Protest against Gojra victimization and in favor of minority rights, organized by FASTRising.org

Do issues die out when their intrinsic value diminishes? Or when there is no one left to agitate for their just resolution?

WHAT: Protest against the burning alive of fellow citizens at Gojra

WHEN: 5.00 PM, Saturday, 12^th September, 2009

WHERE: Lahore Press Club

Join us if you feel the agony, if your conscience does not let this issue die out!

To Follow Updates: http://fastrising.org/?p=672

Victims of The Half Law ( Samson Simon Sharaf on Gojra violence)

Samson Simon Sharaf is a well known columnist for THE NEWS daily english news paper. He is a respected Defence analyst, and is son of Mr. Sahraf, who was an active anti-Unionist activist of the pre-partition erra, and was instrumental in successfully aligning the Christian community in Punjab with Muslim League, owing in part to Mr. Jinnah's ideals w.r.t. minorities, in 1946 elections, to defeat the Unionist Govt. Here is what he had to say in one of his recent blog entries at Pak tea House.

This in part highlights the usual the inefficiency of the government, and their consideration of the protection of minorities as a non-issue. Exploitation of Blasphemy laws, still much open to interpretation by both the Muslim & Christian community to settle personal and political scores, and how easily can our public (we among them) be incited into mob mentality when it comes things which we don't want happening around us.

Victims of The Half Law

The recent incidents in Gojra are a grim reminder of how existing half laws can be manipulated for personal and political ends. Besides loss of life, property or the reputation of the country, it also reflects an opportunist political system in which strange bedfellows can be espoused for political expediency and where rule of law can be applied selectively. Worse, it exposes false claims of the provincial and federal governments over constant surveillance of banned militant outfits in Punjab.

The entire trail from Jhang to Gojra, Mian Channu and Shantinagar is littered with similar incidents of religiously fanned hatred spearheaded by banned militant outfits. Time and again such incidents take place with impunity and remarkable alacrity. It is to question why the local administration is caught sleeping and why no preventive measures manifest themselves in pre emptive actions.

There is no doubt that the working relationship between the Federal Government and PMLN Government is dysfunctional. It took the Government of Punjab three days to move into a belated action despite warnings given by Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti, the Federal Minister of Minorities Affairs. The provincial government dismissed the factual reporting of the federal minister for over two days and moved reluctantly after all the damage had been done and Faisalabad-Karachi Railway traffic blocked for two days. The Chief Minister has repeatedly postponed his visit to the city citing
security reasons. Meanwhile the frustrations continue to grow resulting in resignations of one federal and one provincial minister.

Reportedly, around 18th of July, intelligence agencies had issued a warning to the Government of Punjab of likely incidents of terrorism in which some enclaves of minority Pakistanis could be targeted. Rather than take this information seriously, the provincial government deemed it fit to act as it did, allowing free access to militant outfits for arson and murder. Perhaps they were too engrossed in the aftermath of the Supreme Court ruling sparing no moments for the welfare of its citizens.

The entire incident belying the fragility of our system began at a wedding party in Korrian, a Christian village 6 Kms from Gojra on 29 July. A local guest was escorted out of the celebrations for being drunk. He took revenge by leveraging the Blasphemy slogan in cahoots with some local clerics and sleepers of the banned outfits. The Federal Minister Mr. Bhatti moved into action but all his cautions fell on deaf and defiant ears in Lahore.

The Christian enclave in Gojra is located close to Awan Town named after a local property tycoon Mr. Qadeer Awan. Qadeer also runs and controls many local businesses like CNG and Petrol Pumps. He is reputed to be a very influential PMLN member and financier of the party and sleeper militants. He is known to hold the neighbouring Christian enclave in contempt with a long record of confrontation. He saw the incident at Korrian as an opportunity to settle issues and extract advantage. He is the prime suspect in the FIR, registered after 48 hours of delay. Christians allege that he with his team of sons and relatives master minded the entire operation including movement of militants from Jhang and surrounding areas.

These militants moved on public transport with automatic weapons, explosives and incendiaries with complete impunity despite many Police Check Posts en route. Rather than risk confronting heavily armed militants, the baton wielding local police chose to by stand. A nearby sizable Christian Village Chak 424 was put on hold through an expected militant attack. This was done through messages by militants, clerics and local administration. The village was never attacked but the warnings served to block reinforcements to the besieged people of Gojra. The militants were seen taking orders on cell phones as also pass on information. If all calls on cell phones from the area were to be checked during the arson, it would reveal a long trail of connections leading to militant leaders, politicians and handlers residing outside Pakistan.

But there is a positive side too. Neighbouring Muslim communities gave shelter to men, women and children, escorted them out of the area on their own transport and provided food. Some Pakistani NGOs have also established camps and MQM relief has arrived in trucks from as far away as Sindh. Pathetically, the only missing group is the Government of Punjab.

Standing next to seven caskets on the railway crossing at Gojra, I was questioning myself why seven females were burnt alive with incendiaries and why innocent people shot in the head at point blank. As I write this, two more men have succumbed to burn injuries in the local hospital. The Punjab Government made no efforts to evacuate them to a Burn Hospital in Lahore. I ask myself, did they deserve this treatment. Do Pakistani Christians who put the opportunist Unionist of Punjab to shame by aligning with Jinnah deserve this?

Local Christians allege that PMLN Government is reluctant to act because it fears losing its vote bank in the area. The incident has become a political battle ground between PMLN and PPP in which justice, rule of law and criminal accountability would ultimately be eclipsed. I remain in awe of the political system to move beyond its petty politics.

In an environment where the legal community is charged and Supreme Court taking landmark decisions, it is incumbent to take a look at half laws that provide a pretext for mob justice. The Supreme Court needs to re evaluate Section 295 C of the Pakistan Penal Code and direct the Parliament to frame it in a manner, wherein it cannot be exploited or manipulated.

Original Story at http://pakteahouse.wordpress.com/2009/08/04/victims-of-half-law-in-gojra/

Political unrest in Gilgit-Baltistan .. ( Abbas Ali for DAWN)

GILGIT-BALTISTAN is a simmering cauldron of discontent. The continued deprivation of political, economic and human rights is driving the people of this strategic northern end of Pakistan to desperation. They have been fighting for their rights not just since 1947, when they won liberation from Dogra rule, but since Dogra occupation of 1848.

A brief review of history will be in order to understand the current hostile attitude of the people towards the current political set-up in Gilgit-Baltistan. The British left the Gilgit Agency on July 31, 1947, two weeks before the independence of the subcontinent. On October 27, 1947 the people of Gilgit-Baltistan defeated the forces of Gansara Singh (Dogra Raj) and achieved independence to celebrate their own ‘Yaum-e-Azadi’ on November 1 and founded a new country ‘Islamic Republic of Gilgit’.

However, the people of Gilgit-Baltistan wanted to be part of the newly-born Pakistan. During the transitional period the ‘Islamic Republic of Gilgit’ approached the founder of Pakistan, Quid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah with a plea to join Pakistan. As a corollary, on November 16, 1947 Pakistan established its administration in the area. But until today the region has not become the legal and political part of Pakistan. Many people in the region think that their efforts and sacrifices of their ancestors have gone waste.

continue to full story

A Dying Symphony by Akmal Khan on Mianwali / Essa Khel musical culture and challenges it faces

Essa Khel (A sub-district in West Punjab), part of Mianwali District, has an illustrious history of producing musical geniuses. The area situated on banks of the mighty Indus River, has music, rag, folk lore, poetry & compositions rivaled by none other in Pakistan.

This short movie by Akmal Khan, presented in Film Festivat "Culture Unplugged" is a brilliant summrization of its musical genius. An area where music had replaced the gun/violence culture around a few decades ago, is again threatened by emergence of religious etremism in the area. The music is facing the biggest threat since it became popular country wide.

Must watch, beautiful, and above all, brilliant "Saraiki" sound over.

View this movie at cultureunplugged.com

My TAX Money

Capital suggestion
Sunday, June 21, 2009
By Dr Farrukh Saleem

Budget 2009-10 has allocated Rs3 million a day, every single day of the year, for Prime Minister Gilani's foreign tours. That's a wholesome Rs100 million a month or Rs1.2 billion a year. If our prime minister somehow manages to restrain himself from leaving the geographical boundaries of Pakistan the same allocation could mean Rs500 for each and every IDP, every man, woman and child, sick and old. For Rs.1.2 billion, the Utility Stores Corporation can distribute 25 million kilograms of Dal Chana among the 400,000 IDP families so that each family gets 60 kilograms of Dal Chana.

Foreign tours or IDPs? Imagine; if our prime minister forgoes his foreign excursions just for a month the Rs100 million saved that month can go to feed and cloth at least 300,000 IDPs. This is what Rs100 million could buy: 500,000 kilograms of rice plus 100,000 kilograms of sugar, 250,000 kilograms of Dal Masoor, 50,000 kilograms of tea, 25,000 kilograms of red chilli powder, 50,000 kilograms of ghee and 250,000 kilograms of soap. Do you know how much Rs1.2 billion would buy? Six million kilograms of rice plus 1.2 million kilograms of sugar, three million kilograms of Dal Masoor, 600,000 kilograms of tea, 300,000 kilograms of red chilli powder, 600,000 kilograms of ghee and three million kilograms of soap. Do you know how many IDPs can live on that and for how long? Our entire pool of IDPs can live on that for at least two full weeks.

This year, the presidential allocation under the head of budget for "staff, household and allowances" stands at Rs390 million. Imagine; if our president forgoes his budget for "staff, household and allowances" just for a month the Rs30 million saved that month could go to feed and cloth at least 90,000 IDPs. This is what Rs30 million could buy: 150,000 kilograms of rice plus 30,000 kilograms of sugar, 75,000 kilograms of Dal Masoor, 15,000 kilograms of tea, 7,000 kilograms of red chilli powder, 15,000 kilograms of ghee and 75,000 kilograms of soap. Do you know how much Rs390 million would buy? Two million kilograms of rice plus 400,000 kilograms of sugar, one million kilograms of Dal Masoor, 200,000 kilograms of tea, 100,000 kilograms of red chilli powder, 200,000 kilograms of ghee and one million kilograms of soap. Do you know how many IDPs can live on that and for how long? Our entire pool of IDPs can live on that for five full days (all prices as quoted by the Utility Stores Corporation of Pakistan).

Imagine; budget 2009-10 has allocated Rs1 million a day for every day of the year under the head of budget for the president's "staff, household and allowances". For the record, three out of four Pakistanis make Rs160 or less a day. Amazingly, President Zardari took out a mere Rs230 million from the public kitty for his foreign junkets. And, that translates to around Rs20 million a month or a paltry Rs600,000 a day.

On an average day some 200 babies are born to IDP families, around 6,000 babies a month. How about prenatal care, fetal assessment and obstetrics? If our president and our prime minister forgo their foreign travels just for a day the savings would be enough to build, maintain and sustain an outpatient clinic, a primary health care centre plus diagnostic equipment. Imagine; how many hospitals can be built if our leaders forgo their foreign travels for one full year.

There must be some 1.5 million school-age IDPs. How about primary and secondary schools? How about vocational schools? If our president and our prime minster forgo their foreign travels just for a month imagine the number of schools that can be built, teachers hired and children taught?

Look at our priorities: NWFP allocates Rs2 billion for all our IDPs. Islamabad allocates Rs1.2 billion for prime minister's foreign travels, Rs38 million for Islamabad's law courts, Rs2.8 billion for Frontier Constabulary and Rs504 million for Pakistan Coast Guards.

Imagine; budget 2009-10 has current expenditures that actually exceed net government revenue. All this travelling around the globe is in essence on money borrowed in the name of the Islamic Republic. Is this addiction, obsession, compulsion, psychological dependence or just a sweet tooth? Where are our democratically elected MNAs? Hasn't anyone heard of a 'Balanced Budget Amendment' (under which our budget drafters would be under legal obligation to balance all projected revenues and expenditures)?

Donate $5 for Swat IDP's from US Cell phones

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has enabled every American to donate for Internally Displaced Pakisranis by sending a text from their personal cell phone. Now any US citizen can donate for IDPs from their cell phones, they can text the word “swat” — to the number 20222 and make a $5 contribution that will help the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees provide tents, clothing, food, and medicine to hundreds of thousands of affected people.

For Details please visit: http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2009/05/19/clinton-text-aid-straight-to-pakistan/

Donate for IDPs from Swat

As Pakistan is in the middle of the "War against Terror", there is a huge operation going on in the beautiful valley of Swat. There is an estimate that this operation can force 1.5 million people to leave their homes. There are four big refugee camps set up in order to provide shelter to these displaced Pakistanis. Other than that people have also taken shelter in different schools and government buildings.
There is no need to elaborate on the living conditions in the camps. One more important fact is that number of children under the age of seven is equivalent to the number of adults in these camps.
Right now, they require medicines and powdered milk in large quantities, along with other basic needs that include camps, quilts, mattresses, food items, water, pedestal fans, etc.
We at LUMS have set up a website which allows you to donate to this cause and we will ensure that your money is well spent and reaches the affected.

http://swatrelief.org/

You can donate online as well as through conventional means (cash, cheque, bank draft).

Swat – a report from the frontline ... Farhat Taj

Recently an AIRRA (Aryana Institute for Regional Research and Advocacy – an Islamabad-based research organisation) investigation team went to some parts of Swat that had been under army attacks. The team observed whether the attacks were targeted at the Taliban and their installations. It observed two villages -- Ladikas and Watkai in Mingora -- and Khwazakhela, a tehsil in Swat. The team with its access to the people of the area could manage to take Besham route from Islamabad to reach Mingora via Khwazakhela. Though continuous curfew and alternate threats from the military posts and the Taliban posts badly hampered the journey of the team but somehow some of the members could manage to reach Mingora via Khwazakhela and Charbagh with the exodus of the people from different parts of Swat valley. The team was able to access and interview several dozens of those families who were still stuck up in the valley.

The team observed that the security forces have successfully destroyed the installations of the Taliban and have disrupted their chain of command in that area. They have killed many Taliban there with very little collateral damage, albeit with the destruction of civilian infrastructure. The best example is the Taliban headquarter in Khwazakhela. The headquarters was located on a mountain. It housed the Taliban operational command led by commander Yamin, the intelligence department led by commander Rashid and the department of logistics and supplies. The aerial bombardment of the Pakistan army reduced all that to rubble. The entire side of the mountain housing the headquarters has been exploded and razed.

The Taliban terrorists had established the headquarters with great efforts. They had cleansed a huge portion of the forest on the mountain to make free space for the building. They recruited the youth on a large scale, strengthened their command and control structure, established their hierarchical structure, planted mines on the main roads, dug bunkers and occupied the strategic passes in only two and a half months. And they did all this after the peace deal agreed with the NWFP government in February of this year.

The team interacted with the people in the area. Most of those killed were confirmed Taliban. There had been almost no serious collateral damage. Nearby buildings collapsed due to the force of explosions. Some people got injuries when hit by the collapsing debris.

Moreover, the army has cordoned off several narrow alleys of Mingora to prevent the Taliban from escaping. The military has cordoned off Swat from the northeast (the Shangla side), the southeast (the Buner side) and the southwest (the Dir side). In Mingora city itself, the Taliban are reported to be lying dead in the streets and local people confirm that some of them are well-known Taliban leaders.

There are still stranded people in Swat. The people are facing enormous difficulties due to power failure and water reservoirs in their homes which have dried up. Food commodities have become scarce and fuel stations have more or less stopped functioning. Soldiers of the Pakistan army and the FC are sharing their limited food rations with the stranded people. This goodwill gesture has earned respect of the stranded people for the security forces.

It is suggested to the army to issue the photos or video clips of the killed Taliban to the media and of the destroyed Taliban installations. Local people and the IDPs often know the Taliban and location of their installations. They would confirm that the dead were indeed the Taliban and the installations shown as destroyed indeed belonged to the Taliban. This is important because it will ensure transparency and reassure people of the success being achieved in the war.

It is highly commendable that the security forces are conducting targeted operations that have considerably damaged the Taliban in Swat. I would once again request the army high command to destroy the Taliban networks, installations, headquarters everywhere in Pakistan, including FATA and south Punjab. Taliban leaders in each and every city or town of Pakistan have to be neutralised. There is a strong connection between the Taliban in Waziristan, Orakzai, Swat, South Punjab, Khost and Kunar in terms of supply of manpower, weapons and chain of command. This connection is the Al Qaeda-linked Jalaluddin Haqqani and his terror secretariat in North Waziristan. This connection has to be broken, which means that Haqqani's 'secretariat' must be destroyed. Other than the military front, the war against militancy also needs to be fought on the ideological battleground -- Talibanisation needs to be denied ideological space in the country's security and state apparatus and this can be done by targeting elements in state structures and institutions deemed as being sympathetic to the militants.

The army must carry the war against the Taliban to its logical end. The army owes it to the Pakhtun and by extension to Pakistan, because the Pakhtun are citizens of the country and hence deserve the same protection by the state as accorded to those in the other provinces. The Pakhtun have always taken pride in giving their best sons to the army. It is now the turn of the army to reciprocate in such a manner that truly honours the Pakhtun martyrs of the army. This means complete elimination of the Taliban so that the Pakhtun live their lives free of the jihadi fear and intimidation. If done successfully, this will bind the Pakhtun even more closely with the state and the army. In that context, the army must convert this war into an opportunity that will substantially contribute towards making Pakistan a successfully functioning multi-ethnic state.

While the army is rising itself to the occasion, the performance of the politicians is dismal. The soldiers are giving their blood to save us from the Taliban. They are sharing their limited food ration with the stranded people. The army has given a share of their salary to support the relief work for the IDPs. Where are political leaders? What is President Zardari doing abroad? He should be visiting the IDPs rather than foreign lands. What is Asfandyar Wali doing in London? Why is Afrasiab Khattak in Dubai? The IDPs constantly complain that the ministers, MPAs and MNAs only come when the media is there and leave soon afterwards, without tending to their (the IDPs) problems.

All MNAs and MPAs, especially those elected by the people of Swat, Dir and Buner, should stay with the IDPs of their respective constituencies as long as possible because these are after all the people who voted them into public office.

Internally Displaced People in Islmabad .... Fauzia Minallah

Following is an email by Fauzia Minallah (funkor.childart@gmail.com) an active civil worker from Islamabad, sent on a volunteer group, making it public, so that it can help create awareness on the situation of IDP's who have migrated to Islamabad.

According to some news reports there are nearly 50,000 IDPs in Islamabad. Civil Society Islamabad, visited 4 locations identified by out of these only one was an informal camp with approximately 40 tents near the Katchi Abadi in G 7/1. The IDPs are not registered in Islamabad and unless they are registered it is difficult to identitify deserving and genuine IDPs.

Amna Paracha and Ghazala Minallah met Sattar Edhi, according to him there should be a camp in Islamabad to identify genuine IDPs only then one can help them. The three other locations we visited, we found the IDPs living with their relatives. Several families cramped in one room.

Their problem is the sudden increase in rents by the locals. They are vulnerable to exploitation by individuals and dodgy NGOs. Despite all these problems atleast there is a roof over their heads. They need to be registered during summer break these families can spend the hot summer months in schools

IDP camp in G 7/1
Hazara Colony, Near Nala Leh.Pindi IDP in Golra Swati child Manan suffering from cancer, in Golra, Islamabad

Here it comes - SC takes up petrol, gas price issue

The court has asked the government to decide whether it will reduce on its own prices of petroleum or let the apex court intervene.—File Photo

SC agrees to take up Sharif’s conviction in plane case

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the government to decide by Wednesday whether it would reduce on its own prices of petroleum and gas as suggested by a judicial commission or let the apex court intervene.

The judicial commission said in an interim report to the Supreme Court: ‘It is high time that the government should ponder seriously over reducing the burden of petroleum development levy (PDL) and uniform general sales tax (GST) at the rate of 16 per cent.’

Signed by Justice (retd) Bhagwandas, the five-page report observed that ‘freight rates, dollar-rupee parity source, cost of refining, margins allowed to distributors and dealers’ commission (too) need rationalisation and review in the larger public interest’.

Attorney-General Sardar Mohammad Latif Khan Khosa is required to v seek instructions and inform the three-judge bench, comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed and Justice Chaudhry Ijaz Ahmed, about the government’s decision on price reduction by Wednesday.

‘It is open to the Supreme Court to make appropriate directions for the relief in prices of petroleum products as well as natural gas, CNG (compressed natural gas) and LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) as deemed just, fair and proper.’

‘The government is earning profit worth billions of rupees by doing business with its own people,’ Justice Raja Fayyaz said when Advocate Mohammad Ikram Chaudhry read out the interim report before the court.

The chief justice was also unhappy over Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) insensitivity for not reducing petroleum prices by a single penny even though the court was seized with the matter for the past month. read more