Update: Buland Rana Becomes the Auditor General
The current PPP federal government, supported by MQM, PMLQ and ANP in the parliament has broken its own records of corruption and shamelessness several times since it was formed in 2008.
The shamelessness started from refusal of restoring the illegally deposed judiciary by the army chief, to the appointments of corrupt and controversial personalities on all important positions, from election of unqualified Asif Ali Zardari as President through Dogar courts, towards appointments of Rehman Malik, Salman Taseer, Babar Awan, Latif Khosa and so many others on key positions. At the same time, it was made sure that honest officers would be made non-functional if they dared to do any inquiry that could have hurt the PPP leadership or its partners. The multi-billion rupee NICL, Hajj and Rental Power scams are just few examples of corruption where PPP led government went to all extent to stop the enquiries.
The most recent example of shamelessness is the appointment of highly controversial figure Akhter Buland Rana as Auditor General of Pakistan.
Akhtar Buland Rana was flagged by ISI in 2006 during previous government for having two Pakistani ID cards and two passports along with a third Canadian passport. He was also found guilty of sexually abusing a woman through an inquiry where 40 officers reported against him. Rana left Pakistan and moved to Canada in 2006 after this enquiry and came back in 2008 as Gilani became the Prime Minister.
Rana was pardoned by Prime Minister himself and was given two promotions into grade 22 and was reinstated with full benefits from previous two years, as he is believed to be friend of PM Gilani from Multan.
The Public Accounts Committee has just finished auditing the corruption of past 7 years government under Musharraf and recovered a record amount of Rs. 115 Billion Rupees. The PAC headed by opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has now started to audit the transactions of current PPP government, which made it mandatory for PPP to install qualified corrupt auditor general to counter any such accountability.
Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Chaudhry Nisar severely criticized the appointment of Akhter Buland Rana as the auditor general of Pakistan and dissolved all special and sub committees of the PAC, Geo News reported.
In his statement Nisar said that the appointment of the auditor general was clear indication of the government’s intentions to make the PAC inactive. He added that the title of auditor general was a constitutional post and the government had appointed a controversial figure.
“Whatever credit the Prime Minister had, has now been finished after the recent appointment of the auditor general” Nisar said.
Nisar also commented on accounts of the present government being presented before the PAC and stated that the appointment of the auditor general was an attempt to undermine the honest evaluation of the committee.
Even PPP leader Yasmin Rehman raised voice against the appointment of Buland Rana as AGP.
Leading ruling party MP Yasmin Rehman, who chairs two of the three sub-committees of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which were dissolved on Wednesday by PAC Chairman Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, shares his rationale for their closure that the new Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) was a controversial man, unfit for this office.
The dissolution of the sub-committees is a prelude to Chaudhry Nisar’s expected resignation as PAC chairman, a senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader told The News. “He has made up his mind that he is not going to change.”
The appointment of Akhtar Buland Rana as AGP, another Multani of allegedly dubious character, who is close to Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, is a major reason behind Chaudhry Nisar’s decision to dispense with the sub-committees and ultimately leave the top office.
Noted analyst Dr Aisha Siddiqa, who possesses considerable information about Buland Rana’s case, told this correspondent that the prime minister exonerated the officer, a Pakistani Canadian, from all charges when a summary for his dismissal was sent to him in 2008.
Ms Yasmin Rehman agreed with Chaudhry Nisar that there should be no compromise on the appointment of the AGP. She said if the officer speculated to have been appointed as AGP was controversial for a variety of reasons, the nomination should be reviewed as this office demanded that the man holding should be above board and extremely honest.
Chaudhry Nisar has given two reasons for his dissolution of the PAC sub-committee — appointment of Buland Rana and non-compliance of PAC directives by the government. Ms Yasmin Rehman, who heads the now disbanded Committee Number 3 and the Committee on Monitoring and Implementation of PAC Directives, said that the government should clear itself about Chaudhry Nisar’s charge regarding non-execution of the PAC decisions and directions.
The third sub-committee that too was dissolved was headed by PML-N’s Zahid Hamid. Ms Yasmin Rehman said it was the prerogative of the PAC chairman to dispose of the sub-committee, but “we will urge him to convene the PAC, which is intact, so that it takes up its assignment.”
The PAC has finished the review of the past years’ audit reports of the AGP and will be seized with the examination and scrutiny of the reports covering the period of the present government starting from 2008.
Ms Yasmin Rehman said that the compliance ratio of PAC directives was just 52% in Pakistan while it was over 96% in Britain. She said that the World Bank and Britain’s Department for International Development have lauded the performance of PAC, which brought good name to Pakistan.
The disenchantment of Chaudhry Nisar with the PAC position was caused by the premature removal of Tanvir Ali Agha as AGP and nomination of Buland Rana.
Dr Aisha Siddiqa referred to a petition filed with the human rights cell of the Supreme Court, which spelt out a graphic picture about the officer considerably before his nomination as AGP. It stated that the Pakistani officer, holding Canadian nationality, who has come to Pakistan, will be promoted to grade 21 and then to grade 22. After that he would be given a top constitutional office, the petition said. The story proved precisely true.
She said some forty officers had given written testimonies to a fact finding mission that Buland Rana sexually harassed a female official of the accounts group. The stressed lady had phoned the military accountant general (as Buland Rana was working under him at the time) to lodge her complaint.
However, an establishment division inquiry committee later cleared Buland Rana on three grounds: there was no written complaint of the female officer about sexual harassment; Buland Rana swore on the Holy Quran that he did not commit the sin; and the fact finding inquiry noted “harassment”, not sexual harassment.
Dr Aisha Siddiqa said that the establishment division committee was constituted with the objective of exonerating Buland Rana. She said the fact finding inquiry dealt with the sexual harassment, not harassment. Furthermore, she said, that Buland Rana had not completed the minimum two years in grade 21 before his promotion to the next grade the other day.
The only hope now lies with Supreme Court, that has asked government to clarify their position on appointment of controversial Buland Rana as AGP.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry formally asked the government on Thursday to clarify its position on reported allegations against Mr Rana. According to sources, when the government approached the Supreme Court to administer oath to Mr Rana, the court wrote a letter instead to the Prime Minister Secretariat seeking clarification of alleged charges against the appointee.
The nation across the country celebrated the independence day with passion and simplicity. However residents of Lahore additionally celebrated the completion and inauguration of Kalma Chowk flyover that was launched and completed in record time of just 4 months. The flyover is expected to ease the traffic at one of the busiest junctions in Lahore at Main Boulevard Gulberg and Ferozpur Road, and should also bring the level of pollution considerably down due to fewer gridlocks.
The technical experts from China also analysed and approved the bridge for upcoming Rail Transit Project that will go along the flyover.
Ali Moeen Nawazish has joined the Geo/Jang Group as Youth Ambassador. Ali secured a record 23 As in his ‘A’ Levels and did the whole nation proud with this unprecedented feat not too long ago. Since then, Ali has graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in Politics and International Relations and a minor in Computer Science and Psychology.
Ali will be hosting shows and will also be writing for the News and Jang from a youth perspective.
PMLN and Like Minded (Hum Khayal) group of PMLQ have discussed a possibility of an alliance in parliament, senate and next elections.
The meeting was held at Senator Saleem Saifullah’s residence and Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Sartaj Aziz, Ishaq Dar from PMLN met Saleem Saifullah, Hamyun Akhtar and Ghaffur Qureshi to discuss the formation of alliance.
by Col. (r) Ikramullah Khan
Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. One doesn’t have to be Einstein to see the emerging political circus in Pakistan and reach the conclusion that the Establishment, the Ring Master of this circus, has lost its marbles along with the plot.
Like a nagging wife, MQM has returned to the forgiving arms of PPP after some couples therapy when the trial seperation proved too painful. The PPP accuses MQM of nagging, non-stop criticism and a lack of intimacy in the relationship, while the MQM retorts with not feeling loved enough.
As the MQM rejoins the government for the 9th time, the orgy of violence and hundreds of innocent dead in the city have now been forgotten. Their blood has kept up the ultimate taboo in Pakistan, that of Bhai, off news conferences and beyond the realms of discussion. Leaving only the unspeaking dead who shall soon be fading to black in the collective state of amnesia that is our media.
The season for fear and shamelessness is back in Karachi.
KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain Monday directed Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khan to retake charge as Sindh Governor, Geo News reported.
MQM had quit the PPP-led government on June 27, 2011 in centre and Sindh.
Sindh Governor Dr. Ishrat ul Ebad Khan had also tendered his resignation from the office of Governor Sindh. The strife between MQM and PPP-led government had been triggered by the government’s decision to defer elections for three Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly seats last month.
As a result, the MQM leadership had decided that it was no longer possible for the party to continue functioning as part of the Pakistan People’s Party-led coalition government.Meanwhile, President Zardari in reaction to today’s MQM decision said this was a positive sign for reconciliation in Pakistan politics.
Speaking to Geo News, PML-N Information Secretary Ahsan Iqbal said that his party knew this would happen and stated that MQM ministers should also return to their posts.He added that it was difficult to sit in the opposition and the PPP and MQM should stop acting and not play games with the people.
MQM had also filed a petition in the Sindh High Court (SHC) against the deferment of June 26 scheduled Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K) elections for the Karachi seats.
by Atif Salahuddin
The American raid in Abbottabad in which Osama Bin Laden was apparently killed has brought renewed Western accusations and scrutiny upon Pakistan like never before. Amongst the fallout of the raid for Pakistan have been lurid allegations and an intense focus on the Pakistani military itself, questioning its commitment to America’s ‘War on Terror’. In particular American politicians remain obsessed with Pakistan’s intelligence services and its nuclear weapons with growing calls from US legislators to punish Pakistan for its alleged transgressions. Moreover American officials strongly allege that the Pakistani military has been ‘infiltrated’ by extremists and rogue elements that support the rebels in Pakistan’s tribal areas. The recent arrest of Brigadier Ali Khan who was allegedly tied to Hizb ut Tahrir has only perpetuated this perception. America’s decision to cut $800 million from its annual Pakistan aid budget seemingly epitomises this tough new American approach towards Pakistan.
Such allegations are not new; for years American officials and their media have accused Pakistan’s ISI intelligence service of cooperating with the Taliban whilst failing to provide any credible proof whatsoever which could even be worthy of being presentable in any court of law. Such allegations also need to be taken with a large spoon of salt as actions rather than words are the real markers in determining the true nature of the American-Pakistani government relationship. The fact is that the Abbottabad raid deep inside Pakistani territory could not have even been contemplated without co-operation from Pakistan’s civil and military leaderships; anyone with any basic knowledge of military matters and the Pakistan army would dismiss this absurd claim. Moreover the now almost daily American drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal areas continue to kill hundreds of ordinary men, women and children. American and NATO supply lines also continue to run deep through the heart of Pakistan, providing the lifeblood of the occupying forces in Afghanistan. More insidiously, the capture and then subsequent release of CIA agent Raymond Davis proved that co-operation between the American and Pakistani intelligence agencies has been much stronger than what has ever been publically acknowledged. The simple fact is that these operations which are indispensible to the Americans would be impossible without active cooperation from Pakistan’s rulers.
The American decision to cut $800 million is an attempt to mask this cosy relationship with Pakistan’s rulers by feigning a difficult relationship whilst collaboration continues. ISPR spokesperson Major General Athar Abbas commentated on the aid cut by saying “These are the terrorists, al-Qaida, which are common enemy of Pakistan, as well as U.S. and other Western countries. And therefore, in this the CIA and the ISI are cooperating towards eliminating the common enemy. As far as the impact is concerned…. we have stated in the past we have conducted operations against militants in the tribal region….using our own resources without taking any external support. Those operations in the tribal areas will continue.” Despite the economic crisis facing Pakistan’s economy a statement issued after the 140th Corps commanders meeting pledged to continue fighting using Pakistan’s ‘own resources’. The next day as ISI Chief General Shuja Pasha landed in Washington, US Central Command leader General James Mattis landed in Islamabad. The Americans could not ask for more even after pulling their aid dollars.
Domestic critics of the army have also seized on the American assertions to press forward their own varying agendas. Some have called for the military’s allocated budget to be publically scrutinised whilst others have even called for cuts to the army. At heart lies the common fact that they all deeply resent the huge influence the army has in many spheres of Pakistani life. Yet they are right in arguing that constitutional democracy requires that the military take its orders from civilian rulers. However what they forget to add is that all of Pakistan’s civilian rulers are notoriously corrupt and vulnerable to manipulation (particularly of the American kind) and so is the constitution and legislation for that fact. Democracy has been a recipe for disaster in a poor country like Pakistan; it is hardly surprising that the military ignores civilian oversight.
The truth is that such nefarious hyperbole has been manufactured to provide domestic cover for a deeply unpopular democratic government following a deeply unpopular policy of supporting America in her war in Afghanistan as she faces defeat; by placing public emphasis on Pakistan to clear it’s name time and time again it allows the Pakistani rulers an attempt to justify the slavish American policy as one being followed apparently under duress. This political lie is also exposed as we consider the remarkable hypocritical call by Western leaders such as Barack Obama and David Cameron who openly plead with the Taliban in Afghanistan for a negotiated settlement; the announcement that the American and British governments are engaged in talks with the Taliban makes a mockery of Western claims that military force inside Pakistan is the only way forward. The use of such slander is purely superficial, to be provided for the consumption of the Pakistani public who must see and believe that Pakistan is being coerced, rather than its leaders choosing of their own accord, into launching more military operations. The seizing of apparent computer data material in Abbottabad, which according to American officials was equivalent to a ‘small college library’, has given the US a license to broadcast such propaganda for weeks, if not months, in the days ahead.
The net result is that the Pakistani military is constantly being attacked by both the Western and sections of the Pakistani media and political class in drip drip fed allegations as the next global crisis in the making; they deliberately cast aspirations on the ability of the Pakistani military to safeguard its military assets including its nuclear weapons. With attacks such as that on the Karachi Mehran naval base strongly suspected as being an inside job that only further enhanced this narrative, the sequence of events is slowly being established to delegitimise the ownership of such weapons and lay the foundation for more American operations inside Pakistan. The capture of CIA agent Raymond Davis in Lahore after his double murders fully exposed the covert network the Americans have been able to build and establish inside Pakistan yet these commentators do not even publically question or acknowledge what the CIA is doing inside Pakistan. Moreover it is truly astonishing that after all the American claims of infiltration in the Pakistani military and questioning its ability to safeguard it’s vital assets, Hillary Clinton along with Admiral Mike Mullen could still feel comfortable enough to set foot in Islamabad just days after the Mehran base attack whilst the Pakistan Army provided their security. The fact is that if such militants existed they would surely attack US interests in Pakistan first of which there are now plenty.
This Western driven campaign is not unlike the American propaganda unleashed against Iraq in the run up to the American-British invasion in 2003 over claims of WMDs which turned out to be a patent lie. The reality is that America could not have more loyalty from General Ashfaq Kayani and General Shuja Pasha inside Pakistan; they have provided invaluable service by conducting military and intelligence operations in the tribal areas in order to indirectly support the American occupation of Afghanistan. Whilst having the military leadership in its pocket, America’s real fear is from the bulk of the Pakistan military, the rank and file, which holds the power to bring real change within Pakistan. After years of political failure and corruption that have resulted in a bankrupt state that has put most of its population into perpetual poverty, it’s anyone’s guess as to how long the secular political system in Pakistan will hold before it folds. America’s fear is that the Pakistan military, a strong Muslim army that resonates to the call of Allah-u-Akbar, could facilitate a genuinely independent state such as an Islamic Caliphate, destroying all of its well laid plans for the region.
It is important to place US geopolitical objectives into context with regard to its latest Abbottabad stunt and its provocative oratory against the Pakistani military. America would dearly like to disarm Pakistan of its nuclear weapons, its rhetoric and actions prove this. In doing so, Pakistan would become a subordinate state to India, leaving it free to face off against China and hence fulfil America’s ambition to curtail the rise of China. It would also stop the rise of any genuine Muslim power in the region.
What prevents the American plan is the bulk of the military including the intelligence services who unlike their top leadership share the sentiments of the people in detesting America’s ‘War on Terror’, it’s regional presence and are loyal to their people. It is to exact a purge of these like minded individuals from key positions in the armed forces, including the nuclear Strategic Plans Division, which is what America really seeks from its rhetorical smears; the ‘extremist’ officer is actually the one who is doing his job and frustrating American attempts to gain a stronger foothold inside Pakistan.
This is certainly not true about the leadership in Pakistan. In return for insignificant aid packages that have done nothing to improve the situation for the common man, they have faithfully served the American agenda and continue to jockey to be the new servants for tomorrow. This explains PM Giliani’s attempt to assert control over the ISI back in 2008 upon which he was forced to humiliatingly back down on within 24 hours; America would much rather prefer civilian control because it knows it can count on these weak, inept leaders. Nawaz Sharif’s recent statement that the Pakistani nation should stop being fixated over India as being it’s enemy is another case in point; for such the road to power in Islamabad runs through Washington as they brush aside the horrors of the Partition and the three wars that were fought including the humiliating separation of Bangladesh at the hands of India. The relatively recent massacre of Muslims in Gujarat by fundamentalist Hindus obviously does not trouble Nawaz Sharif.
While Pakistan’s rulers and would be rulers continue to fall over each other in attempting to please their American masters, the Indians have gleefully made full use of this unbelievable opportunity that has come their way since 2001. India has no doubt shared its Pakistan intelligence file and assets with America which has used them to devastating effect to create havoc and turmoil inside Pakistan with its numerous Raymond Davis clones. Unlike Pakistan, India and America have developed a mature relationship of parity that make’s full use of their synergy. India recently snubbed America in the face by rejecting it’s older F-16 and ‘Super Hornet’ F/A-18 fighter jets for a $11 billion, 126 fighter jet deal in favour of European options; now the Americans court India by considering to offer it their latest F-35 joint strike fighter whilst ignoring the years of bloodshed the Indian army has unleashed in Kashmir by butchering tens of thousands of civilians. Selective moral amnesia underpins American foreign policy.
Impoverished India is energy hungry and seeks access to the mineral rich central Asian region. Despite its vast poverty at home, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on a recent visit to Afghanistan announced the grant of $500 million to add to India’s previous $1 billion aid package. Minority Pakistani liberal pseudo intellectuals may like to imagine that India is doing this as part of some philanthropic project but one can see that it is the Indians who are actually achieving strategic depth by consolidating their influence in Afghanistan. India has gained that crucial space inside Afghanistan by building roads, schools and hospitals to cement its presence coupled with numerous dubious ‘consulates’ throughout the country; the last time someone checked there was no mass Indian migration to Afghanistan.
This of course would not be possible without American approval as America repays Pakistani support by empowering its traditional enemy. Crucially it provides India with access to Pakistan’s western front and in the event of war the opening of a second front. America is facilitating just that by demanding that Pakistan deploy more military forces inside the tribal areas which our leadership has duly done. This has weakened Pakistan’s defence along the Indian border as more Pakistani forces are pulled away; currently more than 147,000 Pakistani troops are deployed in the tribal areas. The result: Pakistan’s military bleeds by fighting its own people in the tribal areas, physically, economically and politically while India strengthens its position. America’s objective is clear to see; it seeks not only to penetrate the Pakistani armed forces using its agents to disable Pakistan’s nuclear assets but it is also developing the strategic option of initiating war using India at its time of choosing. Today even after Obama’s announcement to cut American troops by 33,000 there will still be 110,000 American and NATO troops along with another 100,000 ‘private contractors’ on Pakistan’s Western front; America is gradually tightening the noose around Pakistan’s neck as it plays the role of the hangman.
Writing as far back in 2007 Fred Kagan and Michael O’Hanlon, two leading neo-conservative chickenhawks, wrote in the New York Times that “As the government of Pakistan totters, we must face a fact: the United States simply could not stand by as a nuclear-armed Pakistan descended into the abyss…The task of stabilizing a collapsed Pakistan is beyond the means of the United States and its allies… Thus, if we have any hope of success, we would have to act before a complete government collapse, and we would need the cooperation of moderate Pakistani forces. One possible plan would be a Special Forces operation with the limited goal of preventing Pakistan’s nuclear materials and warheads from getting into the wrong hands.” Fast forward today to Obama’s recent Afghan troop where he said “Of course, our efforts must also address terrorist safe havens in Pakistan…. For there should be no doubt that so long as I am President, the United States will never tolerate a safe haven.” Bruce Riedel the former CIA official who devised Obama’s Afghan strategy was even more explicit saying “we need a base to strike targets in Pakistan, and the geography is simple: You need to do that from Afghanistan.” So today after having invaded Afghanistan using Pakistan, America is now painting Pakistan itself as the new target; this is the demonstrable result that Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership has to show after ten years of strong support for America.
America is following a well crafted plan for Pakistan with several phases including overt and covert actions. The first salvo has involved gradually implanting itself and destabilising Pakistan with sustained terrorist attacks and bombings, similar to Iraq. The second phase has involved getting the Pakistani military leadership to fight its own people in the tribal areas, weakening the bond between the people and the army. The third phase involves direct American attacks inside Pakistan; the Abbottabad raid was designed to break this taboo just as the first drone strike in the tribal areas has been followed by official Pakistani silence. War has many manifestations including deceit and treachery, particularly against a strong entity. A strong, stable Pakistan with 180 million Muslims and nuclear weapons is simply not in America’s interests; an unstable, disarmed and maybe even a balkanised Pakistan allows the US to meet its geopolitical objectives. By seeking to sow discord amongst the army and between the people and the army, America seeks to weaken the one institution that is holding Pakistan together.
General Kayani’s strongly pro-American policy now stands fully exposed as America itself destabilises Pakistan in a self fulfilling prophecy; it is poignant to note that in the immediate aftermath of the Abbottabad raid Kayani made a roving tour across the country addressing army garrisons in town hall style meetings where he received a strong emotional response questioning his leadership. The Pakistani armed forces recognise who the real enemy is and the betrayal that is weakening their collective strength. Their hostility to America and her supporters is natural, they are exhibiting sentiments that any army would to a hostile force; insofar as that they are no rogue force. No country, especially America, would ever allow the approach of a foreign armed force within its vicinity as the Cuban missile crisis aptly showed, let alone the violation of its borders and sovereignty but yet America expects Pakistan to accept this humiliating position of strategic weakness.
Contrary to its public trashing, the Pakistan military is the biggest asset America has in the region courtesy of the Pakistani military leadership as Pakistani troops, not American, fight and die in the tribal regions in America’s colonial project. Thomas Pickering, the former American ambassador to India, recently said “We tend to need Pakistan more than Pakistan needs us. That’s the current dilemma, because in many ways the United States is utterly dependent on Pakistan for logistical access to Afghanistan.”
Pakistanis should take heart from the fact that America despite its bluster cannot easily attack Pakistan as it stands today. Pakistan has the capability to defend itself militarily which is why it is a target for America in the first place. America can only attack Pakistan by gradually weakening it first with help from treacherous elements. When America attacked Iraq in 2003 it bribed key military officers to stand aside and not offer any resistance. Only If America quietly continues to make inroads is there a serious danger that this capacity will be removed.
Pakistan’s enemies may attempt to portray its military as weak but if that was the case then the Indians with all their belligerent posturing and their million man army would not have held back after their parliament was attacked in 2001 and as recently as 2008 after the first Mumbai attacks as India has blamed Pakistan on both occasions. Moreover if America has been unable to defeat the lightly armed ragtag Taliban in Afghanistan over the past ten years, then it would embark on a folly of the highest order against nuclear armed Pakistan. The political, economic and geopolitical ramifications for America would be immense.
The reality is that whilst America is still the world’s leading state, it is a state that is significantly degraded and diminished compared to its position in 2001. America’s military has worn itself out by fighting for nearly 10 years in Iraq and Afghanistan. The great global financial crisis of 2007 triggered by bad debt in America has revealed the extent of the economic rot America finds itself trapped in with a national debt set to exceed $14 trillion. America can ill afford to spend over $8 billion every month to sustain its Afghan military operations; delivering just one gallon of fuel to Afghanistan costs $400 which even the world’s superpower cannot sustain indefinitely with its finite resources. Outgoing US Defence Secretary Robert Gates recently said “I’ve got a military that’s exhausted……let’s just finish the wars we’re in and keep focused on that instead of signing up for other wars of choice.” Earlier in February 2011 indirectly referring to the cost of America’s lengthy supply lines he said “In my opinion, any future defense secretary who advises the president to again send a big American land army into Asia or into the Middle East or Africa should ‘have his head examined,’ as General MacArthur so delicately put it.” This is why Barack Obama has announced the reduction of American forces in Afghanistan, as the current force level is unsustainable and given the tenacity of the Taliban, the business case unjustifiable.
Moreover Pakistan holds several cards it can deploy if it wanted to; simply by cutting the supply lines running through Pakistan it can make the American and NATO presence in Afghanistan untenable. It is highly despicable that as Pakistan faces an energy crisis, petrol, kerosene and diesel makes its way through Pakistan to Afghanistan every day. Secondly it can close all the American bases throughout Pakistan and expel all its military and covert intelligence personnel. These steps alone can end the American presence without firing a single shot whilst drawing China closer which seeks to utilise the Gwadar port for cheaper oil supplies overland through Pakistan rather than shipping them through the more expensive American patrolled Malacca straits.
The reality is that Pakistan can quite easily end the American presence. That it does not is the one true failing that rightly deserves to be marked against the reputation of the Pakistan military and placed at its feet. An army’s purpose is to defend its people, its territory and above all its nation’s honour. If Pakistan’s military leadership continues to serve American interests instead of stopping it’s naked aggression then such a leadership is not worthy of leading a small troop of men, let alone a huge 600,000 force which has Jihad fi Sabilillah as its battle cry.
The Muslims have a great history that is full of courage and chivalry. The time has come to put right what is wrong and emulate real Muslim warriors, such as Mohammad Bin Qasim who upon the orders of the Caliph brought the light of Islam to India and Mahmud Ghaznavi and Muhammad Ghauri who completed the task. These men are giants who earned their respect from friend and foe alike not because they appeased their enemies but because they faced them down with conviction which is why they are remembered by history today. Pakistan’s military leadership can confer whatever titles it likes upon itself but in truth they would not even remotely match the shadows of these great men as they prefer to sit and scheme with American officials whilst abandoning their responsibility.
The Abbottabad raid has shown that America is entering into a new phase for its plan for Pakistan. The moment has arrived for the Pakistani military to stand up and be counted by ending the American presence before the situation moves beyond the tipping point and becomes irreversible. Otherwise not only will history record its men and women as being silent spectators to the betrayal of an entire nation but like Iraq it will also record the annihilation and destruction that surely awaits both the nation and the army at the hands of a menacing and cunning foe.
Follow Atif Salahuddin at twitter.com/atifsal
BBC Urdu has conducted some interviews with the victims of recent unrest in Karachi pointing out the indiscriminate nature of this reign of terror.
by Shaukat Masood Zafar
The Supreme Court has a special role to play in Pakistani system of government. It has two fundamental functions. On the one hand, the primary role of the Supreme Court is to interpret the Constitution and the law and to ensure that different state-organs created by the Constitution remain within their limited fields. On the other hand, it has power to examine statutes and executive actions to determine whether they conform to the Constitution of Pakistan. The Constitution gives it the power to check, if necessary, the actions of the Executive. It can tell President or Prime Minister that his actions are not allowed by the Constitution of Pakistan. It can tell Parliament that a law it passed violated the Constitutional provisions and is, therefore, no longer a law. It can also tell the government that one of its laws breaks a rule in the Constitution.
Democracy means rule of law and it is the primary duty of the government to ensure that the rule of law is obeyed and judgments delivered by the courts are respected and implemented in their true sense. Wherever rule of law is broken, corruption and injustice flourish. Every unpunished crime gives birth to a thousand new crimes, creating conditions of anarchy like Pakistan. Corruption corrodes the values people cherish and projects the State as predatory and unjust. Corruption tends to undercut the legitimacy of the State and make a mockery of the rule of law. What is most disturbing is that the public services, which are generated through the money paid by a vast majority of the population in shape of taxes are truly enjoyed only by a few.
In the presence of well defined role of the Supreme Court articulated in the 1973 Constitution, it is obvious that to obtain even a modicum of justice continues to be an expensive affair in Pakistan even today, and one vulnerable to the whims of the political elite at all levels. The legal system in the country is against the poor. The goals of social justice and equality have not yet been realized and remain a distant dream. Most laws are made to facilitate the growth of wealth for the rich and the few that are made for the poor fail in their implementation. The legal system itself, apart from the provision for legal aid, has done nothing to support the poor in the country. Unfortunately, there is not a single case that we can show to whole world as a testimony of our good decisions. When Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary, at first, took a bold stance against the dictatorship of Musharraf, then it was felt that now our courts will change but when he was restored, he also followed his ancestor judges.
New constitutional provisions threaten the independence of the judiciary. The 18th amendment of the Constitution requires parliamentary accent for the recruitment of judges, even after the recommendation of the Supreme Judicial Council. Given the current political turmoil in Pakistan, not only does this disposition submit the judiciary to the fluctuations of political allegiances but also gives more leverage to political parties. Despite, there can be no merits if all eligible persons are not invited to compete. Further the merit always arises out of competition and nomination is merely personal decision. Provincial Chief Justices nominate people according to their personal likes and dislikes. Such nominations without any system of selection are not only unethical but also against the all norms of justice. There are thousands of hardworking intelligent lawyers of strong moral fiber who never got a chance of serving their country in high judicial offices merely for the reason they are not well ‘connected’.
Lack of adequate facilities, legal frameworks that provides absolute impunity nullifying the possibility of fair trial, court delays and extra-judicial executions continue to be the most challenging obstacles for seeking justice and redress for human rights violations in Pakistan. The country also suffers from regular political interference in the course of justice. Admittedly, in this context, lawyers and judges are vulnerable to threats and pressure, hampering their independence. Such practices have degraded the justice institution to such an extent that it is now the general public who interfere within the process of justice.
The issue of police brutalities and custodial violence is also no surprise in this system of ours. The police have been creating obstacles to the access to justice of those groups either by refusing to register cases or by pressuring victims into negotiated settlements with more resourceful perpetrators. Extensive judicial powers granted to police officers by law have increased the risk of denial of justice and exposes the vulnerable citizens to arbitrary arrest and detention. To the ordinary person in Pakistan, what matters most is that should he require a response from the police he can get it without having to ask his local Member of Parliament or feudal lord. He also wants that should police officers commit a crime or abuse against him, he or his relatives can seek redress without fear that political heavyweights will get involved. And he requires that if he ends up in police custody, he will be treated as innocent until proven guilty and not summarily killed because a local feudal lord wants it to be so.
Another reason of lack of justice is that corruption has taken roots in the system only because it has been patronized, by design, by successive regimes. Corruption is like cancer, which if not detected in time is sure to harm the polity of the country leading to disastrous consequences. It is termed as a plague, which is not only contagious but if not controlled spreads like a fire in a jungle. The government identifies corrupt judges and allows them to abuse their positions; in return, the judges oblige the government when it needs them. Apart from its obvious undesirability, a corrupt judiciary would also never be an independent judiciary. It would have to side with the rulers and conform to their wishes at all times. Corruption is opposed to democracy and social order, being not only anti-people, but also aimed and targeted at them. It affects the economy and destroys the cultural heritage. It at any level is damaging, however it has a debilitating effect at the grassroots level of the judicial system. The only way to have a clean, honest and independent judiciary is to kill the corruption and not the independence of the judiciary.
Supreme Court of Pakistan had never been independent from the influence of executive in the history of Pakistan till the lawyers’ movement came in which will go down in history as a great and unprecedented effort by the legal profession to set the judiciary right and prevent the country’s rulers from manipulating the judges and influencing their judgments. For the first time judges were virtually appointed by people of Pakistan after mass protests against Dictator Pervaiz Musharraf. After restoration, at first, the Chief Justice and other judges of Supreme Court seemed dedicated to eradicate the corruption and set the things right. The NRO case is example in point in which Supreme Court declared NRO null and void and ordered to reopen and reinvestigate all the cases of corruption against politicians and bureaucrats including President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari.
However in spite of having a moral authority and fully backed by the people of Pakistan independence of the Supreme Court and courage of the judges disappeared with a single speech of Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani in the Parliament who said the Parliament has not yet granted approval to the judges’ restoration effected through an executive order and that he will not have any objection if the Parliament grants power of judges’ appointment to the Chief Justice of Pakistan. Since then the NRO, judge’s appointment and other important cases have been put into cold storage. Today there is cold war going on between corrupt politicians and judiciary. The government is not accustomed to this kind of self-assured, independent action and is uncomfortable with this kind of judicial interference. Of course, key element in the performance of a judge is his own conscience and courage. No legislation, no code of conduct and no rules can make a judge more conscientious or courageous. Institutions are made up of individuals and every individual has his specific traits. Integrity, courage or conscience can not be legislated, and honesty can not be injected into a person to make him brave judge with a strong character.
Ordinary citizens have by and large again lost trust in the legal system because of its inefficiency, the massive backlog of cases, and corruption of judges. But Supreme Court has not been able to overcome this situation. In a series of landmark decisions from 1997 onward, the Pakistan Supreme Court held that the right of access to justice is a fundamental right. Yet access to justice in Pakistan remains a significant problem. Populist calls for “speedy justice” have recently been taken up by Islamist extremists to legitimize a system of physical punishment, although this typically meets with resentment by the general public.
The shame of the recent decisions of the Supreme Court is that rather than sending the right message to the people of Pakistan, they have sent altogether the wrong one. The changes are incomplete and inadequate, and reinforce popular perceptions that politicization, corruption, mismanagement and impunity are here to stay. People understand only that their lives are subject to the whims of elite groups and feudal lords and that in fact the power those persons hold is growing. Under these circumstances, it can be said that the Pakistani criminal justice system is no longer serving any purpose. Whereas the aim of punishment under the rule of law is to reform criminals and deter them from further acts, the same cannot be said of the ‘punishments’ awarded by the authorities in Pakistan today, which are intended only to protect criminals and permit more abuse.
President Zardari has ruined the institutions and entire system of the state which resulted in poverty and disastrous situations in Pakistan. Now the public of Pakistan has a deep hate in their hearts for Zardari and his companions who have established civil dictatorship in Pakistan. During his regime blue-eyed persons were appointed on important positions with the mandate to loot and plunder as a result all state enterprises are collapsing. It is no rocket science to conclude, that an incompetent and corrupt person, if appointed to head a state corporation will end up with losses for the organization and drive to bankruptcy, as has been the fate of Pakistan Steel Mills, PIA, NICL and hundreds of other state organizations. The judiciary has a key role in ensuring that political and administrative power is used only in accordance with law and every one is held accountable for wrongdoing or misuse of authority. It is the moral and constitutional obligation of the judiciary to ensure that the Government appoints competent and qualified people to run these state organizations professionally. But unfortunately the Supreme Court has taken action in very few cases letting the rest to enjoy on the tax payer’s money. Nobody is concerned with the public issues.
As far as integrity and efficiency of lower courts is concerned, take the example of President Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited amongst the several others; his appointment was challenged in the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench ever during the year 2009 due to lack of education and experience required by law as well as his being member of Central Executive Committee of Pakistan Peoples Party being violation of Banking Nationalization Act. In spite of his patently illegal appointment the case was lingered on with the intention to provide him space to continue his irregular service. After more than one year his appointment was declared by the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench as illegal. Then under a predetermined scheme an Intra Court Appeal was filed by him in the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench which was again abnormally delayed and then transferred to Islamabad High Court. The same ICA is pending before the Islamabad High Court even today when tenure of the President is going to be completed during next month. During the period of these two years the illegal President appointed in the Bank on executive posts on kingly salary packages, perks and facilities his relatives and friends including retired military officers, retired police officers, retired officers from judiciary, and some dismissed from other institutions having absolutely no relevance with developmental banking. He appointed more than thousand people on lower posts and as MCOs without any merit. He sacked hundreds of honest employees merely to satisfy his personal ego. He charge sheeted hundreds of employees who hindered in his wrong doings. He did not allow audit of the Bank. during these two years Management inefficiencies, narrowed visionary abilities and corruption, bad policy making, bad management in making loans; dishonest high officials who used the bank’s funds for their own interests; panics to the employees, adjustment lending to falsely show the high recovery performance, political interference, and number of other misdoings have been the norm in the Bank during this period with the result that the Bank is at the brink of collapse today. I wonder as to what would be the legal status of the decisions taken by this illegal President when finally declared as illegal by the court. I think this huge loss of 120 billions Bank more lies on the courts who facilitated the President to complete his three years illegal tenure by intentionally delaying the case. Otherwise huge loss of this premier organization could be escaped merely by passing an injunction order if the delay was beyond the control of the court. In fact the more subtle, insidious, and widespread behavior in our courts that essentially amounts to case fixing is so well woven into the fabric of the judicial process that it escapes notice except by those who are intimately involved in the process.
A comprehensive audit of this Bank needs to be carried out to recover the losses from culprits. Just imagine to cover his misdeeds the President has now appointed one Miss Roohi. R. Khan as Chief Operating Officer who is cancer patient and could not be appointed in the Bank in any way. Sometimes I think what sort of justice has been introduced in new judicial policy which crushes the poor and provides shelter only to the elite? It was far better position before introduction of this new judicial policy.
I do hope that the Supreme Court will take notice of such episodes to save the national institutions and continue its active role in real sense in altering the status quo in society without any fear. Proper control over the lower courts is also responsibility of the Supreme Court. The Powers That Be want everybody to believe that the judicial system is above reproach, an honored profession, and that only an isolated judge here and there would be found taking a personal bribe, or bending the law to protect crime. Normally the only individual type of corruption is watched. The Supreme Court needs to keep close watch over individual corruption as well as systematic/ institutionalized corruption of the judges. Louis Dembitz Brandeis has said “Our government… teaches the whole people by its example. If the government becomes the lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy”.
Heavy Rigging expected as the AJK election commission withdraws its decision to require computerised national identity cards (CNIC)
AJK polling on Lahore LA-37 Valley-II put off
Only PMLN gave ticket to woman candidate in AJK Elections
MQM announces to boycott AJK elections
PMLN worker killed in a clash with PPP workers in Bhimber (LA-6), PTV Reports.
Polling for Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections continues under highly stringent security arrangements, while disturbing reports of clashes between the rival political parties at some places reaching here just after few hours of the polling that started at 8.00 A.M. in the morning, which will continue without break until 5.00 P.M.
Earlier in the morning there was hardly any rush of the voters seen, but later it gradually picked up. Complaints of late start of the polling from some places were received, while at several polling stations situations turned ugly when the activists of the rival political parties clashed and became violent. At a place called Batalian in the constituency LA-6 rival groups clashes even halted the polling. One person was wounded by firing at polling station 32 in LA-17. Polling was also stopped for sometime due to the rampage at Abbaspur and Jabar of district Poonch besides Batalian, Ranjana areas of Muzaffarabad.
Polling till filing of this report could not be started at polling stations 121 and 122 in LA-22. Muslim Conference and PPP activists coming to blows injured two at Noorgala polling station in LA-15.
Besides Azad Kashmir, Kashmiris living in the cities of Pakistan Rawalpindi, Lahore, Multan, Vehari, Gonjranawala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Faisalabad, and Peshawar casting their votes for the respective seats in these cities.
AJK elections are being held on the 37 seats of the Legislative Assembly, while polling for three seats LA-30 Karachi Jammu-1, La-36 Karachi Kashmir valley-1, LA-37 Lahore and LA-41 Abbotabad has been postponed.
KARACHI / MUZAFFARABAD:
The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Election Commission took two decisions that created confusion and chaos in the run-up to the region’s Legislative Assembly election on Sunday (today), raising questions about its own credibility and independence and prompting the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to boycott the election.
The commission withdrew its decision to require computerised national identity cards (CNIC), bearing address that falls under the jurisdiction of the local polling station, “under pressure” hours after having announced the measure.
Its decision to postpone the elections for three seats representing the Kashmiri diaspora in Karachi and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa prompted the MQM to boycott the election.
The decision to withdraw the CNIC requirement from voting booths has raised fears of rigging in the elections. The commission itself estimates that up to 15% of the names on the electoral rolls may be bogus. Outside observers believe the number to be as high as 30%.
In a bid to limit the possibility of rigging, the election commission had announced on Saturday that it would only accept CNICs as legal identification at the polling booths. Election officials would be required to ensure that only people whose address fell within the jurisdiction of a particular polling booth would be allowed to vote there.
Immediately after the election commission announced the requirement, several political parties, including the ruling Muslim Conference began agitating against it, which raised the spectre of violence on polling day. Within hours, the requirement had been withdrawn.
“It was withdrawn under pressure… you can understand it,” said one senior official of the AJK election commission, who wished to remain anonymous. He did not clarify whether the pressure came from the AJK government or the Pakistan government.
Electoral rolls in Azad Jammu Kashmir have been notoriously flawed for decades.
Earlier attempts to fix the problem through a CNIC requirement have also been met with stiff resistance. Manzoor Gilani, a former chief election commissioner in the region, said that the Legislative Assembly passed a unanimous resolution against him when he tried to initiate such a measure, forcing him to resign.
Meanwhile the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, which won two seats from the Kashmiri diaspora in Karachi in 2006, has boycotted the election after the election for the seats in Karachi were postponed.
The announcement was made by deputy convenor of the party’s central coordination committee, Farooq Sattar, at a press conference in Karachi. Sattar blamed the Sindh government for the postponement, even though the announcement came from the AJK Election Commission, which said that the law and order situation in Karachi was not conducive to holding an election.
“The undemocratic, unconstitutional and unethical postponement of the elections in three constituencies is part of a nefarious plot to stop the MQM from emerging as the third option to the Kashmiri people,” claimed Sattar.
The MQM won the two seats for the Kashmiri diaspora in Karachi in 2006 and was expected to win them again this year though most analysts did not rate their chances highly at winning other seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly.
Of the 41 directly elected seats for the AJK Legislative Assembly, 29 are based on the constituencies located within AJK itself and 12 represent the Kashmiri diaspora all over Pakistan. Nine of them are in Punjab, two in Sindh and Balochistan, mainly Karachi, and one for the Kashmiris settled in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Elections were postponed in the latter three. The federal interior ministry, however, claimed in a statement that the MQM and the Pakistan Peoples Party are expected to jointly file a request to the AJK Election Commission asking for a new date for the postponed elections in the three constituencies.
The ministry also denied that it had any role to play in the postponement
Express Tribue Story
A London based British citizen and the most active supporter of ex-Army Chief General Musharraf, Sir Altaf Hussain recently stressed that the entire institution of the armed forces should not be blamed for the mistakes of certain people.
Altaf said Pakistan Army is a symbol of solidarity and integrity of the country.
The MQM founder said who would we call in to curb terrorism if we start abusing and accusing the armed forces? Altaf argued that accountability should be held across the board.
Warning: Disturbing video
A young man was gunned down by Rangers on Wednesday evening in an alleged ‘encounter’ that appeared to be killing from firing at point-blank range in a footage released hours after the incident.
A spokesman for the Sindh Rangers said the 25-year-old Sarfaraz Shah was killed after an encounter with Rangers personnel deployed outside the Benazir Shaheed Park in the city’s Boat Basin area after he was ‘caught red-handed’ while snatching cash and valuables from visitors.
DISCLAIMER: The article is a political satire and not an attack on religious convictions. – Admin
by mbokhari
قیامت کی نشانیاں
پیشِ نظر مضمون میں قطب الاقطاب، امام الوقت اور خدا کے پراسرار بندوں کے سالار مولانا شیخ الحاج سیدنا الاحمد الشجاع الباشا المخفی والغیبی کو خواب میں ودیعت ہونے والی چند بشارتوں کی تفصیل جمع کی گئی ہے۔ یہ بشارتیں مختلف ائمہ و مشائخ کی روایات کی زبانی امت مسلمہ تک پہنچی ہیں اور ان کے پڑھنے سے سالارِ سپاہِ خفی کے بے ا نتہا علوم کا اندازہ ہو گا اور معلوم ہو گا کہ آپ نے جو قیامت کی نشانیاں بیان فرمائی ہیں وہ حرف بہ حرف آج پوری ہو رہی ہیں۔
متنوع روایات میں آیا ہے کہ قربِ قیامت فتنے بارش کے قطروں کی طرح بڑھ جائیں گے۔ مغرب سے کالے عقاب نمودار ہوں گے جنہیں نہ کوئی دیکھ سکے گا نہ کوئی روک سکے گا۔ نیک لوگ دنیا سے اٹھا لیے جائیں گے۔ سمندر برد کر دیے جائیں گے۔ اس پر مومنین گھروں میں دریاں بچھا کر ماتم کریں گے ۔ مولانا شیخ ابو العرفان الصدیقی قدس سرہ نے اپنی کتاب ‘نوحہ جات اہل الغیرۃ’ میں کچھ اقتباسات نقل کیے ہیں کہ اس وقوعہ پر امت کی حالت اتنی ابتر ہو گی کہ لوگ ایک دوسرے سے بازاروں میں گلے لگ کر دھاڑیں مار کر روئیں گے اور کہیں گے کہ ‘کسی گھر کی بے حرمتی کے لیئے ایک ہی نیک مجاہد کی شہادت کافی ہوتی ہیں اور یہاں تو پوری امت ہی نیلام ہو گئی ۔۔ کیا ستم ہے کہ گھر بار ۔۔ عزت ۔۔ حیا ۔۔ خوداوری سب کی نیلامی ہو گئی ۔۔۔ ۔۔ہم بک گئے بھائی’۔ ان اقتباسات کے بعد کی عبارت آنسووں سے بھیگ جانے کی وجہ سے قابل مطالعہ نہیں رہی۔
مومن اولاد اپنی ماں جیسے اداروں کی نافرمان اور گستاخ ہوجائے گی ۔ خود کش حملے کرے گی۔
دنیا کی دو نمبر گندی مندی عورتیں مومنین کو غلافی آنکھوں والی حوروں سے غافل کر دیں گی۔ صرف چند مومنین اس دنیاوی فتنے اور دنیاوی شادی نکاح کے وبال سے بچ پائیں گے اور حوروں کی تمنا میں اپنے آس پاس موجود لوگوں کو یکلخت ایک جھٹکے سے جنت میں داخل کرنے میں کامیاب ہو جائیں گے۔
قصہ ایک فاحشہ کا
دیگر گندی مندی دو نمبر دنیاوی عورتیں مومنین پر عصمت دری کے نہایت فحش الزامات لگائیں گی جن سے جنوب اور مغرب کی طرف آگ کی آندھی اٹھے گی اور لپک کر صحراووں اور اونٹوں کے علاقے کو اپنی گرفت میں لے لے گی۔ نصاریٰ اس فاحشہ کو پناہ دیں گے۔ اس وقت مسلمانوں کے سپہ سالار کی علامات روایتوں میں جا بجا ہیں۔ کہیں آیا ہے کہ اس کی پیشانی کشادہ اور خیالات روشن ہوں گے، کہیں آیا ہے کہ اس کی پیشانی پر واضح لکھا ہو گا ک، ل، ب۔ متضاد روایات میں ہے کہ وہ حیوانات، مثلا کتوں سے، ہمکلامی کے قابل ہو گا اور مزکورہ حیوانات اس کے آس پاس پائے جائیں گے۔ بالاخر ایک معمر دجال اٹھے گا اور فاحشہ کے الزامات کی آڑ میں ادارے کا مرتد ہو جائے گا۔ اعلانِ جنگ کرے گا لیکن بھیانک موت مارا جائے گا۔ آگ بدستور بڑھکتی رہے گی جب تک مومنین اپنی شمشمیریں نیام سے نکال کر سازشی عالموں اور نفرت پرور منافقین کا رات کے اندھیروں میں قتال نہیں کریں گے۔
حیا باختہ عورتیں بے مہار اونٹوں کی طرح بازاروں میں اپنے اونٹوں پر پھریں گی اور مومنین کے اونٹوں کا رستہ کاٹیں گی۔ کفار کے پروردہ علما جامعات پر قابض ہوں گے اور مومنین کے خلاف زبان درازی کثرت سے کریں گے۔
قصہ سیلاب کا
زمین میں ایک بہت بڑا سیلاب آئے گا جو سب کچھ بہا لے جائے گا سوائے ان لوگوں کے جو عساکر اسلام پر ایمان لائے اور نیک عمل کیے، انہی کے لیے نجات اور خشکی ہے۔ ابوجھوٹا الاوریا المقبول انجان اپنی تصنیف ‘فضائل برکات حکومت العسکریہ’ میں لکھتے ہیں کہ سیلاب عظیم باری تعالیٰ کی طرف سے مومنوں کے لیے امتحان ہو گا۔ مخلوق حشرات الارض کی طرح گندم کے دانے دانے کو ترسے گی اور موت کی دعائیں کرے گی۔ زمین کے چاروں کونوں میں موجود نصاریٰ کے ملکوں سے بے بہا غلہ اونٹوں پر لد کر آئے گا ۔ مسلمان اس کو شک کی نگاہ سے دیکھیں گے اور کھانے میں تامل کریں گے۔ بالاخرعساکر اسلام اس اناج پر درود شریف کا دم کریں گے اور اپنی مہرتصدیق ثبت کر کہ بازاروں میں فروخت کریں گے اور اشرفیوں سے مالامال ہوں گے جنہیں ادارے کی راہ میں خرچ کریں گے۔ ادارہ مسلمانوں کی فلاح کے لیے سفید دانے سب سے سستے نرخ میں پیدا کرے گا جسے کاشت کے کاموں میں استعمال کیا جائے گا اور اس سے فصل میں بھرپور اضافہ ہو گا۔ ان معجزوں سے مومنین کے دل قوی ہوں گے اور منافقین کے دل حسد سے جل اٹھیں گے۔
قصہ خشک سالی کا
سیلابوں اور زلزلوں کے علاوہ خشک سالی بھی قرب قیامت کی ایک علامتِ کبریٰ ہے۔ مولانا شیخ ابو العرفان الصدیقی قدس سرہ نے اپنی تصنیف ‘کتاب الاحیا العلوم الکزب’ میں لکھا ہے کہ آسمان خشک ہو جائے گا اور بارش ناپید ہو گی۔ چار ولایتوں کی سرزمین میں ہر طرف لوگ اناج کے لیے قطار در قطار کھڑے ہوں گے مگر اناج نہ پائیں گے۔ ہر طرف بھوک اور افلاس ہو گی، نہریں سوکھ جائیں گی اور کھیت اجڑ جائیں گے، سوائے ان لوگوں کے جو باوردی ہوئے اور نیک اعمال کیے۔ انہی کے لیے خوش حالی اور زرخیز زمینیں ہیں کہ یہ ان کے ادارے کی طرف سے انعام ہے۔ اس میں نشانیاں ہیں ان لوگوں کے لیے جن کے ایمان اور پھیپھڑے کمزور ہیں اور تیرنا نہیں جانتے۔
قصہ چند بد بخت قابضوں کا
آخری ایام میں ایک بد بخت اور باغی گروہ نمودار ہو گا اور زرخیز زمین کے ایک ٹکڑے پر قابض ہو جائے گا اور کاشت کاری شروع کر دے گا جس سے ہر طرح کی نا انصافی اور فتنے کا دروازہ کھل جائے گا۔ ابوجھوٹا الاوریا المقبول انجان فرماتے ہیں کہ اگر تم خود کو اس زمانے میں پاو تو صبر کرو اور مومنین کی زر، زن اور قلم سے اعانت کرو۔ مزید فرماتے ہیں کہ جلد ہی یہ باغی گروہ مومنین سے اس زمین کی ملکیت اور اس کی زرعی پیداوار پر جنگ کرے گا، اسے نصاریٰ اور یہود و ہنود کی حمایت حاصل ہو گی لیکن بالاخر فتح مومنین ہی کی ہو گی۔ قتال اور شمشیر زنی کے بعد باغی گروہ زرخیز زرعی علاقے سے بے دخل کر دیا جائے گا۔ ابوجھوٹا الاوریا المقبول انجان فرماتے ہیں کہ اس باغی گروہ کا حکم عین اہل الخیبر والا ہے۔
دیگر علامات
اسلام کی تلوار اور عظیم سالار حضرت حمید ابن ابی گل رحمتہ اللہ کے مطابق دیگرعلاماتِ قیامت میں ہے کہ کچھ مومن غداری کے مرتکب ہوں گے اور کفار کی عدالتوں میں وعدہ معاف گواہ بن جائیں گے جس سے ماں جیسے مقدس ادارے میں تھرتھلی مچ جائے گی۔ لوگ وعدہ کی پروا نہیں کریں گے۔ وعدے کے خلاف کفار مسلمانوں کے ماں جیسے مقدس ادارے کی سربازار توہین کریں گے۔ ہمسائے کے حقوق کی پرواہ نہیں کی جائے گے۔ حملے سے پہلے اطلاع نہیں دیں گے جو کہ شدید بے عزتی، بلکہ بیستی کا باعث ہوگا۔
متفق الیہ روایات سے ثابت ہے کہ معاشرے میں بے حیائی اپنی انتہا کو پہنچ جائے گی۔ خدا کے پراسرار بندوں کی جائز ضروریات مثلا پلاٹوں اور مرسڈیزوں کا ذکر سر عام غیر مردوں کے درمیان بے حیائی سے کیا جائے گا۔ اس پرمومنین اشکبار ہو جائیں گے، بے بسی سے شور مچائیں گےاور چیخیں مارکر کہیں گے کہ مسلمانوں کی ایک تہزیب ہوتی ہے ۔۔ ایک کلچر ہوتا ہے ۔ دنیا میں اللہ کا خوف رکھنے والی قوم صرف ایک ہی ہے اور وہ مسلمان ہے جو اپنی جذبہ ایمانی سے ہر دور میں سب کو اپنے سامنے جھکاتی آئی ہے ۔ لو دیکھو اس قوم کو جس کی محافظ قوت پراٹھنے والی ہر زبان کھینچ لی جاتی تھی، آج شرم و حیا کی وہ پیکر، مشرقی روایات کی پروردہ یہ دوشیزہ فورس اب دو ٹکے کے نام نہاد لبرل لکھاریوں کی عریاں اور فحش تحریروں کا موضوع بن گئی ہے۔
کُشتہ عشق الٰہی،قرب یزدانی کی شیفتہ، عارفہ، ولیہ حضرت شیرینہ ءِ مزاریہ رحمۃ اللہ علیھا سے لوگوں نے پوچھا ہمیں قیامت کی نشانیاں بتا دیجئے۔ انہوں نے فرمایا کہ میں نے سالارِ غیب سے سنا ہے کہ بدعات کی کثرت قرب قیامت کا ایک شدید فتنہ ہیں۔ گمراہ سیکولر فلسفی اوربد عقیدہ لکھاری امت میں احتساب اور جوابدہی کی بدعت کی بنیاد ڈال دیں گے۔ امت یہود و نصاریٰ کا اتباع کرے گی اور اپنے زعما کے انتخاب میں حصہ داری پر بے جا اصرار کرے گی۔
مزید شرمناک فتنے
خواجہ ابو شاہد المسعود قلندری طبیب الحیوانات رحمتہ اللہ عیلہ ایک بہت بڑے بزرگ گزرے ہیں۔ بابا بلھے شاہ رحمتہ اللہ علیہ نے انہی کے بارے میں لکھا تھا: چھیتی پوڑیں وے طبیبا نئی تے گاں مر گئی اے۔ آپ ہفتے میں ایک بار درس لکھا کرتے تھے۔ جس دن سالارِ خفی سے خیالات کی آمد نہ ہوتی، راز کی باتیں بیان نہ فرماتے تھے۔ کسی نے پوچھا تو فرمایا کہ خصوصی دعا کا ورد چیونٹی کو ہاتھی بنا دیتا ہے اوراس دعا سے لا علم چیونٹیاں ڈوب کر نہروں سے برآمد ہوتی ہیں۔ چنانچہ فرمایا کہ انہوں نے سالارِخفی سے سنا ہے کہ قربِ قیامت شرمگاہ کے فتنوں میں اضافہ ہو گا۔ بے ختنہ عمرو عیاروں کی کثرت ہو جائے گی جو آنگن ٹیڑھا ہونے کے باوجود مختن عساکر اسلام کوخٹک اور لڈی ہو جمالو ڈالنا سکھائیں گے۔ موت کے بعد ان بے ختنہ عمرو عیاروں کے لاشے جگہ جگہ سے ملیں گے اور قرب قیامت کی یاد دلائیں گے۔
قصہ دجال کا
شیخ الحدیث مولانا لال ٹوپی سرکار اپنی تصنیف ‘کتاب الفتن السیکولریہ والجمہوریہ’ میں فرماتے ہیں کہ انہیں ہے حکم اذاں۔ فرماتے ہیں کہ ابھی مومنین کفار سے نبرد آزما ہوں گے کہ اس آفت سے بھی بڑی آفت کی خبر سنیں گے ۔ چنانچہ ایک زوردار آواز آئے گی کہ دجال ظاہر ہو گیا ہے۔ یہ سنتے ہی جو کچھ ان کے پاس ہو گا چھوڑ چھاڑ کر واپس بھاگیں گے اور خلیفہ ءِ موعود کی تلاش شروع کریں گے۔ دجال کی تفصیل بعض روایات کے مطابق ہے کہ وہ پہلے ایمان لائے گا لیکن پھرمرتد ہو جائے گا۔اپنی شروعات میں دجال کی نگاہِ شوق کے بال و پر شکستہ ہوں گے۔ بعد از تکفیر انگارہ ءِ خاکی میں یقیں پیدا ہو گا تو روح الامیں بال و پر عطا کر دے گا۔ بعد از تکفیر ڈکٹیشن سے انکاری ہو گا اور بال و پر سے مسلح ہو کر اپنے تکبر میں مومنین اورخدا کے پراسرار بندوں کو اذیت ناک دھمکیاں دے گا۔ مومنین اس کو دیکھتے ہی پہچان لیں گے اور اس کے خلاف خلیفہءِ موعود کی اعانت کریں گے۔
قصہ خلیفہ ءِ موعود کا
خلیفہ ءِ موعود کا حلیہ ابوالمامون الچاچا کپی اور حکیم العلت مولانا کاشف العباسی نے بیان کیا ہے اگرچہ متضاد روایات بھی موجود ہیں۔ مولانا ابوالمامون لکھتے ہیں کہ صاحب الزمان خلیفہ ءِ موعود ایک عمر رسیدہ نوجوان ہوں گے۔ بالوں میں خضاب لگائیں گے اور چہرے سے معصومیت اور بچپنا ٹپک رہا ہو گا نیز ہاتھ میں چوبی، یعنی لکڑی کا گرز ہو گا جس سے مرتدین و ملحدین کو دہشت زدہ کر دیں گے۔ نیز لکھتے ہیں کہ امور خلافت مردِ مومن کی معاونت سے صرف ایک رات میں طے ہو جائیں گے۔
خلیفہ ءِ موعود کے ظہور سے پہلے جنگوں کا سلسلہ شروع ہو چکا ہو گا۔ ہر طرف قتل و غارت ہو گی اور مومنین پر آسمان سے ڈراونی آگ برس رہی ہو گی۔ امت ،یعنی کہ اپنی امہ، ہر جگہ حکمرانوں کی ریشہ دوانیوں اور دریدہ دہانیوں کی وجہ سے سخت اظطراب اور بے چینی کا شکار ہو گی اور ہر گھڑی کسی نجات دہندہ کی آمد کی منتظر ہو گی۔ غالب امکان ہے کہ اس وقت خطہ ءِ غیر میں شریعت کا نظام قائم ہو چکا ہو گا۔ غازی یہ تیرے پراسرار بندے دجال کے خلاف خلیفہ کی اعانت کریں گے اور علما کو یقین دلائیں گے کہ وہ جوق در جوق حاظر ہو کر خلیفہ موصوف کی بیعت کریں۔
جہاں بھی جاو گے مومن ڈھونڈ لیں گے
قرب قیامت کی نشانیوں میں سے ہے کہ علما کی اموات کثرت سے ہوں گی۔ چند علما بچ نکلیں گے اور مسلمانوں کی رہنمائی سے کترائیں گے۔ ان بے راہ رو علما کو کم عمر عزرائیلوں کے ہاتھوں بعد نماز جمعہ مساجد میں پیغام پہنچایا جائے گا تا کہ وہ مومنین کی راہ میں روڑے نہ اٹکائیں۔
قصہ ایک بڑھیا کا
ابوجھوٹا الاوریا المقبول انجان نے بیان کیا، کہا کہ ہمیں ابوالانصار العباسی الخارجی نے خبر دی، کہا کہ ہم سے ابن الوقت الکلاسرہ نے بیان کیا، ان سے عبدالفوج النزیر الناجی ابن کزاب نے اور ان سے ابوالمامون الچاچا کپی نے بیان کیا کہ حضور والا، گزارش یہ ہے کہ قیامت اس وقت تک نہ آئے گی جب تک مسلمانوں کے دل سے خدا کے پراسرار بندوں کا خوف نہ اٹھ جائے گا ۔ یا للعجب، چار درویش مل کر قبرستانوں میں سر جھکائے بیٹھے رہیں گے اورکبھی کبھی سر اٹھا کرعالمِ غیب کے رازوں سے پردہ اٹھائیں گے۔ بیرونی ہاتھوں کی کثرت ہو جائے گی اورادارے پر آفتیں جلدی جلدی آئیں گی ۔ ایامِ قیامت کے قریب خدا کے پراسرار بندوں کے پاس دولت ومال کی کثرت دیکھ کر منافقین جل اٹھیں گے اور ایک ‘چڑچڑی بڑھیا‘ امت میں نمودار ہو گی جس کی زبان کھل جائے گی اور کچھ ناچیز کپی یافتہ مومنین کے دل کوجلن دے گی ۔ مزید فرمایا کہ چڑچڑوں کی جماعت سے یہاں مراد بھاڑے کے قلمی اور سیاسی ٹٹو ہیں جو باریش اور کالے رنگ کے شدید بوسیدہ بزرگوں سے کپی چھین لینے کی دھمکی دیں گے۔ مزید فرمایا کہ ان سب فتنوں کا مقابلہ کرنے والے مرد مومن کی پہچان ہے کہ اس کے پاس پیہم اور گہرا غور و فکر، ہر طرح کی بے رحمانہ تنقید پر صبر و تحمل اور کفار کے ناروا مطالبات کی حکمت و تحمل سے اطاعت کرنے کی طاقت ہو گی۔ خلیفہ ءِ موعود کو خوش آمدید یہی مرد مومن کریں گے۔
یاد رہے کہ ابوالمامون، جو کہ ایک نہایت قدیم بزرگ گزرے ہیں، خود سلسلہ عباسیہ کے ایک عظیم خلیفہ کے ہم نام تھے۔ اس روایت میں ان کا اشارہ خاندان غلاماں کے چودھویں حکمران الاشفاق حاکم بامرالامریکہ کی طرف ہے جو روایات کے مطابق امت میں موجود فتنوں کی پرورش کرنے کے لیے صبح آٹھ بجے سے شب دو بجے تک مزدوروں کی طرح ہمیشہ مشقت کرتے پائے جاتے تھے۔
قصہ ایک حاکم کا
خاندان غلاماں کے چودھویں حکمران الاشفاق حاکم بامرالامریکہ کے بارے میں مشہور روایات میں آیا ہے کہ ان جلیل القدر بزرگ اور حکمران کو طاقتِ ہوا پیمائی حاصل تھی۔ ان کے بہت سے معجزوں میں سے ایک واقعہ بہت مشہور ہے۔ روایات میں آیا ہے کہ ایک دن حالتِ جلال میں کفار سے شمشیر زنی کرتے ہوئے درویشوں کے ایک گروہ کی قیادت میں ہوا میں محو پراوز دیکھے گئے۔ پاوّں مبارک زمین سے چار انگلیوں کی چوڑائی کے برابر ہوا میں معلق تھے، پشت پر ہوائی اڑن کھٹولہ تھا اور شانہ بشانہ درویشانِ ہم پیالہ و ہم نوالہ ۔ اس معجزے کو دیکھ کربہت سے منافقین شادی مرگ کے ہاتھوں فرطِ تبسم سے جہنم واصل ہوئے اور مومنین کا ایمان مزید مضبوط ہوا۔ ابوالمامون الچاچا کپی ان کے بہت مرید تھے اور ان کے دیدار کو سات حج پر فوقیت دیتے تھے۔
قصہ ایک بھٹکے ہوئے ریاکار، دروغ گو جھوٹے کا
مولانا شیخ ابو العرفان الصدیقی قدس سرہ اپنی کتاب ‘اسرارالبندہ جات الخدا للادارہ الخفیہ’ میں اس روایت کوبیان فرماتے ہیں کہ قیامت کے قریب دھوکہ، ریاکاری اور ادارے کی توہین کثرت سے ہو گی۔ جھوٹ لکھنے والے کچھ فتنہ پرست امت کے محافظوں کے راز کفار کے سامنے افشا کر دیں گے۔ امت میں ایسے ریاکاروں کی پہچان ہے کہ ان کا ایمان کمزور ہو گا اور زیادہ دیر تشدد برداشت نہ کر سکیں گے، چناچہ وقت سے پہلے نہر واصل ہوں گے اور اپنی موت سے ماں جیسے ادارے کو بدنام کریں گے۔ ایسے ریاکاروں کے لیے حکم ہے کہ ان کی گمشدگی کی خبر کو دبا دو اور استغفار کرو ۔ جہاں تک استطاعت ہو، خدا کے پراسرار بندوں کی حمد و ثنا کرو۔ جو لوگ باوردی ہوئے اور جنہوں نے وردی میں امت کے ساتھ بدفعلی کی ان کے لیے اس دنیا میں بڑا اجر ہے اور موت کے بعد اولاد کے لیے پلازے اور شادی گھر ہیں۔ بے شک ادارے نے غازیوں کے لیے اس دنیا میں جنت کے باغات دیے ہیں جن کے آس پاس نہریں بہتی ہوں گي اور جہاں وہ ابد تک گالف کھیلیں گے
ختم شد
لہزا، اللہ کے بندو ! اس طاقت سے ڈرتے رہا کرو جس کے ہاتھ میں امت کی حکومت اور امور کی چابیاں ہیں ۔ اور اس بات کو بھی ھمیشہ یاد رکھو کہ تم کسی بھی وقت دربارِ مقتدرہ میں سالارِ خفیہ کے حضور جوابدہی کے لیے کھڑے کیے جا سکتے ھو جس دن کہ آنکھیں کھلی کی کھلی رہ جائيں گی اور ان کی ٹکٹکی بندھ جائيگی، چہرے اور جسم پر اذیت کے نشان ہوں گے اور پھیپھڑوں میں پانی ہو گا ۔ یہ وہ دن ہے جس کے بارے میں چند مرتدین اور ملحدین بالخصوص محمد حنیف اور نصرت جاوید، لعنتہ اللہ الاجمعین و تابعین، نے تفصیلا بیان کیا ہے۔ خدا تمام مسلمانوں کا خاتمہ ایمان بالافواج الغیب پر کرے اور اگر ایمان خطرے میں ہو تو اس سے پہلے مسلمان کا خاتمہ کر دے۔
اے خدائے بزرگ و برتر ہمیں ایمان کی کمزوری کے شر سے محفوظ رکھ اور قبل از مرگ تیرنا سکھا ۔
آمین ثم آمین۔
پس تحریر: صاحبان کرام۔ اگر آپ کی نظر سے قرب قیامت کی کچھ مزید علامات گزری ہیں تو برائے مہربانی درج کریں اور حلقہ احباب میں ان کی ترسیل کا بندوبست کریں۔
DAWN NEWS REPORT:
LADHA: Mohammad Ilyas Kashmiri, the commander of Harkat-ul Jihad al Islami (HuJI), who was believed to have masterminded the attack on the naval base in Karachi, was killed in a US drone attack near Wana, South Waziristan, on Friday night, officials said.
Shoaib Khan, a political agent, confirmed that Kashmiri had died in the strike at a militant compound in Ghwa Khwa area. An official said Ilyas Kashmiri had been seen in South Waziristan a couple of days ago.
“Kashmiri was killed in the late night attack,” Mr Khan told journalists on Saturday. A statement, purportedly distributed by HuJI in Wana on Saturday afternoon, confirmed the killing of its supremo with eight other militants in the drone attack. Washington had put a bounty of $5 million on his head under a “reward for justice” programme.
“Commander Ilyas Kashmiri has been killed along with his companions,” the one-page statement said. The group held Washington responsible for his assassination and warned that they would avenge his killing. “America is our main target,” it said.
Lala Wazir, a spokesman for the influential militant commander Mullah Nazir in South Waziristan, also came up with a statement verifying the death of Ilyas Kashmiri.
Kashmiri was mistakenly pronounced dead in a US drone strike in North Waziristan in September 2009, but just one month later his interview was conducted by Saleem Shehzad, whose body was found near Islamabad five days ago.
Sources said the US drone fired three missiles at a compound in Ghwa Khwa, 20km south of Wana, at around 11pm on Friday.
The compound belonged to a tribesman, Mir Ajam Khan Tozikhel who is an associate of the Mullah Nazir group.
The missiles hit two rooms in the compound. The sources said that nine people, most of them hailing from Punjab, were killed. Political authorities said five of the dead had been identified as Usman, Ibrahim, Farooq, Amir Hamza and Imran.
Amir Hamza was stated to be a close associate of Mullah Nazir.
Alamgir, a tribesman who hails from Ghwa Khwa, said militants had encircled the area and did not allow local people to take part in rescue work. He said all the dead were buried in the nearby Karikot.
“Taliban said that Ilyas Kashmiri has also been killed in the late night missile attack,” he said, quoting unnamed militants.
Sources said that Kashmiri had recently visited North Waziristan. They said the HuJI commander had close contacts with local militants, including Mullah Nazir.
According to US officials, Kashmiri used to provide logistical support to Al Qaeda and also coordinated attacks against Pakistani installations, including a strike at an ISI office in 2009.
Agencies add: Kashmiri, 47, was one of the most feared operational commanders of the network that Osama bin Laden founded and had been blamed for a string of high-profile attacks on western targets, as well as in Pakistan and India.
A Pakistani official said there were “strong indications” that Kashmiri had been killed, but that it was impossible to provide 100 per cent confirmation.
The corpses were burnt beyond recognition and swiftly buried.
Officials said Kashmiri had been in the area for several days and that all those killed were fighters in his HuJI organisation.
“Two of his close associates, Amir Hamza and Mohammad Usman, were killed in this drone strike. They usually travelled with him,” another official said.
The officials said Kashmiri had been in the area to discuss the strategy should Islamabad launch an offensive in North Waziristan, as has been predicted as part of the fallout surrounding Bin Laden’s killing.
Regional and anti-terrorism experts have long described Kashmiri as one of Al Qaeda’s main operational commanders.
Kashmiri was held responsible for a number of attacks in Pakistan, including the May 22 siege on the Navy’s air base in Karachi and in October 2009 on the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.
HuJI was believed by the United States to be behind the March 2006 suicide bombing of the US consulate in Karachi which killed four people and wounded 48.
The US Department of State labelled Kashmiri a “specially designated global terrorist”, adding him to a list of high-profile militants.
In March last year, the US attorney’s office quoted in a statement a Chicago taxi driver charged with sending money to Kashmiri as saying the Pakistani militant told him he “wanted to train operatives to conduct attacks in the United States”.
Counter-terrorism officials believe he was the main coordinator of a terror plot targeting Britain, France, Germany and the United States, which was apparently in the early stages when detected by intelligence agencies last year.
Kashmiri’s family in the village of Thathi in Bhimber district, more than nine hours’ drive from Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Kashmir, said on Saturday they had not been in touch with him for six years.
“We came to know through TV. We don’t know whether he is dead or alive,” his elder brother Mohammad Asghar said.
TTP’s CLAIM
A spokesman for the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) said Kashmiri was “alive and safe”, and had not been present at the time of the strike.
In January last year, a US federal grand jury indicted him for terrorism-related offences in connection with a plot to attack Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten following the uproar over blasphemous sketches.
Listed on US and UN terror blacklists, Kashmiri was born in 1964 in Azad Kashmir. He was about six feet tall and weighed about 200 pounds.
He had black hair and been seen with a thick beard dyed white, black, or red at various times.He lost sight in one eye, and often wore aviator-style sunglasses. He had also lost an index finger, according to the US State Department
Poll: How can Pakistan control terrorism?
Is it another feather in rogue ISI’s (dirty) cap?
Saleem Shahzad from Asia Times, who was abducted 3 days ago on way to Dunya TV interview was found dead today near Islamabad. The Guardian UK reports that:
A prominent Pakistani journalist has been found dead on the roadside outside Islamabad, less than two days after he was allegedly abducted by the country’s powerful military intelligence service.
Saleem Shahzad disappeared on his way to a television interview on Sunday evening. Human Rights Watch said it learned he been abducted by the Inter-Services Intelligence directorate (ISI).
Poll: How can Pakistan control terrorism?
Reports of 4 blasts inside the Navy Base, PNS Mehran, at the PAF Faisal Base on Main Sh-e-Faisal. Rehman Malik’s official statement is that “PNS Mehran is under terrorist attack.”
The entire area has been surrounded by Navy Commandos and an intense search operation has been initiated. The area has been put under blackout (though it is unsure whether this has been done by the Commandos or because of load-shedding.
News reports that the area is an extremely red alert area that has several checkposts. Authorities say that if terrorists got through, it wouldn’t have been through the checkposts – must have been through some abandoned areas. Media is also reporting that there could be as many as 12 terrorists still in the compound, though it is uncertain whether or not there is any exchange of fire between the ‘terrorists’ and the authorities.
12-14 Navy ambulances have just entered the base and news reports of 5 people injured so far.
REFERENCE and HISTORY
There are reports of P-3Cs aircraft destroyed in the attack. Some history of P3C aircraft in Pakistan:
Story about P-3Cs coming to PNS Mehran:
June 1/10: The first 2 refurbished P-3Cs are inducted at PNS Mehran, Karach, Pakistan. All 8 aircraft are scheduled to arrive by 2012.
The US Embassy in Pakistan adds that over the last 3 years, U.S. civilian and security assistance to Pakistan has totaled more than $4 billion. It has included civilian aid, as well as 14 F-16 fighter aircraft, 10 Mi-17 helicopters, 2 Bell 412EP helicopters, 5 fast patrol boats, 115 M109 self-propelled Howitzers, more than 450 vehicles for Pakistan’s Frontier Corps, hundreds of night vision goggles, day/night scopes, radios, and thousands of protective vests and first-aid items for Pakistan’s security forces.
Updates:
03:01 – Number of terrorists could be between 10-15, Navy spokesperson.
02:58 – Severe firing started again as per ARY News.
01:33 – PTV reports Lt Yaser and NK Khalil, a Navy Commando and a fire fighter that were injured, passed away on the surgery table
01:26 – Geo reports another blast in the hangar. Reporter speculates that blast took place in the fuel tank of the aircraft that was destroyed
01:20 – Geo reporting that 8 terrorists have been killed, but awaiting confirmation by authorities
00:58 – Unconfirmed sources requesting O Negative Blood at PNS Rahat immediately
00:56 – Geo is reporting that the Fire Brigade has just been asked to enter the base
00:53 – Geo reporting 6 killed, 4 have been arrested of which 1 is hurt
00:51 – Unconfirmed sources report hostage situation at PNS Mehran. There were apparently small numbers of American, Chinese and Turkish personnel at the time. Local news channels have not reported any of this
00:48 – IG Sindh is also on the scene, along with senior Navy and Army personnel
00:45 – PM is in constant touch with Rehman Malik
00:40 – Sounds of firing have gone, which hint that the operation might be over
00:38 – Fresh picture of incident on flikr
00:36 – Live firing being heard in Geo transmission
00:35 – One lane of Shahrah-e-Faisal opened to ease traffic congestion
00:30 – Geo Reported another blast in that area
My dear fellow Pakistanis,
The events of the past few months have cast a pall of gloom on the façade of Pakistan Army’s capabilities. From Kerry-Lugar bill, Raymond Davis, OBL and now the wiki-leaks, the rain of infamies is endless and depressing. The crisis has severely unhinged our political and military hierarchy and the Army has lost respect in the eyes of most Pakistanis. As a result I have decided to take this drastic action of communicating directly with all Pakistanis through this letter to outline the series of steps I have taken to regain that lost trust.
Today, as the commander in chief of the armies of the republic, I will do my best to make sure that things will change for the better in Pakistan and that this letter will mark as a turning point in the history of Pakistan Army. God has blessed us with an opportunity to confess our blunders, rectify our incompetence and cure our incapability. As Chief of Pakistan’s Army, I ask all Pakistanis for forgiveness and, from this day onwards, Pakistan Army, as an institution, promises to always behave in ways that fulfils the nation’s expectations.
I hereby announce the following actions:
On the Supremacy of Constitution & Accountability:
1- Change in PMA Curriculum to ensure that each Officer understands that they are superior to the Nation, its Constitution and the Law of the Land, and, most of all, loyal to the Chief of Army Staff. Retired Generals will be hired to give lectures in the PMA so that the obedience to army hierarchy is properly understood and ensured for future officers.
2- Oath of the Army officers will be revised as per protocols of the Corps Commanders’ Conference to make the supremacy of army rule clear. All serving Army officers will also take this new oath.
3- Military training of Army officers going abroad (US, UK or EU) will be carried out with intensive pre-departure psychological scrutiny and post-training debriefing to ensure that they have been properly approved by foreign powers.
4- There have been a decreasing number of incidents of bullying, torture, abuse of power by Army Officers against Civilians. Effective immediately, I announce that cases for all such incidents will be taken to a Court Martial, and till the decision of the case, such civilians will remain incarcerated in Army custody. Army will use every coercive method to harass the media from reporting such events and the names and ranks of culprits.
5- All Missing Persons in custody of Pakistan Army or related entities will be released immediately to Allah Almighty and the family members will be appeased through qisaas and diyat. The living will be handed over to military authorities for interrogation through enhanced techniques using power tools. Any kidnappings of Pakistani civilians, including that of a Prime Minister or President by the Army in future will be considered as part of standard law enforcement, and will be not be prosecutable in a court of law.
6- In order to ensure that any Army General does not overthrow elected governments in future without proper homework, all army collaborators in all previous military take-overs, will be encouraged to join pro-Army political alliances. Pro-establishment media anchors will be activated and tasked to promote such politicians.
7- Lack of good governance is a bane of our country. In that vein, the culprits of 1971, Balochistan, FATA, Abbottabad and every other military defeat will be posted as Managing Directors of military owned industries, Vice Chancellors at public sector universities and heads of strategic think tanks.
8- The role of ISI will be redefined to focus on internal threats to the establishment by increased monitoring of Pakistani civilians, including politicians, judges and journalists. I also announce expanding ISI media cells and an increase in funding for propaganda campaigns through all sorts of Ahmed Quraishis and Zaid Hamids effective immediately.
Military Budget and Economic Revival:
9- The 2400-acre GHQ land in sectors E10 and D11 of Islamabad will be immediately sold to a consortium of international property developers boosting the household economy of our leading Generals. This most expensive and luxurious piece of land at foot of Margala Hills in Islamabad would fetch at least 80 Billion Rupees for our Corps Commanders.
10- I announce the expansion of all military bases in urban areas to ensure that the natives have an enhanced access to career opportunities in the field of gardening, catering and child care. Thousands of acres of prime real estate in urban areas like Rawalpindi, Lahore, Jehlam and Karachi should fetch 10 Trillion Rupees, which would be enough to construct hundreds of manicured golf courses. I assure you that this action will be started immediately and completed within 2 years time.
11- Pakistan Army will increase the numbers of troops in the conventional army by at least 200,000. When it comes to war, a larger force is better at extracting Coalition Support Funds from the Americans than a small professional force. This change will earn about 2 Trillion Rupees for the Army over a period of 5 years.
12- I announce that allotment of plots and properties to army officers without accountability will be enhanced immediately. All previous allotments of lands and plots will be regularized to ensure that officers stay loyal to the Generals.
13- Every army officer would be given at least one plot during his career. The full cost of plots will be paid from Army Budget and will be bought from Civilian Government for around 2,000 Rupees per Kanal.
14- Allotment of Agricultural lands to Army officers will be increased immediately and permanently. All disputes with farmers regarding agricultural lands (like Okara Farms Scandal) and any other issues with civilians will be settled through military combat and force of arms.
15- All non-military properties owned by Army for entertainment purposes, including all golf courses, rest houses and resorts at prime locations like Bhurban and all over Pakistan will be allotted equitably to all Corps Commanders for nominal prices. This would generate at least 3 Thousand, Eight Hundred Rupees that will be handed over to Education Ministry, so they can build several universities with Research & Development facilities.
16- I also highly encourage the use of army properties or equipment for personal use. From now on, armored personnel carriers will be seen on streets running errands for the families of leading generals, for example, buying groceries or trips to beauty parlors. This move will remind civilians of their place in the natural order of things.
Pakistan Zindabad,
CEO General Manager Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani
Pakistan Army Pvt (Ltd.)
Dr Ghayur Ayub
The Abbotabad attack on May 2nd put many Pakistanis in shame. They felt like this back in 1971 when half of the country was lost and over 90 thousands Pak army surrendered. But there is a difference between the two feelings of shame. This time, without losing part of the country, the state sovereignty was blighted dropping the anvil on the government and army/ISI. In this article I will briefly highlight three points. First, was OBL a sectarian fanatic like his followers in the Taliban?; Second are there any discrepancies in the findings produced by the White House and our army team; Third what could be the possible fallouts of this attack.
When Gen Kayani took over as Army Chief, the army image was at the lowest ebb because of Gen. Musharaf ‘s policies. Gen. Kayani cleansed this image in a short span of time. His success against the Taliban in the Swat operation, his role in helping the victims of the floods, and his stand on the Kerry Logar Bill or presentation on war on terror in Brussels proved that the Pak army can achieve its goals militarily, socially and politically. He also played the role of a wise man in the restoration of Ch Iftikhar as CJP. However, when the newly liberated judiciary started interfering in the malpractices of executive, some important political figures started feeling the pinch. According to news items Mr. Asif Ali Zardari had complained to the Americans about army interference in his work. The army which already had unhealthy relationship with a few opposition parties became soft target of the government.
The relationship between CIA and ISI was strained starting in December 2010 when a federal court in America made ISI a party in a case pertaining to the Bombay terrorist attack of November 2008. Obama’s government did not help ISI in the case, infuriating the agency. A few weeks later, Karim Khan from North Waziristan filed a lawsuit in Peshawar High Court against the CIA station chief Jonathan Banks, on charges of providing operational guidance for the drone attacks which killed his son and brother. Americans saw ISI’s hand in the case and hurriedly retreated Mr.Banks from Pakistan. As if that was not enough Raymond Davies arrest put Obama, his administration and CIA on the mat. The blame fell on ISI. The world saw ISI playing a superior spy game beating its American counterpart and for that matter the Obama administration. After a day long exclusive meeting between the army chiefs of the two countries in Oman, Raymond Davies was released. The army/ISI which always had cozy relationship with the Americans became the hard target and the Americans started waiting for an opportune time to hit back.
According to reports, the precursor to May 2nd episode started when ISI passed on information to CIA about infrequent suspicious messages on financial transactions through a SIM. One of the messages was sent from the house where OBL lived. It was then that CIA agents who were given visas by Hussain Haqqani without ISI clearance rented a nearby house and started collecting human intelligence about the occupants. Once they confirmed the high valued target could be OBL, they started waiting for the time to attack. May the 2nd turned out to be perfect for the following reasons;
It was this very day eight years ago when George Bush announced ‘mission accomplished’;
The deadline for the passage of American budget is on August the 2nd.. Because of strong Republican opposition its failing could adversely affect war on terror in Afghanistan.
The Al-Qaeda attacks in Afghanistan increase from this month onwards;
Obama’s rating was falling rapidly;
The planned American reduction of forces in July was coming closer;
The performance record of ISI vis-a-vis CIA was spiralling up.
A well designed plan was executed excellently by Navy Seals achieving most of the targets throwing the image of Pak army and ISI in the gutter. The rest is history. According to news reports the CIA personnel who rented the nearby house have vacated the property leaving no evidence behind.
Irrespective of whether OBL was killed on May 2nd or died before, one thing is clear that he is officially dead confirmed by his own group, Al-Qaeda. After this background, let me take up the first point, whether OBL was a sectarian fanatic Muslim or not. A good number of Pakistanis believe he was not. According to those who met him say that he kept a delicate balance between his living in Afghanistan as guest of Taliban and their sectarian beliefs putting him in a precarious position. They say he tried to help Taliban government in business deals with foreign governments and large corporations. After interfering in a major oil deal between Taliban and a known US corporation his relation with the Americans deteriorated from bad to worse. He announced Jihad against America and promised to make Americans scared all over the world snatching away the feeling of freedom they like flaunting. In doing so he wanted to become a legend in Islamic history. Time will tell whether he succeeded in his aims.
On the second point; so far, we have seen many discrepancies in reports issued by the White House. Enough is written on that and the list keeps piling up everyday. As reported, the military investigative team is busy collecting its own findings. Let us wait for those findings and see if more discrepancies surface. Most probably the report will try to blacken the picture painted by the Americans. But one thing makes political sense that both CIA and ISI know that they need each other in the war on terror just like American political forces want Pakistan on their side in this war. At the same time the Americans would like to keep Pakistan and its army under pressure at a level that it does not go out of hand and erupt as street protests in the likes of the Middle East and North Africa. That would be a disaster for the American interests in the region.
The third point pertains to the possible fallout of May 2nd incident which could take the shape of;
The army clearing its image through its own investigation and recover from its fallen grace;
Resurfacing of workable relation between ISI and CIA.;
Heating up political tension between politicians;
The government nosediving in popularity especially after the budget;
Increase in the drone attacks;
Increase in the terrorist attacks;
The fear of a technocrat government recently expressed by Asif Ali Zardari becoming a reality. In other words, the Abbotabad hammer might fall on the political government. After all, in past the Ojhri camp disaster fell on Juneju’s government and the Kargil episode fell on Nawaz Sharif’s government. The Americans usually prefer army over the political set-ups in Pakistan. But keeping the present global environment in mind, they do not want to see army taking over the driving seat. So they wouldn’t mind seeing the May 2nd attack on Osama becoming a prelude to a much talked about technocrat government provided the process is carried out without violating the Constitution of Pakistan.
The end
by mbokhari
Dear General Kiyani,
Ever since Bin Laden’s sudden discovery in Abbottabad and his subsequent transfer as Al Qaeda’s permanent ambassador to the Arabian Sea, we have been hearing on the news about how America is thinking of severing its strategic relationship with Pakistan Army. To the average Pakistani, my dear General, the strategic relationship between your Army and the Americans has always felt more like Muta’a than Nikah.
Poll: Are Generals Kayani and Pasha fit to lead Pakistan Army?
After recently downsizing the federal cabinet, Zardari led PPP government upsized the cabinet again after its new alliance was formed with PMLQ and their members took oath. PPP government, who always blamed previous government of PMLQ for all major problems in Pakistan have now officially accepted their incompetency and handed over several important portfolios to that same previous government they always blamed.
The first and the third largest parties (PPP and PMLQ) have also announced an electoral alliance for the next elections and talks with 4th largest party (MQM ) are also under way to join that alliance. The fresh alliance between PPP and PMLQ was formed after confidence building measures by PPP, which included removal of FIA officer investigating the mega corruption against Monis Elahi, son of former CM Pervez Elahi. The Chief Justice has already taken notice of the CBM by PPP and ordered to reinstate the FIA officer to its former position until the investigation is concluded.
