“The BJP is an open enemy of the Muslims, and the Congress is a hidden enemy. I’d rather vote for the open enemy, so I can go to them for protection.”
Muslims in India’s Gujarat state who bore the burnt of religious riots in 2002 say they have been abandoned by the political parties, writes Soutik Biswas
The acrid smell of burning oil singes your nose and eyes as you walk into Bombay Hotel, a sprawling ghetto of Muslim-owned homes on the eastern flank of Ahmedabad, the main city in western Gujarat state.
A pall of black factory smoke hangs over this untidy patchwork of squat, ugly houses. Residents pay 150 rupees ($3) a month to a private contractor who supplies yellow-coloured drinking water through dirty garden pipes. Sewage flows out into the street.
Bombay Hotel, which takes it name after a local roadside eatery, is one of the places where many Muslims displaced by the 2002 Gujarat riots moved to. Over the past seven years, it has transformed from a remote industrial colony to become a busy refugee settlement.
The anti-Muslim riots, sparked off by the death of Hindu pilgrims in the firebombing of a train, led to the death of 1,392 people in five districts, according to official records. NGOs say the toll is closer to 2,000.
Anayat Khan, a fruit seller at Bacha Khan chowk in Karachi’s Benaras area, says a ‘political game’ is under way. ‘There are no Taliban here,’ he says. ‘We listen to music, we have functions, our women go shopping. The only people we have to fear are the workers of a certain political party.’
Zaid Hamid and Ali Azmat (formerly of Junoon) take live calls and discuss ideology, vision and mission of Allama Iqbal and its relevance with the current times, and answer questions from the youth of Pakistan. [SHARE ON FACEBOOK]
Pakistan’s army chief reacted angrily to US dismay that his forces had not acted to repel a Taliban insurgency advancing on Islamabad, the country’s capital and home to some of its nuclear assets.
Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani condemned the “pronouncements by outside powers raising doubts on the future of the country” in a rare statement at the weekend, insisting that his troops were ready for battle against any threat.
A role that our media ought to be playing but isn’t, Zaid Hamid exposes the covert war which CIA is waging against Pakistan, as he explains the current domestic scenario of Pakistan and the threats to our nationals security that we face
Zaid Hamid and Ali Azmat (formerly of Junoon) take live calls and discuss ideology, vision and mission of Allama Iqbal and its relevance with the current times, and answer questions from the youth of Pakistan. [SHARE ON FACEBOOK]
While the US media has frequently reported on alleged Pakistani ties to Jehadi elements launching attacks in Afghanistan, it has less often mentioned that India supports insurgent forces attacking Pakistan. RAND scholar Christine Fair, a leading American expert on South Asia disclosed in a discussion carried by ‘American journal Foreign Affairs’ that Pakistan has legitimate concerns about India’s involvement in fanning unrest in Balochistan. She further contended that “Having visited the Indian mission in Zahedan, Iran, I can assure you they are not issuing visas as the main activity. Moreover, India has run operations from its mission in Mazar (through which it supported the Northern Alliance) and is likely doing so from the other consulates it has reopened in Jalalabad and Kandahar along the border”.
Pakistan is facing turmoil in Balochistan because of the Indian meddling in Pakistan’s affairs leading to the dismemberment of Pakistan. There is a credible evidence about the complicity of few angry tribal chieftains with India and Afghanistan in fomenting trouble in Balochistan. The statement of Brahamdagh Bugti, grandson of late Akbar Bugti, was very alarming when he revealed that he would accept any “moral help and material support” from India to defend Balochistan from Islamabad’s designs of capturing the riches of Balochistan. There is strong evidence of Indian support in planning, commissioning and preparing acts of terrorism in Balochistan through setting up of 26 centres of terrorism (consulates) along the western border in Afghanistan. Reliable sources have revealed that explosives were brought in by Indian Border Roads Organisation (BRO) under the garb of “reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts” in Afghanistan through Iran to be used for sabotage acts against Balochistan.
(RTTNews) – The threat perception of Iran’s nuclear program to Israel has been relegated to the second position with Pakistan and Afghanistan being identified as the biggest threat to the Jewish nation, according to the new Israeli foreign minister.
In his first interview to a Russian daily after taking charge, Israel’s hardliner Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has said that since he began warning against the nuclear threat from Iran, nuclear threats have become more prevalent. However, he said, a more serious problem has developed in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
With an unstable nuclear-armed Pakistan faced with a potential Taliban takeover and Afghanistan facing a resurgent Taliban and Al-Qaida, the combination formed a contiguous area of radicalism ruled in the spirit of Bin Laden, he said.
…Not very big – or terrifying – or a plot, admit British Police.
As nine brown men were deported for having beards, the police blamed the Home Office, the Home Office blamed MI5 and MI5 warned everyone it could kill them with its thumb.
An inquiry will now be launched into why the prime minister was allowed to scare the sh*t out of everyone, though experts insist it may just have had something to do with the news agenda.
A police spokesman said: “We were hoping to charge them with conspiracy to go to the shops to buy crisps and Tizer, but according to our lawyers that that’s not an actual offence, as yet.
“We have therefore taken the precautionary step of sending these men and their potentially explosive beards back from whence they came.”
He added: “Come to think of it, Bob Quick must be absolutely f**king livid. Whadya reckon?”
A spokesman for home secretary Jacqui Smith said: “Embarrassed? No, we’re way, way beyond embarrassment at this stage.
“That’s a bit like asking a streaker if he’s embarrassed because he hasn’t shaved.”
ISLAMABAD: An international conspiracy to split Pakistan into two zones by turning them into two separate geographic units was foiled by a brotherly Arab Muslim country in Dubai a week before the Tokyo meeting of the Friends of Pakistan Forum.
A plan to set up the so-called ‘Trust Fund’ was drawn up for provision of ‘special aid’ to the provinces of Balochistan and the NWFP with huge amount of international assistance separately – meant to disconnect them from the rest of the country. The idea was reportedly widely accepted by senior officials in Pakistan and even some high-ups in Islamabad considered it a ‘lucrative’ and ‘harmless ‘ proposition.
The problem for US is that BLA alone is not able to break away Baluchistan from Pakistan. Of the 5% population of Baluchistan they don’t even have support of 10% Balochi population. The Pakistan Army and ISI are resisting the assault in national and strategic interests of Pakistan. The Great Game of Brzezinski will surely continue in Baluchistan and rest of Pakistan, the people of Pakistan are ready to counter this great game now we need leadership and some courage. It will take some time to achieve courage and leadership but it will come eventually. Street revolutions are easy to carry out the hard part is the mental revolution. That is what is required right now to challenge the US global hegemony.
As in all of his analyses of the battle for Pakistan, Talha Mujaddidi provides a rare look into the internal struggle of the Pakistan people and the interference in their domestic affairs by the United States, India and other foreign elements. Read Full Article
Finally this puppet government appears to have woken up to Indian/Afghan backed terrorism in Pakistan:
ISLAMABAD: The government on Wednesday startled the Senate by saying that Russia and India were supporting the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) in its secession bid, saying the same outfit had kidnapped UNHCR official John Solecki.
Making a policy statement while winding up the five-day debate that in fact continued for three days, excluding Saturday and Sunday, on the killing of there Baloch leaders and the deteriorating law and order in Balochistan, Adviser to Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik claimed they had proof of foreign involvement in the province.
Watch Ahmed Quraishi and Zaid Hamid discuss the Balochistan situation in our last week’s episode of Loud & Clear, from Islamabad
You must’ve listen to the full recorded audio of Zaid Hamid’s lecture at Pakistan Embassy School, Jeddah on April 2nd. We now have the VIDEO of this event:
The Daily Mail is the only Pakistani newspaper that publishes simultaneously from Islamabad and Beijing. Yesterday, Christina Palmer, the paper’s longtime correspondent based in Johannesburg, South Africa, filed this interesting story. I copy it here in red without change:
Johannesburg: Indian media is looking into a surprising incident during inaugural ceremony of Indian Premier League, shifted due to security reasons from India to South Africa, as to weather the dog which disrupted the ceremony for half an hour has really any links to ISI, Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency, which is blamed by Indian media for all wrongs happening within their country.
Considering their past pattern, Indian media may certainly blame ISI for this incident although most likely they would not find any
proof thereof but certainly the poor dog would not be able to speak that he was not sent by any intelligence agency for that the ISI.
Surely, the IPL Commissioner, Lalit Modi will talk to South African authorities for sure to keep that aspect of security in mind while chasing barging dogs in the IPL arena.
Rizwan Razi, our colleague from CNBC Pakistan, read this story and emailed me this question: “Just checking: Is it an ordinary dog or a ‘Slumdog Millionaire’?
Ahmed Quraishi discusses the CIA backed game in Balochistan, Swat peace deal, the recent aid promised to Pakistan and the conditions attached to it – with strategic defence analyst Zaid Hamid.
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Presenting a beautiful dialogue between Allama Iqbal and Maulana Rumi (Peer o Mureed) from his book Baal-i-Jibreel at the 71 st death anniversary of Iqbal (RA) being observed across the country.
His poetry enables us to understand the message of Quran and the path of our beloved prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessing of Allah upon Him). We hope all will get a chance to learn something new from this poem.
The Bugtis have enjoyed long-standing support from India and this gives us an idea of the sick mind-set of our enemies (Read: India’s Baloch Dream). These traitors should be hung on trees and lamp-posts – and that includes those in the government who continue to ignore and thus have become a part of this treason.
Watch Zaid Hamid in our first episode of ‘Loud & Clear from Islamabad‘ explain the situation in Balochistan in detail – first show to be aired Monday 20th April, 2009.
The Indian government’s “war against terror” may cost the Congress party dearly in the election.
Arrests and alleged extrajudicial killings of Muslim youths have angered many in the Islamic community.
“People in power have branded us as terrorists and used us as a vote bank, this cannot go on,” said the all-powerful cleric of Delhi’s Jama Masjid mosque, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, in a recent press conference.
“The security of Muslims is one big issue, as after every blast in India a series of arrests of Muslim youths takes place,” said a spokesperson for the influential All India Muslim Personal Law Board. Muslim men were “systematically killed” in routine police encounters, he alleged. [BBC]
