Hamid Mir terms Shahid Masood and Imran Khan as snakes

In the following op-ed, Hamid Mir terms those people as snakes who are frustrated because Nawaz Sharif has explicitly stated that he will note be a part of a conspiracy to derail democracy in Pakistan. We all know who are the agents of establishment in the conspiracy against democracy, i.e., Shahid Masood, Shaheen Sehbai, Imran Khan, Munawar Hasan, Roedad Khan, Hamid Gul, Ansar Abbasi, Muhammad Saleh Zafir, Irfan Siddiqi, Javed Chaudhry, Sheikh Akram, and others.

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Gilgit Baltistan Victory - An Eye Opener

Post by :Jarri Mirza

Guest Column by Usama Bhutto

The Gilgit Baltisan victory comes out to be an eye opener for the pro Taliban Anti democratic Media Persons and Journalists. Pakistan Peoples Party has won an over whelming vote in the region where speculations of the Pro-Taliban Media were opposite. I think it is high time for these elements to re-define their loyalties. Despite the row over the Kerry lugar bill and the NRO episode, the people of Gilgit Baltistan have altogether rejected the one sided propaganda against the PPP and its Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

The landslide victory of the PPP has been due to the leadership of the Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and his bold decision to counter the threat of Terrorism. Where two years ago, Swat was a nogo area for a Pakistani today the Army Operation has paved the way for the general public to continue the norms of life. The South Waziristan Operation had been long awaited and the President’s decision to pursue the policy of zero tolerance against these sectarian killers, the people of Pakistan have got a new hope for the future of their country. It has not been a story of today. The menace of terrorism had engulfed Pakistan since 2003. The PPP government accepted the great challenge and has lived to the aspiration of the peole of Pakistan. This is evident from the fact that the recent Elections in Gilgit Baltistan have been taken away by the PPP.

Despite several Media Campaigns by Pro-Taliban Anchors and Journalists, Asif Ali Zardari has emerged to be a very successful President. It was under his Leadership that the PPP fought this elections and came out victorious. It should be noted here that Gilgit Baltistan was given self rule by the sitting PPP government. Earlier too, the only reforms for this region had come about in the times of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. The Presidency had been a target of the Taliban Friendly Elements since Asif Ali Zardari stepped into its walls. All conspiracies ranging for the Kerry lugar to sugar crisis to the NRO were directly blamed at the Presidency one after another. The courage and zeal with which the President has withstood these propagandist elements is sheerly amazing. In face of an opposition that first used the long march to topple the Presidency and then came about with several issues one after another with a single point agenda of damaging the Democratic Set-up, Asif Ali Zardari has emerged victorious once again. The vote of the people has far more outreaching effects than a Television Talk Show defaming the government over non-issues and speculating a Mid Term election in coming days. I think the phase of Mid-Term elections is over and now all the democratic forces will have to assemble under a flag of democracy to save the system and thus benefit Pakistan. It is an open message to the Anti Democratic Forces and Pro-Taliban Elements sitting in the Media and Political Parties and Institutions, the at the people of Pakistan have had enough with violence and the klashincov culture. They see their future in a Pakistan where they have an Elected government that completes its term. The recent Military action against Taliban has given a ray of hope to the people of Pakistan where they saw themselves doomed a year ago.

President Asif Ali Zardari has emerged as the Symbol Of Federation. The ever most popularly elected president of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, his daunting decisions in the foreign policy and domestic issues have raised the bar for the stooges of Taliban and Anti Democratic Alliances. The vote of people in Gilgit Baltistan is a clear indicator of the peoples’ trust in the current government and thus its President. Previously the Media Campaigns have proved naught and even in the future it seems the people of Pakistan will altogether reject any Minus-One Formula given a hype by the Media people. The President it seems is living true to his word of Reconciliation and his slogan of “Pakistan Khappay”

This election victory is more of an advice for the Media and its Taliban Spokespersons Hamid Mir, Shaheen Sehbai, Talat Hussain, and of course Dr Shahid Masood: I hope he has now seen everything "Awaam K Mutabiq"..

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Shahid Masoods and Hamid Mirs of Israel

شاہد مسعود اور حامد مير جيسے اسرائل ميں پھی موجود ہيں؟

’سازشی نظریات‘

شاہزیب جیلانی

بی بی سی، یروشلم

اسرائیل میں کچھ دن گزارنے کے بعد یہاں کی اور کوئی بات سمجھ آئی ہو نہ ہو ایک بات واضع ہے کہ ’سازشی نظریات‘ رکھنے میں شاید یہاں کے لوگ سب سے آگے ہیں۔ مسلمانوں میں اگر یہ رجحان ہے کہ اپنے ہر مسئلے کا ذمہ دار امریکہ اور اسرائیل کو قرار دے کر جان چھڑا لیتے ہیں تو یہاں کے یہودی حلقے بھی کچھ کم نہیں۔

یروشلم میں مختلف مکاتبِ فکر کے جن یہودیوں سے ملاقاتیں ہوئیں اُن کی باتوں سے صاف لگا کہ اسرائیلیوں کو تقریباً ساری دنیا سے ہی شکایتیں ہیں۔ وہ مسٹر اوباما پر تنقید کرتے ہیں کہ انہوں نے فلسطینی علاقوں میں یہودی تعمیرات کے معاملے کو اتنا بڑا مسئلہ کیوں بنا لیا۔ برطانیہ اور یورپی یونین حزب اللہ اور حماس کی طرف ذرا سی بھی لچک دکھائیں تو اسرائیلی اس پر سیخ پا۔ غزہ میں لڑائی سے متعلق گولڈ سٹون رپورٹ ہو یا اقوامِ متحدہ کی مذمتی قراردادیں۔ اسرائیل کو سب سے شکایت ہے کہ وہ اُس کے دفاع کے حق کو کیوں نہیں مانتے۔

بی بی سی، سی این این اور الجـزیرہ جیسے عالمی نشریاتی ادارے بھی اسرائیلوں کی خاص تنقید کا مسلسل نشانہ رہتے ہیں۔ اس کی بڑی وجہ یہ ہے کہ اسرائیلی نفسیات میں یہ بات گہرائی میں رچی بسی ہوئی ہے کہ یہودی دنیا کے مظلوم ترین قوم رہے ہیں۔ ان کی نظر میں جتنی نفرتیں اور زیادتیاں یہودیوں نے سہی ہیں، شاید کسی نے نہیں ۔ ہٹلر نے انہیں صفحۂ ہستی سے مٹانے کی کوشش کی۔ پڑوسی عرب ملکوں نے بار بار ان پر جنگیں مسلط کیں اور اب اسرائیلیوں کی نظر میں محمود احمدی نژاد اپنے خفیہ ایٹمی پروگرام کے ذریعے انہیں نیست و نابود کرنے پر تُلے ہوئے ہیں۔

یوں اسرائیلی خود کو ہر وقت حالتِ جنگ میں محسوس کرتے ہیں اور اپنی اس ’بقا کی لڑائی‘ میں وہ خطے میں اپنے ہر اقدام کو جائز سمجھتے ہیں۔ پھر چاہے وہ فلسطینوں کے اجتماعی قتلِ عام کے الزامات ہوں یا مقبوضہ علاقوں میں عربوں کے ساتھ روزانہ کا نسلی امتیاز۔

اسرائیل ویسے تو خود کو ایک جمہوری ملک کہتا ہے لیکن بطور ایک نیشل سکیورٹی اسٹیٹ کے یہاں حساس معاملات پر تنقید اور بحث مباحثے کی گنجائش خاصی محدود نظر آتی ہے۔

یہی وہ وجوہات ہیں جن کی بنا پر پوری دنیا کو مشرقِ وسطیٰ میں فلسطینیوں کے ساتھ جو ظلم و زیادتیاں نظر آتیں ہیں اسرائیل انہیں دیکھنے سے قاصر ہے۔ طاقت کے اس کھیل میں جب تک اسرائیلی اسٹیبلشمنٹ پر قیامِ امن کے لیےمسلسل اندرونی و بیرونی دباؤ نہیں ہوگا، اسے اپنا رویہ بدلنے کی کوئی خاص ضرورت محسوس نہیں ہو گی

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Zahir Ebrahim's analysis of Hamid Mir' attack on 'Let us build Pakistan'

By Zahir Ebrahim

Project Humanbeingsfirst.org

November 10, 2009

To: letusbuildpakistan

Ref: http://letusbuildpakistan.blogspot.com/2009/11/capital-talk-and-let-us-build-pakistan.html

Let me first state up front that I have no affiliation with any political party of Pakistan, its military, its intelligence apparatus, or any intelligence apparatus in the world for that matter, its newsmedia, or their collectively providing the essential proxy services to the hectoring hegemons for the orchestrated dismemberment of Pakistan. As far as I am concerned, as a Pakistani citizen, they all leave much to be desired. And I hope that many genuinely concerned and honest Pakistanis who are directly affiliated with any of these institutions also feel the same way. All that which these institutions and their leaders as well as their foot-soldiers can improve upon, begins by loudly proclaiming the correct solution for 2 + 2. All else will follow1. That is spelled out in the new book from Project Humanbeingsfirst.org : The Pakistan Decapitation Papers.

The sudden one-sided attack on letusbuildpakistan blog by Mr. Hamid Mir of GEO TV in their Capital Talk show of November 05, 2009 is intriguing. I have seldom read that little known website, and I have even less interest in their political perspective which appears to echo the same sacred-cow axioms of their erstwhile leader Benazir Bhutto. Indeed, the blog shares the primal axiom of 'militant Islam' being the first-enemy undermining Pakistan with the entire political-military ruling establishment of Pakistan and the United States. This is immediately apparent from their dialectical ode to Pakistan military on their website: “A tribute to Pakistani soliders fighting the terrorists of Taliban, Al-Qaeda and Sipah-e-Sahaba”. Perhaps the website authors, too incestuously engrossed in their own perspectives, haven't yet had the time to read Alice's reflections when she isn't sliding down the rabbit hole in The Decapitation of Pakistan by its own Military!.

So, the public squabble among thieves is interesting, and perhaps carries some useful signal of what's to come down the pipe.

First, let's ponder upon the blatant facts of the matter before diving into deconstructing the politics behind the 'katputli tamasha' (puppetshow) on the Grand Chessboard. Despite the candid declaration by the tiny blog of its political affiliation with the Pakistan Peoples Party on its own contact page: “Abdul Nishapuri, the founding co-editor of the 'Let us build Pakistan' blog, and a member of the 'Critical Supporters of Pakistan People's Party'.”, and which largely appears to be a shoestring budget operation of ordinary individuals unable to even afford a paid hosted website, Mr. Hamid Mir could only think of picking on a tiny blog which openly advertises its affiliation to the ruling political party, to uncover all the ills which plague Pakistan?

Has GEO TV run out of more heinous criminals in Pakistan to target among those who incessantly wage war upon their own people by way of deception and are openly destroying the country on behalf of their foreign paymasters?

What's the real agenda behind the 'katputli tamasha' of attacking a tiny unknown website by none other than the mighty Mr. Hamid Mir – the “champion of democracy” and free speech – who himself shamelessly shills for the hectoring hegemons?

In order to understand that, one has to acutely comprehend the politics of Hamid Mir.

Below I reproduce a letter I wrote the distinguished 'democrat' journalist after witnessing his own brazen performance given at the Commonwealth Club of California in April earlier this year. That performance video is linked to in the following tutorial which unravels Hegelian Dialectics, how fourth-generation warfare is waged upon the public by way of deception to weaken the victim from within.

Mr. Hamid Mir's endearing performance before the largely pro-establishment American audience (and that description transcends the traditional left-right dialectics of American politics), finally convinced me that this highly regarded journalist from Pakistan made famous by his interviews of Osama Bin Laden, subsequently by being the people's street champion of free-speech and democracy under military dictatorship, and now being heralded as the hero of Pakistan's democracy in the United States by its own instruments of propaganda, is an outright intelligence asset.

Because, alternately, Mr. Hamid Mir being a mere dolt and a simpleton appears to be a rather bizarre proposition. For how can a journalist of his stature and experiences be so un-informed? Intelligence agents and assets permeate the newsmedia worldwide and are merely tunes to be played by the Mighty Wurlitzer. The fine art of the Mighty Wurlitzer is explained in the tutorial.

Therefore, anything which Mr. Hamid Mir sings is suspect, at least for the forensic mind already attuned to the hectoring hegemons' genocidal plays for “full spectrum dominance” on the Grand Chessboard. Consequently, Hamid Mir's tunes and diatribes must minimally be scrutinized from that perspective before taking them on face value. Such Machiavellian orchestration after all, is only according to the Pentagon's own recipe for fourth-generation warfare as examined in this recent editorial.

Since hearing that remarkable performance in California – whose delivery was undoubtedly most natural and very well done – I don't waste time on the melodies hummed by Hamid Mir except to extract any un-apparent signals, as the maestro directly rehearses the Mighty Wurlitzer's compositions. Which is of course most unfortunate for me because Mr. Hamid Mir used to be among my few favorite Pakistani journalists to watch in diaspora on the rare occasion that I did tune into youtube (don't watch or own a television), as the one who showed any chutzpah and boldness in questioning the ruling establishment. I thought he had wonderfully taken a page from I. F. Stone. Under forensic scrutiny however, it only turned out to be a dialectical noora-kushti among mercenaries with mindless commentaries rehearsed from the galleries, and all of it to keep the public glued to the edge of their seat distracted from the real show in town. While such diabolical narratives, both for manufacturing consent and manufacturing dissent, are highly prized by the hectoring hegemons, and of course duly rewarded by them, they are a treacherous deception played upon the wretched of the earth in the audience who always bear the full brunt of its import.

I have always known Machiavelli it seems, but certainly since I became a student of Noam Chomsky at MIT and learnt more political theory than I wanted to. But my mind was initially un-attuned to accept the role of famous people like Hamid Mir in manufacturing consent. They seemed to play the courageous dissenter's role so expertly – until I figured out the political theory of Manufacturing Dissent.

Mr. Hamid Mir in that highly regarded conversation at the Commonwealth Club retained all the core-axioms of the hectoring hegemons while echoing all their mantras – a matter that is fully fleshed out in the aforementioned book. In that conversation, Hamid Mir didn't even bother to play dissent, as he sometimes does in his musings in Urdu. He actually changed his role to manufacturing consent before the American audience. A very versatile asset. He may yet win his Nobel Peace Prize – President Obama unfortunately stole a march on the poor guy this year as already deconstructed.

Mr. Hamid Mir too will surely earn his own knighthood as the man of peace someday, the savior illustrious of Pakistan who helped save the world from the Pak-Nukes which were about to fall into the inglorious hands of the barbaric hordesmen of Osama Bin Laden: “[It's] Not a Clash of Civilizations, It's a Clash between the Civilized World and Barbarians”. Watch that myth-making under refined construction in the bizarre glorification of Hamid Mir at the Commonwealth Club of California by the 'whiteman' duly flattering the 'negro'.

Knowing all of that context, let's return to the question of Mr. Hamid Mir attacking the lame-duck Presidency of Mr. Zardari through the tiny blog 'Let us build Pakistan'.

GEO is really not that stupid to not know the difference between an entity trying to Machiavellianly create diabolical intrigues – which if GEO News really wanted to unravel, they could have within 5 minutes uncovered at least 20 websites, or a hundred prominent Pakistanis, who are clearly intelligence-ops and/or mouth-pieces working to directly undermine Pakistan by simply judging them for their crucial omissions and/or direct support of empire's own sacred-cow axioms – and the largely unknown ordinary individuals running the shoestring budget operation of 'Let us build Pakistan' who are even being quite candid about their political affiliation.

This is clearly indicative, at least to my mind, of some marching orders having been received by GEO TV. Hamid Mir is only executing them. It appears that a take down of the Zardari government is imminent, to be replaced by a different 'errand boy'.

They all work for the same puppetmasters. It's merely playing musical chairs to the same tune that is slowly removing one chair at a time every time the music stops. Everyone in this game parrots empire by keeping the core-axioms intact while offering variations of “Betweens”.

Therefore, it follows that they are all playing together by the same set of rules constructed by empire. Hence, they are all traitors to the state of Pakistan. If Pakistanis wish to become slaves by choice to the hectoring hegemons with a boot stamped upon their face in perpetuity, hold a referendum and ask them. Don't stab the people in the back.

Whether or not the gallows will ever welcome Pakistan's long list of traitors, stripping them naked of their thin robe to at least convict them in the court of public opinion, must suffice for an honest plebeian un-afraid to proclaim 2 + 2 = 4.

The above is an abridged version of the article. Full article is available here.

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In Defense of Let US Build Pakistan: Protect Freedom of Expression of Pakistani Bloggers

Shaheryar Ali

Source: Sherryx's weblog

It’s a very sorry state of affairs. For more than 2 years now I have been writing about the dangers of “intellectual hegemony”, “selective radicalism” and “double discourse on Rights” being prevalent in Pakistani corporate media as well in Pakistani blogging community. The Pakistani blogging community though is generally better than the media corporations but unfortunately is plagued by the same myopic intolerance when it comes to any dissenting views regarding the myths about Pakistan, its origin, its democracy and its national interests as defined by Right-of center media guru or a section of ex-Stalinists now turned liberals or centrists intellectuals.

The freedom of expression always is the freedom to express views which are deemed controversial. The demand for freedom of expression always arises for the marginalized opinion, one which is not acceptable to the state, rulers, moral vanguard of the society etc. It’s precisely this very right to differ, to challenge the dominant views that creates the issue of freedom of expression in the first place. Its so because, any other opinion one which operates within the realms of what is “acceptable” to the society or state in never in danger of suppression. Noam Chomsky for example points out that if we conceive freedom of expression as something for opinions which are acceptable than even Hitler was in favor of such freedom of expression. Freedom of expression is explicitly the freedom to be able to differ; to express opinions deems offensive, those which challenge the “fashionable conformities” weather political, nation or social in origins.

Few days back we saw one of the most heinous witch hunts in intellectual history of Pakistan. It started with attacks on the section of Pakistani columnist who have a Left wing background and who took a stand in support of democratic transition in Pakistan and tried to put forward a different perspective on Judicial Movement, war on terror and media activism. These people are a very tiny minority within Pakistan’s booming media business. Their view by no stretching of imagination can be called a dominant view in Pakistani media. The friction between these intellectuals and their opponents on the right side of political spectrum are ideological tracing its roots in the right-left polarization in Pakistan during 60s and 70s. The few left wing intellectuals who have survived the McCarthyist witch hunts by state and owners of media houses are now being put on media show trials by Pro-Taliban and Pro-Army TV anchors and columnists. Every abuse and every allegation from being an alcoholic to being a traitor have been put on them.

What these people themselves have been doing in media is nothing but shameless propaganda in name of news coverage. Mr Haroon Rashid who is on the forefront of this witch hunt against the tiny progressive element in Pakistani media , has been distorting facts and history in his columns but with a shameless face gives lectures about “modesty” and “tolerance’ to the victims of these witch hunts. I can go on and on about his academic honesty but I find it waste of my time. Simple two things can expose his dishonesty. In one of his Mccathry inspired columns against the socialist/ex-socialists intellectuals he shamelessly wrote that “Reds opposed Pakistan, once it came into being they never get out of shock”. It’s a shameless blatant lie. Communist Party of India and the Progressive Writers Association supported the demand of Pakistan. They even collaborated with Jinnah, the election manifesto of ALIML in 1946 elections was written by a communist Danial Latifi and many communists joined Muslim League as policy. Ironically it was the mother party of Mr Haroon Rashid Jamate Islami opposed Pakistan and Maudaudi compared it to “cooking of Pork” but Pakistani right forgets these historical details. After that I remember reading one of his columns against the great Urdu poets Ahmad Faraz. Every abuse and every label that Mr Rashid could think on was put on the great poet who recently died. In order declare Faraz infidel and traitor Mr Rashid quoted a verse which questioned the validity of divine revelation. Taking on the verse Mr Rashid went on and on to condemn Ahmad Faraz to great extant. What was ironic was the simple fact that the verse was not of Ahmad Faraz but of another progressive poet Mr Zaheer Kashmiri. Mr Aser Chohan wrote a column to clear the facts but Mr Haroon Rashid never had the decency to either apologies or retract the defamatory remarks.

Hamid Mir, who sadly has become a stain on the name of his great father, Prof. Warris Mir who was himself a victim of Jamate islami sponsored witch hunt in the 80s has taken this witch hunt to new heights. On his popular programme The Capital Talk he and Mr Ansar Abbasi , the pope of pro-Taliban media establishment took on the blog“Let US Build Pakistan” and put baseless allegation on it without any evidence. The language they used rings bells of alarm to anyone who is familiar with these crooks and their methods. It was said that the “blog is trying to create misunderstandings between Army and Media”. This is an open threat. It was said the blog is being run from presidential palace .etc etc. This is the most absurd thing which I have ever heard. Who has given these people the right to put baseless allegations without giving any proof? Let US Build Pakistan for the whole period of Lawyers Movement kept supporting the deposed Chief Justice of Pakistan, even when the PPP government was using delaying tactics. The photograph of his lordship the most honorable Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Chuadhry was prominently and permanently on display on side bar of the web site with explicit declaration: “This blog supports the restoration of deposed judges”. I bet this also came from the presidential palace?

Will Mr Chief Justice take any interest in the law of Press council and rules of engagement by the media barons? Or every ones name, reputation and character is at the will of this anchrocracy? The Pakistani blogging community had previously suffered the attack by state during the 3^rd November emergency rule by General Pervez Musharaf . No one knows better about “right to dissent” than the lordship who himself exercised it in front of General Pervez Musharraf. Let Us Build Pakistan is a blog which openly supports Pakistan Peoples Party; it has never claimed to be an “independent news source”. They have explicitly mentioned their ideological ties with the largest and the only federal party of Pakistan. Last time I checked right to support Pakistan Peoples Party was not declared a crime in Pakistan. Anyone has the right to disagree with “Let US Build Pakistan” and “Pakistan Peoples Party” but no one has the right to spread disinformation. What was done on Geo TV was libelous defamation. People of Pakistan have a constitutional right to support and join any political party and to express views in its support. I would appeal to all people of conscience to support right of Let US Build Pakistan blog to express their opinion in a threat free environment.

What was most insensitive was the reaction of the Pakistani blogging community. Nothing of solidarity was observed. Pakistan Peoples Party and its support many be “out of fashion” in the class which blogs but let me tell my community that if right to have an opinion became focus of media witch-hunting none will be spared, not even the self proclaimed secular nationalists of Pakistan who are rabidly anti PPP and anti Left. The right may be busy focusing on PPP and a wider anti-PPP ideological alliance appears to be in place but as PPP govt goes many of you will be the target as well. Let US Build Pakistan is remarkable blog in many respects. It has shown remarkable strength on issues on which many of us shy away

1) This blog took a early and bold stand against Talibanization and sectarianism

2) This Blog took a conscientious stand on rights of Pakistani Miniorities

3) This blog showed a remarkable strength of conviction and conscience when it supported the restoration of judiciary against wishes of many in the Party whom they support. [I for example who is writing this article to support Let Us Build Pakistan was and is critical of lawyers movement and judiciary but this never came in way of either me or Let Us Build Pakistan]

4) This blog is pioneer in “Media Criticism” and has frequently demonstrated the “ideological biases” of Pakistani media hence upheld the fundamental right of people of Pakistan to un biased and/or alternative news and opinions

5) This blog has taken a democratic stand in support of marginalized groups and nationalities of Pakistan

6) This blog has covered the silent anti-Shia genocide taking place in Pakistan which finds no coverage any where,

I want to tell that I am proud of Abdul Nishapuri and the team of Let Us Build Pakistan, for being brave and for writing what they believe in. I also congratulate them for openly declaring them to be supporters of Pakistan Peoples Party unlike their detractors the Hamid Mirs, Shahid Masoods and Ansar Abasais who don’t have the moral courage to openly declare their political allegiance and wear the masks of being “independent” analysts and doing overtly political propaganda. I will only say to them what has been declared “greatest punch line in history of America”, it was in one of the “anti-communist hearings during McCarthy’s witch hunt. “Have you no decency Sir—-”

I would like to salute the bloggers who raised their voice in support of Let Us Build Pakistan, Rabia Shakoor, Umair Wasi and Pakistan Media Watch.

To my fellow bloggers who are indifferent and silent at plight of a blog which they don’t like because it supports PPP and Zardari and is critical of Army and agencies etc I will just say dear friends, today it is Nazir Naji and Lets Us Build Pakistan, who will be next think about it——–

Ode to Pakistani Bloggers, the poem by Pastor Martin Niemöller the poem which has become the greatest indictment of inactivity of German Intellectuals during Nazi regime.

“First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me”

The links to various articles on this issue can be reached here, here and here. here

Geo TV and Selective Freedom of Expression.

To what extant these Media Jihadis can Go and scale of abuse read this article in Saudi Gazette.

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GEO TV: Selective Freedom of Expression

Guest Blog by Aamir Mughal

Source: http://chagataikhan.blogspot.com

Every citizen shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, and there shall be freedom of the press, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defence of Pakistan or any part thereof, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, [commission of] or incitement to an offence. Every citizen, not being in the service of Pakistan, shall have the right to form or be a member of a political party,. REFERENCE: 1973 Constitution of Pakistan http://www.pakistani.org/pakistan/constitution/part2.ch1.html

One must raise objection on the comment of Mr Hamid Mir and Mr Ansar Abbasi that a bloghttp://letusbuildpakistan.blogspot.com/ carrying PPP flag!!! What does that mean? Should Pakistanis first have permission from GEO TV/Jang Group/The News International to utter something, or one has to ask for permission of GEO TV/Jang Group/The News International to exercise their Political Right that includes showing Flag of any political party. Both of the Top Journalists Mr Hamid Mir and Mr Ansar Abbasi were behaving as if we are living in Third Reich

For complete article: http://chagataikhan.blogspot.com/2009/11/geo-tv-selective-freedom-of-expression.html
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Guest blog by "Media Guru" in support of "Let us build Pakistan"

I congratulate the team of ‘Let us build Pakistan’ for thinking and writing on the right lines. Keep on the good work.

By Media Guru
PK Journalist

A bunch of right-wing TV anchorpersons aided by some of their right-of-the-centre and some broiler chicken (types of Kashif Abbasi and Moeed Pirzada) colleagues have made Pakistan hostage of their pro-taliban and eventually anti-peace agenda. They are operating like a mafia who wants every government in the country to dance on their tune. They want to dictate internal and external policies of the country irrespective of whatever tunnel vision they have of the world.

They can level all kinds of founded or unfounded allegations against anybody whom they don’t like owing to their personal and political prejudices. To extend their personal and ideological agendas, they want to spit unchecked firepower. But, they are so fragile that their glasshouse breaks into pieces if someone like this blog braves to throw a pebble of criticism onto them.

The gang of anchorpersons I am referring to are a pirated version of America’s Fox News. Fox News represents America’s right wing while our col-anchors (regards to Naji sahib for coining the term) represent Pakistan’s far right. But one thing they cannot comprehend is, because of their absolute ignorance about development of new media, the power of blogging and citizen journalism.

However, they have started feeling the heat of scrutiny by the blogsphere as their ringleader Hamid Mir was seen agitating against “Let us build Pakistan” in his show Capital Talk.

Adding to what is said in this blog about col-anchors, I would say people like Hamid Mir, Dr Shahid Masood and Shaheen Sehbai seem double agents, working both for national and international intelligence networks. While Hamid Mir’s embedding with the country’s intelligence network isn’t a secret, I would quote one episode of his journalism from where I started suspecting him of having international links as well.

After 9/11, the United States of America pounced into Afghanistan with all of its technological military might to fight the ill-equipped force of Taliban and other resistance groups. But, back home the Bush Administration was facing severe public criticism for using unproportional military firepower in Afghanistan.

To justify the scale of warfare being used against Taliban, the Bush administration was desperate to paint the enemy well equipped with weapons of mass destruction. And none other than Hamid Mir came to its rescue with Osama Bin Laden’s interview in which the Al-Qaeda chief was reported to be claiming possession of nuke arms.

Hamid Mir was working for little known Urdu daily Ausaf but the interview was carried in full by English daily Dawn on its front-page. Haroons’ (of Dawn Group) links with American establishment are very well know and in the past when American officials weren’t involved in micro managing Pakistan, Yousaf Haroon was used to bring American orders on difficult junctures.

Hamid Mir’s handy work published in a paper regarded in the west as the most credible of Pakistani newspapers silenced the critics of American invasion in Afghanistan because they were now made to believe that the enemy wasn’t just carrying sub-machineguns, they also had briefcase nuke arms to inflict maximum damage to American people and their interest.

Since then Taliban and Al-Qaeda have gone to the extent of even using ‘human bombs’ in the form of suicide bombers but there has so far been no incident of using nukes or even chemical weapons on their part.

Bravo … I congratulate the team of ‘Let us build Pakistan’ for thinking and writing on the right lines. Keep on the good work.

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Pakistani bloggers are united in support of the "Let us build Pakistan" blog

"Let us build Pakistan" has approached the "Committee to Protect Bloggers" in order to report the systematic and coordinated bullying of our blog by Hamid Mir, Ansar Abbasi (and other pro-Taliban anchors and journalists) in Pakistan's capitalist media (i.e., Geo TV talk show "Capital Talk").

We are very thankful to fellow bloggers in particular Rabia Shakoor, Umair Wasi and Pakistan Media Watch for raising their voice in support of the "Let us build Pakistan" blog.

Capital Talk Targeted Let Us Build Pakistan

By Umair Wasi

Source: http://pakiviewson.blogspot.com/2009/11/capital-talk-targeted-let-us-build.html

At last media has attacked the websites with all their so called "fair journalism" weapons, last night in capital talk that is hosted by Mr. Hamid Mir on "Geo News" with his 3 guests including Nisar Abbasi a "The News" journalist and Mr. Javaid Hashmi of PML(N) and Sumsam Ali Bukhari of PPP, Hamid Mir has exclusively shown the blog Let Us Build Pakistan maintained by my fellow bloggers Abdul Nishapuri, Socrates, Abbas Zaidi & Sarah, Mr. Hamid Mir and Mr. Nisar Abbasi criticized the blog through out the program with all their white journalism's' words, Mr. Hamid Mir highlight the program with the tag of "PPP members criticized army and media" and Mr. Nisar Abbasi added the statement that Let Us Build Pakistan is operated from the presidency.

This is not the first time that media is raising fingers on bloggers and webmasters, but the bloggers are ready to face the situation and will not sit quite at this time it will be dealt accordingly.

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GEO TV Bullys Bloggers, Offers No Facts

November 6th, 2009

Source: http://pakistanmediawatch.com/2009/11/06/geo-tv-bullys-bloggers-offers-no-facts/

Hamid Mir: Media Bully

Commercial media giant GEO TV has launched an attack on a small blog (compared to gigantic Geo media network) in a disturbing case of media bullying as popular TV Host Hamid Mir and investigative editor for The News Ansar Abbasi lashed out against the blog “Let Us Build Pakistan,” a blog of PPP supporters that was started in 2008 and is run on the free service “Blogger.com“.

Unlike Hamid Mir and GEO TV, “Let Us Build Pakistan” bloggers Abdul, Sarah, Abbas Zaidi and Socrates, are quite transparent about their political affiliation and agenda and do not misrepresent their beliefs. Despite the transparency of the bloggers, these commercial media giants have bashed them for being propaganda.

Unfortunately, the commercial media journalists embarrassed themselves when they accused the bloggers at different times during the show of being both puppets of the President and CIA and Mossad. Of course, the so-called journalists present no evidence of these preposterous claims. The journalists also accuse the bloggers of causing a rift between media and military as if “media” were the government. Note to Mr. Mir and Mr. Abbasi: despite your face being on TV, you are not elected by anyone to any office.

Furthermore, while Mr. Mir and Mr. Abbasi make accusations against these bloggers, they fail to report that it is the commercial media giants that are causing a rift between military and civilian government and threatening to destabilize Pakistan during wartime.

In addition to presenting no facts or evidence for their accusations, Hamid Mir and Ansar Abbasi have engaged in the sort of media bullying that can create a “chilling effect” that results in citizens being afraid to speak their opinions freely. This is a direct assault on the Fundamental Rights of free speech provided in the Constitution.

Every citizen shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, and there shall be freedom of the press, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defence of Pakistan or any part thereof, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, [commission of] or incitement to an offence.

Other Pakistani bloggers have begun coming to the defense of “Lets Build Pakistan,” in particular the “Views on Pakistan News” blog by Umair Wasi.

GEO TV and The News should immediately reprimand their two employees, Hamid Mir and Ansar Abbasi, for their irresponsible acts and poor journalistic ethics. Additionally, GEO TV and The News should require Hamid Mir and Ansar Abbasi to publicly apologize for their unfounded accusations and promise to never again accuse others without presenting any facts.

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The 'Capital Talk' and the 'Let us build Pakistan' debate

This site has moved to http://criticalppp.com, click this link if you are not redirected
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Top-level meeting convened to discuss Kerry-Lugar Bill

* PM regrets people making comments about bill without even reading it

* PPP meeting agrees to build consensus on bill

MUZAFFARABAD: A meeting of the country’s top leadership is being convened soon to discuss the Kerry-Lugar bill and its implications, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Friday.

“President Asif Ali Zardari, myself, Chief of Army Staff Ashfaq Kayani and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will hold a meeting immediately,” the prime minister said.

Gilani said the foreign minister had been asked to return from the US to respond to the queries being raised in the National Assembly.

To questions about various controversial clauses in the bill, he said parliament was the right forum to discuss important national issues.

Gilani however regretted that people were commenting on the bill without even having read it.

Meanwhile, President Zardari chaired a meeting of senior leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) to discuss the political situation following the differences over the Kerry-Lugar bill.

Sources said the party leaders rallied behind the president to support the bill.

Federal ministers Qureshi, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Nazar Muhammad Gondal, Babar Awan, Naveed Qamar, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mehreen Anwar Raja, President’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar and parliamentarian Rukhshana Bangash were also present.

The foreign minister briefed the participants on the bill, which for the first time has de-linked the civilian assistance to Pakistan from the security aid.

He also briefed the meeting about his meetings with US leaders and exchange of views on issues related to Pakistan’s security.

Consensus: The sources said the meeting also decided to address the concerns of the security establishment and said the government would create consensus on the issue as the country could not afford internal dissension. They also said Zardari was eager to end the controversy on the bill as soon as possible, as any delay would tarnish the image of the government. They said the president had put off all other engagements to focus on the issue. app/sajjad malik

Troika meets today to resolve all issues

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Parliament likely to reject Kerry-Lugar Bill

By Hamid Mir

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has agreed to relent on his hitherto uncompromising stance on the Kerry-Lugar Bill in its existing shape. The president and the prime minister have decided to defuse the current crises by both assuring Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Saturday that all the controversial clauses of the Kerry-Lugar Bill will be debated in both houses of parliament and subsequently these clauses could be rejected by parliament.

The president and the prime minister will meet jointly with the army chief today (Saturday) in a bid to address all concerns of the Army high command regarding the Kerry-Lugar Bill. Both the prime minister and the president discussed the current political crises in different meetings on Friday. A group of federal ministers first met the prime minister in the morning in his parliament chambers and then the president in the late afternoon. This group of ministers was on a crisis-defusing mission. They included Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, Petroleum Minister Naveed Qamar, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Babar Awan and Labour Minister Khurshid Shah. Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar was also part of the meeting in the late afternoon.

A recent statement of Farhatullah Babar also came under discussion in which he reportedly said that opponents of the Kerry-Lugar Bill were opponents of President Zardari. Farhatullah Babar claimed that his statement was distorted. It was decided that in future he will speak only after first consulting with Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik was not invited to this meeting but he too remained active till late last night. He contacted top army brass Thursday and assured that the president had no plans to remove General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani from the command of Pakistan Army.

He categorically told one general that; “Neither I nor the president is hatching any conspiracy against General Kayani and if someone can prove anything against me I will resign.” According to reliable sources, the president himself will assure General Kayani today that nobody is going to remove him from his current job.

It is also learnt that at least two federal ministers recommended to President Zardari that he must identify and fire all those who are responsible for creating misunderstanding between the Army high command and the civilian leadership. Some action on their recommendations is expected soon.

Everybody present in the meeting agreed that the country cannot afford confrontation between different institutions and there is an urgent need to defuse the crises so that no internal or external enemy could take advantage of this situation. The president said that the country needed unity against extremist forces and any political crises will only help all those who have become a threat for the state in the tribal areas. It was also decided that the prime minister will talk to the heads of all major political parties for making a joint strategy on Kerry-Lugar Bill.

One minister informed the prime minister in the morning meeting that Kerry-Lugar Bill is not the only source of irritation between the army high command and the government. The president was also informed about the activities of some US citizens in Islamabad and Peshawar that created a lot of concern in army circles.

Reliable sources claimed that rejection of the controversial clauses of Kerry-Lugar Bill by the parliament will not be enough. The army high command and a large number of federal ministers want a check on the mysterious activities of some US nationals in Pakistan. The Interior Ministry had recently informed prime minister that there were 411 US nationals present in Pakistan these days out of which 286 enjoyed the status of diplomats.

US embassy in Islamabad has hired about 307 houses in the capital. Security agencies have completed a survey of these houses and informed the government in clear words that most of these houses will not be used just for residences but also for spying activities. The president and the prime minister will discuss all these issues with COAS today and will try to form a joint strategy to secure and stabilise the country.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=24934

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Army had details of Kerry-Lugar bill, says Berman

WASHINGTON (SANA): The US’ House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman said thatPak Army had complete details of Kerry-Lugar Bill and top military leadership remained in contact with US officials till approval of the bill.

Talking to media in Washington, Howard Berman said that he held talks many times with General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani and other top level officials in this regard.

He said that President Asif Ali Zardari and military leadership were agreed to jointly take action against the militant groups to get rid of this menace. He said that those people are opposing the Kerry-Lugar Bill who did not read it or want to mislead the countrymen deliberately.

The US congressman said that purpose of these people seems to destabilize the country and provoke the Pak Army.

http://www.sananews.com.pk/english/2009/10/10/army-had-details-of-kerry-lugar-bill-says-berman/

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Asadullah Ghalib's analysis:

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Nazir Jaji:

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Tailpiece:

Those making uproar about the bill greet the drone attacks in our tribal belt with deafening silence. There cannot be a more explicit and glaring breach of our sovereignty than the drone strikes, but my memory fails to recall any recent ISPR statements condemning those strikes. The sudden uproar of national sovereignty is quite confounding. In my view, it has nothing to do with national security. It boils down to one ultimate theme in our politics, that our establishment cannot contemplate playing second fiddle to a civilian, elected government and any attempts to tame our establishment by any civilian leader, be it Nawaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari will be blocked – by any means possible.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=202518

But notwithstanding the problems with the bill or the PPP's imprudent attitude, why are our khakis arrogating to themselves the ultimate right to define and defend Pakistan's national security interests? There is so much wrong with the press release issued by the ISPR wagging a finger at the civilian government over the Kerry-Lugar Bill that one doesn't know where to begin. Do we even know the terms on which drone attacks were allowed, airfields leased and citizens handed over to the US during eight years of military rule under Musharraf?

Where do our khaki saviours derive the moral authority to lecture anyone over a cheap deal with the Americans when they themselves surrendered the entire house for free over a midnight phone call? Whence do corps commanders assume the legal authority to reprimand a civilian government over its conduct of foreign or economic policy? Is the concept of civilian control of the military not mandated under our Constitution? Do we not continue to criticize US administrations for lionizing successive military dictators at the expense of our democracy? Is it then not welcome that for the first time in history the US legislature is legally binding its executive branch to deal directly with the lawful civilian government of Pakistan? General Kayani and his fellow officers have a right to disagree with the choices being made by the PPP government. But they can either counsel the government in private, or exercise their rights in public as ordinary citizens once they retire or resign. The civil society, the media and the people of Pakistan are capable of holding their representatives accountable. We are done with self-proclaimed saviours.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=202520

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Hamid Mir exposes the unholy nexus between Pakistan Army and jihadi and sectarian terrorists.

While certain details of Hamid Mir's story (next) may need further investigation, a few conclusions can be drawn:

1. There is an unholy alliance between Pakistan Army (including ISI) and sectarian outfits such as Jaish-e-Muhammad (reincarnation of Sipah-e-Sahaba as a jihadi outfit; Mullah Masood Azhar is known for his friendship with Mullah Azam Tariq of Sipah-e-Sahaba).

2. This unholy alliance is supported and institutionalized at the top most level in Pakistan Army.

3. Notwithstanding the brutal tactics of the 'enemy', Pakistani commandos and their sectarian and jihadi mercenaries do not hesitate from slitting throats of their enemies and presenting them to Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, and get cash rewards in return.

4. In Hamid Mir's words (second last paragraph), "there is no doubt that Ilyas Kashmiri was actually a creation of the Pakistani establishment like Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi of the banned LeT." That sums it all.

Abdul Nishapuri

How an ex-Army commando became a terrorist

Sunday, September 20, 2009 By Hamid Mir ISLAMABAD: Once he was a blue-eyed boy of President General Pervez Musharraf. He got a cash award from the president for slitting the throat of an Indian Army officer in the year 2000 but after 9/11, he became a suspected terrorist. This terrorist was Ilyas Kashmiri, reportedly killed in a US drone attack in North Waziristan last week. US officials claimed that Ilyas Kashmiri was a senior al-Qaeda commander and his death was a huge loss for the militants fighting against the foreign forces in Afghanistan. Very few people know that Ilyas Kashmiri was a former SSG commando of Pakistan Army. He was originally from Kotli area of Azad Kashmir. He was deputed by Pakistan Army to train the Afghan Mujahideen fighting against the Russian Army in mid-80s. He was an expert of mines supplied to Afghan Mujahideen by the US. He lost one eye during the Jihad against Russian invaders and later on he joined Harkat-e-Jihad-e-Islami of Maulvi Nabi Muhammadi. Ilyas Kashmiri was based in Miramshah area of North Waziristan where he was working as an instructor at a training camp. After the withdrawal of Russian Army from Afghanistan, Ilyas Kashmiri was asked by Pakistani establishment to work with Kashmiri militants. He joined the Kashmir chapter of Harkatul Jihad-i-Islami in 1991. After a few years, he developed some differences with the head of HuJI Qari Saifullah Akhtar. Ilyas Kashmiri created his own 313 Brigade in HuJI. He was once arrested by Indian Army from Poonch area of Indian held Kashmir along with Nasrullah Mansoor Langrial. He was imprisoned in different Indian jails for two years and finally he escaped from there after breaking the jail. His old friend Langrial is still imprisoned in India. Ilyas Kashmiri became a legend after escaping from the Indian jail. It was 1998 when the Indian Army started incursions along the Line of Control and killed Pakistani civilians many times by crossing the border. Ilyas Kashmiri was given the task to attack the Indians from their back. He did it many times. Indian Army killed 14 civilians on February 25, 2000 in Lonjot village of Nakial in Azad Kashmir. Indian commandos crossed the LoC, spent the whole night in a Pakistani village and left early morning. They slit the throats of three girls and took away their heads with them. They also kidnapped two local girls. The next morning, the heads of the kidnapped girls were thrown towards Pakistani soldiers by the Indian Army. The very next day of this massacre, Ilyas Kashmiri conducted a guerilla operation against the Indian Army in Nakyal sector on the morning of February 26, 2000. He crossed the LoC with 25 fighters of the 313 Brigade. He surrounded a bunker of Indian Army and threw grenades inside. After one of his fighters Qudratullah lost his life, he was able to kidnap an injured officer of the Indian Army. That was not the end. He slit the throat of the kidnapped officer. He came back to Pakistan with the head of the dead Indian Army officer in his bag and presented this head to top Army officials and later on to the then Army Chief General Pervez Musharraf, who gave him a cash award of rupees one lakh. The pictures of Ilyas Kashmiri with the head of a dead Indian Army officer in his hands were published in some Pakistani newspapers and he became very important among the Kashmiri militants. Maulana Zahoor Ahmad Alvi of Jamia Muhammadia, Islamabad, issued a fatwa in support of slitting the throats of Indian Army officers. Those were the days when Corps Commander, Rawalpindi, Lt Gen Mehmood Ahmad, visited the training camp of Ilyas Kashmiri in Kotli and appreciated his frequent guerilla actions against the Indian Army. His honeymoon with the Pakistan Army generals was over after the creation of Jaish-e-Muhammad. Gen Mehmood wanted Ilyas Kashmiri to join JeM and accept Maulana Masood Azhar as his leader but the one eyed militant refused to do so. The militants of JeM once attacked the training camp of Ilyas Kashmiri in Kotli but he survived that attack. His outfit was banned by Musharraf after 9/11. He was arrested after an attack on the life of Pervez Musharraf in December 2003. He was tortured during the interrogation. The United Jihad Council led by Syed Salahuddin strongly protested the arrest of Ilyas Kashmiri and on the pressure of Kashmiri militants, Ilyas Kashmiri was released in February 2004. He was a shattered man after his release. He disassociated himself from the Kashmiri militants and remained silent for at least three years. It was the Lal Masjid operation in July 2007, which totally changed Ilyas Kashmiri. He moved to North Waziristan where he spent many years as a Jihad instructor. This area was full of his friends and sympathisers. He reorganized his 313 Brigade and joined hands with the Taliban but he was never close to al-Qaeda leadership. He attracted many former Pakistan Army officers to join hands with him. The strength of 313 Brigade in North Waziristan was more than 3,000. Most of his fighters were hired from the Punjab, Sindh and Azad Kashmir. It is alleged that he organised many terrorist attacks in different areas of Pakistan, including the assassination of Major General (retd) Faisal Alvi in Rawalpindi. Alvi was also from the SSG and he led the first-ever Army operation in North Waziristan in 2004. Kashmiri planned attacks on Alvi on the demand of Taliban in North Waziristan. Sources close to his family have yet not confirmed his death in a US drone attack but there is no doubt that Ilyas Kashmiri was actually a creation of the Pakistani establishment like Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi of the banned LeT. The Pakistani establishment abandoned and arrested most of these militant leaders without realising that they had followers all over Pakistan and they could create problems for Pakistan anytime. The establishment is still without any policy about all those who were once declared “freedom fighters” and were honored by the top Army officials like Pervez Musharraf. (The News) ...... Also read: Govt tells Turkistan not to fight TTP TANK: Authorities in Tank on Saturday forced an anti-Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander to surrender his arms and “stop fighting the TTP” in South Waziristan, officials said. “I have been asked to stop fighting the TTP and surrender my weapons, which I did,” Turkistan Bhittani, the pro-government Taliban leader, told Daily Times by phone. Official sources said the move came after he had spoken against the government, adding that the decision had been taken at the highest military and civil levels. Turkistan, along with 20 of his supporters, was stopped by security forces near Kor Qila, 20 kilometres west of Tank, and asked to surrender his weapons, sources said. staff report (Daily Times) Pakistan reluctant to hit Taliban leaders: Patterson * Islamabad’s refusal to act in support of US goals undermining efforts against Al Qaeda Daily Times Monitor LAHORE: Despite growing US military losses in Afghanistan, Pakistan is not targeting the groups on its soil that threaten the American-led mission there, the US ambassador to Pakistan has said. Eight years after Pakistan agreed to fight the Taliban and Al Qaeda, Ambassador Anne Patterson told the McClatchy Interviewer, Pakistan had “different priorities” from the US. It was “certainly reluctant to take action” against the leaders of the Afghan insurgency, she said. She said Pakistan’s refusal to act in support of American goals was undermining the US effort to deny Al Qaeda and other extremist groups a sanctuary in Afghanistan. “Where we differ, of course, is the treatment of the groups who are attacking our troops in Afghanistan. And that comes down to Haqqani and Gul Bahadur and Nazir, to a lesser extent Hekmatyar, and yes, of course, there are differences there,” Patterson told the newspaper. “My own view is that the Haqqani group is the biggest threat [in Afghanistan]. The Quetta Shura, yes, is sort of a command and control. They move in and out of Afghanistan,” she told McClatchy. Nevertheless, Patterson said that Pakistan had “taken more action against some of these groups than most people are aware of.” (Daily Times)

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Shame on you, Hamid Mir, for fanning anti-Qadiani sectarianism!

Qadianis should be allowed to preach: Altaf

LAHORE: Qadianis should be allowed to preach their ideology in Pakistan, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain told a private TV channel on Tuesday. During an interview, he said politics and religion should be kept separate. He said he would establish a mosque, a church, a Hindu temple and a ‘Qadiani mosque’ if the MQM came into power. He also said the country’s name should be ‘Peoples’ Pakistan’ and people should choose whether it should be an Islamic Republic or a Peoples’ Republic. daily times monitor

http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\09\09\story_9-9-2009_pg1_5

Now compare Altaf Hussain's bold stance in support of religious tolerance, with the anti-Qadiani prejudice evident in Hamid Mir's column yesterday, in which Mir suggests (quoting an anonymous Wahhabi General) that in fact an Ahmedi low-rank officer of Pakistan Army (Major Nadeem Dar) was responsible for the anti-MQM operation in Sindh. What a joke!

Shame on you, Hamid Mir, for fanning sectarianism in the country. Indeed, you will never dare claim that Musharraf acted against the interests of Pakistan because he is a Sunni or that General Zia-ul-Haq conspired against the people of Pakistan because he was a Deobandi cum Wahhabi.

Shame on you, for spreading disinformation and hatred against minorities in Pakistan. And shame on those who believe you!

http://jang.com.pk/jang/sep2009-daily/07-09-2009/col3.htm

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