In a major policy decision, the government has made it mandatory for the Pakistani missions abroad to issue visas to foreigners intending to visit Pakistan only after their clearance from the country’s top intelligence agency ISI.
Well-placed government sources told TheNation on Friday that the move had come after thorough deliberations and in view of the security situation in the country. Sources privy to these developments maintained that the decision had been taken after reports of undesired activities of some foreigners especially, the Americans and foreign journalists. According to the informed sources, the intelligence agencies have taken serious notice of the objectionable activities of some foreign journalists in Gilgit-Baltistan during the recent elections.
Pakistani Terrorist chief Baitullah Mehsud, who led a violent campaign of suicide attacks and assassinations against the Pakistani government, has been killed in a US missile strike, a TTP commander and aide to Mehsud said Friday.
‘I confirm that Baitullah Mehsud and his wife died in the American missile attack in South Waziristan,’ Kafayatullah told The Associated Press by telephone. He would not give any further details. [Source]
In February this year, PKKH had reported on how Baitullah Mehsud had outlived his shelf-life, and was of no further use to his American masters. With the TTP defeated in Malakand, he had been cornered in his hometown in South Waziristan and it would only have been a matter of days before he was captured.
It now increasingly looks like Baitullah Mehsud is living on borrowed time. It would be interesting to see who gets to him first, the Pakistanis or the Americans. Pakistan Army would be well advised to attempt to capture him alive, something that the Americans and Indians would try and ensure does not happen.
The irony is that the UN has more guts to criticize US drone policy than the Pakistani government whose 700 innocent citizens, mostly women and children, have been killed in exchange for 12 or 16 al Qaeda terrorists, whose death reports are questionable at best, considering that all US intelligence reports in recent years have been cooked.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—President Obama’s special envoy Richard Holbrooke landed the pro-U.S. Pakistani government in trouble when he told journalists that the issue of CIA-manned drones that have killed hundreds of innocent Pakistanis was not even raised in any one of his several meetings with senior Pakistani officials in the Pakistani capital.
Mr. Holbrooke’s terse answer during a briefing stunned Pakistanis who thought the controversial drones were at least the second most important issue on government’s list after the issue of the refugees from the military operation against terrorists.
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
ISLAMABAD: The March 3 attack at the Liberty Chowk in Lahore, targeting the Sri Lankan cricket team, is believed to be a joint operation of the RAW and an influential international spy agency, marked with exceptional sophistication that is simply beyond the reach of local elements, sources reveal.
LAHORE: Authorities in Pakistan confirmed this morning to be in possession of credible evidence implicating Indian government and agencies in the March 3rd attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore.
The Lahore Police announced having information about those responsible for the assault in a press conference.
“With the help of other intelligence agencies there has been considerable progress in this case. One thing is for sure that there is an Indian hand behind the attack,” Lahore Police Chief Pervez Rathore told reporters here.
“I must tell you that there is credible evidence of Indian involvement in the attack,” he said.
Police sources also confirmed the arrest of an Indian intelligence operative in Rawalipindi and recovered important documents from his posession including maps of targets in major cities. The information provided by the arrested Indian national has already led to at least five further arrests.
We should criticize the Swat flogging [if it isn’t fake] without endorsing ‘Asma Jehangirism’. Understand the problem of these terrorists masquerading as ‘Pakistani Taliban’ and you’ll understand enemy from friend in our tribal region.
We had predicted in the immediate aftermath of the Mumbai attacks:
We can now expect an intense and sustained terrorism campaign in Pakistani cities in an attempt to destabilize the country along ethnic / sectarian lines – New Delhi’s time-tested method. On the diplomatic front India will be lobbying hard to have the ISI (and Pakistan Army) declared as terrorist organisations. We can also not rule out another false flag attack in the next few weeks.
Seeing his influence wane in recent days in face of Pakistan Army’s continued offensive against the TTP and fearing his capture, the US had tentatively struck, for the first time since his emergence, camps run by Baitullah Mehsud earlier this year. Taking heed of these warning shots, Agent Mehsud has sprung into action.
The Pakistani intelligence report released by The News confirms two things: It is time for Pakistan to take punitive measures against India and stop allowing India the use of Pakistani transit and air routes pending the Lahore probe and, two, that the U.S.-installed government in Islamabad facilitated the attack on the Sri Lankan team first by ignoring the intelligence warnings and then by trying to protect India after the attack. Considering that Pakistan is supporting Sri Lanka against the Indian-sponsored insurgency in that country, the actions by the PPP government raise disturbing questions.
Dishonest reporting is one thing. Times of India – apparently India’s largest and most ‘respected’ newspaper – has taken things to a whole new level.
Times of India : “Sources said on January 22, Pakistan’s security services were alerted by intelligence inputs that the visiting Sri Lankan team could come under jihadi attack. “
The ‘intelligence input’ mentioned above is an investigative report prepared by the Additional Inspector General of the Crime Investigation Division, Punjab on 22nd January 2009 outlining the potential threat to the Sri Lankan team from India’s Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) – and not ‘jihadis’.
Here’s a scanned copy of the report:
Watch VIDEO: Ansar Abbasi reveals investigative report from January 22nd warning against possible attack on the Sri Lankan Cricket Team by India’s Research & Analysis Wing (RAW)
We call for Times of India to immediately issue an apology and print a copy of the actual report by the Additional Inspector General of the Crime Investigation Division, Punjab on 22nd January 2009 – explicitly mentioning the threat to Sri Lankan cricket team from Indian intelligence services. Although, we’re not holding our breath.
A secret investigative report has just surfaced prepared by the Additional Inspector General of the Crime Investigation Division, Punjab on 22nd January 2009 outlining the potential threat to the Sri Lankan team. It outlines very briefly the following four points
It has reliably been learnt that “RAW” (Indian Intelligence Agency) has assigned its agents the task to target Sri Lankan Cricket Team during its current visit to Lahore,especially while traveling between the hotel and stadium or at the hotel during their stay
It is evident that RAW intends to show Pakistan as a security risk state for sports events particularly when European and India teams have already postponed their proposed visits considering it a high security risk to visit Pakistan.
RAW has also collected photographs of leaders of Jamaat-ud-Daawa (Proscribed) and its establishment to target them
Extreme vigilance and heightened security arrangements indicated
Report by Washington-based think tank says US must acknowledge Pakistan’s security concerns have worsened after it joined hands with Washington
WASHINGTON: The United States should dedicate robust economic assistance for uplift of the Pakistani people along its Afghan border and also help resolve Pakistan’s security concerns by engaging Islamabad and New Delhi as part of a regional solution to the Afghan conflict, a new study by a Washington think tank said Tuesday.
The research released by the US Institute of Peace acknowledged that Pakistan “has legitimate security interests in its region and it has few conventional political, military, or diplomatic tools to achieve its interests”.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—A politician in Karachi comes out on GEO News to say Pakistan’s existence is ‘not sacred.’ The separatist-leaning government in Balochistan wants to bar ‘Pakistani settlers’ from the port city of Gwadar. And two Pakistani political parties – the Pashtun ANP and Karachi’s MQM – are itching for an ethnic war. Both of them are U.S. allies and their leaders have been flown secretly to Washington for talks. Interestingly, Karachi, Balochistan and the Pashtun areas control the supply route essential for maintaining U.S. military presence in Afghanistan. What part of this picture the Zardari government and the Pakistani military does not understand? When will they dismantle CIA outposts in Pakistan?
Came accross this piece written on Rense.com and would recommend all of you to read it, as it will help understand what Pakistan has gone through in the last couple of years. Written in 2004, this article sums everything we’ve seen in Pakistan since around 04-05.
1. Find some opposition…ANY opposition in the country. Your best bet is some rich members of a former oligarchy or former military. Begin giving them funds, and, start training some of them in case you need to move in the direction of military action. I understand there is a nice training facility in the Florida Everglades that is available as all the Haitian death-squadders who trained there are now busy destroying Haiti. (PKKH: Bugti, NS, BB, Ex Servicemen, TTP)
2. Come up with some reasons that the current government must go. The reasons could be true or not, that is irrelevant. A popular one to use would be economic issues, which goes well with number 4, below. (PKKH: Return to democracy, War on Terror, Border attacks, Lal Masjid, CJ Dismissal)
If Pakistan Government requesting China not to veto the UN resolution banning Jama’at-ud-Dawa wasn’t an eye opener for some, the latest shenanigans should put to rest any doubts on where the loyalties of those in charge in Islamabad lie.
As reported in DAWN, the Foreign Office recently scuttled a move for adoption of a resolution in the National Assembly asking US President Barack Obama to appoint an envoy on Kashmir or include the settlement of the dispute in the mandate of the US envoy on Afghanistan and Pakistan.
A top official of the Foreign Office blocked the move by setting aside a joint resolution approved by members from both the sides of the aisle, and came out with another version, excluding the call for sending a US envoy on Kashmir.
The move by Marvi Memon of the PML-Q was supported not only by her party’s leadership, but also by the PPP, PML-N, ANP, JUI-F, PPP-Sherpao and Fata MNAs. [Full Story]
Additionally, read the following from BrassTacks:
Greater-India Calendar Circulated Among Parliamentarians
With traitors within our own government, Indians and RAW had the audacity to distribute greater India calendar in our own parliament. This government is the biggest security threat Pakistan faces today and all enemies thrive under their umbrella. First we had billboards on the roadsides depicting greater Afghanistan and now we have greater India calendars in the parliament. It is time we work on greater Pakistan and small India options, INSHALLAH. [Link to the story in DAWN]
Chaudhry Iftikhar, the former chief justice, was used and thrown away when the PPP needed the NRO. Nawaz Sharif used him against Musharraf and forgot him later. Now all the enemies of President Zardari have suddenly remembered Iftikhar Chaudhry, the perpetual fall guy. But I am more stunned at some Pakistanis who think they’ll have free judiciary if Mr. Iftikhar is ‘restored’. Well, fat chance. Here’s why.
There are conflicting signals about what is happening inside the Zardari government, and mixed signals on U.S. and India. Pakistani experts are now convinced that India’s ‘evidence’ regarding Mumbai is not watertight. But a pro-U.S. core within the Pakistani government is preventing Islamabad from talking openly about it. The Pakistani media and political class remain confused about priorities, discussing nonissues such as the marks of a daughter of a senior judge and political backstabbing when the country faces a gathering storm on its international borders. The debate within military circles is substantive. But the military won’t interfere.
In a series of meetings and public appearances Wednesday and Thursday, and with the first military strikes of his administration, President Barack Obama has given a clear signal that he plans intensified bloodshed in Afghanistan and Pakistan as the US escalates its military intervention in Central and South Asia.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—Mr. Prime Minister, your national security adviser has screwed up big time. His strange moves and actions prove that people appointed by President Zardari have brought Pakistani diplomacy down to its knees in the past six weeks. This was by design and not just incompetence.
Your prompt action of sacking Mr. M. A. Durrani restored the confidence of Pakistanis.
His crime is engineering his leaks in a way that make everyone think that Kassab’s links to Pakistan confirm Pakistan’s culpability in the crime.
Durrani’s Sacking Reveals How Pakistan Is Penetrated At The Top
M. A. Durrani was busy leaking information to embarrass Pakistan internationally. He was part of an influential group in Islamabad that worked overtime to ensure Pakistan accepted blame for Mumbai and initiated action against the military and ISI without verifying the so-called evidence. Mr. Durrani says his leaks had the blessings of President Zardari. Who are they working for? Alarmingly, Pakistan’s security stands breached at the highest levels in the capital, where shady individuals are working for foreign interests with impunity. It is time for a major purge to cleanse Pakistani government and politics of foreign assets. Mr. Durrani should be debriefed as to whose interests he was serving in his sensitive position.
