Monday, 13 October 2014

Sunday, 12 October 2014

Modi's bravado ups the ante in India Pakistan fighting

Modi's bravado ups the ante in India Pakistan fighting
Sun, Oct 12 01:39 AM EDT

By Rupam Jain Nair and Mehreen Zahra-Malik
NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - To judge from the shrill outrage of India's TV news channels, the past week's bloody clashes along the border dividing Kashmir are all Pakistan's fault: one network has been plugging the Twitter hashtag #PakBorderDare.

However, military officers in both countries and officials in New Delhi say the violence that has killed nearly 20 civilians escalated because of a more assertive Indian posture under the new government of nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The message we have been given from the prime minister's office is very clear and precise," said a senior Indian Home Ministry official. "The prime minister's office has instructed us to ensure that Pakistan suffers deep and heavy losses."
In his first extensive comments on the violence, Modi told a political rally on Thursday - when 1,000 Indian mortars rained across into Pakistan - that "it is the enemy that is screaming".


The exchange of mortar and gunfire across a populated border area of Jammu, in the lowlands of Kashmir, has been India's most serious brush with Pakistan in a decade.

Almost 20,000 Indian civilians have fled their homes to escape the fighting, taking refuge in schools and relief camps.

The guns fell quiet on Friday, hours before the Nobel committee named an Indian child rights crusader and Pakistan's teenage education activist Malala Yousafzai as this year's Peace Prize winners. But heavy firing resumed on Saturday And continued into the early hours of Sunday.

Modi's robust approach towards Pakistan, supporters say, is aimed at emphasizing India's superior strength and making Pakistan's military think twice before firing across the border.

It is a strategy he also used to stand up to India's larger neighbor, China, during a border standoff between several hundred Indian and Chinese troops on the Tibetan plateau that coincided with President Xi Jinping's visit to New Delhi last month.
But the new stance risks more violence in the Himalayan region of Kashmir, already one of the world's most volatile fault lines, and has eroded a border truce that has largely held between India and Pakistan since 2003.

The nuclear-armed rivals have fought two of their three wars since independence in 1947 over Kashmir, which is divided between them and claimed in full by both.
Since Modi's election victory in May, military commanders have been encouraged to step up border patrols and retaliate with more force if they come under attack. New Delhi has insisted there can be no talks with Pakistan unless it ends shootings and pushing militants into the Indian side of Kashmir.

"This is what we feared would happen if Modi came to power," said Ikram Sehgal, a former Pakistani military officer and chairman of one of the country's largest security companies.
"This could easily escalate into something that won't be good for Pakistan or India."
RISKY GAMBLE

India may be gambling that Pakistan can ill afford to inflame hostilities in Kashmir while its army is engaged in a full-blown offensive against jihadi militants close to Afghanistan.

But the stakes are also high for India.
An editorial in the Indian Express on Friday called for cooler heads, saying further escalation would damage India's reputation as a responsible nation and attractive investment destination, and could rekindle a separatist insurgency on its side of Kashmir.

Officials say India's new policy is being orchestrated by Ajit Doval, the country's national security adviser, a decorated former intelligence official renowned for his role in dangerous counter-insurgency missions. He has long advocated tough action against Pakistan-based militant groups.

In conversations with Reuters as head of a right-wing think tank in New Delhi before he joined the new government, Doval said India must lay down core security policies, one of which was "zero tolerance" for acts of violence.

In August, after days of cross-border firing between India and Pakistan, Doval attended a meeting at the Home Ministry along with the head of the para-military Border Security Force (BSF) and a decision was taken to give a free hand to the ground commanders in Jammu, a top security official in the region told Reuters.  
Until then, the BSF, which guards the Jammu section of the border with Pakistan, had complained that instructions on how to respond to provocations were unclear.
"It is a very tough stand that our top bosses want us to take against Pakistan and the tone is very different from the previous government," said the Home Ministry official.

"The previous government indulged in lip service. Publicly the former home and defense minister would showcase an assertive stand against Pakistan but actually neither BSF nor the army was given a free hand."
A spokesman for India's defense ministry did not respond to requests for comments. Pakistani military leaders say they have been taken aback by the level of aggression of Indian forces over the last week.
At a time when the Pakistan army is combating militants in the tribal areas in its northwest they do not want the distraction of battling India on its eastern flank, they said.

"India is deliberately putting pressure on Pakistani security forces by opening this new front," said a senior Pakistani military official posted on the border. "The message from India is clear: 'We will teach you a lesson.'"
Indians in the border areas of Kashmir, who have lived through decades of cross-border firing, said they themselves had noticed a change in tactics by the Indian forces.
"Pakistan fires one, our boys fire six back," said Atma Ram, 71, who was standing about 300 meters (yards) from the electrified fence that separates the two countries in the Suchetgarh area near Jammu. "They are giving a response we should have given before."
(Additional reporting by Sanjeev Miglani in ARNIA, India and by Fayaz Bukhari in SRINAGAR, India; Writing by Andrew MacAskill; Editing by John Chalmers, Frank Jack Daniel and Raju Gopalakrishnan)


Wednesday, 8 October 2014

Million March and Kashmir, Dr Shabir Choudhry

Million March and Kashmir, Dr Shabir Choudhry    8 October 2014

For different reasons the State of Jammu and Kashmir is back in news again. It is unfortunate that whenever Kashmir is in news, it only means more trouble for ordinary people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Kashmir is in news because of devastating floods, especially in the Valley. Other parts of the State have also badly suffered by the floods. Kashmir is also in news because of speeches made in the UN General Assembly by Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif. Apart from that, Kashmir is in news because of attempts of militants to cross over from the Pakistani side of Kashmir to the Indian side that they can continue their jihad against Indian rule.

Kashmir is also in news because of the presence of the Chinese army in Gilgit Baltistan, exploitation of our resources, and simmering revolt against the Pakistani rule in Gilgit Baltistan. Moreover, Kashmir is in news because of armed clashes between India and Pakistan on the Line of Control in which people of Jammu and Kashmir suffer. These clashes have been heavier and more consistent since the ‘cease fire’ of 2003.

Now, Million March to be staged in London to ‘support’ Kashmir is also making news, especially in Britain, and in some sections of the Pakistani media. Right to protest is a fundamental human right; and when this right is used as a weapon to oppose subjugation, oppression, intimidation, abuse of human rights, and to promote equality, justice and right of self determination, to me, it becomes a jihad.

However, before we take any decision to be part of any protest or a campaign, all thinking people should look at the motives of those who are sponsoring the campaign or a protest. One has to look at their past history, their past loyalties and what games they have played in name of human rights, democracy or struggle.

Furthermore, people have to see if the organisers are pro Pakistan- meaning those who want to join Pakistan, pro India- meaning those who want to join India; or pro people, pro peace, pro Jammu and Kashmir and pro independence. History of those who are at the forefront of the Million March tells us that they are pro Pakistan; and under different guises have always protected and promoted the Pakistani interest in Jammu and Kashmir and abroad.

One senior organiser is a former Prime Minister of Pakistani Administered Kashmir; and no one can hold this post without the blessings of Islamabad, especially their secret agency Inter Services Intelligence. The ISI and GCO Murree, together with some other organs of the Pakistani State control what goes on in so called Azad Kashmir and in Gilgit Baltistan. They also decide what should be done with the Kashmir dispute; and what string should be pulled to get the desired results; and anyone who dares to challenge their writ on Kashmir is not forgiven, even if that person is Prime Minister of Pakistan. So this makes it crystal clear who is behind this project; and who will reap the benefits.

In this context, date of the Million March is very important. The date is 26th October; it was on this date in 1947, the last Ruler of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, under pressure acceded with India which was provisionally accepted and people had to take the final decision. In this short article I cannot explain the reasons, but fact is to date, people of Jammu and Kashmir have not had an opportunity to determine their future.

To Pakistan and Pro Pakistan Kashmiris 26 October and 27 October (when Indian forces landed in Kashmir) are Black Days; and they spend huge amounts of money to observe these days. I agree that the entire State of Jammu and Kashmir that existed on 15 August 1947 is disputed; and that the former State must be united and become independent. And to achieve this goal we must struggle peacefully at home and abroad.

However, as a thinking man with a long active association with the Kashmiri struggle, it is my duty to analyse the objectives of the protest, as we don’t want to be fooled again. We cannot understand the real game plan by looking at Million March in isolation. You have to look at other projects that were sponsored by Pakistan and which brought havoc to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, be it Tribal Invasion, Operation Gibraltar or Operation Topac – militancy that started in 1988-9.

It looks that the government of Pakistan has worked out a new strategy to keep the Kashmir pot boiling. On one hand, militancy is getting momentum; especially as it can enter a new phase after US and NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan because many Jihadis will be free; on the other hand they have activated their ‘peace warriors’ who try to provide human face to their activities. In this context, services of Kashmiri and non Kashmiri activists have been hired.

Debates in various Council chambers, Universities, in the Commons and in other Parliaments indicate that a comprehensive strategy has been worked out; and to give credence to what ‘peace warriors’ say, the LOC is also witnessing clashes in which main sufferers are people of Jammu and Kashmir. Ordinary people and foreign countries pay more attention to what ‘peace warriors’ say when there is a threat of a war between two nuclear rivals.

Over the years the Pakistani establishment felt that they were losing support in Gilgit Baltistan and in Azad Kashmir. A few years ago, one senior member of the establishment acknowledged that if there was a completely impartial plebiscite in Azad Kashmir, where people know there will be no reprisals Pakistan will lose the vote. The Million March is designed in such a way that it will show people of Azad Kashmir are still with Pakistan; and that they hate India. Issue of an independent Jammu and Kashmir will be sidelined as the memorandum and slogans will be ambiguous give this impression that people want to join Pakistan.

For example, they will demand that a right of self determination should be given to people of Kashmir in accordance with the UN Resolutions, but they won’t explain that the UN Resolutions only provide a right of accession to either India or Pakistan, and block our right to become independent.

Furthermore, they won’t tell that both India and Pakistan signed Simla Agreement in 1972, and agreed that they will resolve the Kashmir dispute bilaterally; hence no role for the UN or for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Since the Simla Agreement the Kashmir dispute has not been referred to the UN Security Council or debated there. So in practise both countries have made the Kashmir dispute a bilateral one, and name of the UN and people of Jammu and Kashmir is only mentioned to hoodwink people.

I know nationalist parties are persuaded to take part in the March in name of unity; and some parties don’t want to be seen on the wrong side of the ISI. However, before they take any decision they must understand that if ISI is behind any project, and pro Pakistan Kashmiris are executing that project, then be rest assured that it is not meant to resolve the Kashmir dispute or benefit the common people of Jammu and Kashmir.

In conclusion, supporting the Million March is to support Pakistan’s Kashmir policy. It means supporting what they have done since 22 October 1947. It means supporting their sponsored initiatives, including militancy and annexation of Gilgit Baltistan and their rule in so called Azad Kashmir. Most ISI sponsored programmes are not meant to benefit ordinary people, or resolve anything, they are designed to create confusion, chaos and generate hatred in which they can advance their agenda.

Writer is a political analyst, TV anchor and author of many books and booklets. Also he is Director Institute of Kashmir Affairs.





UN asks India, Pakistan resolve issues through talks

UN asks India, Pakistan resolve issues through talks
Amid escalation of ceasefire violations along the Line of Control, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has asked India and Pakistan to resolve their issues diplomatically and through dialogue.

“The Secretary-General would call on both countries to resolve their issues diplomatically and through discussions,” Mr Ban’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Tuesday in response to a question on whether the UN chief can play a role in bringing about peace between the two countries.

In escalating ceasefire violations that continued on Tuesday night, Pakistani troops allegedly targeted over 40 Border Out Posts and 25 border hamlets with heavy mortar shells in Jammu sector and LoC areas in Poonch district, leaving 12 people injured.

It came a day after five villagers were killed and 34 injured in one of the worst ceasefire violations by Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has also lodged a protest with India on the alleged ceasefire violations and has even approached the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) office over the situation.

India has however always maintained that UNMOGIP has “outlived its relevance” and has “no role to play whatsoever”.


Tuesday, 7 October 2014

China,s Discreet Hold on Pakistan,s Northern Borderlands, by SELIG S. HARRISON

China,s Discreet Hold on Pakistan,s Northern Borderlands, by SELIG S. HARRISON

A quiet geopolitical crisis is unfolding in the Himalayan borderlands of northern Pakistan, where Islamabad is handing over de facto control of the strategic Gilgit-Baltistan region in the northwest corner of disputed Kashmir to China. 

The entire Pakistan-controlled western portion of Kashmir stretching from Gilgit in the north to 'Azad (Free) Kashmir' in the south is closed to the world, in contrast to the media access that India permits in the eastern part, where it is combating a Pakistan-backed insurgency. But reports from a variety of foreign intelligence sources, Pakistani journalists and Pakistani human rights workers reveal two important new developments in Gilgit-Baltistan: a simmering rebellion against Pakistani rule and the influx of an estimated 7,000 to 11,000 soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army. 

China wants a grip on the region to assure unfettered road and rail access to the Gulf through Pakistan. It takes 16 to 25 days for Chinese oil tankers to reach the Gulf. When high-speed rail and road links through Gilgit and Baltistan are completed, China will be able to transport cargo from Eastern China to the new Chinese-built Pakistani naval bases at Gwadar, Pasni and Ormara, just east of the Gulf, within 48 hours.

Many of the P.L.A. soldiers entering Gilgit-Baltistan are expected to work on the railroad. Some are extending the Karakoram Highway, built to link China’s Sinkiang Province with Pakistan. Others are working on dams, expressways and other projects.

Mystery surrounds the construction of 22 tunnels in secret locations 
where Pakistanis are barred. Tunnels would be necessary for a projected gas pipeline from Iran to China that would cross the Himalayas through Gilgit. But they could also be used for missile storage sites.

Until recently, the P.L.A. construction crews lived in temporary encampments and went home after completing their assignments. 
Now they are building big residential enclaves clearly designed for a long-term presence. 

What is happening in the region matters to Washington for two reasons. Coupled with its support for the Taliban, Islamabad’s collusion in facilitating China’s access to the Gulf makes clear that Pakistan is not a U.S. “ally.” Equally important, the nascent revolt in the Gilgit-Baltistan region is a reminder that Kashmiri demands for autonomy on both sides of the cease-fire line would have to be addressed in a settlement. 

Media attention has exposed the repression of the insurgency in the Indian-ruled Kashmir Valley. But if reporters could get into the Gilgit-Baltistan region and 'Azad' Kashmir, they would find widespread, brutally-suppressed local movements for democratic rights and regional autonomy.

When the British partitioned South Asia in 1947, the maharajah who ruled Kashmir, including Gilgit and Baltistan, acceded to India. This set off intermittent conflict that ended with Indian control of the Kashmir Valley, the establishment of Pakistan-sponsored Free Kashmir in western Kashmir, and Pakistan’s occupation of Gilgit and Baltistan, where Sunni jehadi groups allied with the Pakistan Army have systematically terrorized the local Shiite Muslims. 

Gilgit and Baltistan are in effect under military rule. Democratic activists there want a legislature and other institutions without restrictions like the ones imposed on 'Free Kashmir', where the elected legislature controls only 4 out of 56 subjects covered in the state constitution. The rest are under the jurisdiction of a “Kashmir Council” appointed by the president of Pakistan. 

Precisely because the Gilgit-Baltistan region is so important to China, the United States, India and Pakistan should work together to make sure that it is not overwhelmed, like Tibet, by the Chinese behemoth. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/27/opinion/27iht-edharrison.html?scp=3&sq=Baltistan&st=cse&_r=0

The speed at which things are moving in Pakistan administered Kashmir where the Chinese have set themselves up permanently, it would be surprising if the area doesn't become another autonomous region of China like TAR, sooner than later. The writing is on the wall. For Pakistan - losing its hold in the Northern Areas to China and for India - a clear threat to the Kashmir Valley.

Source: http://defence.pk/threads/chinas-discreet-hold-on-pakistans-northern-borders.251057/#ixzz3FRu03gYD

Monday, 6 October 2014

IMRAN KHAN- A Messiah or A Devil’s Advocate? Mohammad Haque CA

IMRAN KHAN- A Messiah or A Devil’s Advocate? Mohammad Haque CA

Notwithstanding his rudderless wanderings in the wilderness of Pakistani politics for several years, there is no denying the fact that Imran Khan became a formidable force during 2012-2013 due to some systemic and circumstantial reasons. The sudden influx of a mix of opportunists and egoist politicians into his party satisfied PTI’s existential need for so called Grade ‘A’ leaders that party was seriously deficient of, though it involved unprecedented demagoguery and characteristic capriciousness on part of Imran Khan and his coteries. Despite all such political vagaries committed by the self-proclaimed prophet of righteousness of Pakistani politics, I have been tensely struggling to grapple with the TIMING of his recent tirades against democratically elected government of PMLN under the misconceived and mistimed nomenclature of “Azadi March”, on the very day that is supposed to be uncontroversial and symbolic of national solidarity and integrity instead of an optimal moment of vociferous projection of embedded socio-political conflicts by disregarding any political norm or ethic whatsoever. Therefore, I would like to ask the following questions from Imran Khan and his frontline team of angelic pundits of ‘Insaf’:

1. Imran Khan and his companions-of-necessity have claimed that his “Azadi March” is aimed at dislodging the Nawaz Sharif government because it came to power as a result of allegedly rigged elections. If his struggle is against the election fraud and to seek transparent elections – and not exclusively for settling a score with and due to personal vendetta against Nawaz Sharif – then why he didn’t protest against the most brutal dictator of Pakistan’s political annals General Musharraf’s elections of 2002 which would go down as one of the most fraudulent and engineered elections in the country’s history. As a result of those elections, his hand-crafted Quaid League miraculously won super majority under the leadership of Shujaat/Pervez, the most opportunist politicians of Pakistan. Almost all PTI candidates everywhere in Pakistan lost their security deposits; even Imran Khan could not give a reasonable fight to his opposing PMLN candidate in Lahore. However, Imran Khan never uttered a single word against those elections because he was gifted a seat in the National Assembly by the “power-that-be” in order to satisfy his long cherished ambition of getting into the National Assembly.

2. No one can deny the fact that Pakistan is going through its most critical phase due to plethora of domestic, global, and strategic circumstances when its very existence is at stake. Hope of every single Pakistani has vanquished and individual as well as collective morale of the nation is touching the abysmal ebb that has never been experienced before. Every single segment of society is facing the unprecedented brunt of price hike, astronomical corruption, ethical deterioration, political radicalism, religious fanaticism, domestic as well we global terrorism, heightened linguistic, cultural and racial nationalism, existential vulnerabilities, institutional collapse, intensified constitutional and political instability, and above all, deep infiltration of foreign intelligence agencies that are hell bent to destroy the geological and ideological basis of the very country that Imran Khan claims to be saving. So, why Imran Khan has picked this critical juncture to create chaos in every fissure of the state?

3. The prevalent social, political and moral deterioration of Pakistani society has been in the making since its very inception, and it certainly is not the making of Nawaz Sharif or his party. The much needed evolution of national institutions was undermined at the very beginning and was pioneered by the first Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan in a tacit power struggle between Mr. Jinnah and himself. Subsequent destruction of national institutions at the hands of respective Military dictators has brought the nation building efforts to the point of utter chaos. Every conscious and sensible person has no two opinions about the sublime reality that General Musharraf’s regime was the most brutal and barbaric and he had no respect for any institution of the country. But it’s part of the record that Imran Khan welcomed Musharraf’s take over in 1999 and wholeheartedly supported his deceptive referendum of 2002. He didn’t organize any Azadi March during Zardari regime when everyone in the world categorically knew the corrupt credentials of Zardari and his scandalous ministers. Why has he decided to target only Nawaz Sharif holding him exclusively responsible for all the evils? What is he going to achieve by targeting only Nawaz Sharif since his pseudo efforts don’t appear to be resulting in uniting the Pakistani nation?

4. Pakistan has been the victim of brutal and barbaric terrorism practised by religious and nationalist radicals, and operatives of numerous foreign intelligence agencies. Such cannibalistic perpetrators so far have been extremely successful in creating and widening the gap between warring segments of socio-politico-religious spectrum. Religious radicals have been ruthlessly trying to impose their dogmatic writ on the society and have no mercy for any breathing soul on the face of earth. After sincerely attempting to have a negotiated settlement with the radicals – which Imran Khan always proposed on every forum for several years – Pakistan Army is successfully trying to eliminate the terrorists from their hideouts. At this critical juncture when the country’s solidarity is at stake more than ever, every Pakistani needs to act in unison showing complete solidarity with the national government and Pakistan Army. Any kind of chaos or instability will have catastrophic effect on the very existence of the country if political pundits would not come to senses at this historical juncture. Why Imran Khan has picked this critical time to create chaos and instability? What kind of objectives he is trying to achieve by doing so?

5. Democracy is very fragile in Pakistan after a tedious rule of senseless regime of Musharraf and his boot-lickers. Though not a single Pakistani foresaw that Benazir Bhutto would be assassinated and Zardari would become the master of their fate with the connivance of Musharraf, Zardari remained the ultimate leader of the country for 5 years against all odds. Why Imran Khan did not organize such Azadi March against Zardari era? What stopped him from doing so?

6. It has been just more than a year since the last elections. No politician anywhere in the world has ever been able to divert the country’s trends from abysmal path of destruction to a positive course within one year of his rule. And Nawaz Sharif is not an exception in this regard. According to all international and domestic poll observers, the May 2013 elections were generally fair and transparent. There might be some interference in selective constituencies but not to the scale that were perpetrated by Musharraf in his referendum and 2002 elections when Imran Khan’s constituency was very much part of it. Why Imran Khan has decided after wait of one year to have this Azadi March against Nawaz Sharif in collaboration with the most stigmatized politicians and a satanic mullah?

7. Predominant majority of politicians that Imran Khan has allied with have extremely bad reputation in the civil society, and are perceived as symbols of political bankruptcy, utter disregard of constitutional norms, no conception of national institutions, and are well established prophets of the doom and darkness. Even some of them have brutal disregard for social, ethical and religious norms. Such line up of notoriously immoral characters include the whited sepulchre of below-the-belt-bliss Mr. Ghulam Mustafa Khar, goon of Pakistani politics and common-law-partner of every inhabitant of red light areas across Pakistan Mr. Shaikh Rasheed, scion of unholy mixture of Zia era pseudo-aristocrats cum industrialists cum beneficiaries with white skin and khaki-clad high-up relatives Mr. Jahangir Tareen, the epitome of arrogance and wrongful blood of great constitutionalist Barrister Mahmood Ali Qasuri and Musharraf’s face on international forum for 5 years Mr. Khurshid Mahmood Qasuri, the soft spoken cheeky idol in several venerable saints’ mausoleums and a Zardari reject Mr. Shah Mahood Qureshi, Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq of Pakistani politics and godfathers of conventional wisdom Mohtram Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and his protégé the invincible bootlicker Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, the imam of living satans and stigma on the name of real Islam the self-proclaimed Shaikh ul Islam and Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of our time Hazrat Tahirul Qadri, and the list goes on. Would Imran Khan care to explain that what kind of justice, integrity and honesty he is trying to bring with the conglomerate of such rotten people?

8. USA, European, Zionist, Indian, and Afghan intelligence agencies have always considered Nawaz Sharif as someone who represents right wing spectrum of Pakistani politics and has strong ties with religious groups of various nomenclatures. His overwhelming tilt towards China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey is being conceived by USA and its allies as a serious policy trend in the region with serious implications for American and its allies’ interests. Even 10 years after leaving White House, Bill Clinton would not mince a word to express his hatred towards Nawaz Sharif for the stated reasons. The global forces cannot let Nawaz Sharif materialize such anti-America economic alliances in the region, and for them 5 years period is too long to wait until next elections in Pakistan. Any kind of derailment of political process in Pakistan, either constitutional or extra-constitutional, would undeniably push Pakistan towards unstoppable civil and political hostilities thus irreversibly destabilising the country. Why Imran Khan has selected this crucial timing to arrange the Azadi March against the national government despite knowing the visible reality that it would jam the state machinery and would render the very solidarity of the country seriously vulnerable to enemy operatives?

9. In recent years, the historically cordial relationship between Saudi Arabia and USA has been on a rapid downward spiral due to several factors. There is no denying the fact that though tacitly, Saudis have always been major players in Pakistan’s political setup and have been helping in the country's energy needs. Due to their newly developed distrust towards USA and European powers, Saudis have started looking towards Pakistan for their defence needs as Pakistan used to provide during King Faisal’s period. Pakistan is already in the process of deploying one division of Army on Saudi borders. This relationship could become a significant stability factor in Pakistan’s turmoil for numerous reasons, and can enormously benefit Pakistan especially when Saudi Arabia has become the country with largest spending on Military hardware in the world. This strategic alliance is still in the making and is loathed up to the hilt by USA and Zionist Lobbies around the world. CIA, Mossad, RAW, and Khad are hell bent to destroy such strategic relationship between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Why Imran Khan has picked this moment to create an internal security chaos when even a blind person with an iota of loyalty with Pakistan would never ever do such thing? Is he harping on the strings of enemy intelligence agencies or being orchestrated by some internal anti-state force?

10. Musharraf also happens to be on record saying that he wanted to nurture Imran Khan as a prospective leader of the country under his wings but Imran Khan proved himself to be a foolish person. Now his political Guru who gifted him a National Assembly seat in 2002 general elections is in trouble and wants to escape the circumstances at any cost. Army may also be annoyed with Nawaz Sharif for questioning a khaki uniform – how-dare-these-civilian-minions – and might have pulled some strings since the pundits have always known that Imran Khan was being ‘handled’ by the GHQ. Most of the Musharraf’s longest serving ministers are the front line cronies of Imran Khan, and have been making the policies and running the party apparatus – Jahangir Tareen is PTI’s General Secretary! Why Imran Khan has selected this moment in the history of Pakistan to arrange this uncalled for hullabaloo? Is he trying to save his political guru or it’s an ‘institutional’ sponsorship?

11. Why he picked 14th August, which is supposed to be the day to show solidarity, unity and integrity to the rest of the world and prove that despite all the differences Pakistanis are united when it comes to cherishing their freedom? Why he chose to become the most divisive voice in the prevalent political landscape, and has turned the national Independence Day into a day of conflict and sharp division across the political spectrum of Pakistan?

12. Didn’t he know that the chaos created by his belligerence and demagoguery would result in unbearable pandemonium in stock markets and will cause astronomical losses to the national economy but it wouldn’t personally do any harm whatsoever to the people he is trying to target? So, is he trying to internally destroy Pakistan so India or other stronger countries could have more and more influence on Pakistan? Does any saner Pakistani see any other outcome of these protests?

13. History reveals that a serious law and order situation has always been intentionally created in Pakistan by certain hidden (and not so hidden) powers whenever a serious effort is made to find an amicable settlement of the lingering issues between India and Pakistan. CIA funded and supported ZA Bhutto’s aggressive movement against Ayub Khan when he signed a peace agreement with Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri of India in Teshkent that was mediated by the USSR; something that America didn’t like. Kargil adventure was played by General Musharraf when Atal Bihari Vajpai visited Pakistan by bus and expressed India’s willingness to settle territorial issues based on give and take; a flexibility first time ever shown by any Indian leader. Even a radical Hindu leader like L.K. Advani started openly saying that “Pakistan ko kuch dey kur he jaan churwani parey gi”. History has taught us that whenever there is a political change in India, that time is always very vulnerable for Pakistan from security point of view. Why Imran Khan has picked this vulnerable time to create an internal chaos and instability in the country?

14. Javed Hashmi was the most prestigious and credible politician that Imran Khan always wanted to recruit to enhance PTI’s political stature. Javed Hashmi was so dear to Imran Khan’s heart that eventually when he agreed to join the party, Imran Khan immediately appointed him the party Chairman – it appeared that PTI had recruited an experienced politician to fill the newly minted post of party Chairman! But when that person of character checkmated Imran Khan on his dangerous path and its destructive impact on the country’s interests then Imran Khan realized that Javed Hashmi would not hesitate to tell rest of the world about the nefarious designs of Imran Khan, hence he literally pushed his former demi god out of the party. And very next moment Javed Hashmi became the worst hypocrite and liar in the political landscape of Pakistan! Can Imran Khan explain that why he preferred Shaikh Rasheed over Javed Hashmi? (Well, the explanation that he has already given clearly seems to be ridiculous and utter non-sense). So, character and integrity don’t mean anything to Imran Khan anymore because one doesn’t need to say anything about Shaikh Rasheed’s character – from the democratic point of view, he himself has always claimed that he is a GHQ’s man!

15. He is the most foolish and desperate politician that Pakistan has ever seen after Air Marshal Asghar Khan – all talk, no brain! There was a time when Asghar Khan was considered the sole alternative to replace Zulfiqar Ali Butto. Once his party Tehreeq-e-Istiqlal became the most powerful party in Pakistan after PPP and some very powerful politicians joined him after quitting PPP and other parties. The self-proclaimed prophet of ‘democracy’ and a diehard of Asif Zardari Cult Mr. Aitezaz Ahsan also left PPP and joined Asghar Khan’s party. Asghar Khan became so arrogant that he started behaving like the real Prime Minister after Z.A. Butto’s fall. He changed his cotton kurta shalwar to expensive suites and started traveling regional capitals discussing strategic alliances with respective rulers e.g. he went to Tehran to have a meeting with Shah of Iran and behaved there like a ring master of Pakistani circus. Then he himself destroyed his own party like an egghead by insulting frontline party leaders and kicking them out if anyone would differ. Print journalism is replete with the analysis that Asghar Khan was a kind of person who would build something with zeal and passion, and then would destroy it with even more zeal and passion. Then the time came when Tehreek-e-Istiqlal kicked its own president from the party. Imran Khan seems to be an exact replica of Asghar Khan. He is arrogant, desperate, shallow, intellectually deficient, and brews vengeance. He is doing certain things that are bound to have ONLY ONE consequence i.e. his political demise due to public annoyance towards his behaviour. Whatever he says, doesn’t add up - even a blind observer can tell that he is pushing the country towards anarchy and civil war. Would Imran Khan mention a single reason that has made him so tenacious to create an obnoxious roadblock in the democratic process?

16. Who in the world has given him the most foolish idea that he is a bigger politician than Nawaz Sharif? One may hate Nawaz Sharif but his leadership credentials are much higher than IK – even Benazir had to swallow the harsh reality that NS had a committed and loyal following. Just imagine, if PMLN workers simultaneously come out on streets then there obviously will be a civil war, and that’s exactly what Imran Khan is doing. But the question is, on whose behest?

17. India has recently installed a new Army Chief who has shown enhanced belligerence towards Pakistan, and has expressed intentions to deploy more troops on Pakistani borders. The new radical Indian Prime Minister Modi has clearly expressed his desire to repeal Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that gives special status to Kashmir within India. BJP/Modi government has already started the constitutional amendment process by initiating a debate in this regard - here is the title of latest news that was published on 19th August 2014 by several media outlets, “BJP executes Narendra Modi's idea; initiates Article 370 debate, DNA”. Just think for fraction of a second, when radical nationalist government in India is hell-bent to eliminate the only loose thread that is blocking Kashmir’s integration with India, why at this juncture Imran Khan is trying to divert everyone’s attention from the most daring step of any government that has ever been in New Delhi since 1947?

18. There has always been a sharp division and wedge of hatred amongst political, religious, nationalist and racial groups in the country, and that enmity has intensely sharpened in last few years. This conflict has gone beyond the limits of morality and decency, and is a major factor in intensifying the political ruggedness and rigidity in Pakistani society. The hatred and intolerability of each other in the society has become so personalized that national interests and national solidarity are no longer even the remotest considerations. Resultantly, the outcries of rival politicians have become more of battle cries filled with utmost vengeance that’s personal in nature than national. That exactly what Imran Khan is doing, and even a casual look at the cavalcade that he has gathered to take personalized revenge from Nawaz Sharif will prove the harsh reality of him being a demagogue instead of a politician with a program of sincere change. By using filthy language and portraying PMLN as the devil’s party, he is acting like a fostered protégé of General Musharraf who destroyed every fissure of the social contract in the country (if there was ever any). What kind of revolution Imran Khan is trying to bring when everything he is doing and every word he is uttering and every person he is aligning with portrays an abstract of utter chaos and animosity?

19. ALL the people who have joined PTI in last couple of years have been spoon fed by his mentor and ruthless dictator, who cannot live without daily bottle of whisky and a dog’s lick, General Musharraf. Jehangir Tareen remained Food and Agriculture minister in Musharraf regime; Shah Mahmood Qureshi was Zardari’s buddy and loyally served him as foreign minister until his bum was kicked by his local rival Yousaf Raza Gillani; Dr. Sher Afgan was the ultimate dog of Musharraf but Imran Khan gave National Assembly ticket to his son by bypassing Ikramullah Niazi, IK’s cousin; Chaudhry Ghulam Sarwar was first a PPP guy and then remained very loyal to Musharraf; Imran Khan used to say openly on TV that he would pray that Allah SWT may never make him a politician similar to Sheikh Rasheed, and the list goes on and on and on. On what moral and ethical grounds he is claiming that he would bring revolution and justice in the country when his companions are the real culprits?

20. He has uttered the idea of starting a Civil Disobedience Movement – a word from Gandhi Bible! Does it mean that he is a Ghandi follower, because Jinnah never ever uttered such words during the whole Pakistan Movement? What an intellectually shallow buffoon! Civil Obedience means no payment of taxes and non-compliance with prevalent system of the state – a constitutional obligation of every Pakistani. Not paying taxes to whom, to Pakistan? Because tax is not given to Nawaz Sharif, rather it’s paid to state for its everyday operations? Corruption is not the responsibility of only Nawaz Sharif; rather corruption has been rampant since the inception of Pakistan. Just have a look; PTI’s General Secretary and the most propagated Mr. Clean, Jahangir Tareen, is one of the biggest tax evaders in Pakistan and someone who has been nurtured with Afghan war’s drug money – he happens to be the son in law of General Akhtar Abdul-Rehman and brother in law of Humayun Akhtar Khan! In the annals of political struggle, Civil Disobedience has only happened against a foreign occupation or a colonial power, and never against the government of one’s own country. If Imran Khan has expressed his intentions of starting a Civil Disobedience Movement, it can only happen against the constitution of Pakistan and would be tantamount to treason. What kind of stupid person he is? He wants to destroy all the institutions just because he has personal score to settle with Nawaz Sharif. ALL the people around him have personal grudge and anger against NS….Sheikh Rasheed, Khursheed Qasuri, Asif Ahmad Ali, Jahangir Tareen, etc. There is no denying the fact that he has become a prisoner of his own mentality and has become a puppet in the hands of some anti-state string pullers. Why Imran Khan has conceded to such forces of chaos and status quo and where are the people who remained with him over the years when he could not win even a municipal councillor’s elections? Why such committed people have been pushed back, and persons like Sheikh Rasheed are close to him. WOW….what a character!

21. Islamic world is going through an extremely painful and oppressive period in history. Europe, America, India, Russia, and Zionists are unflinchingly united in the cause of destroying and destabilizing all the Islamic countries, especially those countries that have military potential and are conscious protectors of their Islamic identity. The so called Arab Spring, subsequent phase of an uneasy calm, and then the engineered reverse Arab Spring have created an utter chaos in the region, seriously weakened the countries, and intensified the internal socio-politico-religious conflicts. Inhumane and cannibalistic brutalities of Israel in Gaza have overshadowed the memories of Nero, Chenghiz Khan, and Pol Pot. Innocent people are being butchered and decapitated in Syria for the last three years, Afghanistan has been turned into a fuming pile of blood and bones, starvation ridden people are being mulched to death in several African countries just for being Muslims, Libyan people have been embroiled into a never-ending tribal war, brutal regime has been installed in Egypt by engineering the removal of popularly elected government and people are being slaughtered simply for being Muslims, and the list goes on. Imran Khan picked this moment to create an internal chaos in the name of Azadi March when international media was not giving any news coverage to the unprecedented brutalities perpetrated by Israel on the people of Gaza. Innocent babies and little children were being barbarically bullet-holed in their mother’s laps and the episode had all the hallmarks of a pre-planned genocide. In that situation when global media had purposely blacked out the reporting of Israeli genocide, Pakistani media was bound to report on such atrocities and become a voice of such atrocities. But Imran Khan picked this time in connivance with known foreign agent Tahir ul Qadri to create internal chaos and crisis so the national media would be left with no choice but to make the coverage of domestic crisis its top priority by suppressing the reporting of Israeli atrocities in Gaza. Why he has played second fiddle to Zionist and CIA strategists by not letting the Pakistani media report on the Gaza war lest the brutalities might seriously infuriate and irreversibly anger more than 1.5 billion Muslims around the world against Israel?

22. Why he named the so called protest as “Azadi March” when it was supposed to be the undisputed day of freedom for every Pakistani, irrespective of political or regional loyalties? It only shows that he has no respect for historical conventions that still have the potential of uniting the nation by overcoming political differences. But Imran Khan has chosen to undermine the significance of the ONLY national day that Pakistan has been left with, and he has successfully dominated the media to highlight his divisive and belligerent politics instead of conveying the message of national unity and solidarity on this august national day? 


Imran Khan’s political course has been very worrisome for every concerned Pakistani and, despite trying very hard to seek any sort of justification for his acts, being a common Pakistani I am extremely concerned about the tendencies of disrespect and conflict that he has been able to seed in the significant segment of Pakistani youth. I do believe that every Pakistani rightfully deserves well-reasoned answers from Imran Khan to the above stated questions and concerns. GODSPEED PAKISTAN!

Source: http://defence.pk/threads/imran-khan-a-messiah-or-a-devil%E2%80%99s-advocate.337524/#ixzz3FPLNydVC

WAR AGAINST ISLAMIC STATE POLITICAL AND MILITARY RESPONSES IN WEST ASIA, By Ranjit Gupta

WAR AGAINST ISLAMIC STATE POLITICAL AND MILITARY RESPONSES IN WEST ASIA, By Ranjit Gupta
Strange things are happening in West Asia. Those who created the modern jihad in an extremely misguided and immature tactical response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan are today at war with its most extremist manifestation, the Islamic State. The latter has also succeeded in bringing about the almost impossible – uniting countries and regimes deeply antagonistic and hostile to each other in a common war against a common enemy. The US and Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iran, Saudi Arabia and a Shia government in Iraq, the Assad regime and those sworn to overthrow it – Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the US and assorted Islamist groups, all in the same camp warring against the Islamic State.
The Islamic State (IS), an extremist Sunni entity, is a particularly serious existential threat to the regimes of the GCC countries, especially Saudi Arabia, as its religious roots and those of Wahhabism are broadly the same. The rulers of the GCC countries know that if the IS succeeds in Iraq, a spillover into their countries is inevitable. The IS is thus a direct, immediate and strong existential challenge to the continuing rule of these regimes, something that has not happened before. After agonizing for weeks they have become active participants in a war against a Sunni entity in Shia ruled states. This is unprecedented and something that simply could not have even been imagined only a few months ago.
The IS is fanatically anti Shia; it is also the most potent threat to the pro-Iranian regimes in Iraq and Syria and to the territorial integrity of Iraq and Syria. For these three reasons the IS is now the single most active and potent direct threat to Iran’s influence and standing throughout West Asia. Iran is Iraq’s ally and is the first and only regional country that has provided actual assistance on the ground.
The IS thus simultaneously poses the biggest strategic threat to both Iran and Saudi Arabia, though for entirely different reasons. For the first time since the Islamic Revolution in Iran these two countries face a common threat. They are the two key players if the war against the IS is to succeed. They have to find a way to cooperate. This is going to be difficult particularly as Saudi Arabia continues to attach priority to regime change in Syria which is absolutely unacceptable to Iran. A particularly important meeting was held between the Saudi and Iranian Foreign Ministers in New York on 21 September 2014. Statements made by them indicate that both countries recognize that they have to work together to confront the common enemy.
The Iraqi central Government has been opposed to the Barzani run Kurdish regional government and Iran has traditionally been opposed to the Barzani faction of the Iraqi Kurds. Shia militias have been fighting against the Kurds. The Kurds in Iraq, Syria and Turkey have never managed to put up a single united overall Kurdish front; indeed in Iraq they are divided in two rival groups. But in recent weeks all of them are now fighting together in many theatres against the Islamic State.
On 22 September, the United States launched air strikes against the ISIL in Syria and aircraft from Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE also took part in the airstrikes while Qatar “played a supportive role”. Arab states have continued to be involved in such air strikes since then. Iraq welcomed these airstrikes with great excitement and enthusiasm.
President Assad reacted by saying that Syria “supports any international effort in the fight against terrorism”; Syrian Foreign Minister was supportive saying that “Syria had been informed before the strikes by the United States”. Analysts on Syrian State television said that these “air strikes did not constitute aggression as Syria was informed in advance.” They have other reasons for feeling rather pleased because the US airstrikes inflicted significant casualties on the Khorasan group and the Jabhat Al Nusra, also fighting against the Syrian regime. Significantly, Syrian opposition National Coalition President Hadi Al Bahra said “tonight the international community has joined our fight against the ISIS in Syria.”
Syria is very keen to be formally a part of the coalition against the IS but unfortunately the US and GCC countries are adamantly opposed to this even as they are tacitly cooperating with the regime directly and through Iran, in coordinating the airstrikes against the IS. Iran would have been happy to attend the meeting in Jeddah on September 11 and in Paris on September 15 to join the international coalition to fight the Islamic State but was not invited due to US opposition. There was no blistering condemnation from Iran which would have been the automatic reaction in the past. Iran has merely said that such actions do not have international legality.
After doggedly refusing to allow any support for any military action in Iraq or Syria against the Islamic State despite intense personal efforts by President Obama and the Secretaries of State and Defense, hours after the first airstrikes in Syria Erdogan said in New York that Turkey was now considering a role that “includes everything. Both military and political…Of course we will do our part.” The next few days should see greater clarity about Turkey’s involvement.
Ranjit Gupta
Distinguished Fellow, IPCS and Former Indian Ambassador to Yemen and Oman