25 may 2012 osint pakistan tracker

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25 May 2012

NEWS Speaker ‘Misused’ her Office: PML-N: Daily Times Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Thursday accused National Assembly Speaker Dr. Fehmida Mirza of “misusing” her office by not sending a reference against the prime minister to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). “This is the worst precedent the speaker has set to save the office of her party colleague,” Nisar told a press conference. (Source: Lahore, Pakistan; Independent; Critical of Radical Elements) NICL Case: SC Orders Investigation against Amin Faheem: Daily Times Hearing the National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) case, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed Commerce Secretary Zafar Mehmood and the Karachi Circle FIA director to examine illegal transfer of public money to the accounts of Federal Trade Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim and his relatives. (Source: Lahore, Pakistan; Independent; Critical of Radical Elements) Six Clearing Agents Held in Missing Containers Case: Daily Times The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Special Operations Division on Thursday arrested six customs clearing agents who had given clearance to 200 ISAF containers which never reached their destination. (Source: Lahore, Pakistan; Independent; Critical of Radical Elements) Pakistan Seeks Face-Saving Formula in NATO Talks: Daily Times Pakistan is unlikely to re-open supply routes to NATO troops in Afghanistan unless the United States offers a politically acceptable formula in talks on ending a six-month standoff on the issue, a Pakistani official said on Thursday. (Source: Lahore, Pakistan; Independent; Critical of Radical Elements) Hamid Saeed Kazmi’s Acquittal Plea Rejected: Dawn News A court on Friday rejected the acquittal plea of former minister for religious affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi in the Hajj corruption case, Dawn News reported. (Source: Karachi, Pakistan; Anti-Military Rule) Bin Laden was Che Guevara Fan, Wife Tells Pakistani Interrogator: Dawn News Osama bin Laden’s three wives were fiercely loyal to him and gave little away when they were interrogated after the al Qaeda chief was killed in a US raid over a year ago, a Pakistani intelligence agent who questioned them said. (Source: Karachi, Pakistan; Anti-Military Rule) Musharaf ‘Murdered my Mother’: Bilawal: Dawn News The son of slain Pakistan leader Benazir Bhutto said on Thursday that ex-military ruler Pervez Musharaf “murdered my mother,” as he vowed to play a bigger political role in his homeland “in any way I can.” (Source: Karachi, Pakistan; Anti-Military Rule) Erdogan’s Advice for Political Accommodation Taken — For the Time Being: Dawn News Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has returned home but will the healing touch that he brought to our fractious politics during his visit to Pakistan last? (Source: Karachi, Pakistan; Anti-Military Rule) SC Suspends Ispahani’s NA Membership over Dual Nationality: The Nation The Supreme Court of Pakistan suspended Peoples Party MNA Farahnaz Ispahani's membership of the National Assembly while hearing the dual nationality case on Friday. (Source: Islamabad, Conservative, Part of the Nawa-i-Waqt publishing group) Khosa wants Funds Accountability: The Nation

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25 May 2012

MUBASHIR HUSSAIN - Against the backdrop of rising hostility between PPP and PML-N after PM Gilani’s conviction, Punjab Governor Latif Khosa has written a letter to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, asking him to place audit reports of district governments before the Public Accounts Committee. (Source: Islamabad, Conservative, Part of the Nawa-i-Waqt publishing group) SC Orders Payment of Compensation to Victim Families of Lal Masjid Operation: The Nation The Supreme Court on Friday directed the authorities to pay equal compensation to the heirs of all 103 people killed in the Lal Masjid operation. (Source: Islamabad, Conservative, Part of the Nawa-i-Waqt publishing group) Pakistan‚ India Working to Implement New Visa Regime: Rehman: The Nation Pakistan and India are working to evolve a mechanism to implement new visa regime which was agreed in principle by both the countries. (Source: Islamabad, Conservative, Part of the Nawa-i-Waqt publishing group) Fehmida Mirza not to Send Reference to ECP against Gilani: Pak Tribune Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani took a sigh of relief on Thursday when National Assembly Speaker Dr. Fehmida Mirza ruled out his disqualification after his conviction in a contempt of court case by not forwarding a reference to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). (Source: Pakistan, Independent, neutral) Pak-US Tensions Rise over Dr Afridi's Conviction: Pak Tribune Pakistan's problematic relationship with the United States sailed into fresh controversy on Thursday as US lawmakers warned of aid cuts after the jailing of a surgeon who helped the CIA hunt down Osama bin Laden. (Source: Pakistan, Independent, neutral) Imran Opposes Division of Sindh on Ethnic Basis: Pak Tribune Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has categorically opposed the division of Sindh province on ethnic basis. He said this while addressing a party meeting on Thursday. (Source: Pakistan, Independent, neutral) Hafiz Saeed is Mastermind of Mumbai Attacks: India: Pak Tribune India on Thursday declared Hafiz Saeed as mastermind of the Mumbai attacks as the two countries started two-day talks in the capital on liberal visa regime, curbing smuggling and crimes. (Source: Pakistan, Independent, neutral) EDITORIALS EDITORIAL: Strange Pronouncement: Daily Times The Supreme Court (SC) three-member bench hearing the missing persons case in the Quetta Registry headed by Chief Justice (CJ) Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry has been scathing in its remarks during the proceedings about the seriousness of the situation in Balochistan and the obvious lack of the federal and provincial government’s seriousness in addressing the issue. (Source: Lahore, Pakistan; Independent; Critical of Radical Elements) SECOND EDITORIAL: Unjust ‘Reward’: Daily Times Instead of being rewarded for helping the world get rid of the most wanted terrorist, Dr. Shakeel Afridi has been awarded a 33 year jail sentence and fine of Rs 320,000 by the political administration of the tribal Khyber Agency for allegedly committing high treason in assisting the CIA reach the compound of Osama bin Laden (OBL) in the garrison city of Abbottabad where he had been hiding for five years. (Source: Lahore, Pakistan; Independent; Critical of Radical Elements) ANALYSIS: IPL: A Metaphor for Changing India: Daily Times

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25 May 2012

We admire success; we do not judge the legitimacy of the path taken to achieve it. Are you then surprised when we applaud the IPL and ignore the venality underlying it? (Source: Lahore, Pakistan; Independent; Critical of Radical Elements) VIEW: Decapitating Sindh?: Daily Times It must be answered: why a mohajir province? Is it for ‘identity’ or socio-economic and political assertion? Usually, Karachi is identified with red, the color of the blood of those unsung and unknown peddlers, hawkers, drivers, plumbers and shopkeepers, who are felled every day by a most efficient killing machine that is running round the clock in the metropolis, under the eyes of the law enforcement agencies, and in absolute disregard of, if not connivance with, the political masters of the city and the province. (Source: Lahore, Pakistan; Independent; Critical of Radical Elements) VIEW: Iran and Islamic Renaissance: Daily Times We are terribly fragmented as a nation and have failed to progress in every aspect of our spiritual (sectarian) life. We have only marginally excelled in our animosity for the west. (Source: Lahore, Pakistan; Independent; Critical of Radical Elements) COMMENT: “Yabba Dabba Do!”: Daily Times Unfortunately, there is no concept of annual fitness tests or to be ‘combat’ ready for the police at an institutional level. I managed to catch the morning news today. Apart from the horrific brutal killings in Karachi and the usual conundrums of living in Pakistan, a much needed and welcome respite was provided by the Inspector General of Police (IG), Punjab. (Source: Lahore, Pakistan; Independent; Critical of Radical Elements) Supporting Documentation:

NEWS (Top) 25 May 2012 Daily Times Speaker ‘Misused’ her Office: PML-N ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Thursday accused National Assembly Speaker Dr. Fehmida Mirza of “misusing” her office by not sending a reference against the prime minister to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). “This is the worst precedent the speaker has set to save the office of her party colleague,” Nisar told a press conference. The PML-N leader lashed out at the speaker, saying that this had been the practice of all members of the PPP to ridicule the superior judiciary for their party’s interests. “Dr Mirza is another addition to the long list of PPP members who have made mockery of decisions of the superior judiciary,” Nisar said, and rejected arguments given by the speaker for not forwarding the reference to the ECP. On one hand, Nisar added, the verdict entailed likely implications of the Article 63(1)(g) for disqualification of Yousaf Raza Gilani as prime minister, but on the other the speaker says there arises no question of disqualification. He said the speaker should have forwarded the reference to ECP if she believed in the norms of justice. He also rejected the speaker citing the case of Makhdoom Javed Hashmi to substantiate her point, saying that the former PML-N leader was convicted by a session’s judge and he had an option of filing an appeal in a high court and the Supreme Court. Nisar also mentioned the PML-N’s proposed names for their appointment as chief election commissioner. The names, he said, would be forwarded to the parliamentary committee concerned today (Friday). Staff report

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25 May 2012

25 May 2012 Daily Times NICL Case: SC Orders Investigation against Amin Faheem ISLAMABAD: Hearing the National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) case, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed Commerce Secretary Zafar Mehmood and the Karachi Circle FIA director to examine illegal transfer of public money to the accounts of Federal Trade Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim and his relatives. A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and comprising Justice Jawwad S Khawaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, also ordered the commerce secretary and the FIA director to probe the hiring of NICL Chairman Ayaz Khan Niazi when the scandal came to limelight. The court reprimanded both the officials and directed them to follow the set procedure of investigation and precedent set by the various judgments of the apex court, particularly the recent one in the case of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) Chairman Tauqeer Sadiq’s appointment. The court also directed the FIA to examine the criminal aspects of Niazi’s appointment. The court was informed that Salman Ghani was the commerce secretary at that time and now he had retired. The court noted that it was not only the responsibility of the secretary but the person who held the highest post of a ministry, which is minister. The chief justice remarked, “The appointment of a person contrary to the law does not constitute warrant of criminal negligence. It was illegal appointment under Section 12 of Pakistan Insurance Ordinance 2000 as it caused considerable loss to the public exchequer.” The chief justice questioned if the prime minister could be penalized for not fulfilling his responsibility then why spare a minister. The court also issued notices to the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) chairman, both incumbent and the former, who approved the appointment of Niazi. During the hearing, the FIA director told the court that Rs 40 million was given to Makhdoom Amin Fahim, his son Jaliluz Zaman and wife Rizwana Amin for settlement of their debts to a bank. He, however, said that Amin Fahim returned the money to Khawaja Akbar Butt, who happened to be a front man of one of the main accused of the NICL scandal, Zafar Saleemi, and the FIA did redeposit the same money in the Commerce Ministry. Moazam Jah, the FIA director, informed the court that he investigated the case pertaining to illegality/irregularities in purchase of property by NICL in Dubai and also some of the purchases from Casablanca. He, however, concluded that the deal had been made as per market price, therefore, according to him no evidence of criminal case could be made before the court of law. The third transaction involved considerable finance of NICL for purchase of land situated in Karachi. However, he said about Rs 1 billion had been recovered and deposited in the Commerce Ministry. When the court inquired about causing the arrest of the absconders, he said that action under sections 87 and 88 of CrPc and FIA Act had been initiated against them. The hearing has been adjourned until June 7. 25 May 2012 Daily Times Six Clearing Agents Held in Missing Containers Case ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Special Operations Division on Thursday arrested six customs clearing agents who had given clearance to 200 ISAF containers which never reached their destination.

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25 May 2012

According to a NAB statement, names of the arrested agents are Muhammad Rafiq, Abdul Manaf, Mehmood Alam, Irfan Haider Rizvi, Muhammad Irfan and Malik Ishtiaq Ahmed. The statement said NAB’s investigation team would inquire into the case to ascertain facts. After scrutinizing the available records, NAB had so far got confirmed reports about 800 missing containers, for which further investigations were underway, the statement said. A verification process was in progress to get more details about the missing containers, the statement added. Staff report. 25 May 2012 Daily Times Pakistan Seeks Face-Saving Formula in NATO Talks ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is unlikely to re-open supply routes to NATO troops in Afghanistan unless the United States offers a politically acceptable formula in talks on ending a six-month standoff on the issue, a Pakistani official said on Thursday. The official said the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had to be politically savvy, taking into account widespread anti-American sentiment in the country ahead of general elections due by early next year. “It is not fair for any country to expect any decisions that could be politically harmful ahead of elections,” the official, who is familiar with the negotiations, told Reuters on condition of anonymity. The United States has been pushing Pakistan to re-open supply routes to NATO forces in Afghanistan in difficult talks that show no signs of a breakthrough any time soon. Pakistan closed the routes, seen as vital to the planned withdrawal of most foreign troops from Afghanistan before the end of 2014, in protest against last November’s killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers in a NATO air attack along the Afghan border. Higher transit fees are the most difficult issue in Pakistan’s talks in the negotiations, said the official. Pakistan was demanding a substantially higher fee than the current $250 per container or per fuel truck that crosses its borders and it was not clear when a deal was possible, he said, without elaborating. Pakistan also wants an end to US drone strikes on terrorists on its territory. Attacks by unmanned drone aircraft, which US officials say are highly effective against terrorists, fuel anti-American sentiment in Pakistan because they are seen as violations of sovereignty and inflict civilian casualties. After conducting a review of ties with Washington last month, parliament called on the government to demand an end to drone strikes. That, the official said, implies that Pakistan must itself expel foreign terrorists from its soil, including Uzbeks, Arabs and members of the Haqqani network, one of the most feared groups fighting US-led NATO forces in Afghanistan. Some Pakistani officials, and Haqqani leaders, have said the group no longer operates in Pakistan, contradicting US assertions that it operates from sanctuaries in North Waziristan near the Afghan border. The United States has been urging Pakistan to mount an offensive in North Waziristan to pursue Haqqani terrorists.

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25 May 2012

Pakistan has said its military is stretched fighting homegrown Taliban, and some analysts doubt the army could defeat the group. A full-fledged assault in North Waziristan looks more unlikely than ever, as a result of troubled ties between Washington and Islamabad, and Pakistan’s PPP-led government may want to put on a brave face in the supply route talks. The administration is already deeply unpopular, with public frustrations growing over chronic power cuts, widespread poverty, unemployment, and official corruption. Reuters 25 May 2012 Dawn News Hamid Saeed Kazmi’s Acquittal Plea Rejected

(U) Former minister for religious affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi RAWALPINDI: A court on Friday rejected the acquittal plea of former minister for religious affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi in the Hajj corruption case, Dawn News reported. The plea was rejected by Special Judge Central (FIA) Khalid Shabbir and the former minister is expected to be indicted in the case on May 30. The court said that the allegations against Kazmi were of a serious nature and that his acquittal plea was premature. The court further said that no indictments had taken place in the case and no statements of witnesses had been recorded. The court adjourned the hearing until May 30 and said that the accused would be indicted on that date. Summons were also issued for government witnesses for the upcoming hearing. Kazmi is accused of corruption in arranging residential accommodation for Pakistani Hajj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia in 2010.

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25 May 2012

25 May 2012 Dawn News Bin Laden was Che Guevara Fan, Wife Tells Pakistani Interrogator ISLAMABAD: Osama bin Laden’s three wives were fiercely loyal to him and gave little away when they were interrogated after the al Qaeda chief was killed in a US raid over a year ago, a Pakistani intelligence agent who questioned them said. The three women were arrested by Pakistani security forces after the Navy SEAL raid on bin Laden’s safe house in the town of Abbottabad, about 35 km from the capital Islamabad. Slowly puffing on a cigarette in a rundown Islamabad villa as he described months of questioning the women, the agent said he struggled to glean any worthwhile information. Yemeni-born Amal Al-Sadeh, the youngest of the three, was headstrong and showed fury when asked questions, while the others, Saudi citizens, expressed displeasure by mostly keeping silent behind their veils, the agent said. All appeared to strongly support bin Laden, despite the militant’s long and bloody record of orchestrating violence across the world. “They were all nostalgic whenever they talked about him,” said the intelligence agent, a slim man in a dark suit. “I could sense Amal was always angry whenever I spoke with her,” he added. “She objected to being questioned and rarely gave away anything.” But at times Amal was somewhat flexible. “Amal once told me that she and bin Laden liked Che Guevara. She seemed like a rebel so I questioned her about Latin American leftists. I found her very interesting,” said the agent. It was not possible to independently confirm his account. Ernesto “Che” Guevara was an Argentine Marxist who was a major figure in the Cuban revolution. He was executed in Bolivia in 1967. Amal, who was wounded in the raid that killed bin Laden, traveled to Afghanistan to marry bin Laden when she was 18 years old and he was in his early 40s, her father told Reuters in an interview in Yemen in 2011. “The other wives didn’t say much. They were boring,” said the agent. Pakistan deported bin Laden’s three widows and 11 children to Saudi Arabia last month. A Pakistani court had sentenced them to prison for entering Pakistan illegally and ordered their deportation after the end of their prison term. The agent did not say whether other Pakistani or US officials questioned the women. He also did not give details on whether his questioning included anything about the night of the raid. Based on his conversations, the agent said he concluded the al Qaeda leader lived in the country for about six or seven years, in two towns. Empty-handed

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25 May 2012

The intelligence agent, who said he questioned the widows once a week, sometimes twice, recalls seeking information on whereabouts of other senior al Qaeda leaders, and coming up empty handed. “I wanted to know if any others are in Pakistan,” he said. “I wanted to know about Zawahiri,” he said, adding that he didn’t believe the former Egyptian doctor and current al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was in the country. Turning to information he said he had come across on al Qaeda over the years, the agent said he was convinced that Zawahiri was running al Qaeda’s show in the region. “Bin Laden was an inspirational figure for militants. It was Zawahiri who was the main man. He was much more violent than bin Laden,” he said. “These are my conclusions”. The intelligence agent said Pakistani authorities had retrieved some computers and cell phones from bin Laden’s Abbottabad home, but trying to make sense of coded Arabic language proved frustrating – with only a few clues on al Qaeda activities in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal areas. The agent was non-committal about Pakistani doctor Shakil Afridi, who was sentenced to 33 years imprisonment by a court this week for running a fake vaccination campaign that helped the CIA pinpoint bin Laden’s location in Abbottabad. “Discovering that Afridi was helping the CIA and arresting him was not a problem,” he said without elaborating. But the agent, who was once stationed in Abbottabad while bin Laden was said to live there, only shrugged when asked how it was possible that the al Qaeda chief evaded capture in Pakistan for so long despite a global manhunt. 25 May 2012 Dawn News Musharaf ‘Murdered my Mother’: Bilawal

(U) PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari WASHINGTON: The son of slain Pakistan leader Benazir Bhutto said on Thursday that ex-military ruler Pervez Musharaf “murdered my mother,” as he vowed to play a bigger political role in his homeland “in any way I can.” Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, son of current President Asif Ali Zardari, said Musharaf sabotaged his mother’s security when she returned to her homeland in 2007, and said he is confident of his own security in Pakistan.

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25 May 2012

“I’m confident that the Pakistani government will provide me with the adequate security, unlike the government at the time that sabotaged my mother’s security in Pakistan,” he told CNN in an interview. The 23-year-old, who returned to Pakistan last year after studying at Oxford, said her assassination was due to a combination of extremists, and Musharraf’s regime. “Al Qaeda issued the instructions to do it, the Taliban… carried out the actual attack, while Pervez Musharaf purposely sabotaged my mother’s security when he knew there was going to be attacks, so she would be eliminated. “He murdered my mother. I hold him responsible for the murder of my mother,” he added. “He’d threatened her himself in the past. He said: ‘Your security is directly linked to our relationship and our cooperation.’ “When he imposed emergency, and it was clear that he was pulling the wool over our eyes. He was not interested in returning democracy to Pakistan. And my mother started to speak out more against him, the security decreased.” Bhutto was assassinated on December 27, 2007, while leaving an election rally in Rawalpindi, the headquarters of Pakistan’s army, shortly after her return to the country. Musharraf, who has lived in self-imposed exile in London and Dubai since August 2008, has indefinitely delayed plans to return home to contest elections after the government warned he would be arrested upon arrival. Bhutto’s son, who is head of the Pakistan’s People’s Party, said he hopes to take a greater role in Pakistan’s political life. “I did not campaign in the last election, I went to university. I don’t feel like at the moment I have the mandate to take a particularly active role,” he said. “I look forward to campaigning in the next election and playing a larger role then,” he said. Asked if he hoped to be Pakistan’s leader one day, he said: “I’d like to help my people in any way I can. “It’s difficult times in Pakistan and we all have to help.” 25 May 2012 Dawn News Erdogan’s Advice for Political Accommodation Taken — for the Time Being ISLAMABAD: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has returned home but will the healing touch that he brought to our fractious politics during his visit to Pakistan last? While the answer lies with our politicians, the nation, which suffers the consequences of their perpetual polemics, hopes they would act on his advice of ‘peaceful co-existence’ as patiently as they had listened to it. After all, democracy demands politicians be patient, instead of trying the patience of others, rivals or not. Since the leadership of both the ruling PPP and the opposition PML-N have good rapport with the Turkish statesman, people expect them to take the advice of their common and experienced friend.

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25 May 2012

Peaceful co-existence was the constant refrain of Mr. Erdogan in his interactions and appearances in Pakistan. He has also been in touch with the third force — Imran Khan of PTI. People filling the visitors’ galleries of the National Assembly last Monday, to listen to the Turkish prime minister’s address to the joint session of the parliament, were bemused by the bonhomie on display on the occasion. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, the leader of the house, and Chaudhry Nisar Ali, the leader of the opposition, both praised Mr. Erdogan high as the able and sole spokesperson of the Islamic world. However, it was the political correctness displayed by the PML-N, which does not accept Mr. Gilani as lawful prime minister, which proved more telling. Sitting in the press gallery and hearing these speeches one felt if a savior had descended upon the troubled country who would guide it to safety and a new era of peace and prosperity. One couldn’t be faulted for the feeling as just before Mr. Erdogan arrived, the PPP and PML-N appeared headed for a replay of their rivalries of the 1990s, providing the army once again an excuse to stage another coup. Now, despite refusing legitimacy to Prime Minister Gilani and his cabinet, the PML-N is in talks with the PPP in the parliament on agreeing on a new chief election commissioner. And the ruling PPP is trying to persuade senior PML-N leaders for smooth passage of the new national budget. Whether Mr. Erdogan’s advice led them to the negotiations or not, it is fact that they returned to the negotiation table when things looked going over the brink. According to PPP lawmakers in the know, “every single issue under the sun which Pakistan is currently facing” came under discussion in the talks between Prime Minister Gilani and Prime Minister Erdogan. “Be it the Supreme Court verdict against Mr. Gilani, the blockade of Nato supplies, or the stand-off between PPP and PML-N over the legal status of Mr. Gilani, we explained him government’s position in detail to which he listened patiently,” a federal minister said. Mr. Erdogan’s advice on all these issues was to avoid taking extreme positions and try to find some middle ground, the PPP minister said. “He didn’t say in so many words whether Mr. Gilani should resign following his conviction by the apex court, nor pressed the government to re-open NATO supply lines. He repeatedly advised that you people have to keep the country’s interest first and foremost vis-à-vis routine politics.” At a press conference, Mr. Erdogan openly advised the leaders of the two parties to avoid confrontation. “If rulers of the country keep on fighting at the top, their people will have nothing but sufferings,” he said. On the ongoing impasse between the PPP and PML-N, the Turkish premier wanted the two parties to sit down and find some common ground, said another PPP lawmaker, predicting “substantial drop” in the war of words between them. Prime Minister Gilani, however, recently sharpened his criticism of PML-N leadership when it resumed its demand for his resignation. A senior leader of PML-N said his party, which considers itself close to Prime Minister Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party, had been advised by the Turkish prime minister “to exercise restraint and avoid politics of confrontation”. It could mean that Mr. Erdogan suggested that the PML-N wait for the general elections due in March next year for the sake of a smooth transfer of power.

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25 May 2012

In the opinion of the PML-N leader passage of the fifth budget in June would essentially mean completion of the government’s five-year constitutional term. “Therefore our entire focus should be on next elections,” he said, noting that the 20th Constitution amendment had given the PML-N a big say in choosing the next chief election commissioner and caretaker setup. “It gives the party a considerable leeway to make an impact during electioneering processes and, therefore, it should be the party’s topmost priority, besides organizing go-Gilani-go rallies,” he said. How much Mr. Erdogan’s words of political wisdom weigh upon the two rival parties would be known in the weeks and months that follow budget session in early June. According to a PPP MNA, chances are that Prime Minister Gilani will avoid attending the forthcoming National Assembly session and the PML-N will respond by not creating any fuss in the house and let the annual budget pass. 25 May 2012 The Nation SC Suspends Ispahani’s NA Membership over Dual Nationality The Supreme Court of Pakistan suspended Peoples Party MNA Farahnaz Ispahani's membership of the National Assembly while hearing the dual nationality case on Friday. The case was being heard by a three-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, a private TV channel reported. During the proceedings, certain documents were presented to the court, confirming allegations that Farahnaz Ispahani is a dual nationality holder. According to the document Farahnaz is also an American National. The Supreme Court ruled that her membership from the National Assembly will be revoked on account of not disclosing her dual nationality status to the Election Commission. During today’s hearing Senator Rehman Malik’s lawyer prayed the court on behalf of his client, for an extension in deadline to present the certificate of Malik revoking his British citizenship. It should be noted that Farahnaz Ispahani is a prominent PPP figure and the wife of Pakistan’s former ambassador to US, Hussain Haqqani. 25 May 2012 The Nation Khosa wants Funds Accountability LAHORE - MUBASHIR HUSSAIN - Against the backdrop of rising hostility between PPP and PML-N after PM Gilani’s conviction, Punjab Governor Latif Khosa has written a letter to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, asking him to place audit reports of district governments before the Public Accounts Committee. The letter under the subject: “Placing of Audit Reports on the Accounts of District Government before the Provincial Public Accounts Committee” mentions an Auditor General of Pakistan’s meeting with the Governor on 01-05-2012 when they shared their concern for the efficacy and effectiveness of the role of audit as a watchdog for transparency in use of public funds.

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25 May 2012

It reads: “As the matter has been kept pending for too long, I have resolved to wield the mantle of Constitutional Head of the Province so as to specifically invoke Article 171 of the Constitution. Accordingly, in my capacity as Punjab Governor, I hereby direct that without any dereliction of delay, the annual audit reports in question having been forwarded by the Governor’s Secretariat to the Chief Minister’s Secretariat on 4-6-2009, 27-8-2009, 12-12-2008, 5-3-2012 and 26-3-2012 should be laid before the designated PAC of the Punjab Assembly,”. The governor said he was alarmed over siphoning off billions of public money without any public accountability. “The entire matter has been put under the carpet without being tabled before the PAC and the Provincial Assembly.” The letter highlights the impediments having forestalled the laying of annual audit reports of AG Office on the accounts of district governments before the PAC and result want of scrutiny of these reports by the said competent forum. “This aspect has been held in abeyance since 2001-02 to date in gross violation of constitutional as well as statutory provisions”, said the governor who believed that the problem had emanated from “confusion worse confounded due to proven failure of Punjab government to hold Local Government elections”. Discussing the constitutional and legal implications of not placing the audit reports before the PAC, the governor has noted that it was violation of relevant provision of Article 171 of the Constitution according to which the laying of audit reports before representatives of the people in the Provincial Assembly is mandatory. The governor added: “The finalized audit reports with detection of financial irregularities worth billions of rupees could not be allowed to rot and rust but for wanton of indifference and apathy shown by the executive arm of the provincial government”. He told the chief minister about the alleged misinterpretation of the provisions of the Punjab Local government Ordinance to exclude the role of Auditor General of Pakistan from the audit of district governments. According to Punjab government’s interpretation, the letter says, the audit reports of the district governments are to be laid before the respective Zila Accounts Committees instead of the Public Accounts Committee of the Provincial Assembly; and audit of the TMAs was falling under the purview of the Local Fund Audit rather then the department of Auditor General of Pakistan. “But convening of newly-constituted Zila Accounts Committees could only be possible consequent upon holding of local bodies’ elections which was nothing but a distant dream”, the letter says. The governor has remarked that this misinterpretation had been done in order to evade public accountability enshrined under Article 170 (2), 171, 149A of the Constitution and that the executive arm of the govt had ventured into willful subversion of sanctity of the Constitution, simultaneously depriving the people of their inalienable fundamental right to be treated in accordance with Law under Article 4 and 2 (A). “Even otherwise, it would be idiotic to have the audit reports submitted before the Administrator who in his ex officio capacity also exercises the powers of Principal Accounting Officer against whom originally the defalcations have been raised. He would stand answerable only if the matter is scrutinized and probed by the superior forum of PAC of the provincial assembly”, reads the letter.

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25 May 2012 The Nation SC Orders Payment of Compensation to Victim Families of Lal Masjid Operation The Supreme Court on Friday directed the authorities to pay equal compensation to the heirs of all 103 people killed in the Lal Masjid operation. A three-judge bench of the apex court comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain issued the ruling while hearing a number of cases relating to the Lal Masjid incident. During the hearing, Justice Khawaja said that those killed in the operation were innocent as the police could not produce any criminal record against them. Moreover, Islamabad police submitted two reports pertaining to the operation in the court. Addressing the deputy attorney general, Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry said the court had directed the government to compensate the heirs of those killed in the operation. He inquired of the deputy attorney general as to how the authorities determined who was innocent and who was not. The deputy attorney general said the heirs of those who were waging war against the state were not compensated. Responding to which the chief justice said: “It was a small matter…no one was waging war against the state.” The court then ruled that compensation be paid to the heirs of all 103 people killed in the operation and directed the police to register an FIR of the killings. The hearing was adjourned for two weeks. 25 May 2012 The Nation Pakistan‚ India Working to Implement New Visa Regime: Rehman Pakistan and India are working to evolve a mechanism to implement new visa regime which was agreed in principle by both the countries. This was stated by the Interior Minister Rehman Malik while talking to media after holding talks with the Indian Home Secretary R. K. Singh here in Islamabad on Friday. He said he invited the Indian home minister to visit Pakistan and hoped that the new visa regime will be signed in a short span of time. He said “Pakistan wants to resolve all the issues with India for peace and stability in the region.” To a question‚ the Interior Minister said that Pakistan has arrested a number of persons in Mumbai attack case. Recently a judicial commission visited India and will submit its report before the court. 25 May 2012 Pak Tribune Fehmida Mirza not to Send Reference to ECP against Gilani

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ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani took a sigh of relief on Thursday when National Assembly Speaker Dr. Fehmida Mirza ruled out his disqualification after his conviction in a contempt of court case by not forwarding a reference to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The much-awaited ruling of the speaker came on the heels of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani's appeal against his last month conviction by a seven-member bench of the Supreme Court. In a five-page ruling, the NA speaker categorically said that no question of PM Gilani's disqualification arises according to Article 63 of the constitution and in light of the Supreme Court's (SC) verdict. "In view of this, there is no need to forward the disqualification reference against PM Gilani to the ECP as the SC had not raised the issue of his disqualification in the verdict," she said. Furthermore, she argued, that "no specific charge" had been framed against the prime minister regarding "the propagation of any opinion or acting in any manner against the independence of the judiciary or defaming or ridiculing the judiciary" in the SC's verdict. Apparently countering the arguments that speaker's role is like a post office when a reference is received, and substantiating her point by referring to the Article 63 of the constitution, she said, "If any question arises whether a member of the Majlis-e-Shoora (parliament) has become disqualified from being a member, the speaker or, as the case may be, the chairman shall, unless he decides that no such question has arisen, refer the question to the Election Commission within thirty days..." In the light of this article of the constitution, the speaker "is not supposed to act merely as post office", she asserted. The speaker is not bound to forward the disqualification reference to the Election Commission, but has to "apply his mind judiciously" before he/she decides "whether any question in the nature of disqualification has arisen", she said. She said charges against Gilani are not relatable to the grounds mentioned in paragraph (g) or (h) of Clause (1) of Article 63. She also expressed "serious concerns" over a letter sent by SC's Assistant Registrar Iqbal Naseem, addressed directly to the speaker and asking for "further necessary action". "The speaker holds a constitutional position and demands the highest respect from other organs of the state," she said, adding, "Contents of the letter are in bad taste and also against the parliamentary norms and traditions." 25 May 2012 Pak Tribune Pak-US Tensions Rise over Dr Afridi's Conviction ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's problematic relationship with the United States sailed into fresh controversy on Thursday as US lawmakers warned of aid cuts after the jailing of a surgeon who helped the CIA hunt down Osama bin Laden. Shakeel Afridi was found guilty of treason, sentenced to 33 years in prison and fined Rs 320,000 under a tribal justice system that has governed Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt since British rule. His sentencing was announced two days after US President Barack Obama appeared to snub Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari at a NATO summit in Chicago over Islamabad's refusal to lift a six-month blockade on NATO transit rights into Afghanistan. Afridi was not entitled to a lawyer but was given a chance to defend himself and has a right to appeal the verdict, officials said. Critics said he should not have been tried under tribal law for an alleged crime that took place outside the tribal belt, in Abbottabad where he ran a fake vaccination programme designed to collect bin Laden family DNA. The US

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government said Pakistan had no basis to hold Afridi, whom an official at Peshawar central jail said was in poor health and being kept away from other prisoners to avoid any danger to his life. "Anyone who supported the United States in finding Osama bin Laden was not working against Pakistan, they were working against al Qaeda," Pentagon Press Secretary George Little told reporters. Senators Carl Levin and John McCain, from the two major parties on the Senate Armed Services Committee, demanded Afridi be pardoned and freed "immediately", saying the decision could put US financial assistance at risk. "What Dr Afridi did is the furthest thing from treason. It was a courageous, heroic and patriotic act which helped to locate the most wanted terrorist in the world – a mass murderer who had the blood of many innocent Pakistanis on his hands," they said. The United States has given Pakistan more than $18 billion in assistance since the September 11, 2001 attacks, but US officials have persistent concerns that some elements of the establishment have maintained support for extremists. Pakistan was tight lipped about the threatened cuts. "We respect their legislative process but obviously the case of Doctor Shakeel Afridi will be decided in accordance with Pakistani laws and by the Pakistan courts," Foreign Ministry spokesman Moazzam Ahmad Khan told AFP. Pakistani-US relations went into free fall last year, starting when a CIA contractor shot dead two Pakistanis, then over the American raid that killed bin Laden on May 2 and lastly over US air strikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November. After the air strikes, Pakistan shut its Afghan border to NATO supplies and ordered US staff out of an air base reportedly used as a hub for drones. In March, parliament agreed to reset US relations but on condition that Washington apologizes for the soldiers' deaths and end drone attacks on its soil. Islamabad, which is understood to have given its tacit approval for the attacks on al Qaeda and Taliban targets in the past, has become increasingly vocal about its opposition to the perceived violation of national sovereignty. In Pakistan, analysts conceded Afridi's sentencing had increased tensions with the United States, but said he could be quickly forgotten if Pakistan agrees to reopen the NATO routes, the cheapest and quickest route into Afghanistan. "There are a lot of strains in Pakistan-US relations and at this time this sentence would obviously be met by a lot of criticism in the US, particularly in Congress," said political analyst Hasan Askari. "I can't understand why they can't make their mind up. If they want to reopen it, fine, open it and if they don't want to open it, don't and face the consequences." There are many in Pakistan who believe the United States abandoned Afridi after bin Laden was killed, saying they should have taken him out of the country for his own safety, knowing that his activities would come to light. Eight months after the raid, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta confirmed that Afridi had worked for US intelligence and expressed concern about Pakistan's treatment of him. White House admin blamed for identifying Dr Afridi to Pak A New York congressman, who leads the House Homeland Security Committee, has blamed the White House administration for identifying Dr Shakeel Afridi to Pakistani authorities. Peter King, in an interview with the Fox News, said that this has been handled very poorly by the US authorities right from the time of the raid. While accusing the Obama administration in the light of Dr. Shakeel's sentence for treason by Pakistani authorities, King said, "They put him there. They disclosed his identity." The sentence is viewed by Western officials as punishment for humiliating the nation which claimed not to know it was harboring the al Qaeda leader.

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Dr Shakeel Afridi helped the CIA by running a fake vaccination programme that allowed him to collect the DNA of bin Laden's children from the family compound in Abbottabad. Sample analysis confirmed the terror leader was probably there and triggered the deadly mission by US Navy SEAL last May. It sparked a major rift between the US and Pakistani leaders. US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta confirmed in January that Dr Afridi collected DNA in an effort to help locate the al Qaeda leader, but added he "was not in any way treasonous towards Pakistan. For them to take this kind of action against somebody who was helping to go after terrorism is a real mistake". US officials have already started rallying on the doctor's behalf, urging the Pakistani government to overturn the sentence which is said to include hard labor and extensive fines. "What Dr Afridi did is the furthest thing from treason. It was a courageous, heroic and patriotic act, which helped to locate the most wanted terrorist in the world," Senators John McCain and Carl Levin wrote in a joint statement. It is not clear if Dr Afridi knew who the target of the investigation was when the CIA recruited him, or what DNA he actually collected in the fake hepatitis B vaccination programme. Dr Afridi was accused of having taken half a dozen cooler boxes without authorization. Earlier, the Conservative legal group Judicial Watch revealed that the Obama administration arranged for Hollywood filmmakers to have special access to government officials involved in the commando operation that killed Osama bin Laden. 25 May 2012 Pak Tribune Imran Opposes Division of Sindh on Ethnic Basis LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has categorically opposed the division of Sindh province on ethnic basis. He said this while addressing a party meeting on Thursday. He observed this conspiracy was a concerted effort to promote hatred among people at the grassroot level in order to secure vote banks. He continued that loss of 14 innocent lives because of the issue was clear evidence that some political parties were playing politics on corpses or bodies to ensure their political clout remained intact. 25 May 2012 Pak Tribune Hafiz Saeed is Mastermind of Mumbai Attacks: India ISLAMABAD: India on Thursday declared Hafiz Saeed as mastermind of the Mumbai attacks as the two countries started two-day talks in the capital on liberal visa regime, curbing smuggling and crimes. Before the start of the secretary-level talks, Indian Home Secretary RK Singh expressed dissatisfaction over Pakistan's investigation into the Mumbai attacks and said that many of those involved in the incident have not been brought to courts yet. Talking to reporters, he said that both countries should play their role in ensuring peace in the region. He asked Pakistan to take the Mumbai incident culprits to justice. However, Pakistan's Interior Secretary Khawaja Siddique Akbar termed the issue a court matter and added that Pakistan was participating in the talks with an open mind.

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Akbar and his Indian counterpart met to finalize major changes in their decades-old existing strict bilateral visa regime. Many key decisions on liberalization of visa regime for business community would take place within a week. Singh said India had provided additional evidence against Hafiz Saeed and other perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks to be used by Pakistani authorities to prosecute them. The additional evidence should be presented in the Pakistani court and used to prosecute the terror suspects, he added. The Indian secretary said, "It seems that the progress in judicial proceedings against them (persons charged with involvement in the Mumbai incident) is very slow." Singh said the 2008 Mumbai attacks should not be equated with the 2007 bombing of the Samjhauta Express train. He said that they had also briefed the Pakistani delegation on the progress in the Samjhauta Express investigations. The assault on Mumbai was an incident of cross-border terrorism while the train bombing had occurred within India, he pointed out. Indian authorities had arrested and charge-sheeted those responsible for the bombing of the Samjhauta Express, Singh said. Hafiz Saeed is accused of masterminding the 2008 attacks in Mumbai. Earlier this month, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, while on a visit to India, blamed Pakistan of "not doing enough" against Saeed. Pakistan had demanded proof of his involvement in terrorism, which is good enough to stand in court of law. The Foreign Office spokesman has already clarified, "Our position on Hafiz Saeed is clear. We have independent and active courts. If anyone has proof against him, they should share it with us so that the courts can examine it." The two sides agreed upon business community non-reporting to police upon arrival at the other country, elimination of the condition of same entry and exit point and issuance of multiple visas to business community.

EDITORIALS (Top) 25 May 2012 Daily Times EDITORIAL: Strange Pronouncement The Supreme Court (SC) three-member bench hearing the missing persons case in the Quetta Registry headed by Chief Justice (CJ) Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry has been scathing in its remarks during the proceedings about the seriousness of the situation in Balochistan and the obvious lack of the federal and provincial government’s seriousness in addressing the issue. The bench has been putting civil servants, junior government officials and police personnel on the mat regarding their failure to produce the missing persons. At the last hearing, the Deputy Attorney General got so much stick from the bench that he tendered his resignation. The CJ quoted former Balochistan advocate general Salauddin Mengal to portray a situation where no Pakistani flag could fly without the protection of the guns of the security forces more than 10 miles from Quetta. In the same vein of castigating the political, administrative and law enforcement leadership at the Centre and in the province, the CJ remarked that if the prime minister was not interested in acting to salvage the situation, the constitution envisaged other means, including the declaration of an emergency. Further, the CJ warned something must be done before another martial law is imposed.

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These remarks have set off a new controversy in the media. While legal luminaries expressed surprise at the CJ’s comments, saying the declaration of an emergency was solely the prerogative of the executive and the judiciary had no power in this regard, similar arguments were marshaled by Federal Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira. The latter though was ‘softer’ in his explanation that the CJ had only pointed out the possibility of an extreme outcome if the crisis in Balochistan persisted, and did not actually advocate any such step. Be that as it may, the SC bench is motivated by concern at the ground realities in the province. However, well intentioned as their criticism of the political, administrative and security regime may be, it is tilted in the wrong direction. Who does not by know (sometimes from the horse’s mouth) that the civilian political and administrative set up, not to mention the police, have little or no say in how the affairs of the province are being managed. The policy of kidnapping, torturing and dumping bodies of nationalists, intellectuals and others is solely the handiwork of the Frontier Corps (FC), ISI and MI. These agencies are so cloaked in a cocoon of immunity handed down over the years that they fear nothing and no one, not even the apex court. Take for example the blatant manner in which the DG FC cocked a snook at the SC bench by denying that the persons seen in FC uniforms kidnapping a missing person on video were part of his force. They were imposters, the DG claimed, without batting an eyelid. When powerful heads of agencies beyond the pale of any law or restraint can produce such denials so blatantly in the face of the SC, what is there left to say? The SC’s umbrage during these hearings can be explained by the frustration travelling to the honorable judges from the helplessness expressed by all and sundry from the civilian side that have appeared before them. This, my honorable lords, is the real and undeniable truth. The FC, commanded by army officers, the ISI and MI, all arguably answering to and being guided by GHQ, are solely responsible for taking over the ‘running’ of the province, by which they mean the elimination through a slow genocide of all dissenters amongst the Baloch. Since they are ensconced behind an impenetrable wall of impunity, there is little the SC can do to demolish this barrier. Neither the prime minister, chief minister of Balochistan, federal or provincial secretaries, police can do anything. They have nothing on their plate. Unless the SC turns its attention to the real culprits, powerful as they are, there is little hope of redress on the question of the missing persons, let alone the plethora of other issues afflicting the province, some rooted in history. The likely failure of the SC to produce more than a token dent in the wall of impunity of the repressive agencies in Balochistan is likely to embitter the victim populace even more, thereby stoking separatist sentiment further. With due respect to the SC’s valiant efforts, which should not of course be abandoned, rather widened to call to account the real perpetrators of the repressive policies in the province, it seems an all but impossible task. 25 May 2012 Daily Times SECOND EDITORIAL: Unjust ‘Reward’ Instead of being rewarded for helping the world get rid of the most wanted terrorist, Dr. Shakeel Afridi has been awarded a 33 year jail sentence and fine of Rs 320,000 by the political administration of the tribal Khyber Agency for allegedly committing high treason in assisting the CIA reach the compound of Osama bin Laden (OBL) in the garrison city of Abbottabad where he had been hiding for five years. Dr Afridi had provided intelligence about OBL’s presence in the compound by collecting DNA samples of his family through launching a fake polio vaccination campaign in the area. After the US SEALs’ covert raid on OBL’s compound on May 2, 2011, Pakistani intelligence agencies arrested Dr Afridi on the charge of high treason. Since then, the high level officials of the US have been trying to persuade Pakistan to release Dr Afridi as he helped both

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the US and Pakistan to achieve their common goal of eliminating OBL. Now after a year, he was handed down severe punishment under the century-old colonial regime of the notorious Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR). Being a coalition partner in the war on terror, it was one of the responsibilities of Pakistan under international law and the UNSC’s mandate to find bin Laden. However, instead of feeling pleased that one of its citizens has helped reach the target, it has been treating Dr Afridi’s effort as treasonous. This is not only appalling but also unjustified. It reinforces the suspicion that OBL’s presence in Abbottabad was not a secret for the Pakistani intelligence agencies. Unfortunately, as per the FCR, Dr Afridi cannot appeal against the sentence. Indeed it turned out to be so easy for the authorities to find a convenient way of punishing him as no due legal process is followed under the FCR. As expected, the US Departments of State and Defense have registered protests with Pakistan against Dr Afridi’s punishment. However, the Pakistan Foreign Office has asked the US to respect its court’s decision. There is likelihood that this development would once again increase tensions between the two countries after a deadlock over the Salala check post incident last November. According to many analysts, the Pakistan government has been lenient towards Dr Afridi as it, under international pressure, did not hold his trial in a court following the state’s normal laws, which may have led to the death penalty being handed down to him if the charges of alleged treason had been proved. His sentence is barely short of the death penalty though. Dr Afridi has actually facilitated the common cause of the two countries committed to fighting against terrorism. Justice can only be served in his case by revisiting the sentence and setting Dr Afridi free. 25 May 2012 Daily Times ANALYSIS: IPL: A Metaphor for Changing India Ajaz Ashraf We admire success; we do not judge the legitimacy of the path taken to achieve it. Are you then surprised when we applaud the IPL and ignore the venality underlying it? Warts are mushrooming on the visage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at a pace more furious than that at which Twenty20 is played. Last week, you could even choose your favorite from the spread of scandals on the IPL table. A TV sting operation confirmed the existence of spot-fixing and flouting of rules governing payments to players; film star Shahrukh Khan mistook Wankhede Stadium for a Bollywood set and became embroiled in a vituperative exchange with a security guard; Australian Luke Pomersbach was accused of molesting a woman and pummeling her fiancé in an inebriated rage; and Siddharth Mallya, son of the tycoon who owns the Bangalore team, tweeted sexist remarks. You could have been ensured of more media kerfuffle on such issues had these warts not surfaced so late in the IPL calendar. The doctors of cricket — writers and commentators — have been doling out prescriptions for restoring to the IPL the innocent exuberance and exhilarating beauty it was supposedly designed to provide. Much in the manner of Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray, the IPL has sold the soul of cricket to retain perpetually its salacious charm. Perhaps it is futile to search for cures for the self-inflicted torments of the IPL and cricket, other than taking the extreme, irreversible step Dorian Gray ultimately resorted to. Nevertheless, the doctors of cricket persevere, worried more about the allegations of fixing games and furtive violation of rules than the peccadilloes and sexual misdemeanors of players. But their prescriptions are bound to fail for they, as also us, ignore the profound truth about the IPL: it is a metaphor for a changing India, of what it has become ever since generous shots of testosterone were administered to its society through the opening of the

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country’s economy. It is not about debating the efficacy of competitive economic models. It is about staring into the mirror and examining what we were and what we have become, and what we might eventually culminate in. In the 1990s, quite thoughtlessly, the Indian state began to privatize the public sector, much to the applause of the middle class. Public sector units were sold to businessmen whose social network included those in the government. How could this transformation not get mirrored in the country’s popular culture, of which cricket is such an inextricable part? The masters holding the reins of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) perceived in the sport the goose that could lay the proverbial golden eggs for them and their band of rich friends. Out came Lalit Modi with his idea of a T20 league, and before you could figure out the nature of the beast, his brother-in-law, Suresh Chellaram, became one of the owners. Business tycoon Vijay Mallaya was the vice-president of the Karnataka Cricket Association and he won the bid for the Bangalore team. But quite unsurpassable in audacity was the BCCI’s then treasurer N Srinivasan bagging the Chennai franchise. It was claimed it was not he but India Cements that was the owner; he just happened to be its managing director and principal shareholder. Since an official, like an ordinary human being, too has multiple selves, it was consequently deemed presumptuous on our part to believe his role at the BCCI was necessarily in conflict with his status of proprietor. We accepted the spiel, as we have so often ignored the conflict of interest in the innumerable scams dogging the government at the Centre and in the states — of ministers allocating scarce national resources to their kith and kin or to those who are their friends or who are willing to grease their palms. But this charge you could not level against Mukesh Ambani, the prince among princes, who bought Mumbai. Could you now doubt the financial viability of a cricket league that had received the endorsement of a global tycoon? Obviously not, as you still can’t, as his wife Nita cheers and spearheads the team’s progress to the top of the league. Most wives of tycoons have their diamonds; Nita has an entire cricket team. She is now said to possess the business acumen for which her husband is particularly famous. This talent of his was manifest in the recent decision of the prime minister’s office to endorse his company’s demand for increasing the price of gas, which it is extracting from the Godavari basin. It will mean a whopping profit of $ 8 billion for Mukesh over the next two years and a big hole in the consumer’s pocket. We admire success; we do not judge the legitimacy of the path taken to achieve it. Are you then surprised when we applaud the IPL and ignore the venality underlying it? Through his mere presence, Mukesh may have underwritten the financial viability of the IPL, but the league still required glamour for its marketing pitch. There is rarely an idea acceptable to us until it is Bollywood-ised. Not for nothing has the ageless wonder, Rekha, been nominated to parliament. We become agitated about child abuse and female feticide as soon as Amir Khan focuses on it. For its campaign on the environment, a TV news channel had to rope in Priyanka Chopra. Even our flagging interest in quizzes was revived because of Amitabh Bachchan’s Kaun Banega Crorepati. Such being the equation between success and Bollywood, we were not a bit surprised to discover Shahrukh had become a team-owner, and Preity Zinta and Shilpa Shetty had acquired stakes in other outfits. Just as the government bends, even waives, rules to accommodate big businesses, so must the BCCI. Mumbai wanted to play an extra foreign player over the permissible quota of four in the Champions League; yes, it was allowed. At times, the BCCI relaxes rules under pressure. When it turned down the Pune team’s demand for a foreign substitute for Yuvraj Singh, who had pulled out to undergo cancer treatment, the team-owner, Sahara, threatened to withdraw from the IPL and cancel its sponsorship of the Indian cricket team. Presto, the board relented, mirroring the many occasions Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had retracted his decisions under threats from an ally pulling out of his coalition government. The government must survive five years; the BCCI must earn its lavish profits.

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Flouting laws is the privilege of the rich and powerful in our society. The TV sting operation imparted credence to the whisper that team-owners were paying far more than the maximum Rs three million to local, non-international players. It remains an abiding mystery why Bangalore’s Chris Gayle chose to play for Bangalore on last year’s fee ($ 550,000) even though he could have fetched a fabulous amount through an entry into the auction pool. Was he paid under the table, analysts wonder. Hush, we should not speculate, we have no evidence, and we should watch the Mallyas preen with pride even if their airline, Kingfisher, is in a veritable tailspin. We believe there are certain entitlements reserved for the rich and powerful. This is why King Khan will want his children and their friends to play on the cricket ground. This is why laws will be flouted, money will be salted away, and as soon as the dragnet closes in on the culprit, he, like the irrepressible Modi, will take refuge in another country. We are a nation unconscionably involved in priapic celebrations of our growing might. The writer is a Delhi-based journalist and can be reached at [email protected] 25 May 2012 Daily Times VIEW: Decapitating Sindh? Shahab Usto It must be answered: why a mohajir province? Is it for ‘identity’ or socio-economic and political assertion? Usually, Karachi is identified with red, the color of the blood of those unsung and unknown peddlers, hawkers, drivers, plumbers and shopkeepers, who are felled every day by a most efficient killing machine that is running round the clock in the metropolis, under the eyes of the law enforcement agencies, and in absolute disregard of, if not connivance with, the political masters of the city and the province. But these days, the city’s new identity is black and red; the black of the graffiti covered walls and public spaces demanding a new mohajir province, and the red of those who have been killed and injured while protesting the division of the province. Leaving aside the constitutional, historical and moral bases of the mohajir province, even for practical reasons, such a demand seems nothing more than a fantasy because Sindh is a province whose cities and towns host the interspersed communities of the Sindhi and Urdu-speaking people, among others, and whose metropolis stands practically compartmentalized into ethnically demarcated political arenas. Any idea of carving out a neat ethnic political entity out of this jumbled-up demography would be nothing but pushing the province into an unceasing civil war, and the country to the brink of an abyss. Yet, it must be answered: why a mohajir province? Is it for ‘identity’ or socio-economic and political assertion? If it were ‘identity’, then it would negate the mohajirs’ ‘Pakistani identity’, which, at least, the elder Urdu-speaking generations have upheld on the strength of their sacrifices for an ‘Islamic’ Pakistan. Indeed, the majority of the Urdu-speaking electorate in Sindh voted for the Islamists, the exponents of Pakistani identity, until the Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM) emerged as a muscular, ethnic flag-bearer of the Urdu-speaking community. But the MQM’s strong-arm politics soon brought it into conflict with other ethnic groups, the Islamists, the mainstream Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and even the state apparatus. Initially, the Sindhi nationalists perceived it as their ally against the Punjab-dominated centre, but later fell out with it. However, after facing a massive crackdown by the state machinery and a rising counter-identity (violent) resistance from the Sindhi-speaking, Punjabi, Pathan and Baloch people, the MQM changed its ethnic tack and declared itself a ‘national’ party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement. However, the recent reassertion of mohajir identity has put the MQM’s ‘denunciation’ of ethnic politics to test. It is not ‘officially’ espousing the mohajir province. However, the

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areas under its influence are splashed with mohajir province slogans and some of its leaders are showing sympathy for the new province in their TV talk shows. Indeed, a senior party leader and provincial minister called the division of Sindh a ‘fait accompli’, referring to the violence and loss of lives that took place in Karachi in the wake of an attack on the Love Sindh rally. It was organized by the Awami Tehrik of Ayaz Latif Palijo and attended by a host of MQM’s local rivals — the Awami National Party, the PML-N, Sindhi nationalists and Liyari Amn Committee. But the proponents of the new province must factor in the changing demographics and socio- psychological perspectives in Sindh. On the one hand, the old agro-based relations are disintegrating, releasing the surplus populace, which is taking to the cities, including Karachi. On the other, a sizeable number of the Sindhi-speaking middle-class — professionals, entrepreneurs, public servants, NGOs, rights activists, media, writers, academics and political forces — has also surfaced over the urban landscape of Sindh. Therefore a quest for the ‘ownership’ of Sindh’s physical and political space is writ large upon the face of the emerging Sindhi-speaking Sindh. It is unhappy with the ‘folly’ of the earlier generations that lost urban Sindh to outsiders in the spirit of religious bonhomie and humanitarianism. And it is despondent with the PPP’s leadership for ‘betraying’ its electorate in Sindh. Therefore, many of the unemployed and socially oppressed youths are turning to a nationalistic narrative. It sees Sindh as receiving a raw deal from a state that has snatched its towns and cities, grabbed its natural resources, denied it economic and social dividends, and punished its people for their secular and pacifist beliefs, benefiting those who have taken up arms in the towns and metropolis. Juxtaposed to this view is the one that emphasizes the increasing sense of deprivation among the mohajirs, and hence, demands for a mohajir province. It is contended that the socio-political realities of urban Sindh, once dominated by the Urdu-speaking populace, are turning against them as now they have to compete with a host of other contenders to the city’s commercial, industrial, corporate and capital markets. They feel they are no more enjoying an economic, social and political leverage over the state despite the fact that Karachi contributes three-fourths of the revenues to the exchequer. There is no doubt that the Urdu-speaking youth is also facing a range of civic and economic problems, including housing, transport, and employment issues. But here lies the rub. Karachi has a history of illegal immigrants — Afghans, Iranians, Bengalis, Biharis and Burmese and so on. But the current crisis began in Karachi during General Ziaul Haq’s martial law when ethnic riots occurred. The situation grew worse during General Musharraf’s rule (MQM was in government), when a huge swell of economic migrants and war-displaced populace belonging to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, south Punjab and northern Sindh swept Karachi’s labor markets and physical space. Obviously, the MQM, which then dominated the city government and much of the province, ignored this demographic shift in a city that needed cheap labor to run its developmental projects and commercial and industrial engines. But with Musharraf’s exit and the MQM’s loss of city government, a tug-of-war ensued between the new and the old stakeholders to Karachi’s political space, causing perpetual violence, and now the demand for a province. But the proposed ‘decapitation’ of Sindh is fraught with disaster. With its industrial south, agrarian north, logistically significant east and resource-rich central-west, neither the province is divisible geographically, nor its people, who have lived here for centuries, can be rent asunder socio-politically. Yes, the country would surely slide into an irretrievable abyss. The writer is a lawyer and academic. He can be reached at [email protected]

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25 May 2012 Daily Times VIEW: Iran and Islamic Renaissance Syed Kamran Hashmi We are terribly fragmented as a nation and have failed to progress in every aspect of our spiritual (sectarian) life. We have only marginally excelled in our animosity for the west. As Pakistanis, we sympathize with Iran in the time of her economic and political crises. We are religiously compelled to offer support to our Persian Muslim brothers and certainly we stand behind them. Our solidarity with Iran is unwavering, even when the Shiite Muslims are unsafe, unprotected and unguarded here in Pakistan — when the Shiite minority is under attack in their homeland by Sunni extremists and when they are victims of decade’s long, vicious and relentless genocide. We reckon that the pursuit of nuclear weapons is Iran’s legitimate prerogative and the recent sanctions from the west are unjustified. These measures only portray the contempt of the ‘non-Muslim infidels’ not only towards Iran, but also the entire Muslim Ummah. It is their fear that after being armed with weapons of mass destruction, Iran can easily jeopardize the existence of the State of Israel — the country we ‘all’ proudly abhor. It can also take on the supremacy of the United States of America — that we desperately aspire to — and ultimately, help us (Pakistan) lead the world to achieve the long-awaited Islamic (Sunni/Salafi) renaissance that we all pray will happen. (It essentially outlines the basic framework of our greater yet clandestine master plan.) With our undisclosed wishes (read mania) to command the world once again — something that has never happened before — we actually do not pay attention to the cost that the Iranian people would have to pay. The devaluation of their currency in the last one year alone has been phenomenal, along with all the other economic parameters. It has lost 50 percent of its value and is projected to lose even more after the European Union (EU) ban has been completely implemented in July of this year. While we are exhorted to get inspiration from Iran’s Islamic Revolution and are constantly (mis)informed about its political and economic stability, the inflation rate in Iran is running close to 20 percent and its unemployment rate is rising every year. The economy of Iran is the 26th largest in the world that largely depends on fossil fuel and natural gas exports. But after the current embargo in place on its petroleum exports, its economy would plummet and the people of Iran would suffer even more. Nevertheless, it is not our concern since we have a celestial and universal agenda in our minds of vanquishing the west. We believe (dream) that Divine help would guarantee the ultimate success to protect Iran through us (Pakistan, i.e. the Nation of the Pure) because of our faith (anti-Shiite plus anti-Christian plus anti-Semite plus anti-Hindu) and without any hard work (education, research, intellect). We have also fixated ourselves on the gas pipeline from Iran as the sole solution to our escalating energy requirements. We are the signatories of a binding agreement with Iran to build the pipeline by 2014 in order to avoid a monthly surcharge. We have signed this agreement when China, India, South Korea and Japan — the largest importers of Iran crude oil — are scrambling to find another source to fulfill their energy requirements. Obviously, all these Eastern nations are allies of the west and are practically their slaves. They are ‘godless’ and would face the same annihilation from the emergence of the pure faith from the deep rural village of Afghanistan that was once butchered by the Taliban. The current sanctions on Iran are likely to be very effective, because the European-based insurance companies are banned by the EU from providing coverage to ships that carry Iranian oil to other nations. These insurance companies provide coverage to 90 percent of the shipments even when they are boarded to India and China (the

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only godless friend of the Pure). They cover both direct and pollution-related claims through a complex team of insurance companies and the Protection and Indemnity (P&I) clubs. A tanker containing two million barrels of crude oil therefore is typically covered for $ one billion that no insurance company outside the EU can afford to protect. These challenges for Iran are crucial for its economic viability, its political stability and its security policy. But we are not concerned by all this petty and convoluted legal mumbo jumbo when our mission is far superior and divine. Clearly, we know that God is on our side (the sub-segment of Sunnis) and waiting anxiously to serve us. But we are not ready yet. We are terribly fragmented as a nation and have failed to progress in every aspect of our spiritual (sectarian) life. We have only marginally excelled in our animosity for the west and the abomination of the United States — the open enemy of God (the same God we both trust). We still have a long way to go to leave our rationality behind and abandon our intellect completely. Once we fulfill these simple prerequisites of our success — a strong belief (rage), sincerity of our intentions (revulsion for the infidels) and the unity of the nation (existence of a single Sunni/Salafi faith only) — we are certain that the triumph is at our (Pakistan-led-Saudi consortium) doorstep. The writer is a freelance columnist and can be reached at [email protected] 25 May 2012 Daily Times COMMENT: “Yabba Dabba Do!” Hina Hafeezullah Ishaq Unfortunately, there is no concept of annual fitness tests or to be ‘combat’ ready for the police at an institutional level. I managed to catch the morning news today. Apart from the horrific brutal killings in Karachi and the usual conundrums of living in Pakistan, a much needed and welcome respite was provided by the Inspector General of Police (IG), Punjab. The headlines flashed, tickers went ticking with the news that the IG Punjab had issued a stern warning to the Station House Officers (SHO), who are affluent enough to support a ‘potbelly’, to lose it fast! If they fail to do as directed and their massive toads (potbellies) cannot possibly be confined in a 38-inch belt by June 30, then they had better be prepared to assume ‘drill’ duties at the police lines! Bless the media, who then took malicious delight in showing policemen with monstrous bellies, panting away on exercise machines, some in uniform, hoping, praying and sweating for a miracle. And bless them again for showing the next news item: policemen belonging to police station Lytton Road, Lahore, raided a place on a ‘tip-off’, where gambling was going on. And sure enough, they found the gamblers and the equipment, allegedly being used to bet on the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match going on in India. The police managed to pile the suspects into a police van but much to my amusement, the van would not start. Footage showed four policemen pushing the van loaded with the suspects! It is no big secret that all our new, faster and better condition police cars are deployed on VVIP escort duties. By the way, if someone did not know, a VVIP is a ‘Very, Very, Important Person’. So much so that the ordinary Pakistani, being an uneducated, ill-informed blighter, has still not figured out exactly why this person is ‘very, very important’ and why just ‘important’ cannot suffice or why exactly is it necessary to compartmentalize people in

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categories and why the hell does the constitution say all citizens are equal? And why was it that our Prophet Hazrat Muhammed (PBUH) never got himself termed a VVIP or ever got any kind of privilege over others, including a speedier camel? Why is it that he did ordinary chores himself? Could it just be because he was sent with a message to the people, he had to be a living example of all that Islam was about? There are 180 million people in Pakistan and a handful of VVIPs. How is it that our resources are directed primarily towards their security and ease when the average man is left to writhe in agony? When I started legal aid, I was so moved by atrocities that sometimes I would do things that my colleagues thought were unbecoming of our profession. First was accompanying illiterate, bruised and battered, vulnerable victims to police stations for redress of their grievances. One such client was a young girl who was a bit slow mentally and had problems handling complex issues. This girl came to me having been assaulted by her husband’s nephews; her head had been split open and required 17 stitches and the rest of her body was bruised and battered. Despite the fact that she had managed to get herself to the nearby police station bleeding and that she had been taken to the hospital on a police docket, where she received medical treatment, the police had lodged no FIR. Deeply outraged by this atrocity, I decided to call up the SHO of the concerned police station, which was Gowalmandi, Lahore. As I spoke to the policeman on the phone, I nearly had a fit when I discovered that the SHO was a fellow named Bashir Pehalwan! Listening to my protest, Pehalwan sahib invited me to the police station to discuss the matter. What I was definitely not prepared to see was an actual pehalwan (wrestler)! Bashir Pehalwan, SHO, was an original, genuine and huge pehalwan with a girth that would surely distress our IG! Bashir Pehalwan was a nice enough SHO; the only downside was that he was more interested in feeding me gourmet delights from the nearby food street rather than registering an FIR. I was offered breakfast of famous halwa, puri and lassi and I somewhat realized how he had gotten to the size that he was. Since I did not accept his hospitality, no FIR was registered! Obesity is not just an issue with our police force. A couple of months ago, a review on 11,500 staff on London’s Metropolitan Police found that ‘44 percent were overweight, 19 percent obese and one percent morbidly obese.’ As shocking as it seems, like us the British government does not have an annual fitness test for its police force. While our way to deal with the issue is to give a 40-day deadline, the British government has decided to make some institutional changes. The British have decided to make an annual fitness test compulsory for its police force and in case anyone fails, he will have to face a pay cut. The test includes ‘endurance shuttle run’ and ‘dynamic strength’. The endurance shuttle run is designed to improve fitness for prolonged foot chases, foot patrol and use of force for long periods of time while the dynamic strength is designed to improve the ability to tackle fighting or restraining suspects or in moving and pushing objects. The British are aiming for a fit police force in the next five years. All officers will be required to “pass an assault course-style circuit test including crawling, jumping, climbing, running up stairs and dragging a ‘body’ away from danger.” Given the changing law and order situation and terrorist threats faced by our force, our police department did take the initiative some time ago and sent members of the force to an anti-terrorist training held jointly by the army and the police. Those who returned from there were fitter and quicker. Unfortunately, there is no concept of annual fitness tests or to be ‘combat’ ready for the police at an institutional level. Sitting at their desks or patrolling on their vans, our policemen seldom face the discomfort of being on foot patrol. The other problem is their unregulated and downright inhumane hours of work, which do not allow for any exercise regime or fixed eating schedule. Top that with the fact that in our part of the world we eat with a passion as if there is going to be no tomorrow! So, are 40 days enough? The fat in a potbelly is visceral fat; the bad news is that this fat is responsible for heart disease, strokes, diabetes, hypertension and elevated cholesterol levels. The good news is given the fact that one eats healthy food and exercises in order to lose weight, the visceral fat is the first to go. But again, the multi-million

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dollar question is whether 40 days are enough to tighten the belts. I recall a similar attempt was made a few years earlier but any isolated measure is not going to work; the only way to have leaner policemen is to have annual fitness exams with incentives for those who pass and the chopping block for those who do not. But an immediate foolproof weight loss measure for the next 40 days is to stop filling up police mobile vans with petrol; in any case, the dilapidated condition they are in, the floors of vehicles are already falling off. Put the obese policemen in the vans and let Fred Flintstone be immortalized, “Yabba dabba do!” The writer is an advocate of the high court 25 May 2012 Daily Times VIEW: Price of a Life Gulmina Bilal Ahmad The names and locations changed but what remained consistent was the utter disregard for the life of a human being in the minds of these animals Ahmed Ali was a third-year student at the Sindh Medical College. He was waiting eagerly for the summer holidays so that he could go to his native town, Jaffarabad, and meet his family and friends. His family, particularly his eight-year-old sister Amina, was equally excited about his impending homecoming. When finally the holidays started, Ahmed took the first bus to Jaffarabad. News of his arrival had travelled fast and at his father’s hujra, his friends awaited him. Even without meeting female members of his family, his friends took him for shikaar (hunting). Little did he know that would change his life. Out of practice or perhaps it was the excitement of coming home, Ahmed mistakenly shot dead, in friendly fire, one of his friends. He rushed back home petrified and told his father the whole story. The father had one solution. Ahmed Ali acted upon it. Entering the house, the first person he saw was Amina who rushed towards him excited, clutching a badly made, embroidered hat that she herself had made for Ahmed. Acting upon his father’s advice to shoot a female family member, Ahmed shot dead his eight-year-old sister in the name of ‘honor’, for as he told the jirga later, he had killed both his friend and his sister as they had an illicit relationship. Sher Ali owed money to Omar Hasan. Omar Hasan had started asking for it repeatedly and to Sher Ali’s horror, had started asking for it in front of other people too. Be it a wedding, a funeral or even when they bumped into each other at a local tea stall, Omar would request that his money be returned to him. Sick of his endless requests, Sher Ali asked Omar to come to his house to take the money. At the agreed time and date, Omar knocked on Sher Ali’s door. The door was opened but at the same time, Sher Ali opened fire, injuring Omar’s foot, followed by a deadly shot at his wife who was working nearby. He accused Omar and his wife of having illicit relations, of Omar entering his house without permission and confessed to killing his wife in the name of honor. When the jirga sat to resolve the matter, Sher Ali not only demanded that the debt be cleared but that as further compensation for his honor, Omar’s 15-year-old daughter be also given to him in marriage. The jirga complied. Humayun and Arslan were cleaning their pistols when by mistake the former’s pistol went off, injuring the latter in the foot. Arslan assured his friend that he realized it was an accident but that he needed to be rushed to a hospital. Humayun complied and Arslan was rushed to the nearest hospital. However, at the hospital, Hamayun’s father became apprehensive. What if Arslan pressed charges? The family could not afford a police investigation and

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lawyers’ fees. The father came up with a solution. In the name of honor, Humayun went home and killed his mother, accusing her of having illicit relations with Arslan. I could go on narrating one true, horrendous story after another. The Centre for Peace and Development, Balochistan, has compiled 183 such stories of ‘honor killing’ around the province. They investigated each one of them. Apart from two cases, the rest of the 181 apparent cases of honor killings were actually stories of greed, accidents like the one described above or plainly motivated by self-interest. Each story is more depressing than the other. The names and locations changed but what remained consistent was the utter disregard for the life of a human being in the minds of these animals. Listening to these stories compelled me to think what it meant to be a woman in such societies and cultures, to be so devoid of human dignity and respect. Lest I made the mistake of thinking that only women are victims of violence in Balochistan, Mohammad Ayub’s story corrected my understanding. The 40-year-old Muhammad Ayub had the distinction of being a Station House Officer (SHO) of Awaran’s lone police station. This police station was the only one in interior Balochistan where the Pakistani flag was hoisted. In January when we met, Ayub was quite proud of being brave enough to do that although most of the other policemen who were present declared him eccentric. Ayub paid for his bravery or eccentricity by having two arrows pierce his head and heart. Kidnapped on May 19, 2012 while on his way to Quetta to attend an official police training workshop, his bus was intercepted by two armed men. Checking his identity card to be sure, he was taken away. On May 22, 2012, his body was found with arrows through his head and heart. The Balochistan Liberation Front claimed responsibility because ‘Ayub had dared to fly the Pakistani flag on his police station and arrested BLF workers.’ To believe in Pakistan or discuss endlessly Pakistan’s security, etc, on talk shows, in seminars and columns is one thing. To hoist the Pakistani flag in a hostile area like Awaran is true courage. The writer is a development consultant and can be reached at [email protected]

25 may 2012 osint pakistan tracker

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