Bismillah ar Rahman ar Rahim REALPakNationalists

June 3, 2011

Support Our Troops

Filed under: Defense — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 11:20 am

Pakistan Soldiers

We place idols on pedestals only to throw them down and bludgeon them when they reveal feet of clay. Our relationship with our armed forces is one of false expectations, which lead us to extremes: from belting out patriotic, tear-jerking war songs to resorting to rabid calls to “dissolve the whole bloody Army.”

Tribute groups sprang up on Facebook for soldiers like Lt. Yasir Abbas, one of 10 who died in the PNS Mehran attack on May 22 in Karachi. This at the same time that mainstream media ran reports suggesting that the attackers may have been helped by military insiders. So what is the true face of the Pakistan military? Is it the image of the young, heroic soldier bidding farewell to his family as he embarks on his final mission or is it the caricature of the opportunistic, mustache-twirling general? Are these men the bastions of Jinnah’s Pakistan or Taliban sympathizers? And the numbers, which ones do we quote? The figures which show that more Pakistani soldiers have paid for America’s “war on terror” with their lives than any other army or the reportedly unaccounted for billions of dollars that have been funneled to our military since 9/11?

These conflicting accounts reflect a world of parallel realities that Pakistanis have become accustomed to. Our love-hate relationship with the military leads us, at best, to blindly extol the virtues of the armed forces, and, at its worst, to the hateful sneering we see today. It was in response to these attitudes that a group of us developed the Green Ribbon Campaign at the time of the Swat Operation two years ago. We had a simple message: It is possible to support our troops, the young who fall in the line of duty, without unquestioningly supporting those they take their orders from.

Inspired by the yellow ribbon used by the Americans to support their troops, the green ribbon with the white tip was designed to represent the tolerant and pluralistic Pakistan envisioned by Jinnah. As I wrote in “Where is Our Yellow Ribbon?” in the May 9, 2009, edition of Daily Times, “One can be angry with Zardari, think that Musharraf sold out and believe that the ISI is a sinister organization with its own agenda without losing compassion for our soldiers, the young men who are being killed every day. These are men who willingly lay down their lives, men who often return maimed or paralyzed to their young families. In other countries, men like them would enjoy hero status. And yet, here in Pakistan, when they turn on their television sets at night, they see their nation scoffing at them.”

After reading this article, a soldier who had served in the Army for 14 years wrote to me and described the toll his professional life had taken on his family and him: he suffered from chronic mountain sickness, high blood pressure and loss of memory for years after having been stationed in high altitudes. His daughter suffered academically from having to move so often and his wife lost a child because she was unable to get the little girl to the hospital in time. Still, he was willing to go back and serve his country.

Like the rest of the Army boys, this man was no saint and no sinner. He does not deserve to be idolized or demonized. And yet, as civilians, these are the only two categories we have been able to come up with. At best, we defend the Army blindly—like some of our rightwing media anchors who reduce everything to a Zionist conspiracy—and thus absolve it of any accountability. At worst, we judge the entire institution by the misdeeds of the top brass. Both are dangerous precedents.

Without losing compassion and sympathy for those who suffer and sacrifice in order to protect us, it is time for reform. The Army needs to be seen for what it is; its leaders, with all their limitations, for who they are. No deifying, please. We have all heard the stories about Pakistani fighter jets being flown by angels during the 1965 war, after the pilots ejected. It’s time to get real. Romanticizing will not help.

Ayeda Husain Naqvi is a former features editor of The Friday Times. Source: Newsweek Pakistan

September 7, 2010

Is RAW Behind Anti-Pakistan Journalist Latest Lies?

Filed under: China,india — Tags: , , , , , , — admin @ 9:04 pm

Source: Pakistan Media Watch

A column in the New York Times newspaper by American commentator Selig Harrison has raised quite a bit of media attention around a conspiracy theory that the government is giving Gilgit Baltistan to China, a claim publicly denied by the Foreign Office. As with most conspiracy theories of this magnitude, a little basic research demonstrates that Mr Harrison and his claim of Pakistan ceding territory to China are unreliable.

While it took me all of 15 minutes to discover that Mr Harrison’s reputation precedes his remarks in the US, our own media seems to be more than willing to repeat the wildest conspiracies without the least effort in fact-checking. More troubling is that the Mr Harrison’s conspiracy seems to have been fed to him in part by Pakistani media.

The first suspicion I had about Mr Harrison’s claim was that it was simply too outrageous to be believed without some proof. Of course, Mr Harrison provides none in his column.

Most troubling, as I said, is that Mr Harrison’s claim appears to be based at least in part on rumours by unnamed journalists. He says that his sources for this conspiracy theory are:

…reports from a variety of foreign intelligence sources, Pakistani journalists and Pakistani human rights workers…

First, what foreign intelligence sources? While it would certainly be in keeping with journalistic practice to hold confidential the name of an informant, it is not unusual to at least report what agency the informant is associated with. Without playing into alternate conspiracy theories, it is well documented that intelligence agencies partake in disinformation campaigns designed to sow discord in targeted nations. Considering the location in question, is it not important to know which foreign intelligence agency is making these claims?

Second, it is quite troubling that some representatives of Pakistani media have been feeding such stories to foreign reporters. Considering Mr Harrison’s background (as we will explain below), it is worrisome that these Pakistani journalists went to Mr Harrison to promote their story. Certainly Mr Harrison will refuse to expose who these Pakistani journalists are, which is too bad. While there is reason to protect the identities of “whistle blowers” against official corruption for fear of their safety, there is little public good gained by allowing journalists to spread unsubstantiated rumours.

But let’s look at Mr Harrison’s claims directly. Many of Mr Harrison’s claims are nothing more than hysterical conjecture.

Mystery surrounds the construction of 22 tunnels in secret locations where Pakistanis are barred. Tunnels would be necessary for a projected gas pipeline from Iran to China that would cross the Himalayas through Gilgit. But they could also be used for missile storage sites.

I could not help but think of the famous American claims about Iraq’s “aluminum tubes”. The idea that China, which shares a border with China, would need to store missiles under Gilgit-Balochistan makes no sense. Unfortunately for Mr Harrison’s conspiracy theory, though, building tunnels for a gas pipeline would be a perfectly reasonable explanation for an increased presence of Chinese workers in the region. It’s just not quite as scary.

Of course, this is not the first claim that Mr Harrison has made about the break up of Pakistan. The Pakistan Policy Blog noticed this trend of Mr Harrison’s back in 2008, noting that “Selig Harrison has made a career of predicting the imminent break-up of South Asian states”. In 2006, Mr Harrison reported for the French newspaper Le Monde Diplomatique that Baluchistan and Sindh were preparing to quit the nation.

While there is no denying that we have seen groups of separatists and ethnic strife in the country (what country has not experienced such?), Mr Harrison’s reports consistently take on a tone of imminent national dissolution that is simply not supported by the facts. Four years after Mr Harrison’s prediction in the French media and no such calamity has occurred, of course. Yet Mr Harrison continues to predict the breakup of Pakistan. Perhaps he believes that if he simply wishes hard enough, it will come true?

Joshua Foust, a respected American journalist and intelligence consultant on South Asia, wrote a scathing profile of Mr Selig Harrison in 2008 in which he calls Mr Harrison’s writings on Pashtunistan, “silly, over-hyped nonsense” and says,

As it is, Harrison casts a very unconvincing shadow on the discourse over the Pashtunistan issue. It merits serious discussion—separatist movements always do. But placing them in their proper context, both historically and socially, is just as important as making a case you’ve been trying to make for years. As it is, Harrison seems to rely on mischaracterization, hyperbole, and “the soft bigotry of low expectations” (to borrow a phrase and avoid slinging charges of Orientalism)—hardly the stuff of a world-renowned regional expert. I hesitate to accuse Harrison of wearing ideological blinders, as I can’t really figure out what his ideology is, simultaneously blaming the West for subjugating the Pashtuns while granting them unlimited power to unite, declare independence, and bring down that very same West.

But that’s par for the course for most writing these days on Pashtuns, and even on Afghanistan. It just doesn’t add up. My question here, though, is the same as it was for Ann Marlowe: who the hell keeps paying him to write? I have to assume it is simply the ignorant, those more aware of his reputation than his recent scholarship, without the means to fact-check what he writes so long as it confirms their biases. That is a major loss to the field, that rigor. But, as with the curious longevity of Thomas Johnson (whom, ironically enough, Marlowe has called “brilliant”), it doesn’t seem to be that unoriginal, either.

Today, of course, Mr Harrison is not talking only about a separatist rebellion, but he has added a twist by claiming the government is “handing over de facto control of the strategic Gilgit-Baltistan region in the northwest corner of disputed Kashmir to China”. His evidence? Chinese PLA workers building roads and bridges.

Mr Harrison’s column, it is important to note, appears on the Opinion page of the New York Times. It does not even pretend to be an objective or investigative report, nor should it. Mr Harrison makes clear his position when he writes,

What is happening in the region matters to Washington for two reasons. Coupled with its support for the Taliban, Islamabad’s collusion in facilitating China’s access to the Gulf makes clear that Pakistan is not a U.S. “ally.”

This is a position in direct conflict with the official positions of the US and Pakistan. It is simply Mr Harrison’s opinion, and possibly an attempt to change the direction of Pakistan-US relations. Something, it seems, he has been trying to do for years.

An opinion column with no evidence, a discredited author, and sources from unnamed foreign intelligence agencies. One has to ask why the Pakistani media has been so ready to republish such rubbish. In fact, The News republished the piece in full today. The Nation makes note of the author’s “obsessive anti-Pakistan posture”, but then reproduces most of the author’s claims.

Worse still, who are the members of the Pakistani media who are feeding such conspiracy theories to foreign journalists? This blog has been criticized in the past for suggesting that there is a cycle in which Pakistani conspiracy theorists posing as journalists feed outrageous stories to the international press, who then repeat them, giving them the credibility needed to be repeated yet again in mainstream Pakistani media. But we see here an example of exactly this.

Actions of the media have consequences. Those consequences can be good – as when the media uncovers evidence of corruption or brings attention to pressing issues. Or they can be bad – as when the media causes confusion and distraction by placing more importance on sales than on research and facts. While we cannot control what discredited commentators like Selig Harrison write in the international media, we should not be fueling a cycle of misinformation and conspiracy theories. We should be setting an example of journalistic excellence that provides honest and accurate information at home and abroad.

August 19, 2010

No Time For Conspiracy Theories

Filed under: Flood,Taliban — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 1:05 pm

floodsWe are in the middle of a crisis of historic proportions. A fifth of the nation is underwater, millions are homeless. The military is working overtime to run rescue and relief missions. And what are the conspiracy theorists doing? Telling the craziest stories you ever heard and distracting from the real need to help our brothers.

Recent years have seen dramatic and devastating weather-related disasters: Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Ike in the USA, earthquake in Haiti, tsunami in Indonesia, wildfires in Russia, landslides in China, record heat waves in Finland, and now terrible flooding in Pakistan.

Serious analysts have said that it is obvious that global warming has caused much of this disaster.

“We will always have climate extremes. But it looks like climate change is exacerbating the intensity of the extremes,” said Omar Baddour, chief of climate data management applications at WMO headquarters in Geneva.

But finding real solutions and ways to prevent further destruction has not stopped the conspiracy theorists from trying to distract people from the real reasons with their ridiculous stories.

The latest story going around is that the floods are caused by something called ‘HAARP’, a High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, a program of the US military to analyze the skies for missles. Conspiriacy theorists believe that it is a weather control program.

This is beyond stupid. If the USA had a weather control program, do you really believe that George W Bush would have allowed the Hurricanes that almost sank his government? Never. Even with the floods, it is clear that jihadi groups are using this as an opportunity to attack Pakistan. It benefits their schemes to control the people with fear. Do these conspiracy theorists say that TTP is using this weather machine? Ridiculous.

While this flood is the worst in history, it is sadly not the first time that we have experienced the flooding. It is not some magic weather control machine, it is simply the

This is no time for conspiracy theories, it is time for REAL Pakistani Nationalists to come together to save our brothers and sisters and to save our country.

March 6, 2010

USA Accepts Pakistan As Nuclear State

Filed under: USA — Tags: , , , , , , — admin @ 6:39 am

Can we stop the conspiracy theories about how the Americans are trying to steal our nuclear arsenal? It was silly to begin with to think that the country with the most nuclear weapons in the world would be trying to pickpocket our own arsenal. Obviously the people who made these conspiracy theories do not have military experience or expertise. But now, that is all a different story. Dawn‘s headline today solves this issue finally.

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration has implicitly accepted Pakistan’s status as a declared nuclear weapons state, countering conspiracy theories that the United States is secretly plotting to seize the country’s nuclear assets, says a US media report.

Another media report says that President Barack Obama plans to host talks between Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh next month when they will be in Washington on April 12 for a nuclear security summit.

David Ignatius, a Washington Post associate editor, wrote in his newspaper on Thursday that the Obama administration had recently taken several steps to address Pakistani security concerns.

“One is to implicitly accept Pakistan’s status as a declared nuclear weapons state and thereby counter conspiracy theories that the United States is secretly plotting to seize Pakistani nukes.”

Mr Ignatius wrote that President “Obama made an early move in that direction when he told Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper last June, ‘I have confidence that the Pakistani government has safeguarded its nuclear arsenal. It’s Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal’.”

While this move aims at allaying Pakistan’s fears that the United States may secretly try to undermine its nuclear programme, the hosting of talks with India reflects the US belief that improved relations between India and Pakistan will benefit the war against terror.

Diplomatic observers in Washington, however, say that since the Pakistani and Indian prime ministers will be meeting against the backdrop of the nuclear summit, “it is only natural that they will also discuss nuclear issues”.

Both India and the United States have expressed concern that any further deterioration in Pakistan could allow non-state actors to seize nuclear weapons.

Pakistan dismisses such concerns as unfounded and has urged the United States to offer it a nuclear deal like the one it concluded with India in 2008.

Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan’s former ambassador to US, said that America’s ‘explicit recognition’ could be useful “only if stops such propaganda otherwise Pakistan is already a nuclear weapons state, with or without America’s recognition”.

She suggested that instead of stopping at the recognition, the Obama administration should negotiate a nuclear deal with Pakistan, as it did with India.

Last month, a US scholar wrote an article in the Wall Street Journal, backing this demand. “More so than conventional weapons or large sums of cash, a conditions-based civilian nuclear deal may be able to diminish Pakistani fears of US intentions while allowing Washington to leverage these gains for greater Pakistani cooperation on nuclear proliferation and terrorism,” wrote C. Christine Fair, an assistant professor at Georgetown University.

The US media links new US efforts to improve ties with Pakistan to progress in anti-terror war, resulting in arrest of several Taliban leaders since late last month.

Until recently, the US-Pakistan alliance against terror has been marked by mutual distrust and lack of confidence in each other, with American officials often claiming that Islamabad has retained its links to the Taliban to use them as a back-up to counter Indian influence in Afghanistan after the US and Nato forces withdraw.

On Friday, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen told reporters at Forth Leavenworth’s army college that the United States had to continue to work at restoring trust among the Pakistanis after tensions caused by sanctions placed on the nation in the 1990s.

“If you don’t trust each other we’re not going to work together well,” he said.

Pakistan’s ambassador Husain Haqqani, after his meeting with Admiral Mullen, said the two nations were cooperating and had mutual interests in defeating the extremists, but relations would not be perfect with the United States just because of battlefield successes.

Mr Ignatius wrote that the US was also trying to combat Islamabad’s fears about covert US military or intelligence activities inside Pakistan.

“Ambassador Husain Haqqani has been negotiating measures for greater transparency, such as clearer labelling of official cargo. And the administration has repeated Mr Obama’s assurance last June (in his interview to Dawn) that “we have no intention of sending US troops into Pakistan,” wrote the Post’s associate editor.

The US media, however, noted that both sides still had some worries. The Pakistanis were now concerned that the United States might negotiate a peace deal with the Afghan Taliban that cut them out as an intermediary.

“In reconciliation talks, Pakistan must have a seat at the table,” said one Pakistani official. We should all be so lucky if this proves to be the biggest problem.

January 25, 2010

Conspiracy theorist Ahmed Quraishi resurfaces with new hypocrisy

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 5:11 am

Master Conspiracy theorist Ahmed Quraishi is back – one had not heard from him in a few months making one wonder if he had changed his principal occupation. After all, he has tried in the past to be an employee of Voice of America (VOA) and has also been a member of the American Political Consultants Association –both facts reported with full references by www.pakistanmediawatch.com

In his latest piece Ahmed Quraishi once again attempts to pit Pakistan against the United States, intentionally or inadvertently benefiting Pakistan’s real nemesis – India. He does so by bundling together unconnected stuff into an emotional argument without any citation of sources or proper facts.

Quraishi claims for the umpteenth time that there is a huge American conspiracy against Pakistan. Unlike what Quraishi and others like him are attempting to spin US Defense Secretary Robert Gates never “admitted” in any interview that Blackwater was operating in Pakistan. In reply to a question on whether private US security contractors were working in Pakistan all that Secretary Gates said was that security contractors were indeed operating in Pakistan and the US government would ensure that they abide by Pakistan’s laws.

What Ahmed Quraishi fails to mention is that these contractors – especially DynCorp – have been in Pakistan since Musharraf’s time. Musharraf, in case anyone forgets, was the object of admiration of people like Ahmed Quraishi who have been yearning for a military takeover of the kind that brought Musharraf to power in 1999.

As an all powerful, patriotism defining general, Musharraf is a ‘favorite’ of anti-democrats like Ahmed Quraishi and so Quraishi forgives or ignores all of Musharraf’s actions, focusing exclusively in creating hatred against elected Pakistani leaders and the United States. During Musharraf’s regime Ahmed Quraishi used to accuse everyone – lawyers, media, civil society – of being American agents while clarifying that Musharraf was pursuing an ‘independent foreign policy.’ What he – and others like him – never discussed then was that DynCorp International, a United States-based private military contractor (PMC) and aircraft maintenance company, was allowed by the Musharraf government to enter and work in Pakistan.

What the current civilian government is doing by allowing DynCorp to stay in Pakistan is only a continuation of international agreements undertaken under Musharraf. It is diffuclt to understand how even after allowing DynCorp to operate in Pakistan Musharraf followed an ‘independent foreign policy’ in Ahmed Quraishi’s eyes but by allowing DynCorp to stay the civilian government is kowtowing to Americans?

Mr Quraishi must explain this inherent contradiction in his argument – that is if there is any argument at all. Or is his real problem with elected, civilian rule whereas a dictatorship ruling with the help of secret services is the ideal of the anti-democrats.

Most of Quraishi’s article is a rant against the American media and think tank world for their supposedly anti-Pakistan views and lack of understanding of Pakistan’s security concerns. However, both the American media and the policy world are an assorted group and you find diverse views on every topic, not just US-Pakistan relations. There are pro-Pakistan voices in the U.S. too, which Pakistanis should cultivate rather than drive all Americans away and create more enemies for our country.

Also if Ahmed Quraishi can talk about Pakistan’s security and foreign interests from ‘a Pakistani angle’ why should the American media not discuss US foreign policy issues from an American angle? Why deny to others what you arrogate to yourself?

As always while attacking the American media and think tank world Ahmed Quraishi fails to mention that he had applied for a job with Voice of America and that he is a member of the American Association of Political Consultants.

The ‘senior Pakistani journalist’ Talat Hussain whom Ahmed Quraishi cites as someone ‘who is in the know of things’ is the same person who during Secretary Clinton’s visit to Pakistan in October 2009 made a “$640 million mistake” by wrongly citing how much aid U.S. gives to Kyrgyzstan. Also, Talat Hussain once worked for CNN and Time Magazine while his brother Riffat Hussain has worked in US think tanks but that does not disqualify them from being super-patriots while Talat Hussain (as quoted by Ahmed Quraishi) pokes fun at all those Pakistani journalists and civil society leaders who oppose the Taliban and seek good relations with the U.S.

What hypocrisy !!!

December 23, 2009

Anti-Americanism and the Future of Pakistan

Filed under: hypernationalists — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 8:13 am
Hypernationalist anti-Americanism is a dangerous path for the nation's future.

Hypernationalist anti-Americanism is a dangerous path for the nation's future.

Anti-Americanism has become quite the trend in much of the country, and this does not hold well for the future. A writer on this blog wrote last week that there were uncomfortable similarities with the political situation in Iran thirty years ago – a reaction against American involvement in the country that popularized a faux-nationalism hijacked by theocratic militants. Renowned defense analyst Ahmad Faruqui notices this as well in his column, Monday’s issue of Dawn, and notes that the conspiracies and anti-Americanism that is being stoked by hypernationalists is not in Pakistan’s interests.

Lost on the anti-Americanistas was the fact that the US was not obliged to provide $7.5bn over the next five years to Pakistan. If the Pakistanis did not like the conditions that came with the funds, they could simply decline the aid. As Senator Kerry put it, the US had plenty of other places on which to spend the money.

When it comes to anti-Americanism, there is little doubt that Al Qaeda and the Taliban lead the pack. But the rightwing parties are not too far behind. At a recent demonstration in Pakistan, bearded men held up placards that flaunted the Yankees in no uncertain terms: ‘Crush, Crush, America.’

But we must ask if this rabid anti-Americanism being promoted by hypernationalists is based in facts. It is easy to come up with wild conspiracy theories, but what happens if you put those same theories to a historical test? Faruqui does just that, and finds some real problems with the theories:

Anti-Americanism has also picked up converts in the mainstream print and electronic media. Conspiracy theories involving America are aired with increasing frequency. Even some leading figures from the diplomatic establishment have joined the fray.

The latest is Shamshad Ahmad, a former foreign secretary and former UN ambassador.

Speaking at a seminar in Karachi on state sovereignty, he went beyond the usual recital of grievances. That well-known list includes three major items. First, the US did not come to Pakistan’s aid during the 1965 war with India. This overlooks the fact that the war was initiated by Pakistan and that US arms were never meant to be used against India.

Second, it did not come to Pakistan’s aid in the 1971 war with India. This overlooks the fact that the war was triggered by the military’s ambitions to negate the results of the general elections and to rule in perpetuity.

Third, it abandoned Pakistan once the Soviets pulled out of Afghanistan in 1989. This overlooks the fact that the US had not guaranteed Pakistan’s security for all times to come against enemies of all stripes.

The former foreign secretary, a strong proponent of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons but by no means a firebrand Islamist, stated: ‘The US had used us as a spy in the past to fulfil its motives, while now it is using us as a mercenary.’ And then came the clincher: ‘It is the US intervention, not the Russian intervention which has kept everything on the boil in the region.’

Some political analysts continue to indulge in conspiracy theories about the attack on Pearl Harbour on Dec 7, 1941 and the attacks of Sept 11, 2001. But Ahmad put himself in a class of one by saying that the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan on Christmas Eve in 1979 was engineered by the US.

He said, ‘The Americans think and plan about things they want to achieve in 50 or 60 years. They created a vacuum in Afghanistan. So after the political manoeuvring in Afghanistan, the US created a way for the Soviet Union [to be] sucked in[to] that vacuum.’

The former senior diplomat, who knows the country’s history better than most, went on to say that the Americans got the Pakistanis on their side by saying that the Soviets were out to fulfil the czarist dream of building a warm water port. This is revisionist history. Right after the Soviet invasion, Gen Ziaul Haq put in a plea for the West’s help, saying that the Evil Empire was about to make a run for Gwadar. He famously rejected President Jimmy Carter’s $400m aid package by calling it peanuts. But when President Ronald Reagan offered him a $3.2bn package, he was all smiles.

These are the historical inaccuracies of a former foreign secretary. Someone who should know better. But the fantasies that are flying around discussion boards and drawing rooms across the country are even more outrageous.

An ultranationalist theory that is rapidly gaining currency in Pakistan is that there was peace in the region until the US arrived in October 2001. Several of the ultranationalists also subscribe to four ‘booster’ theories. Namely, that all of our problems are a result of the Americans.

First, that the US engineered the 9/11 attacks on itself. It needed an excuse to invade Afghanistan and control access to Central Asian natural gas. Second, that Osama bin Laden did not carry out the 9/11 attacks, that he is an American agent trained and armed by the CIA and that he was killed in December 2001. Third, that Al Qaeda does not exist. And fourth, that the Taliban are simply freedom-loving people trying to free their country from foreign occupation. The obvious theory about 9/11 has no vocal adherents in Pakistan. This argues that the attacks were carried out to draw the US into the region, inflame interfaith relations and provoke a holy war that would result in the revival of the caliphate.

This sort of thinking not only ignores the past, but imperils our future. Recall the words of Lt. Gen (retd) Talat Masood and his explanation of why anti-Americanism is a danger to our national defense. Faruqui picks up this same theme in his closing arguments for his column in Dawn:

With every passing week, Pakistan continues to inch towards the brink. Given the frequency of the Muslim-on-Muslim attacks that are now being mounted, it is moot whether Pakistan is a failing state or a failed state. Neither prognosis is good.

The US is not perfect. It has made its share of mistakes, domestically and internationally. A common charge levied by the anti-Americanistas is that the US acts in its own interests. That should be cause for celebration and not denigration. If only Pakistan would do the same. Instead of demonising America, it should turn on its own demons.

This rabid anti-Americanism is a danger to the future of Pakistan. The Iranians also thought that following the words of hypernationalist theocrats would save their nation. Instead, it set them back decades, and still today they are struggling to remove the suffocating regime. Once the militants take control, there is no more confusion about who is the real enemy of the people.

The Americans have made many mistakes, but they have also stood by Pakistan in the past. Today, they appear to be making real attempts at building a partnership with us. To suggest that we turn our backs on them and join hands with the hypernationalists is suicide. After all, there can be no argument that it was Americans who beat to death protestors of the Iranian regime. Inshallah we will not find ourselves in a similar future.

November 19, 2009

Pakistan's Enemies Show Their True Colors

Filed under: Defense — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 1:15 pm

It’s not often that enemies as crafty as Pakistan’s will show their true colors, but recently we have seen several let down their guard and reveal their true purposes. When the fog begins to clear, we begin to see the traitors in our midst and the foreigners who are helping them to tear down Pakistan.

Fifty years ago, Maududi opposed Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and his struggle to secure the nation of Pakistan. Today, his anti-Pakistan legacy is continued by Jamaat-i-Islami leader Syed Munawwar Hasan. Today, The News reported a speech made by the JI Amir in which he claims that Taliban did not attack GHQ.

ISLAMABAD: The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Central Amir, Syed Munawwar Hasan, on Wednesday claimed that the Taliban had not attacked the GHQ rather India and the United States were behind the attack.

This is the stupidest of lies. There is no question of responsibility, as TTP has claimed responsibility for the attacks on GHQ. TTP has also claimed responsibility for the suicide attacks on ISI headquarters in Peshawar. TTP has not only claimed responsibility for these acts, but sworn to continue killing innocent Pakistanis:

Qari Hussain, cousin of the TTP head Hakimullah Mahsud and known as the trainer of suicide bombers, threatened further attacks against the security forces and law-enforcement agencies.

He said the suicide bombings and other attacks would be carried out and there would be no letup in this campaign.

Of course, there are some elements in Pakistan, like JI, that are working to sow confusion among the Pakistani people so that we will not be unified in our resistance to these TTP butchers.

An article in today’s Wall Street Journal confirms that attacks on Pakistan are being carried out by foreigners:

“We faced stiff resistance from the insurgents,” said Brig. Mohammed Shafiq, who led the assault. He said most of the defenders were Uzbeks and Arabs, a common refrain from Pakistani commanders who have repeatedly stressed al Qaeda’s role in South Waziristan.

Pakistani Brigadier Farrukh Jamal added more evidence that there is a conspiracy by foreigners, but they are not Americans!

“We have also intercepted communications confirming the presence of large number of Arabs in the area,” Brig. Jamal said.

Even though TTP claims responsibility for suicide bombings, even though Pakistani military has evidence that attacks are being carried out by Uzbek and Arab militant recruits – still these Jamaatis and their kind are misleading the people and saying it is some conspiracy by America!

According to a recent Gallup Pakistan poll, 59% of people surveyed across the country consider the US a threat.

The military does not see America as a threat, though, and the top military officers know that any coups will result in Pakistan’s military being cut off from vital supplies necessary for Pakistan’s defense. If this JI-TTP conspiracy succeeds, Pakistan will be defenseless.

The prospect of a military takeover — long an option in Pakistan — is overblown, say officials in both the government and the military. Kayani is indeed ambitious but he understands the consequences of a military takeover, particularly with regard to continued U.S. military aid, said one official.

Still, this has not stopped conspiracy gossip from growing on our TV and news. It is so bad that even retired Gen. Mirza Aslam Baig has said that CIA, Mosad, RAW and Afghan Intelligence Agency Rawa are involved in a conspiracy against Pakistan and imposed a war on Pakistan.

But we should come to expect such lies from a figure such as Baig. How can we forget that this is the man who partnered with Hamid Gul to praise Taliban in 2001? In fact, it is during Gen. Baig’s time as Chief of Army Staff that these militants were allowed to build their base from which they now murder our people. Perhaps Gen. Baig should remember that he will find no Mehran Bank in Jannah.

There is a war against Pakistan. This war is being waged by butchers of women and children, and these butchers go by the name of TTP. How do we know this? They are so brazen as to call Geo TV and admit it! Still, though, the supporters of these TTP butchers like Syed Munawwar Hasan and Mirza Aslam Baig continue to mislead the people of Pakistan. They are the psychological warfare operation of their true allies, the Taliban.

But these TTP butchers and their psychological warfare will not prevail. Insha’Allah the eyes of Pakistan’s people will be clear and we will see through their lies and their killings and Pakistan will emerge victorious! Pakistan Zindabad!

November 13, 2009

Quraishi's Coup: Who Is He Really Working For?

Filed under: Media — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 11:42 am

Ahmed Quriashi has graduated from conspiracy propagandist to seditionist, it seems. On his Facebook page, Quraishi has been posting semi-coherent rants calling for the military to overthrow the Pakistani government with force:

The American house of cards in Pakistan – Zardari, NRO, Malik-Haqqani and the famous Mush-BB deal – are all coming down. I urge Gen. Tariq Majeed and Gen. Kayani to ditch that deal and save the country from this US- and UK-imposed leadership. Not that the replacement is any better. But we’ll deal with that later. Get rid of CIA and MI6 agents in Islamabad first.

Ahmed Quraishi calls for coup in Pakistan

Ahmed Quraishi calls for coup in Pakistan

This is an explicit call for the violent overthrow of the Pakistani government, and an outright act of sedition by a member of the media. In fact, Mr. Media Taliban has taken this call for return to military dictatorship to the airwaves and tried, in a very clever way, to say that his plan is for the military to overthrow the democratically elected civilian government and replace it with…a civilian government. Presumably, this new government of Quraishi’s would be hand-picked by him.

In the course of his unhinged ranting, Media Taliban Ahmed Quraishi goes so far as to call Pakistan “a failure” and to suggest that we throw out the Constitution! Ahmed Quraishi cynically calls himself a “nationalist,” but he can never call himself a PATRIOT. No REAL Pakistani Patriot and Nationalist would so insult the legacy of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah!

“Pakistan’s parliamentary system is a failure for the past 60 years…”

Ahmed Quraishi insults Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Ahmed Quraishi insults Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Let’s take a close look at Quraishi’s call for a coup d’etat. This is a ridiculous and dangerous proposition from the start.

One, after suffering under military dictatorship for so long, does Quraishi really believe that the military would overthrow the government just to walk away from power? Of course, Ahmed Quraishi, the man who has never met a dictator he didn’t like, would probably be more than happy to another Musharraf back in power.

Ahmed Quraishi receiving an award from Gen. Pervez Musharraf

Ahmed Quraishi receiving an award from Gen. Pervez Musharraf

Two, let’s put aside for a moment the fantasy world in which Ahmed Quraishi lives and examine this idea in the real world. What would happen to Pakistan if the military overthrew the democratically elected government? For a hint, we can look at the recent situation in Honduras. Following the coup d’etat there, Honduras became a global pariah, completely isolated from the world and under a state of emergency and riots. Do we really think things would be better in Pakistan?

Three, building off points One and Two, we can clearly see that this proposal of Mr. Quraishi is a trap for the military. As we clearly demonstrated in our post about Quraishi’s colleague Shireen Mazari’s suggestion that the military cut ties with the Americans, isolating the military will cripple Pakistan’s ability to defend itself. There is no question about this. For an example, we can again look at the recent coup in Honduras. Following the military’s overthrow of the democratically elected government, the US suspended military aid to Honduras.

The United States said on Wednesday it had suspended $16.5 million in military aid to Honduras following last month’s coup, and ousted President Manuel Zelaya demanded his rivals hand power back to him in 24 hours.

For all his anti-American rhetoric, one question keeps coming to mind. Who does Ahmed Quraishi work for?

Ahmed Quraishi appears as a member of the American Association of Political Consultants. He is an expert propagandist, of that there is no doubt. So the question remains, who is Quraishi’s American client? Who is he really working for?

Ahmed Quraishi's member profile for the American Association of Political Consultants

Ahmed Quraishi's member profile for the American Association of Political Consultants

Certainly Quraishi is not working for the Americans. He is clearly trying to force a wedge between the American and and Pakistani military. So then who is supporting him and giving him his talking points? To discover the answer, we must look at what other clients could be registered in America. Perhaps the answer is that powerful and crafty lobby in the US – India?

It’s time for Ahmed Quraishi to come clean about who his real masters are. He should open up his financial records for review by an independent investigation. Jamaati Quraishi has every right to his point of view, but the people also have every right to know who is representing when makes seditious claims for a coup d’etat!

Ahmed Quraishi Media Taliban

Ahmed Quraishi Media Taliban

November 3, 2009

The heart desires more!

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , — admin @ 2:05 pm

Agha Haider Raza puts forward an argument articulating to look more towards the future rather than harping upon the past.

Looking at the past week, one can see how resilient Pakistanis have become.  Suffering numerous suicide bomb attacks and wide-spread military action, we are here yet again, still standing.  But how long can we sustain ourselves at this current rate of demolition? How many times will we resist smacking the hammer on our own foot? Nowadays we seem to have become the offspring of Glenn Beck and the Republican Party.  With a constant denial of the harsh reality and a love for misconstruing and fabricating baseless facts that just aim to maim the United States, we seem to be struggling.  And when we struggle, we play the role of a secluded, spoilt child.

Prior to 9/11, we perfected this character, but now the circumstances have changed. We can no longer do as we please without being held accountable for our actions.Pakistan has suffered.  Thousands of innocent lives have been lost at the hands of suicide bombs and ambush attacks.  Women have lost husbands, sons and brothers and it is despicable at the number of families that have suffered.  Much to the dismay of our right-wing journalists, I am not going to be making a presumed argument as to how India, Israel or even the United States are after Pakistan’s existence.  It’s just not happening, guys! I feel it would also be fruitless to engage in a history lecture as to who gave rise to the mujahedeen since various institutions in our country groomed them.  But by excluding so much, the foreign influence and historic aspect many would argue that I have no argument.  But for a split second, would it be possible to sit and analyze how we can carry ourselves into the future rather than dissecting the past?

Many times a day, we read in the newspapers and on the internet, the extent by which America has extended its influence within Pakistan.  From Blackwater to US diplomats wielding weapons and the constant chatter in regards to the Americans taking over our nuclear arsenal, we’ve heard it all.  I would like to take this opportunity and remind my avid readers that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons are not hidden in any underground garage that can be easily picked up by “US diplomat”.  I have more faith in my military that protects such weapons than those journalists and commentators who seem to believe otherwise.

The United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, came and went.  Although she was given a red-carpet upon landing, there were times where her reception was – well – jagged.  Criticism and resentment towards the United States is understandable.  Issues ranging from drone attacks (which is debatable!), alleged presence of US personnel and expansion of the US embassy are some of the concerns Pakistanis share.  But how much credit have we given Hillary Clinton for taking the initiative of reaching out across the political spectrum?  Firstly, she stayed for three days.  Both President Bush and President Clinton had to arrive in secrecy in Pakistan, and the statements they made seem more like a photo-op than anything substantive.  Upon meeting specific people, both Presidents took off and that was the end of their journey into Pakistan.

Secretary Clinton on the other hand, not only met those in office, but those outside of office as well.  She took a step further and held a town-hall debate with students and met various journalists while giving time to Pashtun elders as well.  But was this enough to please our right-wing journalists? Of course not! They had problems with the type of journalists she met, the transparency of the business leaders she conversed with and the lack of money she brought with her.  Did they even dare comment on the extent to which she tried to rectify the failure of previous administrations?  We only felt too proud, when a journalist claimed that we are fighting America’s war.  Proud because we assumed someone was able to stand up to the mighty Clinton.  Unfortunately, the moderator failed to realize that when a Pakistani is killed on a daily basis, it becomes the responsibility of our government and our military, thus our war.

I fail to understand how we keep asking for more aid money and assistance from around the globe, but at the same time are completely unwilling to be held accountable for the pennies we spend.  We lambasted the IMF for bailing us out of near bankruptcy.  No doubt the IMF places stringent conditions when offering loans, but is it safe to assume that if we had the money, we would not need to be borrowing? Pakistan’s tax-GDP ratio is a number that is so micro, I don’t think it would be visible here.  On the other hand we enjoy receiving other countries money, as long as we do not tell them, where and how it is being spent.  Frankly speaking, it is not fair to use aid money in this manner of secrecy, nor should we allow other countries to micromanage us, just because we have been given their aid money.  This mantra of dil maange aur (the heart desires more) needs to stop.  And can only stop if we are faithful to ourselves.  Although we tend to be very egotistical when it comes all other issues, but taking a kashkol (begging bowl) to other countries seems to make us forget all about our ego.

Pakistan is at its wits end.  We must take the reins of our future and grasp them tightly.  Rooting out militants from South Waziristan is only a step towards cleansing our country of this disgusting and twisted ideology that causes inhumane persons to blow themselves up and kill others.  Condemning the United States will not stop a child in Lahore from gathering a bogus understanding of Islam that will cause him to take the lives of others, nor will it rid us of the poverty in Karachi and unemployment issues in Peshawar.  To counter this we need a united front in order to stop the ethnic tensions rising between us.  This is where your role as a Pakistani citizen comes into play.  All our lives we learnt not to point fingers at others, and now when the going gets tough, we find it only to easy blaming others for our predicaments.  At the end of the day, we all know our destiny lies only in our hands; no other country has control over it.  Believe it!


October 29, 2009

The truth will set you free

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , — admin @ 10:10 am

Sana A urges Pakistanis to counter the spreading threat of extremism:

How many deaths will take it til they know that too many people have died?

Innocence lost, lives brutally snatched away. Weeping women, stunned men, dead children.

It becomes easy to lose count of the terrorist attacks when they happen in rapid-fire succession. It becomes easier still to keep from crying, as the deaths desensitize you time and time again.

But some things become harder.

It becomes harder to call extremists “Islamic” when they insist on killing students at segregated Islamic universities. It becomes harder for men like Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan to watch the families of the victims wail in agony, since their sympathies are only for terror suspects killed by American drones. It becomes harder still to box extremism in the far-flung regions of the country.

I see something in the images of terror’s after-math. Amidst blood-splattered rubble lies a complicated reality: extremism is not just in FATA and the NWFP. It is slowly seeping into the heartland of Pakistan and will continue this trend; it has already reared its ugly head in the capital city of Islamabad, and threatens the urban centers of Lahore and Karachi. The entire country is on its way to a culture of fear and paralysis.

Pakistanis must, absolutely must acknowledge this. When will the country realize that the problems and failings of Pakistan can never be pegged on conspiracy theories, involving any combination of Israel, America and India? The problems are home-grown, the failings are organic.

To save Pakistan, we must realize that extremism is breeding, at an alarming rate, throughout the nation. The threats are real, sickening in their unreasonable goals.

Just look at who they have killed.

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The dead are not enemies of Islam. They are teachers, police officers, aid workers, students, children too young to even understand why someone can hate. The victims are ordinary, hard-working Pakistanis, they lived with allegiance to their country’s flag and wanted a stable life. They are dead, and undoubtedly more will die. But the question is…how many more deaths will it take before Pakistanis fight back and save their nation?

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