are seeking negotiations with the Taliban, it becomes all the more necessary
for us to also stop the military operations against them. And the best way of
finding an amicable solution to the ongoing conflict is through talks with
all the major players. Rather than imposing such conditions on the outfits,
which if obeyed would remove the need to hold negotiations at all; they
must be first taken into confidence and assured of the need to achieve peace
in the land. Without this process, mutual hostility cannot be overcome. A lot
of bloodshed has occurred in our cities and streets, yet it is also a reality that
we used to live in calm with these now disgruntled and armed militants
before our alliance with the US post-9/11.
Currently, such is the state of belligerence that none of them is
willing to trust the others assurances of peace. The failure of the Swat
peace deal before the military operation could be traced to this very lack of
trust. The governments argument is that it had to launch a grand military
operation in the valley since the Taliban did not fulfill their promise of
giving up arms. Yet the Taliban have their own version of events and
complaints. Hence, at the end of the day, it all becomes a sort of zero sum
game to indefinitely keep on fighting.
The overall impact of militancy and the deteriorating situation have
taken a heavy toll on every sphere of life, including the collapse of the
national economy. Mr Malik has hinted that the peace process can be
initiated within a few days, if the Taliban surrender their arms. While the
government must convey its reservation, its main focus should be on
finding a political settlement without further delay.
Next day, the newspaper wrote: The USA should have realized what
was obvious from the beginning: the American adventure in
Afghanistan was not possible without Pakistani help. That this is an
important US priority became apparent on Tuesday, when Secretary of State
Clinton said this to the Global Chiefs of Mission Conference in Washington.
She said Pakistan was vital to the USAs anti-terrorism efforts, and its
economic stability and regional cooperation goals. Regional cooperation is
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a tacit admission of its encouragement of India, and the way it is backing its
various regional goals, such as the granting of MFN status to India by
Pakistan, while completely ignoring how India is stubborn in its refusal to
even talk about the Kashmir issue, which is at the core of their relations
This should also recognize the need for the USA to work with Pakistan on
the Kashmir issue, where Pakistans has a principled stand.
Secretary Clinton would probably find the task less onerous if
there had been less slaughter of Pakistanis, which has reached new
heights in the last year, starting with CIA contractor Raymond Davis who
killed two Pakistanis, and which seems to have reached a culmination with
Salalah, where NATO helicopters killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. Ms Clinton
clearly realizes the importance, but at the same time showed no inclination
towards the apology that Pakistan demands, not because it wishes to drag the
USA in the dust, but because its soldiers have been killed by a supposed
ally.
Pakistan has also conveyed to the USA that it no longer finds the
drone attacks acceptable, with the Ambassador to Washington herself telling
this to the Vice-Presidents National Security Adviser on Tuesday. However,
Secretary Clinton ignored this issue, even though it was very relevant to her
theme. It is not possible for Pakistan to fulfill American regional goals if
the USA refuses to pay any attention to local sentiment, or to local lives.
This makes merely one more reason why the best, or rather the only, course
left open to Pakistan, is to break off the alliance with the USA, with a refusal
to resume NATO supplies that should be maintained as a first sign of the
new reality that the USA must acknowledge. That the government is under
the false impression that the USA can somehow underwrite its survival is
one of which it should disabuse itself.
On 5th March, Khalid Iqbal discussed end game in Afghanistan and
the post-desecration situation and concluded: Instead of taking charge of the
situation and restoring law and order, the US government reacted in an
erratic way by recalling its nationals serving with the Afghan government
bodies in and around the capital. That was shortly followed by Britain. For
instance, the US commander of NATO/ISAF, General John R. Allen,
recalled his forces from Afghan military installations and ministries. For
obvious force protection reasons, I have also taken immediate measures to
recall all other ISAF personnel working in ministries in and around Kabul,
said Allen. Certainly, this shows lack of will on the part of the occupation
forces to bear responsibility for the outcome of their rash acts.

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In the same vein, White House Spokesman Jay Carney said: The
violence will not mean faster troop withdrawal. The administrations
Spokesmen were at pains to answer the core question of whether to keep
fighting a war that has lost support not only in America, but also among the
people it has pledged to protect. The perception that the Afghans are
ungrateful for the US sacrifice and are turning on their American saviours
further complicates the matter. The officials said that they believe President
Karzai's fragile government could collapse and the Taliban would
regain power if the US were to walk away.
No doubt, shooting inside the Interior Ministry reduces the
confidence towards the security apparatus and reduces the trust of the
coalition forces and international agencies towards the administration and
recalling Nato advisors from the ministries is a proof to the fact, said a
Kabul-based security analyst Wahid Mujda. The attack inside the Interior
Ministry just months after the attack inside the Defence Ministry is a clear
indication of the penetration of militants influence into the government
bodies, which makes it possible for them to target anyone anytime.
There is a need to go back to the drawing board and work out as to
how to restore the status quo ante in Afghanistan. It is an inviolable right of
the Afghans to live the way they want to. The international community
owes the restoration of this right to the Afghans. Despite the decade-long
carnage, all ethnic and sectarian groups are unanimous about the territorial
integrity of Afghanistan; surely, it must seize the opportunity and expand on
this silver lining.
Two days later, TheNation wrote: The US, anxious to protect those
who burned the Holy Quran at its Bagram airbase, appears willing to
jeopardize the Status Of Forces Agreement (Sofa) that it has been trying to
get Afghanistan to sign with it, and which will provide the basis of its
remaining in Afghanistan beyond 2014. Because of the Bagram incident,
Afghanistan has asked the USA to hand over all detention facilities,
including the one at Bagram, to its control, and to cease night raids on
Afghan homes. The US has agreed to neither, arguing that Afghan forces are
not able to take over detention centres, and that the night raids are too useful
a tool against the insurgents. This should be closely observed by those
friends of the USA in the Pakistani ruling class, who want normalization of
ties even after the killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers by NATO helicopters at the
Salalah check post last November. Developments in Afghanistan make
clear that arrogance and ignorance go hand in hand.

1356

Even the sympathetically installed Karzai regime in Kabul has not

agreed to the Sofa. This means that either the Sofa itself is so full of defects
that the puppet regime cannot make the country agree to it, or that there is
such little trust in the USA itself that any Sofa would be seen not as a
guarantee of Afghan liberties, but as a tool for deepening of the US' current
control of the country, even if plans for troop withdrawal are being drawn up
on the surface. The reality is that both are true. One major reason is the
fact that the Afghan people resent, as they have historically, foreign
occupation, to the extent of resisting it by armed force.
While it is for the Afghan people to decide what exactly is in their
best national interest, it should be clear that any Sofa with the USA would
not serve their interests, and would merely serve the USA. Pakistan is also
concerned with how the Afghan conundrum is settled, not just because it is a
neighbour of Afghanistan, but because stability in the region means stability
for Pakistan. However, as is being shown in Afghanistan, even the
subordination of installed puppets is turning to defiance in the face of
incessant American demands.
On 12th March, Abid Mustafa observed: The callous burning of the
Holy Quran by bigots in the American military has spawned numerous
protests across Afghanistan that hitherto has left 29 people dead and scores
wounded. President Barack Obamas half-hearted apology has only added
fuel to the incessant outrage expressed by ordinary Afghans, who widely
perceive Americas occupation of their country as a wholesale onslaught
on Islamic values. Only few weeks ago, US troops were caught on camera
smiling and urinating on dead Afghans. The vilification of Afghans and their
Islamic values is not limited to these incidents alone.
The mutilation of dead bodies, horrific abuse of prisoners in Bagram,
rape of young girls, and mindless civilian massacres have become the
hallmark of Americas malicious crusade in Afghanistan. No matter how
hard the US tries to downplay this vitriolic incident, the latest episode is a
vivid reminder to the rest of the world that barbarism and not
emancipation from tyranny is the hallmark of its war machine.
One would have thought that having spent over a decade fighting
wars in the Muslim world, the US soldiers would at the very least, be
accustomed to the cultural sensitivities of Muslims. But no, we find the
complete opposite. Wherever the American military intervenes, it leaves
behind a trail of death and destruction with rancorous behaviour unworthy of
a leading nation that also prides itself on tolerance. Look for instance, the
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indiscriminate killings of unarmed civilians by the US drones and Special

Forces in Pakistan, or the immunity granted to Raymond Davis for his cold
blooded murder of Pakistanis in broad daylight. This clearly undermines
Americas penchant for disregarding human rights it so evangelically
preaches to the rest of the world. Take Americas war in Iraq as another
example: The cruel humiliation of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib and the
senseless killing of unarmed civilians in Haditha are portent reminders about
the fruits of Americas Iraqi occupation. Yet, despite such uncivilized acts
perpetrated by USAs military, its soldiers are lavished with praise and their
crimes against humanity are overlooked. At the end of last year, President
Obama told the troops coming home from Iraq: As your Commander-inChief, and on behalf of a grateful nation, I am proud to finally say these two
words.
Worse still, there are no serious efforts by Americas political
establishment or senior officers to change the uncivilized conduct of US
troops. Wherever they are stationed, the Pentagon immediately seeks
immunity from prosecution, as a mandatory condition in exchange for
security pacts or military aid. In other words, there are no repercussions for
the evil acts committed by the US soldiers against indigenous populations. If
by chance a US soldier is found guilty, sham trials are convened by the US
military (the conclusion of Haditha massacre trial early this year) to ensure
that punishment does not fit the crime. The US military goes to great length
to instill savagery within its personnel by making certain that barbarism is
institutionalized. The recent National Defence Authorization Act passed by
the US Senate epitomizes such measures, which legalizes sex with animals
and permits sodomy.
As the US military is committed to preserving its barbarian code and
despicable values, one can only imagine what type of training the US
military imparts to nations around the globe. So, what is the root cause
behind such reckless behaviour that defies human logic? The explanation
that a few rotten apples are to blame is no longer plausible and does not
merit a discussion. Nor can Americas military culture be held solely
responsible for nurturing a generation of young men and women, who show
scant respect for foreign cultures and people.
On the contrary, the military culture is based on the very foundations
that the rest of American society is built. The sole driver for such behaviour
is freedom, which is the bedrock of USAs cherished ideals and responsible
for shaping popular culture, corporate culture, social values and ethics. It is

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on this very basis that the military in Western countries, especially in

America, is responsible for moulding the attitudes of its military personnel.
Abid swelled on this point further and also compared with how
Muslims had treated followers of other religions and he then concluded:
The only way to prevent the West and its surrogates from attacking
Islam and humiliating Muslims is to re-establish the caliphate. The rights
of the Muslims were protected, until the very last days of the caliphate.
During the rule of Sultan Abdul Hamid II, Britain decided to stage a play,
which depicted the life of the Messenger (saw) of Allah in a derogatory
manner. On hearing this, Sultan Abdul Hamid complained to the British
government to stop the play. The British government defended its decision
to hold the play citing free speech. But when the Sultan threatened Britain
with military action it immediately relented.
Next day, TheNation observed: It is highly shocking that a US soldier
broke into a house in Kandahar shortly after Sundays midnight and sprayed
16 civilians including women and children with bullets at point blank range.
The witnesses, however, profess that it was not a single soldier but a
group of marines that arrived in a combat vehicle, were heavily armed
and carried out the massacre. A relative of the victims is cited as saying
that the American soldiers were drunk and kept laughing while they killed
and later torched houses in the vicinity.
In a state of deep shock and anger President Karzai has termed the
barbarity international murders and unforgivable. US Defence Secretary
Panetta has assured Mr Karzai of an impartial probe into the matter but we
know that such assurances are all humbug. ISAF is already trying to cover
up the act with the excuse that it was only an individual act for which
only one soldier was responsible. This shameful explanation itself amounts
to condoning the gruesome crime. It is difficult to believe that a single
soldier would break into a house, open fire and killed so many people, later
set adjoining houses on fire and return safely? Ironically, the Americans
claim themselves to be champions of human rights and preach almost every
other country not to resort to use of force and bloodshed. But as these
incidents prove, they have themselves crossed all limits when it comes to
bloodshed, torture and war crimes. Night raids on houses, aerial attacks on
processions even those of marriage, unprovoked firing on ordinary Afghan
civilians have become a regular feature of the war on terror. There are
besides a number of detention facilities like for instance Bagram air base,
where Afghans are brutally tortured. There have also been recent reports of
incidents in which the US forces kill the Afghans and cut off their body parts
1359

to keep them as trophies. The latest episode of murder of a few militants and
subsequent desecration of dead bodies by the US marines was only the tip of
the iceberg since arguably there may be many other such incidents that go
unreported.
The sad part is that these atrocities are happening under the watchful
eye of American and NATO commanders. No strict punishments are given to
those who commit such crimes against humanity and thus not enough proof
is given to the world of steps taken to ensure this does not happen again.
The US military and its recent examples of shocking disrespect towards
Holy books, dead bodies and now, complete disregard for life, will earn
its adventures abroad the title of reign of terror, instead of those it was
seeking to 'liberate' the oppressed from.
Kim Sengupta shamelessly tried to blame Karzai and Pakistan. He
wrote: President Karzai is viewed by Western officials as doing little to
calm feelings. On Sunday he described the shootings in Kandahar by the
lone soldier as intentional murders by US forces. At the same time he
wants to ban night operations against the Taliban, seen as vital by US and
UK commanders.
Last week also saw the deaths of six British soldiers, the most killed
in one attack in the war, in an area that had supposedly been cleared. There
have been other high fatalities The Governments position remains that
the troops are there to prevent bombs going off in the streets of the UK. The
fact remains that the vast majority of terrorist plots uncovered in this
country are not in Afghanistan. There is a case for arguing one needs
forces in Afghanistan to prevent it returning to ungoverned space and a
terrorist training ground. But this has less credence when the US and UK are
not just scrambling to get out, but keen to hold talks with the Taliban about
their role in the countrys future.
Meanwhile, the recent deaths in Afghanistan are used for the
expediencies of realpolitik. After French troops were killed by their Afghan
comrades, Nicolas Sarkozy threatened to pull his forces out immediately.
This, however, was for home consumption with elections coming up. Karzai,
too, has sought to use what has happened for his own purposes. There is
widespread suspicion in Afghanistan that the President wants to run for
a third term; being seen to be standing up to the West, his supporters
believe, will do him no harm.
Marwan Bishara discussed the issue in detail and concluded:
Afghanistan was supposed to be the right war, and Iraq the stupid one,
1360

according to Obama. Now the US is out of the latter and stuck in a 10-year
war that seems to get worse by the day. Regardless of why this was ever
considered right, the horrific attacks of 9/11 withstanding, it has certainly
gone terribly wrong. Despite President Obamas Af-Pak strategy, a big surge
of troops and the successful killing of bin Laden, there is no end in sight to
the decade-old occupation, the longest declared US war in recent memory.
The whole strategy and endless jargon of the shift from counterterrorism to counter-insurgency strategy (COIN) proved to be a farce.
As I wrote back in August 2010 and as reported on Empire the same
month, getting the job done was hardly getting done at all as the war
moved from one area of the country to another and the Taliban proved all but
invisible. Nor is the Afghan army ready to take on the Taliban by itself.
Indeed, according to observers I spoke to, it could be overrun soon after
NATO withdraws from the country. And time isnt on their side.
More importantly, there is no longer majority support for the war in
the US. Theres even less support in Europe. The wise and arguably the
popular, decision to take now is to find a political exit and withdraw
sooner rather than later. This is best achieved by involving all the regional
players with a stake in Afghan security and stability. This, of course, takes
more than psychology, investigation and apologies. It takes leadership.
On 14th March, Eugene Robinson commented: Public opinion in this
country is increasingly fed up with the war. A new Washington Post-ABC
News poll shows that 60 percent of Americans believe the war has not
been worth the blood and treasure weve expended. Fifty-five percent of
those polled believe most Afghans are opposed to what we are trying to
accomplish in their country, and 54 percent say we should withdraw our
troops even before the Afghan army is trained to be self-sufficient.
The poll was taken before Sundays massacre. Imagine what the
response would be if those questions were asked today. Even Newt Gingrich,
who tries mightily to portray Obama as weak-kneed on defence, was sobered
by the killings and said it may be time to reassess our strategy. I think that
were risking the lives of young men and women in a mission that may
frankly not be doable, he said, adding that we may need to decide that the
United States is going to have to back off from a region whose problems are
too big for us to solve.
This is supposed to be a period of transition from US occupation to
Afghan government control. But what do we expect to accomplish between
now and 2014, when our troops are supposed to come home? We can be
1361

confident that the Afghan government will still be feckless and corrupt. We
can anticipate that the Afghan military will still lack personnel, equipment
and training. We can be absolutely certain that the Taliban insurgents will
still constitute a threat, because and this is what gung-ho advocates of the
war fail to grasp they live there. To them, Afghanistan is not a battlefield
but a home. Its their country, not ours. In increasingly clear language,
Afghans are telling us to leave. We should listen and oblige.
On 15th March, Michael Cohen observed: The problem for Obama is
that the recent tragic incidents in Afghanistan have exposed even more
glaringly the contradictions in US policy and the lack of a clear end game to
the conflict even though the administration continues to talk publicly about
staying the course. Its difficult to imagine that the administration can
continue to muddle through in Afghanistan without paying some larger
political price. Indeed, one of the keys to Obamas re-election fight will be
trumpeting his competence on foreign policy; but thats going to be a harder
argument to make if incidents like Sundays killings or the recent murder of
US advisers by an Afghan soldier in the Interior Ministry continues to occur.
Bad headlines from Afghanistan are a surefire way to undercut the
presidents foreign policy message on the campaign trail.
While Republicans will have a hard time making the direct case for
withdrawal (since theyve been so recently criticizing the notion) Santorum
provided a preview of how the GOP might hit Obama on this issue. After
Sundays massacre he argued that the United States should either be
prepared to make a full commitment, which this president has not
done, or must decide to get out and probably get out sooner given the
presidents decision to get out in 2014. It seems only a matter of time before
Romney takes a similar stance. Yes, thats right; a Democratic president runs
the risk of being attacked from the right for not withdrawing troops from
harms way more quickly.
The irony of this situation is that, for the most part, the White House
has in recent months demonstrated far less concern than one might
expect from a Democratic administration about the politics of draw-down
from Afghanistan. In February, when Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta
accidentally revealed that the United States was thinking of withdrawing
combat troops by the middle of 2013 it barely caused a ripple.
But now with the situation quickly descending into further turmoil
and the relationship with Kabul deteriorating on an almost daily basis, the
White House may find that the political heat on Afghanistan will start to
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be turned up and criticism for the incoherence and mismanagement of our

current strategy in Afghanistan could increase. Indeed, its hard to read
reports that the White House is thinking of speeding up troop withdrawals in
any other light. Clearly there is concern in the political wing of the Obama
administration that Afghanistan could become a greater problem as the
election gets closer. We may have finally reached the point where kicking
the can down the road is no longer a viable option for the White House and
not a moment too soon.
Michael Cohen wrote: On Friday, Marine Corps Gen John R Allen,
commander of US and NATO forces, and Afghan Defence Minister Abdul
Rahim Wardak signed an agreement under which the Afghan government
will take control of the American-run detention facility in Parwan, the
successor to the prison at Bagram air base, and its 3,000 inmates. That
transfer will take six months, but the United States will provide ongoing
support and advice to the Afghan commander of the prison for up to a year.
More controversially, the Afghans agreed to consider favorably US
objections to the release of inmates who might engage in future terrorist
activity. The Afghans agreed to another significant condition as well: that
they would cooperate with the United States to ensure secure and humane
administrative detention operations. Even as it relinquishes day-to-day
supervision of the facility, the US should press Afghanistan to abide by the
latter commitment.
Not that the US can claim any kind of moral purity in this regard.
After all, there were allegations of prisoner abuse at Bagram when it
was under American control, leading to (so far unsuccessful) efforts to
provide inmates with relief in American courts. The US also took too long to
establish procedures by which inmates could challenge their confinement
with the assistance of an advocate and with the right to introduce
reasonably available evidence. In offering support and advice, the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization and the US should press the Afghans to afford
their countrymen similar due process. The Afghan government must treat
prisoners with dignity and abide by international norms.
Though it is neither hypocritical nor intrusive for the United States to
remind the Afghan government of that fact, the bigger question now is
whether moral pronouncements from American officials will hold much
sway. With each further crisis like that set off by the soldiers actions
Sunday, the US loses standing in the eyes of its Afghan government
partners. not to mention the increasingly sceptical population at large.

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The American experience in Afghanistan has been a frustrating

one. Not only are the Afghan people wearied by a decade of occupation and
increasingly eager to see the end of the foreign presence, but a majority of
Americans believes the war has gone on longer than expected and that it has
not been a success, according to a CBS News poll released on the wars 10th
anniversary. American and coalition casualties are in the thousands, yet
progress toward a working civil society is terribly slow, to put it mildly.
Corruption and inefficiency continue to plague Afghanistans central
government, and many American officials are not persuaded that the
government will be ready to take over the countrys security when coalition
troops pull out. Negotiations with the Taliban the very organization the US
went to war to oust now seem like one of the most promising ways to
reach a political solution in the troubled country.
Some believe that atrocities such as the one that took place
Sunday are inevitable when a military force has been at war too long,
with too little hope of success and too many soldiers rotating repeatedly
back into combat duty. If anything, it shows that the United States is right to
be winding down its mission in Afghanistan, and that it should continue to
do so as quickly as it responsibly and humanely can.
Next day, M A Niazi commented: There have been protests in
Afghanistan against both the Quran burnings and the Kandahar killings, and
the killings are just more proof that the American occupation is a burden.
There have been three consequences: First, these incidents are making it
more difficult for the USA to get the kind of Status of Forces Agreement
(SOFA) from Afghanistan that they want. The SOFA is going to govern the
role of US forces in Afghanistan beyond 2014, when it is scheduled to leave.
Interestingly, the USA would like to use more of the Special Forces that the
murderous soldier belongs to, in that SOFA.
Second, the incident has caused voices to be raised in the USA for an
earlier withdrawal of troops. Thus, indicating that anti-war sentiment is so
high that any bad news, even if it is, as in this case, not a military reverse,
will serve as an excuse to pack up and get out. Third, it is an election year,
and such incidents are not going to increase the re-election chances of
President Barack Obama.
The main thing for Pakistan is to notice that such incidents have
parallels to what the USA has done in the country. While Islamabad is
heading to a reset of relations with Washington, which implies that the
NATO land route for supplies through Pakistan is to be restored, there is
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nothing to stop the USA from being its usual, gung-ho, cow boyish self,
and incidentally killing Pakistanis. There should be no dealing with the
USA. That has cost both Afghanistan and Pakistan dearly.
On 11th March, TheNation observed: India has not paid any
attention to the gestures that the Pakistan government has been making to
placate India, such as granting it trade privileges, and it has been revealed on
a website, Strategic Page, that the Indian Army is cooperating with the US
Special Operations Command, and Israel, against Pakistan. That India is
working against Pakistan is not surprising, given that it has long nursed a
grudge against it, and according to the report, sees it as a hurdle to becoming
a regional superpower.
However, that the USA is working with India in this should be an
eye-opener for those in Pakistan who favour the USA, especially those who
are about to agree to the restoration of the supplies to NATO forces in
Afghanistan through Pakistan, which was suspended after NATO gunship
helicopters massacred 24 Pakistani soldiers on November 26. According to
CBS News, Pakistan is about to restore this supply after it gets a fee for
the passage. This fee would go towards road maintenance made necessary
by the moving of these supplies. This impression, that Pakistan is willing to
do anything if paid, including sacrificing its soldiers, is strengthened by the
contempt of Pakistani sovereignty shown by the USA in its latest drone
attack on North Waziristan on Friday, in which it killed 15 people.
The Foreign Office also found it necessary to say that Pakistan
sought a solution of the Kashmir issue on the basis of the UN resolutions on
the subject, which call for a UN-supervised plebiscite to allow the Kashmiri
people the exercise of the right of self-determination denied them at
Partition. If this objective is to be kept in view by Pakistan, it would
prevent it from any compromise with the USA, which is bent upon
cultivating India, so as to build it up as a regional counterweight to China,
and thus is doing its best to back it in all its regional disputes, including that
which it has with Pakistan, of which Kashmir is the core dispute. As one of
the main objectives of Indian policy is to keep Kashmir off the negotiating
table, and continue in illegal occupation of that part of the State it grabbed
by force, the USA is backing them in that, by doing absolutely nothing to
bring the Kashmir issue to the fore of international debate.
The problem Pakistan has is that its government has wrongly assumed
that it has power because of the USA, and that that power depends on doing
American bidding. There are intrinsic differences between Pakistan and the
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USA, most notably over the endgame in Afghanistan. While Americans see a
role for India there once the USA withdraws, Pakistan does not. Also,
whereas the USA wants to impose its own solution on Afghanistan, Pakistan
wants a lasting stability to come to that country. It also wants that, before
restoring the NATO supply, the USA should acknowledge its fault,
something it is refusing to do out of sheer arrogance, and the belief that it is
a superpower able to get away with virtually anything. The government
should realize that it will have to go to the people of Pakistan, who do not
approve this policy of supine-ness, and it will cost it dearly at the hustings.
The government must also stop paying lip service to the Kashmir cause,
and take practical measures to make the international community realize that
it must take action to stop Indias continued defiance.
On 5th March, Momin Iftikhar pointed out the real cause of Baloch
peoples miseries which has been the least discussed aspect in the media.
The sardari system in Balochistan was abolished in the early sixties,
but The British treated Balochistan markedly different than Punjab or
Sindh, whereby their interest here, primarily, was not economic, but rather of
a military and geopolitical in nature. They were interested in defining the
Western frontiers of their empire, station garrisons to defend these frontiers
and find a safe passage through the area in case of military expeditions to
Afghanistan. By 1854, the Khan of Kalat had accepted the British suzerainty
for an annual salary of Rs50,000. In 1876, the Khan and all his sardars
signed a treaty paving the way for the implementation of the Sandeman
System of administration. This system changed the status of the Khan and
the Baloch sardars to that of the paid agents of the British Crown.
In return for this cessation of sovereignty, the sardars were
provided with privy purses covering all their expenses, family needs,
personal staff, body guards, tours, hospitality, maintenance of their
residences, marriages and all family ceremonies etc. Under the new system,
the sardars were now empowered to organize Levies Corps by recruiting
tribal personnel and receiving their pays from the British, exercising the
discretion of paying whatever salary they deemed necessary or none at all to
their tribal members, if they so wished.
As the sardars were the extension of the British authority, the system
bestowed unlimited powers concerning their ability to impose whatever
revenue they deemed appropriate in their tribal area. Assisted by Levies,
paid for by the British, the sardars perfected a system of total submission of

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their tribal members, causing grave economic exploitation and political

degeneration of the Baloch society.
Since the British had no economic interest tied in Balochistan, they
promoted the most repressive form of the jagirdari system to
consolidate the authority of sardars. The land was collectively given to a
tribe, as a whole in which the sardar established an intricate hierarchy of
revenue collection and his own law enforcement apparatus constituting the
tumandars, the muqaddams, the naibs and the maliks. These intermediaries
freed the sardar from the worries of day-to-day administration and
concentrate on his leisure seeking inclinations outside the Spartan
environments of the harsh Baloch landscape.
In economic terms, the system led to the stagnation of agriculture
growth, since the surpluses produced by the system were not recycled to
improve the infrastructure, methods or the environment. The result was that
the institution of sardar, detached from the cycle of production, became
a mere parasite whose splurging of the profits inhibited the flow of benefits
to the peasants who till the soil with their sweat and blood.
It is apparent that the sardars supreme interest is to consolidate
their stranglehold over the agricultural land and the mining resources
of Balochistan without sharing it with the Baloch people. To this end, they
would not refrain from even using the Baloch nationalism card to create
unrest; even to the extent of promoting insurgency. To further their class
interests, the sardars want to freeze their communities into a time warp in the
name of defending the true Balochi ethos.
According to them, the Baloch do not need schools because reading
is in contradiction to the sacred tribal custom of illiteracy; besides, it is
argued, schools are being constructed so that the Punjabi army might use
them, for accommodation. They dont need hospitals and dispensaries, since
it would expose their womenfolk to unscrupulous practices of seeing a
doctor and would usher in the foreign influence. Besides, if their forefathers
had lived without such encumbrances so could they! The roads are an affront
to the nomadic traditions of the Baloch and would facilitate the outsiders
ingress into their safe havens. The establishment of cantonments in the
province, like in the rest of the country, is to consolidate the hold of Punjabis
over the natural resources of the Baloch. In short, the Balochis have to
revel in their ignorance, poverty, pestilence and disease just to sustain
the ethnocentric the sardari system.

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The sardari system is a legacy of the Sandeman System of British

subjugation of Balochistan and even as the times have drastically changed,
the Baloch sardars are desperately trying to cling to this ancient relic for
the sake of their personal gains and relevance. Notwithstanding that the
case for Baloch nationalism is built around economic deprivation and
exploitation of the Baloch masses, they themselves constitute the major
stumbling block to the forces of change and progress; hijacking the direction
of the legitimate Baloch aspirations and using it for securing sardars class
interests. A new great game has begun in the region and Baloch nationalism
should not become a vehicle for realizing the designs of outside forces, who
are intent upon exploiting the institution of Baloch sardars to accomplish
their own vested interests.

REVIEW
The government of Pakistan seemed to have prepared the plan to
reestablish working relationship with the US under new terms of
engagement framed by the parliamentary committee awaiting approval by
the Parliament obtaining of which should not be a problem. The civil
leadership has believably acquired the consent of the military leadership in
advance,
The revival of relationship with the US is essential for the survival of
Zardari regime far more than the NATO forces deployed in Afghanistan;
therefore, it would like it to revive it without further loss of any time. Three
ladies at the helm on both sides; Hillary, Sherry and Hina, seemed to be
ready to deliver on this count.
Military has been disabled by the unfavourable circumstances to show
the same exuberance with which it has been proactive in resisting all that it
considered was against the national security. Apart from the decade long
tiresome war imposed by the superpower the proceedings of two
commissions Abbottabad raid and Memogate scandal and hearing of two
petitions regarding missing persons and Mehrangate scandal have pushed it
back to the wall. It has no choice but to obey the commands of its Supreme
Commander who happens to be a Scoundrel contracted by the superpower
Desecration of Holy Quran at Bagram Base and massacre of 16
Afghan men, women and children in video game-style have had natural
violent reaction and stalling of US-Taliban talks. The Americans as usual
have termed these incidents resulting from act or neglect of individuals, but
possibility of committing these war crimes by design cannot be ruled out.
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Americans would like to hang around in the region as some important goals
are yet to be achieved.
16th March, 2012

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