BEIJING, May 23 (APP): The on-going visit of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to Pakistan will further add impetus to the relationship between the two countries as spokesman foreign ministry here Thursday declared the bond of relations as “unbreakable”. The visit speaks that China Pakistan relations is “unbreakable”, spokesman Hong Lei said and asserted that friendship between the two countries withstood the test of time and risen above the changes of the times. Hong Lei expressed these views, while responding to a question at  regular press conference on Premier Li visits to India and Pakistan.

Chinese premier who is on his first overseas visit since assuming  the office in March this year arrived Islamabad Wednesday on second leg of his4-nation May 19-27 visit that will also take him to Switzerland and Germany.

Hong said as the visit is till on-going, on Wednesday, the first day on arrival from India, as Premier Li engagements, we observed that China, Pakistan all weather friendship is of great significance.

China, Hong said will always give priority to its relations with Pakistan in its diplomacy.

He further said that China is ready to work together with Paksitan topromote their common development.

There is need to further strengthen our strategic communication andcoordination to maintain high level interactions so as to enhance the promotionof our relations, he said.

He pointed out that that we should charter the course for future development so as to promote our cooperation in connectivity and maritime affairs.

He said it has been proposed that Chinese companies would be encouraged totake part in infrastructure development in Pakistan.

It has also been proposed to deepen people to people exchanges so as togarner more public support for our relations.

It has further proposed that to strengthen China, Pakistan cooperation ininternational and regional affairs so as to maintain the common interest of thedeveloping countries.

Hong said that that Chian respects Pakistan’s choice of own development path.

China will continue to support Pakistan efforts in maintaining independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He said that China is ready to offer assistance to Pakistan within itsavailable resources and ability.

Hong said that President Asif Ali Zardari spoke high by saying that Chinais a true partner and friend of Pakistan.

The Pakistani side  sincerely appreciates China’s sincere and selfless helpto Pakistan.

Pakistan is ready to seize the opportunity brought by China’s faster growthand is ready to work with China to comprehensively deepen their cooperation,deliver benefits to the two peoples and contribute to peace, stability and development of the region and world at large.

With regard to visit to India, Hong informed that Premier Li Keqiang saidthat both China and India are major civilizations, developing and emerging marketeconomies.

China, India cooperation has gone far beyond their bilateral relations, headded.

Source: APP

by Ambreen Aijaz

Rohingya, perhaps, are well defined as the world’s least wanted community! The facts we may ignore, but the spillover will have an effect, if preventive measures will not be taken for reason to prevail!

If you mention the Rohingya to someone these days, you’ll get either of the two responses;

“It’s nothing; those photos circulated on Facebook were all fake.”

Or,

“There must be some violence happening in Burma but media, particularly Social media, is exaggerating.”
It’s high time to set the record straight about Burma and its Muslim community.

The Rohingya people are originally from Rakhine, Burma. Their majority, i.e., 800,000, lives in Burma. According to the United Nations, they are one of the most persecuted minorities of the world.

Although the hardships of the Rohingya started back in 1785, with the Burmese conquest of Arakan, it was the 2012 Rakhine state riots that drew the attention of international media towards the miserable condition of the Rohingyas. Since then, the United Nations have been very active about the issue. However, this goes without saying that their activism is just restricted to publishing reports, resulting in a frustration, in the Muslim community in particular, around the globe

2012 Rakhine State Riots:

On the evening of 28^th May, 2012, a group of men raped & murdered ethnic Rakhine women. Locals claimed those men to be Rohingya Muslims. But the arrest and imprisonment of the suspects of rape didn’t stop the violent Rakhine from attacking Rohingya Muslims. 300 men attacked a bus, on the 2^nd of June in Taungup, and killed ten Muslims. In reaction, Muslims protested and out of the 300 attackers, only 30 were arrested, ; but it was already too late, riots already were spreading like a fire by then.

On the 8^th of June, a large mob burned several houses in Bohmu village. Telephone lines were damaged. Five people had been killed in just one day. Even on the 9^th of June, when military had arrived to maintain law and order, riots continued unabated. And on the 10^th of June, despite the army’s history of torturing and killing the people in the region, the government instigated the martial law and handed over administrative control of the area to the military. Later, the Rohingyas who managed to escape and migrated to Bangladesh claimed that the police and army, back in Burma, shot down a group of villagers.

Within the first two days of violence, over five thousand people were displaced and by the 14^th of June, this number rose to thirty thousand. During these riots, hundreds of Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh but they were turned down by Bangladeshi authorities, giving the reason that Bangladesh didn’t have the capacity to accommodate the refugees. To date, at least 15 boats and 1500 refugees had been turned back by Bangladesh. Those who took refuge in Thailand met even harsher conditions. Several reports and evidences suggested that the Thai army captured and tortured Rohingyas and later abandoned them at sea. Rohingyas have been rightly described as “among the world’s least wanted communities.”

The June riots ended on the 28^th. Official figures reported 80 deaths and estimated that 90,000 people were displaced. But according to Tun Khin, the President of the Burmese Rohingya Organization UK (BROUK), 650 Rohingyas were killed, 1200 went missing and more than 80,000 were displaced in the June riots.

Confrontation started again in October 2012, at the end of which the number of displaced people crossed 100,000. Muslims of all ethnicities, and not just Rohingyas, were targeted during the riots. Several Muslim groups didn’t even celebrate Eid-ul-Azha out of fear of violence.

Fundamental Rights Denied:

Physical violence and displacement is not the only problem the Rohingya are facing. They have been denied citizenship rights, because the Burmese government considers them immigrants despite several historians’ arguments that the group dates back centuries.

The majority of Rohingyas do not have the right to own land or grow food on farmland. They cannot move freely in the state and even if and when they are allowed, it’s with many limitations. They need an official permit even to travel to the next town. Rohingyas have to work one day on military or government projects and one night on sentry duty, whereas Burmese Buddhists of the area are exempted from such duties. The strangest psychological torture on the Rohingyas is that they require an official permission to get married, which can only be acquired after giving a bribe to the officials, and it takes two years to get the permission. The Rohingyas are also often subjected to torture and sexual abuse by the army. And all the officials and soldiers who commit these crimes gets away with it all, because of some special laws, that give them privileges that ultimately result in immunity.

Indifference of International Community:

It’s the indifference of the international community towards the whole situation that has affected the Rohingyas the most. The most recent development in this regard is the EU’s decision of lifting sanctions on Myanmar, despite the government’s inability to stop ethnic violence against the Rohingya.
The world has turned a blind eye to repeated cries of human rights activists about the deplorable condition of the Rohingyas.

“There has been no appreciable change in the human rights situation in Myanmar since the elections,” Benjamin Zawacki, Amnesty International’s Myanmar researcher, told a news organization back in May, 2011, six months after Myanmar held it’s first general elections in 20 years.

Despite UN’s Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana’s repeated suggestions to the government of Burma to investigate the 2012 Rakhine state riots and to speed up the process of reform, not much progress has been observed and the International community is turning a deaf ear and a blind eye towards the situation. It is an Irony, that a killer and lone insane, on the loose in Britain, is taken as a severe threat to the international community, but beasts, on the hunt of innocent Muslims of Rohingya are treated as pets to accomplish the task. The difference is evident with the visits of Obama to Burma and the privileges that the Burmese are now receiving from the international community. It is time for the sane minds of humanity, that in order to give reason a voice, they must fight for the rights of the oppressed community of the Rohingya.

Ambreen is a psychologist in making, and research associate with PKKH. She tweets @proudpakistanii .

by Aneela Shahzad

On March 15th, India’s premier threatened that his country is capable of making a “big bomb” that would be used to defend the country, and threatened Pakistan to concede Azad Kashmir over to it as well.

Date: May 28; Year: 1998; Location: Raskoh, Chaghi, Balochistan.

Pakistanis around the country witness the first successful Nuclear Test, with loud chanting of ‘Allah hu Akbar’, on their TV screens; many joined in the chant, many bowed their heads in thankfulness unto their Allah. ‘Allah is the greatest’, this is the ‘Takbeer’ recited by Muslims around the world; and through the Chaghi tests, Allah has placed the crown of being a Nuclear Armed State on the prideful forehead of Pakistan, and has put terror in the hearts of Pakistan’s enemies, on this day. And with the name of Allah and His Takbeer, do the Muslims take every step on the ladder of their progress; thus, Yom e Takbeer!

The story of a nuclear world starts with the records of the United States’ ambitious Manhattan Project, initiated in 1939, to outrun Germany’s plans to create such an arsenal, the year WWII began. By the very end of World War II, in August 1945, when victory was already tilted towards the United States, and Japan had been defeated on all fronts; the US made the Potsdam Declaration on 26th July, and without due justification, exploded the population of millions with its 2 nuclear bombs on the 6th and 9th of August; an exemplar of barbarism that was to change the course of the military history of the future.

World War II ended in 1945, with a worldwide devastation, numbering to about 75 million fatalities; but mankind was not going to revert from its game of terror and bloodshed, it was going to run faster in the race of weapons and connivance. In 1945, a man, from the Project Manhattan, returned to his home, India; his name was P. S. Gill; India had pursued the nuclear capability right from its inception.

After the partition, Nehru appointed P. S. Gill as the officer on a special duty, for the Indian Nuclear Project, in 1954. P. S. Gill, who had earned a rich experience from the infamous Manhattan project, became the first Godfather of the Indian Nuclear Weapon Design and Production Project. He remained the key player and advisor to Nehru, in the 1950s and 1960s, for India’s Nuclear Weapon Project.

In the year 1968, India refused to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

By 1971, India had had 3 major wars with Pakistan, one major war with China, and several intrusions with its other neighbors; one of which resulted in inflicting its neighbor Pakistan, by a proxy “Mukti Vahini” and its forces, who later were able to cut off East Pakistan, making and naming it “Bangladesh”. This was the most serious blow to Pakistan after the Kashmir war of 1948 and the war of 1965. This was the time when Pakistan started thinking about its defence against a covetous enemy, never resting from its ambition to break and destroy Pakistan, and this is the time when the nuclear option was put on the table for the first time, to keep India at bay.

Pakistan put its feet in the nuclear weapon technology in 1972, under the then PM Z. A. Bhutto. Zulifqar Ali Bhutto had said:

“If India builds a bomb, we will eat grass and leaves for a thousand years, even go hungry, but we will get one of our own. The Christians have the bomb, the Jews have the bomb and now the Hindus have the bomb. Why not the Muslims, too, have the bomb? “

In the year 1974, India conducted its first nuclear weapon test, under Indira Gandhi. The strategic balance was changed in the region, and India was emerging as an even more powerful threat for a nation like Pakistan and the whole region. In 1994, June 3^rd, India tested its Prithvi medium-range missile. This was a warning of India’s development in short range missiles, which could carry warheads to Pakistan’s cities.

Until 1997, though it had practically put pressure on Pakistan at every possible front, India had never stated, on the diplomatic level, that its missile technology will be used against Pakistan.

June 1997, India moved its missiles near the Pakistani border.

In May, 11th to 13th, 1998, at Pokhran, Rajasthan; India, under PM Vajpayee of BJP (Hindu nationalist-dominated party), conducts underground nuclear weapon tests.

This turned the long-managed balance by Pakistan, even after the 1971 and 1974 events, in favor of India. India, on the other hand, keeping aside all diplomatic norms, started threatening Pakistan.

On March 15^th, India’s premier threatened that his country is capable of making a “big bomb” that would be used to defend the country, and threatened Pakistan to concede Azad Kashmir over to it as well.

On March 18^th, after the explosions, the Home Minister, L.K. Advani, called on Pakistan to “realize the change in the geo-strategic situation in the region”, and warned its government against trying to intensify a separatist Muslim insurgency in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir.

Pakistan was being struck, not only with a threat to its sovereignty, and a threat of an all-out nuclear bombing of its civilian populace; but with a threat of a permanent diplomatic hegemony of an utterly unreasonable neighbor, an unsafe future for its generations and a passive position in regional affairs. Pakistan was cornered, it was time to react, it was time to strike the enemy and win back the moral uprightness of the people of the nation.

It was the right time to bounce back, the World community had not condemned or stopped India from conducting these tests; Pakistan had a choice to either present its plea to the United Nation’s ever-indecisive courts, or conduct its own tests and stand tall in the community of nations. Pakistan’s nuclear tests, perhaps, were a symbol for all the weak ones across the globe, and in particular the Muslims world, who were all the more eager and enthusiastic for the decision of Pakistan to conduct its nuclear tests.

Pakistan was under the premiership of M. Nawaz Shareef at that time. He was under immense pressure, threats, and luring offers from the West to the East; only a few stood by Pakistan at that time, he had to take the decision, and the decision he took!!

On March 19th, Nawaz Sharif, in a nationally broadcasted speech, said: “You must have heard today that they are discussing their aggressive designs toward Kashmir. By the grace of God, we are prepared for any trial, and the whole world knows that Pakistan has the ability to defend itself.”

At last, that sacred moment came, when Pakistan arose to new heights, showing defiance in the face of tyranny, in a world ruled by tyrants! At last, Pakistan bounced back, and bounced back hard!!

On May 28^th, 1998, at Raskoh, Chaghi, Balochistan; Pakistan announced that it had successfully conducted five nuclear tests. These tests pridefully established Pakistan as a capable nuclear power of the world; Pakistan is the sole nuclear power in the entire Muslim Ummah. This day has been celebrated as Yom e Takbeer.

Questions are often raised around the world upon Pakistan and its nuclear program. Being a sovereign nation, it is in Pakistan’s prime national interest to keep this arsenal ready. But Pakistan’s peaceful ambitions, and its right to defense and deterrence over its stubborn opponents, is portrayed negatively in world mainstream media and political fronts. Many have tried to have Pakistan declared a ‘terrorist state’ and that their nuclear arsenals are in ‘un-safe hands’. Many, who are friends of India, instigate and finance terror into Pakistan, and after that, put all their stakes in maligning Pakistan’s image in the global community, making it difficult for Pakistan to progress economically and reach out to more in way of friendship and cooperation.

Perhaps the real questions are not those raised by others, perhaps the real questions are the ones every Pakistani needs to ask himself; is Pakistan a war-mongering nation? Does Pakistan have hegemonic ambitions over its regional neighbors? These questions have become a necessity as being subject to mainstream media; the Pakistani has been demoralized and cornered into a depressed, sadist state.

And the answer to this question lies in digging into some more questions; would we be safer without the nuclear bomb? Has Pakistan ever attacked or tried to occupy an inch of soil of any of its neighbors? Look around you, does the world give to beggars or is ‘might the right’ in this ever-competitive world? Are economic sanctions and more aid to be sought or are self-dignity, freedom and respect in the global village to be sought?

The Nuclear Sword of Pakistan, along with its brave Army and its resilient populace, was a necessity and is a source of pride and power for Pakistan and its friends. It is fit to give this message to India on the Yom e Takbeer:

“Don’t worry, India! We will not strike first, because we are not warmongers but peaceful people; but if you strike, we will not waste a wink of an eye to strike back”.

May Allah be the savior of Pakistan and protector of its people.

Pakistan Zindabad! Islam Paindabad!

Aneela Shahzad is an editor at PKKH.tv and can be contacted via info@pakistankakhudahafiz.com,  and you can also find her at Aneela Shahzad’s Blog.

مورخہ: 28 مئی؛ سنہ: 1198ء؛ مقام: راسکوہ، چاغی، بلوچستان۔

‘اللہ اکبر’ کے بلند وبالا نعروں کے ساتھ ملک بھر میں پاکستانی ٹی وی کے پردوں پر پہلے کامیاب جوہری تجربہ کا مشاہدہ کرتے ہیں؛ بیشتر ان نعروں میں شامل ہو جاتے ہیں، اور دیگر شکر وامتنان کے جذبات کے ساتھ اپنے اللہ کے سامنے سروں کو خم کر دیتے ہیں۔ ‘اللہ سب سے بڑا ہے’، یہی مسلمانوں کی زبانوں کو تر، دماغوں کو معطر اور دلوں کو جرات وحوصلہ سے معمور کر دینے والی تکبیر ہے؛ آج کے دن چاغی کے ان تجربوں کے ذریعہ اللہ نے پاکستان کی جبینِ افتخار پر جوہری ہتھیاروں سے مسلح ریاست ہونے کا تاج رکھ کر اس کے دشمنوں کے دلوں پر اس کا رعب ودبدبہ قائم کر دیا۔ مسلمان اللہ کے نام سے، اللہ کی ہی تکبیر سے حوصلہ پا کر کامیابی وترقی کی ہر سیڑھی پر پیش رفت کرتے ہیں، چنانچہ، آج کا دن یومِ تکبیر قرار پایا!

دوسری عالمی جنگ کے آغاز کے ساتھ ہی جرمنی کے جوہری اثاثوں کا مالک بننے کے منصوبے کا مقابلہ کرنے کے مقصد سے ولایت ہائے متحدہ کے جارحانہ عزائم پر مبنی منصوبہء مانہاٹن کے ساتھ جوہری دنیا کی کہانی سنہ 1939ء میں شروع ہوتی ہے۔ اگست سنہ 1945ء میں دوسری عالمی جنگ کے اختتام سے پہلے ہی ولایت ہائے متحدہ کی فتح کا سورج طلوع ہونے لگا تھا اور جاپان کو تمام محاذوں پر شکست ہونے لگی تھی، تبھی ولایت ہائے متحدہ نے 26 جولائی کو پوٹسڈام اعلانیہ کے ساتھ اور کسی بھی جواز کے بغیر 6 اور 9 اگست کو دو جوہری بموں کے ذریعہ

کروڑوں کی آبادی کو بھیانک ترین دھماکوں سے بھسم کر کے بربریت کی وہ مثال قائم کی جس نے مستقبل کی عسکری تاریخ کو بدل کر رکھ دیا۔

دوسری عالمی جنگ سنہ 1945ء میں سات کروڑ پچاس لاکھ ہلاکتوں اور عالمی سطح پر تباہی کے ساتھ اپنے اختتام کو پہنچی، لیکن حضرت انسان دہشت اور قتل وغارت گری کے اس کھیل سے الٹے پاؤں واپس ہونے کے بجائے ہتھیاروں اور شر انگیزی کی اس دوڑ میں مزید رفتار پکڑنے والے تھے۔ سنہ 1945ء میں منصوبہء مانہاٹن کے شرکاء میں سے پی ایس گل نامی ایک شخص اپنے وطن ہندوستان لوٹا، اور ہندوستان اپنی ولادت کے ساتھ ہی جوہری صلاحیت کے حصول کی دوڑ میں شامل ہو گیا۔

تقسیمِ ہند کے بعد سنہ 1954ء میں نہرو نے ہندوستانی جوہری منصوبہ کے لئے خصوصی فرائض پر مامور عہدیدار کے طور پر پی ایس گل کی تعیین کی۔ پی ایس گل، جو بدنامِ زمانہ منصوبہء مانہاٹن کے ذریعہ ٹھوس تجربہ حاصل کر چکے تھے، جوہری ہتھیاروں کے ڈیزائن اور پیداوار کے ہندوستانی منصوبہ کے پہلے گاڈ فادر بن گئے۔ آپ سنہ 40ء اور سنہ 50ء کی دہائیوں میں ہندوستانی جوہری منصوبہ میں کلیدی اہمیت کی حامل شخصیت اور نہرو کے مشیرِ خاص رہے۔

سنہ 1968ء میں ہندوستان نے جوہری عدمِ انتشار کے معاہدہ پر دستخط کرنے سے انکار کر دیا۔

ہندوستان سنہ 1971ء تک پاکستان کے ساتھ تین اور چین کے ساتھ ایک بڑی جنگ کے علاوہ دیگر پڑوسی ممالک کی حدود میں گھسنے کے متعدد واقعات میں ملوث رہ چکا تھا، جن میں سے ایک جنگ میں اس نے اپنے ہمسایہ پاکستان پر اپنی تربیت یافتہ ‘مکتی واہنی’ اور اپنی فوجوں کو مسلط کیا جو مشرقی پاکستان کو علیحدہ کر کے بنگلہ دیش کا نام دینے میں کامیاب ہو گئیں۔ سنہ 1948ء کی جنگِ کشمیر اور سنہ 1965ء کی جنگ کے بعد یہ پاکستان کے لئے سب سے کاری ضرب تھی۔ یہی وہ وقت تھا جب پاکستان نے جارحانہ عزائم رکھنے والے اس دشمن سے اپنے تحفظ کے بارے میں سوچنا شروع کیا جو پاکستان کو تباہ برباد کرنے کے اپنے مقصد کی تکمیل کی راہ میں آرام وسکون تیاگ بیٹھا تھا، یہی وقت تھا جب ہندوستان کو باز رکھنے کے مقصد سے جوہری منصوبہ کو پہلی مرتبہ زیرِ بحث لایا گیا۔

پاکستان نے جوہری ہتھیاروں کی ٹیکنالوجی میں پہلا قدم وزیرِ اعظم ذو الفقار علی بھٹو کے زیرِ قیادت سنہ 1972ء میں رکھا۔ ذو الفقار علی بھٹو صاحب نے کہا تھا:

“اگر ہندوستان بم بناتا ہے، تو ہم ہزاروں سال تک گھاس اور پتے کھا کر اور فاقے کر کے بھی اپنا بم بنائیں گے۔ مسیحیوں کے پاس بم ہے، یہودیوں کے پاس بم ہے، اور اب ہندوؤں کے پاس بھی بم ہے۔ تو پھر مسلمانوں کے پاس بم کیوں نہ ہو؟”

سنہ 1974ء میں ہندوستان نے اندرا گاندھی کے زیرِ قیادت اپنا پہلا جوہری تجربہ کیا۔ خطہ میں سٹریٹجک توازن بدل چکا تھا، اور ہندوستان نہ صرف پاکستان جیسے ملک بلکہ پورے خطہ کے لئے ایک طاقتور خطرہ کی شکل میں ابھر رہا تھا۔ 3 جون سنہ 1994ء کو ہندوستان نے درمیانی رینج رکھنے والے پرتھوی میزائل کا تجربہ کیا۔ یہ پاکستانی شہروں کے اندر ہتھیار لے جانے کی صلاحیت رکھنے والے اوسط رینج کے میزائلوں کے سلسلہ میں ہندوستان کی ترقی کا انتباہ تھا۔

سنہ 1997ء تک ہندوستان اگرچہ عملاً ہر ممکن محاذ پر پاکستان پر دباؤ ڈالتا رہا تھا، پھر بھی اس نے سفارتی سطح پر یہ کبھی نہیں کہا کہ اس کی میزائل ٹیکنالوجی پاکستان کے خلاف استعمال ہو گی۔

جون سنہ 1997ء میں ہندوستان نے اپنے میزائل پاکستانی سرحدوں کے قریب منتقل کر دئے۔

11 سے 13 مئی سنہ 1998ء تک راجستھان کے پوکھرن علاقہ میں ہندوستان نے ہندو قوم پرست اکثریتی سیاسی جماعت بی جے پی سے تعلق رکھنے والے وزیرِ اعظم اے بی واجپائی کی زیرِ قیادت زیرِ زمین جوہری تجربہ کیا۔

اس واقعہ نے سنہ 1971ء اور 1974ء کے واقعات کے باوجود پاکستان کی طرف سے کافی عرصہ تک برقرار رکھے گئے توازن کو پھر سے ہندوستان کے حق میں کر دیا۔ دوسری طرف ہندوستان نے تمام سفارتی معیاروں کو نظر انداز کرتے ہوئے پاکستان کو دھمکیاں دینا شروع کر دیا۔

15 مارچ کو ہندوستانی وزیرِ اعظم نے دھمکی دی کہ ان کا ملک ایک ‘بڑا بم’ بنانے کی صلاحیت رکھتا ہے جو ملک کے دفاع کے لئے استعمال ہو گا، نیز آزاد کشمیر پر قبضہ کرنے کی دھمکی بھی دے دی۔

ان دھماکوں کے بعد 18 مارچ کو وزیرِ داخلہ ایل کے ایڈوانی نے پاکستان کو ‘خطہ کی سٹریٹجک صورتِ حال میں آنے والی تبدیلی کو سمجھنے’ کی دعوت دی، اور ہندوستان کے مقبوضہ کشمیر میں کسی علیحدگی پسند مسلمان بغاوت کو ہوا دینے کی کوششوں سے پاکستانی حکومت کو خبردار کیا۔

یہ نہ صرف پاکستان کی خود مختاری پر حملہ اور اس کی عام شہری آبادی پر جوہری بمباری کا خطرہ تھا، بلکہ ایک نا معقول پڑوسی کے مستقل قبضہ اور اپنی آئندہ نسلوں کے لئے ایک غیر محفوظ مستقبل نیز پاکستان کے لئے علاقائی معاملات میں ایک غیر فعال پوزیشن کا بھی خطرہ تھا۔ پاکستان گھِر چکا تھا، چنانچہ یہ ردِ عمل کے اظہار کا وقت تھا، دشمن پر جوابی حملہ کر کے قوم کے مورال اور حوصلہ کو پھر سے جِلا دینے کا وقت تھا۔

یہ اپنی واپسی درج کرنے کا مناسب موقع تھا، عالمی برادری نے نہ تو ہندوستان کی مذمت کی تھی نہ ہی اس کو ان تجربوں سے روکنے کی کوشش کی تھی۔ پاکستان کے سامنے یا تو اقوامِ متحدہ کی فیصلے کرنے کی قابلیت سے عاری عدالتوں میں درخواست پیش کرنے کا راستہ تھا، یا پھر وہ خود ایسے تجربے کر کے عالمی برادری میں سربلند ہو سکتا تھا۔ پاکستان کے جوہری تجربے شاید کرہء ارض کے تمام کمزوروں اور خاص طور پر مسلم دنیا کے لئے ایک علامت کی حیثیت رکھتے تھے، جو پاکستان کے جوہری تجربوں پر عمل در آمد کرنے کے فیصلہ کے بے چینی سے منتظر اور اس کے بہت خواہشمند تھے۔

اس وقت پاکستان وزیرِ اعظم نواز شریف کے زیرِ قیادت تھا۔ آپ کو سخت دباؤ اور دھمکیوں کے علاوہ مشرق سے مغرب تک چکاچوند کر دینے والی پیشکشوں کا سامنا تھا؛ پاکستان کا ساتھ دینے والے بس چند گنے چنے ہی تھے، وزیرِ اعظم کو فیصلہ کرنا تھا، اور انہوں نے فیصلہ کر لیا!

19 مارچ کو وزیرِ اعظم نواز شریف نے قومی سطح پر نشر کی جانے والی ایک تقریر میں کہا: “آج آپ نے سنا ہو گا کہ وہ کشمیر کے حوالہ سے اپنے جارحانہ عزائم پر گفتگو کر رہے ہیں۔ اللہ کے فضل وکرم سے ہم ہر قسم کی آزمائش کے لئے تیار ہیں، اور تمام دنیا جانتی ہے کہ پاکستان اپنا دفاع کرنے کی صلاحیت رکھتا ہے۔”

آخر کار وہ مقدس لمحہ آ ہی گیا جب پاکستان نے نئی بلندیوں کو چھوا، ایک ایسی دنیا میں ظلم وجبر کے سامنے سرکشی کا اعلان کیا جہاں ظالموں کا ہی راج اور ظلم کا ہی دور دورہ ہے! آخر کار پاکستان واپس آ گیا، اور بڑی آن بان سے واپس آیا!

28 مئی سنہ 1998ء کو پاکستان نے بلوچستان کے راسکوہ چاغی علاقہ میں پانچ کامیاب جوہری تجربے کرنے کا اعلان کیا۔ ان تجربوں نے پاکستان کو فخریہ طور پر عالمی سطح کی ایک باصلاحیت جوہری طاقت کی حیثیت سے متعارف کرایا۔ پاکستان مسلم امت کی واحد جوہری طاقت ہے۔ اس دن کو یومِ تکبیر کے طور پر منایا جاتا ہے۔

پاکستان اور اس کے جوہری منصوبہ کے حوالے سے باہر کی دنیا میں اکثر سوالات اٹھتے رہتے ہیں۔ ایک خود مختار ملک ہونے کے ناطے پاکستان کے لئے ان اثاثوں کو ہمہ وقت تیار رکھنا اس کے قومی مفاد کے لئے انتہائی اہمیت کا حامل ہے۔ لیکن پاکستان کے پُر امن عزائم، اور اس کے ذاتی دفاع اور ضدی اور ہٹ دھرم دشمن کو باز رکھنے کے حق کو عالمی ذرائعِ ابلاغ اور سیاسی محاذوں پر منفی طور پر پیش کیا جاتا ہے۔ پاکستان کو ایک دہشت گرد ملک نیز اس کے جوہری اثاثوں کو غیر محفوظ ہاتھوں میں قرار دینے کی کوششیں بارہا کی گئیں۔ ہندوستان کے حلیف ممالک پاکستان میں دہشت گردی کو ہوا دینے اور اس کی مالی امداد کرنے کے بعد عالمی برادری میں پاکستان کی ساکھ کو خراب کرنے میں سارا زور صرف کر کے پاکستان کی اقتصادی ترقی نیز دوستی اور تعاون کے حصول کی راہ میں حائل ہو گئے اور پاکستان کی مشکلات میں اضافہ کیا۔

اصل اور اہم سوالات شاید وہ نہیں جو دوسروں نے اٹھائے ہیں۔ اہم ترین سوالات تو وہ ہیں جو ہر پاکستانی کو اپنے آپ سے پوچھنے چاہئیں۔ کیا پاکستان ایک جھگڑالو ملک ہے؟ کیا پاکستان اپنے علاقائی ہمسایوں کے ممالک پر قبضہ کی خواہش یا جارحانہ عزائم رکھتا ہے؟ مرکزی دھارے میں شامل ذرائعِ ابلاغ کا موضوع ہونے کی وجہ سے یہ سوالات ایک ضرورت بن چکے ہیں، پاکستان کو گھیرنے کی کوششوں نے پاکستانیوں کو شکستہ، اداس اور خود اذیتی کا شکار کر کے ان کا مورال توڑ دیا ہے۔

اس سوال کا جواب چند مزید سوالات کو کریدنے کا متقاضی ہے۔ کیا ہم جوہری بموں کے بغیر زیادہ محفوظ ہوں گے؟ کیا پاکستان نے کبھی کسی ملک پر حملہ کیا یا ہمسایہ ممالک میں سے کسی کی مٹی کی ایک انچ پر بھی قبضہ کیا؟ اپنے ارد گرد دیکھئے، کیا دنیا بھکاریوں کو دیتی ہے یا مقابلہ پر مبنی اس دنیا میں جس کی لاٹھی ہے اسی کی بھینس بھی ہوتی ہے؟ کیا ہمارا مقصد اقتصادی پابندیوں سے بچنا اور امداد کا حصول ہونا چاہئے یا ہمیں عالمی برادری میں عزت واحترام، آزادی اور اپنے وقار کے تحفظ کا خواہاں ہونا چاہئے؟

پاکستان کی جوہری تلوار، ہماری بہادر افواج اور حوصلہ مند ثابت قدم عوام کے ساتھ ایک ضرورت تھی اور پاکستان اور اس کے حلیفوں کے لئے فخر اور طاقت کا باعث ہے۔ یومِ تکبیر کے موقع پر ہندوستان کو یہ پیغام دینا مناسب ہے کہ:

“فکر مت کرو، ہندوستان! ہم حملہ میں پہل نہیں کریں گے، کیونکہ ہم جھگڑالو نہیں بلکہ امن پسند لوگ ہیں، لیکن اگر تم حملہ کرو گے تو ہم جوابی کارروائی کرنے میں پلک جھپکنے کی بھی دیر نہیں کریں گے۔”

اللہ پاکستان کا حامی وناصر اور اس کی عوام کا محافظ ہو!

پاکستان زندہ باد! اسلام پائندہ باد!

Written by Aneela Shahzad and Translated by Ghreebah

by Atiq Durrani

The science of atomic radiation, atomic change and nuclear fission was developed between the period from 1895 to 1945, much of it in the last six of those years. From 1939 to 1945, most of the development in this field was focused on the atomic bomb; but from 1945, attention was given to hardening this energy in a controlled fashion for naval propulsion and for making electricity. Since 1956, the prime focus has been on the technological evolution of reliable nuclear power plants.

In the new century, several factors have combined to revive the prospects for nuclear power. The first is the realization of the scale of the projected increased electricity demand worldwide, but particularly, in rapidly-developing countries. The second is the awareness of the importance of energy security, and the third is the need to limit carbon emissions due to concerns about global warming.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Nuclear Technology

The biggest advantage of nuclear power is the discoveries made in the field of nuclear medicine, such as CAT scan, cancer therapy and MRI machines. Nuclear power has become more useful in the past century with the inventions of nuclear weapons. Nations have become more powerful and safe with the invention of (A) atomic bombs, (H) hydrogen bombs and other weapons of mass destruction. Nuclear weapons are obtained by those nations that feel threatened by enemies, so that they can rely on the nuclear weapons to protect themselves from the enemy.

Nuclear Weapons have many disadvantages as well. These weapons are considered to be immoral and highly dangerous. A single weapon is capable of destroying a whole city. The use of these weapons can lead to a world crisis, as when a bomb will explode, the lives of millions of people will be affected and those close to the explosion are vaporized in a split second. In history, nuclear weapons have been used twice, both during the closing events of the Second World War. The first one was dropped on Hiroshima and the second was dropped three days later on Nagasaki. Nuclear weapons are very expensive to manufacture, even though the uranium is accessible.

History of Pakistan’s Nuclear Technology

Pakistan’s first nuclear reactor was established with the help of the US, in 1965, during the regime of President Ayub Khan, under the Atoms for Peace program initiated by President Dwight D Eisenhower. At that time, the Nuclear Program of Pakistan was strictly peaceful, and projected to help meet Pakistan’s civilian energy needs under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

In March 1970, the general elections were held in Pakistan under the military government of General Yahya Khan. The electoral results triggered the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan. Meanwhile, the political situation in West Pakistan was further deteriorating, and tensions momentarily grew between East and West Pakistan. A military operation was launched in East Pakistan. India intervened in the conflict as covert operations were led by the Indian intelligence agencies. This was followed by the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971.

This war led to Pakistan losing its Eastern part as well as millions of its citizens to the newly created state of Bangladesh. It was a psychological setback for Pakistan. In this war, Pakistan relied on the assistance from the USA, but they failed to provide any significant assistance to Pakistan. That was the time when Pakistan decided to rely on no one but itself.

A few years later, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto launched a nuclear weapons program in 1974. Pakistan’s nuclear weapons development program was in response to neighboring India’s development of nuclear weapons. After India conducted its first nuclear test, Pakistan decided that it had to acquire nukes as well. Well, it has been that way ever since, and as famously said by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, we are ready to eat grass if required.

Codenamed Project 706, Pakistan’s plan to enrich its own uranium was conceived and led by Munir Ahmed Khan, a brilliant US-trained nuclear and electronics engineer. He was later joined by Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan. Project 706 thus became Kahuta Research Laboratories, where enriched uranium, for Pakistan’s first nuclear weapon, was produced.

The organization in charge is the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), which is headed by a civilian nuclear physicist or engineer. Munir Ahmad Khan was the chairman of PAEC, comprising over twenty laboratories and projects.

Pakistan has, over the years, proposed a number of bilateral or regional non-proliferation steps to India, including:

• A joint Indo-Pakistan declaration, renouncing the acquisition or manufacture of nuclear weapons, in 1978.
• South Asian Nuclear Weapons Free Zone, in 1978.
• Mutual inspections, by India and Pakistan, of each other’s nuclear facilities, in 1979.
• Simultaneous adherence to the NPT by India and Pakistan, in 1979.
• A bilateral or regional nuclear test ban treaty, in 1987.
• A South Asia Zero-Missile Zone, in 1994.

India rejected all of these six proposals.

After the Israeli attack on Iraq’s under-construction nuclear reactor, Tammuz-I, on 7^th June, 1981 in Osirak, India convinced Israel to attack Kahuta, Pakistan in 1982. However, Israel required Indian bases for this and wanted a joint Indo-Israeli operation, whereas India was reluctant to allow them such a facility for fear of sparking another Indo-Pak war.

According to a paper published by the Australian Institute for National Strategic Studies, “Israeli interest in destroying Pakistan’s Kahuta reactor to scuttle the “Islamic bomb” was blocked by India’s refusal to grant landing and refueling rights to Israeli warplanes in 1982.” India wanted to see Kahuta gone, but did not want to face the blame or the retaliation, nor bear any responsibility. Israel, on its part, wanted it to be seen as a joint Indo-Israeli strike, so that responsibility could be shared.

McNair`s paper #41, published by USAF Air University, also confirmed this plan. It said, “Israeli interest in destroying Pakistan`s Kahuta reactor to scuttle the “Islamic bomb” was blocked by India’s refusal to grant landing and refueling rights to Israeli warplanes in 1982.” Clearly, India wanted to see Kahuta gone, but did not want to face retaliation at the hands of the PAF. Israel, on its part, wanted this to be a joint Indo-Israeli strike, to avoid being solely held responsible.

Despite all the threats by the enemies of Pakistan, sanctions by IMF, World Bank and the US as well as the weak economy; Pakistan remained committed to the nuclear program and, finally, on 28^th May, 1998, a few weeks after India’s second nuclear test (Operation Shakti), Pakistan detonated five nuclear devices in the Ras Koh Hills in the Chaghi district, Balochistan and became the 7^th Nuclear Power in the World.

Nuclear Technologies of China, India and Pakistan

India, Israel and Pakistan never joined the NPT and are known to possess nuclear weapons.  India and Israel are believed to use plutonium in their weapons, while Pakistan uses highly enriched uranium. According to the Arms Control Association, today, India has Up to 100 nuclear warheads, Israel has Between 75 to 200 nuclear warheads; and in the case of Pakistan, whose evaluation was done in 2011, it said that Pakistan has the world’s fastest-growing nuclear stockpile, estimating that Pakistan has 90-110 nuclear weapons and China has 240 and so.

Pakistan has recently embraced short-range, tactical nuclear weapons, to counter India’s conventional military advantages. World leading nuclear experts recently revealed that India’s nuclear technology and capabilities are far behind that of Pakistan and China.

Hans M. Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists and Robert S. Norris, Senior Research Associate, Natural Resources Defence Council Inc., Washington, in the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, revealed that for New Delhi, the principal means of weapons delivery remains fixed-wing aircraft like the Mirage-2000 and the Jaguar. Unlike Pakistan and China, which have substantially deployed missile arsenals, India’s missile force is lagging, despite the test-launch of the Agni V in 2012.

The bulletin says, “The Agni I and Agni II, despite being declared operational, both have reliability issues that have delayed their full operational service”. It says that the other missiles in the Agni series – the Agni III, IV and V – all remain under development.

Similarly, the bulletin says that the bulk of the Indian ballistic missile force is comprised of three versions of Prithvi missiles, but only one of these versions, the army’s Prithvi I, has a nuclear role. It also explains that the Prithvi I require hours to get ready for launch.

The Pakistani arsenal, too, consists of mainly aircraft-dropped bombs, but with its Chinese-supplied missiles, it has a deployed arsenal of missiles like the Ghaznavi, Shaheen I and Ghauri, and is developing longer-range missiles. Significantly, Pakistan’s India-specific arsenal comprises of the Nasr short-range (70km) ballistic missile, which can use nuclear weapons to take out troop formations, and Pakistan is in the advanced stage of developing two cruise missiles – the Babar and the Raad.

China’s nuclear weapons are primarily delivered through a mature missile arsenal, with ranges between 2,000 – 11,000 km. A large number of Chinese missiles, including their cruise missiles, are primarily for use in non-nuclear conventional battle role.

Security of Pakistan’s Nuclear Assets

Since 9/11, Pakistan’s nuclear Program has got much negative publicity in the media, but as a responsible nuclear state, Pakistan has taken all the necessary measures to safeguard its nuclear arsenal. Its nuclear weapons are under a safe, secure and reliable command and control system.

About the security of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenals, the U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton said that Pakistan has dispersed its nuclear weapons throughout the country, increasing the security so that they could not fall into terrorist hands.

Pakistan has institutionalized highly-secured systems, which have been improved gradually, to thwart internal and external security challenges to its nuclear infrastructure and arsenals, since the very beginning of the nuclear weapons program.

In May 2009, during the anniversary of Pakistan’s first nuclear weapons test, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, claimed that Pakistan’s nuclear security is the strongest in the world.

According to Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, Pakistan’s nuclear safety program and nuclear security program is the strongest in the world, and there is no such capability in any other country or radical elements to steal or possess these nuclear weapons.

The scattered nature of Pakistani nuclear infrastructure not only made it difficult for the terrorists, but also for those nations that dream to dismantle it, to attack or steal the nuclear assets of Pakistan.

In February 2000, Pervez Musharraf, the chief executive of Pakistan at that time, created a nuclear command, which included a strategic plans division (SPD), which has physical custody of the weapons. The SPD functions under the Joint Chiefs of Staff committee at the Joint Headquarters (JS HQ), and reports directly to the Prime Minister. The comprehensive nuclear force planning is integrated with conventional war planning at the National Security Council (NSC).

During this period, Pakistan also began to develop a modern export control regulatory regime with U.S. assistance. It supplements the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration Mega Ports Program at Port Qasim, Karachi, which deployed radiation monitors and imaging equipment monitored by a Pakistani central alarm station.

Pakistan turned down the offer of Permissive Action Link (PAL) technology, a sophisticated “weapon release” program which initiates use via specific checks and balances, possibly because it feared the secret implanting of “dead switches”. But SPD has developed its own foolproof security system, such as Permissive Action Link system, which is modeled after the one used in the US. It electronically locks the nuclear weapons. The SPD also relies on a range of other measures, including the dual key system.

According to a BBC report, “Pakistan’s army remains secretive about the locations of its weapons – although US officials have openly said they believe they are in safe hands”.

It further explains that in the last few years, US technical experts are said to have provided training for the Pakistanis on safe nuclear storage procedures and facilities.

President Barack Obama sounded equally sanguine in April 2010, stating that he feels confident that Pakistan has secured its nuclear weapons.

From 1947 to 1971, Pakistan was attacked three times by India, which never accepted Pakistan as an independent state. India, as it proclaims to be a regional power, always tried to coerce its neighbours, including Pakistan, at all levels. To survive with such an arrogant neighbor, Pakistan opted for nuclear weapons, instead of competing with India in conventional weapons, which was difficult for Pakistan. This move, by the leaders of Pakistan, has successfully worked during operation Brasstacks, Kargil operation, during the 2001-02 border standoffs, and also in the 2008 Mumbai incident, and prevented India from attacking Pakistan.

The Indo-US Civilian Nuclear Treaty was signed in 2008, with which the US negotiated a unique status for India in the world nuclear regulatory regime, allowing India access to advanced civilian nuclear technology and fuel. Since then, the US has sold arms worth $8 billion, and hopes of selling billions of dollars more in weapons systems to India in the next couple of years. This treaty, once again, has destabilized the situation in the region, and will again fuel an arms race.

The moral of endangering the world with increasing stockpile of detonatables lies upon the ones who cannot suppress their avarice in the race of the nuclear armament and the ambition to override the other. Perhaps the detection of this ‘greed’ is as difficult as the detection of the weapons themselves, but Pakistan assumes itself to stands at the high-moral of deterrence and a non-hegemonic peaceful neighborly stance, which it proves with its conduct and successful diplomacy with its neighbours. On the other hand India has not been able to remove its ‘Big-Brother’ label that it has earn due to a policy of interference and imposition upon its smaller neighbors. It can safely be said that the day India would give up its imperialistic ambitions for its neighbours, the arms race might come to a permanent halt.

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

by Faiqa Salman

Hopes and Aspirations for a change were high and were reasonable although change is not what was delivered in the elections. A new reality named PTI emerged as a big force which is a positive sign. The new government does offer stability for a while if nothing else. There are big things to celebrate even if you have not voted for the winning party.

Bhutto is not ‘Zinda’ Anymore (Finally dead)

Bilawal might not be able to cash Bhutto’s name anymore. The party that dazzled the masses with its empty slogans and incompetent team for years finally seems to be done with. PPP farce seems to be exposed and the credit goes to the establishment and the forces that let it operate for the previous five years. It seems Sindh needs more time to learn. Anti-Bhutto may be celebrating now ‘once and for all’, after a very long time, in their reckoning, but if it’s really the game of the establishment, you never know, if we would be looking at another round of Bhutto’s in the next term.

Will Liberalism re-Live In PTI

Bhutto may be dead but the question raised in many minds is that will liberalism reincarnate itself in PTI which could become the new PPP then, although Islamists and conservatives were also a big force behind PTI success. This liberal – conservative divide would work as a big challenge in PTI perception, in the years to come. Unlike theQuaideAzam, Khan doesn not have the political stature yet as to allow speculations to roam freely, therefore he must come clear on this or else his leadership could become a controversy. For many, PTI so far is not an ideology, Sorry Mr. Khan.

A Principled Opposition Could Emerge

As PTI struggles with defining its ideology within itself, still it poses to be strong enough to prove as a principled opposition in the National assembly, something Pakistan can celebrate on. The question remains however, will Imran Khan resort to his Anti-Nawaz rhetoric or come out of it and work on real issues of Pakistan. Acting as an opposition will not be easy as it seems, as he faces an experienced and seasoned bunch of politicians in power, unlike the one in the last regime.

America Not Voted In Pak

Pro-American forces faced big defeat in the hands of anti-American sentiments in these elections, as the public showed overwhelming rejection of the status-quo. Yet power remains in the hands of a status quo party, therefore US foreign policy would now rely on PMLN hypocrisy. Drone policy and giving US a respectable exit from Afghanistan would be a big test for PMLN in the coming years. The Nawaz government may have the diplomatic capability to maintain ties with the Americans and Afghanistan both at the same time, as the US leaves. It seems that to the disappointment of the liberals of Afghanistan and Pakistan, Nawaz Government would facilitate the Afghan choice, be it the Afghan Taliban.

Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan undera New Pakistan

It is being thought that the security situation would improve as the new ruling parties favor negotiations rather than using force against the Taliban who are already becoming irrelevant as US is coming closer to leaves Afghanistan. Nawaz Government may be fortunate to have US leaving soon and this would not want to confront Taliban on either sides of the Afghan-Pak Border. The question is how will PMLnkeep Washington pleased and the Taliban contained at the same time?

Amman Ki AshaYaTamasha Continues….. (Foreign policy on India and Kashmir)

You might see sensational Katrina Kaif performing in Lahore soon. India Pakistan relations on the cultural and trade fronts would flourish to unprecedented limits; while, the ‘Kashmiri’ would compromise on Kashmir, putting it in the background. Although one might not agree on this as a policy shift but the difference is that as the geo-political situation in South Asia did not go in favor of India so there would be no option for Indians to have better relations with Pakistan when US leaves, but we all know who bears the brunt when India is acting friendly! So get ready to be hurt if you are a Kashmiri activist.

Bad News for Generator Business

One of the main reasons of the failure of PPP government is the Energy Crisis and the Nawaz government will want to take the credit if it wants to come back for the next elections. If relations with Iran would improve and as a result the Gas Pipeline Project would be completed, that might be the end of the generator era in Pakistan.If PMLN government would avoid controversial projects such as Kala Bagh Dam,cheap energy may remain a dream. It is also being speculated that the capitalistic government would want to privatize the energy sector.

Economic Growth

Asthe energy crisis is solved, if it is, Pakistan will witness economic boost as this may be one of the priorities of Nawaz Government. More jobs, better infrastructure and more trade will happen. Industrialization would speed up. Bureaucracy would be kept under control with carrots and sticks. Tax reforms would benefit the industry and the industrialist, but not the labor and the consumer.

Change Still Miles Away

All of this growth and development will befollowing the capitalistic and free market agenda where few own the resources and control the market and the rest work for them. The difference would be if the new Masters would manage to keep their Slaves well. The class system would prevail in all its forms.  The rich would get richer and the poor could join in the middle-class but will not be allowed to cross the next level. Education and health will not be the priority. Separate schools, hospitals, market places and recreations for separate classes will prevail. Thana culture, corruption and injustice will live on.  And don’t forget! resistance will not be tolerated.  Welcome to a new era; (If it continues…..)

Twitter @FaiqaSalman

Twitter @FaiqaSalman

by Ghareeba

We will return.

That is not a threat,

not a wish,

a hope,

or a dream;

but a promise.

May 15th, 2013, marked the 65th commemoration of the Nakbah – the Great Catastrophe, described by Mahmoud Darwish as “an extended present that promises to continue in the future.” 65 years back, this day drenched universal human conscience in blood, and continues to expose it in its darkest colour, every year, since 65 years. Only 3 years after the foundation of the United Nations Organisation, on the shining principles of human rights and world peace, with a universal promise to enforce these highest values and do everything for their implementation; only 3 years after the declaration of the sacredness of political borders between countries and each country’s rights to freedom and sovereignty; a new country, in place of an already existing one, was formed.

The word ‘Nakbah’, in its most basic form, means a deviation, an undesired change, an unfortunate fault. The disaster or the calamity is the most unfortunate and undesirable deviation from the smooth path of a normal life. And this particular calamity marked the most striking deviation of the UN from its very basics; rather, a total contradiction.

On May 15th, 1948, Israel declared its independence. Confiscating land from its rightful owners, trespassing on their properties after forcefully displacing them, it declared its independence after bathing the nation in blood; independence from all morals and values, independence from humanity and conscience. A new country was established, and an ancient one declared as non-existent. And humanity watched, as villages were destroyed and villagers were killed with a cold blood; houses were bulldozed upon the residents’ heads, farms were destroyed and trees were cut down and animals were slaughtered; none was spared – neither land, nor people, nor trees nor cattle; none was spared, a whole nation was devoured, and a new state came into being.

The infant state was born from the womb of terror, and fed on blood and humanity and conscience. It was a catastrophic birth of a cold blooded parasite, marking the beginning of an unending series of blood baths and deaths. Death of everything, of every noble value in some, and of every hope and smile in others; death of morals and values somewhere, and of freedom and rights elsewhere.

Death it was, but even more horrifying than the death was that it could still be built upon! This death, the nothingness, the end, has been aggravating all the more ever since. The oppressed have been declared the criminals, the oppressors are granted the right of self-defense; those who were wronged are suppressed and denied the right to even demand for their rights, while the wrongdoers declare that to mention their wrong is an offensive crime. The commemoration of the Great Catastrophe is an offense, punishable by law; the Finance Minister enjoys the rights to cut down the funds of NGOs daring to commemorate the event; the very remembrance of the terror endured by the victims is declared to be terrorising! Those who still dare to remember, are harassed and threatened. But the tragedy of alienation has placed them above futile considerations of residency or citizenship. The pain has united them and made them one, in spite of staying very far away from each other. It has placed them above physical pain and suffering.

And May 15th was just the beginning; it marked the inauguration of an unending series of all that is inhuman. The Palestinians were ousted from their lands and forced to live elsewhere as refugees, only to be chased, again, in all those new places as well. The Palestinian refugee camp massacres again bathed human history in blood enough to shameface humanity for centuries together. Palestinians, after initially losing their lands and properties alongside their loved ones, continued to be victims of the most bloodthirsty events in the refugee camps.

One such person was Rihab, a Palestinian woman who lived with her family in a refugee camp in Lebanon. She lost 54 of her family members in two consecutive massacres, and was convinced that her 8 year old daughter, Maimanah, was the 55th. Maimanah, who was saved by a neighbour, believed that her mother was the 55th martyr of the family. Rihab went through life, mourning her lost daughter, and later left the country and found her solace in poetry and elegies.

When she appeared on TV channels, mourning the lost nation in rhymes and metres, she was recognised by the neighbour who informed her daughter. Later, some friendly TV channels arranged for video conferences between the clamouring mother and daughter, and quite expectedly, these communications were not only extremely touching but heart rending. And finally, the day came when mother and daughter saw each other without the barriers of TV screens. Abu Dhabi TV channel arranged for a meeting between the two, after the UAE government granted them visas, along with Maimanah’s brothers. And the meeting was indescribable! Stones melted, but some hearts didn’t. This tragedy was not the first, nor was it the last; it was not the beginning, nor was it the end. It was just another stage in the long history of persecution. It was just another blow to the already dead human conscience. But the dead don’t feel the novel blows, after all, do they?

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

by Saadut

The recently concluded Pakistani elections were keenly followed in Kashmir, more keenly than they would have followed Indian elections. And this in spite of the fact that the Kashmir issue was virtually absent from election campaigns there, although it was present in manifestoes of all parties; while PML-N talked about ‘special efforts to resolve the Kashmir issue in line with UN resolutions and the 1999 Lahore Accord’, Imran Khan’s PTI claimed in its manifesto that ‘the resolution of the Kashmir dispute is one of Pakistan’s core national interests’.

People who may be claiming that the absence of Kashmir in election rallies pointed to ‘dwindling voices’ in Pakistan on ‘Kashmir’, are missing the bigger point here, of far bigger internal issues that Pakistan has been grappling with; issues of governance that elections are fought on. While Kashmir remains a common issue for all parties there, bigger internal issues of a crumbling economy, price hike, colossal power deficit and rising numbers of unemployment, coupled with internal terror attacks from extreme groups were to be confronted first.

Some people may like to believe that the absence of Kashmir from election stages signals that Kashmir has become a topic of the politically privileged few in Pakistan, but facts are somewhat different to this. Post-Afghanistan, the approach to non-state military actors has not only changed worldwide, but Pakistan has also been trying to control the exponential growth of such actors within. In such a scenario, the Pakistan state would want to be seen as extending pure political support to the struggle within Kashmir and for its resolution. This would also mean that political parties in Pakistan are keen to be seen as extending no more than moral and diplomatic support to this struggle, portraying it as more indigenous from within Kashmir. This would also point to the fact that politicians in Pakistan are keener to set their own house in order first, by focusing internally more on reviving their weakening economy, crumbling energy sector and dealing with an alarming internal security situation. This coupled with the imminent withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan and the Taliban challenges, for which Pakistan may have to be ready for, both externally and internally.

Having said that, no party in Pakistan can afford to deviate from the given position of Pakistan on Kashmir, which could virtually be suicidal for them politically. In fact, many parties like PML – N have a sizeable vote bank of ethnic Kashmiris and other communities (especially in Punjab) who have been supportive of the Kashmir cause since 1930’s (even before Pakistan was formed).

Given this internal scenario of Pakistan, Kashmiris understand (and appreciate) that presently the priorities should focus on the stability of Pakistan. A stable and a stronger Pakistan will not only mean that it commands the rightful place in the subcontinent; it also means it is better placed in pushing for the resolution of Kashmir with India.

Interestingly, Pakistani election campaigns were not only minimal in Kashmir talk; they were also devoid of any anti-India rhetoric, which only proved the political maturity Pakistan had achieved all these years. While most Indian political discussions invariably have a tendency to point fingers at Pakistan (blame Pakistan where they have none else to blame, even internal failings), Pakistani politicians seem to have moved beyond this blame rhetoric. And this only could be done in the Kashmir case, by showcasing the Kashmir struggle as purely ingenious and Kashmir-centric.

Many people in Kashmir wished Imran Khan to win, not only as his cricketing fans, but also realizing that he started his political career from a clean slate, with his philanthropic work as an asset. But what interested them more was the overwhelming participation of voters (especially youth), in spite of the terror threats looming over these elections. These elections also pointed to the maturity of Pakistani voters who rejected extreme parties in elections, unlike India where the right winged political class (BJP and the Sangh Parivaar) have not only dominated political power, but also been unapologetic about their anti-minority tirade (being responsible for Babri Mosque demolition and accused of Gujarat massacre of Muslims). Such political wisdom was exhibited by an electorate that has had very brief brushes with the democratic process in the entire life of Pakistani state. This resilience of voters, in addition to its first transition from ‘one full term completing democratic government’ to another, pointed to the coming of age of democracy in Pakistan.

Elections in Pakistan interested Kashmiris, not only because they themselves have always seen the absence of fair democratic processes back home, but also because they care about Pakistan. And it is this strong, stable and democratic Pakistan that Kashmiris wish to take shape and strengthen.

(All opinions are personal and do not represent any organization or institution)

Saadut is a Kashmir-based Blogger and can be reached at www.saadut.com

by Humaira Naz

Adapting to change, agreeing to a new philosophy or taking risks are the ideas which appeal to the young masses the most. In the case of Pakistani youth, many of our influences come from either the pre-partition subcontinent, or the media or our education systems; though a wide majority might also be inspired by legacies like Iqbal, Johar, etc., and connect with the Ummah, but at times, the youth seems aloof. To understand the thought process and evolution of youth, it is important to understand the background of these influences.

Various ideologies have tried to present different worldviews in philosophical ways, which if accepted by the masses, materializes to take the form of their reality and ideals. This acceptance varies from individual to individual on the basis of cultural, social and religious choices. Socialism, Communism, Capitalism, Nationalism, Liberalism and other political ideologies are some known examples.

Man-made systems and theories are imperfect. Ideologies, too, are mortal. The life of an ideology depends on the extent of its survival against the test of time. Ideas require an element of persuasion, which itself greatly relies on the leap of faith. Therefore, in a case where belief and believers both are variable and relative entities, it’s difficult to find equations with constants, except in the divine laws.

Pakistan was formed on the ideology of لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا الله مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ الله, meaning there is no God but Allah and Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) is His Messenger; an ideology so powerful that it persuaded millions of Muslims to leave their fears, lives and belongings for the Creator and his Messenger (Peace Be Upon Him), and take one of the greatest risks in human history. Unfortunately, after the achievement of Pakistan, its youth failed to set a clear goal in accordance with the ideology that motivated such mass migration.

Pakistani youth is divided into urban and rural population. These two had a wide perception-divide between them before the advent of electronic and social media. Factors such as poverty, weak education systems, motivations and religious values have been the main criteria for this divide. A society moves from dependent ideas to independent ones and then, eventually, achieves a state of interdependence and fearlessness, where one holds their own opinion, listens to and understands the others’ say and yet is powerful enough to work with one another as a community for a definitive goal.

In our case, the Urban and Rural perception evolutions may be taking a course different from one another, but in my view, they are not heading towards a different destination. There is an irregularity of pattern, visible because of the difference in paths, not the destination.

Perceptions in the society are conditioned and re-conditioned with the help of electronic media, social media and education systems. The urban population has its own motivations, religious values and social conditions while the rural ones have their own. These three factors, during the process of their self-evolution, are leading the Rural and Urban population through the states of dependency, independence and then interdependence in their own unique way. Though controversial, but a blessing in disguise; we now have common grounds between the Urban and Rural populations, bridging our differences.

Ideas born out of human weaknesses such as poverty, religious ignorance, foreign influences and social pressure come with an expiry date. Pakistani youth is on the course of outgrowing the weak ideas of sectarian, racial and ancient differences. The common enemy inspires us to come together every day. We are now witnessing the Pakistani youth raising questions regarding their rights, protesting in the streets demanding answers, poor people daring to think differently despite the feudal system and miserable lifestyle; people are thinking whether we are really free or not?

These are the things we did not witness in a long time. The birth of these questions in the society indicates how the immune system of our youth’s mindset is becoming alive to counter the alien viruses that have sucked on its blood since long. The enemy always resists, because it has survived long enough to persuade itself that it is a part of the system. This false belief eventually dies, as falsehood, by its nature, is bound to perish.

Our nation has a history of throwing out false invaders with an impulsive flux of emotion and strength, which comes out after a lengthy era of silence, oppression and compromise. Call it liberal, conservative, nationalist or any other label, but the youth is now awake and it is only a matter of time that things begin to change. Labels may vary, but the root remains لَاإِلٰهَ إِلَّا الله مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ الله. Allah knows best.

Humaira Naz, a proud Muslim, Pakistani Patriot and firm Believer in the Islamic way of life. Tweets at @humayranaz

by Umar Hadee (Indian Occupied Kashmir)

It was 9:30 pm on August 24,2012 when policemen barged into the house of Bashir Ahmad Sofi of Ganderpora Eidgah in the Down Town locality of Srinagar. They asked for his 12 year old son, Faizan Bashir Sofi claiming him to be a stone-pelter. His family pleaded for his innocence but they didn’t listen and tried to take him away. But the resentment from family didn’t let police take him. The following day (Aug,25) morning police called the family to bring the child to the nearest police station. The family took Faizan to Safakadal Police Station where he was detained, slapped with FIR no. 96/2012 and booked under harsh section of Ranbir Penal Code and Indian Penal Code section 121 (waging war against the state), 307 (attempt to murder), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (member of unlawful assembly), 152 (assaulting or obstructing a public servant when suppressing riot), 427 (mischief causing damage) and 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage) Police claimed that Faizan was arrested for being part of a crowd which set ablaze a police vehicle on Eid ul Fitr in Srinagar’s old city, a claim contested by the family.

“Why did they arrest my son only? How could he have set the police vehicle on fire? I still bathe him. Why is police against our poor family? We had to sell our two rooms to fight the legal battle after Faizan’s arrest,” Faizan’s mother Parveena told media persons.

On 26 August 2012 a local court granted police 15 days remand to keep him at the juvenile Home at Harwan Srinagar. Facing severe criticism and pressure from activists, civil society and separatists Faizan was released on bail on 28 August. After his release Faizan told media persons that he was denied food and forced to clean toilets at the juvenile home.

“I was severely beaten to disclose the name of boys involved in stone-pelting”, he said.

Faizan is not the only arrested person on such hazy grounds; during the summer agitations of 2008,2009 and 2010 hundreds of people were arrested and detained on similar charges as a desperate measure to quell the unending civil protests. A large number of them comprised of the youth which police claimed to have involved in stone -pelting on the CRPF and police forces.

On 2nd November 2011, police rushed in 5 handcuffed children inside the premises of Sadder Court Srinagar. They looked pale and had visible torcher marks. People, many of them lawyers, inside the premises just gazed in distress as the children moved. Mohsin Majeed Shah was one among the detained minor boys. He had a torture mark on his forehead, right between the eye brows. His tiny hands were held in handcuffs as the policeman pushed him through the bewildered men who stood gazing at the minors. Mohsin’s mother had waited all day inside the court premises to see her 13-year-old son- a seventh grader at the local school. She said he was arrested on the previous Sunday (25 October 2011). It was an emotional tryst between a mother and her son as they wept. His brother, two years elder to him, also wept.

“Look what they have done to Mohsin”, the media reports quoted him saying . His mother had brought him fruits and snacks. Her dirge was unstoppable when she held him in embrace. She kept kissing his forehead, on the torcher mark. His family says Mohsin was arrested the previous week when he left his home at New Colony, Paplpora Noor Bagh, located on the fringes of Old City, to meet his maternal uncle at Rajouri Kadal. An hour later, his brother called their mother to inform Mohsin was picked up by the local police and detained at the local police station. Another boy was Burhan Nazir of Nallah Bandpora, Nowshera. A 6th grader, he was arrested a week before from the streets of Srinagar’s Old City.

“We were severely beaten up in the police station and all we heard from police men were abuses”, Burhan told the media while police men virtually dragged him back from the quote and bundled him into a waiting armored vehicle.

“They abused my sisters, tore our clothes. I am afraid  they will beat us again in the police station”, he cried. “They even abused my mother, who is dead.”

When he shouted everyone around froze for a moment. He was lodged for a week at Maharaja Gung Police Station and later shifted to a juvenile home on directions from the Court. The other boys were minors, too. One wore a torn cloak. He looked frightened, while he was being brought inside and later taken out of the Court. There was little time to know their name as police rushed them out in hurry and dumped them into a waiting police van. The lawyers, who had assembled in the Court premises, expressed shock as the detained children were whisked away.

Most off the persons arrested have been slapped with Public Safety Act (PSA) that enable the state to “hold prisoners without trial”. And, misuse of the notorious PSA is rampant in Kashmir; most of these being cases quashed by the local Courts. Though it is claimed that the victims of misuse of PSA could demand compensation so far, there hasn’t been a single case in which compensation was given. Once a victim’s PSA is quashed, the order often reprimands the detaining authority for non- application of mind while repairing the grounds of detention. PSA has been severely criticized by activists and human rights organisation.

Amnesty International (AI) in its report namely “INDIA: A ‘LAWLESS STATE’ : DETENTIONS UNDER THE JAMMU AND KASHMIR PUBLIC SAFETY ACT ” published on 12th March 2011 claimed that “…instead of using the institutions, procedures and human rights safeguards of ordinary criminal justice, the authorities are using the PSA to secure the long term  detention of political activists, suspected members or supporters of armed groups and a range of other individuals against whom there is insufficient evidence for a trial or conviction- to keep them “out of circulation.” The report also demanded that “If India is serious about meeting these obligations, then it must ensure that the Public Safety Act is repealed and that detainees are released immediately or tried in a court of law.” AI claimed that at least 322 people are reported to have been detained without trial under the provisions of the PSA in Jammu and Kashmir from January to September 2010 alone. A number of them, including children, have been detained on similar grounds of stone pelting and rioting during various protests against the Indian government throughout the summer of 2010.

There have been also accusations about the ill treatment of detainees lodged in different jails. A fact finding report about the detainees by Bar Association Kashmir in June 2011 raised concern about the ill treatment of Kashmiri prisoners in jails, and severally criticized Human Rights organizations like  ICRC and AI for failing to highlight their sufferings. “Bar Association strongly condemns the ill treatment meted out to the detainees and under trial prisoners in Central Jail Kotbalwal, Jammu and District jail Amphala Jammu”, Bar President Mian Qayoom had said in the report, adding that matter related to ill treatment of inmates had also been brought to the notice of High Court in the past.

“However, court directions have been floated by the jail authorities. The Committees so constituted also floated the HC direction, which has emboldened jail authorities in perpetuating the ill treatment on the detainees and under trial prisoners”

Narrating his own experiences of detention, when he was jailed in 2010, Qayoom said Kashmiri detainees and under trail prisoners lodged in the jails of Jammu Province  are not only being beaten, paraded naked inside the jail but they are also deprived of all the facilities.

“The medical treatment to which they are legally entitled is also denied. They are also provided insufficient and inadequate food that too at odd hours. The relatives and friends of these inmates are not also allowed to meet them and they are made to wait for days together”, observed Qayoom who along with Bar General Secretary G N Shaheen, where booked and detained for several months under the PSA during the summer unrest of 2010 at Jammu jails.

The reports of prisoners being subjected to torcher during their detentions, a claim reiterated by the human rights organisation have often fallen on deaf ears. According to a wiki leaks expose in December 2010 the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) had sent evidence to US diplomats about wide spread torcher by Indian security forces in Kashmir since 1990. The report produced scathing evidence of third degree torcher in the form of electric shocks, suspension from ceilings, crushing of leg muscles, legs split 180 degrees, water torture and sexual abuse.

In September 2012, Mushtaq ul Islam, Chairman Muslim League who is lodged in Udhampur jail was assaulted and beaten severally by the jail authorities. A bar association team who enquired about the incident confirmed the assault saying that Mushtaq ul Isam received injuries on his head to which he was given inadequate treatment. He was further put in solitary confinement for 21 days. Four successive PSA’s have been imposed on Mushtaq ul Islam since February 2011. The grounds of all of which are similar i.e. “provocative speech and there was a credible breach of peace on the spot”! Another leader of Muslim League, Masrat Aalam Bhat is facing the sixth consecutive PSA since his latest arrest in October 2010.

The Constitution of India which has copied many draconian laws from its colonial predecessor has little when it comes to the rights of prisoners. And when the decision to arrest someone becomes political the question of rights or even following the jail manual becomes a mirage. India despite being a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights has done little to uphold the same in the sub-continent, especially the region of Jammu and Kashmir. In fact the region of Jammu and Kashmir has become a graveyard of gross human rights violation all in the name of national interest and national security.

by Fatima Hatim Anjary

India, considered a newly industrialized country, with one of the fastest growing economies in the world, faces numerous challenges on the social end. While, on one hand, Brahma Chellaney is chanting slogans of “Positive thinking” and “liberalism”, on the other hand, rape pandemic is spreading across India.

Recently, India witnessed several nerve-wrenching incidents of rape, out of which the most recent were of two minor girls, 9 and 5 years respectively, from Bhopal and New Delhi. Both were gang rape cases committed with a friend as accomplice, while the latter was a result of drinking and watching a porn video on the cell phone.

The Asian Centre for Human Rights reported that child rape cases jumped from 2,113 in 2001 to 7,112 in 2011 in India. Even the latest data of the Union Home Ministry in India suggests that only the United States and South Africa are ahead of India in rape cases. These figures have raised concerns throughout the nation, where people took off to streets, holding signs and chanting angry slogans of “enough is enough” against the government and the police, both of which have failed miserably in curbing the crime, and one after the other, horrifying rape cases have been reported upfront. The inhumane gang rape on 16^th December, of a 23 year old student, in a bus, was difficult enough for the people to forget; and the two recent cases have outraged the masses that are criticizing the measures taken by the police as inefficient and insignificant.

According to the National Coordinator for the White Ribbon Alliance, which is a grassroots campaign for women’s health at the U.N., Aparaijita Gogoi said, “Some families restrict women and girls’ mobility because of the risks. The mere thought of keeping them safe is what’s leading many families to keep their young girls home, instead of sending them out for school.” Is this the solution? The 9 year old went to graze cattle, where she was abducted by two men from her village; and the 5 year old was kidnapped while playing in the streets, by a man living in the same vicinity. To what extent will one go to protect little girls to keep them safe? This should be the prior concern of the state to put an end to the horrible series of sexual crimes against women of all ages.

This brings us to the real question! How can one curb and control the heinous crime of rape? What penalty and punishment should the rapist bear? How can one feel safe if he is back in streets after serving some time in prison? Or, as a matter of fact, not caught or persecuted in the first place? What should be done? Enforce stringent laws, efficient police force or ban pornography; as the Indian Ministry is in the process to decide. Even though publishing or distributing it, in print or on the Web, is illegal under the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act of 2000, pornography is spreading rapidly in India due to rapid internet penetration and the spread of smart phones. Google searches for the word “porn”, according to Google Trends, have increased five times between 2004 and 2013 in India. In a recent report in The Wall Street Journal, Susan Fiske, professor of Psychology at Princeton University, gave the findings of the use of MRI scans in 2010 to analyze men watching porn. As a result, their brain activity revealed that they looked at women more as objects than as people. Maybe this explains how men, as individuals and in cases of gang rape, commit such psychopathic criminal acts; it’s because they no more can differentiate between a minor and a woman, a human with blood, flesh and feelings and an innate sexual object. These trends are alarming, and the results of recent researches compel one to ponder upon the reality that viewing pornography has direct effects on the crime rates.

What about one of the biggest revenue generating sectors of India, the Film Industry? There was a time when portrayal of sex, nudity, social unrest and violence was kept out of movie halls under India’s strict laws that were first drafted in 1952 and later amended in 1983. But today, the industry demands a more open-minded approach. In a festival named “Cut-Uncut”, marking 100 years of Bollywood, an official, from the ministry, cried for a fresh approach with changing times. They demanded to stop enforcing old rules, and instead recognize their artistic endeavor, allowing them to be liberal. Does liberalism mean promoting nudity? If the demand is to allow sexually suggestive material, implicit nude scenes and scantily-clad ladies, then I am sorry, I don’t want to be liberal.

The sexual scenes and the obscene hoardings of films around the nation is doing great harm in exciting men, who may or may not have any other outlets for their excitement. These images are vulgar, obscene and should be banned in public. But in contrast, the industry seeks more freedom to promote vulgarity and provocative scenes that could prove detrimental to the sentiments of different religious sects and minorities. With such demands from the film sector and artists, who knows where the Bollywood industry is heading? But one thing is for sure, that India is becoming a victim of obscenity!

Fatima is a university lecturer of Social Science Department and an MS student at Mass Communication. Can be reached at fhanjary@gmail.com

Editorial | Dan Qayyum

London stands shocked and horrified as two men, armed with knives and cleavers, hacked to death a British soldier in full public view yesterday. The attackers claimed on video to be acting in the name of Islam, calling their actions a reprisal for the policies and actions of the British government and armed forces in Islamic lands.

Eye witness accounts and the video of one of the attackers suggest substance abuse, which may explain their decision to hang around after the crime was committed, and then attempt to engage armed police units with an old, rusty revolver. Some reports suggest the revolver blew up in the attacker’s hands, taking with it some of his fingers.

From a sane perspective, this was an isolated incident where a couple of drug influenced, mentally challenged individuals carried out a horrific crime, while hiding behind their religion and persecution complexes and attempting to ‘make a point’.

In a saner world, this would be labelled as a criminal action and the world would move on, as it did with Columbine, and the Anders Breivik shootings.

But since there are Muslims involved this time around, everyone with a platform will use this incident as a soapbox now to further their agendas. The paranoia is at fever pitch. David Cameron is leading ‘Cobra’ meetings which we’re told are extremely serious. Far right groups, such as the English Defence League (EDL), are out in force, demanding the expulsion of ALL Muslims from the United Kingdom, while innocent Muslims are being harassed and threatened, and mosques vandalized around the country. The media is busy fanning the flames, not realizing that it may lead to an explosive (no pun intended) situation on London’s streets, with scenes reminiscent from the 2011 riots in the city.

The dead soldier and his family deserve more dignity than that. Sanity needs to prevail. Those with an agenda, whatever their allegiance or religion, should be shouted down. The ‘message’ of the terrorists, alarmists and those bent on spreading anarchy should not be allowed to have such power. Such killings have no justification or basis in core Islamic teachings, nor are they permitted. Neither do isolated cases such as these represen the two-billion-strong, diverse and peaceful population of Muslims worldwide.

The Muslim Council of Britain, to its credit, issued a swift statement condemning the attack in the strongest terms.

“This is a truly barbaric act that has no basis in Islam, and we condemn this unreservedly. Our thoughts are with the victim and his family. We understand the victim is a serving member of the Armed Forces.  Muslims have long served in this country’s Armed Forces, proudly and with honour. This attack on a member of the Armed Forces is dishonourable, and no cause justifies this murder. This action will no doubt heighten tensions on the streets of the United Kingdom. We call on all our communities, Muslim and non-Muslim, to come together in solidarity to ensure the forces of hatred do not prevail. It is important we allow our police authorities to do their job without speculation. We also urge the utmost vigilance and ask the police authorities to calm tensions.”

The authorities now need to step in and ensure that tensions are minimized and law and order maintained. This event should not be allowed to be used to demonize the millions of Muslims living peacefully and contributing to Western societies in a positive manner. It it were left to the media and right-wing hate mongers such as the EDL, every Muslim would be seen as a terrorist and a potential target for hate crime - further increasing the divide.

Not to be seen as justification for this act - as there can never be one - there is a critical need for introspection, and questions must be asked on the conduct of the British government and armed forces overseas - which nutters like the Woolwich killers use as justification to further terrorize people. What happened in Woolwich yesterday happens every day in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, with direct or tacit involvement of the British. Massacres of innocent civilians on other shores will continue to have a ripple effect at home in multicultural Britain. Injustice and terror inflicted upon innocent populations needs to be stopped, regardless of where it happens – Basra, Helmand, Homs, or London.

Dan Qayyum is an editor and analyst at PKKH.tv – writing on Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Dan also writes for the defense and security journal Fortress Magazine, published out of Karachi, Pakistan, and is a senior research fellow at the Pakistan Institute of Strategic Affairs.

Premier Li Keqiang has said “the tree of China-Pakistan friendship” was planted decades ago, nurtured by successive leaders and “is now exuberant with abundant fruits.”

The two day visit, of the Chinese premier is being taken with an affirmative welcome from all sectors of the Pakistani society. It is also being taken as a positive sign that the Premier, in his first tour abroad, has made sure to re-assure the friendly ties between the two countries, even though an interim set-up is being run in the country. The Premier met the interim PM, the President and the expected PM, who is yet to take in office, in these two days.

In February, Beijing had signed a pact with Pakistan over the construction and development of the strategic port of Gwadar, which could connect China to the Arabian Sea and Strait of Hormuz – a gateway for a third of the world’s traded oil, if a road net is built from the Karakorum Highway to Gwader. This project is a long-pending dream of China, and it would only be essential for China to affirm this pact with the new set-up, in the fast changing global scenarios of the time. The Gwader project not only brings a promise of prosperity to the people of Baluchistan, but offers the whole nation of Pakistan a vibrant economy, competing in world trade, in the near future.

One could say that Gawader holds more gold than it shows, as it has the potential to convert the regional power-play in favour of Pakistan. Once China, long-time, tested and trusted ally of Pakistan, is in the Arabian Sea, the aspired naval hegemony of the US fleet and of their friends the Indians, would be crushed to rubble. The regional polarity may shift towards the Pak/China/Afghan nexus, potentially causing change in the flux of the geopolitics of our time.

The trade between the two countries was at a $12 billion figure last year, and is targeted to a $15 billion within the next two years. This is in contrast to $61 billion worth of trade between China and India, forecasted to grow to a $100 billion by 2015. Still, the situation doesn’t become better by an inch, for India, as in the Premier’s visit to India, 3 days ago, the question of ‘settling the long-running border disputes between the two countries’ overshadowed all talks of trade and pacts. The Ladakh issue echoed throughout the tour and PM Singh said that India and China had “agreed that our special representatives will meet soon to continue discussions seeking an early agreement on a framework for a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable boundary settlement”.

But things between China and Pakistan have been running on a different note; China has been working with Pakistan on two nuclear reactors, each with a capacity of 300 MW, at Chasma in the Punjab province; the JF-17 fighter jets, jointly produced by the two countries is another salient project; and Gwader will prove to be a crown for both the countries.

There are about 10,000 Chinese people and more than 120 Chinese companies in Pakistan, working on networking, infrastructure and energy projects. In the past providing security to these foreigners has been an issue for Pakistan, it is of prime importance that security and respect be ensured for our Chinese friends in the coming time. Pakistan also needs to assure China that its concerns over Uighur militants, living in northwest Pakistan, will be removed and for that reason, getting rid of the TTP menace is a prerequisite.

Pakistan has lost a lot in its past relations with powerful friends that have never hesitated to stab us on our backs; we have blistered our sovereignty and suffered irreparable damages on our economy and social structure in trying to win the illusive favors of our so-called friends. It is time for Pakistan to seek its own respect now in the community of nations and stretch its arm of friendship only to those who know how to respect us and who can deal with us on equality basis.

China’s gesture of arriving to a friend’s place with a bouquet of six JF-17 Thunder jets that escorted Premier Li’s plane upon entering into Pakistani airspace is a befitting way of giving the message of how friendships are kept and sustained with respect and honour.

May Pak-China Friendship Prevail!

“It is not just that two women were buried, but justice itself was buried in graves all across the state.”

by Mahwish Qureshi

In the afternoon of 29^th May, 2009 at Bongam, Shopian district of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, two young women left home for their orchard; and never returned.

Neelofar and Asiya were sisters-in-law. Neelofar was married to Asiya’s brother, Shakeel, and had an infant son. Asiya was a school-going teenager.

In the evening, Shakeel started searching for his sister and wife and later, at night, he sought the help of local police and together, they searched them throughout the countryside.

The local police stopped the search at midnight, promising to resume at early morning. Around 5:30 a.m., Shakeel started to search again. An hour later, the local police joined him and immediately, Neelofar’s body was found at a spot near Zavora Bridge, over the Rambi Ara Nallah. The depth of the stream around the spot was about 2.5 feet, with fast flowing water, but certainly not that strong a current that could drown an adult girl. (t was the very same spot which had been carefully searched by the family and police till 2:30 a.m.).

Asiya’s body was found further downstream from Zavora Bridge. Those who helped in retrieving their bodies saw enough to believe that this was a clear case of rape and murder, as the dead bodies showed visible signs of injuries and wounds.

Two post-mortems were performed on each one of them. Although the first post mortem report negated drowning as the cause of death of Asiya and Neelofer, yet, it was finally put out by the police that the deaths were caused by drowning.

Neelofar’s body was found in the very place where the police and family had looked for them the previous night; implying that it was not there at 2:30 a.m., but was found at about 6 o’clock. And no one admits to having seen it happen despite the high security in the area.

For the accidental drowning of two women, in such shallows as this nallah (brook) where no one had ever or would ever drown, one would need to be more than just naive to believe it possible!

Their dead bodies were buried after a controversial beginning to the criminal investigations at the end of May, 2009, following a great deal of public protests in Shopian against the police and district administration.

A trail of cover up was set by the police immediately after, which included a refusal to even file an FIR. The government appointed an Enquiry Commission, owing to the pressure by the people in Shopian.

The Commission too, concluded that the bodies could have been brought there by some agency, since no single individual could dare to execute such an act in a high security zone. It could not, however, find out who was responsible for the rapes and murders, since the police had not collected any evidence from the site.

That is the tragic reality of life in Jammu and Kashmir –  two young women found dead, no convincing explanation for the deaths or for the inexplicable appearance of the bodies, at a spot which had been thoroughly searched just a couple of hours ago and is surrounded by the District Police Lines, an army outpost and a CRPF camp.

As predicted and to the utter disgust of Kashmiris, this Shopian incident of rape and murder was officially declared a case of ‘drowning’, and justice got buried somewhere in the files of government offices.

In cases of human rights abuse, and predominantly in cases of rape, there is not only a systematic refusal by the Indian government to ensure justice or set up an element of accountability among the security forces; rather, every effort is made to cover up such heinous crimes.

The Shopian incident symbolizes the injustices meted out to the people living in a highly militarized state. This sad incident not only marks the level of fear psychosis, as well as the denial of security and the basic rights to the people living in this region, but also reveals the utter refusal of those at the helm of affairs to bring the culprits of gross violations of human rights to justice.

The last two decades in Kashmir are marked by massive brutalities on the Kashmiri people at the hands of the Indian security forces. Till date, no culprits in uniform have been convicted or punished.  Despite many accusations, with serious evidence, very few cases were ever investigated. In a minor number of cases, prosecution took place. And in none of them has justice ever been delivered.

The Shopian incident is not a case in isolation; it is a chapter out of a long history of human rights abuse, along with utter impunity that men in uniform enjoy in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. These men in uniform have been accused in thousands of cases of disappearances, molestations, sexual assaults, torture, humiliation, encounters and other forms of harassment. The state has a long list of the victims of such violence, none of whom has ever received justice.

Like every year, dozens of organizations in Kashmir assembled in solidarity all over the valley, seeking justice for Asiya and Neelofar, this year as well. A seminar entitled “Struggle for Justice” was held by the Majlis-e-Mushawarat Shopian, which had spearheaded the agitation following the double rape and murder of Neelofar and Asiya; while the little innocent 4 year old Suzanne, the adorable son of Neelofar, still waits for his mother and aunt, Asiya. His days and nights pass asking his dad Shakeel Ahangar, “Papa, Mama kab aayegi?” (When will Mom come back?)

Ah! You, the Human Rights Organisations of the world, can you bring his mother back? Ah! You, the so-called largest democracy, can you answer Suzanne’s innocent question?

Kashmir remembers its martyrs, its sisters who have been raped, its daughters who have been molested and brothers who have disappeared. The democratic thugs of India may forget this, but how can the oppressed Kashmiris; as they have only their martyrs, memories and scars? The shrieks and cries still echo in the green, lush fields of Shopian. The flowing waters of Rambi Ara Nallah are the memorial of this gruesome incident, reminding Kashmir of its Asiya and Neelofar.

You can hear the melancholic tunes of its waters, reminding Kashmir “never to forgive and never to forget!”

Mahwish Qureshi is a Peace & Political Activist with a strong belief of Socio- constructivism through the mirror of Islamic System. She is currently working in the field of Training & development and can be reached at missterriouss@gmail.com . She tweets@Ms_Terrious

by Sara Saad

A few days ago, the deadly incident of the explosion of a CNG cylinder in a school bus claimed 17 innocent souls, provoking panic among the public, leaving the city of Gujrat in grief. If truth be told, factual evidence proves that it was caused due the negligence of the bus driver, who probably didn’t change the CNG kit after its expiration date. This happened on a bright sunny day, when the bus was only a few miles away from school. According to the concerned officials, an FIR has been lodged against the culprits, who will be further questioned on this crucial matter at later stages. We strongly condemn such incidents, even if our words make a very small condolence with the loved ones of the victims.

CNG has always been looked upon as a popular alternative of diesel and petrol, in all kinds of transport vehicles, as it drastically reduces the travelling expense. It is apparently more environment-friendly as well, compared to petroleum. It, however, remains undeniable that this cheap replacement has resulted in more fatalities than any other fuel. The unethical practice of selling, reselling and usage of expired CNG kits has all been due to a lack of appropriate checks and balances by related authorities. An additional unfortunate fact is the issuance of illegal certifications, for the installation of substandard CNG kits in public and commercial vehicles, by the authorities.

Every so often, public and private owners keep the CNG kits in a barely serviceable condition to avoid big expenses – in other words, just to make more money - posing a risk to millions of lives. They don’t believe in timely removal and disposal of CNG cylinders, as they don’t recognize the deadly consequences of using CNG kits beyond their safe-life. Perhaps they have more voice than the people who travel on these vehicles, so they don’t care much about preventive measures.

Regardless of several callings from the Sindh High Court at different occasions, the OGRA miserably failed to put into practice the laws and policies made for the installation and sale of the CNG kits; even though the OGRA have been bound to ensure the safety and security of the natives of this nation. It has no suitable placement and arrangement of the Vehicles Examiners, who could have a strict control on reselling and installation of substandard CNG kits. There are also many system-protected transportation giants who are illegally selling these kits. Unfortunately, this has been a neglected truth.

The episode has cast a very negative image of Pakistan on the global community. This is because we live in an empirical age, where such incidents can be very hurting to any economy, as it shows the regulatory bodies to be unconcerned when it comes to the enforcement and execution of proper law and order in Pakistan. This negligence causes numerous deadly events every year, but is overlooked by the related authorities, as the hype stays only for a few hours and then hastily dies away. Sometimes, the area, where the incident takes place, also matters. For instance, the incident took place in Gujrat, which has a minor population, so it became easier for the authorities to sweep the issue beneath the rug.

I pose a question here to those who talk about change: Where is the change? Where is the new beginning? As such, a major event has taken place, but not a single politician was spotted at the scene of the incident to share the grievance and sympathize with the affected, which is very disgraceful on their part. I believe that their visit, though not on a massive level, but could have, if only slightly, answered the unhappiness of many. Regrettably, this has become a social dilemma, which defines how unconcerned the authorized figures of our nation are.

Transportation plays a substantial role in the success of any economy. The air, railways and sea transport have been well taken care of; the only neglected one is the road. I personally propose to the winning parties, forming the next regime, to revisit and resolute this issue by formulating and regularizing new policies. There needs to be made major amendments in the rules – as well as their implementation thereby – regarding the installation of CNG kits, tracking systems, proper disposal methods and safety standards in all vehicles.

Sara Saad is currently teaching at SICAS and is a student of Masters in Business Administration, and can be reached at sarasaaad@gmail.com