At least 11 per cent of Pakistan's landmass has been ceded to the Taliban. Where is the Pakistan army? Questions Dr. Farrukh Saleem

Where is the Pakistan army?

By Dr. Farrukh Saleem

Five thousand square kilometres of Swat are now under Taliban control -- de jure. Chitral (14,850 sq km), Dir (5,280 sq km), Shangla (1,586 sq km), Hangu (1,097 sq km), Lakki Marwat (3,164 sq km), Bannu (1,227 sq km), Tank (1,679 sq km), Khyber, Kurram, Bajaur, Mohmand, Orkzai, North Waziristan and South Waziristan are all under Taliban control -- de facto.

That's a total of 56,103 square kilometres of Pakistan under Taliban control -- de facto.Six thousand square kilometres of Dera Ismail Khan are being contested. Also under 'contested control' are Karak (3,372 sq km), Kohat (2,545 sq km), Peshawar (2,257 sq km), Charsada (996 sq km) and Mardan (1,632 sq km). That's a total of 16,802 square kilometres of Pakistan under 'contested control' -- de facto. Seven thousand five hundred square kilometres of Kohistan are under 'Taliban influence'. Additionally, Mansehra (4,579 sq km), Battagram (1,301 sq km), Swabi (1,543 sq km) and Nowshera (1,748 sq km) are all under 'Taliban influence'. That's a total of 16,663 square kilometres of Pakistan under 'Taliban influence' -- de facto. All put together, 89,568 square kilometres of Pakistani territory is either under complete 'Taliban control', 'contested control' or 'Taliban influenced'; that's 11 per cent of Pakistan's landmass.

Where is Pakistan army? To be fair, under our constitution law enforcement -- and establishing the writ of the state -- is the responsibility of our civil administration. Yes, under Article 245, the federal government can call in the army "in aid of civil power" but the overall strategy has to be devised by our politicians. Counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency are very specialised operations. Textbook counter-insurgency has three elements: Clear-Hold-Build (C-H-B). The army may be required to 'clear' insurgents from a particular area but every army operation creates a vacuum that has to be filled by a civil-political administration. After the 'clearing' of insurgents it has to be the politicians to 'hold' that area and then fulfil the social contract -- dispensation of justice, municipal services etc -- between the ruled and the rulers (classic counter-insurgency is DDD, disrupt, dismantle and defeat).

At least 11 per cent of Pakistan's landmass has been ceded to the Taliban. Where is the Pakistan army? I Corps is in Mangla, II Corps is in Multan, IV Corps in Lahore, V Corps in Karachi, X Corps in Rawalpindi, XI Corps in Peshawar, XII Corps in Quetta, XXX Corps in Gujranwala and XXXI is in Bahawalpur, In effect, some 80 to 90 per cent of our military assets are deployed to counter the threat from India. The Pakistan army looks at the Indian army and sees its inventory of 6,384 tanks as a threat. The Pakistan army looks at the Indian air force and sees its inventory of 672 combat aircraft as a threat. The Pakistan army looks at the Indian army and notices that six out of 13 Indian corps are strike corps. The Pakistan army looks at the Indian army and finds that 15, 9, 16, 14, 11, 10 and 2 Corps are all pointing their guns at Pakistan. The Pakistan army looks at the Indian army and discovers that the 3rd Armoured Division, 4 RAPID Division and 2nd Armoured Brigade have been deployed to cut Pakistan into two halves. The Pakistan army looks at the Taliban and sees no Arjun Main Battle Tanks (MBT), no armoured fighting vehicles, no 155 mm Bofors howitzers, no Akash surface-to-air missiles, no BrahMos land attack cruise missiles, no Agni Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles, no Sukhoi Su-30 MKI air superiority strike fighters, no Jaguar attack aircraft, no MiG-27 ground-attack aircraft, no Shakti thermonuclear devices, no Shakti-II 12 kiloton fission devices and no heavy artillery.

Pakistan is on fire and our fire-fighters are on the Pakistan-India border. To be certain, none of those Indian tanks can cross the Himalayas into China so Arjun MBTs must all be for Pakistan. Thus, the Pakistan-India border has to be defended. Then, what about this hyperactive insurgency that is snatching away Pakistani physical terrain -- bit by bit? There certainly is no easy way out. America wants the Pakistan army to neutralise threats to the mainland US. The Pakistan army, on the other hand, has to defend the Pakistan-India border. The need of the hour, therefore, is for all organs of the Pakistani state -- the executive, the legislature, the judiciary and the military -- to put their heads together and devise a National Counter-Insurgency Policy.

Source: The News International

Source: Daily Express

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Malakand Commissioner AKA "Commissioner Taliban" has been transfered !

فضل کریم خٹک نئے مالاکنڈ کمشنر مقرر
عبدالحئی کاکڑ

صوبہ سرحد کی حکومت نے طالبان کے مبینہ حامی ہونے کے الزامات کی زد میں رہنے والے مالاکنڈ ڈویژن کے کمشنر سید محمد

جاوید کے تبادلے کا باقاعدہ نوٹیفیکیشن جاری کردیا ہے اور ان کی جگہ فضل کریم خٹک کو نیا کمشنر مقرر کیا گیا ہے۔
صوبائی حکومت کی جانب سے جاری ہونے والے نوٹیفیکیشن میں ان کے تبادلے کی وجہ نہیں بتائی گئی ہے۔ انہیں سرکار بکار خاص بنادیا گیا ہے۔
اس سال سولہ فروی کو ہونے والے امن معاہدے کے بعد صوبائی حکومت نے فضل کریم خٹک کو ہٹا کر سید محمد جاوید کو مالاکنڈ ڈویژن کا نیا کمشنر مقرر کیا تھا۔
کمشنر مقرر ہونے کے بعد طالبان ترجمان مسلم خان نے بی بی سی سے بات کرتے ہوئے ان کی تعیناتی کا خیر مقدم کیا تھا۔ سید محمد جاوید پر سول سوسائٹی الزامات لگاتی رہی کہ وہ طالبان حامی ہیں اور مبینہ طور پر ان کی مدد کررہے ہیں۔ تاہم صوبائی حکومت اور انہوں نے خود ان الزامات کی تردید کی تھی۔
ذرائع کے مطابق سید محمد جاوید کا طالبان اور کالعدم نفاذ شریعت محمدی میں زیادہ اثر و رسوخ تھا اور انہیں بڑی قدر کی نگاہ سے دیکھا جاتا تھا۔ ان کے تبادلے کے بارے میں مسلم خان کا کہنا ہے کہ انہوں نے طالبان اور حکومت کے درمیان بڑے اچھے روابط قائم کیے تھے۔ ان کے بقول وہ بیک وقت بحیثیتِ سرکاری ملازم اپنی ذمہ داری احسن طریقے سے نبھاتے رہے اور دوسری طرف ’دین کی خدمت‘ بھی کرتے رہے۔
یاد رہے کہ سوات میں اکتوبر دو ہزار سات میں جب باقاعدہ آپریشن شروع کیا گیا تھا اس وقت سید محمد جاوید سوات کے ضلعی رابط آفسر تھے جنہیں فوجی کارروائی کے آغاز کے ساتھ ہی تبدیل کردیا تھا۔

’طالبان کا پیارا، حکومت کو گوارا‘
عبدالحئی کاکڑ

وضع قطع سے مذہبی معلوم ہونے والے سید محمد جاوید اس وقت ملاکنڈ ڈویژن کی سب سے جانی پہچانی شخصیت ہیں۔ طالبان انہیں ’راسیخ العقیدہ مسلمان‘ اور طالبان کے مخالفین انہیں ’کمشنر طالبان‘ یا ’کمشنر فضل اللہ‘ کے نام سے یاد کرتے ہیں۔
سوات امن معاہدے کے بعد صوبائی حکومت نے سید محمد جاوید کو ملاکنڈ ڈویژن کا کمشنر مقرر کر کے انہیں طالبان کی صفوں تک رسائی حاصل کرنے کے لیے بطور ’پُل‘ استعمال کیا لیکن اب ان کے تبادلےکے بعد خیال کیا جا رہا ہے کہ حکومت نے اس ’پل‘ کو توڑ دیا ہے۔
ضلع مردان کے شیرگڑہ کےگاؤں شمعون میں ایک دینی عالم کے گھر میں پیدا ہونے والے سید محمد جاوید زمانہ طالبعلمی میں اسلامی جمیعت طلبہ کے فعال رکن تھے۔ شمعون گاؤں ان کے والد کے نام سے منسوب ہے۔ انہوں نے اسی کی دہائی میں ’سی ایس ایس‘ ایسے وقت کیا جب جنرل ضیاءالحق اسلامائزیشن کے ایجنڈے کے تحت قومی اداروں میں مذہبی سوچ رکھنے والوں کو بھرتی کرنے کو ترجیح دے رہے تھے۔

ذرائع کا کہنا ہے کہ سید محمد جاوید کو ان بیورو کریٹس میں سے شمار کیا جاتا ہے جنہوں نے نوے کی دہائی میں مولانا صوفی محمد کی کالعدم نفاذ شریعت محمدی کی تشکیل میں اہم کردار ادا کیا تھا۔ لیکن انہیں اس وقت شہرت ملی جب سنہ دوہزار چھ میں تحریکِ طالبان سوات کے سربراہ مولانا فضل اللہ اپنے سخت گیر خیالات کے ساتھ ایک عسکری قوت کے طور پر ابھر رہے تھے۔
سید محمد جاوید سوات کے ضلعی رابطہ افسر کے طور پر مولانا فضل اللہ کے ساتھ ملاقاتوں کے لیے ان کے مرکز امام ڈھیرئی جایا کرتے تھے۔انہوں نے بالآخر ایک ’معاہدے کے تحت مولانا فضل اللہ کو غیر قانونی ایف ایم چینل چلانے کی بھی اجازت دیدی‘۔
جنرل ریٹائرڈ پرویز مشرف کی حکومت نے مولانا فضل اللہ کو شرپسند اور ملک دشمن قرار دیا تھا مگر اس دوران سوات کے ضلعی رابطہ افسر کے طور پر ریاست کی نمائندگی کرنے والے سید جاوید اور مولانا فضل اللہ کے درمیان امام اور مقتدی کا رشتہ قائم ہوگیا تھا۔ وہ خود کہتے ہیں کہ ’کبھی وہ اور کبھی مولانا فضل اللہ نماز کی امامت کیا کرتے تھے‘۔
دونوں کے تعلقات اتنے گہرے ہوگئے تھے کہ صوبہ سرحد کے بیوروکریٹ نجی محفل میں کہا کرتے تھے کہ ’سید محمد جاوید رات کو طالب اور دن کو ضلعی رابطہ افسر ہوتے ہیں‘۔ایک دفعہ جب میں نے یہ بات ان کے گوش گزار کی تو انہوں نے ہنس کے جواب دیا کہ ’لوگ کہتے رہیں میں کیا کرسکتا ہوں‘۔
لیکن ان کے درمیان قائم ہونے والے تعلقات کی یہ کہانی اس وقت کے صدر جنرل پرویز مشرف کے کانوں تک بھی پہنچ گئی تھی اور ایک دفعہ وہ ایک وفد کے ہمراہ جب پرویز مشرف سے ملنے گئے تو بقول ایک افسر کے مصافحہ کے وقت انہوں نے اپنا تعارف کراتے وقت کہا، سید محمد جاوید تو پرویز مشروف نے ہنس کرکہا ’اوہ یہ تو طالبان کے ساتھی ہیں‘۔
جب اکتوبر دوہزار سات میں حکومت نے سوات میں باقاعدہ فوجی کارروائی کا آغاز کیا تو ذرائع کے مطابق انہیں آپریشن کے دوران مبینہ رکاوٹ سمجھتے ہوئے حکومت نے بطور ڈی سی سوات سے ان کا تبادلہ کر دیا۔

سید محمد جاوید سوات میں خدمات سرانجام دینے والے وہ واحد افسر ہیں جن کی بطورِ کمشنر مالاکنڈ ڈویژن دوبارہ تقرری کا طالبان ترجمان مسلم خان نے بھی خیر مقدم کیا۔ عینی شاہدین کے بقول گزشتہ دوماہ کے دوران ان کا دفتر طالبان اور نفاذ شریعت محمدی کے رہنماؤں کا مرکز بن گیا تھا اور وہ جہاں کہیں بھی جاتے پولیس کی بجائے طالبان کمانڈر محمود خان ان کی حفاظت کے لیے ہمرا ہوتے تھے۔
طالبان اور سید محمد جاوید کے درمیان بڑھتے ہوئے تعلقات نے وہاں پر موجود افسران کو بھی پریشانی میں مبتلا کردیا تھا۔ سوات کےسابق پولیس سربراہ نے سید محمد جاوید کے خلاف صوبائی حکومت کو باقاعدہ ایک مکتوب بھی لکھا۔
ذرائع کے مطابق مکتوب میں پولیس سربراہ نے الزام لگایا ’ کہ سید محمد جاوید کی رہائش گاہ ریاست مخالف سرگرمیوں کا گڑھ بن چکی ہے‘۔ مکتوب میں مزید کہا گیا کہ ’ کمشنر سید محمد جاوید پولیس اور عدلیہ کو طالبان کے سامنے سرینڈر کرنے کی کوشش کررہے ہیں اور بے شک ان کی ان کوششوں سے امن قائم تو ہوجائے گا لیکن یہ حکومت کی نہیں بلکہ طالبان کی عملداری قائم ہونے کی قیمت پر‘۔
ذرائع کے مطابق صوبائی حکومت نے پولیس سربراہ کو جواباً کہا کہ ’آپ کمشنر کے ماتحت ہیں لہٰذا یہ کیسے ممکن ہے کہ آپ ان کے خلاف اعلٰی حکام کو سرکاری طور پر خطوط لکھتے رہیں‘۔ بعد میں پولیس سربراہ کا سوات سے تبادلہ کردیاگیا۔

سرکاری ذرائع کے مطابق بونیر میں کمشنر کے کردار اور طالبان کی طاقت میں کمی کے بجائے دن بدن اضافے کے نتیجے میں حکومت کو ان کے تبادلے کا فیصلہ کرنا پڑا۔ ان پر الزام تھا کہ بونیر میں طالبان کے داخلے کے وقت انہوں نے مقامی پولیس اہلکاروں کو کارروائی نہ کرنے کی ہدایت کی جبکہ عمائدین کو مذاکرات میں الجھا کر طالبان کو مزید کمک پہنچنے کا موقع فراہم کیا۔ تاہم سید محمد جاوید نے ہمیشہ اس الزام کو رد کیا ہے۔
سید محمد جاوید کے قریبی حلقوں کا کہنا ہے کہ ان کی اب بھی جماعت اسلامی کے ساتھ گہری وابستگی ہے اور ہر اتوار کو شیرگڑھ میں ان کے حجرے پر درسِ قرآن کا انعقاد ہوتا ہے اور اس موقع پر لنگر بھی تقسیم کیا جاتا ہے۔
ان کے بقول وہ اسلامی نظام کے نفاذ کے لیے سیاسی اور ارتقائی عمل پر نہیں بلکہ انقلابی تبدیلی پر یقین رکھتے ہیں۔ وہ حتی المقدور کوشش کرتے ہیں کہ ان کی تصویر نہ لی جائے اور ٹیلی ویژن دیکھنے سے بھی احتراز کرتے ہیں۔ تاہم پاکستان میں میڈیا کی یلغار نے انہیں تصویر اور فوٹیج بنوانے پر مجبور کردیا۔
ذرائع کے مطابق کمشنر تعینات ہونے کے بعد انہوں نے کمشنر ہاؤس سے ٹیلی ویژن کو ہٹادیا تاہم مذاکرات کے لیے جانے والے صوبائی وزراء کے حکم پر ٹیلی ویژن کمشنر ہاؤس میں واپس رکھ دیا گیا۔
جب وہ سوات کے ضلعی رابط افسر تھے تو ان دنوں جب طالبان نے سی ڈی فلمیں فروخت کرنے والے دکانوں کو نشانہ بنانے کا سلسلہ شروع کیا تو ایک ملاقات کے دوران سید محمد جاوید نے دکانداروں سے کہا کہ ’آپ لوگ بھی دوکانوں کو بند کردو اور اس غیر شرعی کاروبار کو چھوڑ دو‘۔

Source: BBC Urdu

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At last Tableeghi Jamaat denounce Talibani Shariat !

Tableeghi Jamaat leaders denounce gunpoint Sharia

ISLAMABAD: In an unprecedented move, top leaders of the Tableeghi Jamaat have denounced enforcement of Sharia at gunpoint, religious extremism, militancy and terrorism.
Leaders of the Jamaat, who scrupulously avoid speaking on controversial issues, also called for promoting inter-faith harmony, tolerance, human rights, social justice and peace.
They were speaking at the conclusion of a three-day congregation near here on Monday. ‘Shariah cannot be enforced at gunpoint,’ declared Haji Abdul Wahab, Amir of the Tableeghi Jamaat, Pakistan.
Had that been the case, Allah Almighty would have sent fierce angels to protect prophets and enforce their faiths, he said.
The 90-year-old scholar, who left his job as sessions judge in pre-partition India and joined the Jamaat, cited the example of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), said the Holy Prophet never used force. Instead he spread the word of God only by peaceful means.
Haji Abdul Wahab also condemned extremism and militancy in the name of Islam, apparently a reference to the growing trend of Talibanisation and enforcement of Shria in Swat and other areas in the NWFP.
The congregation of tens of thousands of people was also addressed by Maulana Jamshaid, Maulana Mohammad Ahmed and Mualana Fahim.
‘Muslims should preach peace, brotherhood and tolerance across the world, including Israel. They must avoid imposing their creed or faith by force because Islam is a religion of peace and promotes tranquillity,’ another scholar told the mammoth gathering.
Maulana Mohammad Ahmed, a former educationist, said that Muslims should inspire adherents of other religions by their good moral and social behaviour. People who thought that Shariah could be imposed by force were simpletons, he said. ‘We should reach out to all human beings and guide them out of darkness. Before the advent of Islam, people were so inflexible that they used to bury their daughters without remorse. (But they changed.) Remember …human beings are above other creations of God,’ said Maulana Ahmed, the custodian of the largest seminary of the Tableeghi school of thought in Raiwind near Lahore.
The main message of the gathering was that Islam could not be confined to Pakistan or any other geographical area and there was a need to spread the religion of peace in every corner of the world.
People from across the country who had converged there pledged that they would continue the mission of spreading Islam across the world.

Source: Dawn, Jang

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Talibans start making their presence felt in Karachi !

Co-edu institutions in city receiving threats from Taliban?

KARACHI: Panic has spread in the city’s co-education institutions after receiving threats, believed to be from the Taliban, in which they have been warned to close down or face the consequences, Daily Times learnt on Monday.
Various educational institutions including schools, colleges and universities have received threatening letters and phone calls by the Taliban. A source privy to the matter revealed that mostly schools having affiliation with the Cambridge Board where male and female students are studying together without any discrimination have received threatening phone calls and also letters posted by the militants.
The source further pointed out that the sender of the threat posed themselves, either on the phone or in the letter, as the Taliban while demanding the end of the co-education system or prepare for an attack.
It was also learnt that the vice chancellor of the largest university of the city had also received phone calls by intelligence agencies inquiring about the possible threat of the Taliban. The source revealed that the agencies suggested to the VC of the universityto make the veil (burqa) compulsory for all girl students as a precautionary measure.
It is pertinent to mention here that a number of schools have also received fake phone calls of there being a bomb on the school premises.
The source further pointed out that the British Council Pakistan delayed the schedule of the O and A level exams because of the possible threat of terrorism. There are 22 centres that will be announced to host the examinations by the British Council Pakistan, however, the announcement of the centres was delayed and it has been decided by the authorities concerned that the schedule of the examination centres will be disclosed late because of minimum risk.

Source: Daily Times ---- 28th April, 09
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USA TODAY: Momentum builds against Taliban in Pakistan

By Paul Wiseman and Zafar M. Sheikh

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A public backlash is building against the Pakistani Taliban, who looked triumphant after gaining control of the northern Swat region last week.
Since Pakistan's parliament approved a peace deal turning Swat over to militants on April 13, their leader Sufi Muhammad has moved forces into a neighboring district, rejected the legitimacy of the country's elected leaders, vowed to spread Islamic law across the country, and offered sanctuary to Osama bin Laden and other foreign terrorists.
These moves have turned hopes for peace in a strife-torn area into fears that the entire country will fall into the hands of militants, said Shoaib Bhutta, a journalist and confidant of Pakistan's president."If there is no peace, the government will use force," Rehman Malik, head of the Interior Ministry, told parliament Wednesday.
Even conservative politicians appear to be distancing themselves from the Swat militants. Sayed Munawar Hasan, new head of the religious Jamaat Islamic party, ridiculed Muhammad for labeling as "infidel" anyone who participates in democratic elections, noting that the militant leader had run — and won — in local elections a few years ago.
"Does this mean he is some sort of infidel?" Hasan said. "Whatever Sufi Muhammad said is not serious. He should not make these statements. He should consult mainstream clerics in the country."
In Washington on Wednesday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said "the Pakistani government is basically abdicating to the Taliban and the extremists."
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, whose followers include religious conservatives, told USA TODAY this week that he had misgivings about the peace agreement and was worried the militants would try to expand control beyond Swat.
Over the past year, Pakistan's army proved unable to prevent Swat militants — led in combat by Muhammad's son-in-law Mullah Fazalullah — from terrorizing the district by executing local politicians, burning schools and publicly flogging anyone who violated their harsh version of Islam by trimming their beards or wearing their pants too long.
The secular Awami National Party, which governs the province that includes Swat, negotiated a peace deal with Muhammad's militants after seeing its ranks decimated by assassinations. The national parliament approved the deal last week.
But the deal — and Sufi Muhammad's audacious comments rejecting democracy and calling for imposing Islamic law nationwide — have drawn heavy criticism.
"He is denying the legitimacy of higher courts and the political system," said Murtaza Mughal, head of the Pakistan Economy Watch think tank. "It's not the proper attitude."
"They have a misunderstanding that the government has surrendered," Bhutta said. "But the government wanted to show the people and supporters of the militants what kind of people they are. Now all those who were in favor of the militants and of the agreement are turning against them and are unified on one issue: supporting this evil, which is eating our own people, would be a sin. If there is war, the public will support the government to crush the militants by force."

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Wall Street Journal: Taliban Move Closer to Islamabad !

By ZAHID HUSSAIN

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's Taliban seized control of another district in the country's northwest just 70 miles from the capital after consolidating their hold on the Swat Valley, according to local government officials and residents.
The latest Taliban advance into the Buner district has spurred fears that a controversial peace accord, which allows the militants to enforce sharia law in Swat, has emboldened them to expand their influence.
Militants have been moving into Buner since the Swat peace deal was signed with the government in February. But starting Tuesday night they seized control of the entire district, which has a population of more than one million people, local government officials and residents said. Heavily armed militants, streaming in from neighboring Swat, occupied government offices and set up their own checkposts. Terrified residents fled their homes.
Dozens of hooded fighters carrying rocket launchers and machine guns ransacked the offices of international aid and development agencies working in the district and took away their vehicles. Some employees of the agencies were also briefly taken hostage. The militants set up their headquarters in the town of Buner after driving out government officials.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday the Taliban advance poses "an existential threat" to Pakistan and urged Pakistanis world-wide to oppose a government policy yielding to them. Pakistanis "need to speak out forcefully against a policy that is ceding more and more territory to the insurgents," Mrs. Clinton said in testimony before a House committee.The Taliban have banned music and television and stopped women from entering a popular shrine of a Muslim saint. They are also using mosques to invite local youth to join them.
A Taliban commander said Islamic sharia courts would soon be established in the Buner district as they have already been in Swat. Mohammad Khalil said the main objective was to end the "sense of deprivation" among locals and provide speedy justice to the people.
Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the information minister for North West Frontier Province, warned that the militants' activities in Buner were in violation of the Swat peace accord. "After the agreement, there is no justification to take up arms," Mr. Hussain said in a statement Wednesday. He denied, however, that the Taliban have total control over the area.
Rehman Malik, the federal home minister, said the government has the option of using force if the Taliban don't withdraw from Buner. A senior military official said a military operation couldn't be ruled out to stop the Taliban advance. Analysts said the fall of Buner to the Taliban comes as a blow to the government's efforts to contain Islamic militancy, which threatens Pakistan's overall security. The people of the area had previously rebuffed Taliban raids, but lack of support from the security forces broke their resistance.
The development came after Sufi Mohammed, a radical cleric who played a central role in signing the peace accord, called on his followers to continue their struggle for the enforcement of Islamic rule in the entire North West Frontier Province. "The Western democracy is infidels and should be rejected by Muslims," he said.
U.S. officials have warned the Swat peace deal could turn Swat into a launching pad for militant expansion into Pakistan's more densely populated plains. The militants have made it clear they wouldn't lay down their weapons, which is a crucial plank of the peace accord.—Jay Solomon in Washington contributed to this article.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124041153700943789.html

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Sufi Mohammad doesn't speak for himself ----- He speaks for thousands of barbarians who don't respect the law !

Some Examples of Talibani Justice !

Teenaged girl being flogged in Swat.

Talibans flogging a man in Swat.

Some Examples of Talibani Justice in Afghanistan !

Sufi’s world ----- Editorial Dawn ---- 22nd April, 09

THE uproar is understandable but should it really come as a surprise that Sufi Mohammad and his band of barbarians are opposed to all that we hold dear? Of course not. The position held by people who kill those who don’t subscribe to their point of view is diametrically opposed to that of all right-thinking persons.

From day one, the stance of these militants who murder in the name of religion has been all too clear. These people are savages, yet we don’t put them behind bars. Why? If we don’t have the wherewithal to take them on, we should admit as much and stop making ludicrous claims that the enemy will be defeated in due course.

Striking ‘deals’ with an enemy that is simply buying time won’t help either. Talibanisation is not just a threat, it is the reality today. Face it.Sufi Mohammad’s organisation, which is sympathetic to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, is interested less in matters of faith and more so in power in Pakistan. It is now clear that the Taliban will not stop until they have their way. And this is their prescription for Pakistan: a nation, armed with nuclear weapons, jerked back to a mediaeval age. A country where men without beards are flogged, and women killed if they choose to express themselves. That is where we are headed.

And one is wrong if one thinks this can’t happen in Pakistan. It can and it will unless we strike a decisive blow for the silent majority.We must resist this onslaught. Should we be surprised when Sufi Mohammad says that that the high courts and the Supreme Court are un-Islamic? Certainly not. Are we to register shock when he says that democracy is un-Islamic? Of course not. He is merely articulating what he and his followers have thought from day one.

Sufi Mohammad’s Tehrik-i-Nifaz-i-Shariat Mohammadi, the Pakistani Taliban and Al Qaeda are all committed to overthrowing the State of Pakistan. How many times do we have to say this? Their interest is not limited to enforcing — at gunpoint — Sharia law in Swat and the rest of Malakand. They want to take over all of Pakistan and subject each and every citizen to their brand of ‘justice’.

This government is ceding them territory and emboldening them to an extent where they will be able to dictate terms without fear. Fazlur Rehman of the JUI may say that Sufi Mohammad, a terrorist Mr Rehman supports despite being a member of parliament, speaks for himself. No, you are wrong Mr Rehman. He speaks for thousands of extremists who have no respect for the law. He is renouncing the constitution, which is perhaps tantamount to treason.We didn’t vote for this on Feb 18, 2008. We didn’t vote for barbarity in the garb of religiosity.

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If you call me Kafir then I will call you Kafir too !

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Where is lawyers' movement ? Will lawyers, Imran Khan, Munawwar Hassan, & Nawaz Sharrif go to Shangla ?

Taliban warn lawyers against appearing in ‘un-Islamic’ courts

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) warned Shangla district lawyers on Tuesday of serious consequences if they continued to appear in un-Islamic courts (civil and district courts) from today (Wednesday). “Lawyers are warned through this notice not to appear before civil and district courts,” a member of Shangla District Bar Association (SDBA) quoted the letter as saying.
The lawyers have suspended a bar election scheduled for April 30 due to the letter, he said on condition of anonymity. He said the lawyers’ association had informed the district police officer and the Shangla district and sessions judge of the warning.On Tuesday, the Taliban allegedly kidnapped the Puran tehsil naib nazim and four others from Jambal area. Around 70 armed Taliban have also occupied the basic health unit in the area. (Daily Times)
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New rulers invite Osama Bin Laden to Swat ! Well done NWFP government and Pak Army !

TTP says Osama welcome in Swat:

* Taliban reject peace accord

* Muslim Khan wants Taliban model of sharia in Pakistan, ‘even in America’

* Those who disagree with Taliban are non-Muslims

Swat Taliban have said they are not bound to honour the peace accord between the government and cleric Sufi Muhammad, a private TV channel reported on Tuesday.

According to the channel, they said the NWFP government had signed the deal with Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi, and not with the Taliban.

Taliban sharia: Although there was no official confirmation, Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan issued a direct challenge to the legitimacy of Pakistan’s government in a telephone interview with the CNN, by demanding the imposition of the Taliban’s model of sharia throughout Pakistan and beyond, “even in America”.

Disagree: He also denounced any Pakistanis who disagreed with his interpretation of Islam, calling them “non-Muslims”. He also called for the imposition of jiziya, a tax to be levied on all non-Muslims in Pakistan.

In an Associated Press interview, he said Osama Bin Laden was welcome in Swat. “Yes, we will help them and protect them.”Muslim Khan counted the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, the Jaish-e-Muhammad, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Al Qaeda, and the Taliban of Afghanistan among his allies. “If we need, we can call them and if they need, they can call us,” he said. He said his forces would go to help the Taliban in Afghanistan if the United States and NATO continue to fight there.

In an interview to a Srinagar-based newspaper, he dismissed reports the Taliban would attempt to disrupt elections in Indian-held Kashmir. ( daily times monitor/ap/iftikhar gilani )

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Mission Buner accomplished ! What's next ?

A scenic view of beautiful Buner Valley.

The above map shows Talibans are only 55 miles away from Islamabad.

Buner falls into the hands of Swat Taliban

BUNER: Taliban militants from Swat took control of Buner on Tuesday and started patrolling bazaars, villages and towns in the district.

The militants, who had sneaked into Gokand valley of Buner on April 4, were reported to have been on a looting spree for the past five days.
They have robbed government and NGO offices of vehicles, computers, printers, generators, edible oil containers, and food and nutrition packets.

Sources said that leading political figures, businessmen, NGO officials and Khawaneen, who had played a role in setting up a Lashkar to stop the Taliban from entering Buner, had been forced to move to other areas.

The Taliban have extended their control to almost all tehsils of the district and law-enforcement personnel remained confined to police stations and camps.

The Taliban, equipped with advanced weapons, were reported to be advancing towards border areas of Swabi,
Malakand and Mardan, the hometown of NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti.

According to reports reaching here, the militants have set up checkposts and camp bases in Kangar Gali village, along the Malakand border; Naway Dhand village, along the Mardan border; and Tootalai village, along the Swabi border.

The sources said officials of the FC camp in Jorh had asked people to vacate their homes in view of threats of an attack.

The militants have started digging trenches and setting up bunkers on heights in strategic towns of Gadezi, Salarzai, Osherai and other tehsils.

After occupying the Buner district and setting up their headquarters in the bungalow of businessman Syed Ahmed Khan (alias Fateh Khan) in Sultanwas, the militants started patrolling the streets and roads with no signs of law-enforcement personnel.

Led by Fateh Mohammad, the militants were asking local people, particularly youngsters, to join them in their campaign to enforce Sharia.

They have established checkposts on roads and are searching all passing vehicles. They have virtually established their writ in Buner region, once a stronghold of the Awami National Party. A Taliban commander said they would set up strict Islamic sharia courts in Buner as they have already done in Swat, but would not interfere with police work.
‘The Taliban who have arrived from Swat have increased patrolling, banned music in public transport and rampaged (through the) offices of NGOs and taken their vehicles,’ local government official Rashid Khan said.

‘Taliban militants armed with rocket launchers were manning the checkpoints and operating from local mosques,’ he said, adding that a report had been filed at the local police station against ‘unknown militants.’ ‘We will soon establish our radio station. Our Qazis (Islamic judges) will also start holding courts in Buner soon,’ Taliban commander Mohammad Khalil told AFP.
‘We will not interfere in the police work, they can continue their job,’ he said, adding their purpose was to end a ‘sense of deprivation’ and to provide speedy justice.

‘People in their dozens have come to invite us’ to extend sharia.Muslim Khan, a Taliban spokesman, told AFP from Swat that ‘the government writ is not being challenged in Buner and Taliban are not creating any hurdle in the administration's work.’
‘The Taliban will leave Buner after enforcement of Islamic justice system,’ he said.
However, several residents said they felt ‘scared’ and planned to leave the Buner area, fearing similar violence to that in Swat.

On Tuesday, armed groups entered the Rural Health Centre at Jure in Salarzai area and took away a Land-Cruiser being used by the Expanded Programme of Immunisation (EPI), Buner.

On April 17, they raided a basic health unit in tehsil Chamla and looted 480 cans of edible oil. They took away from the house of a lady health visitor a large number of food and nutrition packets supplied by USAID and sewing machines from an Action Aid-sponsored vocational centre in the Korea village of tehsil Chamla.

On April 18, they looted a huge quantity of medicine from a health facility at the Afghan refugee camp in Koga in the same tehsil and 640 cans of edible oil from a godown of the World Food Programme in Nawagai.

On April 19, armed men took away a Suzuki Potohar Jeep from a rural health centre in Nagrai. A group of 20 militants took away a Suzuki Ravi car and 400 cans of edible oil from a basic health unit in Garga.

Another armed group snatched an ambulance, a pick-up provided by Gavi for EPI cell, a Suzuki Ravi from a health centre in Swari.

They also broke into the offices of Paiman (Save the Children) EPI, Jica offices and took away several computers, printers, two generators, fax machines, UPS and other appliances.

The armed men stopped near Ambela a double-cabin vehicle of Paiman going to Buner from Peshawar and took it along with the driver to a nearby camp. Later, they released the driver and escaped with the vehicle.

They have also occupied the main office of Rahbar in Swari.

Swat’s Taliban expand operations

LAHORE: After a peace deal with the NWFP government, the Swat Taliban are expanding their operations into nearby regions. Dozens have been streaming into the Buner district to take over mosques and government offices, BBC reported. On Tuesday, local sources told Daily Times the Taliban were patrolling bazaars in some tehsils of the Buner district. They said armed Taliban were guarding the entry and exit points of Gadezai, Salarzai and Ghashezi tehsils and other areas of the district. Checkposts: The Taliban have also set up ‘checkposts’ in Kanga Gul village on Malakand’s border, at Naway Dhand village on the border of Mardan and Tutalai village on the border of Swabi district, they added. Policemen have stopped attending their duties in the district. Also on Tuesday, Taliban kidnapped four men including servants of ANP leader Afzal Khan Lala from Drashkhela area of Matta tehsil of Swat.Armed Taliban are patrolling Kabal, Matta, Charbagh, Khawzakhela, Shamozo, GT Road and Qambar and have set up checkposts in many areas. They have also set up courts in Imamdheri Markaz in Swat which are deciding cases. They also presented four soldiers kidnapped from Khawazakhela tehsil of Swat. They were identified as Lieutenant Najam, Lieutenant Junaid, Naik Shahid Rehman and Lance Naik Shakeel. daily times monitor/staff report

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بونیر: طالبان کی سرگرمیاں تیز
عبدالحئی کاکڑ

صوبہ سرحد کے ضلع بونیر میں طالبان نے باقاعدہ کارروائیاں شروع کردی ہیں اور انہوں نےگاڑیوں میں موسیقی بجانے پر پابندی لگانے کے علاوہ مختلف واقعات میں غیر سرکاری اداروں کی گاڑیاں اور امدادی اشیاء لوٹ لی ہیں۔
ضلع بونیر کے پولیس سربراہ رشید خان نے بی بی سی سے بات کرتے ہوئے ان واقعات کی تصدیق کی۔ ان کے بقول گزشتہ کچھ عرصے سے سوات سے آئے ہوئے طالبان کی وجہ سے امن و امان کا مسئلہ خراب ہوا ہے۔
ان کے مطابق بونیر میں غیر سرکاری اداروں کی گاڑیوں اور اشیاء کو لوٹا گیا ہے جس کی ایف آئی آر درج کرائی گئی ہے۔ ان کے بقول چونکہ ان واقعات میں مبینہ طور پر ملوث ہونے والے طالبان کی انفرادی شناخت نہیں ہوسکی ہے لہٰذا انہوں نے نامعلوم افراد کے خلاف ایف آئی آر دراج کرائی ہے تاہم ابھی تک کسی کو بھی گرفتار نہیں کیا گیا ہے۔
رشید خان نے مزید کہا کہ آئندہ ایک ماہ بونیر کے لیے بہت اہم ہے اور قاضی عدالتوں کے قیام سے انہیں امید ہے کہ طالبان کی سرگرمیاں کم ہوجائیں گی۔ ان کے بقول انہوں نے جرگے کی مدد سے سوات کے طالبان کے علاقہ سے انخلاء کی کوشش شروع کر دی ہیں البتہ بونیر کے طالبان اگر پرامن رہنا چاہیں تو انہیں وہاں رہنے کی اجازت ہوگی۔
مقامی لوگوں کا کہنا ہے کہ طالبان نے کوگا کے علاقے میں واقع مہاجر کیمپ کے صحت کے بنیادی مرکز میں گھس کر وہاں سے دوائیاں لوٹ لیں جبکہ اسے ایک دن قبل انہوں نے امبیلہ کے علاقے میں غیر سرکاری ادارے کے لیے کام کرنے والے اہلکاروں کو اغواء کیا تھا جنہیں بعد میں چھوڑ دیا گیا تھا۔ اس کے علاوہ سرکاری حکام کا کہنا ہے طالبان صدر مقام ڈگر میں ڈسٹرکٹ ہیلتھ آفسر کے دفتر سے بعض غیر سرکاری اداروں کی گاڑیاں لے گئے۔ اس کے ساتھ ساتھ انہوں نے پیر کو ڈگر میں گاڑیاں روک کر ڈرائیوروں کو گانے بجانے سے بھی روکنے کی کوشش کی۔سرکاری حکام کا مزید کہنا ہے کہ پیر ہی کو طالبان نے سکولوں میں تقسیم کیے جانے والے گھی کے ہزاروں ڈبوں کو لوٹ لیا۔ مقامی لوگوں کا کہنا ہے کہ طالبان ٹولیوں کی صورت میں مختلف علاقوں کا گشت کر رہے ہیں جبکہ مساجد میں جاکر لوگوں کو شرعی نظام کے نفاذ میں ساتھ دینے کی ترغیب دے رہے ہیں۔
ایک مقامی شخص نے نام ظاہر نہ کرنے کی شرط پر بی بی سی کو بتایا کہ مقامی انتظامیہ کچھ نہیں کر رہی ہے اور جن لوگوں نے طالبان کے خلاف لشکر بنایا تھا وہ بھی اب تقسیم ہوگئے ہیں۔ ان کے مطابق ’حکومت نے طالبان کے ساتھ معاہدہ کرکے ہمارے اور اپنے ہاتھ بھی پیچھے سے باندھ لیے جبکہ طالبان علاقے میں دندناتے پھر رہے ہیں اور کوئی بھی انہیں روک نہیں سکتا۔‘
یاد رہے سوات سے آئے ہوئے طالبان نے تقریباً دو ہفتے قبل ضلع بونیر میں داخل ہونے کی کوشش کی تھی اور اس دوران مقامی لشکر نے مزاحمت کی جس میں تین پولیس اہلکار اور تین رضاکار قتل ہوگئے تھے۔ بعد میں مقامی انتظامیہ اور عمائدین نے طالبان کو علاقے میں داخلے کی اجازت دے دی جنہوں داخل ہوتے ہی پیر بابا کے

تاریخی مزار، مدرسے اور دربار پر قبضہ کرلیا۔ تاہم کچھ دنوں کے بعد یہ قبضہ ختم کر دیا گیا تھا۔

Sources: BBC Urdu, Daily Dawn, Daily Express, and Daily Times ----- 21st April

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Governor Ghani: Pakistan doesn't have any friend in the world except Allah !

*Governor NWFP has said World Powers want Pakistan's division & if the world is 'playing boxing with us' then we don't have any choice but to fight with them and answer them in same manner !

*According to him Pakistan doesn't have any friend in this world, however Pakistan is not alone in the world as 'Allah is our best friend' !

Daily Express ---- 21st April, 09

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عالمی طاقتیں پاکستان توڑنا چاہتی ہیں

رفعت اللہ اورکزئی
بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، پشاور

صوبہ سرحد کے گورنر اویس احمد غنی نے کہا ہے کہ پاکستان میں ایک بڑی قوم کی تمام تر صلاحتیں موجود ہیں لیکن بدقسمتی سے عالمی طاقتیں اس ملک کو ٹکڑے ٹکڑے کرنا چاہتی ہیں۔
پیر کوگورنر ہاؤس پشاور میں قبائلی صحافیوں کی تنظیم ٹرائیبل یونین آف جرنلسٹس کی نومنتخب اراکین کی تقریب حلف برداری سے خطاب کرتے ہوئے گورنر نے کہا کہ قبائلی علاقے اس وقت پوری دنیا کی توجہ کا مرکز بنے ہوئے ہیں جس کی کئی وجوہات اور محرکات ہیں تاہم اس خطے کی تاریخ بتاتی ہے کہ یہاں کسی غیر طاقت کو اپنے قدم جمانے کا موقع نہیں ملا۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ پاکستان چار بڑی اقوام پر مشتمل ہے جن میں ایک بڑی قوم کی تمام تر صلاحیتیں موجود ہیں لیکن بین الاقوامی طاقتیں اس کو ایک مضبوط قوم کے طورپر دیکھنا نہیں چاہتی بلکہ وہ اس کو تقسیم کرنے کی کوششیں کررہی ہیں۔
اویس غنی نے اس تاثر کو غلط قرار دیا کہ دنیا میں پاکستان کا کوئی دوست نہیں۔ ’ہمارا سب سے بڑا دوست اللہ تعالٰی کی ذات ہے اور اس کے علاوہ دنیا میں نہ کوئی دوستی ہوتی ہے نہ دشمنی بلکہ مفاد ہوتا ہے۔‘

گورنر کا کہنا تھا کہ پاکستان اسلامی دنیا کی واحد ایٹمی قوت ہے اور یہ طاقت اس ملک نے عالمی طاقتوں کطرف سے شدید مخالفت کے باجود اپنے زور بازو سے حاصل کی ہے۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ دنیا میں اقوام عالم کے شانہ بشانہ چلنے کے لیے ہمیں اقتصادی، سیاسی اور عسکری طاقت حاصل کرنا ہوں گی کیونکہ عزت اور وقار کی زندگی گزارنے کے لیے طاقتور ہونا ضروری ہے۔
’اگر دنیا پاکستان کے ساتھ باکسنگ کررہی ہے تو پھر ہمارے پاس بھی اس کے علاوہ اور کوئی چارہ نہیں رہے گا کہ ہم بھی ان کا مقابلہ کریں اور اس کا جواب دیں۔‘ انہوں نے کہا کہ جب کوئی کمزور بڑی طاقت کے سامنے پھنس جاتا ہے تو پھر کمزور کے پاس اس کے علاوہ اور کوئی طریقہ نہیں ہوتا سوائے اس کے کہ کمزور طاقتور کے خلاف لڑنے نکل پڑے۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ بحثیت قوم اور اس ملک کے شہری ہونے کے ناطے ہمیں کسی اور کا نہیں بلکہ اپنے ملک کا ایجنڈا آگے لے کر چلنا چاہیے کیونکہ ہمیں اپنے ملکی مفاد کو دیکھنا چاہیے۔ گورنر نے مزید بتایا کہ خطے کے حالات کو دیکھتے ہوئے اردگرد تمام مسائل ہی مسائل ہیں لیکن ان مشکلات کا مقابلہ کرنے کے لیے ہمیں متحد ہونا ہوگا۔
اس سے قبل گورنر نے ٹرائیبل یونین آف جرنلسٹس کے نومنتخب اراکین سے حلف لیا۔ تقریب سے ٹی یو جے کے بانی رہنما سیلاب محسود اور نو منتخب صدر شیر خان آفریدی نے بھی خطاب کیا اور قبائلی صحافیوں کو درپش

مسائل پر روشنی ڈالی۔

http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2009/04/090420_gov_pes_pak_rh.shtml

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‘ISI certified Nawaz as patriot in 80s’ says Brig Imtiaz

This site has moved to http://criticalppp.com/archives/1256, click this link if you are not redirected
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Will the real leader who can get rid of these monsters (Talibans) stand up? Imran Khan? Qazi? Nawaz Sharif? This silence is criminal!

Silence of the Lambs
*The Taliban are here to stay and unless we stand up against them in every possible way Pakistan will be lost – for good! It will be the silence of the lambs which destroys us. You will be responsible if Pakistan fails.

By Samad Khurram


Back in 2002, I was returning from Friday prayers when I saw an unusual gathering of singing and quasi-dancing Mullahs. Unusual because I had always assumed Mullahs to be against all types of Kuffar (Art). The amused crowd were listening to chants of “Taliban aa gayay, Taliban aa gayay”. I smirked. As if! Pakistan is a nuclear country with the seventh largest army. We’re safe.
The Mullahs’ songs have been answered – the Taliban indeed are coming. And with them the cowards are bringing a lifestyle that destroys everything Pakistan and Islam.

Oh no. Wait! This guy is on the paycheck of those who are trying to break Pakistan. Taliban are heroes, its America which is wrong. Yes, this is the typical self defense mechanism coming to full force. Having nothing to lose, and having been already declared a CIA agent earlier in life I suppose I’ll continue. Continuing with a genuine fear, that these words are falling on either deaf or hostile ears. Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s Pakistan is over if all this chaos continues.

Jinnah’s Pakistan is a dream gone wrong. Perhaps if he knew that the dreamland for living in peace, harmony, religious tolerance and freedom was going to become arena for public flogging where laughs of sadist barbarians and the screams of minors will echo, he would not have decided on creating it. Had he known that there would be more suicide bombs in his country than any other place in the world, where fundos would go around the cities threatening women to become religious, where school children would have to undergo security protocols as if they were in a war zone, would he have even bothered to work for the green and white?

Still, Pakistan is not what we worry about. All our esteemed talk shows chatter on is whether there should be 17th Amendment or not and on the statements by America and India. Yes, American drones and Indian statements are a threat to our sovereignty. Yes, the balance of power is important. But even when the Taliban have killed more people than India, American Drones or our tyrant rulers, taken over more of our land and have made us feel more unsafe than anyone else in the past thirty years? What other definition of sovereignty is there than protection of lives and property of people, maintaining writ of the state across the territory and having people feel secured? Why can we have some programs discussing the atrocities of the Taliban, the acts of terror that they do and how they have destroyed Pakistan?

No, it’s the “Hindu Zionists” (notice the contradiction?) working on a CIA sponsored conspiracy to break Pakistan. There are the good Taliban who fought the Kuffar off and the real issue is the CIA. Arguably everyone has all the time in the world to devise every action we do, plan it to perfection and then make the evidence of their involvement disappear. Are we really that important for the rest of the world to worry about when they have their own countries and problems to tend to? Even if the Taliban are foreign funded should does that not mean we should double our efforts?

Remember when India briefly occupied few territories near Lahore in 1965 how the whole country ran to defend it? My grandfather had stories of people going with sticks to support the army. I am afraid I will not have any such stories of patriotic resistance to tell anyone when another enemy has taken control of a fourth of NWFP and roughly one twentieth of Pakistan. Perhaps we should ban “Yeh watan tumhara hai, tum ho pasban is kay” for it seems no one really care about Pakistan, except the Zionist Hindus of course.

But no, remember the glorious days of the Caliphs? Remember the great Pakistani Fauj, who under the Ameer-ul-Momineen, Zia –ul – Haq, which crushed the Russians? This is only a plan to make America taste the same fate! Yes thank you Zaid Hamid. For a nation which already lives in denial, your conspiracy theories are all we need to turn us completely schizophrenic. Army is great and it will deal with any task assigned to it. More of the same comes from everyone turning patriotic everywhere. This automatic knee-jerk mechanism has seeped in our blood and shut off our brains.

For the love of God can anyone explain me why the great Army of Allah, whose laurels we sing from the day we are born, has still not been able to jam radio stations pouring terror in Swat? Have the core commanders not even tried asking the army engineers how radios work and how easy it is jam them without even having to be in the line of fire? Can they not even figure out if they only played “Who let the Dogs out” at the frequencies the Taliban use it would stop this vitriol? Why is it that these Taliban leaders can appear before journalists in broad daylight and roam freely without any trouble even when they claim responsibility of attacking Pakistanis across the country?

Perhaps the real question I should ask is why do I even care? When I took time off from Harvard to be part of the lawyers’ movement I had seen a ray of hope. There were concerned citizens and lawyers who stood for what was right no matter what the consequences. We fought for a principle and won with the hope that things will slowly improve. Today the very judges we had faith in released the cleric of Lal Mosque whose crimes everyone knows about. If the judiciary was going to release people whose crimes were recorded on TV perhaps it does explain why Taliban are spreading like an incurable cancer. Imagine who would be hanging in “khooni chowk” had Mullana Abdul Aziz kidnapped a few Taliban officials or fought against them and killed their men?

Yet when you think all’s over, somehow someone comes up. Someone whose name keeps your head from drowning. Perhaps this sick torture has to be long and painful where we chase mirages of oasis, never to really reach their. Perhaps for all the atrocities we have committed to our own people require us to be made an example of so no other nation follows our path. Why do ray of hopes like Afzal Khan, who has socked it up to Taliban and refused to be removed from Swat alive, appear every now and then? However he stands to die in the rain. Alone. Can anyone please name one Pakistani leader who has said the same? Forget that has anyone Pakistani leader said that he will go and get the Taliban to give up their arms? Will the real leader who can get rid of these monsters stand up? Imran Khan? Qazi? Nawaz Sharif? This silence is criminal!
What’s worse that these leaders of ours have unanimously approved a state within a state run, which is not accountable to anyone, absolves all crimes of the Taliban and gives a safe haven to those who are there to kill us? What sort of a Nizam-e-Nonsense is this when no one even tried to debate the issue properly and even consider for a second that giving blanket amnesty to the Taliban might not, even if it be infinitesimal, the right thing to do? No for the politicians this does not matter. All they are interesting in mudslinging at each other and more ministries. Our media and sheeple are busy devouring the latest gossip while Pakistan burns.

But unlike what people think it will not be because of Zardari’s corruption or Gilani’s incompetence or Salman Taseer’s whiskies. We have survived them in the past, and so we’ll do again. However any country that has fallen to the Taliban has never recovered. The Taliban are here to stay and unless we stand up against them in every possible way Pakistan will be lost – for good! It will be the silence of the lambs which destroys us. You will be responsible if Pakistan fails.
The writer is a student at Harvard University and turned down an award from the US ambassador as a mark of protest against killings of Pakistani soldiers by US drone attacks.

Shorter Version of this appeared in The News on Monday, April 20.

Source: PkPolitics.com
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Taliban Barbarians blow up Police officer's grave !

There is no limit to Talibans ruthlessness !

They can not only behead their enemies but they can also blow up graves of their enemies !According to BBC last night Talibans blew up grave of an SHO, who was killed two weeks ago by the militants in Kohat.

SHO Riaz Bangash was very active against Taliban militants in Kohat and Tehrik-e-Taliban Darra Adam Khel claimed responsibility of his death.

This incident reminds us of another barbaric action of Talibans in Swat, they took out body of their opponent Pir Samiullah, who belonged to Berelvi sect and then hanged it on a pole.

Such crimes of Talibans clearly show that they are uncivilised barbarians who have no regard of human values and they don't even spare their enemies after their death !

کوہاٹ: پولیس افسر کی قبر پر دھماکہ
دلاور خان وزیر

صوبہ سرحد کے ضلع کوہا ٹ میں دو ہفتے قبل ہلاک کیے جانے والے ایک پولیس افسر کی قبر کو نامعلوم افراد نے دھماکے سے تباہ کردیا ۔ پولیس نے نامعلوم افراد کے خلاف مقدمہ درج کیا ہے۔
پولیس کے ایک اہلکار عتیق الرحمان نے بی بی سی کو بتایا کہ گزشتہ رات ایک بجے کے قریب شہر سے چند کلومیٹر دور راولپنڈی روڈ پر واقع پہلوان بانڈہ میں نامعلوم افراد نے ایس ایچ او ریاض بنگش کی قبر کو دھماکے سے تباہ کر دیا۔انہوں نے کہا کہ دھماکہ اتنا شدید تھا کہ جس سے قبر میں ایک گہرا گڑھا بن گیا ہے اور ارد گرد کی دوسری قبروں کو بھی نقصان پہنچا ہے۔
راولپنڈی تھانہ صدر کوہاٹ کے ایس ایچ او ریاض بنگش کو دو ہفتے قبل نامعلوم افراد نے روالپنڈی روڈ پر واقع انٹر چینج کے قریب اس وقت فائرنگ کرکے ہلاک کر دیا تھا جب وہ معمول کی گشت پر تھے۔اس حملے میں ریاض بنگش کے ساتھ گاڑی میں پولیس کے دو اہلکار زخمی بھی ہوگئے تھے۔
پولیس کا کہنا ہے کہ قبر پر حملے کی ذمہ داری کسی نے قبول نہیں کی ہے البتہ ریاض بنگش نے اپنی ڈیوٹی کے دوران کوہاٹ کے مختلف علاقوں سے کئی طالبان جنگجوؤں کو گرفتار کیا تھا اور وہ طالبان کے خلاف ہر ایک کاروائی میں موجود ہوتے تھے۔پولیس کے مطابق ان کو دھمکیاں بھی ملتی تھیں۔
یادرہے کہ ضلع کوہاٹ میں پہلے بھی سکیورٹی فورسز کے اہلکاروں پر حملے ہوچکے ہیں ۔لیکن ایک پولیس افسر کی قبر کو دھماکے سے تباہ کرنا اس علاقے میں اپنی نوعیت کا پہلا واقع ہے۔

http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2009/04/090418_grave_momb_nj.shtml

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Was it really necessary for the majority of NA to Endorse the Shameful Surrender !!!

Endorsing surrender —Abbas Rashid

Even before the ink has dried on the signed copy of the Nizam-e Adl Regulation 2009, the TNSM/Taliban leadership has seen it fit to clear up any confusion on the part of even the most optimistic among us.
It turns out that from their perspective, the agreement obliges them not to display arms — there can be no question of laying down arms, as this is not allowed by sharia. Second, the militants cannot be called to account for acts of violence or arson because religion obliges us to look to the future. Not least, it has been made clear that when the work of the militants is done in one place, they will move on to another area; which brings us back to why they will not dispense with their arms.
It is not as if any of this was hugely unexpected, but the sheer speed with which the militants have helped clarify the distinction between surrender and peace may have come as a bit of a surprise to some: at least 16 people were killed, including 10 policemen, and several others wounded after a suicide bomber slammed his explosive-laden vehicle into a police check-post in Charsadda on Wednesday.
It might in some ways have been better for President Asif Zardari to sign the document without bringing parliament into the proceedings. Even if we are to go by the support for this agreement on the part of the ANP, it is at best an agreement under duress.
If the only defence against rampaging violence and destruction in the valley is an unequal agreement with the militants, so be it. But why give it the cover of endorsement by a majority in the National Assembly?
We must be thankful to PMLN MNA Ayaz Amir for registering his note of dissent during the session, followed afterwards by the PPP’s Sherry Rehman. And then there is the walkout by the MQM that kept the consensus from becoming quite complete. Such are the ironies of politics and history.In any case, it serves no purpose to make a virtue out of necessity.
Far too many voices now want to make us believe that the Nizam-e Adl Regulation meets a longstanding demand of the people of the area. It is, of course, always difficult to know what is in people’s hearts. But if it is a credibly articulated demand that we have in mind, then the elections just over a year ago tell a different story. The people of the area voted for liberal-secular parties such as the PPP and the ANP, and not the JUI, for instance.And yet, within parliament as well as outside, there is an air of complacency overshadowed by confusion and fear.
If ceding Swat was meant to appease the hunger of the militants, it has obviously served only to whet their appetite.
On the other hand, there is still an acute lack of clarity about what is at stake. This is not about social repercussions and altered lifestyles. What is critical is the political implication of the Taliban’s rigid and intolerant interpretation of what it means to be a Muslim. Imagine the level of tension and violence in a diverse polity ruled by the code of conduct that the Taliban seek to impose. Will the state structure be able to withstand the ensuing conflict and chaos?We are not doing too well as it is.
Certainly, Balochistan is also a reminder of how the state has not delivered. The recent killing of three Baloch leaders can only add to the deepening sense of alienation in that province. There is much that has to addressed, and urgently, by way of equity and justice within and among the provinces.
But a fired-up group of militants rapidly gaining momentum and traction combined with inaction on the part of our ruling elite is taking us towards disaster and not any closer to that crucial objective.
The government has made no real effort to educate people about the nature of the threat that confronts us. The electronic media is the most effective instrument for creating awareness to this end, at a popular level. The government could attempt this at least with the media it controls. But, for the most part, it is business as usual.
To add to our difficulties, the ‘war on terror’ origins of the conflict with its US imprimatur continue to confuse the issue even as our security personnel and law enforcement agencies are targeted, and scores of innocent people die almost every other week across the country as a result of suicide bombings and other terror attacks.
At the same time, India’s increasing presence in Afghanistan reinforces the perception on the part of at least our security establishment that it remains our only real enemy and to the extent possible all defence-related efforts must remain focused towards that end.
But we need to be careful lest we lose the war that has already been thrust upon us even as our strategists focus on the one we may have to fight sometime in the future.There is still no real coordination at the provincial and the federal level within the framework of an effective counter-insurgency or counter-terrorism strategy. There is no provision for rapidly processing intelligence from different sources and for coordinated response. Nor, yet, is there a specialised force that can respond effectively to this very different kind of war.
But even if all such measures were in place, a war of this kind cannot be fought without the support of the people — who will first need to comprehend just what is at stake.

Postscript: The Obama administration’s promise of billions of dollars in development and military aid could help, but as importantly it needs to move ahead on its regional approach. At the same time, it should review its policy on drone attacks. These strikes may be partly successful in removing some key militant leaders but the killing of innocent people in the process cannot be condoned. It is, in any case, providing grist on a continuing basis to the propaganda mills of the Taliban and their supporters while deflecting attention from where it needs to be focused — our survival as an integrated society and state.

Abbas Rashid lives in Lahore and can be contacted at abbasrh@gmail.com

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\04\18\story_18-4-2009_pg3_2
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Talibans publicly execute couple in Hangu !!! Is this a conspiracy against Islam and Pakistan too ???

Maulvi Imran Khan, Munawwar Hassan, Gen Hameed Gul, Federal Interior Sect. Kamal Shah and yellow journalists Ansaar Abbasi, Shahid Masood, Javed Chaudhry, and Hamid Mir please tell us
Is this video also fake ?
Is this again a conspiracy to defame Islam and Pakistan ?
Aren't RAW, CIA, MOSSAD and enemies of Islam behind this conspiracy ?

Video shows killing of man and woman

KOHAT, April 17: A video footage sent by some unidentified people to Dawn on Friday shows Taliban firing squad killing a man and a woman after accusing them of having committed adultery.
The two, who appeared to be in their 40s, were gunned down in the presence of their relatives. According to sources the incident took place in Hangu district a few days ago.
In the video, the woman is heard appealing to the Taliban for mercy. “Have mercy on me, please have mercy, the charges against me are false and no man has ever touched me.” Taliban first pump bullets into woman’s chest and then fire a burst from Kalashnikovs at her and the man. As the woman appeared to be breathing, some Taliban are heard shouting, “she is alive, kill her”. —

Daily Dawn ---- 18th April, 09

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Daily Express ---- 19th April, 09


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جوڑے کو ہلاک کرنے کی ویڈیو
عبدالحئی کاکڑ

صوبہ سرحد کے ضلع سوات میں ایک لڑکی کو سرعام کوڑے مارنے کی ویڈیو کے منظر عام پر آنے کے بعد اب ضلع ہنگو میں بھی ایک ایسی ویڈیو سامنے آئی ہے جس میں ایک ایسے جوڑے کو سرعام گولیاں مار تے ہوئے دکھایا گیا ہے جس پر مبینہ طور پر’جنسی تعلقات‘ رکھنے کا الزام لگایا گیا ہے۔
جائے وقوعہ پر بنائی گئی ویڈیو ضلع ہنگو میں موبائل فون پرعام لوگوں اور مقامی صحافیوں کے پاس دستیاب ہے۔ ایک صحافی نے بتایا کہ موبائل فون سے بنائی گئی اس ویڈیو میں ایک خاتون اور مرد کو دوڑتے ہوئے دکھایا گیا ہے جنہیں پیچھے سے بعض افراد کلاشنکوف سےگولیاں مار رہے ہیں۔
ان کے بقول گولیاں مارنے کے بعد دونوں زمین پرگر پڑتے ہیں اور خاتون گولی لگنے کے بعد بھی چیختی چلاتی ہوئی کہتی ہے’مجھ پر رحم کرو، میرے خلاف الزامات بے بنیا ہیں، کسی بھی مردنے مجھے چھوا تک نہیں ہے‘۔
ویڈیو میں دکھایا گیا ہے کہ خاتون زمین پر لیٹی تڑپ رہی ہے جبکہ اس دوران وہاں پر مجمع سے ایسی آوازیں آتی ہیں کہ’ وہ ابھی تک زندہ ہے، مار دو گولی‘۔
مقامی لوگوں کا کہنا ہے کہ یہ واقعہ تیرہ جنوری کو ضلع ہنگو سے تقریباً بیس کلومیٹر دور اورکزئی ایجنسی کی سرحد پر واقع کاہی کے علاقے میں پیش آیا ہے۔
اس سلسلے میں سرکاری موقف جاننے کے لیے ہنگو کے ایس پی شیر اکبر، کاہی پولیس چوکی کے اے ایس آئی غلام رسول سے رابطہ کیا گیا مگر شیر خان کا کہنا تھا کہ انکی مارچ میں ہی ہنگو منتقلی ہوچکی ہے اس لیے انہیں واقعہ کا علم نہیں جبکہ غلام رسول نے واقعہ سنتے ہی فون بند کردیا۔
تاہم اس بابت جب کاہی کے قریب واقع توغ سرئی پولیس اسٹیشن سے رابطہ کیا گیا تو وہاں پر موجود ایک اہلکار نے واقعہ کی تصدیق کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ ان کے پاس اس کی ایف آئی آر درج ہوئی ہے۔ ان کے بقول مقتول مرد کا نام لعل منشاء ہے اور اسکے بھائی نے ایف آئی آر میں کہا ہے کہ کسی نے انہیں ان کے بھائی کی قتل کی اطلاع دی اور جب وہ جائے وقوعہ پر پہنچے تو انہوں نے اپنے بھائی اور ایک خاتون کی لاشیں دیکھی۔
ان کے مطابق مقتول کے بھائی نے ایف آئی آر میں کسی کو بھی نامزد نہیں کیا ہے البتہ کہا ہے کہ جب بھی انہیں کسی پر شک ہوگا وہ پولیس اسٹیشن آکر ایف آئی آر میں نام شامل کردیں گے لیکن تقریباً تین ماہ گزرنے کے باوجود بھی وہ ملزمان کی نامزدگی کرانے نہیں آئے ۔انہوں نے مزید کہا کہ اس کیس کے تفتیشی آفسر بختیار خان ہیں لیکن جب ان سے فون پر رابطہ کیا گیا تو ان کا فون بند آرہا تھا۔
تاہم ہنگو پولیس کے ایک اور تفتیشی آفسر نے نام ظاہر نہ کرنے کی شرط پر بی بی سی کو بتایا کہ تیرہ جنوری کو کاہی علاقے کے قبائلی مشران اور تقریباً سو عام لوگوں کی موجودگی میں ایک چالیس سالہ خاتون ملیاز بی بی اور پینتالیس سالہ لعل منشاء کو قتل کردیا گیا۔
ان کے مطابق دونوں پر الزام تھا کہ ان کے مبینہ طور پر ’ناجائز تعلقات ہیں‘ لہذا دونوں کو اپنے اپنے رشتہ داروں کے ہاتھوں سرِ عام قتل کردیا گیا۔
یاد رہے کہ صوبہ سرحد میں گزشتہ کچھ عرصے کے دوران اپنی نوعیت کی یہ دوسری ایسی ویڈیو سامنے آئی ہے جس میں خواتین کو سرعام سزائیں دیتے ہوئے دکھایا گیا ہے۔اس سے قبل سوات میں ایک لڑکی کو کوڑوں کی سزا دینے والی ایک ویڈ یو منظر عام پر آئی تھی جس پر پاکستان میں سول سوسائٹی اور بعض سیاسی جماعتوں نے غم و غصے کا اظہار کرتے ہوئے احتجاجی مظاہرے منعقد کیے تھے۔
بعد میں چیف جسٹس افتخار محمد چودھری نے اس واقعہ کا از خود نوٹس لیا تھا ۔ کیس کی سماعت کے موقع پر صوبہ سرحد کی حکومت نے ویڈیو کو جعلی قراردیا تھا تاہم عدالت نے صوبائی حکومت کی تفتیشی رپورٹ کو رد کرتے ہوئے سماعت پندرہ دن کے لیے ملتوی کردی تھی۔

http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2009/04/090418_couple_killed_nj.shtml

Also Read:
http://letusbuildpakistan.blogspot.com/2009/04/who-rules-orakzai-agency-talibans-or.html

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Victoreous Talibans establish Marriage Bureau in Swat !!

سوات میں طالبان کا ’شادی مرکز‘
عبدالحئی کاکٹر

صوبہ سرحد کے ضلع سوات میں طالبان نے رشتے کروانے کے لیے ’شعبہ عروسات‘ کے نام سے ایک الگ شعبہ قائم کردیا ہے

اور طالبان کے مطابق ان کی فہرست میں شامل شادی کی خواہش مند تین سو لڑکے لڑکیاں اپنی باری کا انتظار کررہی ہیں۔
سوات میں طالبان کے ترجمان مسلم خان نے بی بی سی کو بتایا کہ رشتوں کے لیے الگ شعبہ کچھ عرصےقبل قائم کیاگیا ہے جس کی سربراہی ابو عماد نامی ایک طالب کمانڈر کررہے ہیں۔ ان کے بقول اسے ’شعبہ عروسات‘ کا نام دیا گیا ہے جس کا مقصد ان مردوں اور خواتین کے رشتے کروانے ہیں جو اپنی مرضی سے شادی کرنا چاہتے ہیں مگر خاندان والے کسی نہ کسی حوالے سے انہیں ایسا کرنا نہیں دے رہے ہیں۔
ان کے بقول انہوں نے اس مقصد کے لیے ایک فون نمبر مختص کیا ہوا ہے جس پر لڑکے یا لڑکیاں رابطہ کرکے اپنی مرضی سے شادی کے خواہش کا اظہار کرتے ہیں اور طالبان ان کے کوائف اپنے پاس درج کرنے کے بعد ان کے خاندان والوں سے رابط کرتے ہیں۔ان کے بقول اپنی مرضی سے شادی کرنا ہر مسلمان کا شرعی حق ہے۔
مسلم خان کا کہنا تھا کہ انہیں زیادہ تر ان لڑکیوں یا ا ن کے خاندان والوں کی طرف سے فون موصول ہوتے ہیں جو طالبان جنگجوؤں کے ساتھ شادی کے خواہشمند ہوتے ہیں۔ ان کے مطابق گزشتہ نو دنوں کے دوران گیارہ جوڑوں کی شادیاں کرائی گئی ہیں جبکہ تین سو لڑکے لڑکیاں ایسی ہیں جنہوں نے فہرست میں نام لکھوایا ہے اور اب وہ اپنی باری کا انتظار کررہی ہیں۔ان کے مطابق اس قسم کے رشتوں میں شادی بیاہ کی تقریبات شان و شوکت سے نہیں بلکہ محض سادگی کے ساتھ نکاح پڑھوانے کے بعد رخصتی ہوتی ہے۔

اس سلسلے میں ایک مقامی شخص نے نام ظاہر نہ کرنے کی شرط پر بی بی سی کو بتایا کہ ان کے محلے میں ایک لڑکی ہے جس کے ساتھ ایک لڑکا شادی کرنا چاہ رہا تھا مگر خاندان والوں نے رشتہ دینے سے انکار کردیا تھا۔ ان کے بقول لڑکے نے طالبان سے رابطہ کیا جنہوں نے بعد میں لڑکی کے خاندان والوں کو زبردستی دونوں کے نکاح کرنے پر مجبور کردیا۔
بعض ذرائع کا کہنا ہے طالبان کے حالیہ اقدام کا مقصد دراصل طالبان جنگجوؤں کی اپنی مرضی سے شادی کرنے کے لیے راستہ ہموار کرنا ہے۔ مبصرین کا کہنا ہے کہ ایک طرف تو طالبان نے سوات میں لڑکی اور لڑکے کو اس بنیاد پر کوڑوں کی سزائیں دینے کا اعتراف کیا ہے کہ انہوں نے آپس میں ساتھ مبینہ طور پر رابطہ رکھا تھا اور دوسری جانب اب وہ خود مرضی سے شادی کرنے والے لڑکی اور لڑکے کے درمیان رشتے کرانے کی بات کر رہے ہیں۔

اس کے علاوہ مبصرین یہ سوال بھی اٹھا رہے ہیں کہ یہ کیسے ممکن ہے کہ لڑکا اور لڑکی ایک دوسرے کو دیکھے بغیر شادی کی خواہش کریں۔ ان کے بقول اگر ایسا نہیں ہو سکتا تو اسکا مطلب ہے کہ طالبان کی سوچ میں یا تو تضاد پایا جاتا ہے یا پھر انہوں نے خود اپنے رشتوں کے لیے ایک محفوظ راستہ تلاش کر نے کی کوشش کی ہے۔
یاد رہے کہ سوات میں ڈیڑھ سال کی فوجی کاروائی کی بظاہر ناکامی کے بعد ہونے والے معاہدے کے بعد سوات مکمل طور پر طالبان کے کنٹرول میں آچکا ہے۔ حکومت نے طالبان کے مطالبے پر وہاں نظام عدل ریگلولیشن کےتحت قاضی عدالتیں قائم کردی ہیں۔اگرچہ حکومت اور مولانا صوفی محمد کا مؤقف ہے کہ وہاں پر صرف عدالتی شریعت نافذ ہوچکی ہے اور زندگی کے باقی شعبوں پر اسکا اطلاق نہیں ہو رہا مگر طالبان نے عملاً اسے زندگی کے دیگر شعبوں پر نافذ کرنا کا سلسلہ شروع کردیا ہے۔

http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2009/04/090417_taliban_marriages_zee.shtml

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The Return of Lal Masjid Brigade ????

Maulana Abdul Aziz AKA Burqa-posh Maulvi of Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) has got released under an agreement that he will not create any trouble for the government, however according to Dawn hate literature and militant propaganda pamphlets and CDs were openly sold outside Lal Masjid during Friday prayers today.

Charged environment in around Lal Masjid last night and today suggests that we may be witnessing return of notorious Lal Masjid Moral Squad, which used to go to markets around Lal Masjid and threaten the shopkeepers to avoid selling music and video film CDs and cassettes or face their wrath !

Jihadi literature available once more outside Lal Masjid

LAHORE: The arrival of Maulana Aziz after release on bail coincides with the appearance of militant motivational literature and propaganda videos in front of Lal Masjid, according to DawnNews.

As Interior Ministry informed the National Assembly that publication and distribution of hate literature has been banned, militant videos and pamphlets professing jihad were being sold openly just a few kilometers from there out side the Lal Masjid.

However, just outside the mosque, Saeed, a video seller told DawnNews ‘Now that Maulana Aziz has been restored, all activities will return.’

The motivational militant videos being sold outside the Lal Masjid include scenes from battles of Iraq and Afghanistan showing the attacks on US led coalition forces.

The jihadi films being sold in the heart of the capital shows videos of suicide bombers, and incite others to join in the fight.

In one of the videos, young boys are shown being launched as suicide bombers covered in glory, aiming at motivating young impressionable minds to follow them.

Some of the videos being sold outside the Lal Mosque are brought in from other areas, including the tribal agencies while others are made in local markets.

With the release of Maulana Aziz on bail, it was hoped things will be different from the past. But, the very act of selling militant videos resonated with scenes before the military action against Lal Masjid clerics in July 2007 when militant literature was being sold openly in a similar manner.

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/jihadi-literature-available-once-more-outside-lal-masjid--il

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Maulana Abdul Aziz AKA Burqa Posh Moulvi Released after making a deal with Pak Government !

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Feica's & Zahoor's Cartoons on Swat's situation !

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Threat of Talibanisation to the land of Sachal and Lal Shahbaz: Religious Fanatics Start Slaughtering Caretakers of Shrines in Sindh !

SANGHAR: Another shrine caretaker butchered

*Religious fanatics are behind slaughter campaign: Local people

SANGHAR, April 15: Caretaker of a shrine was slaughtered at the shrine near Jhol on Tuesday. Imdad Shah was asleep at the shrine of Miskeen Shah when unidentified people slaughtered him. They also severed his one hand. This is the fourth incident of its nature in the Sinjhoro area during last one year.

Earlier Neno Jatt was killed at the shrine of Juman Jali, Gul Khan at the shrine of Chhutto Pir and Malang at the shrine of Juman Shah near Sinjhoro. All of them were caretakers of the shrines and were slaughtered in the same manner. Sharp weapons were used in the murders. Nothing was looted from the shrine in any case.

The Sinjhoro police have failed to find any clue and the cases were pending in the police files. Even the motives behind the murders could not be ascertained.

Local people believe that religious fanatics, who do not like Sufi culture, are behind the murders.

Daily Dawn ---- 16th April, 09

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/local/sanghar-another-shrine-caretaker-butchered

Also Read:

http://letusbuildpakistan.blogspot.com/2009/04/wake-up-call-is-talibanisation-now.html

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Talibans' Shariah doesn't allow them to lay down arms !!! Talibans vow to to take their 'struggle' to new areas !

Swat Taliban refuse to lay down arms

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Taliban will not lay down their arms in a northwestern valley as part of a deal that included the introduction of sharia law but will take their 'struggle' to new areas, a militant spokesman said on Wednesday.
President Asif Ali Zardari, under pressure from conservatives, signed a regulation on Monday imposing sharia law in the Swat valley to end Taliban violence.
The strategy of appeasement has alarmed US officials, while critics say the government has demonstrated a lack of capacity and will to fight the Taliban and al Qaeda.
Details of the deal have not been made public but government officials backing the pact have said part of it was that militants would give up their arms.
But a Pakistani Taliban spokesman in the scenic valley, a one-time tourist destination 125 km northwest of Islamabad, said they would be keeping their guns.
'Sharia doesn't permit us to lay down arms,' Muslim Khan said by telephone. 'If a government, either in Pakistan or Afghanistan, continues anti-Muslim policies, it's out of the question that Taliban lay down their arms.'
Some Taliban fighters last week moved out of Swat and into Buner district, only 100 km from Islamabad, and Khan said his men would push into new areas.
'When we achieve our goal at one place, there are other areas where we need to struggle for it,' he said.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Tehrik-i-Nifaz-Shariat-i-Muhammdi, which Sufi Mohammad heads, announced a public rally in Mingora on April 19, DawnNews reported.
Sufi Mohammad said the rally is ‘intended to appreciate the sincere efforts and cooperation of the government which has ensured the enforcement of Sharia.’
He reiterated that laws under the Nizam-i-Adl regulation will be tailored for the common man and will provide amnesty to militants.
He further said ‘the decisions of Qazi courts will not be allowed to be challenged in any other court of the country, including the Supreme Court.’
The TNSM Chief asked the people of Swat to work together with the government to maintain peace in the region and praised the Awami National Party for its efforts in implementing the Sharia regulation.
Militants infiltrated into Swat in 2007 from strongholds on the Afghan border to the west to support cleric Sufi Mohammad.
Khan said militants would go to Afghanistan to fight US-led forces if Afghan Taliban called for help.
'Our struggle is for a cause and that's to enforce Allah's rule on Allah's land. We will send mujahideen to Afghanistan if they demand them,' he said.
One security analyst, retired Brigadier Syed Mehmood Shah, said peace could be found if the government disarmed the militants: 'The agreement should be given a chance.'
But another said the Swat militants were part of an expanding network.
'There is no comprehensive counter-insurgency strategy from the military or government. They are not taking it seriously,' said Khadim Hussain of the Aryana Institute think-tank.

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/nwfp/tnsm-to-hold-public-rally-on-april-19--il

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