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Pakistan is facing increasing challenges of terrorism each day despite the efforts of army, initiatives in parliament, media and some youth forums. Most people in Pakistan understand that terrorism is not solely a home grown dragon although some high-ups in Pakistan nurtured it for their own personal and political interests. It may have its ancestry dating back to US interest against Russia in the region, but even that is not of such prime importance. The fact is that no suicide bomb blasts were to be seen in Pakistan just four years ago (none for all those 58 years actually), no one even knew the name of TTP at that time. If it was a home grown Pakistani Taliban organization only, why they did not show any visibility or reaction when US attacked Afghanistan in early 2002, even after Iraq invasion they were nowhere to be seen. How come they started showing up all of a sudden when our rulers wanted to enhance foreign aid offers and strengthen their regimes.
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Reports of insurgents using sophisticated weapons including Russian made 14.7 anti-aircraft guns, against helicopters and fixed wing aircraft of the Pakistan air force have surfaced. Apparently it has been fitted on strategic heights in the area to target military aircraft. This anti-aircraft gun along with the 12.7 Russian model has long been in use by the Indian army.
Pakistan has previously raised its concerns pertaining to Indian involvement in Waziristan entailing alleged financial and arms support to the TTP. Besides, Pakistan had been relaying its concerns to US involving Indian activities in Afghanistan. It is felt that these directed at Pakistan are deliberately ignored by the US, as part of a long-standing policy to maintain some sort of twisted leverage, by playing one against the other. This has led to a bigger trust deficit between Pakistan and US. The perception in Islamabad is that the US has been studiously ignoring its demands that India be restrained from exploiting the ongoing instability in its frontier region.
Whose side is the US on? Though it has been pressuring Pakistan to undertake military operations against Taleban insurgent groups and had strongly opposed peace deals previously brokered with these groups, it does not seem to be supporting Pakistan in the ongoing battle in South Waziristan.
Such a conclusion can easily be dismissed if one relies on the golden nuggets of rhetoric, spewed from the US State and Defense department! But as realpolitik goes, actions speak louder than words. And US actions to help Pakistan at this critical point have so far failed the test.
A massive military operation aptly titled, Operation Rah-e-Nijat (path to purge) involving ground forces, artillery strikes and air power has been launched in Waziristan. Now Waziristan, North and South, border Afghanistan’s eastern provinces of Patika, Khost and Paktia.
In such a scenario, the natural assumption would be that Pakistan would be extended a helping hand by the coalition forces, especially, when Pakistan’s military has been extending the same cooperation in recent coordinated operations, in Helmand and other places. This assumption is not only based on natural reciprocity but is a derivative of standard military logic and the deep military to military cooperation existing between the two sides.
Apparently, the US outposts on the Afghan border parallel to Waziristan have been evacuated. Strange, considering the coalition forces should have boosted troops on their side given the significance of this operation. It is not a localised engagement being carried out in Swat or even other agencies in FATA, such as Bajaur and Mohmand.
This is about striking the epicenter of Taleban insurgency in Pakistan, whose nuisance value for the coalition forces runs very high. Considering the past pressure on Pakistan to target Waziristan — hosting the core group, the Tehrik-e-Taleban Pakistan — the US seems to have slunk from active involvement in supporting the operation. The implications of such a move at this point allows unhindered access to Taleban/foreign fighters from Afghanistan to aid the TTP in fighting against Pakistan’s armed forces besides trafficking of weapons. An influx of fighters and weapons is the last thing needed at
this point.
This is probably why General Tariq Majid, the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) urged the UK Chief of Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup to seal the Pak-Afghan border to prevent cross-border movement of terrorists and flow of weapons into Pakistan.
Proliferation of smuggled weapons is nothing new in this part of the world. Not only has it been a thriving trade since the days of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, this tradition has been sustained in the following years.
Reports of insurgents using sophisticated weapons including Russian made 14.7 anti-aircraft guns, against helicopters and fixed wing aircraft of the Pakistan air force have surfaced. Apparently it has been fitted on strategic heights in the area to target military aircraft. This anti-aircraft gun along with the 12.7 Russian model has long been in use by the Indian army.
While the insurgents long apprised of the impending operation in the area, may have procured these highly coveted weapons, contention tilts towards possible Indian involvement.
Pakistan has previously raised its concerns pertaining to Indian involvement in Waziristan entailing alleged financial and arms support to the TTP. Besides, Pakistan had been relaying its concerns to US involving Indian activities in Afghanistan. It is felt that these directed at Pakistan are deliberately ignored by the US, as part of a long-standing policy to maintain some sort of twisted leverage, by playing one against the other. This has led to a bigger trust deficit between Pakistan and US. The perception in Islamabad is that the US has been studiously ignoring its demands that India be restrained from exploiting the ongoing instability in its frontier region.
While Pakistan has charged India for fanning unrest and supporting
nationalist insurgents in Balochistan and vice versa — Delhi holds Pakistan responsible for not doing enough to bring perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to justice, the ISI for the Indian embassy blast in Kabul and sponsoring dissent in Indian held Kashmir—
both states have not missed any
opportunity for ‘encouraging and exploiting’ trouble.
This myopic perspective is disturbing. If the objective is to create deeper destabilisation in the region (what that may achieve for any is the bigger question) then each—the US, India and Pakistan—must be accorded full points. However, it may be wiser for all to think beyond short-term tactical victories, that are potentially pushing them towards a bigger fallout. It will eventually backfire on the larger goal of defeating terrorism—affecting all stakeholders.
While presence of foreign fighters in the area including Uzbeks and Arabs is nothing new, their contribution to the current engagement is particularly irksome. Not only do they provide vital human support to the fierce fighters within the TTP ranks, they bring strategic experience from years of fighting in asymmetrical conflicts against well-armed international forces.
The problem with Waziristan is that the Pakistan army is fighting a guerrilla war with conventional forces. It is very likely to turn out to be a protracted engagement.
The decisive point for the military would be to gain local support among the tribes in Waziristan particularly the Mehsud tribe. This is why Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani sent a special message seeking support for the operation while detailing the objective that is to secure the state and oust foreign terrorists from the area.
While curtailing the operation at this point would be detrimental in every respect, efforts to engage the tribes must be top priority.
The military is already doing that to bolster supportive resistance against the insurgents. However, a long-term strategy should look at working out a power sharing formula and regain control of the area from the influence of these groups. The TTP and affiliated groups support base among certain tribes needs to be alienated and rejected by others.
At the same time a reread of history of how the British eventually got Waziri tribesmen to desist from challenging state authority would be useful. Peace was won on the strength of
understanding and shifting responsibility and authority to the leading tribes with the withdrawal of forces from the area once control was wrested from miscreants.
This should be integrated within
the strategic doctrine at this time. Eventually, it will be the tribes who will act as guarantors of security of these hinterlands.
A beautiful article written by perter chamberlin; Must read stuff.
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A finite thing cannot grasp an infinite object.However,we know Supreme being through his attributes given in the Quran.Accordingly,belief in Allah Almighty means to accept the sovereignty of One Whose attributes are described in the Quran.The concept of a supreme authority exists amongst people all over the world,even amongst the most primitive tribes; and all of them bow down to it, although the picture of that authority is different in the minds of people belonging to different tribes and different religions, Yahawa of Jews, Father of Christians, Ishwar or Paremeshwar of Hindus and Yazdan of Zoroastrians. All bear a different concept but on the other hand Allah Almighty described in the Quranis different from all of them.
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International crime is a growing threat in the 21st Century. This crime will rejoin as one of the most dangerous global threats for 21st Century. Even today the growing power and influence of organized groups are the mounting significant threats to the democratic institutions and free market systems. In 10 years (says a study Report), driven by globalization and erosion of state authority, the international criminal threat is most likely to be more diversified. The organized groups of criminals would become a viable alternative to independent brokers by establishing sophisticated networks to facilitate evasion or international sanctions by rogue regimes and/or terrorist groups. Emerging democracies engaged in wide ranging reforms would be the most vulnerable to it.
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Hi Folks
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Every tribe, people or race throughout the world celebrates a festival of one sort or another. Muslims also celebrate some festive occasions on some days of the year. But the festival of Eid is one that we are commanded to celebrate in festivity, joy and happiness by Allah Almighty Himself ! This in itself portrays its importance.Inquiries from numerous places have been initiated to know as to the honor of which ceremony, the Eid-ul-fitr is celebrated and that what the purpose of this festival is. The answer tendered to this question is that at the eve of Ramadan – and that of its ending – Eid-ul-Fitr is, in deed, a sacred function of the annual celebration of the Quran’s revelation. Usually the festivals of jubilation and rejoicing are celebrated in the world for the change of the seasons or for establishing the monument of any person or for preserving any prominent event of history. But what Islam declares is this: The change of season takes place according to the Law of Allah; the human’s monuments can perish and the world’s events can be made to forget. But the message of Allah preserved in the Quran can never vanish – the charge of its preservation He got unto himself; He who is alive and can never die; is so lasting that He has neither any decadence, nor is destined to decay. This rejoicing Festival of Eid is the monument of the revelation of living and lasting Book of Allah, the Allah who is the Living and the Everlasting. Preparations were made all over the month for the celebration of this festival (those preparations were, in deed, the integral part of this Festival as well). Islam is the name of obedience to the Divine Laws – not the obedience by compulsion but the obedience from the core of the heart. It is the accomplishment of the Laws in such a way that a true sub-ordinate to these Laws can not even touch a thing, unlawful and unrecognized. It is he, in whose hands, no illegitimate loss can be rendered to the property, life, honor and chastity of any human. For the consolidation of this very passion of obedience, it has been ordered that in compliance to this Law, even the thing lawful and pleasing be left for some time so that there be never any casting of the eye to the thing unlawful and unrecognized. They were made habitual to bear the intense pangs of hunger and thirst all the day over so that they are addicted to pass smilingly and steadfastly through the extremely difficult stages of their life struggle. It was, as if, an Annual Training Camp in which provisions were made to revitalize the new inspirations in life; it was a refresher course, a memoria technica, to reinvigorate the memorandum, - that in which the direct link between Allah and man was refreshed. It was stock taking through which we had to evaluate the sum total of our deeds and consequences spread over the whole year to oversee as to what extent we have marched ahead on this scale in one year. When, after the labor of hard work and during the obedience of a complete month, growth in the tender feelings of heart, vision in eyes, sharpening in minds and invigoration in psyche were inculcated, they were ordered to assemble at a place so that they may sit jointly and contemplate as to what they have to do to achieve and perpetuate the life which is the characteristic feature of the party of those who follows the Laws of Allah (Party of Momineen); and that the contracts of which are vividly glistening, like the true diamonds, in every page of the Quran. As a result of this contemplation they may develop such a program, which their selected leader (Imam) may announce in his address. After that, their representatives with this decisive program may start going to the concrete capital of the Islamic Ummah (i.e. the House of Allah at Mecca) where, in the light of these various local programs, a common system is devised for the all Ummah. It is these – the various integers of this mirthful festival and the brief outline of its integral parts. Keep these in view and then reflect how these festivals on the basis of which there were living hopes bouncing on every facet of its vastness, and the fresh thrilling invigorating the psyche of human have gradually transformed into the icons of rituals. According to Allama Iqbal;
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What are the problems before the living nations for the solutions of which their days and nights become the primary thing of their struggle and action? And which problems are confronting the Muslim community for which the Muslims get increasingly worried about the solutions? And the solutions the priests of their religion have suggested. Laila Tul Qadar in the month of Ramadan is aiming by approximately every muslim from all around the world in order to search & salvation. The centric point of the efforts are moving around these;
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The way of life revealed by God Almighty (Allah) is called Deen (system) or Islam, provides that whatever gifts this beautiful earth of ours has in store or can produce, should be available to all mankind in an equal manner. There are people who dislike this approach and would on the basis of might they control the sources of production! This how they erode natural resources (gifts from God) and leave the other 90% of the mankind struggling to find basic needs for survival, these selfish people (individuals or group of people) followed their wicked desires and crushed the souls of billions only to taste the sweetness. The group has opposed as it is to God's way of life Islam and created all type of hindrances in its way of establishing a just system of distribution of wealth / resources among mankind, this stated in the Holy Quran as a struggle between “Right and Wrong”. Whereas Islam has unquestioned sway in nature, it has to contend with stiff opposition in human society. Consider the example of a seed sown in the earth. Given the requisite means of growth a healthy and vigorous seed will sprout, the shoot will rise high slowly and a day will come for the tiny little seed to swing as a full fledged and robust tree. The seed has the capacity to grow and attain its destiny.
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