“Mr Prime Minister should be thankful to DPC instead of showing concerns against it, that we united the nation and continue to do so on one platform”

” How can a country committed to destroy us can help us for prosperity and progress”

PKKH Exclusive |  Report by Tabish Qayyum and Salman Javed

“If Institution fail,we will defend Pakistan against US, NATO aggression”, Said Maulana Sami-ul-Haq in a Press briefing held at Jamat-e-Islami Head quarters Karachi.

DPC, after successful Show of Unity through massive rallies in Lahore, Rawalpindi-Islamabad and Multan, is now preparing for a Grand Show at Karachi. Rally is scheduled at 12th of Feb, 2012.

Ameer JUD Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, said he is committed to resist MFN case from DPC platform. “We’ll not allow govt to grant MFN status to India,untill core issues like Kashmir and Water blockade by india are resloved” said Hafiz Saeed.

India’s atrocities in Occupied Kashmir and its army’s brutality is a well known factor. India never showed any commitment to reslove or give the Kashmiris their right of self determination. Further to make Pakistan a barren land, India is now making dams over rivers of Kashmir and also made an investment on dam of river Kabul which also enters in Pakistan from Afghanistan.

India is also trying to support terrorism in baluchistan and also many evidences received that it supported Suicide activitist to sabotage Pakistan’s image in international Community.

MFN will be suicide for Pakistan’s trade market and its implications will be severe in the long term economic aspect for us. Many trade and business community representatives have spoken against MFN and they have supported our legitimate and factual stance against Indian economic attack after what it has already been doing against us by constructing illegal dams.

How can a country committed to destroy us can help us for prosperity and progress. Truth is International players want to make Pakistan a lapdog of India and we will not lwt that happen. DPC’s main leadership gathered at the headquarters of Jamat-e-Islami here in Karachi on Thursday, 2nd of Feb, 2012. In a Press briefing they told the media about their agenda and next steps to be taken.

“DPC is committed to defend Pakistan and its interests if institutions fail us, Opening the supply route for NATO is not acceptable at any cost now. The nation will not tolerate and support this anymore. It already brought enough damage to the country in terms of Suicide bombs, and if it again going to happen Terrorism will only multiply”. Briefed the council to media personals.

“We’ve no hidden or Political agenda except that of defence and unity against Aggression of US, Nato forces on our west borders and any adventurism on eastren borders by india”. Said the Leadership of DPC.

We’ve invited PTI and Moulana Fazal-ur-Rehman as well to join the cause. We are still waiting for their responses. Said Moulana Sami ul Haq. Mr Prime Minister should be thankful to DPC instead of showing concerns against it, that we united the nation and continuo to do so on one platform. PM should condemn NATO and US on drone attacks which again Killed 40 more innocent Pakistanis instead of Condemning DPC”, He added.

“The scholars will stand up for the defense of internal, external interests and also for the Ideological and Islamic identity of Pakistan against the Secular outrage on every front. If Govt will try to re-open NATO supplies we will launch a massive campaign against Govt outside Parliment on 20th of Feb, If institutions fail we will defend our Country”.

Media was requested to give maximum coverage for 12th Feburary conference which will also be LIVE streamed by the official web site of DPC  www.difaepakistan.com.

The military leadership especially has once again come out looking bad with promotions and other such interests leading to what is a major national compromise.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—The departure of Husain Haqqani to United States reflects the sorry state of affairs of the government and state of Pakistan. In fact the whole Memogate issue was a reflection of the depths of absurdity and sleaze that the state of Pakistan and its rulers have sunk to.

Two of the sleaziest characters were being used to invite American intervention into the most sensitive issue-areas of Pakistan.

To see the affairs of State being conducted through such unsavoury conduits was a reflection of the bizarre state of affairs in Pakistan today. To see the Prime Minister’s House become a sanctuary for all manner of alleged criminals was yet one more insult hurled in the face of the people of Pakistan for electing the present set of rulers.

Now with Hussain Haqqani going off to the US scot-free it appears that no justice will ever be done in this case. The government as well as the military seem to have compromised not only with the US – once again in a long list of damaging compromises – but also put their own personal interests before those of the nation.

The US media and government started targeting the Pakistan military and judiciary from the moment Haqqani’s case was taken up with a blatant intrusion into the country’s internal affairs.

Yet there was no need for any state institution to have succumbed to this blatant US interference and attempt to obstruct justice.

The military leadership especially has once again come out looking bad with promotions and other such interests leading to what is a major national compromise of the most despicable kind given how it were Pakistan’s security interests that were being bargained with in the notorious Memo.

Husain Haqqani himself has a record of selling out Pakistan’s national interests to the US in the past. For instance, when he was Pakistan’s High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, he revealed a highly sensitive piece of information to then US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Teresita Schaeffer regarding one of our covert operations. This almost destroyed Pakistan-Sri Lankan relations.

His book on Pakistan, written now it appears through a hefty payment from a US sponsor, also targets the Pakistani state. And the language in the Memo is similar to the Haqqani style of writing in his book.

Whatever the real truth behind the Memo, especially how far up the ruling hierarchy it went, the fact is that sleaze has come to dominate Pakistan’s state today with underhand deals, all manners of compromises with foreign powers and cronyism and criminals running free to conduct serious business of government and state.

Husain Haqqani symbolises this sleaze factor; but he is simply one of many in the same category who are ruling the roost today and with whom the civil and military leadership is making all manner of deals. Thus the Pakistani state and nation stand preyed upon from those meant to protect and safeguard their interests and their lives.

Dr. Mazari wrote this column for PakNationalists.net  . Reach her at callstr@hotmail.com

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—We released a traitor back in 1969 despite strong evidence. Two years later he led an insurgency in support of an Indian invasion of Pakistan. Today we have released another traitor with a proven track record of working to blackmail Pakistan. I’d like every patriotic Pakistani to remember three things:

1. How our political parties, politicians and judiciary have worked together, passively, to protect and free a traitor. It’s as if the country’s security is the concern of ISI or the military and not the collective responsibility of politicians and others.

2. How the US worked overtime to get Husain Haqqani released, an American asset beyond a shadow of doubt. The way the US government issued a statement welcoming his escape from Pakistan is a telltale sign.

3. How a sitting Member of Parliament, Farahnaz Isphahani, and Haqqani’s spouse, landed in Washington to lobby against Pakistan, its military and its intelligence community. She privately told a British newspaper she escaped Pakistan because she was afraid the country’s military would kidnap her. Bad for her, the British journalist published this off-the-record comment, forcing her to issue a clarification. The statement shows deep malice against the country’s national security institutions. It proves how Haqqani and his boss, President Zardari, is every bit guilty of the contents of The Memo. [If you haven’t seen this brief, point-by-point reading into The Memo, please do. It is not every day that one sees a first-class evidence of what treason looks like. For Urdu version, click here.]

Last, the reluctance of our military establishment to take a decisive stand on this case and preferring instead to avoid a confrontation with the pro-US government is understandable but disturbing.

This attitude is part of the general ailment that afflicts our failed political system. It is not difficult to see how this country will get out of anyone’s control down the road. A big and drastic change is required. [Wait for new ideas in this regard, expected to be floated next month in a special ceremony in Islamabad. The event will use the platform of Project For Pakistan In 21^st Century, an independent Islamabad-based think tank.]

Regarding The Memo, I will spare our military harsher criticism because I understand that it is busy trying to limit the damage of the 2002-2011 years. Good luck guys doing that. But remember: our homeland is beyond correction through installments. The state can be restructured top down. It requires good Pakistanis, civilians and uniformed, men and women of will more than anything else.

Source: Pak Nationalists

(Reuters) – The United States appears to have taken Kabul by surprise by announcing plans to end its Afghan combat role earlier than expected, and coinciding with a secret report that the Taliban is confident it can grab back control of the ravaged country.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, speaking on Wednesday, said the United States would stop combat operations before the end of 2013 as it winds down its longest war.

“A decision to push this a year earlier throws out the whole transition plan. The transition has been planned against a timetable and this makes us rush all our preparations,” a senior Afghan security official, who could not be named because he was not authorized to speak on the matter, told Reuters on Thursday.

“If the Americans withdraw from combat, it will certainly have an effect on our readiness and training, and on equipping the police force,” the official said, adding that his government had not been informed of the change in plans.

The United States, which led the NATO invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, has previously said it would withdraw most combat troops by the end of 2014.

Panetta said the U.S. troops would shift next year to a supporting role, training and advising Afghan troops who would take charge of a country that has been at war for more than three decades.

A faster end to U.S. combat in Afghanistan could give President Barack Obama an election-year lift.

It may also demoralize Afghans who fear a return to the austere rule of the Taliban and hope that reconciliation between all parties would deliver a better alternative.

People like hotel waiter Yama, 19, expressed alarm at the prospect that U.S. troops will cease combat sooner.

“Everything Afghanistan has built during the past years would be destroyed, robbed and sold to neighboring countries,” he said.

Many Afghans have long been suspicious of neighboring Pakistan’s intentions, and would like to see it tame Afghan militant groups it is accused of supporting.

Ties between the countries have been strained in recent months, but Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said on Thursday after her trip to Kabul a day earlier that “a lot of ill will had faded.”

She said Pakistan had played no substantial role in reconciliation efforts but would encourage insurgent groups like the Haqqani network and the Taliban to lay down their arms and pursue peace if asked by Afghanistan.

“We would be able to do whatever we have, whatever tools we have, we would want to exploit to be able to assist the Afghan people,” she told a small group of reporters in a briefing on her trip to Kabul this week.

“We are willing to do whatever the Afghans expect or want us to do.”

MILTANT GROUPS AS PROXIES

Pakistan has long been accused of using militant groups as proxies in Afghanistan to counter the influence of its rival India there, allegations it denies.

Despite her enthusiasm over ties with Kabul, Khar cautioned the nascent peace process is far from producing breakthroughs.

The United States believes Afghanistan cannot be pacified without strong cooperation with Pakistan.

But ties have been damaged by a series of events including the unilateral U.S. raid that killed Osama bid Laden on Pakistani soil in May last year, and a NATO cross-border raid that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November.

Islamabad is currently reviewing ties with the United States and parliament is expected to soon make recommendations on a new direction for the relationship.

Panetta’s announcement immediately drew criticism from Obama’s most likely opponent in this year’s race for the White House, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

“Why (in) the world do you go to the people that you’re fighting with and tell them the day you’re pulling out your troops? It makes absolutely no sense,” Romney told a rally.

Panetta has also been criticized by some lawmakers for moving too swiftly to extract U.S. troops.

“Our goal is to complete all of that transition in 2013 and then hopefully by mid- to the latter part of 2013 we’ll be able to make a transition from a combat role to a training, advise-and-assist role,” Panetta told reporters on his plane to Brussels for a NATO defense ministers’ meeting.

The announcement came as allies like France are themselves looking for a quick exit from Afghanistan. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, facing a tough re-election campaign of his own, announced he would pull out French troops by the end of next year.

He urged other members of the North Atlantic alliance to do the same, threatening to upend a well-settled strategy approved at a summit in Lisbon two years ago that calls for the transition to Afghan security leadership by the end of 2014.

The United States has been trying to draw the Taliban into reconciliation talks with the Afghan government of President Hamid Karzai. But a key part of its strategy has been to increase military pressure on the Taliban to persuade it to join peace talks.

TALIBAN CONFIDENT ON CONTROL

In a classified report obtained by British media, NATO said that the Taliban, backed by Pakistan, remained confident despite a decade of NATO efforts that it would retake control of Afghanistan.

“Taliban commanders, along with rank and file members, increasingly believe their control of Afghanistan is inevitable. Though the Taliban suffered severely in 2011, its strength, motivation, funding and tactical proficiency remains intact,” according to an excerpt of the report, published by the Times of London and the BBC.

Panetta insisted that the new timetable was in line with a previous NATO strategy agreed in Lisbon.

“In the Lisbon discussions, it was always clear that there would come a point which we would make that transition and then be able to hopefully consolidate those gains in 2014,” he said.

“So the bottom line is: No, this isn’t a new strategy. It’s basically implementing what Lisbon is all about.”

He said his key message to the NATO allies as they meet on Thursday and Friday to prepare for a Chicago summit in May was that the coalition in Afghanistan needed to unite behind the goals agreed on in Lisbon.

Source: Reuters

A Pakistani boy in the tribal belt volunteered to collect evidence on CIA drones killing Pakistani civilians. He was killed in a drone attack within 72 hours.

SYDNEY, Australia—Australian columnist Justin Randle has criticized United States spy agency CIA’s drone attacks inside Pakistan as “illegal” and “outside the law.”

The Sydney Morning Herald ran a column for Randle, titled, ‘US Steps Outside The Law As War On Terror Drones On.’

The opinion piece is an eye-opener for those few Pakistanis, in politics and government, who secretly continue to support foreign attacks on their own soil and are incapable of asserting control over their territory and protect their citizens killed at the hands of foreign intelligence agencies and terrorists.

Randle says that CIA drones are an attempt to violate international law.

The restart of drone attacks in Pakistan is “the latest attempt by the United States to circumvent international law in pursuit of its alleged enemies,” he writes.

He notes that the increase in the use of CIA drones is part of a policy, where the American president has signed on the National Defense Authorization Act [NDAA], “which codified the indefinite detention of US citizens.”

He quotes a ‘conservative’ American estimate of 1717 deaths in Pakistan by CIA drones between 2004 and 2011, with a ‘conservative’ estimate of 32% civilian Pakistanis dead, all unaccounted for by the Pakistani government, media and the judiciary.

Randle referred to the chilling story of Pakistani boy Tariq Aziz.

“At a meeting held in Waziristan, organized by the UK legal charity Reprieve, locals were encouraged to accumulate photographic evidence of the damage these strikes cause. Tariq Aziz, a 16-year-old boy, offered to collect this information if it would help protect his family. Within 72 hours the car he was travelling in was blown up by a drone.”

Randle’s verdict is insightful and damning.

“Was Tariq Aziz a militant? Was his 12-year-old cousin – also killed – a militant? Was he involved in plotting attacks that may have jeopardized American lives? Here is the problem: amid official secrecy and in the absence of an allegation tried, tested and proven or disproven in an independent and transparent court, we can only guess. If Guantanamo and the NDAA represent an assault on the right to due process, drones dispense with the principle entirely.”

The irony is that while resentment increases against CIA drones among Pakistani citizens and also internationally, a handful of pro-US journalists in Pakistani media, politics and military elites continue to defend the attacks using the strange logic that foreign terrorists also violate Pakistani sovereignty. This twisted logic does not take into account the fact that foreign terrorists, including terror chief OBL, entered Pakistan in 2001 thanks to the blunders of US military in Afghanistan. They also ignore how CIA’s covert activities are preventing any possibility of normalization or peace in the Pakistani tribal belt.

Randle’s opinion is part of increasing realization internationally about the illegality of CIA drone attacks.

Source: Pak Nationalists

The Taliban, backed by Pakistan, are set to retake control of Afghanistan after Nato-led forces withdraw from the country, according to reports citing a classifed assessment by US forces.

The Times described the report as secret and “highly classified”, saying it was put together last month by the US military at Bagram air base in Afghanistan for top Nato officers. The BBC also carried a report on the leaked document.

“Many Afghans are already bracing themselves for an eventual return of the Taliban,” the report was quoted as saying. “Once Isaf (Nato-led forces) is no longer a factor, Taliban consider their victory inevitable.”

The document stated that Pakistan’s security agency was helping the Taliban in directing attacks against foreign forces  a charge long denied by Islamabad.

The findings were based on interrogations of more than 4,000 Taliban and al-Qaida detainees, the Times said, adding the document was scarce on identifying individual insurgents.

A US state department spokesman and Britain’s Foreign Office both declined comment on the report. Nato and Pakistani officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

Despite the presence of more than 100,000 foreign troops, the UN has said violence in Afghanistan is at its worst since the Taliban were ousted by US-backed forces in 2001.

The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) says levels of violence are falling.

Citing the same report, the BBC reported on its website that Pakistan and its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency knew the locations of senior Taliban leaders and supported the expulsion of “foreign invaders from Afghanistan”.

“Senior Taliban leaders meet regularly with ISI personnel, who advise on strategy and relay any pertinent concerns of the government of Pakistan.”

The Times said the document suggested the Taliban were gaining in popularity, partly because the severe Islamist movement was becoming more tolerant.

The report was quoted as stating: “It remains to be seen whether a revitalised, more progressive Taliban will endure if they continue to gain power and popularity. Regardless, at least within the Taliban the refurbished image is already having a positive effect on morale.”

Source: The Guardian UK

Al Jazeera reports on the boys who never came home.

His unibrow twists and arches furiously. The creases on his face tighten. His eyes shift from the door and with his index finger he points towards the ceiling. Then he stares straight at me and begins to speak – his voice like a calamitous clap of thunder, echoing off the cold walls and ringing in my ears.

I have no idea what he is saying, but his tone conveys everything.

“Take it easy … they are here to listen to your story … don’t be angry,” says Parveena Ahangar, the chairperson of the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP), one of two organisations going by the same name in Kashmir, as she tugs gently at the old man’s knee.

But he refuses and embarks on a second tirade; spitting as he pronounces a series of adjectives that I recognise as expletives.

A friend who has accompanied me for the purpose of translating whispers: “I can’t translate all of this. He is cursing just about everyone there is to possibly swear at.”

Ghulam Muhammad Wani needs a moment to clear his mind. I happily give him three.

The 80-year-old is short and stocky but cuts an imposing figure. Dressed in a dirty, brown pheran, he sits on the floor of his living room in Rajbagh, Srinagar. His overstretched woolen socks loop around the contours of his feet, stealing dust from the parched carpet below.

He tells us his story.

A father’s anguish

KARACHI: Something which perplexes me no end is why majority of Pakistanis do not stand up for their country and defend it when foreign or local media focuses only on the negatives of our society and nation?

Yes, we have problems, probably a lion’s share of them which I do not need to highlight as we all know the issues and challenges. But that still does not give anybody the right to lambast our country without presenting a proper and balanced picture.

In many recent articles, I have seen the authors criticising Pakistan as the most dangerous place to live, naming Karachi as the most dramatic symbol of instability, and many more such one-sided and unbalanced coverage of Pakistan and its people.

We all know many prosperous cities are faced with unrest, mugging and killing. Which mega city in the world is free from poverty and gang wars? In most nations and cities, there are good things to report as well, but to sensationalise the article many writers do not address the positive side. This regrettably prejudices global view of the country and its citizens.

Many would be surprised to hear that Karachi is the “Philanthropic Capital of the World”, with the highest per capita donation and charity. Pakistan has Edhi, the largest social charity organisation in the world.

Most recently, Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre in Karachi has obtained a $4.5 million Cyber Knife technology through private donation to treat cancer and tumours, which will be the only facility in the world to offer this treatment free of charge to the poor. But rarely one sees articles on such positive efforts.

We have amazing stories of NGOs doing innovative social development work in the area of education, health services, nutrition, eye and kidney care, deaf education, cancer research and treatment and the list goes on. The kind of response and volunteerism that was seen in the recent floods and earthquake reaffirms my belief that we are indeed a very great nation.

Pakistan also has a budding list of educational institutions. We have a population which shows perseverance, is brave and continues to help the poor and live on with their lives despite such challenging circumstances. It is our responsibility to highlight these aspects also while highlighting all the negative aspects.

It is unfair when one reads such damaging articles which will not only hurt the reputation of our country, but also impact investments coming to our country. Don’t get me wrong, we have issues, serious issues but people must also write about issues that will help our nation, something positive, something balanced.

I see our fellow Pakistanis busy on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc, sharing ideas, thoughts, giving opinion on issues and spending hours doing it. But when it comes to upholding your country’s reputation on media, majority of them remain silent or uninterested.

I strongly urge everyone to find the time to stand up against one-sided negative publicity of our nation. We need to take a bold stance, be upfront and not just pay lip service or remain silent. I urge our citizens to get on the internet and fight against unfair and unwarranted publicity. We need to help portray the true reality on the ground and try to pass the right perspective of our country to the world.

“Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have,” said US cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead.

The writer works in the corporate sector and is active on various business forums and trade bodies.

Source: Express Tribune

43 Years Ago, Pakistani Politicians Defended Treason, They Do It Again.

We ignored Agartala conspiracy, released the traitors who broke up the country two years later. We are doing it again in The Memo case.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—The coincidence is unnerving. Forty-three years ago, Pakistan’s politicians and courts acquitted a traitor accused of helping a foreign country invade Pakistan.

The evidence of treason was strong. But the politicians ganged up and generated enough disinformation against the military and ISI and to cover up for the traitor.

The traitor was released.

The case was dropped.

Two years later, the traitor led a revolt in support of the invading army of India.

Today, Pakistani politicians and courts repeat history: they have almost buried a case of treason, The Memo case.

This is a case where a group of Pakistanis attempted to conspire with another foreign power, the United States, to neutralize Pakistan’s military and nuclear weapons. Had this Memo happened when George W. Bush was president, there would have been many takers in Washington. Unluckily for President Zardari, Husain Haqqani and their other unnamed accomplices, there were no takers this time although many people in Washington continue to spew venom against Pakistan and its military every chance they get.

The Memo case is a breathtaking incident of treason in Pakistan. [For full details of the treachery, see a brief report at this link: http://bit.ly/wpCNso ]

The Agartala conspiracy case of 1969 bears many similarities to The Memo case of 2011, where the main accused, former envoy to Washington Husain Haqqani, was ordered released by the Supreme Court today.

Even during the trial, he and his spouse Farahanaz Isphahani, a Member of Parliament and a presidential aide, were allowed to manage a media campaign against the country’s military in foreign press, spreading disinformation about possible assassination if the trial went ahead. Haqqani’s counsel issued statements accusing the military of a range of crimes, and the government’s media machine bluntly threatened a key witness and planted stories to paint the case as a ploy by the military against failed politicians.

WHAT HAPPENED AT AGARTALA?

Pakistan comes out worse off after Memogate. Before the case, we knew a group of Pakistanis would not hesitate to invite a foreign power to decapitate their own military commanders. But after the case, we know that our political elite will not only cover up a national security breach but also blackmail the country to avoid prosecution.

The case also shows that our military might be able to shake off the American mess on our borders but not the domestic mess. Not yet at least. This mess is a national security threat to the well-being of Pakistani citizens. Our country is drifting headless in the second decade of the 21st century. And let us not forget that our current mess at the top was largely the bright idea of a former US government and was endorsed and executed by our previous president. What other country in the world gambles its future like this?

Let’s not mince words here. The memo was a breathtaking example of treason. The only thing not determined yet is at what level of federal government. It was a serious national security breach and deserved immediate judicial attention.

But if the memo was bad, what we see now is worse: a government blackmailing its army and intelligence chiefs with dismissal from service if they pursue the security breach; a prime minister dragging an ally like China into the case and embarrassing it; and a main accused in the case and his spouse blatantly inviting foreign rescuers. Talking about MNA Farahnaz Isphahani, is there a law that bars a sitting member of parliament from touring foreign capitals inviting interference in a national security case pending before her country’s Supreme Court?

Not to mention the farce over deposing a key witness. In what democracy can senior government officials get away with blunt threats to a witness? And why is it that the judicial commission probing the case has not heard of something called Skype?

We want accountability, especially after a decade of selling Pakistan cheap for someone else’s war. But what we see instead is everyone walking scot-free. It doesn’t matter if you kill a hundred heart patients, plant a bomb, or openly act as an agent of foreign powers, you will never be punished in Pakistan. This has to stop. Giving the Pakistani state some backbone has become indispensable. Without accountability, Pakistanis are losing faith in their country’s future.

Memogate can create a much needed precedent for the kind of fate that should await anyone in Islamabad who decides to betray the country. If nothing else, let’s learn how beacons of democracy like United States and Israel have dealt with their treason convicts. We are even softer than India, where a female Indian diplomat accused last year of spying for a foreign government was initially handed over to the country’s spooks for interrogation. We are too soft for our own good. We lodged the main accused in Memogate at the Prime Minister House.

In a responsible democracy, senior members of PPPP should have been the first to ask our president and the (now ex-) ambassador to Washington to de-link themselves from party and government pending their legal cases. But ours is hardly a democracy thanks to politicians that lack maturity and good judgment. [Congratulations to our nation, by the way. Peshawar airport now has a new name. A key development goal achieved. Someday when we have real democracy someone please introduce legislation to bar failed politicians from naming public properties after their leaders.]

It is a failure of our democracy that no veteran politician in the ruling party was ready to put loyalty to the party and country above loyalty to the president. And this is how a failed experiment in democracy scuttles an important probe linked to national security.

The writer works for Geo television. Email: aq@paknationalists.com

Let us give you some harsh factual assessment of the security, political and judicial crisis in the country. Fasten your seatbelts. This one is going to hit hard.

It seems now thaat the nation is going to be disappointed staggeringly by the Supreme Court once again. The memo case of today was the biggest treason case in the recent hitory of the country after Agartala Conspiracy of 1968, which broke Pakistan.

Source:  PCF

PESHAWAR: Sources Thursday revealed that a trio of German nationals, apprehended on Jan 21 in Peshawar, was about to receive a number of Pakistan Army uniforms for which they had placed an order in the local market some days back, Geo News reported.

Moreover, the some traditional ladies’ full-length outer garments (burqas) have also been recovered from their residence.

The alleged German spies namely Rolf Schmidt, Kristen Wild, and Lorenz had been living in Peshawar since 1981 and shifted to a bungalow at Parklane a year ago.

Police also found receipt of uniform order as well.

According to sources the foreigners had conveyed negative reports about Pakistan to Bonn Conference held in Germany last year to discuss future of Afghanistan after Nato pullout.

Intelligence agencies copped them in a raid at their house on Jan 21, they have been sent to German embassy as they could not provide any documents mandatory for staying in Pakistan.

Source: The News

NATO’s war in Afghanistan will go down in history as a big flop — one that the politicians had failed to end and the generals were unable to win. On the other hand, commentators and historians will ponder the fact that this backward tribal country was able to repulse the Soviets and an international coalition of no less than 50 Western countries led by the United States within a period of 30 years or so.

The US and its allies want to quit Afghanistan in 2014, but the specter of defeat, another Vietnam-like scenario, is looming large. More than 10 years after the US bombed and later occupied this mountainous country in South Asia in retaliation for al-Qaeda attacks on Washington and New York, the purpose of the war and the path to an honorable exit appear to have been lost.

An Afghanistan expert, journalist Michael Hastings, says in his new book, “The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America’s War in Afghanistan,” that Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who was in charge of military operations between 2009 and 2010, rarely mentioned al-Qaeda in his briefings to US congressmen. Even Gen. David Petraeus, who took over from McChrystal, would never talk about al-Qaeda in his meetings with his top aides. Hastings points to the number that former National Security Adviser Gen. James Jones put out, which is that there were less than 100 al-Qaeda members in Afghanistan.

After destroying Osama bin Laden’s lair in the mountains of Afghanistan and forcing most of the Taleban leadership to flee in the early days of the invasion, the US focused its attention on solidifying the rule of its ally President Hamid Karzai and on counterinsurgency. But both tasks have proved untenable.

The Taleban insurgency remains a big challenge to NATO forces. In military terms, modern warfare has failed to crush guerrilla warfare. The people, the terrain and culture were all against the invaders. The regime of Karzai was corrupt and unpopular. The tribal nature of Afghanistan and its culture frustrated efforts to win the hearts and minds of the Afghans. American drones and friendly fire have killed more civilians than combatants. The Taleban used the rugged terrain of the south and southwest intelligently. They infiltrated the enemy ranks and were able to carry out stunning attacks inside Kabul.

Last week an Afghan soldier fired his machine gun, killing four French troops in their base camp. He was avenging the dead Taleban whose bodies were desecrated by US Marines less than two weeks ago. There are 3,600 French soldiers in Afghanistan, part of a total of 130,000 foreign troops in that country.

It was not the first incident of this kind nor will it be the last. France has suspended the training of Afghan soldiers and is considering pulling out its

troops before the 2014 deadline. In an election year, both in France and the United States, the image of coffins arriving home from the war front in Afghanistan will not please the public. Until the end of last year, the death toll for coalition soldiers stood at 2,765. Having failed to defeat the Taleban, who rely on support from their brethren in Pakistan’s border region, the US is now listening to Karzai’s advice to negotiate with the insurgents. Last week it was revealed that US negotiators have been secretly meeting with a representative of Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, head of the outlawed Hizb-i-Islami group, which has been battling US forces mostly in the east and north of the country.

It was a step in the direction of widening talks so that they include the Taleban as well. All previous attempts to bypass the Taleban were met by failure. Officially the US refuses to talk to Mullah Omar, the fugitive Taleban leader believed to be hiding in Pakistan. But talks with his lieutenants and senior Pashtun tribal heads are underway — at least through the Karzai government.

But what could these talks lead to? The Taleban want NATO forces out, while Washington would like to see an arrangement that will involve the Taleban in a future government. The gap is wide. Washington has lost the cooperation of a major ally, which is Pakistan. Trust between the US and Pakistan has reached record lows since the Americans carried out a covert operation to kill Osama bin Laden in Pakistani territory without informing their allies in Islamabad.

Two months ago US aircraft bombed two Pakistani border points, killing more than 20 soldiers. Washington later apologized but not before Pakistan suspended all cooperation with the US.

According to Hastings, trust is also lacking between Karzai and President Obama. Gen. McChrystal used to mock the Afghan president, calling him the man with the funny hat. And Hastings reported that he had heard US officials say that Karzai was a manic depressive and that he was a drug addict.

At one point Washington wanted to rebuild Afghanistan and guide it toward democracy. But the rebuilding efforts have been marred by setbacks and corruption. At one point the US was forced to deal with opium-growing warlords in an attempt to win favors and isolate the Taleban.

The Taleban are waging a war of attrition while sending signals that they are willing to talk peace with Karzai and the Americans. All they have to do is to wait, since time is on their side. 2014 is a long way ahead for the Americans and their allies. In the end they will leave the country to its fate, just as they did in Iraq. For the people of Afghanistan the day when NATO soldiers leave will not spell the end of war but only a change in its course.

Osama Al Sharif is a journalist and political commentator based in Amman..

Source: Global Research

By JOHN WENDLE / TIME Magazine

A large crystal chandelier cast a weak glow over U.S. special envoy Marc Grossman and Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Jawed Ludin as they talked up the results of the envoys’ two days of meetings with President Hamid Karzai on the question of peace talks with the Taliban. But the plaster near the ceiling of the Soviet-era ceremonial hall at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was warped and discolored from a leaky roof, and a newly installed heater hummed loudly in the background. Minutes after the press conference ended, the power cut out, leaving Afghan officials — and the media — in the dark, an eloquent commentary on the peace process itself: the trappings are there, but closer inspection reveals obvious flaws.

The main reason for Grossman’s visit appears to have been to reassure Karzai and his government that they will play a key part in any peace process between the U.S. and the Taliban. But the most striking evidence that the main gears of the peace machine are out of sync came when the U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan said that on his way to Kabul, he had had “the good fortune to visit Turkey, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and India” and that he had “found strong support for peace in Afghanistan.” That statement was notable not for the countries mentioned, but for the key omission: Pakistan.

Last week, a spokesman for Pakistan’s government told Reuters, “Ambassador Grossman asked to visit Pakistan, but we conveyed to him that it was not possible at the moment.” Islamabad said it first had to complete a parliamentary review of the troubled bilateral relationship with Washington. Acknowledging the importance of Pakistan and perhaps signaling an effort to reduce tensions between the two countries, Grossman said that, “There really can’t be a comprehensive peace process unless Pakistan is part of it,” adding in a conciliatory tone and with a smile, “I would be happy to meet them at any time or any place.”

And while the opening of a Taliban office in Doha has prompted some to talk of a peace process gaining momentum, Karzai’s government last month withdrew its ambassador to Qatar because Kabul felt it was being cut out of the loop in talks between the emirate and the Taliban. Asked about the significance of the Taliban office in Qatar, Grossman answered that “nothing has been concluded” and “more work needs to be done.”

The U.S. envoy urged that “Qatar and Afghanistan need to be in direct contact with one another,” and commended Karzai’s government for welcoming a Qatari delegation to Afghanistan. Yet, right now, there is no Afghan ambassador in Doha or Qatari embassy in Kabul, and the two sides appear to talk past one another. Still, even if a Taliban office in Doha would establish the credentials of interlocutors who claim to speak for the movement’s leadership, and even if Washington was able to get on the same page as both Pakistan and the Karzai government, Grossman emphasized repeatedly during the press conference that the Taliban have not yet committed to peace talks.

Grossman emphasized that “we also need to have a clear statement by the Afghan Taliban against international terrorism and in support of the peace process to end the armed conflict in Afghanistan.”

So, just as a vast gap remains between the objectives of the Taliban and those of the U.S., there are also gaps between the U.S. and Afghanistan. While Deputy Foreign Minister Ludin said his government would support the transfer of Taliban prisoners from Guantánamo Bay to Qatar — which has been mooted as an important opening gesture by the U.S. to launch a peace process — Grossman said, “This is an issue in the United States of law, something on which we would want to consult our Congress,” adding “for our side, no decisions have been made.” And given the nest of issues that remains to be untangled before any significant progress becomes possible, talk of a peace process at this stage remains somewhat hypothetical.

[Download: Pakistan's perspective into US Investigation - Full Detailed Report]

(Reuters) – Pakistan’s military Monday rejected U.S. findings on a November 26 NATO cross-border air attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, reducing the chances of a resolution of the dispute and an improvement in ties which are at their lowest in years.

“Pakistan does not agree with several portions and findings of the investigation report, as these are factually not correct,” the military said in a statement after a detailed review of the U.S. investigation.

The U.S. report released on December 22 found both American and Pakistani forces were to blame for the incident near the Afghan border, inflaming already strained ties.

“Affixing partial responsibility of the incident on Pakistan is therefore unjustified and unacceptable,” said the Pakistani military.

Pakistan responded to the attack by shutting down ground routes to supply U.S.-led NATO forces in Afghanistan and forced the United States to vacate an air base used to launch drone flights.

“This is going to affect the relationship. The relationship was already in the doldrums, it was in bad shape. I don’t know if it has the capacity to get any worse,” said Mahmud Durrani, a retired Pakistan army major general.

“The fundamental cause of the incident of 26th November, 2011, was the failure of U.S./ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) to share its near-border operation with Pakistan at any level,” said the military.

The death of the Pakistani soldiers dug in along the mountainous, isolated border area, along with the initial NATO response, has incensed Pakistanis and marked yet another setback in the Obama administration’s efforts to improve chronically troubled ties with an uneasy ally.

The U.S. military blamed Pakistani soldiers for firing at NATO forces as they prepared for a mission in the remote corner of eastern Afghanistan.

The U.S. investigation also conceded a critical error by U.S. troops, who told Pakistan the cross-border shooting was taking place about 9 miles away due to mapping error. Pakistan responded by saying it had no troops there.

Pakistan admitted that its posts engaged in “speculative “fire,” including the use of mortar bombs, which the U.S. interpreted as hostile fire.

But it denies that it fired in the direction of the Afghan and NATO forces and was instead firing at “suspected militant movement.”

ISPR Press Release:

RAWALPINDI – The US Investigation Report into the Salala incident of 26th November 2011, involving aerial strikes by US aircraft and helicopters resulting into Shahadat (killing) of 24 Pakistani soldiers and injury to 13 others, was received by the General Headquarters (GHQ) Pakistan Army on the 24th of December 2011. The report received is the same un version as available on the US Central Command (CENTCOM) Website. The analysis of the US Investigation Report has been carried out by Pakistan Military with a view to reiterate facts and correct the perspective.

Pakistan does not agree with several portions and findings of the Investigation Report as these are factually not correct. The fundamental cause of the incident of 26th November 2011 was the failure of US / ISAF to share its near-border operation with Pakistan at any level. This obviously was a major omission, as were several others, like the complicated chain of command, complex command and control structure and unimaginative / intricate Rules of Engagement as well as lack of unified military command in Afghanistan. In addition to the foregoing, US / ISAF violated all mutually agreed procedures with Pakistan for near-border operations put in place to avert such uncalled for actions. It also carried out unprovoked engagement of Pakistani Posts located inside Pakistan violating the US / ISAF mandate which is limited to Afghanistan alone.

The US Investigation Report is structured around the argument of “self defence” and “proportional use of force”, an argument which is contrary to facts. Continued engagement by US / ISAF despite being informed about the incident at multiple levels by Pakistan Military within minutes of initiation of US / ISAF fire, belies the “self defence” and “proportional use of force” contention. Affixing partial responsibility of the incident on Pakistan is therefore, unjustified and unacceptable.

No PR10/2012-ISPR

Dated: January 23, 2012

Download: Pakistan’s perspective into US Investigation – Full Detailed Report