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Opinion: India – Women in Search of Identity in the Rape Capital of the World

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PKKH Exclusive |  BY Tabish Qayyum

Women do not get raped because they weren’t careful enough. Women get raped because someone raped them.” - Jessica Valenti- The Purity Myth –

‘Woman’ in true sense is a race, bestowed with the profound responsibility of building and nourishing the generations. In each role nature has blessed her with, despite her being physically weak; she shines with strong ability to serve as a nucleus whereupon ‘Life’ revolves.

A woman is able to generate a life by nurturing it with her own self, bearing all the pains, enduring through trials in order to protect the core value of ‘Love’ that sustains and helps relationship survive and strengthen. A gender that does not demand, but deserves the highest gratitude and respect, is unfortunately being served the opposite in various parts of the modern world today.

In India, matters cannot be worse. ‘Rape Capital of the World’ as it has turned out to be, displaying endemic barbarity that may not be contained by any law or legislation. The problem India faces is beyond just ‘Rape’; herein according to the Indian National Crime Records Bureau, one woman is raped every 20 minutes in India and more so where police estimates are that only 4 out of 10 rapes are reported, largely due to victims’ fear of being shamed by their families and communities – the cancer lies in the interpretation of the word and concept of ‘woman’ itself.

The debate is beyond how women should have dressed, where they should have been and at what time. As Naomi Wolf noted in her book The Beauty Myth, “Beauty provokes harassment, the law says, but it looks through the men’s eyes when deciding what provokes it.” – A deep view is needed to understand the articulation of acts that have unfolded in India, and that are completely shocking the world.

It was on 16th of December, last year, when a medical student was picked up along with her friend by a few men in a bus in Delhi (capital of India), who was later not only raped and beaten, in fact sank into deep trauma-conditions for multiple injuries to vital organs and psychological break-down, which did not allow her to survive more than two weeks after being found dumped on the street. This specific tragedy left the world in utter shock and disbelief, barbarism of such unprecedented scale was unheard of, and as more ironic facts were unveiled to the world, it was found that what the world is looking at is just the tip of the ice berg. As people came out on streets, they demanded the harshest punishments for the culprits, and the media started focusing on most of the cases in urban India which previously went unnoticed; things did not change at all as reports kept coming of continuous rapes and registered cases of harassments. Same month, a South-Korean girl was raped by resort manager in Bhopal.

On 16th March 2013 a Swiss couple touring India found itself in the midst of a bunch of hyenas during cycle-tour when they decided to camp for a night in hinterland of Madhya Pradesh; the husband was beaten, tied up and left to watch the hospitality of eight Indian men, which ended up in his wife being in the hospital; only to blamed by the police spokesman that the couple should share the blame, ‘for being at a wrong place at a wrong time’. Inspector Avnesh Kumar Budholiya said the tourists had been careless in travelling to a remote part of the country they knew little about. “No one stops there,” he said. “Why did they choose that place? They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. They would have passed a police station on the way to the area they camped. They should have stopped and asked about places to sleep.”

Neerja Ahlawat, sociologist and deputy director of the women’s studies centre at Maharshi Dayanand University in Haryana said: “This is typical of all the cases that take place in India. The police don’t want to take responsibility. Indian women are not safe, in small towns, villages or the big cities, partly because the police are not assuming responsibility for keeping women safe. They blame the dark, the clothes a woman wears, everything but their shirking of their duties.”

Lok Sabha on Tuesday 19th March,  passed a Bill The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill-2013 which provides for natural-life-term or even death for repeat offenders of rape and other stringent punishment for various offences like stalking, voyeurism and acid attacks; “Time has come to send out a loud, clear and deterrent signal that the society will not tolerate such errant behaviour,” home minister Sushilkumar Shinde said, replying to a nearly six-hour debate on the Bill – unaware of the fact, that same morning a British tourist who in her hotel room was being offered ‘massage’ by the courteous Hotel owner himself at 4 AM, this woman had to risk her life by jumping out of the window, fracturing her leg but luckily protecting her honor; the jump was surely worth it. But, more than her leg, it’s the social structure of India that is at a risk of moral collapse, if it hasn’t already.

How deeply infected the Indian masculine minds are, can be gauged by a politician’s statement who was among part of this legislation debate, “Who among us have not followed girls?” asked politician Sharad Yadav of the regional Janata Dal Party during Tuesday’s debate, in reference to the new provisions on stalking. “The girl may not give us a lift the first time, you have to pursue her and then tell politely. This is the way.” - Evoking laughter of his fellow male MPs – it also reminds us the gruesome incident in 2008, when British teenager Scarlett Keeling was raped and killed and her body left on a Goan beach, one local MP claimed that a rape committed after midnight, should be treated differently to other crimes.

The tragic tales of ‘Indian Rape’ crosses into areas occupied by the Indian forces, especially Kashmir where thousands of women have been raped and murdered. Kunan Poshpora incident occurred on February 23, 1991 when 53 women were gang-raped over the night by hundreds of soldiers. Shopian Rape case in May 2009 where two young women were raped and thrown in to river, are only few examples of the gates of hell opened on the women of Kashmir. Not to forget brutal mass public rapes in the Gujrat riots in 2002, against Muslim community where reportedly pregnant women were raped, their wombs slit and foetus paraded on daggers in the presence of state police.

India earns more than 120 Billion Dollars each year through tourism, but the situation is nose-diving and gone out of control as many Western countries have already issued travel advisories to their women travelers clearly telling them they are not safe in India; that they are at risk of being raped.. The aspiring super-power, Asian-Tiger, World-Largest, Shining democracy has been singled out in South-Asia for this alarm, shameful for the whole region indeed. It is ironic to note that never in the history such severe advisories have been issued, UK advised in following words,

“Women should use caution if travelling alone in India. Reported cases of sexual assault against women and young girls are increasing; recent sexual attacks against female visitors in tourist areas and cities show that foreign women are also at risk. British women have been the victims of sexual assault in Goa, Delhi, Bangalore and Rajasthan and women travelers often receive unwanted attention in the form of verbal and physical harassment by individuals or groups of men.”

Then in more candid terms comes the US advisory to its citizen in ‘Rape-Zone’, “While India is generally safe for foreign visitors, according to the latest figures by Indian authorities, rape is the fastest growing crime in India. Among large cities, Delhi experienced the highest number of crimes against women. Although most victims have been local residents, recent sexual attacks against female visitors in tourist areas underline the fact that foreign women are at risk and should exercise vigilance.”

The advisory goes on to add that women can be “Eve-teased”, subjected to sexual harassment that can be frightening, and there could be “sexually suggestive lewd comments to catcalls to outright groping.”

“Women should observe stringent security precautions, including avoiding use of public transport after dark without the company of known and trustworthy companions, restricting evening entertainment to well-known venues, and avoiding isolated areas when alone at any time of day.”

Complexities of these instincts have serious connotations, it is difficult to explain a man about a sister, who himself is not a brother of one. It’s nearly impossible to explain the kindness that fills the heart of a father when his daughter embraces him, to one who isn’t a father. It’s very challenging for a man to know what respect and care means for a wife, who is unable to find a women to come under his wed-lock, but society has to be sustained upon culturing the instincts from bare animal ones to civility. This is the unmistakable irony of Indian society today, which treats women as the worst liability on the face of this earth, as India has failed to harbor civil decorum in its mases. A society that believes having two girl children is a wrath earned due to some wrong doing in the past life.

Well documented facts uncover the layers of this curse lying under the Indian sand. Jill Mc Givering in his report on BBC ‘India’s lost girls 2003′ says, “A marriage crisis is hitting thousands of men in parts of rural India which are running out of potential brides. The traditional preference for boys instead of girls has led to widespread abuse of modern pre-natal scans.”

Alka Gupta at UNICEF explains more, ten years later in her detailed report ‘Female foeticide in India’, Alka Gupta – “An estimated 25-50 million women in India are “missing”, if you compare the proportion of women in the population with other countries.  As well as infanticide and foeticide, some girls die of neglect – many adult women also die early. Use of ultrasound for sex determination is illegal in India, but remains widespread. The states of Punjab and Haryana have the highest proportion of missing girls at birth. Rich and modern cities like Delhi, Chandigarh, and Ahmadabad show some of the worst child sex ratios. The girls have not vanished overnight. Decades of sex determination tests and female foeticide that has acquired genocide proportions are finally catching up with states in India.”

Let’s bring some more significant element into perspective here – ‘Bollywood’ (India’s Prime Film Industry) has evolved as one of world top-rankers in hit-charts, in time; what is relevant to the context is a certain term called ‘Item Numbers’ – A song that would break records of lewdness and vulgarity both in depiction and lyrics, a song that would find strong placement in an Indian man’s sub-conscious mind helping the Corporate targets and popularity.

One wonders, how Ms.Chikni Chameli (an Item Song character) was able to sneak out alone, drunk and lighting up cigarettes by the fire of her beauty and not getting raped. One also thinks how is Sheila still protected and hadn’t had any hands on her in such grim conditions?  It is ironic to imagine if there is no hand of Bollywood “mind-control’ that brought blot on Indian Munnis and Imported Kamariyas (a sultry item number song that refers to foreign women) – A major influence and vials of frustration have been infused in Indian men, who are ‘blessed’ to have prestigious home originated Porn-Star Sunny Leone as a main-stream movie actress while many other of its shinning celebrities are competing around the world to shed more clothes.  Hyper-Glamour and an opposite dark-skinned reality on Indian demographics doesn’t go down too well with men, who are gradually morphed in to hunters, perverts, addicts and rapists finally, if things don’t end up in a murder. Naomi Wolf explains in her book how images of women are being used against them.

“For the first time in history, children are growing up whose earliest sexual imprinting derives not from a living human being, or fantasies of their own; since the 1960s pornographic upsurge, the sexuality of children has begun to be shaped in response to cues that are no longer human. Nothing comparable has ever happened in the history of our species; it dislodges Freud. Today’s children and young men and women have sexual identities that spiral around paper and celluloid phantoms: from Playboy to music videos to the blank females torsos in women’s magazines, features obscured and eyes extinguished, they are being imprinted with a sexuality that is mass-produced, deliberately dehumanizing and inhuman.”

Emerging picture cannot be reverted by mere air brushing of laws and protests. This epidemic crisis, genocidal catastrophe against the human race invites serious all rounded study of all elements that has torn apart the Indian social fabric, turning sex-crimes into a plague; if not neutralized they may have the potential to contaminate the whole world. Social-Engineers, Philosophers, Psychiatrists and if need be ‘Muhammad bin Qasims’ should get together and plan a rescue of women from this dark civilization brimming in South Asia.

Famous Poet of the 19th century, Iqbal, addressed the situation precisely as what’s happening in the name of civilization, “Your Civilization will Commit suicide with its own dagger; a nest constructed on weak branch will be rendered unstable” – an ultimate solution however lies with the women of India as they search their identity; they have a huge responsibility to breed a better generation that understands the refined meaning of the term ‘woman’ first and foremost.

Tabish Qayyum is the co-founder of Defense and Geo-Political Magazine Fortress and Investigative Journalist at PKKH.tv. He is also a writer and educational consultant. He can be reached on twitter @tabesch

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Opinion: China/India Water Issues

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PKKH Exclusive | By Atiq Durrani


Water covers 70% of the Earth’s surface and is essential for all known forms of life. 97% water on earth is found in oceans; only 3% of all water on Earth is fresh-water. The interesting fact is that 98.8% of this 3% fresh water is in glaciers and ice caps (1.7%) of Antarctica/Greenland and under the ground (1.7%). After other subtractions like the water in the form of vapors, clouds and precipitation, only 0.3% of all freshwater is in rivers and lakes.

Rivers’ sources can be different, it may have its source in a spring, a lake or glacial melted water; water can even be recruited to a river from ground-water sources or simply from rain flowing off impermeable rocks or man-made surfaces. These rivers are the arteries of our planet and are joined by other rivers and streams.

These rivers played an important role in human societies; we use them as a source of water, for food, for transport, for recreation, as defenses and most importantly as a source of power to drive machinery. Dams or weirs are built to control the flow, store water, or extract energy.

China has tremendous water resources of fresh water. Almost half of the world’s population lives in the watersheds of the rivers whose sources lie in China on the Tibetan Plateau. The Mekong, the Yellow river, the Yangthze, the Yarlung Tsampo (Brahmaputra), the Indus and the Karnali, all originate on the Tibetan plateau and support hundreds of millions of people downstream. Chinese authorities have long had plans for Tibet’s water resources. They have proposed building dams for hydropower and for spending billions of dollars to build a system of canals to tap water from the Himalayan snow melt and glaciers and transport it hundreds of miles north and east to the country’s farms and industrial regions.

China and India both face shortage of water to meet the requirements of the growing population. Though India irrigates 165 million hectares of land and China irrigates only 137.1 million hectares, the resources of the water of both the countries are originating in Tibet, located in China. Although a number of nations, stretching from Afghanistan to Vietnam, receive waters from the Tibetan plateau; but India’s dependence on Tibetan waters is greater than that of any other country. Therefore, Tibet is of high importance for India also.

With the growth of industry and population of China, the demand of electricity is also increasing every year. China needs energy for its industrial heartland and to develop the Tibetan plateau. Before China joined the WTO, most international prognosticators, including the IEA (International Energy Agency), predicted energy demand would increase at an annual rate of 3% to 4% from 2000 to 2010. Demand wound up growing four times faster than they predicted. In 2010, China consumed 20% of the world’s primary energy supplies, overtaking the US to become the world’s largest energy consumer. With its installed hydropower capacity reportedly having reached 213,000 MW by the end of 2010, it was by far the world’s leading producer of hydroelectricity. China aims to have 430,000 MW of hydropower capacity till 2020.

For this purpose China is now planning to build hydropower plants on Brahmaputra. China is already the world’s largest producer of hydropower, and is planning to increase its hydropower capacity - which is 200 million KW currently - to 300 million KW by 2015, which is 50% more than the current. China has already constructed 10 dams on tributaries of the upper Brahmaputra, 3 dams are under construction, 7 more under consideration, and yet 8 more proposed. Recently Chinese State Council Cabinet approved construction of three new hydropower dams under a new energy development plan for 2015.

China also plans a ‘Great Bend’ in the Brahmaputra for promising hydropower dam sites in Tibet. This bend is another nightmare scenario for India. It was reported in May 2010 that China is likely to construct a 38,000 MW hydropower plant and large storage dam near Motua. Officially China denied any such plans to divert the Brahmaputra’s water, but if this dam is built, china will gain significant capacity to control the Brahmaputra’s flow which will make India dependent on China for the flow of Brahmaputra River.

The three riparian states sharing the Brahmaputra are China, India, and Bangladesh. Simultaneously they are the world’s first, second, and seventh most populous countries. All three face severe problems of water scarcity. All three also face a steeply rising demand for power generation.
This scenario is more alarming for India than the other states like Bangladesh or Nepal. India is already illegally using the water of Bangladesh and Pakistan, in spite of having written agreements and clear distribution of water. The 24 projects in the River Chenab, 52 projects in the River Jhelum and 18 projects on the River Indus are being implemented on different levels without the consent of Pakistan, which is a violation of the bilateral treaty of 1960.

On the other side, China had never made any agreement with India or any other neighbor country, more likely because it is not reliant on its neighbors for water supplies, in the same way that many of its neighbors are. Beijing rejects the concept of a water-sharing arrangement. It is one of only three countries that voted against the 1997 UN convention laying down rules on the shared resources of international watercourses.

It seems that Arabian/Indian Ocean region is indeed becoming a new global center of trade, energy flows and geopolitics. With the handing over of Gawadar Port in Baluchistan, the geopolitical sands appear to be shifting on many fronts for India. India is now completely surrounded by China in the Arabian/Indian Ocean. China is already having presence on ports of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka  and Myanmar; and now with Gawadar port, China has completed the circle around India.

China and India already fought a war in 1962 over a territorial dispute when India was defeated by China, who took control of Askai Chin.
With the recent developments, China seems to be signaling that its real rivalry is not so much with the US as with India, because India aligned itself with America to contain China and India is the only state in the region helping the US to accomplish its ambitions against China.

With the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan in 2014, India’s hopes that US will help it to become a regional power and to contain China and Pakistan will die. With the withdrawal of US from Afghanistan, India will be once again left behind to deal with its neighbors. India’s great power ambitions deeply depend upon its relations with neighbors like China and Pakistan. India’s problems can only be solved when India stops behaving like ‘Big Brother’, threatening all its neighbors equally and trying to solve its disputes with them through bilateral discussions, but on its own terms.

Some scholars and analysts have predicted that water shortage will be the cause of the 3rd world war. If it’s true, then it means that this war will be fought in South Asia, as the tensions among the countries in South Asia are already high and increasing every day. If there are treaties between different countries, they are not being followed properly, and in turn become the cause of tensions; and where treaties are not made, those areas can trigger a war anytime. These problems need immediate attention, especially in the nuclear triangle (China, India, Pakistan) zone, because any tensions between these three countries can turn into a nuclear conflict.

As a single human community sharing a single planet, we need to look beyond our national borders to work out ways of sustaining the ecological systems on which human progress depends. Although, hydropower is the cheapest source of energy; but we should stop treating water as an infinitely available source. It’s the responsibility of the nuclear triangle and other countries of the region to focus on the other sources of energy where we are not dependent on each other like Solar, Nuclear, Wind and Biomass. By doing so, not only the demand of energy for the industries can be obtained, but it will also help to reduce the tensions among the countries of the region.

Atiq Durrani is an IT professional and student of Mass Communication. Can be reached at atiq.pkkh@gmail.com and tweets at @SunnyDurrani738


An Open Letter To All Pakistanis, From Kashmir

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PKKH Exclusive

Assalaamualaikum,

May mercy of Allah be upon you and your nation.

I am an ordinary person from Indian Occupied Kashmir. I, through this letter, am addressing you on behalf of my Kashmiri brethren. We in Kashmir watch cricket very keenly. The reason for our love affair with cricket lies not only in sports, but we primarily follow cricket just because Pakistan plays it. We do not recognize any Tendulkar or Dhoni as sports icons, but we consider Afridi as our sporting hero, no matter whether he performs well or fails. This is not our love for Afridi alone which makes us cheer for his team; rather, it is our love for his team which makes us to cheer for him. After Afridi’s would-be retirement, we will find some other icon in your team to cheer for. This love for Pakistan keeps us cheerful and moving all along in despair and pain.

We know, – your country is going through a rough patch. You all are very angry over the state of affairs in Pakistan. Corrupt politicians, corrupt media and enemy-funded ‘liberals’ are hell bent upon destroying Pakistan. The daily bomb blasts, sectarian strife and target killings have created a lot of frustration in your minds. Do you know, how much pained we feel when we hear about these tragic incidents in Pakistan? Your TV channels give a lot of air to negativity after every such incident. So called ‘liberals’ on TV channels and newspapers question the farsightedness of Alama Iqbal and Qayid e Azam in creation of the Mumlakat e Khudadaad, – Pakistan.

It hurts a lot, when we see Pakistanis cursing and abusing Pakistan. Venting your anger against the enemies of Pakistan who want to destroy it from within is one thing, and just cursing Pakistan for its misfortunes is another. We, most of the time, see the later scenario. My dear brothers and sisters, cursing Pakistan is tantamount to thanklessness towards Allah.

We, the Kashmiris, know what Freedom means. Since you have not tasted ‘slavery’ you do not know the value of Freedom. You all have freedom without a struggle. You have got a free Islamic country by birth, by default; and that is the reason you do not value its worth. How would you understand what being a slave means? Ask us how it feels to be occupied. We have given our young lads for freedom. Our dead have died nourishing the dreams of freedom, which they saw coming through Pakistan. Abusing Pakistan is blasphemous, for we believe in its divine creation.

Look how we suffer in the absence of Pakistan. We do not pray for long lives of our sisters but only pray for the safety of their chastity. Do you know that more than 10,000 sisters of ours were raped and molested by Indians just because we yearn for freedom? Our mothers and sisters go through hell every day to protect their chaste bodies. It is no less than a Jehad for them. We do not dream about big careers and lavish lives, we just pray for our lives. More than 120,000 men have fallen to Indian bullets and torture in Kashmir in the last 20 years. Should I mention about thousands of half widows whose husbands were arrested and made to disappear, or should I give you a narrative about mass massacres? I do not want you to be in distress and sorrow, so I will not present our ordeal in detail to you. I know you are already in a trauma, watching the depressing situation of your own country.

You know, that you have an impartial judicial system in Pakistan. You should be proud of that. Compare our situation to yours. We have been given, by our occupier a system which does not believe in Justice-for-all. We live in a system which exhibits a judicial lynch mob mentality, exclusively meant for Muslims in general and Kashmiris in particular. Innocent Muslims are sent to gallows to satisfy Hindu Conscience. In Kashmir, if you get arrested, don’t rely upon any judicial recourse to achieve your superficial freedom. Laws have been devised in such a way that Courts are subservient to the state. Courts are an extension of the police and the army. Overall, a Muslim just lives but has no life.

And you say that Pakistan is a failed state? Brothers and sisters, it has never failed you but you are failing it. For us, a failed Pakistan is far better than a successful occupied one. We know the value of Pakistan for us. Let everything be sacrificed for Pakistan, lives included. We know what the fate of the Muslims in this region would be without Pakistan.

Our request to you is- instead of cursing Pakistan, curse the enemies of Pakistan, who have implanted nincompoops over it to govern it. These people do not serve you, they only serve their masters. Tools of tyranny like a flawed democracy and satanic secularism have been imbibed into your minds. These are your weakest links. Instead of complaining, show resistance to your enemies. Fight them on.

Your jugular vein (sheh-rag) is always with you; Fight India to save Pakistan, for India wants to destroy your existence. Who knows this better than us! We watch them plan your destruction every day. For the sake of those who consider Pakistan a dream yet to come true, don’t break this dream prematurely. Let the dream come true. Let the dream come true!

Thank you,

Yours,
XD © 2013 (The Born Pakistani)

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میرا نام علی احمد خان ہے

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عنبرین اعجاز

میرا نام علی احمد خان ہے، میری عمر ١٩ سال ہے، میں اپنے والدین کی اکلوتی اولاد تھا.. ہوں! میرے ابا اپنے دوست کی ٹریول ایجنسی میں بطور اکاونٹینٹ کام کرتے تھے ۔ در حقیقت ایجنسی کے تمام کام میرے ابا کے سپرد ہی تھے کیونکہ ان کے دوست بہت سست اور دوسروں پر انحصار کرنے والے شخص تھے۔ نومبر ٢٠١١ کی بات ہے، ایک رات میرے ابا اپنے دفتر سے کافی پریشان گھر لوٹے ۔ ہمارے پوچھنے پر انہوں نے بتایا کہ ان کے دوست نے کچھ لوگوں کو غیر قانونی پاسپورٹس اور ویزے فراہم کرنے ہیں ۔ انہوں نے کہا، “میں نے اجمل (میرے ابا کے دوست) کو سمجھانے کی کوشش کی کہ یہ ایک غیر قانونی کام ہے، تم کسی مصیبت میں پھنس سکتے ہو۔ پر اس کو پیسوں کی لالچ نے صحیح غلط کی تمیز کرنے سے محروم کیا ہوا ہے۔ اس لئے میں نے سوچا ہے کہ میں استعفیٰ دے دوں گا۔امی نے انہیں کہا کہ انہوں نے بالکل درست فیصلہ کیا ہے۔ پر میرے ابا اس بات کو لے کر پریشان تھے کہ اگر ان کو جلد نوکری نہ ملی تو میری پڑھائی کے خرچے کیسے پورے ہونگے۔ میں نے انہیں گلے سے لگا کر تسلی دی کہ آپ فکر نہ کریں، اللہ ہمارے ساتھ ہے۔ ابا میری بات سن کر مطمئن ہو گئے


اگلے دن کالج سے واپسی پہ میں نے سوچا ابا سے ملتا چلوں، ان کا دفتر میرے کالج اور گھر کے درمیان پڑتا ہے۔ آج وہ اپنی اتنے سالوں کی نوکری چھوڑ رہے ہیں، انہیں تکلیف تو ہوگی، انہی سوچوں میں ڈوبا جب میں ان کے دفتر پہنچا تو باہر بہت سی گاڑیاں کھڑی پائیں، میں نے دل میں سوچا شاید وہی لوگ آئے ہوں جن کے لئے انکل اجمل نے غیر قانونی کام کرنا ہے۔ پر ایک لمحے بعد ہی میں نے سادہ کپڑوں میں ملبوس چند افراد کو ایجنسی سے باہر آتے دیکھا۔ وہ میرے ابا کو بازؤوں سے گھسیٹ کر باہر لا رہے تھے، ابا ان سے کچھ کہنا چاہ رہے تھے۔ میں بھاگ کر ابا کے پاس پہنچا پر ان لوگوں نے مجھے ہاتھ کے اشارے سے روک دیا۔ ابا نے مجھے دیکھ کر کہا کہ بیٹا فکر نہ کرو، کچھ غلط فہمی ہو گئی ہے۔ تم گھر جاؤ، سب ٹھیک ہو جائے گا۔ اس سے پہلے کہ ابا کچھ اور کہتے، ان لوگوں نے ابا کو گاڑی میں بٹھایا اور وہاں سے چلے گئے۔ میں سیدھا گھر آیا اور امی کو سب بتایا۔ اب ہم دونوں پریشان تھے اور ابا کی کوئی خیر خبر نہ تھی، تھک کر امی نے انکل اجمل کو فون کیا تا کہ ابا کہ بارے میں کچھ معلوم کر سکیں۔ انہوں نے بتایا کہ ابا کو ایف آئی اے والے گرفتار کر کے لے گئے ہیں اور اب وہ ان کے دفتر میں ہی ہیں۔ اگلی صبح میں اپنے ابا سے ملنے ایف آئی اے دفتر کے پہنچ گیا۔ پہلے ان لوگوں نے مجھے ابا سے ملوانے سے صاف انکار کر دیا، پر پھر شاید میری منتوں سے انکا دل نرم ہو گیا اور انہوں نے مجھے صرف پندرہ منٹ ابا کے ساتھ گزارنے کی اجازت دے دی۔ جب میں ابا سے ملا تو انہوں نے بتایا کہ کل جب انہوں نے انکل اجمل کو کہا کہ وہ استعفیٰ دینا چاہتے ہیں تو پہلے تو انہوں نے ابا کو روکنے کی کوشش کی، پر ابا کے اصرار پہ ان سے گزارش کی کہ بس پھر آج کے دن ابا اُن کا ایک کام کر دیں، پھر وہ نوکری چھوڑ سکتے ہیں۔ ابا نے دوستی میں حامی بھر لی۔ انکل اجمل نے ابا کو یہ کہہ کے کچھ لوگوں کے پاس بھیجا کہ ابا ان سے کچھ ضروری کاغذات لے آئیں، انکل اجمل نے اُن لوگوں کے ویزے لگوانے ہیں۔ جب ابا اُن لوگوں سے بریف کیس لے کر واپس ایجنسی پہنچے تو ان کے پیچھے ہی کچھ گاڑیاں بھی آ کر رکیں، گاڑیوں سے اترنے والے لوگوں نے ابا سے بریف کیس کھولنے کا مطالبہ کیا۔ ابا نے بتایا کہ ان کو کمبینیشن نہیں معلوم، سادہ وردی والے ابا کو اندر لے گئے اور انکل اجمل سے کمبینیشن معلوم کیا۔ بریف کیس کھولنے پہ ابا کو پتہ چلا کہ اس میں کاغذات نہیں بلکہ پیسے تھے، وہ پیسے جو انکل اجمل کو غیر قانونی پاسپورٹس بنانے کی ڈیل کے ملنے تھے۔ ایف آئی اے کے سامنے انکل اجمل نے سارا الزام ابا کے سر ڈال دیا۔ بات یہاں تک پہنچی تھی کہ ایف آئی اے کے ایک آفیسر نے اندر آ کر مجھے گریبان سے پکڑ کے گھسیٹا اور دفتر سے باہر لا کر زمین پر پھینک دیا۔ تب تک میرا سر گھوم رہا تھا، کمبینشن انکل اجمل کو پتہ تھا، پر پکڑے ابا گئے؟ میں نے گھر آ کر امی کوساری بات بتائی اور ہم نے کسی وکیل کا بندوبست کرنے کا فیصلہ کیا۔ اگلی صبح ہم اپنے شہر کے ایک مشہور وکیل کے دفتر پہنچے، اسے تمام قصہ سنایا، وکیل صاحب نے کیس سننے کے فوراً بعد بتایا کہ ان کی فیس دو لاکھ ہے اور وہ آدھی فیس کیس شروع کرنے سے پہلے لیں گے۔ میرے تمام تر اصرار پہ بھی وہ ابا کی اُسی دن ہونے والی پیشی پہ نہیں گئے کیونکہ پیسے لئے بغیر پیشی پرجانا ان کا ‘اصول’ نہیں تھا۔ ہم پیسوں کا انتظام کرنے گھر آ گئے، امی نے اپنا زیور بیچنے کا فیصلہ کیا۔ جیسے ہی ہم زیور لے کر گھر سے نکلنے لگے فون کی گھنٹی بج گئی، امی نے فون اٹھایا اور تقریباً آدھا منٹ خاموشی سے فون سننےکے بعد وہ زمین پہ بیٹھ گئیں، میں دوڑ کر انکے پاس گیا۔امی کیا ہوا؟ بتائیں کیا ہوا؟” میرے تمام سوال اُن سے کوئی جواب حاصل نہ کر سکے۔میں نے پلٹ کر ریسیور تھاما اور ہیلو کہا، دوسری طرف انکل اجمل کی آواز آئی، “بیٹا، ایف آئی اے نے آج تمھارے ابا کو کورٹ میں پیش کیا تھا، اور لوگوں کو غیر قانونی سفر میں مدد کرنے کے جرم میں عدالت نے تمھارے ابا کو دس سال قید کی سزا سنائی تھی، تمھارے ابا برداشت نہ کرپائے بیٹا، اچانک ہارٹ اٹیک سے موقعہ پر وفات پا گئے۔مجھے نہیں پتہ انکل اجمل کیا کہہ رہے تھے، کیوں کہہ رہے تھے، مجھے نہیں پتہ میں کتنی دیر کھڑا رہا یا شاید امی کے پاس بیٹھ گیا تھا، وہ کچھ بول نہیں رہی تھیں، میرے بالوں میں انگلیاں نہیں پھیر رہی تھیں، کچھ صحیح نہیں تھا۔ اگلے دو دنوں میں بہت کچھ ہوا تھا اور شاید کچھ بھی نہیں ہوا تھا۔ لوگ آئے تھے، روئے تھے، میں نہیں رو پایا، نہ امی، وہ تو کچھ بول بھی نہیں رہی تھیں، پھر وہ چلانے لگیں، میں نے اُن سے بات کرنے کی کوشش کی تو اُنہوں نے مجھے تھپڑ مار کر اُن سے دور ہو جانے کا کہا۔ پھر وہ ہنسنے لگی تھیں، ایک ایک افسوس کرنے والے یا شاید تماشہ دیکھنے آنے والے کو دیکھ کر۔ پھر کسی کے فون کرنے پر پاگل خانے سے گاڑی آئی اور میری امی کو لے گئی۔میرے گھر میں بہت سے لوگ جمع تھے اور حقیقت میں کوئی بھی نہیں تھا۔ لوگ “چچ چچ” کرنے میں مصروف تھے، پھر وہ فوراً جانے لگے کہ شاید میری مصیبت ان کے سر نہ پڑ جائے، میں اُنہیں روک نہ لوں یا ان کے ساتھ نہ چل پڑوں۔ پر میں چل پڑا تھا، کہاں کے لئے؟ مجھے خود نہیں پتہ تھا،پتہ نہیں میں کتنے دن چلا، پر جب میں ہوش و حواس میں واپس آیا تو میں نے دیکھا میں ایک ‘سکول’ کے باہر کھڑا تھا، ایک دہشت گردی سکھانے والے سکول کے باہر، میں دہشت گرد بننا چاہتا تھا

میں دہشت گرد اس لئے نہیں بننا چاہتا تھا کہ میں کچھ لوگوں کو مار کر جنت حاصل کر سکوں۔ میرے اندر غصہ تھا، ویسا غصہ جس میں آپ کا دل چاہتاہے کہ آپ اکیلے نہ جلیں۔ معاشرے کی تقسیم کہ خلاف غصہ جہاں امیر کرے تو ناجائز کام بھی جائز اور غریب کا جائز بھی ناجائز۔ اُن اصولوں کہ خلاف غصہ جو صرف امیر کو حقوق دلوا سکتے ہیں غریب کو نہیں۔ میں نے اپنی زندگی کی تلخ سچائیوں سے بچنے کے لئے دہشت گردی کی تربیت کو اپنی راہِ فرار مان لیا تھا۔ میں نے دن رات محنت کر کے سخت سے سخت تربیت لی اور چھ ماہ میں، میں اپنا “غصہ نکالنے” کے لئے تیار تھا۔مجھے میرا پہلا (اور آخری بھی) کام میرے سنٹر جوائن کرنے کے چھ ماہ بعد دیا گیا۔ مجھے ایک سبزی منڈی میں خود کش دھماکہ کرنا تھا۔ مجھے میری منزل تک میرے سنٹر کے لوگوں نے ہی پہنچایا تھا۔ پھر وہ مجھے وہاں چھوڑ کر خود چلے گئے تھے کیونکہ مجھے ساری ہدایات پہلے ہی دی جا چکی تھیں۔ گاڑی سے اتارے جانے کے بعد میں آہستہ آہستہ چلتا ہوا منڈی کے درمیان میں آ گیا تھا، لوگوں کا بہت رش تھا۔ آج میرے انتقام کا دن تھا، اِن لوگوں سے، اِس معاشرے سے جس میں رائج عجیب وغریب اصولوں کی وجہ سے میرا باپ چلا گیا اور میری ماں پاگل ہو گئی۔ یہ سب میرے قصور وار تھے اِن سب نے مل کر یہ معاشرہ بنایا تھا۔ ایف آئی اے جیسے ادارے، جن کے لیے مجرم وہ ہے جو رشوت نہ دے سکے، اسی معاشرے کی پیداوار ہیں۔ اجمل اکیلا غلط نہیں تھا، وہ معاشرہ بھی غلط ہے جس میں اُس جیسے لوگ گناہ کر کے بچ جاتے ہیں۔ مگر جیسے جیسے لوگ میرے پاس سے گزر کر آگے بڑھ رہے تھے مجھے احساس ہو رہا تھا کہ وہ سب میرے جیسے تھے، وہ سب میرے مجرم تھے پر وہی سب مظلوم بھی تھے۔ یہ سب لوگ جو معاشرے کی نا انصافیوں پر خاموش رہے تھے آج خود اِنہی ناانصافیوں کا روز شکار ہو رہے تھے۔ یہ سب مار رہے تھے تو مر بھی رہے تھے۔ یہاں ہر کوئی ایک دوسرے کی جڑیں کاٹ رہا تھا، یہ سب قاتل بھی تھے اور مقتول بھی۔ ہر انسان دوسرے کا حق مار کر اپنا حاصل کرنا چاہ رہا تھا اور اسی جدوجہد میں اپنی انسانیت بھی کھوتا جا رہا تھا۔ میرا سر گھومنے لگا تھا۔ میں ایک حالات کا مارا یہاں آیا تھا پر یہاں سب علی احمد خان تھے، یہاں سب ٹوٹے ہوئے، ہارے ہوئے لوگ تھے جو بے حسی کی زندگی جئےجا رہے تھے۔ میری آنکھوں سے آنسو بہنے لگے تھے، میں جو اتنے عرصے سے رو نہیں پایا تھا، آج سب اپنے جیسے لوگوں کو دیکھ کر برداشت نہ کر سکا۔ مجھے ایسا لگا تھا جیسے میرے ارد گرد لوگ نہیں تھے، آئینے تھے۔

میں ٹوٹ چکا تھا، جس درد سے بھاگتا رہا تھا آج وہ سب ایک ساتھ محسوس ہوا تھا۔ میں نے ایک آخری بار سب لوگوں کی طرف دیکھا تھا پھر میں وہاں سے بھاگ کھڑا ہوا تھا۔ میرا دل چاہا تھا کہ میں اتنا دور نکل جاوُں کہ اپنے جیسے لوگ کہیں نہ پاؤں، لیکن میں جانتا تھا ایسا ممکن نہیں ہے۔ مجھے آرمی کی جو پہلی چیک پوسٹ نظر آئی میں نے وہاں پہنچتے ہی ہتھیار ڈال دیے تھے۔ میں نے آرمی کو سب کچھ بتا دیا تھا، اور یہ بھی کہ میں آج کا دھماکہ اس لئے نہیں کر سکا کیونکہ میں مرے ہوئے لوگوں کو مارنا نہیں چاہتا تھا۔ اس کے بعد میں نے تین ماہ آرمی کے بحالی سنٹر میں گزارے، اس کے بعد انہوں نے مجھ سے پوچھا کہ میں اپنی زندگی کے ساتھ کیا کرنا چاہتا ہوں، میں اس سوال کا جواب پہلے ہی سوچ چکا تھا۔ میں پڑھنا چاہتا تھا، میں قانون پڑھنا چاہتا تھا۔ اگر میں کسی ایک انسان کو بھی انصاف دلا سکا تو ہو سکتا ہے میں اُس کے بیٹے کوعلی بننے سے بچا لوں۔ میں اگر معاشرے میں کچھ بہتر تبدیلی لے آؤں تو میرے چاروں طرف موجود آئینے کچھ کم ہو جائیں گے۔ ہارے ہوئے لوگ جیت جائیں گے اور ظالم اور مظلوم علیحدہ ہو جائیں گے۔ مجھے لگتا ہے میں ایسا کر سکتا ہوں کیونکہ میں کسی کو اپنی جگہ نہیں دیکھنا چاہتا۔

Editorial : Why Najam Sehti?

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PKKH Editorial

PML-N has confirmed PPP nominated Najam Sethi , as their final pick for the CareTaker CM of Punjab. In this very crucial time, when the fate of the nation is to be decided in the up-coming elections, the Punjab government has again proven to be a lame opposition, hand in gloves with the Zardari regime, playing another game of underhand deals, oblivious to the democratic rights of the people who mandated them.
Why Najam Sehti, is the question we ask? Known for his Marxist ideology and arrested in 1999 on charges of trying to destabilize the country, raises the eyebrows of sensible people of Pakistan. June, 1,1999, authorities charged Sethi with “Condemnation of the Creation of the State and Advocacy of Abolition of its Sovereignty” and “Promoting Enmity Between Different Groups”. But as usual the courts ruled out the charges saying the government had provided insufficient evidence to justify Sethi’s detention.
The irony of the matter is that those who voiced support for Sehti were none from Pakistan but big organizations all the way from America. The Amnesty International The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists and World Bank president James Wolfensohn, immediately sent letters of protest and called upon the government to release Sethi; latter awarding him with Awards.
One cannot disown the fact that many journalists have been prosecuted by authorities in our history but Amnesty and the World Bank have never raised their voice for any; a parallel can be drawn for many whom our authorities have imprisoned on allegations of treason but no one has been defended as much as Dr. Afridi has been. Who do the US and the international organizations defend and how these few are connected to them is a question need to be raised.
So much so for ‘Neutrality’ in the Caretaker set-up! Was Sehti the only ‘neutral’ guy the Zardari-Nawaz alliance could agree upon; were their no names like Ansar Abassi , Dr. Sahid Masood or Talat Hussain, who at least have no history to hide; Or did they need a very baised man for the job, one who could safe-keep the interests of both parties.
We do not intend to file any allegation upon Sehti without solid evidence in our hands, but we question the intentions of the already corrupt rulers, upon their plans to connive in the up-coming elections. Is it not that they want to secure the ballots before votes have been drawn into them. Therefore it is highly desirous that Mr. Sehti should stop celebrating his foreign awards on the media and clear the genuine doubt of the people in his person.

Editorial : Will Elections Prove us Insane Again?

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PKKH Editorial

As soon as the date for the election was announced by the ECP, the dust of uncertainty started to settle. The deadly days preceding this announcement saw the worst terrorist attacks in Quetta, Karachi and Peshawar. Earlier, we witnessed the highly dramatic sit-in show by TahirulQadri that hyped up the discourse for delayed elections. Further speculation ended with the nomination of care-taker PM, Mir Khoso – when the ruling government failed to come to a consensus, bringing ECP into action again.

There still may be a debate over what exactly will these elections deliver, transpiring a genuine progress in governance and economy of the embattled nation. But let’s not jump to any conclusion and not have a tunnel view of who will change the destiny through Tsunamis or ‘Inqilaabs’ of any kind. The Misery, Corruption, and Dissent we face as a nation is not a ‘one time election, thank you very much’ situation; a LOT needs to be done in every minutest aspect of Nation-building. It could easily take up a generation, if it’s decisive in its resolve to reverse the stream of events through significant precedents.

Most main-stream parties have already kicked-off their campaigns, but we won’t be seeing many faces changing. Many slogans may find themselves yelled into oblivion during the mid of this year. That’s how it is; charges of rigging, corruption and manipulation of results will be the talk of the day very soon; therefore, you may or may not vote as per your liking, while that’s not the purpose of our argument here.

What is important here is a certain mindset that can dent this whole system of hate, confusion, rivalries and corruption known as democracy in Pakistan; and when this ‘democracy’ takes revenge, then it turns us into what we are today.

‘Youth’ will be at the fore-front of these campaigns; from the poles on the streets to the ‘touch-screens’ of their smart-phones, this whole election campaign will be fought like a ‘crusade’. That is the saddest part of this ‘political culture’ that has torn us apart. It’s not ideologies at conflict, not the slogans and ability that will compete; in fact, it will be a Pakistani against a Pakistani who will be attacking, trolling, insulting and even physically assaulting his own brother in faith only because he supports a different party for whatever reason.

Had our youth realized how they are turned into warriors against their own people, things would have been different. Terrorism is not only a Sunni or Shia militant attacking people of an opposite sect, or a suicide bomber trying to find his way into an army camp or perhaps a mercenary funded by foreign agencies planting IED’s in public places; the ‘Terrorist’ that lives in our minds is the most profound threat we face.

Our chronic ‘hate’ directed at our opponents in the political sphere leads to a whole atmosphere of chaos and limited vision for a better Pakistan. Let us understand that public power should not be a tool for politicians to play with for their vested interests; rather, it must be power exerted by the public upon the politicians to fulfill their demands, which is the actual promised fruit of democracy, not yet eaten by any.

Let us at least convince ourselves that the masses following every party are our own people. Let your leaders, office bearers, spokesmen and team leaders say what they want about your rivals, but admit the fact they are one of yours. Stop trolling, humiliating, disrespecting and slandering, and start arguing with logics and facts. Try engaging, interacting on the ground too – you’ll be stunned to know the different narratives and reasons why people believe in what they believe, and learn to respect and agree to disagree for ‘Pak’s sake!’

Being a nation formed on the foundation of Islam, let us remember we are nothing but brothers in faith, humans after all.

Editorial : Rohingya: Where Terror Rules without Reproach.

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PKKH|Editorial


A brief glance at the top news stories of the day is not reasonable enough to be claimed adequate. Supposedly covering everything; from the Bank of Cyprus to a book to be published by Malala later in the year, it misses out perhaps one of the most gruesome happenings at present in an ignored part of the third world; the current genocide of Muslims in Rohingya, Burma.

Much to the fact that this extent of humanitarian crisis has no mention in the mainstream media, at the same time, it is of less importance to the international community vis-à-vis utterly irrelevant stories of Pope Francis touring prisons, and Gay Marriages fighting for rights, and Justin Beiber visiting his ex after 2 months.

Meanwhile Muslims in Rohingya struggle to survive onslaughts every day; the Burmese President Thein Sein leaves for a world tour. He receives a warm welcome in Australia in form of a 21-gun salute and Canada announces the opening of the Burmese Embassy to regulate trade. The grave picture of hundreds of Rohingya Muslims being killed is tenaciously ignored and buried under hefty amounts of absolute nonsense.

The only attention given to this genocide is through the internet, via twitter hashtags. The hashtag, #RohingyaNOW managed to attract a good amount of journalists from across the world. Several of them even flew to Burma to get an unambiguous picture of the massacre.

Assed Baig, a UK based journalist, gave a clear picture of the biased approach that the media tends to adopt when it comes to such people. Initially from Kashmir, he pointed out the contemptible truth that skin color can still make a difference in making the news headlines. He said that at the current situation of inhumanity being blatantly displayed against the Muslims, it was mandatory to give the people of Rohingya their own voices. “They report themselves, and we listen. They are not ‘poor brown people,’ these are real people, with names, lives, feelings, and they have a right to be heard.”

Being present in person, he was given horrendous accounts by kids who ran to save their lives, while the ones left behind were killed and burnt; reduced to scarred images that were unrecognizable.

Just a month ago, the Burmese security forces at the border, known as NaSaka, raided a town of Muslims after midnight and dragged their women out of their homes. According to an 18 year old victim, the women were “taken to separate places and tortured and raped repeatedly for an entire day”. The incident never got as much as a mention on the news.

As the corporate media continues to display its despicably undaunted behavior in response to this barbarism, a few Muslim countries are silently helping the survivors of this traumatic experience.
The KSA has announced free residency permits to legalize the status of nearly 500,000 refugees in the kingdom. They would also be provided job opportunities on a first priority basis.

But there is little being done to reduce the increasing animosity between the Buddhists and Muslims, where only the dejected minority of Muslims are prone to suffer at the receiving end. This man-slaughter in broad daylight since the past several decades has failed to draw satisfactory consideration from the international community.

One is left to wonder how the people of Rohingya have continued to survive through this constant violation of human rights. They have been denied Burmese citizenship since 1982, and forced to live under strict and ludicrous regulations; such as prohibition to travel without permission and even signing a commitment of not having more than two children.

According to a report published by the Amnesty International, in response to human rights violations in Rohingya, “In 1978 over 200,000 Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh, following the ‘Nagamin’ (‘Dragon King’) operation of the Myanmar army. Officially this campaign aimed at “scrutinizing each individual living in the state, designating citizens and foreigners in accordance with the law and taking actions against foreigners who have filtered into the country illegally.” This military campaign directly targeted civilians, and resulted in widespread killings, rape and destruction of mosques and further religious persecution. […]
During 1991–92 a new wave of over a quarter of a million Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh. They reported widespread forced labour, as well as summary executions, torture, and rape. Rohingyas were forced to work without pay by the Burmese army on infrastructure and economic projects, often under harsh conditions. Many other human rights violations occurred in the context of forced labour of Rohingya civilians by the security forces”

One is only left to question the worth of the life of a Rohingya Muslim, as countless episodes of torture, rape and violence await them every other day.

It is high time that the First World Countries actually slapped themselves back to reality and instead of squandering millions of dollars in this sheer senseless War against Terror, they paid heed to where a stark display of terror continues to haunt the lives of the Rohingya Muslims.

Book Review: Secular Jinnah & Pakistan: What the Nation Doesn’t Know

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PKKH Exclusive|By M U Toor


In Secular Jinnah: What the Nation Doesn’t Know (2010), Saleena Karim – sequel to her 2005 work, Secular Jinnah: Munir’s Big Hoax Exposed – has given a mighty blow to many of the standard distortions and mythical arguments of a bunch of Secularist Pakistanis. She has, alone, taken on many stalwart secularist academics, beginning with the notorious secular-godfather, Justice Munir, who, as we’ll show, was the very perpetrator of a Secular Pakistan. In her previous work, she had exposed ‘Munir’s hoax’: a false quote attributed to Jinnah, which has subsequently been repeated so many times by secular establishment that it appears to have become a fact. In this new book, she has exhausted the subject, by writing and arguing about every facet of secular vs Muslim/Islamic debate which was not addressed in the previous work, such as the debate about Objectives Resolution.

Before we go into the branches of the book and the debate it deals with, let us show the very roots of the problem.

‘Munir’s Big Hoax Exposed’: A False Quote attributed to Quaid

First time I came to know about the author was when I was listening to a lecture by Dr Safdar Mehmood’s, ‘Pakistan: Reality or Illusion?’ convened by late Dr Israr Ahmed. The veteran historian mentioned that the core contribution of this book is the rebuttal of a false quote attributed to Jinnah by Justice Munir, first in his Munir Report 1953, and then his famous book, From Jinnah to Zia, 1980. Here goes the ‘false quote’:

The state would be a modern democratic state with sovereignty resting in the people and the members of the new nation having equal rights of citizenship regardless of religion, caste or creed. (Emphasis on ‘caste’ and ‘creed’ added)

This quote was supposedly from an interview of Quaid with Doon Campbell of Reuters, Munir didn’t provide ‘proper reference’ or date. Saleena extracted the ‘real version’ from the original newspaper archives in UK, which reads:

But the Government of Pakistan can only be a popular representative and democratic form of Government. Its Parliament and Cabinet responsible to the Parliament will both be finally responsible to the electorate and the people in general without any distinction of caste, creed or sect, which will be the final deciding factor with regard to the policy and programme of the Government that may be adopted from time to time. (Only ‘caste’ and ‘creed’ are to be found in both versions, rest all is altered)

Contrast the following interview of Jinnah with the false quote produced by Munir:

But before [Jinnah] left a correspondent asked him: ‘I presume from what you have said, Mr. Jinnah, that Pakistan will be a modern democratic state.’ Mr. Jinnah quickly replied: ‘When did I ever say that? I never said anything to that effect.’ (Emphasis added) [Source: Hindustan Times, 14 July 1947 (NV Vol. VI, p. 276 fn)]

Finally, to seal the accusation that the outlook of Jinnah was purely secular – which is far from truth: in his address on 25 january 1948 (Yusufi Vol. IV p.2670), he said:

Islam is not only a set of rituals, traditions and spiritual doctrines. Islam is also a code for every Muslim which regulates his life and his conduct in even politics and economics and like. It is based on the highest principles of honour, integrity, fairplay and justice for. One God and the equality of manhood is one of the fundamental principles of Islam.

This is a clear-cut antithesis of secularism as an ideological and political ‘philosophy’.

Three-piece argument: Cornerstone of secular discourse

Based on the false quote, Munir developed the following ‘three-piece argument’ to prove that Jinnah wanted a secular Pakistan (when in fact he had relegated the privilege of determining the form of government to the people):

Munir quote rejects the clause in the Objective Resolution that sovereignty belongs to Allah on the assumption that Quaid advocated sovereignty of people.
He takes Jinnah’s 11 August 1947 speech to clearly proves that he wanted a secular Pakistan
He takes Jinnah’s anti-theocracy statements as ample proof for his vision of a secular Pakistan

Since ‘Munir’s quote’ is false, we are left with the other two parts which only prove that the Quaid did not want a sectarian, Church kind of government of exclusivist elites, be it a particular sect or else. This is why in 11 August 1947’s speech was given to send a message that a Hindu would have same rights as a citizen as a Muslim; this is why he opposed theocracy because it precludes participation of ‘people’ in running the affairs of the country.

‘Munir’s Legacy: the Butterfly Effect’

The false quote attributed to Jinnah and/or three-piece argument which has been repeated blindly by as many Islamophobic secularists as possible. These included such top-notch anti-Islamic-state-scholars as following (p. 74, Secular Jinnah 2010):

Ayesha Jalal, The Sole Spokesman
Ishtiaq Ahmed (a professor) in a journal article
Pervez A Hoodbhoy & Ahmed Hameed Nayyar in the paper Rewriting the History of Pakistan (‘revisionism posing as scholarship’)
Abdus Sattar Ghazzali (a journalist) in his book Islamic Pakistan: Illusions and Reality
(late) Ardeshir Cowasjee in his book Back to Jinnah

Saleena has added a special appendix which lists all works which have utilized the quote.

A Bird’s-eye-view: Chapter-wise

First chapter is a biographical essay on Jinnah’s transformation from being an Indian (and then Muslim) a politician to not being an Indian. It’s a 30-page long, gradual, step-by-step examination of Jinnah’s pre-partition political career, his worldview, his influences, and also how he was influenced by thoughts and comments of Iqbal. In short, Quaid believed in a purely non-sectarian, non-theocratic, Islamic world-view. Second chapter is the heart of the book: a full exposition of Munir’s hoax. The third and fourth chapter deal with the controversy surrounding Objectives Resolution before and after the Munir report (which contained false quote), respectively. The next chapter is also of central importance to the thesis of the book: how one false quote has influenced and gave life to pro-secularist camp – something the author calls, ‘the butterfly effect’. In her essay on 1940 resolution she terms it as ‘deferred secession’ and disproves the allegations that it was a mere ‘bargaining counter’ by quoting extensively from wide range references to Quaid (and Iqbal as well).

Then, she spends pages on Jinnah’s “position on the Pakistan idea, in terms of both the terrestrial and ‘ideological’ aspects.” Much of this information – regarding Quaid’s instance on not partitioning Punjab and Bengal – is known to many of us already; however it is crucial in dispelling many wrong charges on Jinnah of communalism, provincialism and the carnage that took place in the aftermath of the very partition that Quaid opposed. On ideological plane, ample evidence is given which prove beyond a shadow of doubt that the foundation of Quaid’s worldview, and by extension that of Pakistan, was based on Islam. Islamic ideals were to be at the heart of political, social and institutional organization in the new country in the eyes of all founding fathers and mothers.

Chapter 9, “Lahore to Dehli,” is a story of how one man – M Ali Jinnah – led Muslims all over India not only as a politician, but also as an organizer, educator, media man, salesman, and think tank for Pakistan, who above all organized Muslims politically and institutionally (by setting up various committees comprising of many well-qualified, non-Muslim league professionals).

In congruence with the false quote, secular academia has reconstructed a mythical image of Quaid and his ideology. Author of the book has exposed each of these myths extensively in chapter 10

Iqbal & Jinnah: Two faces of a same coin

Since the ideas of Iqbal – about Islam and Muslim politics – are the heart of Pakistan, Saleena has spent a whole chapter elucidating Iqbal’s view and critique of secularism in favor of Islamic statehood. Secular propaganda machinery either tries to overlook this bond, or disapproves of it. One major problem with Church experience in Europe has been sectarianism. In chapter 6, writer graciously makes use of works of Dr Javed Iqbal to explain the importance of word deen which is used in Qur’an as opposed to word mazhab (which, according to J Iqbal, is used in the sense of individual faith, currently). Deen is like a sea in which all of us swim regardless of our differences, without relinquishing our ability to mutually deal with what is clearly outside of deen. To a purely secularist mind, dualism between worldly and spiritual affairs (represented by word religion) remains there, which in Islamic perspective doesn’t exist as such.

Conclusion

Saleena’s work is certainly a very reliable, resourceful and rigorous critique of secular establishment of misconstruction and tampering of Pakistani history. It has been welcomed and praised by many scholars of distinction. It has upheld what more than 90% of Pakistanis have upheld for more than 90% of time since Pakistan took its first breath: Jinnah, Iqbal Muslim League and above Muslim masses wanted a non-sectarian homeland for Muslims based on unique Islamic ideals against a secular, atheistic, nationalist worldview which dominated the world then and continues to do so. The strength of the work – which can hardly be overlooked – is painstaking effort at referencing every tiny bit of information. Thus, on the foundation of sound and correct premises has she built her arguments!

Muhammad Umer Toor is a wanna-be philosopher in distant future. Based in Lahore, with a BSc in Business, he blogs atwww.toorumer.blogspot.com.  He can be reached at i.umer.toor@gmail.com


Editorial: The Unfortunate 750,000.00 Internally Displaced Pashtun Voters

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Like several other unhealed and complex injuries of Pakistani Tribal belt where Pashtuns dwell, the latest problem that has arisen is of approximately 750,000.00 unregistered votes of Internally Displaced Pashtuns from Kurram, Mohmand, Waziristan and Orakzai Agencies, is an addition to that long and raising list of concerns over the dubious fate of these unfortunate IDPs; whether or not will they be able to exercise their legal rights and be able to cast votes or not when the President of Pakistan had extended political parties act to FATA in a historic decision in August last year.

Most of these IDP’s have fled their hometowns due to ongoing operations of the Pakistan Armed Forces against anti-state elements from Khyber, Waziristan and Orakzai Agencies while thousands of displaced families from Kurram Agency had left their homes due to sectarian clashes in 2007 that has resulted in destruction of their properties and vanishing of their hopes to return. as yet no efforts have been made to rehabilitate these unfortunate families of the FATA IDP’s who are living miserable lives in their own beloved Pakistan.

On top of all, now they are not even able to choose the one who will be deciding in future on their behalf, representing them on the floor of the National Assembly of Pakistan. Thousands of these tribal people have their votes registered with Election Commission of Pakistan but are unable to trace where their vote will be caste and even identifying who the candidates are that are running Election Campaign in their constituencies, while many others are not even registered. The relevant authorities have stated clearly that they are doing their level best for those living in the IDP camps but it seems very difficult to make is possible for those living on their own, in different parts of the country.

Since Honorable Supreme Court of Pakistan is already working for the voting rights of overseas Pakistanis, putting together the distressing case of these 750,000 voters with the same file can serve as light at the end of the tunnel for all the IDP’s to cast their votes. In reality, it is the failure of state mechanism, good governance and their failed policies in FATA as nothing has been planned to re-settle these people in their respective areas nor any plan has been made to give them all their citizen-rights in the locations they are currently present. On behalf of all these displaces people, we request Honorable Chief Justice, Care Taker Prime Minister, President and Army Chief to consider this issue and take all necessary measures to re-settle these IDP’s on a secondary basis and their voting rights on a primary basis so that FATA can have the fruits of a true democratic process and can elect eligible representatives, which will have positive effects on FATA in particular and Pakistan in general.

Long Live Pakistan!

Discuss this topic on Defence.pk

Op-ed: How America Sparked & Sustained Iraqi Civil War

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PKKH Exclusive|By M U Toor

Somebody is trying to provoke a Civil War in Iraq.” Someone had to try. Why? Because Iraq, despite its divisions, is not a sectarian society as such, explains veteran Middle East journalist, Robert Fisk:

“Iraq is not a sectarian society. People are intermarried. Shi’is and Sunnis marry each other…Some from the militias and death squads want a civil war (but) there has never been a civil war in Iraq. The real question I ask myself is: who are these people who are trying to provoke a civil war? The Americans will say that it’s al Qaida or the Sunni insurgents; it is the death squads. Many of the death squads work for the Ministry of Interior? Who pays the militia men who make up the death squads? We do; the occupation authorities.”

Challenge of Sunni Insurgency in Iraq

Terror detention cells. Ethnic/sectarian cleansing. Butchers in place. Design, spark, initiate, support, fund, sustain and lead sectarian cleansing and civil war. That’s how America “played” with the national and sectarian life in Iraq for decades to come; that’s how they suppressed – factually speaking – sunni insurgency against America. The aim of America was to distract resistance, mainly sunnis, by pitting them against their conventional sectarian rivals – i.e. shias who were brutally oppressed by widely hated and un-Islamic ruler Saddam Hussein – from its real object: foreign occupation.

This news of US exploiting the fault line of Muslim ummah shouldn’t come as a surprise. However, this whole revelation of convincing and unequivocal evidence of US triggered civil war in Iraq is fresh: exposed by Guardian, which broadcasted on internet on 6th March 2013 a documentary on a US veteran, James Steele, the counter-insurgency ‘hero’ who led this campaign of terror and torture. Just as RAND think tank had advised US leaders when asked to work out a strategy to win war:

“Align its policy with Shiite groups who aspire to have more participation in government and greater freedoms of political and religious expression. If this alignment can be brought about, it could erect a barrier against radical Islamic movements and may create a foundation for a stable U.S. position in the Middle East.”

James Steele was a crucial element in executing the strategy.

James Steele: ‘El Salvadorization of Iraq’

Cheney was the first one to make a parallel between El Salvador and Iraq. It was him who sent Col (r) James Steele, who gained immense respect of top US officials due to his success in his counter-insurgency lead in El Salvador, to Iraq. Steele was the perfect man for the job – the job of defeating insurgents in most inhumane and tortuous way, as he was known for “lack of human feeling” due to “the number of wars he had fought.” For men like him, their “hearts had died.”

Designing & leading the Counterinsurgency: Special Police Force, the “Death Squads”

To defeat an insurgency, one of the most crucial aspects is having ground knowledge of terrain and tactics of the guerilla warriors. What better way for a foreigner to counter it by letting previous enemies of the insurgency take control and do the job? Hence the importation of truckloads of Shia fighters who were trained, armed, equipped and lead by “advisors” like Steele.

Initially, a civil and conventional police was being trained by Americans in Iraq. Suddenly, in 2003, sunni insurgency escalated – precious lives of American soldiers were being lost. Civil police won’t just do it. Priority # 1 was to brutally curb the insurgency – all other priorities were sidelined, like, human rights, democracy and all the heroic things Americans assign to their behavior – it seems that lives of poor Muslims aren’t as precious. Thus was born a paramilitary, police commando force that was soon to be termed by Americans as a shia militia, which led to sectarian civil war in Iraq.

Lead by James Steele, sunnis were also engaged as long as they opposed the insurgency. Gen Adnan Thabit (a sunni) was made the head of police commandos. His unit of 5000 able men, predominantly shias, who were enemies of Saddam, was “financed by $2 bn fund controlled by Gen Petraeus.” The primary role of the police commando force was to search for information, locate and kill insurgents. How was that to be done? By insane and senseless torture. Thabit was reported in a memo saying: “fight terror with terror.” The goal was simple: the very mention or sight of a police commando should terrify the whole populace. This was achieved by most inhumane torture methods, reported in so many cables and in testimonies of US soldiers, and Iraqis interviewed by Guardian. So much for the war against terror; indeed, it can be safely termed as war of terror.

Steele remained in charge till 2006. Things only got worse afterwards.

Complicity of US Leaders

In a memo to Rumsfeld, James Steele writes, “… thugs like the commander of the Wolf Brigade who has been involved in death squad activities, extortion of detainees and a general pattern of corruption. Nearly all new recruits within the commandos are Shia. Many of them are Badr members.” However, when Rumsfeld was asked few weeks later in a press conference about such killings of sunnis by death squads, he called it a “hypothetical question” about which no reports from the “field” had come to his knowledge.

US-led Car Bombings

Much more devastating is the multiply narrated hearsay charges against US involvement in car bombings in city centers to spark civil war, reports Robert Fisk:

“I swear to you that we have very good information. One young Iraqi man told us that he was trained by the Americans as a policeman in Baghdad and he spent 70 per cent of his time learning to drive and 30 per cent in weapons training. They said to him: ‘Come back in a week.’ When he went back, they gave him a mobile phone and told him to. He waited in the car but couldn’t get the right mobile signal. So he got out of the car to where he received a better signal. Then his car blew up.”

Legacy & Aggressive Expansion

Col (r) James Steele and Gen (r) Petraeus left Iraq in 2005 after pushing Iraq into the abyss of mutual sectarian warfare which could have been avoided had both sects forgotten the path and got united like Afghans did in war against USSR. Nonetheless, Commandos increased to 17,000. Charges of abuses increased manifold while throwing country into the sectarian civil war. A gift of democracy from “the greatest nation on earth.”

Why doesn’t the world know about it?

Bush’s PR system, answers Mike Whitney, writing on CounterPunch.org: How Bush Used PR to Conceal Massive Ethnic Cleansing in Baghdad The Myth of the Surge.

Conclusion.

Does it remind us anything of what is going on in Pakistan? Have we not recovered from sectarian violence of 1990s? If so, then who is sparking flames and “exploiting these fault lines in our ummah”? Any reasonable person can safely induce with strong belief in the soundness of this argument that enemies have wages a “diffused war” against Pakistan. Our army has sacrificed a lot in a painful manner to save Pakistan from any unilateral action from world powers. They have been left with no choice but to wage a shameless, inhumane war of chaos and stability costing us economic gains and sectarian unity. They cannot succeed without our permission. We can beat them without any counterinsurgency, by just staying rational, cool and united.

We have to keep exposing America’s the real face with all due respect of many conscientious Americans who themselves speak against injustice, and sympathize with those who are utterly brainwashed by govt controlled media.

Muhammad Umer Toor is a wanna-be philosopher in distant future. Based in Lahore, with a BSc in Business, he blogs atwww.toorumer.blogspot.com.  He can be reached at i.umer.toor@gmail.com

Opinion: What is Democracy

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PKKH Exclusive|By AbuZar Ilyas

Democracy is a system in which people practice their right of vote to bring a few people who are eligible for serving the state. People can vote for the candidates participating in elections and can elect them and give them the right to rule the country. The mechanisms and the technicalities of democracy are very idealistic and in fact they have many flaws in them. The contents needed to fulfill the requirements for an ideal situation are impossible to achieve. Aristotle highlighted democracy as “Worst type of Government”.

The popular concept of democracy, most talked about is a “Government of the people, by the people and for the people” but all these honey talks are far from reality. First we have to explain the structure and types of democracy in order to analyze its dimensions. Of the many types, the two main types that concern us are ‘Parliamentary Democracy’ and ‘Presidential Democracy’.

In a Parliamentary Democracy, which we have experienced in Pakistan, a head of the state (Prime Minister) with ‘lot of powers’ is elected by the people’s representatives in Legislative Assembly and he has authorities and rights to run the state functions as per laws. The Head of State in this system is bound to go to the parliament for many decisions so this system is flawed or we can say it is not rapid in the case when quick decisions are needed.

Presidential Democracy or Presidential Type of Government is a type in which a President of the state elected by the people of the country directly has all authorities and all rights to run the country. The president in this system is like an elected Monarch who can order all the departments at his whim. This system is good for the war time or emergency basis decisions due to the power in one hand.

The parliamentary type of democracy is a worst type of democracy in which people theoretically elect their representatives but in reality they elect Monarchs on them. In Monarchy there was one King. But in parliamentary democracy, there are hundreds of Kings which rule, leech and loot the country’s resources, presenting this type of democracy as a holy cow just because it suits their looting of country’s resources without any accountability. Here is an interesting fact I am stating that according to Aristotle, “The Democracy itself is a worst type of Government” and the current political system or type of government in Pakistan is the “worst type of democracy”. So, we have ‘worst of the worst’ in Pakistan. Let me highlight some flaws of democracy. According to democracy, the 51% opinion will dominate the opinion over 49%. This is in fact a biggest dishonesty of the democracy that 49% does not mean a thing. This theory in past, led to the dismemberment and balkanization of many states in which 49% did not get their rights and then left the federation which resulted in the break-up of the state just like as we saw in East Pakistan in 1971. Many other factors were also involved just like geographical limits and enemy’s planning but one of the main factors was democracy.

Some people now-a-days have a naive concept that Pakistan came into being just because of Democracy. In my opinion Pakistan was made in negation of democracy. If democratic rules were applied, then Hindus were bigger in number than Muslims. In democracy, the opinion of 20% can defeat the opinion of 80% if different opinions counter 20% from different platforms. For example, 9 candidates are participating in elections, one got 20% votes and others got each 10% of casted votes then in this way the opinion of 20% will dominate on 80% which is a big flaw in democratic system.

Now look at the 2008 Elections in Pakistan. We all saw what happened in the name of democracy in 2008 in Pakistan when only 38% of registered voters casted their votes to bring in the legislators. Later on, Supreme Court of Pakistan declared 40% of the elected votes as bogus. Yes! the 40% votes in 38% total casted votes were fake or bogus. The true public representation was according to statistics then 22-24% in 2008 Elections and Federal Government made with only 2/3rd of 22% votes which is 15-17%. So, the “democratic” government we tasted in Pakistan was made of 15-17% of public votes, and we got heads of the state that had immunity from every crime.

All the dilemmas and all the loop holes in democratic system are just because of its high level idealistic painting which it draws to attract people but in fact it is not a practical system. Democracy serves as ‘worst type of government’ and some people call democracy, ‘hypocrisy’. I have also the same thoughts about this type of government that it can only serve the interests of the elite class. It also serves the interests of banks, corporations and ruling class but it has nothing to give to the public.

Opinion: Samer Al Issawi, Awaits ‘Sudden Death

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Freedom is their Hunger, Faith is their Food

by Gareebah

Humans, in order to pursue a normal life in this world, require a few basic needs to be met at all costs, without which life loses its significance, and which occasionally become more crucial than life itself. Then again, the needs of the body differ from those of the soul, and when the two of them come into contrast, histories are created.
The soul feeds on beliefs just like the body feeds on eatables, and it hungers for freedom as the body hungers for food. Living nations and people strive to strengthen their souls so much so that they outlive the natural duration of their physical life on the planet. They write golden histories with their blood and live forever as a model for generations to come.
One such nation is that of the Palestinians whose belief, in their Lord and in the soil they were born to, has rendered them unbreakable in the face of oppression and injustice. Their souls have fed on the irrevocable belief in the truth of their faith, and the unalterable surety of their legitimacy on their land; so much so that their bodies have worked wonders and the world has seen them fighting all sorts of adversities for the past many decades. Their love for their nationhood and their hunger for freedom has made them stand in the face of their Oppressor with their heads high on bruised bodies and a ‘No’ on their dry lips.

As long as the soul is hungry, it will never let the body rest and will forever deprive the oppressors of any rest or sleep too. Their hunger for freedom cannot be quenched if it is offered within confinement and at the hands of the Oppressor. Thus, their hungry soul proves to be the strongest weapon hidden within their weak and hungry body; a weapon that could not be detected or targeted with high-tech predator gadgetry. It is this hunger that has radicalized the otherwise peaceful and loving people; it has created bloodshed and unrest and has given them the power to write history.

Oppression begets resistance, even if it means fighting with no weapons but one’s own soul and faith. If the birth rights of a people are attacked, their homeland cruelly occupied, their food supplies cut, or their lands confiscated and homes demolished; it is only obvious that they retaliate and fight back with all that they have, even if it means ultimately belonging to no country at all, losing the few left over crumbs provided by the oppressors, or losing the tiny piece of land allowed to them by the tyrants.

For living nations, the single viable option and only way to face oppression is Struggle. There are no pseudo-solutions; all humiliating options have to be rejected. There have indeed been nations through history that have settled with alternative options whatsoever, with the sole goal of remaining alive. If their lands were trespassed upon, they left them and trespassed upon others’ lands in turn. But it cannot be so with a living nation of the 21st century, wherein international law renders the boundaries of existing nations as ultimate and unalterable, the only option now is to fight for their rights and resist oppression till the end of it or their own lives. A living example can be seen in the form of a nation, the people of which live with their heads high and are ready to die to keep it high. The longer the struggle proves to be, the more they sacrifice in terms of life and loved ones, the more determined they become.

Samer Al-Issawi is one name of this faith; the faith and love for their people and their land that gives them the strength to go on, through hardships and obstacles, sacrificing the basic needs of the body for the higher needs of the soul. It is what makes a man endure hunger and thirst for more than 250 days. It is what makes an individual stand up for the freedom and rights of the whole of humanity; while humanity remains oblivious to his plight and that of his nation.

Samer Al-Issawi is a Palestinian who was sentenced to 30 years in Israeli prisons, for the crime of fighting for the freedom of his brethren from the clutches of the Israeli occupation; but was later released through a presidential pardon as part of a deal involving the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. However, he was arrested again last year on charges of travelling from a city to another. To protest this illegal detention, following a deal that was supposed to act as an amnesty for him; he began a hunger strike on the 1st of August last year. Moreover, his family has been harassed and subjected to physical torture and hardships. His siblings have been arrested, jailed and banned from attending their brothers’ hearing in the court.

But Samer continues his hunger strike, in spite of impaired mental and physical abilities, through the loss of sight and sound. He continues through more than 250 days, to protest the illegal Israeli detention of him and others. He goes hungry to record a rejection to oppression, to denounce injustice and tyranny, and to fight through all odds but preserve his identity and the realization of his birth rights. He continues through inhuman treatment by the Israeli forces, who have beaten him and mistreated him while he was on a wheelchair.

He uses hunger as the last stone he can throw, and vows to fight till he sees one of the two lights – freedom or martyrdom! He offers his soul as the weapon through which he fights for all his brethren. He asks them not to worry if his heart stops beating or his hand stops moving, he will live through his death forever, in the hearts of many who share his dreams and aspirations. He will live forever because his nation lives in his blood!

One Samer Al Assawi has put the dire question upon our weary consciences; the fallen conscience of humanity; he asks us, has all the 21st Century knowledge and technology made it easier for man to live a rightful/respectable life or has the opposite of this been its goal? He put the question upon our souls; what more do we need to be moved and shaken? Is Samer’s being ‘on the verge of sudden death’ not enough for us to come to the answer of his plight yet, what more proof do we need?

Ghareebah is dong her Masters in English , a passionate Indian Muslimah,  in  search of  higher truths.

Opinion: Amendment in Saudi Labor Law and Pakistani Expats

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PKKH Exclusive|By Atiq Durrani

On 18th March 2013, Saudi Arabian Government made amendments in Article 39 of Saudi Labor Law at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Crown Prince Salman, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense. These amendments say that the Sponsor is not allowed to let his Worker work for others nor is he allowed to employ the Workers of other Sponsors, meaning that the employees will be bound to work with their sponsors only.

At the same time in another move, the Labor Ministry also started a crackdown against the foreign owners of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). According to the Labor Ministry, there are at least 250,000 SMEs with not a single Saudi worker and most of these firms are run by foreigners who give their real Saudi owners a specific amount annually. At least 2 million expatriates may lose their jobs or leave the Kingdom shortly as about 250,000 small and medium enterprises will be listed in the Red category of the Labor Ministry’s “Nitaqat” system. The Labor Ministry said that this move was made to Saudize jobs and prevent cover-up businesses.

Immediately after these amendments, a crackdown was started against the expatriates in most of the parts of Saudi Arabia. A large number of expatriates including Indian, Pakistani, Yemeni and many other nationals were arrested for violating Iqama (Residential permit) and labor regulations.

Recently the Saudi Government made a few changes in the laws, categorized the companies in Blue, Green, Yellow and Red categories and also levied sponsors. These amendments and levy directly affect expatriates only. To understand it more properly you will need to understand the kinds of sponsorships.

To work in Saudi Arabia, you need a sponsor - that sponsor can be a national/multinational firm or an individual Saudi (Owner of SMEs). If the sponsor is an organization/company, this visa is commonly known as “Company Visa”; and if your sponsor is an individual Saudi, this visa is commonly known as “Azad Visa” in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
In case of Companies, recently the Saudi Government categorized them in four Zones (Red-, Yellow-, Green and Blue) according to the percentage of Saudi employees in the firm.

In this case, many Pakistanis were not able to find jobs in green and blue zone firms when they originally belonged to a Red Zone firm, and now their Iqamas cannot be renewed. Most of them had paid about Rs. 200,000 to 300,000 to get these visas, and when they arrived here they came to know that their company is in Red Zone, they can neither work here nor their iqamas can be renewed.

The other option is of a Visa sponsored by individual Saudis or the owners of SMEs, commonly known as “Azad Visa”. The expatriates working on this kind of visas are the most affected by the new laws of the Saudi Labor Ministry. Those Pakistanis who come to Saudi Arabia on this kind of  visas  have to pay about Rs. 600,000 (SR. 20,000 to SR.25,000) to buy this visa. Normally Saudi individual sponsors will get the visa from the government and sell it to the agents in Saudi Arabia or in other countries. These agents used to sell visas through their sub-agents to the people who are willing to go to Saudi Arabia in search of jobs or work.

These workers don’t have any job surety when they arrive in Saudi Arabia. They have to find a job, pay the fees for their residential permit (Iqama), arrange their accommodation, food etc. If the expat on Azad Visa is lucky, he may find a job within a few days, otherwise it can take months and even a year, depending on his profession. Some of these expatriates find jobs with other employers, and some start their own small businesses and have to pay a specific amount - mutually decided, - to his sponsor monthly/annually as well as all the other

governments fees, whether he has a job or not.

Last year, the Saudi Government decided to levy SR 2,400 for each expatriate worker annually, to discourage the recruitment of expatriates by the local and international companies. In firms, this levy is paid by the firm as they need the services of their employees, but those expatriates who are working with Individual Saudi sponsors have to pay this money from their income, whether they have one or not. So ultimately this levy also affected the employees in case of individual sponsors.

But this recent law amendment closed all the opportunities for them. Their own sponsors don’t have enough jobs to offer to them, and they can’t work outside with any other sponsor because of this law.
Several international schools in Saudi Arabia are facing a crisis, after teachers recruited through non-official channels stay at home to avoid possible labor inspection visits.
Under the new labor laws that are now being strictly applied by the labor ministry, international schools cannot recruit teachers who are not under the school sponsorship. This puts an end to a widely used practice in Saudi Arabia.

The Indian Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahmed showed his concerns over this new law in a meeting on Friday with Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Abdulla Bin

Abdul Aziz Al Saud, on the sidelines of the 11th Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) ministerial meeting at Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Our Government is silent as usual over this, and Pakistani expatriates are still waiting for some help from the Pakistani Government. Although it’s understood that the Saudi Government is free to make laws for the welfare of their people, and if the crackdown is done against the illegal residents in Saudi Arabia it’s again understandable; but our government should raise this issue with the Saudi government on the basis that with the change of this law, thousands of Pakistanis will be effected. These Pakistanis were legally working in Saudi Arabia a few days back but just one amendment in the law made them illegal workers. The Saudi government should give them some time so that they can try to find some other sponsor, or pay them the amount that they paid for their visas so that they should not suffer for the rest of their life, paying back the loans they got to buy these visas.

The number of Pakistani expats in Saudi Arabia is consistently increasing and currently exceeds 1.5 million. These Pakistani expats are not only earning bread and butter for their families, but the economy of Pakistan also depends on the remittance of these Pakistanis as well. The remittances of Pakistani workers from the Kingdom have increased significantly to about $3 billion annually. Pakistan became the fifth largest remittance-recipient nation in the developing world in 2011, registering a strong growth of 25.8%, relative to a 10.1% growth in remittances in South Asia. According to an IMF research paper, workers’ remittances contribute almost 4% to the country’s GDP, and are equivalent to almost 22% of annual exports of goods and services. Still, when overseas Pakistanis need some kind of support from the Pakistani government, they never get that.

Actions of the Saudi Government are understandable, this is their country and they are doing this for the welfare of their people. But what is our Government doing for the welfare of overseas Pakistanis who have been shouldering the economy of Pakistan so firmly during the past 5 years of the crisis? Whenever Pakistan is in economic crises, or there is some natural disaster in Pakistan, or the Pakistani government needs any help from the overseas Pakistanis; they never turn their back towards Pakistan. So it’s the responsibility of our government to help overseas Pakistanis and stand with them when they are in some kind of crises.

According to one recent report in Arab News, the employee can file a complaint with the Labor Office if his employer refuses to pay his outstanding dues like vacation pay, unfair dismissal pay or end-of-term services benefits. In such cases also, the Consulates in the Kingdom should facilitate the workers and provide legal assistance to them.

At the same time, the Saudi government should stop issuing new visas so that more people should not suffer. At one end, the Saudi people are making money by selling these visas; and on the other side, when they arrive the Saudi government doesn’t allow them to work in the Kingdom and sends them back to their countries. Employers, who have been exploiting human needs, are also equally responsible for all this mess. Their actions are an explicit violation of the laws and regulations of this country. The Saudi Government should make them pay, not only the cost of deportation of violators, but they should also pay some reasonable amount to their employees.

It has also been noticed that some Facebook pages, news sites and people making comments on these posts on alternative media are trying to link this crackdown against the expatriates with the handing over of Gawadar port to China and Iran-Pakistan Gas pipeline, which is completely irrelevant to these actions of the Saudi Government. This crackdown is not only against Pakistanis, it is against all the expatriates working illegally in Saudi Arabia.

Atiq Durrani is an IT professional and student of Mass Communication. Can be reached at atiq.pkkh@gmail.com and tweets at @SunnyDurrani738

Report : Report on Tirah Valley Ongoing Operation

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PKKH Exclusive|By Abuzar Ilyas


Operation started in Tirah Valley. The Army surrounded the area from all sides and all supply lines of militants are nullified. Heavy mortars and artillery are doing their job and dozens of militants are being killed every 24 hours. 18000 families left the area, clearing the battlefield for the Pakistan Army. The Pakistan Air Force is also helping the army to attack those militants that are not in range of the artillery barrage. Army sources said that they have intensified the operations and rapid conclusions and clearances are in transaction, and that the operation is hoped to have ended before the general elections.
The areas of Tirah contain steep mountains and caves in them. Those caves are safe havens and arms depots of TTP. It is located between Khyber and Kurram Agencies and it is strategically important for militants as well as the Pakistani Armed Forces to gain that area. Reports are coming that SSG is also involved in the operation, and we all know that every operation in the past that involved SSG was of much importance. The steep mountains of the area are the biggest problem for the troops; but our guys, too, are tough enough to conquer any battlefield. The Pakistan Army’s main strategy will be the use of their capability of rapidness here. Our Companies will conquer militants’ hideouts one after the other without allowing them proper time to regroup.

The main supporter and host group of TTP in this area is Lashkar e Islam of Mangal Bagh. I don’t know who the commander of LeI is these days, but Mangal Bagh was killed in the Battle of Swat by the Pakistan Army. The whole of Khyber Agency has small or large peace lashkars (groups) that uses to defend their respective areas against militants. The tribal peace lashkar in Tirah Valley is Ansar ul Islam, and many of the deadliest clashes occurred between Ansar ul Islam and Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The Pakistan Army is supporting the tribals of Ansar ul Islam against TTP by providing cover and by providing artillery assistance to the tribal fighters. PAF jets are using precision guided munitions and pinpoint accuracy Air to Surface Missiles (ASMs), and are pounding militants’ hideouts in the valley and on the mountains.

We saw a fierce fighting between the Pakistani Army and the militants in Kurram and Orakzai in the past few months, and now the areas along with South Waziristan Agency are also cleared; but this particular portion -in between the South regions of SWA, Kurram and Orakzai and North regions of SWAT, Khyber, Malankand etc- is untouched since the early days. We have a strong hope that after the operation, the area from SWAT to South Waziristan Agency will be cleared from militants. We all pray for the success of the Pakistan Army. Also, we greatly respect the inhabitants of those areas which are affected by the militants and who are openly supporting the Pakistani Armed Forces.

Abuzar Ilyas is researcher and Geo-political analyst. He tweets @AbuzarIlyas

Opinion: Amina Tyler; Symbol of a Slave-Thinking

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PKKH Exclusvie | by Dr A A Siddique

“You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy, the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese” – Chris Rock

Adding another line to that quote, I’d say - when women get so desperate to reveal their skin that they go on a crazy rampage; revealing their bare chests to the world, in order to prove a point. Ironically, this blatant display of nudity, that caused the TV Channels to go PG-13, failed to make the necessary mark. Is the world really going so off-tilt that a piece of covering cloth becomes an oppression, so much so that a woman decides to tear it off and walk around the streets in this utterly ignorant manner? Is this what the Women Rights Activist Group Femen is looking for?

Rights for a woman, (or a man for that matter) to go nude openly, is like asking to urinate in public. Hell yeah! It is a right and a necessity and morals should have nothing to do with it. So the woman who brought up this issue, Amina Tyler, is now the new comrade in this army of crazy headed women; less concerned about violence on women and more desperate to show the world their perfect bodies.

What better to hit it where it hurts the most, this remarkable fanatic of a woman belongs to Tunisia, the country that has just seen an Islamic revolution two years ago? If oppression has to be named, it is when the liberal regime under Zainedin Ben Ali called for a ban over Hijab in the Islamic country, causing thousands of young Tunisian protesters to march out in response and overthrow his government.

Amina Tyler, a young Tunisian woman, decided to call for her rights to reveal her skin, and this was brought about by posting her topless pictures on facebook, with obscenities written across her chest and stomach; that her body is not the source of anyone’s honor. Well, sure, but does it really ask for something so graphic? Why go topless to prove your point? The main reason was to hit the Salafists and rightly so, the expected response was immediate when she was declared to have caused an epidemic and hence, sentenced to be stoned.

Ever since her images spread like a virus across the virtual forest, Amina Tyler has been missing. To add fuel, these women’s rights activists continue with the oppressed theme and declare her to be in trouble. As a reaction they called for a “Topless-Jihad Day” on the 4th of April, asking women all over the world to go topless in front of the Tunisian embassies.

This crazy episode has unfortunately hit the image of Islam again, when a bunch of retarded women, who call themselves muslim, ended up defaming, not only their own religion, but women across the world. Dignity has hit rock-bottom along with morals, and suddenly we seem to be living in a jungle with monkeys swinging about in trees.

And this comes as a wake-up call for us as Muslims, when the pre-Islamic age is full of stories of Nations being wiped off the face of the earth in the form of calamities brought about with Allah’s Wrath. What triggered it was not just Kufr, but vulgarity.

It is time we understood the simple fact that nudity can never bring liberation against oppression, and if truth be told, the real oppressor is, in reality, Amina Tyler ; who is responsible for turning the dignified icon of a woman into a third-class show that has nothing to do with misogyny.

Dr. Aaminah Siddique, pharmacist/ freelance writer; interests: religion/human psychology; blogs at The Dead Poets Sanctuary


Opinion : N Korea/ US Tensions Alarm the World

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PKKH Exclusive |By Abuzar Ilyas

Tensions between North Korea and the United States are at an alarming height these days. It is one of the most escalated situations between North Korea and the United States in history. Circumstances are being taken as serious as it may ignite a world war, because the world has already seen two world wars before that started from small escalations and then turned into big bloodbaths. We all know that there is no comparison between the military powers of North Korea and the US, but we also know that the economic weapon which China, the ally state of North Korea,  has in its hand, can collapse the economy of the US within a few weeks.

US NAVY aircraft carriers are famous in the world for their infinite period capability to stay in the International Waters, tens of thousands of kilometers away from home ports; and each Carrier Strike Group contains frigates, warships, destroyers, submarines and other large and small naval vessels. We can say that each Carrier Group is a complete navy, and the US NAVY has more than a dozen Carrier Groups. These Carriers are the bloodiest threats to the enemies of the US anywhere in the world; and due to her high class naval power, it is a common perception that the US rules all the oceans in the world. The other edge which the United States has on the other countries is her air force; the USAF. B-2 Strategic Stealth Bombers of the USAF can bomb any place in the world by using their long range capabilities, air refueling facilities and US Airbases in different islands.

The North Korean Armed Forces has recently been allowed to attack the USA with Nuclear Weapons, through a state-notice, after which the US decided to install missile systems in Guam islands which are at a distance of almost 3400 kms to each other, so the US Missiles can reach North Korea within minutes and can attack any part of the country.

Last week, a clean signal was given to North Korea by the USAF when two B-2 Stealth Bombers flew from Missouri and dropped dummy bombs in the country side of N. Korea and then landed into a South Korean Airbase. The B-2  Stealth Bombers have a range of 10000+ kms and the distance between the American state of Missouri and Pyongyang is 10500 kms, almost. The United States can attack North Korea with flocks of aircrafts (F-14s,F-15s, FA-18s) from its carriers, the ICBMs, the IRBMs, and the Bombers and can also attack with foot troops because the US Marines are present in the South Region of the Korean peninsula. No doubt a military might have infinite options to counter its challenger.

So much for the US military power, now let’s observe the North Korean options which they can practice in case of a full-fledged war. The North Korean Airforce (Korean People’s Airforce) is not deterrent against the fighter and bomber aircrafts of the US NAVY and the USAF. The airforce is lacking  in modern state-of-the-art fighters and strike aircrafts. State-of-the-art MIG-29 is the only competitive aircraft in its inventory if we talk in terms of technology. Other than this, the Korean Airforce comprises of MIG-23, MIG-21, F-7, A-5, etc.; aircrafts which do not fall in the category of 4th Generation War Machines. The theory of “man behind gun” can work against the 900 F-16s of the USAF. It will be a test for the North Korean Pilots to use their Russian and Chinese jets accurately against a super-power navy and air force, because when it’s about a super-power, there is no room for any mistake. The North Koreans have only 1 type of ICBM, the Taepodong-2, which has a range of 10000+ kms and is capable of traveling with the high hypersonic speed of Mach 20. But the problem is that they have only less than a half dozen of these ICBMs, while the US destroyers in the Pacific and their Patriot Defense Missiles can easily counter these ICBMs in their way to the target. The North Korean Navy has almost 70, Sang-O class, Yono class, Type-033 (Romeo) class and Whiskey class Diesel-Electric Submarines, which will undoubtedly be a threat for any expeditionary Naval Force. As we can see, the North Korean Navy has not the latest frigates, but they have more than 200 torpedo boats which can punch even a carrier strike group.

Discussed are the relative military power of the US and North Korea and I have presented all the possibilities in case of any war. The conclusion is that war is not the answer of every question. Problems can be solved with dialogues, and being a big power, the US should show some maturity because this time the belligerent is a young emperor, not a seasoned, aged democrat.

Abuzar Ilyas is researcher and Geo-political analyst. He tweets @AbuzarIlyas

Tribute to Gayari Martyrs, 7th April 2012

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PKKH Exclusive | by Binte Asad

Tribute to Gayari Martyrs, 7th April 2012

At the highest of heights, under heaps of snow,

Where no beast come out in the frozen air,

Is a place where 140 souls reside,

It is their haven; the Lions’ Lair.

The sons of the soil, fertile with sacrifice,

Where the coldest of ice failed to freeze

This blood that ran in their veins,

Was loyal to the soil, if came the need.

Those who stayed up to watch over us at nights-

The fathers, the brothers, the newly wed;

Came under an avalanche, at the crack of dawn,

When most of us lay sleeping in our warm bed.

They weren’t gifted with supernatural powers.

They were flesh and blood and bones;

But gifted they were, with martyrdom,

When they chose to serve this country, alone.

A year passes, today, since they were hit,

While protecting us, their destiny fell;

So with open arms, they greeted death

Like an old friend, they knew so well!

They are martyrs, hence known to be

Alive today, but we fail to perceive

Their souls, now travel with the winds of Gayari,

Securing this soil from the reach of the enemy.

So beware, O enemies of this land!

If you plan to lay a filthy look this way,

140 lions wait in seclusion!

140 lions are still alive today!

Opinion: Shut-Up FEMEN!

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PKKH Exclusive | by Ghareebah

“My body is mine, and not a weapon to be misused by self-imposing champions.”

But Femen does not care about my voice, it only cares about the voice of those who serve their own agenda and agree with their version of Freedom and Liberty. The voice of a single woman, Aminah Tyler, who does not represent anybody but herself, and whose actions were condemned by all the people she claimed to represent or to liberate; such a voice was all of a sudden so extremely sacred that people belonging to my own sex went about creating a havoc and calling me stupid and inviting me to shed everything – clothes, religion, morals, dignity and even common sense. Femen tells me that I was stupid and a brain-washed idiot and claims to liberate me by flashing the bodies of some idiots on the streets. They pretend that I have no heart or mind or voice to speak for me or demand for my rights, the only thing that I really possess is a body that I was supposed to bare; and why? To prove that I was free and liberated! Liberated from what, may I ask? Liberated from Morals and Decency and common sense? Liberated from Humanity so that I can go back to the supposed prehistoric times where Man could not find enough to cover himself? Liberated from heart and mind and reasoning, so that the only medium of communication left to me is my body??

And then people ask us why we have to be so offended by what some others might be doing to themselves!
I, for one, don’t care a particle whether they go topless or bottomless. I don’t care a particle if they think that their worth lies exclusively in their breasts; well, maybe it does, if they really think so! I don’t even care for fools who dare to malign Islam and abuse it, they absolutely cannot put off the light by their ignorance.

What offends me is this:

1) I don’t need champions to stand up for me. I am free enough to speak for myself, be it to an oppressing man or an ignorant woman. It doesn’t require rocket science to understand that I, as a Muslim woman, can have a better say in my own affairs and problems! Femen and its confederates are standing up as champions for me, which I out rightly reject and condemn. I have a voice of my own, and I can communicate it without needing to shed everything.

2) How dare Femen claim that if I do not go about flashing my body, I have nothing to say for myself? They are harming and insulting my worth as a woman by claiming that my brains have no value on their own, the only thing that might be of some significance in me is my breasts! They are actually insulting us more than any patriarchy. My worth lies in my heart and mind ALONG WITH my body, and not in my body EXCLUSIVELY. Moreover, it is MY body, so I will flash it to whomever I think suitable. Do you get it, FEMEN?

3) They better just stand up for the ‘single poor woman’ who might have begged them for help; I am much better off without ignorant people insulting me and my worth in the name of liberating me, as this attempt straight away disregards me as an intelligent and educated woman.

4) What does Femen mean by claiming to free me by flashing the breasts of a few self-dishonouring women? They claim that those who bare their breasts are free whereas I am not, but guess what? I am free, more free and emancipated than fools associating freedom or emancipation with bare breasts! It is high time they realize that I am not only free but strong, educated and intelligent; and have a voice of my own without needing to show so much as my face or even my eyes!

5) Last but not the least, it is MY body, and MY freedom, and guess what? I don’t allow anybody to tell me what to do or not to do, whether it is an ignorant Muslim man or a much more ignorant Western woman.

It is clear that self-imposed champions of women’s rights such as Femen, have no idea about us, or how and what we think. But then again, people who are so un-educated about our values and ‘way of life’, might do better educating themselves, rather than standing up for people who don’t need them nor have begged for their help. In fact, they seem to be in need for someone to start a campaign for their education and for helping them set their facts straight before opening their mouths.
A sincere advice to all those who have no idea about us – Would you mind educating yourself a little before speaking out about anything at all? They should know that even in our ‘backward, ignorant Muslim’ schools we are taught that we should not talk about what we know not; or was it just our own ignorant version of common sense? I am sorry if I sound offensive, but I am really offended by the people who can’t mind their own business but go about poking their noses into mine. Did we Muslims invite anybody to stand up and speak up for us?
The simple fact is that WE can speak for ourselves whenever we want and we do so. NO THANKS to Femen or anyone else for standing up as our champions! If they have a body that they can bare, guess what? I have a heart and mind and power of articulate speech. So ENOUGH of oppression in the name of Freedom! We do not need outsiders to speak for us. They better speak for the evils of their own society before claiming to liberate us and telling us how to do so.

Even supposing that there really were some Muslimahs who invited others to speak for them, does it give them the right to insult me so outrageously as to tell me that I am worthless or oppressed as long as I don’t go topless? I had thought that we humans had learnt the art of articulate speech even before modern education? Couldn’t those women raise their voices instead of flashing their breasts? Do they so much believe that the man-world is not ready to hear their ‘speech’? Or do they personally find their own speech so worthless as to not deserve to be heard?

And when some ‘real’ Muslimahs did stand up for themselves, condemning the oppression they faced at the hands of these self-imposed champions, Femen had the arrogance to say that “they knew better”! Really! They know us better than US? What is oppression, if not this? The head of Femen says, ”Why do they have to cover their bodies? This is beginning of the process.” Really! And why do THEY have to bare their breasts? This is the beginning of not only self-imposed oppression, but also lack of common sense if I may say so.

When the ‘real’ Muslimahs posted their own pictures with placards telling Femen that they did not need liberation through nudity, Femen came up with imaginations saying that “no matter what their posters say, their eyes still scream ‘Help me!’” Is this an indirect call to go back and wear our face veils, since apparently our eyes are more than enough for them and they can accurately make out what we feel through our eyes alone? Rather, our eyes are the only things that speak for us, no matter what we write or say alongside the eyes. So maybe we should just shut up and wear our veils?

It is tragically funny how those claiming to make the voices of Muslimahs heard actually start putting their own words in their ‘eyes’ (alongside mouths) as soon as they speak up for themselves. I guess you can see now why you are not able to see Muslimahs speaking for themselves? Because they are suppressed by ignorant people pretending to be sympathizing with them. Because for these champions of ours, a voice is a voice and a feminist is a feminist only as long as they propagate THEIR ideas and not their own.

To Femen, the bunch of self-imposed champions claiming to talk on my behalf, my answer is blunt ‘Shut-Up Femen’! Does it make sense now? I hope you can see now just how much we Muslim women can speak for ourselves? Seriously, can somebody still claim to stand up for us?

Ghareebah is doing her MA in English, a passionate Indian Muslimah, searching for the higher truths.

Report: Day 4 of Tirah Operation

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PKKH Exclusvie |  by Talha Ibraheem

Pak Army has been fighting a severe battle with TTP and LeI militants for the last 4 days. This under-reported newsis being followed closely by PKKH and we mean to present an unbiased true picture of the on-going events.

‘Close Air Support’ is being repeatedly called in by the Pakistan Army as the fighter jets are bombarding Lashkar-e-Islam and TTP hideouts for the 4th consecutive day. Till late Sunday evening, the peak of Tut Sar in Khyber Valley was captured by the security forces amidst heavy casualties. Emerging reports are suggestive that the Akakhel area has been secured from Lashkar-e-Islam militants.

ISPR has released the official death toll of 23 soldiers including commandos of the Pakistan Elite Special Services Group – 3rd Punjab Battalion. According to military spokesmen over 110 militants have also been killed up till now and most of their hide outs have been destroyed.

Military sources have also suggested that Pakistan Army after a fierce onslaught managed to capture key peaks in the Khyber Agency. “Now the soldiers would move downwards and flush the miscreants out of their mountainous dens and hideouts”, he said.

Spanning in both Khyber and Orakzai Agency, Tirah valley is located on the North Western side of Pakistan’s border. Owing to its strategic location, the Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan had decided to move in to establish their writ on key NATO supply routes and outskirts of Peshawar. The security forces were monitoring this situation, and decided to move in after TTP declared an offensive against the local populace which resulted in the forceful eviction of 43000 people.

This on-going operation hints to some basic facts, firstly it smashes the perpetual propaganda by certain sectors that the Pak Army has been abetting the TTP all these years and using Terrorism as its own tool. Secondlyit puts a stamp on the ‘2014 phenomenon’, which meant that the withdrawal of the US/NATO from Afghanistan would produce chaotic scenario in all its allies and agents, whether they are states or non-state actors acting on behalf of them.

Talha Ibrahim nuances in the literary circles are well known. As an avid reader, his discourses ranges from metaphysics to political affairs, under different publications. He can be reached at ahlatibr@gmail.com

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Exclusive Interview of Sofia Ahmad; Campaign against FEMEN,

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PKKH Exclusive|By Ghareebah

Sofia Ahmed is a student of international relations, based in Manchester, UK. Joined by her friends, she led a campaign on the social media against the so called “Topless Jihad Day” organised on April 4th by a Ukraine-based women’s rights group called. In response to the call of Femen to women across the globe to protest topless and revolt against their morals and religion in support of a Tunisian member of their group, Pride Muslimah campaign organised by the Manchester-based group of Muslim students declared the 4th of April as the Pride Muslimah Day; and invited Hijaabi, Niqaabi as well as non-Hijaabi Muslim women from all over the world to give a shut up call to the imperialist agenda disguised by Femen as feminism; and to post pictures of themselves on the social media with messages of solidarity with women who want to cover up, in order to let everyone know that Muslim women are not oppressed and that Hijaab is their right and personal choice and freedom. The aim of the campaign was to reclaim the voice of the Muslim women, which Femen tried to steal; and to let the world know that they are not oppressed and do not need help from outside but are capable of solving their problems by themselves because they were fed up of being told what to do and how to live by the West that continually tried to impose.its own values upon the whole world.

Below is an exclusive interview given by Sofia Ahmad to PKKH.tv, taken by our correspondent Gareebah:

This is Ghareebah from PKKH.tv. We have been closely following your Muslimah Pride Campaign on Facebook and Twitter, which was an effective and loud response to the Topless Havoc created by Femen. It’s amazing how a group of young Muslimahs have made such a strong voice all over the world. My first question would be,

1) What were the elements that urged you to stand up so strongly for this cause against Femen?

We felt the strong need to get our voices heard. FEMEN does not represent Muslim women, yet they were always speaking on our behalf. The racist and Islamophobic way in which the so called ‘plight’ of the Muslim woman was being depicted, demanded that as Muslims we take a stand and let our voices be heard.

2) What exactly would you say are your ideological differences with Femen and particularly with their ‘Topless Campaign’?


We are anti-racist. They perpetuate racist and Islamophobic stereotypes.

We are anti-Imperialist. They are gender imperialists that want to enforce their own norms and values on us.

We are anti-war. They provide war-mongers the ideological foregrounding that  they need in order to carry on with the perpetual state of warfare against Muslim countries.

We are feminists that understand the need for an inter-sectional approach to Feminism. They, on the other hand, are Western feminists that hold true to the idea that the West knows best and that their feminism is the right feminism and can be applied universally.

3) When Femen is liberating you and standing up for you and your rights, don’t you think you must be grateful? Because after all, the Eastern woman does need a little liberty?

Femen are doing anything but liberating us. They are doing the opposite. Their tactics are further demonising and ‘othering’ muslim women. The rhetoric and imagery that they use is Islamophobic and racist and is feeding the hostility towards Muslim women in the West. In the UK, the rise in anti-Muslim attacks is shocking, ; recent statistics show that the majority of the victims of violent attacks are women who openly identify as Muslim by wearing the Hijaab or Nikaab. FEMEN’S campaign will only work towards perpetuating this problem.

4) Why does it offend you so much, ; can you not let them do their thing, for those women who might be in need of their help?


They are not actually doing anything to help. Stripping down naked in Western countries is not going to change anything for Muslim women in Muslim countries. If they want to help Muslim women, they can start by getting Western governments to stop waging aggressive wars against Muslim countries, they can lobby their governments and stop them from supporting and propping up corrupt and misogynistic regimes such as Saudi Arabia. They can get their countries to stop providing monetary and military aid to Israel which systematically oppresses Muslim women every day. Taking their tops off in Paris isn’t helping anyone.

5) What would you suggest as an alternative way to liberate and empower oppressed women of the Muslim society?


Liberation needs to come from within. Muslim women are not ’slaves’ as FEMEN like to depict them. They are aware of the patriarchy and misogyny that exists in their societies and are capable of fighting against it. Many countries across the Muslim world have their own feminist movements that have come out against FEMEN and have suggested that their actions are hindering progress.
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6) Feman says that ”no matter what you write on your posters, your eyes speak for you and scream for help!” What do you have to say for this?


We say, take a look again at our campaign placards and posters. These are images of strong, beautiful, empowered women taking a stand for what they believe in. The idea that Femen still refuses to believe that we, as Muslim women, are able to voice our own opinions, despite such a widespread campaign, just further goes to show how narrow minded their “feminist” agenda really is.

7) What do Freedom and Liberty literally mean according to you?
That’s such a big question, and it could be answered in many different ways. As Muslim women, of course for us the first thing that comes to mind is our religion. We know that patriarchy and white supremacy is not going to be dismantled overnight, but regardless of the systems in place, we know  that our worth comes from following the Deen and our relationship with God. As long as that comes first, we feel confident in all we do. That is where Femen have got it wrong- they are trying to take away something from us that is very precious. To us, that is not liberty at all.

8) What do you think “Morals” have to do with a basic human life? Do you consider Muslim morals to be superior to Western morals and why?
It is interesting that this question has been phrased creating a dichotomous relationship between the Muslims and the West. In fact, the movement itself began by Muslims who were born and brought up in the West. Does this not show that there can be a synonymous relationship between the two?
Morals play a fundamental role in human life, it shapes everything we do and every decision we make. Ultimately, morals stem from religion, so that is not to say that Muslim morals are superior to others and essentially they all have roots in the same place.

9) Are you not by your actions trying to delimit the Muslim woman from being a part of the global human society?
We think our actions are actually encouraging Muslim women across the globe to participate in a wider society by encouraging them to ensure that their voices are heard. Since the start of this campaign, we have had support and involvement from women all across the globe. This speaks volumes in showing how active Muslim women are when it comes to speaking for themselves. We do not need to be told how, or in which way, or how we have to be dressed, in order to participate in this global society.

10) How do you think women can be powerful in spite of their “limits”?
Limits are placed on Muslim women, not by religion, but by patriarchy. We can be powerful by fighting these limits with the bonds of sisterhood and brotherhood, and by fighting cultural imperialism and by coming to a mutual understanding. A woman imposing her ideas on how another woman should be “free” is just as negative in its impact  as a man forcing his misogynistic limitations on a woman.

11) Don’t you think Muslims by themselves played an important role by avoiding such norms and abondoning them??
There has to be more done to take a stand against Femen’s brand of colonial “feminism.” It’s great that Muslim women have started to speak up more against it, and the reception – negative and positive – to this campaign, demonstrates just what an impact we can have on how people see us. THis isn’t the end, though. If we want to bust stereotypes for good, and create an intersectional feminism, then we still have a lot of work to do. This is not the end of our plans.
12) What is your message for FEMEN and the  Liberals and Secualrs amongst Muslims?
How would you describe a “liberal” Muslim, though? Again, this phrase is reflective of a dichotomy that doesn’t seem to allow for an inter-sectional approach to progression and feminism. Our message to FEMEN remains the same: we do not need to be saved or liberated by a feminist group which is extremely narrow minded in its scope and does not allow for cultural sensitivity. We have a mind and a voice and we do not need to strip to nudity in order to get that voice across. We, as Muslim women, will speak for ourselves, thank you very much.

Ghareebah is doing her MA in English, a passionate Indian Muslimah, searching for the higher truths.

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