Taliban enforce sharia in parts of Orakzai
By Saboor Khan
HANGU: Local Taliban announced to impose sharia and to ban cutting forest trees in several areas of Upper Orakzai Agency on Sunday, local sources said.
The sources said the announcements were made in sermons from mosques in Khangarpur, Ghundako, Kundi Mushti and Qaum Aakhel areas of Orakzai Agency, adding the local Taliban had also banned the cutting of forest trees in the agency.
The announcements directed the residents of the tribal region to contact local Taliban centres in Ghalju and Kundi Mushti to seek solutions to their disputes, adding all disputes would be decided in accordance with sharia.
The political authorities of Orakzai Agency could not be contacted for comments despite repeated attempts.
The sources said sharia had also been imposed in Ghalju, Ghundki, Nawakali Khangarpura, Amir Zai Kalay, Sultan Masay, Moorcha Ghari and Sahibzadagano Kalay areas.
During the past year, the drive for sharia law implementation surged in Federally Administered Tribal Area and several settled areas of NWFP. While there have been several reports of Taliban setting up sharia or Qazi courts in Swat and Mohmand, Bajaur and Orakzai agencies, the NWFP government was also compelled by the locals in Malakand to pass a bill to establish such courts there in October.
The sources say tribesmen are turning to such forums because they are frustrated with the colonial system of Frontier Crimes Regulations, under which cases are still pending after decades of deliberations. (Daily Times, 22 Dec 2008)
Tribal sharia and modern state
Local Taliban have announced the imposition of sharia in several areas of Upper Orakzai Agency. During the past year, the drive for sharia law implementation surged in the Tribal Areas and several settled areas of NWFP, with “informal” qazi courts coming up in Swat, Mohmand, Bajaur and Orakzai agencies. The NWFP government was also compelled by the locals in Malakand to pass a bill to establish such courts there in October this year. The reason given is “frustration with the colonial system of Frontier Crimes Regulations, under which cases are still pending after decades of deliberations”.
Clearly, the people want quick justice. But when they get rough and ready punishments for not keeping beards and for playing music they don’t like it either. That is where the difference in the thinking of the people and the “non-state actors” becomes clear. The modern state doesn’t legislate about piety because there is no way of measuring it, but it legislates against crime more effectively. A good man is the one who doesn’t commit crime. If he is pious that has nothing to do with the state. The Taliban regime in Afghanistan failed because it spent all its energies on enforcing pieties. (Daily Times, 23 Dec 2008)
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US WAR ECONOMY: WFT (WAR FOR TERROR) MOTIVES
by FM Shah
“There is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things.”
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI
US initial official motive of WAR FOR TERROR was bringing evil forces like Al-Qaeada and master minds of 9/11 to justice. This motive was later on changed to fight for democracy and liberty against dark forces of Taliban and extremism. USA critics have stated various motives of WAR FOR TERROR which vary from Iraq/Afghanistan occupation, sectarian/regional violence, oil monopoly, denuclearization of Pakistan, map redrawing of Pakistan and clash of civilization. However WAR FOR TERROR architects will try their best to conceal the real motives till final conclusion and achievements of their objectives. At the same time, Pakistan state and its establishment has tailored US official version WAR FOR TERROR for its own interests. These interests vary from economic aid, military hardware, legitimacy and opportunities for corruption loot/plunder, dealing with iron hand to any political, economic issues, crisis or rival.
US banks and financial markets during last century have been designed and structured around cycles of wars, chaos and violence across the globe away from US mainland. Starting with WW I (initiated by Non-state agents), each US recession/depression alternate with some war in some other part of the world away from US main land. USA during last century planned thoroughly and laid the necessary groundwork for the growth of the most powerful defense/aerospace industry worth trillion dollars. As a result if we sum up today technological might of US, it includes only Banking/Finance, IT and Defense/Aerospace Industry. In these industries US firms have monopoly and do not have ant parallel/equal competitor in whole world (including G8 countries). Each war, conflict or crisis creates direct consumption for US defense/aerospace industry. Each war/crisis is followed by construction and public work, which is mostly done by US firms/cartels. Examples are Europe (after WW II) and Iraq reconstruction recently. Each war, conflict and map redrawing has created new US dependant states. Examples are Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Saudi Arabia is depended on USA for last seven decades for all external and internal threats. Pakistan during its existence for last six decades is dependant on USA for military hardware and financial aid due to similar on going wars, crisis and breeding violence across its Western and Eastern borders. Wars, crisis and violence also create favorable and monopolistic business/trade conditions for most of US firms and MNCs. Similarly wars, violence and crisis also result flow of capital from whole globe to US main land, which has remained safe from any war, violence and crisis during last century. Whereas US has been remained direct/indirect sponsor and actor in each war, violence and crisis during last one century. Therefore wars act as agents for pulling US economy out of recession due to enhanced public spending, reconstruction work after war and preferential monopolies over trade/resource. Transparency international Bribe payers index 2002, ranks defence industry as the 2nd most corrupt business sector- just ahead of oil and gas sector but behind the public works and construction sectors. On domestic front, wars also divert attention from structural flaws in US economic/financial system. Unemployment and inflation in US reached record heights during great depression of 1930s. Great depression was followed by World War II (in 1940s). Similarly in economic recession, US embarked wars and adventures away from main land like Korean, Vietnam and Kuwait Wars. (For relationship between US economic depression and Wars, kindly refer to Fig 4.4 Page 73 & Fig 6.6 Page 116. The Economy Today-8th Edition by Professor Bradley Schiller).
Oil is traded in dollars and most of the Arab oil dollars are saved in US banks considered to be safe havens. WAR FOR TERROR resulted turmoil and chaos in Arab countries, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. This turmoil escalated oil and commodities prices exponentially during last several years. Hence WAR FOR TERROR was indispensable and crucial bailout package for US Banks and Financial Markets. As an example Pakistan oil import bill was US $ 2 Billion in 2000 whereas in 2007 Pakistan oil import bill shoot upto US $ 12 Billion. So in this way additional US $ 10 Billion were diverted to US Banks and financial markets through Arabs from Pakistan economy. Just consider oil import for whole world and billions/trillions US $ directed from the whole globe toward US banks due to escalating oil prices. Without WAR FOR TERROR and oil price escalation US Banks and Financial Markets would have been failed much earlier than 2008. Moreover required bailout package would have been much greater than US $ 700 Billion. Recent decline in oil prices after US bank bailout package also give an idea about structural flaw in US banking/financial markets and its dependency on oil dollars. At domestic front, fear environment of WAR FOR TERROR also made US $ 700 billion unobjectionable to US Taxpayers. Similarly after Arab-Isreal 1973 and Kuwait War oil prices escalated, which helped US banking systems and financial markets. WAR FOR TERROR regional turmoil had also resulted drag on US rival economies of China, Russia, India, Arab and Iran. These countries are almost half of the globe. As US economy was unable to remain competitive and correct its own structural gaps. Therefore WAR FOR TERROR was initiated for restricting and limiting US rival economies growth. Hence the basic motivation of WAR FOR TERROR is chaos and anarchy in the whole globe through Islam and Muslim regions which are safest, vulnerable and easiest targets for US. Other various factors ranging from Al-Qaeada, Taliban, extremism, violence, oil monopoly, denuclearization of Pakistan, map redrawing of Pakistan and civilization clash are not root causes of WAR FOR TERROR rather these all are natural outcome/effects of the WAR FOR TERROR. Therefore these are secondary in nature and mostly misleading. As an example if there is car accident due to brake failure. After accident wind screen, complete body and wheel steering system are damaged. Now in this case wheel steering system is not the root cause rather it is affect of the occurrence.
Pakistan political, defense decision makers’ and military commanders committed suicide by joining US WAR FOR TERROR for saving Pakistan from direct US confrontation and carpet bombing. PPP political leadership in Islamabad is claiming that during last seven years, WAR FOR TERROR has become Pakistan war for state survival. These claims, doubts, fears, conspiracies and assertions have been debated at multiple levels in Media, parliament and mass level. Various explanations, justifications, motives and reasons are presented for WAR FOR TERROR. Disinformation/disorientation campaigns for local/international establishment agenda has increased exponentially during recent times. Such disinformation/disorientation campaigns are paid, sponsored and engineered by local/international establishment for creating justification of ethnic cleansing of Tribal Pathans on one hand by Army and other side by US Drones. Pakistani press/electronic media like establishment considers/present themselves as CHAMPIONS OF TRUTH, DEMOCRASY, and JUSTICE. Various anchors pretend asking tough/hard questions and saving Pakistan from Western/India. However media at best are manipulating and comprising the truth by showing half picture of crisis. Most of the time media avoid context and conceal motives of the ongoing crisis and chaos in Pakistan. Media can never tip-toe out of the false perception minefield that they have allowed themselves to be lured into by the CIA, Pakistani ruling establishment and architects of WAR FOR TERROR. TV Anchors most of the times are bounded by policy, life threats, job fears, temptations, easy going attitude, incompetence and lack of quality research on social science. Any TV channel prime motivation is money, revenue, coverage, ads and sponsors not truth. As an example, Media have never been able to ask simple questions about worst case scenario if Pakistan is invaded by US just like Iraq/Afghanistan. Are there any war plans for such worst case scenario? Will Pakistanis suffer same fate of Abu Gharaib and Bagram Jail? Avoiding confrontation with US is understood, however it does not exempt Pakistan State and Armed Forces from preparing War Plans for emerging war threat similar to Iraq/Afghan. In 1990s, none in whole Islamic world could imagine about possible US occupation of Afghanistan. However it is almost impossible to fight two wars simultaneously, thousands miles away from mainland, without military and strategic planning spanning over decades. One of best known example is 1967 Arab-Israel War. Israel Air Forces were practicing offensive air operation against Arab since 1957 for almost 12 years. Whereas Arab Media and their puppet leadership were sleeping like prostitutes.
Now question arise will dramas similar to so called terrorism 9/11 and weapon of mass destruction be staged for invading other countries. Will US invade Pakistan or sponsor civil war in Pakistan. Has India committed suicidal mistake like Pakistan (in September 2001) by joining WAR FOR TERROR for settling scores against Pakistan? Will India be able to pull out itself toward safe/straight policy of Iran or Turkey by not sponsoring civil war along its 1800 KMs long border alongwith Pakistan? These are hard and tough question. It is not possible to precisely answers in white and black. Nonetheless temporary failures/setbacks in Afghanistan or Iraq may only delay US aggressive plans against Pakistan. Pakistan and whole regional actors overall interests should provide the framework for rethinking about evolving philosophy of war and changing enemy/threat perception. Pakistan should prevent conflict/war with US or India as a strategic priority since this would allow concentrating more on socio-economic development.
If you know the enemy and know your self, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself you will succumb in every battle. SUN TZU
Pakistan war plans, threat perception, security policy and defense doctrine have been revolving around India as traditional enemy during last fifty years. It was based on two pronged policy of conventional military buildup and nuclear deterrence. However past fifty years Pakistan conventional threat perception is incompatible with evolving war philosophy and battle planning after 9/11. Iraq and Afghanistan have totally changed war initiation patterns and rules of engagements between various states and non-state actors. Therefore in short term, Pakistan as deterrence should adopt a simple war strategy of Guerilla Warfare for responding to any US design for expanding WAR FOR TERROR into Pakistan. Pakistan have to revamp all its war games/plans accordingly. In long term Pakistan has to gear up its defense policies and boost air power as future wars initiated by hypothetical non state actors will be exclusively between asymmetrical adversaries. This fear of facing US will not only boost our national integrity but in long term it will also add new dimensions and life to our defense industry in private sector and self indigenization. Perception of strong enemy means strong commitments for nation survival and history is full of example where nations excelled only due to fear of some strong enemies just. Further it will send a new form of message to super powers and their policy makers while planning invasion on Pakistan. It will delay any possible aggressive plans against Pakistan. Germans after humiliating defeat and strict restrictions on Defence/Aviation industry as result of WWW I were able to raise quite effective/capable Defence/air power during WWW II supported by its aviation industry based in private sector within short span of 5 to 7 years only. The same engineering and technological base is still helping German industries, which are best in the world. By capturing of only 2 % of world aircraft/Defence market, Pakistan will have foreign exchange worth billions, create thousands jobs and make us self reliant in Arms Power capabilities. After capturing 2 % of the Defence world market, we will not need IMF, World Bank or conquering music, dance and film industry.
The purpose of the article was to discuss the WAR FOR TERROR and options for Pakistan Defence. This discussion is important, most critical, to the future of Pakistan and whole region. It should be reiterated that this is not intended to be a stand-alone study. Rather, these comments and suggestions are meant as a contribution to the continuous work of a doctrine and in particular to respond to evolving philosophy of war and new threat perspective for Pakistan and whole region in terms of economy and security. As such, while the article seeks to highlight issues that were considered to be of the most importance, there is no pretence towards comprehensiveness or detail. However, while it is not possible to get into the nitty gritty of every particular suggestion, attempt were made to define options and solutions at level of detail that underscores the practicality of the suggestion. However, it should be stressed that most important element are the broad directional changes recommended in the article.
In peace prepare for war, in war prepare for peace. The art of war is of vital importance to the state. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence under no circumstances can it be neglected. SUN TZU
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