01 June 12 Osint Pakistan Tracker

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This OSINT publication contains foreign media derived entirely from open sources in and around the CENTCOM AOR.
01 June 2012
NEWS Creation of New Provinces: Daily Times President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday sent a reference to the National Assembly speaker, calling for formation of a commission to look into issues relating to creation of two new provinces Multan and Bahawalpur in Punjab. (Source: Lahore, Pakistan; Independent; Critical of Radical Elements) Pakistan to Launch Strategic Dialogue with EU Next Week: Daily Times Pakistan will launch strategic talks with European Union (EU) next week as EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Baroness Catherine Ashton is due in the federal capital on June 4. (Source: Lahore, Pakistan; Independent; Critical of Radical Elements) Rs 3 Trillion Federal Budget for 2012-13 Today: Daily Times The federal budget for the fiscal year 2012-13 with an outlay of around Rs 3 trillion will be presented in parliament today (Friday). A special meeting of the federal cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, was held on Thursday to consider and approve the budget proposals, official sources informed Daily Times. (Source: Lahore, Pakistan; Independent; Critical of Radical Elements) Nawaz Says He Never Wanted Division of Sindh: Daily Times Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif said he never wanted bifurcation of Sindh and demanded an inquiry into an incident of firing on a rally taken out for integrity of the province. (Source: Lahore, Pakistan; Independent; Critical of Radical Elements) Balochistan Case: SC Displeased Over IG FCs Absence: Dawn News During a hearing of the Balochistan law and order case on Friday, Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry expressed displeasure over the absence of Inspector General Frontier Corps Balochistan Maj-Gen Obaidullah Khattak, Attorney General Irfan Qadir and Secretary Defense Nargis Sethi, Dawn News reported. Moreover, Chief Minister Balochistan Aslam Raisani was present during todays court proceedings. (Source: Karachi, Pakistan; Anti-Military Rule) No Decision yet Over New Chief Election Commissioner: Dawn News The Parliamentary Committee on Appointment of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) could not reach a decision over the appointment of any nominee on Friday. The meeting was adjourned to Monday. (Source: Karachi, Pakistan; Anti-Military Rule) Shakil Afridi Appeals Conviction: Charity: Dawn News Lawyers representing the Pakistani doctor jailed after helping the CIA find Osama bin Laden appealed against his conviction on Friday. (Source: Karachi, Pakistan; Anti-Military Rule) Justice Azmat Saeed Takes Oath as SC Judge: Dawn News Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed took oath as a judge of the Supreme Court on Friday, Dawn News reported. Justice Saeed, who was Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court (LHC) prior to his Supreme Court appointment, was administered the oath in the SC building in Islamabad. (Source: Karachi, Pakistan; Anti-Military Rule) Power Shortage Issue to be Resolved Soon: Zardari: The Nation President Asif Ali Zardari asserted on Thursday that the government realized the enormity of the challenge of energy shortage and was determined to overcome it in the shortest possible time. (Source: Islamabad, Conservative, Part of the Nawa-i-Waqt publishing group) External Intervention Not Acceptable: Brahamdagh: The Nation
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Baloch leader, and the grandson of slain Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, Nawabzada Brahamdagh Bugti said he is against all sort of external intervention in the Balochistan issue be it from Pakistan or the US or from any other country. (Source: Islamabad, Conservative, Part of the Nawa-i-Waqt publishing group) Killing Spree Continues As Nine More Mowed Down: The Nation Nine more people were killed on Thursday in unabated incidents of target killing, including an officer of Rangers here on Thursday. A sub Inspector of Pakistan Rangers Sindh was shot dead near his residence located in Sector 5/E Korangi within the limits of Zaman Town police station. (Source: Islamabad, Conservative, Part of the Nawai-Waqt publishing group) Dean Bids Farewell To Seven Outgoing Envoys: The Nation Dean of the diplomatic Corps and Ambassador of Turkmenistan, Sapar Berdiniyazov, has hosted a reception to bid farewell to seven ambassadors who are leaving Islamabad this month and at the same time he introduced three new ambassadors to the guests. (Source: Islamabad, Conservative, Part of the Nawa-i-Waqt publishing group) US Military Trainers Back in Pakistan: Pak Tribune The United States has sent a handful of military trainers back into Pakistan in a sign the two nations may be able to achieve some low-level cooperation against terrorists despite a string of confrontations that have left Washington's relations with Islamabad in crisis. (Source: Pakistan, Independent, neutral) Economic Survey Reveals Growth Up, Inflation Down: Pak Tribune Pakistan saw its GDP grow to 3.7 percent in the fiscal year 2011-12 as opposed to the 3% in the preceding year, however, the country still missed the 4.2% growth target, reveals the Economic Survey of Pakistan 2011-12, which was released on Thursday. (Source: Pakistan, Independent, neutral) SC Wants Hajj Scandal Investigation Officer Back: Pak Tribune The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed annoyance over interior and Establishment Division secretaries for not implementing the court orders pertaining to cancellation of transfer notification of Gilgit-Baltistan IG Hussain Asghar. (Source: Pakistan, Independent, neutral) Petrol Price Drops by Rs 3.39/Litre: Pak Tribune The federal government on Thursday reduced the prices of Petroleum, Oil and Lubricant (POL) products by Rs 3.39 to Rs 10.74 per liter. (Source: Pakistan, Independent, neutral) EDITORIALS EDITORIAL: Load Shedding and Ad Hocism: Daily Times Round and round as we go once more on this joyride from hell we call Pakistans electricity affairs with the election topmost on everybodys priority list, pockets will be opened and projects completed at whatever cost has to be borne by Pakistani taxpayers post-elections. (Source: Lahore, Pakistan; Independent; Critical of Radical Elements) SECOND EDITORIAL: Student Suicides: Daily Times Three students committed suicide last week, raising alarm at an emerging trend that remains unaddressed. Most of the reported suicide cases involve school- and college-going students belonging to low-income families. (Source: Lahore, Pakistan; Independent; Critical of Radical Elements) ANALYSIS: Games Intelligence Agencies Play: Daily Times
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At the end of 500 pages, you are left with an apocalyptic image of corpses littering the enchanting land of Kashmir and the ineffable brutalization of its people. (Source: Lahore, Pakistan; Independent; Critical of Radical Elements) VIEW: Dealing With the Roots of Crises: Daily Times We have a chronic dearth of quality leadership. The available ones are afflicted with blinkered national and world views. (Source: Lahore, Pakistan; Independent; Critical of Radical Elements) VIEW: It: A Four-Letter Word: Daily Times In those times, we were the liberals, unbigoted and the enlightened ones, while the rest of the civilizations were lurking in their dark ages. (Source: Lahore, Pakistan; Independent; Critical of Radical Elements) COMMENT: The Color Pink: Daily Times To advertise and promote gender selection, natural or genetic, is unethical, and discriminatory either way and should be a crime. To do so with impunity right under our noses more so. (Source: Lahore, Pakistan; Independent; Critical of Radical Elements) VIEW: Our Foreign Policy Gap: Daily Times Many Arab countries saw monarchs fall only to be replaced by lifelong repressive dictatorships with no change in the lives of the people. (Source: Lahore, Pakistan; Independent; Critical of Radical Elements) Supporting Documentation:
NEWS (Top) 01 June 2012 Daily Times Creation of New Provinces ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday sent a reference to the National Assembly speaker, calling for formation of a commission to look into issues relating to creation of two new provinces Multan and Bahawalpur in Punjab. The commission, to be comprised of six senators, six MNAs and two members from the Punjab Assembly, will also initiate the process of amendments to the constitution for the purpose. Following is the text of the reference: Madam speaker, The National Assembly in its 41st session on May 3 passed a resolution to the effect that in order to address the grievances and to secure the political, administrative and economic interests of the people of the southern region of Punjab and to empower them in this regard, a new province to be known as province of Janoobi Punjab be created from the present province of Punjab. The provincial assembly of Punjab has also passed a similar resolution demanding parliament and federal government to create a new province of Janoobi Punjab and also to revive the earlier status of Bahawalpur as a province. In order to implement the aforesaid resolutions and before a process is initiated to amend the constitution in terms of Article 239 thereof it is expedient that a commission may be constituted comprising six members from the Senate
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to be nominated by the chairman, six members from the National Assembly to be nominated by the speaker and two members from the provincial assembly of Punjab to be nominated by the speaker of the provincial assembly. The commission shall look into the issues relating to the fair distribution of economic and financial resources, demarcation, and allocation/re-adjustment of seats in the National Assembly, Senate and the provincial assembly concerned and allocation of seats in the new province on the basis of population, including seats of minorities and women and other constitutional, legal and administrative matters. The provisions of the constitution which would require amendment inter alia include articles 1(2), 51, 59 and 106 of the constitution. The commission shall submit its report to speaker as well as to prime minister within 30 days of its notification, which will be followed by initiation of the process of amendment of the constitution.
01 June 2012 Daily Times Pakistan to Launch Strategic Dialogue with EU Next Week ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will launch strategic talks with European Union (EU) next week as EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Baroness Catherine Ashton is due in the federal capital on June 4. Baroness Ashtons two-day visit will provide an opportunity to reiterate Pakistans interest for inclusion in the GSP Plus and early implementation of the package of Autonomous Trade Preferences (ATPs) for Pakistan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday. A Foreign Office spokesman said, Baroness Catherine Ashton, vice president of the European Commission, will be visiting Islamabad to launch the Pakistan-EU Strategic Dialogue from June 4-6. The Pakistan side will be led by Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar. The strategic dialogue is being launched in pursuance of the decision taken at the first Pakistan-EU summit held in 2009. The dialogue will provide modalities for implementation of the fiveyear Pak-EU engagement plan, which had concluded in January. In 2009, the EU had agreed on trade liberalization. The spokesman said that Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with the EU and enjoys excellent relations with all EU member countries. The EU is Pakistans single largest trading partner accounting for 25 percent of its total exports and 11 percent of total imports. Bilateral trade in 2011 stands at $10.56 billion, with exports at $6.18 billion and imports at $4.38 billion. Investment from the EU during 2010-11 was to the tune of over $230 million. The European Union has been an important development partner of Pakistan and it has provided generous humanitarian assistance in the aftermath of 2010 and 2011 floods. The EU and Pakistan signed last year a Multiyear Indicative Programme (MIP) for 2011-2013. Under the MIP, the EU would provide 225 million Euros for rural development, education, health and governance.
01 June 2012 Daily Times Rs 3 Trillion Federal Budget for 2012-13 Today ISLAMABAD: The federal budget for the fiscal year 2012-13 with an outlay of around Rs 3 trillion will be presented in parliament today (Friday). A special meeting of the federal cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, was held on Thursday to consider and approve the budget proposals, official sources informed Daily Times. Decision on increase in the salaries and pension for the government employees has been left for the cabinet; however, 25 to 30 percent increase in salaries and pension is part of separate proposals. The federal government
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has finalized a tax collection target of Rs 2.338 trillion for fiscal year 2012-13, and this includes Rs 85 billion in revenue generation measures Rs 40 billion worth of new taxes through broadening of tax base and generation of Rs 45 through administrative measures. The federal government will transfer Rs 1.427 trillion in 2012-13 to provinces as their share in federal taxes under NFC Award. Debt servicing and debt repayment will consume Rs 933 billion in the next fiscal. The government is aiming to contain fiscal deficit at just over Rs 1.2 trillion. Provinces will be required to create a budget surplus of Rs 112 billion to help federal government keep fiscal deficit to the projected level. Non-tax revenue target is also jacked up from earlier proposed target of Rs 562 billion to Rs 737 billion. Official sources informed that allocation for federal Public Sector Development Programme has been set at Rs 360 billion, and Rs 100 billion would be spent on development programme outside the PSDP, taking the total to Rs 460 billion for 2012-13.
01 June 2012 Daily Times Nawaz Says He Never Wanted Division of Sindh BADIN: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif said he never wanted bifurcation of Sindh and demanded an inquiry into an incident of firing on a rally taken out for integrity of the province. Addressing a public rally, he urged President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to resign and make way for general elections. He vowed to fight against inflation, corruption and massive closure of industry. The PML-N chief said the rulers have not offered a single word of sympathy to those affected by floods, adding that he was the first to rush to the affected areas. He expressed the resolve that he would not take any decision that could jeopardize the integrity of Sindh. Sharif also urged the masses to support the PML-N in the coming elections.
01 June 2012 Dawn News Balochistan Case: SC Displeased Over IG FCs Absence ISLAMABAD: During a hearing of the Balochistan law and order case on Friday, Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry expressed displeasure over the absence of Inspector General Frontier Corps Balochistan Maj-Gen Obaidullah Khattak, Attorney General Irfan Qadir and Secretary Defense Nargis Sethi, Dawn News reported. Moreover, Chief Minister Balochistan Aslam Raisani was present during todays court proceedings. A three-judge bench of the apex court comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Jawad S. Khwaja heard the petition filed by the Balochistan Bar Association over disappearances and human rights violations in Balochistan. During the hearing, Chief Justice Iftikhar said three people had been picked up since the proceedings began, adding that, bodies of three others, whose cases were being heard, were found in the province. What could be a grosser violation of the law that those men that the authorities had been ordered to recover were killed, Justice Iftikhar said. He also referred to provincial minister Mir Sadiq Ali Umrani who had said that the FC was involved in the killing of people whereas Justice Khilji remarked whether certain elements were trying to intimidate the court.
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We are aware that lives law enforcement personnel were also being lost, however it does not empower anyone to take the law in their own hands, Justice Khilji said. The chief justice said that authorities should produce those responsible for the situation before the court or IG FC Balochistan Khattak would be held responsible. During todays proceedings, the counsel of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence (MI) Advocate Raja Mohammad Irshad said that Khattak was in Iran at which the court expressed its displeasure and the chief justice ruled that the Khattak should be directed return immediately. The chief justice also summoned the interior secretary and said that Balochistan should be treated as a part of Pakistan. Justice Iftikhar inquired the Interior Secretary Khwaja Siddique Akbar over the role of the FC saying why can you not suspend IG FC Balochistan. Regarding the absence of the attorney general from the hearing, the chief justice said: Why shouldnt the attorney general be replaced? He further said that Balochistan was burning and holding peace conferences would not lead to any solutions. The hearing was subsequently adjourned to June 4. During the previous hearing, Justice Iftikhar had said that the Constitution would take its course if the prime minister failed to take steps, with immediate effect, to resolve the crisis in Balochistan, warning that imposition of emergency could be one of the options to restore sanity to the province.
01 June 2012 Dawn News No Decision yet Over New Chief Election Commissioner ISLAMABAD: The Parliamentary Committee on Appointment of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) could not reach a decision over the appointment of any nominee on Friday. The meeting was adjourned to Monday, Dawn News reported. The meeting, chaired by Khursheed Shah, was held in Islamabad. Shah told the meeting that Zahid Qurban Alvi had excused himself from being appointed as the CEC. He said according to the rules of business the decision of the CECs appointment would have to be taken within a period of 14 days. The committees chairman said that six names, recommended by the government and the opposition, were under consideration for the appointment. Shah hoped to reach a consensus with the Mutahidda Quami Movement (MQM) over the appointment issue. The government would recommend another nominee for the office after Alvis rejection, he added.
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Dawn News Shakil Afridi Appeals Conviction: Charity PESHAWAR: Lawyers representing the Pakistani doctor jailed after helping the CIA find Osama bin Laden appealed against his conviction on Friday. Shakil Afridi was on May 24 sentenced to 33 years in jail under the system of tribal justice, worsening Pakistans already precarious relationship with the United States. He was arrested after US troops killed bin Laden in May 2011 in the town of Abbottabad where he set up a fake vaccination programme in the hope of obtaining DNA samples to confirm the al Qaeda leaders presence. But he was convicted for treason over alleged ties to Lashkar-e-Islam and not for working for the CIA, for which the court said it did not have jurisdiction. We have filed an appeal against his conviction and have challenged his sentence and the charges leveled against him, said Idress Kamal, who heads the Peace Movement, an anti-militancy civil society group that has taken up Afridis case. Kamal said the appeal was filed in a court headed by the commissioner of the north-western city of Peshawar who hears appeals against judgments meted out under Pakistans tribal justice system known as the Frontier Crimes Regulation. All the charges leveled against him were baseless. Shakil Afridi had no links with Lashkar-e-Islam, Kamal said. The faction, led by warlord Mangal Bagh, is widely feared for kidnappings and extortion in the tribal district of Khyber, where Afridi worked for years. His conviction said Afridi had close links to the group, but the militia has denied any links with Afridi and has threatened to kill him.
01 June 2012 Dawn News Justice Azmat Saeed Takes Oath as SC Judge. ISLAMABAD: Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed took oath as a judge of the Supreme Court on Friday, Dawn News reported. Justice Saeed, who was Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court (LHC) prior to his Supreme Court appointment, was administered the oath in the SC building in Islamabad. The oath was administered by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry. After Justice Saeeds inclusion, the apex court now has the required number of judges. Earlier on Wednesday, President Asif Ali Zardari had approved the elevation of Justice Saeed as a Supreme Court judge. Moreover, the president had also approved the appointment of Justice Umar Atta Bandial as LHC Chief Justice.
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01 June 2012 The Nation Power Shortage Issue to be Resolved Soon: Zardari KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari asserted on Thursday that the government realized the enormity of the challenge of energy shortage and was determined to overcome it in the shortest possible time. "No matter what successes we may achieve in the political field, in empowering provinces, in constitutional reforms and fighting the militants, people will judge us by the measure of success in overcoming the power shortages and the government was deeply conscious of it," he said while addressing party MPAs from Sindh at Bilawal House. He took them into confidence on a host of national issues. The president's spokesman, Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the wide-ranging issues the president touched upon included current political situation, party policy on various issues, fight against militancy, election reforms, neutral caretaker set-up, new province in southern Punjab, poverty alleviation, economic situation and the NATO summit in Chicago. Disengagement is not a democratic option, the president said, with reference to his participation in the Chicago summit, emphasizing upon the international community that the Salala incident had necessitated a review while at the same time informing them that the Defense Committee of the Cabinet had asked Pakistani negotiators to conclude early negotiations on the NATO supply route. He also said the policy of reconciliation within the country will continue.
01 June 2012 The Nation External Intervention Not Acceptable: Brahamdagh Baloch leader, and the grandson of slain Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, Nawabzada Brahamdagh Bugti said he is against all sort of external intervention in the Balochistan issue be it from Pakistan or the US or from any other country. During an interview with BBC Urdu the Baloch leader said independence of Balochistan cause lacks international support but lobbying is being done in US, UK and Russia. Responding to a question regarding recent Balochistan Conference, Brahamdagh said now time has passed to conduct such conferences and dialogues adding that that there is no consensus among Baloch leaders over resolution of Balochistan problems. He also said Baloch people should be taken into confidence before using Balochistan roads for NATO supplies. He further said Baloch people will decide on TAPI gas pipeline through the province.
01 June 2012 The Nation Killing Spree Continues As Nine More Mowed Down KARACHI - Nine more people were killed on Thursday in unabated incidents of target killing, including an officer of Rangers here on Thursday. A sub Inspector of Pakistan Rangers Sindh was shot dead near his residence located in Sector 5/E Korangi within the limits of Zaman Town police station. The incident took place when 45-year-old SI Abdul Hameed Chachar was going to his residence where two armed motorcyclists intercepted him and shot him dead. He died on the spot while culprits managed to flee. The body was shifted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico legal formalities. SHO Dilawar Jokhio said that deceased was a SI of Pakistan Rangers and posted in Nursing Wing in Sanghar district, interior Sindh. He was on leave and residing in the said area for the last two weeks. Chachar left two widows and six children behind.
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Police handed over his body to heirs and registered a case against unidentified men on the complaint of victims brother Imdad. Meanwhile, a man was shot dead while another injured near Eye Spencer Hospital in the limits of Nappier police station. The incident took place in the wee hours of Thursday. Police got information that some unidentified men threw two men near Eye Spencer Hospital, Nappier Road. When police rushed to the scene, it found body of a man while other was in critical condition. Police shifted them to Civil Hospital Karachi. SHO Imdad Khwaja said deceased sustained three bullets on his different parts of the body. The injured was identified as Arshad, 25, and received a bullet on his head. The officer said unidentified men kidnapped them from unknown place and after opening fire on them they threw their bodies at Nappier Road. Police moved the body to morgue for identification and registered an FIR No 98/12 against unidentified assailants. Similarly, police found a shot dead body of teenage boy from Mauripur Road near Crown Cinema in the precincts of Kalri police station. The identity of the victim was yet to be ascertained. SHO Safdar Mashwani said that victim received three bullets each on his head, chest and neck. He appeared to be Baloch-speaking. The body was shifted to CHK for postmortem and later moved to morgue for identification. Police registered an FIR No 136/12 against unidentified culprits. In another incident, a man was shot dead in front of his home in Noorani Basti, Korangi within the jurisdiction of Zaman Town police station. The deceased 32-year-old Asad Hussain was the resident of Noorani Basti sector 2 , Korangi. He was sitting in front of his home when some unidentified culprits came on motorcycle and sprayed bullets on him. He sustained six bullets on different parts of his body and died on the spot. SHO Dilawar Jokhio said that victim was working in a private factory and had some cases of narcotics act. The reason behind the murder was yet to be ascertained while police suspected the motive as sectarian. The body was shifted to JPMC for legal formalities and later handed over to his family. In another incident; police found two-dayold shot dead body of a man from Lyari Naddi in the limits of Pak Colony police station. The identity of the victim was yet to be ascertained. The officer said the victim appeared to be Baloch and he received a bullet on his head. The body was shifted to CHK for legal formalities and later moved to morgue for identification. Police registered a case against unidentified assailants.
01 June 2012 The Nation Dean Bids Farewell To Seven Outgoing Envoys ISLAMABAD Dean of the diplomatic Corps and Ambassador of Turkmenistan, Sapar Berdiniyazov, has hosted a reception to bid farewell to seven ambassadors who are leaving Islamabad this month and at the same time he introduced three new ambassadors to the guests. The outgoing ambassadors include the ambassador of Sultanate of Oman Muhamed Said Muhamed Al-Lawati, ambassador of Italy Vincenzo Prati, High Commissioner of Australia Timothy Spencer George, High Commissioner of Malysia Ahmed Anwar Adnan, Ambassador of Hungary Istvan Darvasi, High Commissioner of Canada Ross Hynes, and Ambassador of Spain Gonzalo Maria Quintero Saravia. The ambassadors Ukraine, Nepal and Thailand have already arrived in Islamabad. They were introduced to the guests by the Dean. It was a well-attended reception as all ambassadors were present on the occasion. The US ambassador Cameron P. Munter was in a positive and relaxed mood. He observed that he would be leaving next week to Turkey to attend a conference and eventually he will come back and would leave Pakistan for US for good during the next two months. Munter was confident that relations between US and Pakistan will become normal before he leaves for good.
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The ambassador of Oman Muhamed Said Muhamed Al-Lawati is leaving Pakistan during the second week of June after completing his wonderful seven years in Pakistan. Al Lawati has been designated as ambassador to Uzbekistan and he is happy with his new posting but he remarked that he would never forget his stay in Pakistan. The Italian ambassador Vincenzo Prati is also leaving during the third week of this month after completing his fouryear in Islamabad. Prati was hopeful for the stability and continuation of democratic process in Pakistan. He was a great supporter of Pakistan and its democratic system. The Italian couple was the true charm of the diplomatic meeting as his who is Japanese by origin was a good combination of East and West. High Commissioner of Australia Timothy Spencer George was delighted about his over three-year stay in Pakistan during which he made a lot of contribution. He was hopeful and positive about the future and political stability in Pakistan. The ambassador of Hungary remarked that Pakistan has a beautiful diversity and he had witnessed various areas of the country in the four provinces but yet he is not satisfied and he will come again to Pakistan to visit other places which he could not made it possible during his stay in Islamabad. Darvesi was very much obliged to his wife who helped him during his tenure in the embassy to perform his duty and to improve relations between the two countries. The Dean remarked that it was the first time that seven ambassadors are collectively dining. He further informed that he would also be leaving in near future so it was good news for many ambassadors who are aspiring to become the next Dean. It appears that it is a time for change in Islamabad with many ambassadors posted out and many are leaving in the near future. And the new ambassadors who will come to Islamabad in near future would be more adjustable for the new situation and environment, which would emerge in Pakistan in coming days.
01 June 2012 Pak Tribune US Military Trainers Back in Pakistan The United States has sent a handful of military trainers back into Pakistan in a sign the two nations may be able to achieve some low-level cooperation against terrorists despite a string of confrontations that have left Washington's relations with Islamabad in crisis. Fewer than 10 US special operations' soldiers have been sent to a training site near Peshawar, where they will instruct trainers from Frontier Corps in counter-insurgency warfare, a US official said. But Pakistan denied that any US military personnel had returned. The number of American military instructors in Pakistan dropped to zero after US aircraft killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in late November. "I wouldn't call this a watershed moment (but) it's not insignificant that this is happening," the US official said on condition of anonymity. Pakistan's military denied in a brief statement that US personnel had returned to Pakistan for training programs. "It is not true. American trainers have not returned to Pakistan," a senior Pakistani military official said. The Pakistani official declined to comment when asked why he thought a US official was saying US trainers had returned. In Washington, several American officials said cooperation between US and Pakistani intelligence remained dire as Pakistani officials resisted easing restrictions on issuing visas to US intelligence personnel.
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In retaliation for the border deaths, Pakistan also shut down ground supply routes crucial for keeping US and NATO soldiers equipped in neighboring Afghanistan, and clamped down on US military personnel operating in Pakistan. "At a strategic level, the relationship is still at a very rough place," the US official said. "There's a lot more we want to do to improve it, but (the trainers' return) is an important sign that at least in some areas we're getting a healthy sense of normalcy." Normalcy is relative when it comes to relations between the United States and Pakistan, which are nominally allied against terrorists but have been frequently pitted against each other in a string of mutual recriminations. Those include Pakistan's jailing of a Pakistani doctor who helped the United States hunt down Osama bin Laden last year, as well as the US raid that killed bin Laden, which Islamabad was not informed of beforehand. US and Pakistani talks aimed at reopening those routes - which becomes more important as NATO nations prepare to withdraw from Afghanistan - appear to be deadlocked over how much supply trucks must pay on their way through Pakistan. Intelligence cooperation has been strained since the arrest last year of CIA contractor Raymond Davis, whose killing of two Pakistanis in Lahore fuelled Pakistanis' suspicions about American spies roaming their cities. Military cooperation may be easier to repair, as some of Pakistan's military leaders were trained in the United States and have more friendly ties with the Pentagon. In the past, there had been some 200 to 300 US military personnel stationed in Pakistan, many of them training Pakistan Special Forces to confront terrorists. But Islamabad sharply reduced the size of the mission after the bin Laden raid.
01 June 2012 Pak Tribune Economic Survey Reveals Growth Up, Inflation Down ISLAMABAD: Pakistan saw its GDP grow to 3.7 percent in the fiscal year 2011-12 as opposed to the 3% in the preceding year, however, the country still missed the 4.2% growth target, reveals the Economic Survey of Pakistan 2011-12, which was released on Thursday. Addressing a press conference at the launching ceremony of the survey, Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh said that during the outgoing year the country's economy was affected by global meltdown, low investments and natural calamities including floods, however, despite all this the economy moved forward. He said inflation was slowing down as consumer price index - (CPI) based inflation was down at 10.8% during July-May period this fiscal as compared to 13.8% in the same period last fiscal. Similarly, he said the wholesale price index (WPI) was down at 11.2% as compared to 21% last year; meanwhile, sensitive price indicator (SPI) declined to 8.5 percent from 18%. The finance minister termed fiscal 2011-12 as beginning of a journey towards higher economic growth, and said that in the next few years country's GDP growth would be much higher, with annual growth rate of 5 to 6 percent in medium term. He told the briefing that year 2011-12 proved to be important for Pakistan's economy, and said regional security situation was not as good as required, desired foreign direct investment level could not be achieved, while floods in Sindh also increased economic difficulties. Despite all these challenges, he said, the country's economy posted
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GDP growth of 3.7% against the target of 4.2%. He termed the 3.7% GDP growth as highest in last three years, and said that by taking difficult decisions government has been able to achieve higher growth. Dr Shaikh said tax collections during the first 10 months of fiscal 2011-12 witnessed historic increase of 25%. He said Rs 1,490 billion tax collection was recorded during July-April (2011-12) as compared to the collection of Rs 1,250 billion in the preceding year. He added that an overall 25% increase in taxes is expected during the year. Hafeez said the government has released Rs 300 billion under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) during the outgoing fiscal year, and this amount was utilized on development projects. The minister noted that the country suffered loss of $3 billion due to floods and this was reflected in the overall growth. He said if the base of last year had not been increased, the GDP growth for the fiscal year 2011-12 would be about four percent. The government, he said, had reduced its expenses by 10%. "We have adopted a tight monetary policy." He said the government decreased borrowings and increased tax revenue collection to bring down inflation. On the oil prices, he said they were linked with the international market and since they remained high, the government was forced to increase them accordingly in the country. However, he said that the oil prices may decrease during the next year because these have started to come down in the international market. The Afghan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) has encouraged formal trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Hafeez said, adding that its volume has risen to around $2.5 billion annually. According to the economic survey, efforts are underway to formalize free trade agreements and preferential trade agreements with many countries.
01 June 2012 Pak Tribune SC Wants Hajj Scandal Investigation Officer Back ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed annoyance over interior and Establishment Division secretaries for not implementing the court orders pertaining to cancellation of transfer notification of Gilgit-Baltistan IG Hussain Asghar. The court ordered to present the notification regarding cancellation of Asghar's transfer by June 5 otherwise both the secretaries would have to submit written explanations. It is to be noted that FIA Director Hussain Asghar, who had been investigating the Hajj corruption case, was appointed inspector general of Gilgit-Baltistan Police after FIA DG Malik Iqbal wrote a letter to the Interior Ministry. A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and comprising Justice Jawwad S Khawaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, was hearing a suo motu case of corruption during Hajj in 2010. The chief justice took suo motu notice on the complaints of three MNAs, two senators, a letter written by Prince Bandar Bin Khalid Bin Abdul Aziz-Al-Saud and applications received by Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday from different pilgrims during Hajj. During the proceedings, the CJP said on August 21, 2011, and May 2, 2012, the court had directed the federal government to present the cancellation notification of Hussain Asghar, which had not been implemented so far. The CJP said the interior secretary was given specific directions to sort out the matter soon. During the hearing, the court asked Deputy Attorney General Muhammad Shafi Chandio to explain the nonimplementation of its orders. FIA Director (Legal) Azam Khan wanted to reply on behalf of the interior secretary. The court, however, stopped him, saying he could not represent the secretary, adding the FIA should function within its jurisdiction.
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The CJP said Asghar was an employee of the government therefore he should be brought back. He said that the then Establishment Division secretary Sohail Ahmed had informed the court that the notification for Asghar's transfer had been cancelled, but the interior secretary had not implemented it, and the issue had been pending for several months. Ahmed had told the court on July 26, 2011, that Asghar would forthwith relinquish the charge of Gilgit-Baltistan Police inspector general and some other officer would replace him. The bench noted that its orders of August 21, 2011, and May 2, 2012, had not been implemented. Further hearing was adjourned until June 5.
01 June 2012 Pak Tribune Petrol Price Drops by Rs 3.39/Litre ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Thursday reduced the prices of Petroleum, Oil and Lubricant (POL) products by Rs 3.39 to Rs 10.74 per liter. As the oil prices decline in the international market, the government has passed on some of the benefits to the masses while bringing the petroleum levy at its optimum level. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources has reduced the price of all petroleum products to be effective for the next fortnight, and the price of petrol has been reduced by up to Rs 10.74 per liter. The price of diesel has been decreased by Rs 1.23 per liter to Rs 105.77 compared to its price of Rs 107.00 per liter in May. The government has raised the petroleum levy for diesel too from Rs 4.20 to Rs 8 per liter for the next 15 days. As per a notification issued by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) on Thursday, the price of HOBC has been reduced by Rs 10.74 to Rs 125.07 per liter, and the petroleum levy on HOBC has been raised from Rs 11.84 to Rs 14 per liter for the next fortnight. Light diesel oil (LDO) price has also declined by Rs 5.84 to Rs 91.59 per liter. LDO is used to operate tube wells and small flourmills in rural areas.
EDITORIALS (Top) 01 June 2012 Daily Times EDITORIAL: Load Shedding and Ad Hocism Round and round as we go once more on this joyride from hell we call Pakistans electricity affairs with the election topmost on everybodys priority list, pockets will be opened and projects completed at whatever cost has to be borne by Pakistani taxpayers post-elections. In just such a display of regressive generosity, Prime Minister (PM) Yousaf Raza Gilani has ordered the Ministry of Finance to urgently release Rs 1.5 billion to WAPDA to partially settle the claims of the Independent Power Producers (IPPs). He also directed that a committee consisting of the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission and the secretaries of Finance, the Economic Affairs Division and Water and Power should be set up to facilitate the simplification of procedures aimed at attracting private sector investment in the energy sector. How these steps taken by the PM would address the actual gigantic crisis is yet to make sense. Their superficiality is too obvious. On the one hand, the already installed 28 IPPs are producing far less than their actual capacity only due to the fact that they are not being paid their outstanding debt to be able to buy sufficient fuel to power their plants. How on earth then is the proposed committee going to attract private sector investment? The financial injection of Rs 1.5 billion is too small an amount to do any wonders except serving as a (very) shortterm measure. Over the years, the accumulated circular debt has gone up to Rs 400 billion (or more). This
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government, since it came to power in 2008, has only made short-term policies to overcome this serious issue. Tall claims and false promises are made with the masses, which expose their hollowness every time. A few weeks ago, the government had announced that it would release Rs 70 billion immediately to the power companies and another Rs 82 billion through Term Finance Certificates (TFC) of the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) to resolve the worsening power situation. However, the country is yet to see implementation of that announcement. Now who will guarantee that as per the latest announcement of the PM, Rs 1.5 million would actually be released and we will get some respite from the acute load shedding during these hottest days of the year? The question of the funds availability too remains unanswered. If the government plans on printing more currency to meet this challenge, it is going to go nowhere. The already fast sliding economy of the country will be disturbed even further, showing even worse inflationary consequences. This problem requires not just short- but also long-term solutions. The countrys power demand can only be met if the power producers, both public and private, run at their actual generation capacity, which is 14,500 MW. Due to non-payment of their bills, their production has decreased to only 7,800 MW and a deficit of 6,700 MW, which often goes up to 8,500 MW, has been massively adding to the downward spiral in the countrys economy. Mass level agitation and protests are being reported across the country as more people lose their jobs due to the closure of industrial units and factories. In Faisalabad alone, the closure of the power looms sector has left half a million families unemployed. Yesterday, the Faisalabad Electricity Supply Company Limiteds chief was sacked. Would this measure reduce the load shedding duration in any way? The latest decision compels one to ask why does our government always wake up so late to settle almost every issue and that too with a short-term solution? Such ad hoc, partial and day-to-day tricks would not serve. The government has to come up with real solutions if it claims to have the best brains in its cabinet. However, the sense to solve the circular debt issue with the banks help seems to take longer to prevail on the governments not-so-smart troubleshooters.
01 June2012 Daily Times SECOND EDITORIAL: Student Suicides Three students committed suicide last week, raising alarm at an emerging trend that remains unaddressed. Most of the reported suicide cases involve school- and college-going students belonging to low-income families. It is time society took stock of what is causing children to take this extreme step. While there could be several reasons for this unfortunate tendency, some are: the standard of education offered to children from the lower-income bracket, the quality of the curriculum and text books, the abusive attitude of some teachers, the unrealistic expectations of parents, the pressure to get a good education as the key to employment and better living standards, and an absence of student counseling. It is a vicious cycle. The poorly educated, abused students of yesterday are todays teachers in state-run cash-strapped schools and colleges. Lack of good education and teaching training programs produce individuals who are disinterested, unmotivated and unsuitable to be in classrooms stuffed to capacity with children from backgrounds similar to their own. Burdened by social and economic pressures, these teachers conduct their duties with an unwillingness to go beyond the rote-and-reproduce archaic system and a cane in their hands. Children are taught to not think, only to sport a show of being educated, while learning nothing significant. Verbal and physical abuse becomes part of a normal school day; as a result, a psyche of fear becomes ingrained in the young personality. In institutions where even the required number of teachers is absent, to hope for student guidance may be asking for the moon, but it is of the utmost importance when young people start to kill themselves over very insignificant issues. It is time the
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education ministries devise and incorporate policies that would not only improve the standard of education but also help students discuss their academic/psychological issues with someone within the institution assigned this task. Parents play an even bigger role. To pressurize children to do well beyond a point can prove harmful for a childs emotional and mental growth. Other pressures in the home stem from the fight for economic survival. A bad report card, the ridicule of peers, censure of parents and humiliation at school all inculcate a deep sense of fear of failure, which in some cases, ends in the ultimate escape: death. Parents, educationists and psychologists need to come together to learn how to minimize, if not eliminate, such pressures debilitating young peoples educational and mental capabilities. There should be forums where all three engage in a healthy discourse with children, helping them develop a balance between expectations and reality. Until there is an interactive dialogue between the concerned parties, children feeling isolated will keep dying prematurely and unnecessarily.
01 June 2012 Daily Times ANALYSIS: Games Intelligence Agencies Play By Ajaz Ashraf At the end of 500 pages, you are left with an apocalyptic image of corpses littering the enchanting land of Kashmir and the ineffable brutalization of its people. During the week, Delhis Group of Interlocutors went public with their vision of a future for Jammu and Kashmir. You would have been better advised to thumb through The Meadow for understanding better the darkled past of the beleaguered state. Its authors, Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark, retell the story of the kidnapping of five western tourists in 1995, meticulously peeling away layer upon layer of deception shrouding their disappearance until you start to shudder in horror at the game the intelligence agencies of India and Pakistan are perpetually engaged in. At the end of 500 pages, you are left with an apocalyptic image of corpses littering the enchanting land of Kashmir and the ineffable brutalization of its people. Can those who suffered immeasurably remain content with constitutional tinkering, which is what the Group of Interlocutors largely suggests? In The Meadow, the first few moves of the game are of ISIs Brigadier Badami, who has earned this sobriquet for his habit of quaffing almond milk. He offers a deal to Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil: could he for $25,000 a month inspire the Afghan war veterans of his outfit, Harkat ul-Mujahedeen (HuM), to fight the Indian army in Kashmir, which is in tumult? HuM foot soldiers begin to cross the Line of Control (LoC) with devastating consequences in Kashmir. Singing paeans to their deeds is the editor of the Voice of the Mujahid, Masood Azhar, son of Master Alvi, a luminary of the Deoband movement and a friend of Maulana Khalil. Azhar cuts a pathetic figure; he fails a 40-day basic course for militants but is dispatched to the frontline to fight the Soviet army. One night, he steps out of the bunker to relieve himself and forgets the password required for exit and entry, and is shot in the foot by the sentry. For this egregious mistake, Azhar should have been doomed to a life of obscurity. Instead, he is made the editor of the Mujahid, underscoring the hierarchy of importance bedeviling even the shadowy world of terror. Azhar imagines and writes inspiring stories of daredevilry of jihadis even though many of them are shot dead as soon as they step on Indian soil, their bodies strung along the LoC as a reminder of the fate awaiting their replacements waiting to enter Kashmir. Azhars yarns catapult him to the post of general secretary of the Harkat ul-Ansar (HuA), an umbrella group Brigadier Badami floats to consolidate innumerable militant outfits operating in Kashmir. But HuAs military commander Sajjad Khan, popularly known as Afghani, deviates from Badamis script in Kashmir and Azhar is dispatched there to bring him back on track. The day following their union, the two HuA leaders fall into the dragnet
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of the Indian army. Once again, the hierarchy of importance creeps in. To the crestfallen Maulana Khalil and Master Alvi, Brigadier Badami suggests kidnapping of western tourists as a method to secure the release of Azhar. A new outfit, al Faran, under the local Kashmiri commander Sikander, is formed to execute the plan. In July 1995, three western tourists, Don Hutchings, Keith Mangan and Paul Wells, and their partners are camping in the lush meadow of Lidder Valley, as too is John Childs, all alone. Gun-toting men saunter into the meadow, separate the men from their partners and march them up the mountains. But Childs soon escapes from captivity, prompting the gang to abduct two more foreigners, Hans Christian Ostro and German Dirk Hasert, who was trekking with his partner in the area. The game is now truly afoot. Human beings are reduced to mere pawns, rooks and bishops on the chessboard called Kashmir, shuffled around and then sacrificed as faceless men in their lairs decide on their moves. Even the powerful become pieces on the board, as is Inspector General of Crime Branch Rajinder Tikoo, who is tasked with negotiating with the kidnappers. Aware of the game spymasters love to play, Tikoo takes the precaution of forming what is called the Squad, a team of crack cops drawn from the Kashmir police, for carrying out an investigation parallel to that of agencies reporting directly to Delhi. The Squad works its contacts in decrepit villages in the mountains, adopts strong-arm tactics to ferret out information, and plants moles in outfits of renegades or erstwhile militants whom the Indian agencies have employed to hunt terrorists battling the Indian state. Call by call, over several anxious weeks, Tikoo persuades the kidnappers into scaling down their initial demand for the release of 21 prisoners to just four. However, Delhi is not willing to acquiesce in blackmail. Fair enough, you argue. Not so, thinks the gangs negotiator, who reminds Tikoo that the Indian government had freed incarcerated militants to secure the release of the Indian Oil director K Doraiswamy and the daughter of the Indian home minister at the time they had been kidnapped. Indeed, the hierarchy of importance is as much present in the maze of security agencies as it is in the world of terror. But Tikoos desultory tactics have reduced the kidnappers to desperation. For one, the beheading of Ostro, undertaken in pique, has incurred them the opprobrium of people. Second, holing out in the mountain in the impending winter appears a losing proposition for the kidnappers. They are willing to set free the surviving four hostages for Rs 10 million. Tikoo thinks he has triumphed until a Delhi-based newspaper publishes a story giving out details of the agreement with al Faran. To be portrayed a mere mercenary could not have been palatable to Sikander, widely viewed as a militant leader fighting for the freedom of his people. Betrayed, Tikoo proceeds on leave. The Squad confirms the betrayal. Through its extensive network, the Squad discovers that Indian intelligence agencies have been all along aware of the hideout of the kidnappers, even taking aerial photographs of them. It also unearths that the weary al Faran has handed over the hostages to a renegade, Ghulam Nabi Mir, codenamed Alpha, for Rs 400,000. The Squad pursues the clues, tailing the hostages as they are ferreted away from one village to another, until their moles in Alphas camp stumble upon a Kashmiri who witnessed their killing deep inside a forest. In 2010, the authors quote Tikoo saying, The people who did this wanted to prove to the world that these fellows are mercenaries, no respect for anything, no cause...Somebody in intelligence did this, and he should be whipped and shot. A member of the Squad describes the game thus, Pakistan tried something, India blocked it and turned it around, or the other way around, and there were so many angles to it, that really when you were playing it you forgot yourself, completely, until it seemed like the most beautiful thing in the world. Perhaps those who played the game of 1995 should read The Meadow to fathom the trauma of the families of hostages, who kept swinging for more than a year between hope and despair. You cannot but empathize with them, even as you pity India and Pakistan for becoming such a cruel caricature of the idea of a nation-state.
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01 June 2012 Daily Times VIEW: Dealing With the Roots of Crises By Shahab Usto We have a chronic dearth of quality leadership. The available ones are afflicted with blinkered national and world views. Whether it is the energy crisis, political instability, ethnic violence, civil-military imbalance, institutional frictions, recurrent insurgencies, regional wars or international tensions, the root causes of our chronic ailments lie in the tripod on which the modern polity rests: legitimacy, authority and governance. The trivet can sustain itself when one or even two of its legs are weaker, but at least one leg must be stout enough to make up for the lean ones. The Israeli state may not be legitimate in the eyes of many, but its democratic dispensation (even for the benefit of the Israeli citizens) is keeping the state a going concern, for all the internal political and external security threats. On the other hand, the Palestinian Authority has neither good governance nor authority over Gaza and the West Bank; nevertheless, this tiny state derives legitimacy from the Palestinians historical right to statehood, which is recognized by the international community. Likewise, the Chinese polity may not match the majoritarian principle, but its efficient economic machinery, paradoxically wrought by the same undemocratic system, is surely surging the country forward. However, a state flounders when its legitimacy is questioned first internally, then externally its authority is challenged by sections of the citizenry, and bad governance erodes its administrative capacity. A handy example of such a floundering state is our western neighbor, Afghanistan, whose political stability and even territorial integrity are perennially imperiled by inter-ethnic, regional and global rivalries. And there are many other hulks of states in the world. Unfortunately, our situation is not any better. There is a counter argument to the legitimacy-authority-governance thesis that is equally robust: states being politico-legal species are always prone to responding to a host of social, cultural, economic, security and political imperatives, which cause them to grow, sometimes beyond the classical limitations sovereignty, territorial integrity, land and citizenship. The European Union (EU) constitutes more than two dozen states that once waged wars against one another for national honor, territory, economic interests, thrones and colonies, but have now surrendered their sovereignty, territorial exclusivity and markets to the Union. On the touchstone of legitimacy, authority and good governance, can we say we are not a floundering state? Of course, opinion is divided. There are those who believe we are doomed or at least on the brink. They would point to the myriad secessionist and anti-state movements challenging the legitimacy of the state; to the powerful corporate, business and agricultural interests defying the state authority to levy and collect taxes and maintain law and order, and to governance that is infested with inefficiency and corruption, incessantly triggering economic, social and political crises. The doomsayers would also refer to other existential threats: recurring institutional fights, the generational regional wars, the increasing global isolation, and state brinkmanship. More ominously, they would raise the question whether we have a capable leadership that could deal with the root causes of these crises. Obviously, answering this question would become difficult. Much of our current leadership is pedagogic, opportunistic, power-hungry or fantasist. They lack the courage and devotion to uplift the poor and marginalized from the depth of dearth and ignorance, to renounce wars and the use of violence as a means of achieving internal or external political goals, and to bring the country at par with the fast developing economies. To counter this dark prognosis, there are voices of hope and promise. But many of them would draw their optimism less from empirical and scientific premises and more from abstract and obscurantist sources.
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For instance, the entire rightist political classes ascribe our state and societal maladies not to systemic, policy or leadership failures but to our ethical depravity and irreligiousness. Imran Khan is the recent entry to this predeterministic optimism. He trusts his guts and the collective wisdom of people to stop the state and society from plunging into an abyss. Luckily, there is another streak of optimism that oozes out from an analogy with many of the East Asian and Latin American states, which like ours, were also confronted with decades-long authoritarian rule, insurgencies, wars and mal-governance. Nevertheless, now they are democratic, stable and prosperous. These states have nurtured middle-class societies, which are underpinned by skilled workers, professionals, scientists, entrepreneurs, the intelligentsia and cultural icons; all those forces, which need peace and stability to thrive and realize their personal and collective potential. No wonder they are gradually but surely evolving a political system that caters to the reasonable, if not absolutely fair, distribution of pelf and power, and more importantly, to ensure a peaceful transfer of power through electoral and constitutional means. To answer the question if we are a floundering state, it must be said that to escape such an eventuality, we must reinforce the tripod of legitimacy, authority and good governance. Legitimacy requires the state to ensure equality before the law that in turn makes the state a neutral empire among citizens and state organs. Authority is linked to the benefit theory of the state: people cherish a state that serves their interests. And good governance reduces the cost of running the state without compromising on its delivery of goods and services to society, and to the world. It goes without saying that such a state requires a capable, committed and accountable leadership. But alas, we have a chronic dearth of quality leadership. The available ones are afflicted with blinkered national and world views. A case in point is the ongoing controversy regarding the reopening of NATO supplies. Toeing the extremist line taken by the Difa-e-Pakistan Council and shared in a slightly diluted form by Imran Khan, Mian Nawaz Sharif is also playing to the gallery, rather than helping rebuild Pakistan-US relations on rational and mutually beneficial grounds. No, Mian Sahib, its time to deal with the roots of our crises the states lack of legitimacy, authority and good governance and that requires politicians to become statesmen or let the polity wither away.
01 June 2012 Daily Times VIEW: It: A Four-Letter Word By Syed Kamran Hashmi In those times, we were the liberals, unbigoted and the enlightened ones, while the rest of the civilizations were lurking in their dark ages. It is undoubtedly rude and may actually be considered blasphemous to emphasize upon it in Pakistan. At a personal level, the consequences could be dire in the current circumstances when society is religiously polarized and emotions are running high. Therefore I have decided to refrain from mentioning it by name for now. It is the jugular vein for our survival and I can only refer to it as a four-letter word of English: (of paramount significance). It can easily be considered as one of the most important aspects of global human existence. It is absolutely necessary. It rules the world. It guides and directs us. It provides meaning to life. It leads us to the unseen universe of bliss and eternity. It is a delight. It is an addiction. It is a gift and a divine pleasure. Most of us agree that it could be as critical as a chilled glass of water in a hot summer day for a thirsty old man, or as vital as a piece of bread for a starving child in the middle of a famine and as provocative as a falling apple on the ground for a thoughtful Isaac Newton, lost in his ruminations.
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According to some scientists, the reverberations of it can be heard from a very early age, as early as in infancy, but its true colors reveal themselves as we grow older. It becomes the backbone of all our activities. It becomes a compulsion and a necessity in our everyday life. It is powerful and ubiquitous. Its dimensions are diverse and myriad that distinguishes human behavior from other animals. With its significance being realized even more through across the globe, its place in our national discourse is remarkably shrinking. We are regressing from a higher level of liberal values to adopt a lower level of non-religious, local and traditional culture. We are debating about its importance and trying to limit its utility. We are segregating it between genders. We are promoting double standards in society, making it unfair for our daughters. We confuse our duplicity with morality and sometimes we blame it on the Scripture. At others, in our xenophobic minds, we even consider it as a foreign idea, an anti-Muslim conspiracy. We feel embarrassed to discuss it publicly; we are ashamed to admit our failure to promote it and therefore, we continue to deny its importance as the fundamental instrument to liberate our minds from our deep-rooted conservative ideas. At the peak of Islamic civilization, our approach towards it always had been complimentary and encouraging. We had realized its significance and therefore were leading the world in all spheres of life. On the one hand, it included the arts and culture, diversity and pluralism, literature and creativity, and on the other hand, we were making tremendous progress in science and technology. Society was progressive; it was transparent and the virtues of patience, tolerance and forbearance were not only practiced, they were promoted and encouraged throughout the empire. In those times, we were the liberals, unbigoted and the enlightened ones, while the rest of the civilizations were lurking in their dark ages. Unfortunately, in present times, we deviated from our liberal values and dissociated ourselves from it, at least partially. We disowned it. We missed the spirit of it and went after the dogma the cover. We created a taboo and the essence of it became a ritual for us. The enjoyment, the excitement and the thrill associated with it all disappeared. Our lack of commitment translated into our failures. The others picked the joy of it and benefited exceptionally. They are racing ahead, leaping forward and making progress. Even our youth trails far behind in their achievements regarding it, when compared to their age-matched counterparts in the rest of the world. In both the USA and Europe, they have developed instruments to pass it on to their youth. Their culture has evolved to promote it across the board. They have lifted the taboo. There is no stigma attached to it; instead, it has become a matter of pride in society. There is no gender disparity; young boys and girls get an equal opportunity to identify their talents through it and express them accordingly. It is rewarding because as these children grow older, they become independent thinkers, and they are equipped to take on the challenges of the world. They lead the world with dedication and remain focused on research and innovation. We still do not completely understand how and when we lost our relationship with it. We do not contemplate when it lost it charms for us when God clearly instructs His last Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) about it: read/Iqra.
01 June 2012 Daily Times COMMENT: The Color Pink By Hina Hafeezullah Ishaq To advertise and promote gender selection, natural or genetic, is unethical, and discriminatory either way and should be a crime. To do so with impunity right under our noses more so.
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I finally saw it. After months of wondering whether they actually existed or whether it was just a hoax, I finally saw one the other day. As I drove down the canal, past New Muslim Town, Lahore, there it was, in all its glory, shiny, sleek and new: the pink bus! In January this year, the Punjab government launched three pink buses on three routes in Lahore, with the aim of providing harassment-free travel for females. Many have criticized this move, female activists and sore men, both. They argue that by launching a separate bus service, the government is increasing the divide further, which will make women more prone to harassment. First, Punjab is not the first to introduce such a service. It might come as a shock to many that progressive and highly developed countries like Japan already have provisions for segregated travel. Many other countries are running women-only train and/or bus services including Indonesia, Guatemala, Egypt, India, Israel, Malaysia, Brazil, Taiwan, the Philippines, Dubai, Mexico and so on. A quick look at the list of countries reveals that it is not a Muslim-extremism issue but spans a variety of cultures and religious and ethnic divides. For women travelling on public transport, harassment is a major issue. No one in their right mind wants to be groped by lecherous men against their wishes; what they consent to is their private issue and not open to discussion here. Our standard buses while providing a separate compartment for women have failed to stem the menace of sexual harassment for them. Often overcrowded, women are forced to stand in the mens side or near the driver, which continually exposes them to being touched and groped at; the same holds true for vans, which ply the citys various routes and where women sit in front with the driver, who indulges in unwanted touching on one pretext or another. The critics of the pink bus service argue that the need of the day is awareness and stricter laws with forceful implementation. The same was argued in all the other countries, which as a last resort, after all the awareness campaigns failed and when laws enacted could not be implemented in practice, started female-only transport services. The current law in force in Pakistan that tackles sexual harassment on public transport is laughable to say the least. Not only is it a non-cognizable offence on the penal statute book but the sheer absurdity and impracticality of it is outstanding. How is a woman supposed to lodge a complaint against a man whom she does not know, whose address is also unknown to a police station whose jurisdiction is also unknown as the bus would be on the move, to a policeman who can neither locate nor without a magistrates permission arrest the offender? It is truly remarkable and definitely a brainchild of people who seem to have a great deal of exposure facing the realities of the world as they pertain to ordinary mortals! The color pink has come to be associated with femininity in the last century. Baby girls are generally dressed in pink; their rooms and paraphernalia is mostly pink or with pink hues. The color pink is supposed to denote freshness, delicacy, kindness, sweetness, tenderness and caring. Islam promises paradise to those who raise girls in a fine manner; what could be clearer than that? But in spite of the clear injunctions, the birth of females is generally a sad event in a Pakistani household. And when the news of (the birth of) a female (child) is brought to any of them, his face becomes dark, and he is filled with inward grief. He hides himself from the people because of the evil of that whereof he has been informed. Shall he keep her with dishonor or bury her in the earth? Certainly, evil is their decision (An-Nahl, 16:58-59). A press report in 2004 showed that 80 percent of discarded or abandoned babies were females; last year CNN reported that nine out of ten babies killed were girls. CNN quoted Anwar Kazmi, a manager at Edhi Foundation, Sometimes they hang them, and sometimes they kill by the knife, and sometimes we find bodies which have been
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01 June 2012
burned. Statistics show that more than 1,200 babies were killed and thrown away in 2010, which is a marked increase from 2009. When the female (infant), buried alive, is questioned For what crime she was killed; When the scrolls are laid open; When the world on High is unveiled; When the Blazing Fire is kindled to fierce heat; And when the Garden is brought near; (Then) shall each soul know what it has put forward(Quran 81:1-14). A man in the Okara district allegedly murdered his three daughters, age ranging from two months to seven years this week. He is not the first and will not be the last. The same day I saw the pink bus, I also saw a blue board on a private hospital on Jail Road in front of Kinnaird College for Women, which advertised Gender Selection. As I looked up on the issue, I was horrified to find that another well-known hospital on Ferozepur Road, opposite Gaddafi Stadium, advertised the same on its website. Gender Selection is defined as any maneuver intended to increase the likelihood of giving birth to a child of a chosen sex. Both these hospitals are prima facie openly advertising gender selection as a part of their infertility treatment called IVF (in-vitro fertilization), or more popularly test tube babies. Another technique PGD (pre-implantation genetic diagnosis) coupled with IVF ensures a higher gender selection rate. While it is desirable for infertile couples to resort to modern medicine for a child, is it ethical for them or the doctors to pick and choose the sex of the baby? Given the patriarchal trends in our society, this effectively encourages couples to say no to a girl child. A reality show, Satyamev Jayate, hosted by actor Aamir Khan, is making headlines in India and the world. In its first episode, the issue of female feticide was brought to the forefront; 30 million female fetuses have been aborted in India in the past 30 years. It was horrifying to learn that it was a government policy in vogue in the 1970s that started the ball rolling, courtesy sex detection through ultrasound. The incidence of female feticide has left the male-female ratio greatly skewed. Pakistan has no figures available. Female feticide and infanticide are rampant. There is no check despite laws being in place; there are hundreds and thousands of clinics offering such services without any fear. To advertise and promote gender selection, natural or genetic, is unethical, and discriminatory either way and should be a crime. To do so with impunity right under our noses more so. The Punjab government has introduced a Womens Empowerment Package, which seeks to strengthen the position of women in all spheres of life. The initiative of the pink buses is an effort to promote the independence of women by providing them a hassle-free travelling opportunity, which was apparent when I looked at the peaceful and relaxed commuters on the bus. Pink is a vibrant color, full of life, just like the precious daughters we have been blessed with. Provide them love, tender nurturing, education, values, and watch them blossom; they are not a burden. Embrace them with gratitude for they are the color pink.
01 June 2012 Daily Times VIEW: Our Foreign Policy Gap By Professor Farakh A. Khan Many Arab countries saw monarchs fall only to be replaced by lifelong repressive dictatorships with no change in the lives of the people.
UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO
The CENTCOM
01 June 2012
What is Pakistans foreign policy regarding the Middle East following one year of the Arab Spring? Firstly, we have to define what the Middle East is. Some people consider the Arabic-speaking people, including the countries of North Africa, as the Middle East. The Arabic-speaking people of North Africa claim to be the descendants of the Pharaohs in Egypt while others claim to be the descendants of Berbers. Some also include Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan as part of the Middle East. For this article, let us take the Arabic-speaking area as the Middle East. The Arab Spring starting in Tunisia one year ago shook the traditional long-standing dictators/kings in the Arabicspeaking world. The movement was peaceful in some countries while it was an all-out war in others (Libya, Yemen and Syria). In all cases, the transition from dictatorship to democracy will not be easy and one year on, people and former rulers are finding the new system difficult to digest. What is common is that many of these states are falling back on Islam for an ill-defined system of governance. There are also strong tribal links in many Arab countries and that is anti-democracy. Many Arab countries saw monarchs fall only to be replaced by lifelong repressive dictatorships with no change in the lives of the people. Led by the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, the Arab Spring is now resurfacing in many Arab countries. Let us hope the present change does not lapse into a new form of dictatorship based on religion. Operation Unified Protector launched air attacks in Libya to protect civilians threatened by Gaddafis army on March 27, 2011 by 14 countries under the NATO umbrella. For the US, the cost was $ 1.1 billion. It is significant to note that NATO did not lose a single soldier in the campaign where aircraft and drones were used (Daalder, Ivo H and Stavidis, James, NATOs victory in Libya, Foreign Affairs, March/April, 2012). This may be the future of warfare. After more than a year of the removal of Gaddafi, Libya is drifting into chaos. Tribalism and warlords have not allowed federalism to take root (Pack, Jason, Federalism in Libya: tried and failed, Cutting Edge, April 26-May 2, 2012). It has been claimed that Qaddafi fed many of our past and present leaders with dollars. Perhaps this is the reason why we still have Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Pakistans interest in Libya is more than oil. During the upheaval of the anti-Gaddafi movement, we were told that hundreds of Pakistani workers were uprooted. We need new job opportunities under the new Libyan government. Tunisia has the al Nahda Islamic party in the governing coalition after the ouster of Zine el-Abidine Bin Ali. However, the Salafi group is out to use force to get power. In Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh was removed from power and the country is presently facing al Qaeda attacks. In Libya, Muammar al-Gaddafi was killed. In Bahrain, the House of Khalifa is under threat (Ajami, Fouad, The Arab Spring at one, Foreign Affairs, March/April, 2012). The Egyptian spring managed to get Hosni Mubarak out but his military is still in command; their spring is still not at an end and the gestation period is continuing. Meanwhile, the Muslim Brotherhood, Salafi groups and other pressure groups are jostling for power. The Egyptian army (Supreme Council of the Armed Forces) is the most powerful group, used to ruling the country, and it is not going to give up easily its powerful hold. The army has built a huge commercial empire and needs to keep it intact (Mousa, Sarah, The return of Tahrir? Cutting Edge, May 39, 2012). After the first free presidential elections (May 24-26) in Egyptian history, two candidates have emerged. The run-off presidential election is now between the Mubarak-era prime minister, former Air Marshal Ahmed Shafiq, and the Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammad Morsi. The final outcome is hotly debated. Many feel the two candidates are unacceptable since one is a Mubarak man and the other wants to impose an Islamic government in a multi-religious society. There are also cries of foul by losing candidates. Behind the scenes, the army is still allpowerful, ruling through the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.
UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO
The CENTCOM
01 June 2012
Although the catalyst for change was the uprising of the people of Egypt, it was an army coup that finally removed Hosni Mubarak. In Syria, only an army coup can remove President Bashar al-Assads regime, but by now, the opposition has been militarized and a lot more bloodshed is expected. We can only speculate what form of democracy shall finally emerge in a Middle East used to kings and dictators. The core issues of unemployment, corruption and soaring prices have been lost in the din of the Arab Spring. The Arabic-speaking world has a long history of oppressive kingdoms, which are still continuing in some countries. In 1516, the Turks created the Ottoman Empire. At the turn of the 20th century, the Middle East experienced the Great Arab Revolt against the Turks followed by liberation under kings. In the late 19th century, Jamaluddin Afghani declared kingship as un-Islamic. For that, he was kicked out of India and proceeded to Egypt from where he was again deported to Turkey with the same result. He finally ended up in France, and eventually in Russia. In recent times, a book by a non-Muslim, George Antonins The Arab awakening, published in 1938, has been a source of inspiration. More recently, a book by Gene Sharp, from dictatorship to democracy, first published in 1993, has had an impact on the Arabic-speaking world even though the setting is in a non-Arabic world. Sharp has recommended in detail non-violent means to topple dictators.

01 June 12 Osint Pakistan Tracker

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OSINT Phone #: 813.827.1441 - Email: CCJ2-OSINT@CENTCOM.SMIL.MIL UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO

OSINT Phone #: 813.827.1441 - Email: CCJ2-OSINT@CENTCOM.SMIL.MIL UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO

OSINT Phone #: 813.827.1441 - Email: CCJ2-OSINT@CENTCOM.SMIL.MIL UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO

OSINT Phone #: 813.827.1441 - Email: CCJ2-OSINT@CENTCOM.SMIL.MIL UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO

OSINT Phone #: 813.827.1441 - Email: CCJ2-OSINT@CENTCOM.SMIL.MIL UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO

OSINT Phone #: 813.827.1441 - Email: CCJ2-OSINT@CENTCOM.SMIL.MIL UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO

OSINT Phone #: 813.827.1441 - Email: CCJ2-OSINT@CENTCOM.SMIL.MIL UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO

OSINT Phone #: 813.827.1441 - Email: CCJ2-OSINT@CENTCOM.SMIL.MIL UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO

OSINT Phone #: 813.827.1441 - Email: CCJ2-OSINT@CENTCOM.SMIL.MIL UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO

OSINT Phone #: 813.827.1441 - Email: CCJ2-OSINT@CENTCOM.SMIL.MIL UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO

OSINT Phone #: 813.827.1441 - Email: CCJ2-OSINT@CENTCOM.SMIL.MIL UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO

OSINT Phone #: 813.827.1441 - Email: CCJ2-OSINT@CENTCOM.SMIL.MIL UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO

OSINT Phone #: 813.827.1441 - Email: CCJ2-OSINT@CENTCOM.SMIL.MIL UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO

OSINT Phone #: 813.827.1441 - Email: CCJ2-OSINT@CENTCOM.SMIL.MIL UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO

OSINT Phone #: 813.827.1441 - Email: CCJ2-OSINT@CENTCOM.SMIL.MIL UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO

OSINT Phone #: 813.827.1441 - Email: CCJ2-OSINT@CENTCOM.SMIL.MIL UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO

OSINT Phone #: 813.827.1441 - Email: CCJ2-OSINT@CENTCOM.SMIL.MIL UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO

OSINT Phone #: 813.827.1441 - Email: CCJ2-OSINT@CENTCOM.SMIL.MIL UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO

OSINT Phone #: 813.827.1441 - Email: CCJ2-OSINT@CENTCOM.SMIL.MIL UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO

OSINT Phone #: 813.827.1441 - Email: CCJ2-OSINT@CENTCOM.SMIL.MIL UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO

OSINT Phone #: 813.827.1441 - Email: CCJ2-OSINT@CENTCOM.SMIL.MIL UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO

OSINT Phone #: 813.827.1441 - Email: CCJ2-OSINT@CENTCOM.SMIL.MIL UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO

OSINT Phone #: 813.827.1441 - Email: CCJ2-OSINT@CENTCOM.SMIL.MIL UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO

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