Why are Taliban attacking innocent civilians in Pakistan?

Suicide attack in Peshawar leaves at least 19 dead
By Ismail Khan (Dawn)
Thursday, 19 Nov, 2009

PESHAWAR: At least 19 people were killed and 50 wounded when a suicide bomber struck the district judicial complex on Thursday morning, city administration officials and doctors said.

'The bomber was on foot and tried to get into the Judicial Complex through its main entry gate. He blew himself up, when he was stopped,' deputy coordination officer, Peshawar, Sahibzada Mohammad Anis said.

A doctor at the city’s main Lady Reading Hospital put the death toll at seventeen. Amongst those killed were the three policemen who tried to stop the bomber from getting in, Anis said.

Peshawar, the capital of the North-West Frontier Province, has borne the major brunt of terrorist attacks since the deadly bombing in a busy shopping area on October 28 that left 121 people dead.

Chief Minister NWFP, Ameer Haider Khan vowed to continue the fight against terrorism but warned that Thursday's bombing would not be the last one.

'This is not going to be the last bombing,' Mr. Hoti warned.

A senior minister in his cabinet said the government would not succumb to pressure from militants' bombings and would not negotiate with them.

'We will not negotiate with these animals,' Bashir Ahmad Bilour said.

A total of 185 people have died in terrorist attacks since then including the latest bombing at the Judicial Complex.

Analysis

By Abdul Nishapuri

In Pakistan, Taliban seem to be implementing what they have been long practising in Afghanistan. i.e. the broader Taliban strategy of killing and harassing ordinary civilians.

Amnesty International spokeswoman Saria Rees-Roberts told RFE/RL that the tactic is part of a wider strategy -- the systematic targeting of Afghan civilians by the Taliban.

"These reports are very concerning, and they link up with what we have observed," Rees-Robers said. "The Taliban is using practices like abductions and killings in order to exert fear and exert control over the local population.

Here is a most recent analysis of the Taliban strategy in Pakistan by Abdul Haye Kakar of BBC Urdu dot com.

عسکریت پسند دو حکمت عملیوں پر عمل پیرا

عبدالحئی کاکڑ

بی بی سی اردوڈاٹ کام، کراچی

شہریوں کو اس لیے ٹارگٹ کیا جارہا ہے تاکہ عوام کی رائے پر کھڑی جمہوری حکومت پر دباؤ بڑھایا جاسکے

صوبہ سرحد بالخصوص پشاور میں کسی زمانے میں دو دھماکوں کے درمیان عموماً ایک ہفتے کا وقفہ ہوا کرتا تھا یعنی صرف جمعہ کو لوگ دھماکے کا خدشہ ظاہر کرتے تھے مگر اب اگر کسی دن دھماکہ نہ ہو تو لوگوں کو اگلا دھماکہ ہونے کا ڈر لگا رہتا ہے۔

گزشتہ گیارہ دنوں میں آٹھ دھماکے ہوئے ہیں جس میں ایک سو تیس سے زیادہ افراد ہلاک ہوچکے ہیں۔جوں جوں پاکستانی فوج جنوبی وزیرستان میں طالبان سے علاقہ حاصل کررہی ہے ویسے ویسے شہروں میں پرتشدد کارروائیاں بڑھتی نظر آرہی ہیں۔

طالبان جنوبی وزیرستان سے نکل کر خیبر، اورکزئی، کُرم ایجنسی ، بکاخیل بنوں، شمالی وزیرستان پہنچ چکے ہیں تاہم با اعتماد حکومتی اور طالبان ذرائع کے مطابق انہوں نے پشاور کے تین اطراف میں بھی ڈیرہ ڈال رکھا ہے جس کی وجہ یہ ہے کہ شہر تک فاصلہ کم ہونے کی وجہ سے وہ ہدف کا انتخاب کرنے اور اس تک پہنچنے میں قدرے آسانی محسوس کرتے ہیں۔

پچھلی اور حالیہ فوجی کارروائی میں ایک بڑا فرق یہ ہے کہ جنرل ریٹائرڈ مشرف کے دورِ حکومت میں زیادہ تر حملوں میں حکومتی مقامات اور سکیورٹی فورسز کو نشانہ بنانے کی کوشش کی جاتی رہی البتہ اس بار عسکریت پسند بیک وقت دو حکمت عملیوں پر عمل پیرا ہیں۔ ایک تو وہ ماضی کی طرح سکیورٹی فورسز اور سرکاری املاک کو نشانہ بنا رہے ہیں لیکن اس بار شہریوں کو بھی خصوصی طور پر نشانہ بنانے کی کوشش کی جارہی ہے۔

طالبان اور ان کے غیر ملکی جنگجوؤں کی نظر میں شہری بے گناہ نہیں ہیں اور ان کی خاموشی انہیں’منافقین‘ کے خانے میں ڈال رہی ہے لہٰذا ان کی سخت گیر سوچ کے مطابق ’منافقین‘ کو مارنا گناہ نہیں بلکہ الٹا ’ثواب‘ کے زمرے میں آتا ہے۔

طالبان کے اندرونی حلقوں سے حاصل ہونے والی معلومات کے مطابق شہریوں کو اس لیے ٹارگٹ کیا جا رہا ہے تاکہ عوام کی رائے پر کھڑی جمہوری حکومت پر دباؤ بڑھایا جاسکے۔ ان کی نظر میں عوام اس لیے بھی قصور وار ہیں کہ وہ فوجی کارروائی پر کیوں خاموش تماشائی بیھٹے ہوئے ہیں اور انہیں اپنے منتخب نمائندوں کو اس بات پر مجبور کرنا چاہیئے کہ وہ طالبان کے ساتھ مذاکرات کرکے مسئلے کو ایک بار پھر معاہدے کے ذریعے حل کروایا جائے۔

طالبان اور ان کے غیر ملکی جنگجوؤں کی نظر میں شہری بے گناہ نہیں ہیں اور ان کی خاموشی انہیں’منافقین‘ کے خانے میں ڈال رہی ہے لہٰذا ان کی سخت گیر سوچ کے مطابق ’منافقین‘ کو مارنا گناہ نہیں بلکہ الٹا ’ثواب‘ کے زمرے میں آتا ہے۔

اس سے قطع نظر کہ شہریوں کو نشانہ بنانے سے طالبان کو کوئی فائدہ ہوتا ہے یا نہیں لیکن اس کا ایک فائدہ پاکستان میں حکومت مخالف سیاسی جماعتوں اور قوتوں کو بھی بظاہر پہنچ رہا ہے کیونکہ عوام کو یہ باور کرایا جارہا ہے کہ حکومت ان کے تحفظ میں ناکام ہوچکی ہے۔

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Story of a 14-year-old suicide bomber brainwashed by the Friends of Taliban

It has been learnt that Taliban use the anti-Pakistan (i.e. anti-democracy, anti-Pakistan Army and anti-west) hate propaganda spread by their friends in Pakistani media (e.g., Hamid Mir, Shahid Masood, Ansar Abbasi, Javed Chaudhry and others), in order to brainwash the ill-educated and ill-informed Pakistani youth. Here is a detailed account of a 14-year-old suicide bomber by BBC correspondent Orla Guerin.

'I agreed to become a suicide bomber'

A 14-year-old boy in the tribal region of Bajaur, in north-west Pakistan, says he was detained by Taliban forces who tried to turn him into a suicide bomber. The boy is now in army hands. He provided a detailed account to BBC correspondent Orla Guerin. His story cannot be independently verified. The boy says he was beaten until he agreed to become a suicide bomber There were five people who came after me from a place in Bajaur. They tricked me. They told me they were going to behead my father. I went with them but my father wasn't there. They tied me up. They said: 'You have two choices. We will behead you, or you will become a suicide bomber.' I refused. There were two more guys of my age. They were also training to be suicide bombers. If we refused they would tie our hands behind our backs, blindfold us and start beating us. They brainwashed us and told us we would go to heaven. They said 'there will be honey and juice and God will appear in front of you. You will have a beautiful house in Heaven'. We used to ask them to let us out to pray. They would reply 'you are already on your way to heaven. You don't need to pray.' They beat me hard for five days. I wasn't given any food. While they were beating me I agreed to become a suicide bomber. They separated me from the other boys. Mosque mission They took me to a dark room and started giving me pills. I was handed over to Maulvi Fakir [the Bajaur Taliban commander]. After all this preparation they said I was to go and do the job in a mosque. Before the Taliban came we used to enjoy freedom. We used to play, and go to our schools 'Haunting' Taliban problem It was an ordinary mosque but the cleric there used to talk against the Taliban, and they declared him their enemy. They told me the cleric was a non-believer, a non-Muslim. They took off my shirt and put the jacket on my shoulders. There were two hooks on my chest. They told me that when you go there you say 'Allahu Akbar' [God is Great] and then you pull apart these two hooks. Then they took me there, showed me the mosque and went off. I was drugged and I couldn't feel anything. I only came to my senses when I arrived in the mosque. I saw the peaceful kind face of the cleric, and I saw the mosque was full of holy books. I saw the people praying. And I thought, they are all Muslims. How can I do this? I decided not to and I came out. I sat under a tree outside the mosque and waited for prayers to be over. After that I made my way back to the Taliban. Then they called me 'a son of a bitch' and asked why I had come back without doing it. I told them I could not do it because they were carrying out body searches of all the people entering the mosque. They took off my vest and handed me over to Maulvi Fakir. They tied me up but I told them to give me another chance and I would do it. They trusted me. I was roaming around with them for a couple of days. I got to the road, found transport and came home. They followed me to my house. They wanted to know if I was still there or had run somewhere else. Watch Orla Guerin's TV report from Bajaur The Taliban had beaten me so harshly my back was scarred. When my parents saw that my mother started to cry, and told me not to go back to them. My father asked them why they were after his son. One day he took his weapon and went after them. But they wanted to kill him so he came back home and closed the door. Before the Taliban came we used to enjoy freedom. We used to play, and go to our schools. There were no restrictions on us. Morning and evening we used to play games, and sit and chat with friends. We used to listen to music on our mobile phones. They banned that. They stopped us doing anything. They stopped us playing cricket and going to school. We felt like prisoners. I want to join the army because they are the defenders of the land. They are fighting for the right cause. I want to fight against the Taliban. I have no other intention except to defend my country. The Taliban should be eliminated. I want to tell the Taliban that they are cruel, and what they did to me was unjust. I can't kill innocent Muslims. I am not afraid of them. I am only afraid of God. I am answerable only to Him. Source

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Charsadda Attack and the Friends of Taliban

Charsadda, 10 November 2009. More than 30 people were killed and over 50 injured in a car bombing in Pakistan's north-western city of Charsadda, health officials said on Tuesday.

The blast occurred at a busy market in the town, which is located around 30 kilometres north-east of Peshawar, the capital of North-West Frontier Province.

'It was a suicide bombing. The bomber was riding a Suzuki Alto car,' district police chief Riaz Khan said. 'We have recovered his body parts.'

Shahzeb Khan, a health official at the main state-run hospital in Charsadda, said over the phone that 'more than 30 bodies and over 50 injured were moved here.' He said dozens more critically injured were taken to Peshawar.

'The death toll may rise because there are so many people who are in critical condition,' said the health official.

Express television quoted an eyewitness as saying that the bomber rammed his car into other vehicles and push-carts at the market.

Dozens of shops and several vehicles on the road were destroyed in the blast that also snapped the power cables and shattered the windowpanes of buildings in the vicinity.

No one has claimed responsibility for the bombing but the suspicion fell on Taliban, who have intensified attacks on civilian and official targets since mid-October when the military launched a major assault in their heartland of South Waziristan - a remote district near the Afghan border.

Around 30,000 ground troops are pitched against some 10,000 guerrilla fighters in the operation that Pakistan has described as crucial for its campaign to root out rising Islamic militancy.

Friends of Taliban

Here are the people responsible for brainwashing and developing suicide bombers, i.e. the notorious Taliban spokespersons and apologists in Pakistani media and politics. These are the real criminals; these are the traitors who develop footsoldiers against the Pakistani nation and its institutions.

A Taliban terrorist arrested in Lower Dir. (resembles Ansar Abbasi?) Source

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From the Jihadi Missile to the Crimson Gharara

Crimson Gharara
A poem on Rawalpindi bomb blast

(By Foqia Sadiq Khan and Q Isa Daudpota)

I queuing at the Bank,
for my monthly salary.
Image of crimson gharara, its goata lace,
dancing before my eyes.

My four year old Sara in my arms,
I saw it in the market a week ago.
Am waiting for new bank notes,
their smell of freshness, welcome to this clerk’s nose.

The sound of them being counted a break
from my mundane life of office sounds,
The thought of buying groceries for Eid,
And then a thundering jolt broke me into pieces,

My body scattered hundred yards,
What will it wear now but a shroud,
The Crimson ‘gharara’ hangs for another buyer in a small shop in downtown Saddar
(Source)

Rawalpindi attack death toll rises to 34

On 2 November 2009, at least 30 people were killed in a bombing near the military headquarters in Rawalpindi, with army and defence ministry personnel believed to be among the victims.

The blast at a small shopping centre may have targeted army officers drawing their salaries out from a bank branch on the ground floor of the building.

Witnesses said that the bodies of the dead and injured were lying across the car park and road in front of the shopping centre, with women and children among them.

The site of the explosion is within a few hundred metres from the military headquarters complex and the bank may have been the nearest for soldiers to use. The Ministry of Defence is also located nearby. Given it was the first working day of the month, many people will have just had their wages and pensions paid into their account. The capital, Islamabad, is a 25 minute drive away. (Source)

One panicked father near the bank when the explosion occurred said he was unable to find his son in the aftermath.

"I parked my car in the bank car park, and my child was sitting inside," Mohammad Saleem told AP Television News. "Now they're not giving me permission to go and look, and I don't know where my child is." (Source)

The Tehreek-e-Taliban, or Pakistan Taliban, claimed responsibility for that attack and is suspected of having staged yesterday's blast.

A wave of attacks in Pakistan since the middle of last month has killed about 300 people and injured hundreds more. The attacks have been interpreted as retaliation against the Pakistani Government for an offensive against the Pakistan Taliban in the group's stronghold of South Waziristan, a lawless mountainous region. (Source)

Why are Muslims killing Muslims in Pakistan? Some questions from Israel

پاکستان کے خودکُش حملے اور اسرائیلیوں کی ہمدردیاں

شاہ زیب جیلانی

کل رات کا ڈنر یروشلم سے باہر ایک یہودی فیملی کے گھر کھایا۔ وہ پہلے کبھی کسی پاکستانی سے نہیں ملے۔

مجھے لگا کہ جتنی میری اُن کے طور طریقے جاننے میں دلچسپی تھی اُتنی ہی دلچسپی انہیں مجھ میں اور پاکستان میں تھی۔

ذکر پاکستان میں آئے دن کے خودکُش حملوں کا ہوا۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ ہم اسرائیلوں کو پاکستانیوں سے پوری ہمدردی ہے کیونکہ ہم سے بہتر کون جانتا ہوگا کہ خودکُش حملے روکنا کتنا مشکل ہوتا ہے۔

ایک حد تک ان کی بات سہی بھی تھی۔ پاکستان میں خودکُش حملوں کا رواج نائن الیون کے بعد سے پڑا۔ لیکن اسرائیلی ایک لمبے عرصے سے انہیں بھگتے آئے ہیں۔

کبھی فلسطینی خودکُش حملہ آوروں نے یروشلم میں عام مسافروں سے بھری بسوں کو نشانہ بنایا تو کبھی تل ابیب میں ریستوران اور ڈسکوز اُن کی کاروائیوں کا نشانہ بنے۔

ایک زمانہ تھا اسرائیل آئے دن اس قسم کی خبروں میں رہتا تھا لیکن اب یوں لگتا ہے جیسے پاکستان اور خودکُش حملے لازم و ملزوم ہو چکے ہیں۔

میں نے اپنے پُر خلوص اسرائیلی میزبانوں سے پوچھا کہ آپ نے کیسے خودکش حملوں پر بظاہر خاصا کنٹرول کر لیا ہے؟ ان کا کہنا تھا کہ دنیا کو شاید یہ بات پسند نہ آئے لیکن حقیقت یہ ہے کہ جب سے اسرائیل نے فلسطینوں کی نقل و حرکت روکنے کے لئے جگہ جگہ سکیورٹی رکاوٹیں کھڑی کیں اور دیوار بنائی، اُن کا یہاں آ کر حملے کرنا ناممکن نہیں تو بے حد مشکل ضرور ہوگیا ہے۔

مسئلہ یہ ہے کہ اسرائیل رقبے کے اعتبار سے پاکستان سے کئی گناہ چھوٹا لیکن مال کے اعتبار سے کافی امیر ملک ہے اس لئے وہ اس قسم کے سکیورٹی اقدامات کر سکتا ہے۔

پاکستان خودکش حملہ آوروں کو روکنے کے لئے اگر دیوار کھڑی کرنے کا سوچے بھی تو آخر کہاں کہاں؟

آخر میں چلتے چلتے میرے یہودی میزبانوں نے کہا کہ اسرائیلی شہریوں کو جان سے مارنے والے تو اکثر فلسطینی خودکش حملہ آور رہے ہیں لیکن انہیں یہ سمجھ نہیں آتا کہ پاکستان میں مسلمان مسلمانوں کو کیوں مار رہے ہیں؟

میں نے کہا اس کا جواب خاصا مشکل ہے۔ بس یوں سمجھ لیجیئے کہ جب کوئی ملک اپنے پڑوسی حریف ملکوں سے نمٹنے کے لئے بیرونی امداد سے جہادی میزائیل تیار کرنے میں لگ جاتے ہیں تو وہ کبھی کبھی بھول جاتے ہیں کہ بعض اوقات جہادی فیکٹریوں سے نکلنے والے میزائل آپ کے اپنے گلے پڑ جاتے ہیں۔

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/urdu/2009/11/post_535.html

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Taliban / Sipah-e-Sahaba attack a bank outside Army GHQ in Rawalpindi. At least 20 killed.

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The attack on Islamic university in Islamabad: From General Zia to Imran Khan

IIU, me and you

The Pakistan report card Thursday, October 22, 2009 Fasi Zaka Several months ago, I was invited to speak at a seminar at the women's campus of the International Islamic University (IIU). It was, to say at the least, a memorable experience. I came to the unfortunate realisation that I too was a prejudiced individual after I compared my expectations to what I saw there. I expected a strict, stifling academic atmosphere that would be pervading the air in a sea of burqas. It was none of those things; the only cliché present was my pre-conceived notion, sadly with what could be called new neo-colonial mindset of the modernist Muslim despite his/her good intentions. The female students there were animated, gutsy and held intellectual discourse with vigour. Most striking was the plurality of the female campus of the IIU; the girls there chose their own identities and wore what they liked (with even the occasional moderate western wear). The segregation hadn't created an artificial environment; the students were free to be their own selves without the social mores that come into play when the genders mix. When I heard of the bombing at both the male and female campuses of the IIU, I was deeply saddened. I continue to wonder how urban apologists for the Taliban will spin this one. In all likelihood they won't, they will pretend it never happened. Rehman Malik is already at the blame game, claiming the problem was a lapse in university security. Since when have universities become experts in counter-terrorism is beyond me. He chose to ignore the obvious, which is that his ministry miscalculated when it thought schools were under threat and advised to shut them down instead of including universities on the list as well. While the PPP maybe an abject failure in governing this nation, our only alternative is proving to be a duplicitous man preaching a hollow holier-than-thou tirade. Nawaz Sharif won't answer questions about the Taliban, nor will he back the army into a war it has been slow to engage in. After the IIU bombing, what else is it that the Taliban can do to prove to Nawaz Sharif that they are entirely Godless? The left will quote Chomsky, Pilger and others to explain the social conditions that lead to movements like the Taliban, in effect intellectually justifying their methods. There is no denying the areas that have spawned this collective deserved better. But then, frankly, what are the redeeming features of the Taliban, if any? Explaining their background cannot, and does not, mitigate their callousness or inhumanity. Muted defenses of the Taliban always argue that one should not attempt to wipe them out because they are Muslims, 'well intentioned' but deviant. But what is odd that it seems the Taliban have no such qualms, having relegated everyone but themselves into the pit of infidels. For a long time now, there has been no room left for understanding and compassion. It is time to demonise them. General discourse and the media need to paint them as the new infidels. The kid gloves need to come off; the right wing of this country has to treat them with the same disdain and suggestions of all-encompassing evil that they reserve for USA, India and Israel. To be a member of the Taliban should be an unequivocal slur, it needs to have shame. In the battle for minds, maybe the same misdirected and spontaneous anger that creates mobs in streets against people (usually religious minorities) for alleged blasphemy should be aimed at people who collaborate with these murderers. It's no less a grave blasphemy to kill and maim innocent girls in an overtly Islamic university in the name of the Prophet (PBUH). But no, we have one standard for the Taliban and another for people who mark their heads with red dots and adorn their necks with crosses. This is the crux of our problem, not military might against the hordes of barbarians inside our gates. Remaining silent is not an option. Avoiding questions the way Nawaz Sharif does cannot go on. And if we are to start on this right now, I propose a simple start. We legislate against allowing abstentions in both the upper and lower houses of parliament for both resolutions and pending legislation. So whether it is the NRO, Kerry Lugar or action against the Taliban, the officials elected to represent the interests of the people cannot use the opt-out clause (abstentions) to gain false and damaging moral ground if they do not want to appear to support or be against certain issues when tabled. Name the legislation after the students who lost their lives at the university, it is the people, army brass and politicians who remained silent for so long that the girls and others have been silenced violently in the prime of their lives. Surely, Nawaz Sharif must have an opinion on that. But maybe he believes the comical and sad statement that Qamar Zaman Kaira gave after the bombing: "their real faces are now exposed in front of the nation." Really? Only now? IIU, me and you -- II Thursday, October 29, 2009 Fasi Zaka In times of unimaginable tragedy, it is hard to judge outpourings of grief. The mind is freckled by floods of angry emotion. After having said this, I still feel disappointed that right after the International Islamic University (IIU) bombings one of the pictures I saw in the press was of a demonstration by the boys of the university upholding banners that were against the Kerry-Lugar bill. It seemed to me the significance of what had happened to these hapless students hadn't yet dawned on them. The International Islamic University has absolutely nothing to do with the bill, and in any case the Taliban didn't bomb the university because they were convinced that the IIU had drafted it for John Kerry. Even at that time, in the aftermath of a senseless act it was difficult to acknowledge for people that the Taliban were utterly nihilistic in their aims. It was a lost opportunity to honour the lives of the people lost, to say that Islam just doesn't allow any semblance of what the Taliban are doing. One of the students who died was Sidra, a young topper of the Rawalpindi board in the arts group. Her best friend who saw her die chillingly spoke of being unable to sleep, to remember the cold touch of her cheek when she was about to be buried. How did the Kerry-Lugar bill fit into this? Valid criticisms of the bill aside, this was not the moment to do it because it was peripheral to the whole issue, because the Kerry-Lugar bill is also on the lower end of the Taliban agenda, revenge being their first. And the thirst for blood is so great, that the revenge is also taken from the absolutely innocent. I wonder just how influential the Islami Jamiat Talba (IJT) is at the IIU. Recently one of their office-bearers gave a statement to the press that Blackwater is behind the wave of terror attacks in the country. This is purposeful and utterly extreme mischief. If Blackwater is in Pakistan, and I increasingly believe that one of its subsidiaries might, it should be sent packing. But not for the nonsense that the Jamiat is keen on having people believe. Blackwater should be sent back, not because it may laughably be complicit in terror, but because the firm is trained in counter-insurgency in Iraq and has a trigger-happy reputation and is staffed reportedly by bigots, starting from the very top. What if a firm like Blackwater kills someone in Pakistan, how will the law apply? It's an invitation to flout our laws because we know the Americans won't allow a trial here, and it's already happening with incidents of foreigners being stopped and caught with illegal unlicensed weapons. But, for a moment, even in our anger acknowledge that whatever firm the Americans may be using, they do need security and are acting in accordance with the directive, or at least philosophy of Rehman Malik and Shahbaz Sharif. Our rulers would extol the people of Swat to fight the Taliban, rather than doing something about it themselves. They are saying that educational institutions must protect themselves rather than the government increasing general security. With this trend, all the Americans are doing is the same. If the government will not protect the people (only itself by buying more and more bullet-proof cars), then the Americans will have to use private contractors. But every argument that concerns legitimate internal concerns, say Americans with automatic weapons in the country, the Taliban or literally anything else, is increasingly hijacked and overtaken into vapid and vacuous arguments that sidestep the real issues. Without realising it, or maybe they do, but these right-wingers are hurting our country by making everything into issues of national pride or patriotism. And this patriotism is hurting us because it is made by disingenuous people. It doesn't reflect what this country should stand for. If we believed all our citizens have a right to life, we would be more incensed by the IIU bombing than we really are. Let me give an example of this confusion. In a recent letter to the editor a young man wrote about his educational institution in Faisalabad where a couple were sitting under a tree. Security came and shaved the heads of both the man and woman. The writer of the letter was honest to admit that he was fearful and couldn't speak up for two innocent people. But one reason people stay quiet is that they somehow believe that the tyrants who were shaving the heads of the couple may have been morally right. That's the confusion of the myth-making we are creating in this country. If we had a real sense of values we wouldn't think twice about speaking up for that poor duo because we knew others would share the sentiment. What crime was committed between two people sitting and doing nothing wrong in an open space? In LUMS a girl is making news for her campaign against public displays of affection. Let us grant her the right to do so for argument's sake, but the manner in which she did so is nothing less than hypocritical and reflects a tyrant in the making. By taking pictures of people secretly and promising to more and distributing them on email lists, I wonder if she is convinced Allah appointed her as the guardian to invade people's privacy by being holier than thou. I wonder if she took a break from her voyeurism activism to lead a rally against the Taliban after the IIU bombing. Which is more important now? The writer is a Rhodes scholar and former academic. Email: fasizaka@yahoo.com (The News)

Striking Islamic University in Islamabad

On the fourth day of the South Waziristan offensive by the Pakistan Army, the terrorist suicide-bombers decided to strike at the International Islamic University in Islamabad, killing six, out of whom three were girls. Heeding the message, the federal government and the provinces have closed down all educational institutions for five days, after which some decisive developments are expected.

The attack on the university reveals the changing temperament of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its increasing desperation. The University is a centre of the study of sharia and is staffed in such a way that a worldwide perspective on the Islamic way of life becomes available to Pakistani students. It has featured renowned foreign scholars on its faculty and is highly regarded in the Islamic world.

But the TTP signature is crying out to be noticed. The girls, most of them observing hijab, have been targeted. In this sense, the attack is of a piece with the attacks on girls’ schools elsewhere in the country by the Taliban. From a recorded past of approval, the terrorists have moved to disapproval of the University. Since it is funded by Pakistan’s friendly Arab states and is located right next to the Saudi-built Faisal Mosque, the attack also contains a message from Al Qaeda. All bets, it appears, are off.

The students of the Islamic University expressed their view of the government by pelting stones at the car of the interior minister, Mr Rehman Malik, as he arrived to review the scene of bombing. This was a leftover from the settled understanding they had of the government. It might change in the coming days as they review their opinion of the TTP and Al Qaeda. But the question to be asked here — and in other universities — is: will the campuses undergo a change of mind?

When the Islamic University was set up, one teacher sent by Saudi Arabia to teach here was Professor Abdullah Azzam, a renowned Palestinian scholar who also ran the famous Saudi humanitarian organisation Rabita al-Alam al-Islami, which had an office in Islamabad. Mr Azzam also laid the foundation of Al Qaeda in Peshawar, not as a terrorist organisation but as an Islamic response to the Soviet incursion in Afghanistan. He was killed in Peshawar but his legacy has remained a part of Al Qaeda.

It is significant that a TTP group of terrorists that killed a number of khassadars, or local levies, during the month of Ramazan in Khyber called itself the Abdullah Azzam Brigade. Is it a lapse of memory on the part of the terrorists that they have attacked a university where Prof Azzam taught once and to whom the leaders of such organisations as Harkatul Mujahideen and various Lashkars owe allegiance? One can only put it down to an act of desperation. And it must cost the TTP a lot of support.

Those who have held exchanges of views with the Islamic University will remember that its students did not share the generally liberal outlook that characterises Pakistani society. In this they are in tune with views held in most universities of Pakistan where religious parties have almost a permanent influence. In Pakistan’s education system, the madrassas and the universities are close in their worldview. In the middle, among the schools and colleges, is where the typical middle-of-road Pakistani view — backed by our non-religious political parties — is still prevalent.

The TTP may be about to lose the support at campuses where most students tended to look at them positively and were in favour of “talks” with the Taliban, adhering to the stance adopted by Jama’at-e Islami and Tehreek-e-Insaf. A glimpse of this was offered by the Punjab University where the vice-chancellor led a march of protesting boys and girls against Tuesday’s outrage at the Islamabad Islamic University.

The terrorists have gradually abandoned the broad support they had among the largely conservative majority of Pakistan’s population. By doing what they did in Swat they proved that it was a deliberate act. From a majority of those who accepted the “cause” of the Taliban, the country now has a minority that would still support the so-called “Islamic enterprise” their leader Hakimullah has announced from South Waziristan. This is the moment when the resolve to face up to the challenge of terrorism should become even stronger (Daily Times).

سب کی چھٹی

محمد حنیف

بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، کراچی

پاکستان میں دہشت گردی کے خطرے کے پیش نظر تعلیمی اداروں کو عارضی طور پر بند کر دیا گیا ہے

کل گیارہ سال کے ایک بچے کو بتایا کہ کل سکول میں چھٹی ہے۔ اس نے خوشی اور حیرت سے پوچھا کیوں۔ میں نے کہا سکیورٹی۔ اس نے کہا کیا انڈیا حملہ کر رہا ہے، کیا ہندو آ رہے ہیں۔

آج ملک کے کروڑوں طالب علم جن میں پہلی جماعت کے بچوں سے لے کر یونیورسٹیوں کے فائنل ایئر کے سٹوڈنٹ سب شامل ہیں، چھٹی پر ہیں۔ جن کو امتحانات دینے تھے ان کے پرچے منسوخ۔ جو تحریری امتحان دے کر پریکٹیکل کا انتظار کر رہے تھے اب وہ یہ انتظار تاحکم ثانی کریں گے۔ اب چونکہ یہ تمام طلبا فارغ ہیں اور اپنی اپنی بساط کے مطابق کوئی شغل کر رہے ہوں گے۔ کوئی وڈیو گیم کھیل رہا ہوگا، کوئی گلی میں کرکٹ اور کئی ماں باپ کے دھندوں میں ہاتھ بٹا رہے ہوں گے۔ میری ان تمام طلبا کے والدین سے گزارش ہے کہ وہ ان بچوں کو اخبارات سے دور رکھیں۔

کیونکہ آج آپ اردو کے دو بڑے اخباروں کے ادارتی صفحوں پر نظر ڈالیں تو انہیں یہ کچھ پڑھنے کو ملے گا۔

حضرت بایزید نے کس طرح کافروں کو مسلمان کیا۔ مکروہ بھارت مقدس پاکستان کے خلاف کیسی مکروہ حرکتیں کر رہا ہے۔

جماعت اسلامی وزیرستان میں نہ صرف آپریشن رکوائے گی بلکہ کیری لوگر بل پر ایک ملک گیر ریفرنڈم کروائے گی جس کے لیے پانچ ہزار پولنگ بوتھ لگائے جا رہے ہیں۔اگر کیری لوگر میں آپ کی دلچسپی ماند پڑ چکی ہو تو آپ گوانتا نامو میں ایک امریکی فوجی کے قبول اسلام کا ایمان افروز قصہ پڑھ سکتے ہیں۔

اسلام آباد یونیورٹسی میں ہونے والے خود کش حملوں کے خلاف کراچی میں طلبا احتجاج کر رہے ہیں

اسرائیلی جرائم کی چارج شیٹ پڑھ سکتے ہیں اور حمیت نام تھا جس کا ۔۔۔۔ کے نام سے طارق بن زیاد کے ولولہ انگیز کارناموں سے سبق سیکھ سکتے ہیں۔ اور اگر آپ کو تاریخ میں دلچسپی نہیں ہے تو آپ سابقہ کشمیری مجاہد اور تحریک طالبان کے موجودہ روح رواں الیاس کشمیری کے حالات زندگی پڑھ سکتے ہیں۔ کشمیری صاحب سے پوچھا گیا کہ جب کشمیر اور افغانستان فتح ہو جائے گا تو کیا جہاد ختم ہو جائے گا۔ انہوں نے فرمایا نہیں اس کے بعد ہندوستان سے حیدرآباد اور جوناگڑھ واپس لینے کے لیے جہاد ہوگا۔ اور اس کے بعد؟ ان کا کہنا تھا کہ دنیا میں کسی نہ کسی جگہ تو جہاد کی ضرورت ہوگی پھر ہم وہاں جہاد کریں گے۔

تو اولاد والو، عالم یہ ہے کہ ہم ایران، توران، بھارت اور اسرائیل میں جہاد کرتے کرتے، سپین میں چھن جانے والی حکومت کا ماتم کرتے ہوئے، اپنے گلوں میں اپنے جوہری زیور ڈالے آج اس مقام پر آن پہنچے ہیں کہ اپنے ہی محلے میں اپنے بچوں کو سکول نہیں بھیج سکتے۔ کیونکہ ان کی جانوں کو خطرہ ہے۔

کس سے؟

ہم ان کا نام لیتے ہوئے یا تو ڈرتے ہیں یا شرماتے ہیں۔

........

A state of denial

By Shahid M. Amin
Wednesday, 21 Oct, 2009

The conspiracy theorists ignore the reality that many suspected suicide bombers have been identified and found to be part of extremist groups such as the Taliban. –Photo by AP

METROPOLITAN

Rawalpindi police detain 152 during search operation

Rawalpindi police detain 152 during search operation

The GHQ attack has drawn accusations from several quarters in Pakistan that it was inspired by foreign powers; some have named India and the US among the usual suspects. Such ‘experts’ rarely bother to give any concrete evidence to substantiate their charges, which are based mainly on conjecture.

They can only argue as to which country would want to hurt Pakistan the most: surely it must be India. Since many now see the US as the enemy, it too, in their view, could be the hidden hand behind the attack. In this particular case the leader of the terrorists has been captured alive. An army spokesman has identified him as Aqeel, alias Dr Usman, affiliated with terrorist outfits based in southern Punjab. The terrorists involved in the attack were apparently trained in South Waziristan.

Will the spokesman’s disclosure silence those who see a foreign power behind the attack? Not likely. The conspiracy theorists in this case are the same people who have been claiming that the suicide bombers — who have killed thousands in Pakistan over the last few years — could not be Muslims. They ignore the reality that many of the suicide bombers have been identified and found to be part of Islamist extremist groups such as the Taliban.

Similarly, some conspiracy theorists believe that Al Qaeda does not exist and the Sept 11, 2001 attacks were the handiwork of Israeli agents. The fact that Osama bin Laden has taken responsibility for 9/11 and all those involved in it were Arab nationals has not deterred the ardent believers of conspiracies.

How should one explain such a state of denial? It is not a case of not knowing the facts. Actually, the conspiracy theorists do not want to believe anything that comes in the way of their firmly held views: firstly, that the US, Israel and India are the arch enemies of Muslims; secondly, that the militants involved in the struggle against anti-Islam forces must be absolved of any charge of brutal excesses.

One can see a clear pattern at work. After every gruesome terrorist act the ‘defenders’ of the terrorists react. They assert that this must be the doing of anti-Islam and anti-Pakistan forces, or of elements within the regime, such as intelligence agencies. Even when the Taliban or other extremists claim responsibility the ‘defenders’ assert that this must be disinformation. It would not be incorrect to conclude that there is a nexus between the Taliban and these apologists, mainly belonging to our religious parties which seem to be acting as the political face of the terrorists.

What kind of mentality is helping create sympathy for violent extremism? How is it that extremists are attracting so many adherents? No doubt, the majority are drawn from madressahs where young boys are subjected to relentless brainwashing. But some supporters are well-educated people. It is important, therefore, to understand the phenomenon of ‘Talibanisation’ since military measures alone cannot destroy Al Qaeda and the Taliban. In the final process, ideas must be fought with ideas.

Over a period of time the perception has developed in Pakistan and elsewhere that the US is following a global anti-Muslim policy. The US is viewed as the main supporter of Israel, which has long been a dagger in the heart of the Arab and Muslim world. The Al Qaeda phenomenon itself developed after the US attack on Iraq during the first Gulf War of 1990. In 2001 the US invasion of Afghanistan and, more notably, the invasion of Iraq in 2003 raised Muslim fears to an unprecedented extent.

In Pakistan, sectarianism has been on the rise for the last three decades or so. But it was under Ziaul Haq that extremism acquired the shape that we see today. He patronised fundamentalism for political and ideological reasons. The Soviet military occupation of Afghanistan was seen as a threat to Pakistan’s own security. The West had its own motives to oppose the Soviets. There was also sympathy for the Afghan Mujahideen whose struggle against the Soviets was seen as righteous. It was not realised, until it was too late, that these militants would turn into Frankensteins. Today’s Taliban are the offshoot of the Mujahideen.

Sept 11 led to the US invasion of Afghanistan. Here another miscalculation occurred. The Afghan people have a long tradition of opposing all foreign invaders and history is now repeating itself. Thus, the US and Nato forces are facing a war of national resistance which the Taliban have converted into a ‘jihad’ in the Pakhtun areas. Ethnic Pakhtuns also live on the Pakistani side of the border, thus extending the area of conflict to our tribal belt. Vital support is also coming from sympathisers affected by Talibanisation.

To counter Talibanisation and the religious fanatics, it needs to be emphasised, firstly, that they have done a grave disservice to Islam’s image by their senseless violence and brutality. Secondly, the rampant anti-Americanism that is providing so many recruits for Al Qaeda can be countered by recalling some historical facts. The US invasion of Iraq in 1990 was due to Iraq’s occupation of Kuwait, an Arab and Muslim neighbour. In that war the UN and the majority of Arab and Muslim states had supported the US.

In 2001, it was the terrorism of 9/11 that resulted in the US invasion of Afghanistan and not vice versa. The liberation of Muslim Bosnia and Kosovo in the last decade was secured by the US, whose support for the Mujahideen had earlier secured Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. Even in the case of Israeli aggression against the Arab countries, it was the US that twice secured Israeli withdrawal from Sinai. The US also secured Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza in 1994 that allowed the PLO to return and form a Palestinian Authority in those territories.

Nevertheless, the onus lies on the US to rehabilitate its image in the Muslim world. It must end its blind support for Israel. The US withdrawal from Iraq must be expedited. The US should play a role to help resolve the Kashmir dispute. Barack Obama has a historic opportunity to change the Bush-era policies and build bridges between the US and the Muslim world. It remains to be seen how far he can rise to the occasion. (Dawn)

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Imran Khan's favourite Tehrik-i-Taliban claim deadly UN office blast

Tehrik-i-Taliban claim deadly UN office blast

Tuesday, 06 Oct, 2009 (Dawn)

Police and security forces survey UN World Food Programme (WFP) offices in Islamabad after a suicide bomb attack, October 5, 2009. — Reuters

MEDIA GALLERY

Suicide bomber strikes UN office in Islamabad

PESHAWAR: Pakistani Taliban militants on Tuesday claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack on a UN office in which five people were killed saying the United Nations was a US slave.

A suicide bomber dressed as a paramilitary soldier blew himself up in an office of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in the capital, Islamabad, on Monday killing five members of staff including an Iraqi.

‘We accept responsibility for the attack in Islamabad,’ Azam Tariq, a spokesman for the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or Taliban Movement in Pakistan, said in a telephone call to a Reuters journalist in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

‘All these organisations are slaves of the United States,’ Tariq said when asked why the aid agency, which is helping millions of impoverished Pakistanis, was targeted.

Pakistan security forces have made gains this year against al-Qaeda-linked Pakistani Taliban militants who have set off numerous bombs in towns and cities aimed at security forces and government and foreign targets.

But Monday's attack on the tightly guarded UN office was a setback for hopes that the militants were in disarray and on the back foot following the killing of their leader, Baitullah Mehsud, in a US missile attack in August.

The United Nations temporarily closed its office in Pakistan after the blast for security reasons, a UN spokeswoman said, adding security would be reviewed on Wednesday.

Tariq accused the United Nations of turning a blind eye to atrocities in ethnic Pashtun tribal regions on the Afghan border, militant strongholds which the army has been attacking and where US drone aircraft have launched deadly missiles.

‘Why can't the United Nations see the atrocities being committed in Waziristan and other tribal areas?’ he said referring to a region known as a hub of Taliban and al-Qaeda activity.

Offensive imminent?

The government ordered the army to launch an offensive against the Pakistani Taliban in their South Waziristan bastion in June.

The security forces have been launching air and artillery strikes, while moving in troops, blockading the region and trying to split off factions.

Speculation is rising that a ground offensive is imminent but the army has declined to say when that might begin.

Tariq said the Pakistani Taliban reserved the right to carry out more attacks in the face of the threats of an offensive. The Taliban were fully prepared to confront and defeat ‘Obama and his associates’, he said.

Speculation about an assault on South Waziristan comes as the United States has been stepping up pressure on Pakistan to go after Afghan Taliban factions based in northwestern enclaves.

With Afghan violence reaching new heights, the United States is weighing options on how to deal with the insurgency eight years after driving the Taliban from power.

The Pakistani Taliban swear allegiance to Mullah Mohammad Omar, chief of the Afghan Taliban, who are fighting to expel western forces.

The Pakistani Taliban support that aim and also want their version of religious rule in Pakistan.

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/04-taliban-claim-un-blast-qs-07

Imran Khan asks Pak govt. to halt Swat military operation

Lahore, Oct.4 (ANI): Cricketer turned politician Imran Khan has once again asked the Pakistan government to stop the military operation in Swat and Malakand Divisions, and said the issue could be resolved through dialogue.

Addressing a meeting of the party workers, Khan said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) supports the country’s armed forces, but the military operation in the valley should be discontinued immediately in order to restore peace in the region.

Referring to a recent video footage, which showed an elderly man being brutally beaten by the some Pakistan Army soldiers, Khan asked Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani to take stern action against those involved in the incident.

“We stood by our Army and completely supported it but we opposed the use of force. Cruelty can never be justified whether it was done by the Taliban or the government,” The News quoted Khan, as saying.

Expressing unity with the Baloch people, Khan said the PTI would observe October 9 as Balochistan Day and he would himself visit the insurgency hit province on that day. (ANI)

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/south-asia/imran-khan-asks-pak-govt-to-halt-swat-military-operation_100255961.html

Enter, Hakeemullah

Wednesday, 07 Oct, 2009

WHETHER the bravado is contrived or based on genuine strength is perhaps immaterial at this stage. The hard, cold fact is that the new TTP leadership based in South Waziristan appears to be intact and, on the face of it at least, unified in its resolve to battle the state. The re-emergence on Monday of Tehrik-i-Taliban chief Hakeemullah Mehsud came as a major embarrassment for the interior ministry which was claiming that he had been killed in intra-Taliban fighting. What’s more, he was flanked by none other than Waliur Rehman Mehsud, the man ostensibly responsible for his death. On Monday, Hakeemullah vowed to exact revenge for the killing of his predecessor Baitullah Mehsud. He moreover pledged allegiance to Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar and was accompanied by a sectarian hate-monger who is also wanted in connection with an attack on the US consulate in Karachi. This triumvirate of sorts should send a clear signal to the security establishment: there can be no differentiating between good and bad Taliban. They are one and the same, on both sides of the Durand Line. Militant sectarian outfits in Pakistan are also part of the Taliban–Al Qaeda nexus now and must not be spared in the ongoing crackdown.

An army of suicide bombers was waiting for orders, Hakeemullah warned, adding that the TTP had become stronger, not weaker, in the post-Baitullah period. This may not be true but such claims cannot be dismissed either given the intelligence black hole that is South Waziristan. A truer picture can emerge only when the military moves towards Mehsud strongholds and takes on the enemy in its own backyard. A ground offensive is said to be imminent and battle lines have been drawn on both sides. The Mehsud Taliban, backed by their Uzbek allies, are expected to fight to the last man and they also enjoy the advantage of home turf in a terrain that can be baffling for outsiders. Yet they can be no let-up on the part of the security forces. Hakeemullah Mehsud may talk big but it is clear that the Taliban are on the back foot. This is the time for a decisive assault.

That said, the country must brace itself for more violence in the streets even if the state enjoys the upper hand in the theatre of war. Responsibility for Monday’s suicide bombing in Islamabad has been claimed by the TTP, and more attacks can be expected if the Mehsud militants are taken head-on. But no setback, however big, should deter the state and the citizenry in their fight against the enemy within. (Dawn Editorial)

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