'Why is America after our virginity?'Writing in Nawa-e-Waqt Irfan Siddiqi asked why was America bent upon violating our ismat (virginity) and abroo (honour). Why was it playing with our virginity every day? What spell had been cast on Pakistan? What had robbed Pakistan of its power of speech? Was our cooperation in American Crusade meant to sell our domestic assets as honour for sale in the market (jins-e-bazari)?
Pushtun 'invasion' of Balochistan
Quoted in Jang, ex-chief secretary of Balochistan Sherdil Khan stated that Balochistan went through a major demographic change during the Afghan war. One million Afghans stayed in the Pushtun areas and many Afghans acquired properties in Quetta, Pishin, Loralai and Qila Abdullah areas, got ID cards made and acquired Pakistani passports. They also became registered as voters. Big American money was distributed via the ISI and much of it went into the wrong hands. The Pushtun became prosperous but the Baloch nation became unhappy and poor.
A school in Narang Mandi
According to Nawa-e-Waqt a village near the border town of Narang Mandi in Punjab had a school which had been rendered a ghost school. When an inspection team went to the school it found that out of the ten lady teachers at the girls' school only two were present. Even the head mistress was absent and the children were playing around instead of studying. The villagers told the team tha at the state-owned school teachers came and marked themselves present in the register, then went away. A dozen other schools in the area were also without teachers in similar fashion.
Mira slaps Indian actor
According to daily Pakistan, famous Pakistani actress Mira presently acting in Indian movies slapped Indian actor Sunil Shetti during a party in Bombay. It happened after the Indian actor tried to get fresh with her (izhar-e-muhabbat). When the incident developed into a quarrel between the two, host Salman Khan threw the Indian actor out of his party.
Balochistan and Pakistan
Daily Jang quoted ex-chief secretary Balochistan Sherdil Khan as stating that after 1947 the tribes and jirgas of Balochistan accepted Pakistan except for the Khan of Kalat where Pak army's raid was resented. In other areas Punjabi school teachers and other functionaries were accepted. In 1970 there was no resentment in Balochistan but in 1973 Bhutto lit the fire by dismissing the Mengal government without valid reason. Discovery of Iraqi arms from the embassy was a false allegation after which Sardar Ataullah Mengal was arrested and kept in Sargodha jail. Bhutto sent troops into Mengal and Marri tribes on a signal from Shah of Iran after making Nawab Akbar Bugti governor of Balochistan. The operation lasted till 1977 at the fall of the Bhutto government. The Baloch had a tough time during this period and became alienated because of lack of development. General Zia freed Mengal but he went into a long self-exile in London.
Sardar Akbar and the Kalpar Bugtis
According to Sherdil Khan in Jang, Sardar Akbar Bugti was a great administrator and did a great deal for Balochistan during his governorship, but in his area of Sui the PPP became powerful and got the rival Bugti sub-tribe of Kalpars to stand against him in elections. This led to a blood feud wherein Akbar's son was also killed. He began crushing the Kalpars who were forced to flee into Punjab. After 1993 Ms Bhutto and her interior minister gave Kalpars money as compensation but it was covertly meant as assistance. The Kalpars bought weapons with it to confront Nawab Bugti.
Khair Baksh Marri and Marxism
According to ex-chief secretary Sherdil Khan in Jang, Sardar Khair Baksh Marri was influenced by Marx and Lenin in his student days and was a partisan of the October Revolution. During the Afghan war he went with his tribe to Afghanistan to fight on the side of Afghan communists. But after the Soviet defeat he and his tribe suffered greatly and were called back after chief minister Taj Jamali requested Ghulam Ishaq Khan to bring the sardar back in a C130 plane. Marri tribe was also allowed to return to Balochistan but this incident made Khair Baksh even more extreme in his views, given the current situation.
Robbers fought like commandos
According to Jang, three dacoits were killed in a police encounter near Gujranwala. The dacoits killed three police officials too before they were shot. The police said the high official casualty was because of the trained way in which the dacoits faced the police. They said that the three seemed to be trained guerrillas who had come out of jihad and turned to robbery.