Afghan political parties united against President Hamid Karzai recently opened talks with the Taliban and U.S.-declared terrorist Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, hoping to broker peace ahead of next year's exit of international combat troops and a presidential race that will determine Karzai's successor, Taliban and opposition leaders have told The Associated Press.
It's the first confirmation that the opposition has opened its own, new channel of discussions to try to find a political resolution to the war, now in its 12th year. And the Taliban too seem to want to move things forward, even contemplating replacing their top negotiator, two senior Taliban officials told the AP.
Reaching an understanding with both the Taliban and Hekmatyar's Islamist militant group, Hezb-e-Islami, would give the opposition, which expects to field a consensus candidate in next year's presidential election, a better chance at cobbling together a post-Karzai government. The alternative to a multi-party government after the 2014 elections, many fear, could signal a return to the internecine fighting of the early 1990s that devastated the capital Kabul.
But with ongoing back-channel discussions and private meetings being held with Taliban interlocutors around the world, it's difficult to know exactly who's talking with whom.
Early last year, Karzai, who demands that any talks be led by his government, said that his administration, the U.S. and the Taliban had held three-way talks aimed at moving toward a political settlement of the war. The U.S. and the Taliban, however, both deny that such talks took place.
Hekmatyar's group has held talks with both the Karzai government and the United States, and a senior U.S. official said the Taliban are talking to representatives of more than 30 countries, and indirectly with the U.S.
The Taliban broke off formal discussions with the U.S. last year and have steadfastly rejected negotiations with the Karzai government, which they view as a puppet of foreign powers.
News about the opposition group's new avenue of talks comes amid Karzai's latest round of verbal attacks on the United States, which have infuriated some of his allies in Washington and confused some of his senior advisers.
In recent weeks, Karzai has accused the U.S. of colluding with the Taliban to keep foreign troops in Afghanistan and has attacked the Taliban for talking to foreigners while killing Afghan civilians in their homeland. Earlier this month, Karzai accused the West of trying to craft an agreement between the Taliban and his political opponents and vowed to oppose the opening of a Taliban office in Qatar if it was used for talks with anyone other than his government. The U.S. has denied the allegations.
The Afghan president also has stepped up his rhetoric against his political opponents, trying to paint them as American pawns in a grand U.S. scheme to install a government of its liking when the United States and the NATO withdraws its combat troops by Dec. 31, 2014. The troop withdrawal and presidential elections are two major events observers fear could bring instability to Afghanistan.
[Tolo News] Around 18 Taliban members who have shown a desire to negotiate with the Afghan government or join the grinding of the peace processor have recently been killed, President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... 's front man has told TOLOnews to illustrate the reach of those opposed to a government-Taliban peace deal.
"Over the past month, a number of Taliban who were wanting to join the grinding of the peace processor and had maintained relations with the Afghan government and High Peace Council were recently caught and put in prison, and about 17 or 18 of them were killed after being tortured," said Aimal Faizi on Saturday, blaming outsiders.
"The grinding of the peace processor is being sabotaged and it will continue to be [sabotaged]. Some countries do not want the process to be carried out," he added.
The High Peace Council said the deaths and arrests are a sign of the disarray of the grinding of the peace processor both inside and outside Afghanistan, warning that the disorder will end up harming those causing it.
"They may sabotage it, but they should be concerned that the fire that is being ignited in Afghanistan and on which they are throwing fuel will set themselves alight one day," said leading HPC member Mohammad Ismail Qasimyar.
At least one political analyst believes that the Taliban are "pawns" in Pakistain's political aims and are backed by a number of groups inside the Pak government.
"The Taliban are the pawns of Pakistain and they want Pakistain's interests. Therefore the grinding of the peace processor is their pawn too," said Jawid Kohestani, political expert.
However, man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them... a former Taliban leader accused both Kabul and Islamabad of not being honest in its grinding of the peace processor efforts saying there are people in both governments seeking personal interest.
"There are people within the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistain that are seek personal benefits in the grinding of the peace processor," said Sayed Akbar Agha, former head of Taliban's Jaish al-Mohammedaneen group, on Sunday.
"The governments of Afghanistan and Pakistain are not being honest towards the grinding of the peace processor," he added.
Nevertheless, criticism from the Afghan government throughout the grinding of the peace processor has been leveled at Islamabad, even as a number of Afghan Taliban members have been released from Pak prisons at the HPC request.
Over the past months, Pakistain has released as many as 26 Taliban prisoners including the former justice minister of the Taliban regime Mullah Nooruddin Torabi, and also Anwarul Haq Mojahid.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/18/2013 00:00 ||
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1. Granting girls full sexual freedom, as well as the freedom to decide their own gender and the gender of their partners (ie, choose to have normal or homosexual relationships), while raising the age of marriage. I agree that's pretty dangerous. I'm thinking specifically of a rape case involving high school football (maybe it was baseball, I dunno) players and a girl who was so drunk she couldn't remember whether she'd been raped or not. She wasn't sure until she saw the photographic evidence on Facebook. But my first thought was "What the hell was she doing drunk on her ass with a bunch of guys she probably didn't even know?" With freedom comes responsibilty, to utter the obvious. Girls who aren't raised to be ladies are likely to find themselves in that kind of situation. Boys who aren't raised to be gentlemen are likely to be the kind of animals who regard girls as pieces of meat. Presently Egypt's streets are crawling with men who'll assault passing women at the drop of a hat. But it's a cultural thing. If all the Egyptians converted to Christianity the same street lice would still be crawling; the only difference would be that they'd go to church on Sundays.
2. Providing contraceptives for adolescent girls and training them to use those, while legalizing abortion to get rid of unwanted pregnancies, in the name of sexual and reproductive rights. I don't think governments, any at all, should have any part in people's sex lives. Period. It simply doesn't track with providing for the common defense or even ensuring domestic tranquility. It does track with the (apparently theoretical) right to be left alone. If we weren't quite so obsessed with sex it wouldn't be so much of a problem and it would remain a joy. I'm against abortion, but it's a 51 percent against; I can see lots of occasions where it's better, starting with rape.
3. Granting equal rights to adulterous wives and illegitimate sons resulting from adulterous relationships. Goose-gander. I don't approve of infidelity, but from what I've seen, men are more likely to stray than women, by maybe a percentage point or two. The entire concept of "legitimacy" has gone "poof" in the past fifty years. Walk into a grade school in most places and you'll be hard-pressed to find a child, especially a first-born, whose mommy and daddy were married when they were born. But you have to ask, because those kids look and usually act no different from those born within wedlock.
4. Granting equal rights to homosexuals, and providing protection and respect for prostitutes. Back to that right of privacy thing, I don't care if two "bachelors" share an apartment or even buy a house together. I prefer not to see them indulging in PDAs, but watching a fellow feeling up his girlfriend in public makes me uncomfortable, too. A person's accomplishments make his measure, not what he does in the bedroom or the bathroom. Prostitutes are a touchy matter; I wouldn't want my granddaughters to go into the business and I'm hope they're all being raised so that it will never occur to them to do so. But hookers remain human beings, and as such require the protection of the law.
5. Giving wives full rights to file legal complaints against husbands accusing them of rape or sexual harassment, obliging competent authorities to deal husbands punishments similar to those prescribed for raping or sexually harassing a stranger. If she says "no" that means she doesn't want to. If a man's not married to her he should drop the matter at that point. Within marriage wheedling and begging is more to the point. Slapping the broad around and taking your pleasure remains just as much of an abomination whether she's your wife or a stranger walking past the mouth of an alley.
6. Equal inheritance (between men and women). It's the wave of the future, bub. Why not? Wealth is no longer tied to land; it's money. It's easier to divide money than it is to divide land. Sons and daughters are both human beings. I suspect that they're both equal in the sight of God, assuming he notices such eentsy-weentsy things. There are biological differences, but you can find enough girls far enough outside the bell curve to whoop most boys that the distinctions become meaningless.
7. Replacing guardianship with partnership, and full sharing of roles within the family between men and women such as: spending, child care and home chores. Partnership has been around since at least the time of St. Paul. It's been an up and down thing, mainly due to biology, but if women require guardianship it's to protect them against the sort of beasts infesting the streets of Cairo or Delhi. I've always thought the ideal was partnership, rather than reducing the object of my affections to the status of a domestic animal. Spending, child care and home chores adjust themselves within a partnership marriage. Sometimes one does them, other times the other. If it's a successful partnership materially the chores can be hired out.
8. Full equality in marriage legislation such as: allowing Muslim women to marry non-Muslim men, and abolition of polygamy, dowry, men taking charge of family spending, etc. I'm staring at this, wondering "What's wrong with that." Maybe it makes more sense in Arabic. I have nothing against polygamy, assuming the women approve and the man's up to it both financially and physically. But most don't and most aren't. The rest of it's tribal, cultural stuff.
9. Removing the authority of divorce from husbands and placing it in the hands of judges, and sharing all property after divorce. I think that divorce is too easy, but other than that this is another complaint against something that makes sense.
10. Cancelling the need for a husband's consent in matters like: travel, work, or use of contraception. To which I reply, "Well, duh!"
#1
Muslim men say to me the family unit has disappeared in the West because we have given women too much power resulting in high divorce rates,single parent families and adultery.
#3
..slavery has also disappeared pretty much in the West too because we give people of other ethnicity, beliefs, and original social standing, equal protection of the laws.
Look at the economic and development [count the number of Nobel prizes in physics, chemistry, mathematics, etc] of the West to the that of all of Islam. Then look at the life expectancy comparison.
#4
Awaiting NOW comments on Moslem mysigeny....in 5....4....3....
Of course if a Republican ever fires a female aide, the NOW and Gloria will be all over it.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
03/18/2013 10:43 Comments ||
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#5
f all the Egyptians converted to Christianity the same street lice would still be crawling; the only difference would be that they'd go to church on Sundays.
If all Egyptians converted to Christianity most of them would have far different values: it was Christianity who created the "amour courtois" ideals (Round Table and similar) when for first time in history women would be protected and served. Romans routinely raped their slaves, Germanic women were cattle. It was Christianity (the Church encouraged it) who set as Lancelot or Tristram role models, that is knights who travelled around defeating knavs who had defeated a lady or fought dragons to honor her. In Islam the role model is Muhammad and the jihadist that is a person who makes war on infidels takes slaves and then proceeds to rape them because he has the right to do it. The Muslim chronicle about the conquest of Spain delights in the tens of thousands of "women of great beauty" taken into slavery. Beauty is not very useful when all you want from your slave is cooking and clening the house. These are the values of Islam. You don't get the same proportion of scum when, people are told it is bad to be one than not only to don't tell them but that being one is the right thing to do and non-scum are prey
#8
Gibbon's description of Christian Egypt doesn't describe much courtly behavior. Especially in Alexandria, they were an unruly lot, given to rioting at the drop of a hat.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/18/2013 12:27 Comments ||
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#9
Let's all agree that humanity a thousand years ago in most parts of the world lived by a set of rules that none of us would want to live by today.
Indeed, you could apply that statement to the world of two thousand years ago, or five hundred, or in some ways and places, one hundred.
That's not the question.
The question is: today, by what rules shall we live?
I strongly endorse rules that treat all humans as equal under the law, with equal rights and responsibilities, and foremost the right to think and believe as they wish. That we treat humans as individuals and not as a collective, or group, or as cattle. That governments are created by us, not the reverse, and that there is a thing called due process which shall, repeat shall, be upheld and observed.
I believe in leaving other people alone unless they try to impose their rules on me, or worse yet try to take my freedom or my life, or that of my family. If they try that I shall have the right to defend me and them, and I shall be competent, diligent and relentless.
I welcome diversity so long as it isn't imposed on me. I treat gently with those who disagree with me so long as they recognize that they may not convince me, and at that point walk away.
I don't care who does what in another bedroom as long as the participants are adults and consent. Spare me the details. Just don't go peeking into mine.
I'm a Catholic and thus may be a chauvinist in some ways, but I'd suggest that the last seven of the Ten Commandments are a darned good starting point for the organizing rules of the present world. We can go from there.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/18/2013 12:44 Comments ||
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Posted by: Barbara ||
03/18/2013 14:04 Comments ||
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#12
That we treat humans as individuals and not as a collective, or group, or as cattle.
And there, in a nut shell, is the answer. Virtually all of the problems in the political world come about because of the various flavors of tribalism. Whether it's about race, ethnicity, creed, etc. You are dealt with by what you are, not who you are.
Obama doesn't buy indvidualism anymore that the muzzies.
[Bangla Daily Star] Changing the Gilaf (cover) of Holy Kaaba is a traditional ceremony in Makkah and, as in every year, it was held with due religious solemnity in October last. Many photos of this event are found across the cyber world. A Bangla site posted one such picture, but with the caption: "The imam of the Holy Kaaba here vouches for Sayeedi's good character."
Delwar Hossain Sayeedi ...Islamic orator and politician. He was a former Member of Parliament in the National Assembly of Bangladesh from 1996 to 2008, and is one of the most prominent leaders of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami... , nayeb-e-ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami ... a Pakistani catspaw remaining active in Bangla politix, loosely affiliated with the Pak religious party of the same name and closely affiliated with most of the terror organizations in Bangla. A member of the BNP's four party governing coalition.... , has recently been sentenced to death for involvement in genocide and other crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.
In January, the same photo, showing eminent personalities attending the Makkah ceremony, popped up in a social network site. This time, there was a news report that read: "A human chain led by the khatib of Holy Kaaba protests the war crimes trial in Bangladesh."
The news item was posted in a Facebook page purported to be of a Bangla daily. Similar stories were found in three newspapers known to be supporters or mouthpieces of the BNP, Jamaat and other Islamist groups.
One of the dailies after publishing this news in its print edition removed the item from its website without running a correction.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/18/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Oh, Obama again.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/18/2013 22:03 Comments ||
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Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Sunday that Tehran and Buenos Aires are working together to settle the accusations about AMIA explosion dating back to 1994, IRNA reported.
I'll just bet they are...
Speaking to IRNA, he said the Islamic Republic of Iran has condemned the terrorist attack on Argentine Jewish center in 1994 and is working with the Argentine government to resolve the issue in line with a letter of understanding signed by representatives of the two governments.
He said that based on the agreement signed by Iran and Argentinian government, International Police (Interpol) must quit issuing red notice for four Iranian officials.
Elaborating on Foreign Ministryˈs efforts to lead Iranian diplomatic relations to warmer interaction with other governments, he expressed the hope that the new Iranian year will be a turning point for Iranˈs foreign policy.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/18/2013 00:00 ||
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SOFIA -- Bulgaria's new interim prime minister said Saturday he would not initiate any move to impose European Union sanctions on the Islamist group Hezbollah, even though the country had implicated the Islamist movement in a bombing at a Black Sea resort.
Pity, I had hopes...
Is Bulgaria a full member of the EU, or are they still going through the intentionally interminable application process?
Marin Raikov did not give a reason for his decision -- but it will likely be seen as a concession to Bulgarian opposition groups, who have argued the country could open itself up to more attacks if it takes the lead in blacklisting Hezbollah.
Because it's already better to kowtow to terrorists rather than stand up to them...
Raikov, a career diplomat, took over at the head of a technocrat administration on Wednesday after mass protests against poverty and corruption by opposition groups and other activists brought down Bulgaria's center-right government. He was appointed by the president to maintain market confidence and placate protesters before an election May 12.
Opposition leaders had also used the protests to denounce what they saw as irresponsible government accusations that Hezbollah was behind last year's bombing that killed five Israelis in the Black Sea resort of Burgas.
'Irresponsible'? The Hezbies were proud of doing this. What's irresponsible about putting the blame where it lies -- oh, right, it tends to create sympathy for the Joooz, and the socialists can't have that...
"Bulgaria will not initiate a procedure" for listing Hezbollah as a "terrorist organization," Raikov told the state BNR radio station. "We will only present the objective facts and circumstances and let our European partners decide."
"And if those highly advanced and civilized -- as they so frequently remind the rest of us -- European partners decide yet again on the path of cowardice in the face of irrefutable evidence, we won't save them from the consequences."
Last month, then-interior minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov said three people were involved in the bombing and an investigation suggested they had links to Hezbollah, a powerful Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim movement.
Last week, the European Commission said the E.U. would consider imposing sanctions on Hezbollah but did not yet have sufficient evidence of its activities in Europe to make a decision.
They sound like Pakistan going on about the innocence of the only surviving member of the 2998 LeT Mumbai massacre...until India hanged him anyway last autumn.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/18/2013 00:00 ||
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New York isn't just the prime target of al Qaeda plots -- it's the No. 1 recruiting ground for homegrown terrorists, a top terrorism researcher told The Post.
"The picture of New York you get is that you've got people targeting it, you've got [terrorists] living there and you've had it in the past used as a recruitment center, then you have a pretty big problem," said Robin Simcox, a researcher at the London-based Henry Jackson Society.
His latest study, "Al Qaeda in the US," found that New York was home to the largest number of extremists convicted of al Qaeda-linked and al Qaeda-inspired terror schemes in US courts -- plus those who committed suicide attacks on American soil between 1997 and 2011.
The study found:
New York was the most likely place for homegrown terrorist to live for both foreigners residing in the US and those born in America.
A shocking 82 percent of the terrorists were US residents and more than 50 percent were American citizens.
Among all terrorists who resided in the US, New York was home to the most -- 14 percent, followed by Florida with 11 percent and New Jersey with 9 percent.
The most common home state for US-born al Qaeda plotters also was New York -- with 20 percent, followed by California and Virginia, both with 9 percent."To pretend that recruitment isn't happening or isn't desirable in New York I think would be naïve to say the least," he warned Simcox.
More than half -- 54 percent -- of the US-born terrorists were converts to Islam.
"There are well-established ties to militancy in parts of New York and New York City as well, and there is no reason to think that has gone anywhere," said Simcox.
Rep. Pete King (R-LI), who was accused of being "Islamophobic" when he held a series of congressional hearings on the homegrown terror threat, said he felt vindicated by the study.
"It clearly reinforces the point that I was making: that New York is the No. 1 terrorist target and that New York has a significant problem with homegrown terrorism," said King. "We have to constantly be on the alert against it," he said.
Simcox also called on the feds and NYPD to remain vigilant for al Qaeda groups breeding extremism inside New York. He noted that the terrorists' recruitment strategies have become much more sophisticated since the days when the Farouq mosque in Brooklyn was a hotbed of radicalization.
"It's done online and with texts, but I think essentially the way the recruitment first happens is individual to individual," he said.
#1
They [al Qaeda New Yorkers] are little different from the elitists who run this country. They simply default or convert to hate and violence based cults to assist in the accomplishment of their goals, as opposed to the more civilized or clandestine forms of criminal activity.
All evil requires a host. A willing host is much preferred.
#3
And how many of them that live here are feeding off the public teat? at any gov't level? food stamps, welfare, tuition assistance/less than in state residence in some cases?
Ultra-secret national security letters that come with a gag order on the recipient are an unconstitutional impingement on free speech, a federal judge in California ruled in a decision released Friday.
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ordered the government to stop issuing so-called NSLs across the board, in a stunning defeat for the Obama administrations surveillance practices. She also ordered the government to cease enforcing the gag provision in any other cases. However, she stayed her order for 90 days to give the government a chance to appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
We are very pleased that the Court recognized the fatal constitutional shortcomings of the NSL statute, said Matt Zimmerman, senior staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which filed a challenge to NSLs on behalf of an unknown telecom that received an NSL in 2011. The governments gags have truncated the public debate on these controversial surveillance tools. Our client looks forward to the day when it can publicly discuss its experience.
The telecommunications company received the ultra-secret demand letter in 2011 from the FBI seeking information about a customer or customers. The company took the extraordinary and rare step of challenging the underlying authority of the National Security Letter, as well as the legitimacy of the gag order that came with it.
Both challenges are allowed under a federal law that governs NSLs, a power greatly expanded under the Patriot Act that allows the government to get detailed information on Americans finances and communications without oversight from a judge. The FBI has issued hundreds of thousands of NSLs over the years and has been reprimanded for abusing them though almost none of the requests have been challenged by the recipients.
After the telecom challenged the NSL, the Justice Department took its own extraordinary measure and sued the company, arguing in court documents that the company was violating the law by challenging its authority.
The move stunned EFF at the time.
Its a huge deal to say you are in violation of federal law having to do with a national security investigation, Zimmerman told Wired last year. That is extraordinarily aggressive from my standpoint. Theyre saying you are violating the law by challenging our authority here.
In her ruling, Judge Illston agreed with EFF, saying that the NSL nondisclosure provisions significantly infringe on speech regarding controversial government powers.
She noted that the telecom had been adamant about its desire to speak publicly about the fact that it received the NSL at issue to further inform the ongoing public debate on the governments use of the letters.
She also said that the review process for challenging an order violated the separation of powers. Because the gag order provisions cannot be separated from the rest of the statute, Illston ruled that the entire statute was unconstitutional.
More on her ruling at Wired along with a fair bit of analysis. Don't know if this will stand up on appeal but it seems like the right decision. It can't be illegal to challenge the government on the legality of a law or ruling.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/18/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Judge Illston simply does not understand change and the new order. In all things large and small, we serve the Crown.
#2
...new order? I believe the principles were found in Star Chamber - Court sessions were held in secret, with no indictments, and no witnesses. Evidence was presented in writing. Over time it evolved into a political weapon, a symbol of the misuse and abuse of power by the English monarchy and courts.
[Dawn] In his last interaction with media personnel as interior minister, Rehman Malik admitted his government's failure to restore peace in Karachi during its five-year tenure. "We tried everything: phlogiston, words of power, you name it..." However, facts are stubborn; statistics are more pliable... he tried to give the impression that no government had ever been successful in bringing peace and rule of law in the troubled metropolis. "It's way too much for one government to control. We were thinking about asking Zim-bob-we for help.""
"Our government brought peace across the country except Karachi... "And Quetta... And Peshawar... And Manshera... And Bara..."
But no earlier government made any achievement in this regard," Mr Malik told journalists at the National Press Club a few hours before the dissolution of the National Assembly. "There ain't never been nobody like us!"
He claimed that the PPP-led coalition government successfully restored peace throughout the country. "But the situation is different in Karachi as various mafias have been operating there -- while banned outfits are hell bent to destroy peace," Rehman Malik said. He, however, said that "we have been able to overcome this situation to a certain extent with limited resources." "I mean, we've only got the entire resources of the govt at our command."
The minister also spoke about various efforts to negotiate with Taliban and reiterated the stance of the coalition government that Taliban on both sides of Pakistan-Afghan border had never been serious in the peace process.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/18/2013 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Pakistain Mohammedan League Nawaz (PML-N) failed to persuade Jamaat Ulema-e- Islam-F (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ... on the matter of caretaker Prime Minister, DawnNews reported on Sunday.
The PML-N delegation comprising Raja Zaffarul Haq and Senator Ishaq Dar called on Fazlur Rehman on Sunday, March 17. Fazl showed reservations on the withdrawal of Justice (retired) Mian Shakirullah Jan's name from the caretaker PMs list and said that PML-N had not consulted him over this.
Fazl said that Shakirullah Jan's name should have been included in the list. PML-N leaders said that his name was withdrawn over a misunderstanding, adding that they would apprise him (Fazl) after consultation with party leadership
Posted by: Fred ||
03/18/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
We dont need so called religious mullahs in power.Just look at Iran for reasons why.
[Dawn] The rustics have expressed grave concern over the killings of innocent people in frequent festivities between two banned gangs in Khyber Agency and demanded of the government to swiftly deploy security forces in the area to control the situation and save lives of the residents.
Speaking at a presser in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. Press Club on Saturday, known lawyer Abdul Lateef Afridi said that Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) and Ansaarul Islam (AI) workers had been attacking each others with heavy weapons in Tirah valley, which was also resulting in loss of lives of innocent people.
Flanked by other tribal lawyers, including Ijaz Mohmand, Raza Khan Safi and Samiullah Afridi, he said that the armed festivities had claimed lives of many innocent people, including women, children and senior citizens, and now the residents had the only option to vacate their houses and shift to safer places.
The senior lawyer said that the AI activists had repulsed the TTP attacks and blocked the way of its men for the time being and if the government did not take immediate action then it (TTP) could take control of the entire Khyber Agency and also create problems for people in Peshawar.
He said that in the current situation deployment of armed forces was the most viable option to restore peace and provide protection to the life and property of local people of the valley.
Accompanied by several elders of the tribal region, Mr Afridi said that cut-throats had set on fire over 20 houses and killed scores of people. He said that the situation was deteriorating with violence spreading to Malik Dinkhel and other parts of the agency.
He expressed fear that if timely action was not taken, the violence in Tirah valley could have serious impact on security situation in Peshawar.
Mr Afridi said that the security forces should take control of the valley to avoid spread of the violence to other parts of the tribal region besides settled areas.
He said that the current law and order situation could force around 1.5 million population of the valley to migrate from their hometown. "We don't want to create any unrest by carrying out protest demonstrations, but the ultimate solution could be retaliation by the security forces to end violence in the valley," Mr Afridi said.
Meanwhile, ...back at the saw mill, Scarface Al had tied Little Nell to the log and was about to turn on the buzz saw... Ansaarul Islam front man Saadat Afridi accused the TTP of killing innocent people in Tirah valley and claimed that it could restore peace within few days if the government allowed it. He was speaking at a presser in Peshawar Press Club on Saturday. The AI front man said that his group was supporting the local people, while the Taliban were involved in killing of innocent people.
"We have captured majority of the heights and repulsed Taliban and have the potential to clear the entire Tirah valley if the government allowed us to do so," Saadat Afridi claimed and added that local people were also supporting his group against the TTP.
Flanked by commanders, including Mohammad Shafiq, the AI front man said that over 175 people were killed and nearly 375 injured in the conflict during last one and a half months. He said that that the AI was not in favour of army's deployment in the area as it alone could clear the area of the anti-state elements.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/18/2013 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Chief of his own faction of Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...Assembly of Islamic Clergy, or JUI, is a Pak Deobandi (Hanafi) political party. There are two main branches, one led by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, and one led by Maulana Samiul Haq. Fazl is active in Pak politix and Sami spends more time running his madrassah. Both branches sponsor branches of the Taliban, though with plausible deniability... , Maulana Samiul Haq ...the Godfather of the Taliban, leader of his own faction of the JUI. Known as Mullah Sandwich for his habit of having two young boys at a time... on Saturday appealed to all parties (religious or political) trying to free Pakistain from US slavery to contest elections from a single platform.
Addressing a presser after a meeting of the five-party alliance Muttahida Deeni Mahaz (MDM), Haq warned JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ... against attempting "solo flight," which can "weaken anti-US alliance and strengthen hands of enemies of Islam and Pakistain."
He was flanked by other heads of MDM parties: Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat ...which is the false nose and plastic mustache of the murderous banned extremist group Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain, whatcha might call the political wing of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi... (ASWJ) chief Maulana Muhammad Ahmad Ludhianvi, Jamaat Ahle Hadith chief Ibtesam Elahi Zaheer, JUI-Nazriati leader Zubair Bari, JUP-SA chief Pir Mehfooz Masahdi and Tehrik Tahaffuz Pakistain (TTP) Punjab leader Engr Imtiaz Ahmad.
Earlier, the MDM decided to contest elections on single manifesto and symbol -- ladder. They also fully supported the recent electoral reforms in the nomination form and appealed to the Election Commission not to back down on the pressure of ruling parties. They also condemned the treasury and opposition members for not consulting other parties outside the parliament for the caretaker set-up.
Replying to a question at the presser, Samiual Haq denied talks with the Taliban or trying to play guarantor for any potential agreement. "The government and Taliban are the parties in the talks and if they need any guarantee it must be the
army," he said.
"Foreign agents roaming in the country were trying to fan sectarianism by targeting different sects and the media and the government were following the Western lead by deflecting the blame on the Taliban," he claimed.
Maulana Ludhianvi warned the Punjab government against detention of ASWJ workers and said PML-N would face "consequences" for victimising those workers. He reminded Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif that ASWJ had withdrawn its candidate against him in Bhakkar elections otherwise he would not have been sitting in the assembly.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/18/2013 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Jamaat-e-Ulema Islami
#1
These are the root cause/same people we are fighting in Afghanistan.
[Dawn] Elders and holy mans in Torghar are opposed to the women's participation in polls and have conveyed it to the provincial Election Commission representatives that they'll not let women in the district to be part of the upcoming electoral exercise.
"Women in Torghar are enthusiastic about using their legal right to vote but unfortunately, local Learned Elders of Islam and elders are against it and have told us in plain words that they'll not allow women to cast vote in the coming elections at any cost over tribal traditions,"
Mohammad Zahid, a member of the district voter education committee, told Dawn on Saturday.
The committee is formed by the provincial election commission to create public awareness of voting in the district.
Torghar is going to vote for the first time after its status was changed from a semi-tribal area to a settled district in early 2011.
Mr Zahid, a representative of Human Rights Commission of Pakistain, said he had met women in Bassikhel area and Shagai and found them to be very keen about participation in elections.
He, however, said when he and other members of the voter education committee held meetings with local holy mans and elders that they turned out to be staunch opponents of the idea of women going to polling stations to cast vote.
Mr Zahid said holy mans and elders made it clear to the committee that they won't allow women in the district to step out for voting.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/18/2013 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[An Nahar] The body of a Hizbullah member killed in fighting in Syria was buried in southern Lebanon early on Sunday, several residents of the man's village told Agence France Presse.
"The funeral of Hassan Nimr Shartouni, 25, was this morning in Mays al-Jabal after the arrival of his body from Syria where he was killed in fighting yesterday (Saturday)," one resident told AFP.
Two other residents, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the details of Shartouni's burial.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/18/2013 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hezbollah
Azerbaijan - Iran's Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said that Iran planned to build and launch new submarines and drones in Caspian Sea, Fars News Agency reported. He announced Iran's protest against presence of foreign troops in Caspian Sea, saying Iran ready to form common military forces with Caspian Sea lateral countries to protect region's security.
Vahidi's statement came after Iran launched a destroyer in Caspian Sea on March 17. The "Jamaran 2" destroyer produced by the Iranian navy is delivered to the Iranian navy in the Caspian Sea on Sunday.
Makes some sense: put a light frigate or two, a couple small subs, patrol boats and drones into the Caspian and Iran could control its end of it rather nicely. Along with all the oil thereabouts...
Against whom? Kazakhstan? Azerbaijan? Russia? or Turkmenistan?
I wouldn't mess with Russia, but Iran could easily intimidate the others...
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/18/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Nice lake you can muck about in, Iran. Just putter about and don't bother anybody. It is not hard to find and sink you if the need arises.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/18/2013 0:13 Comments ||
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#2
Iran has the PLAN at Gwadar + Karachi, + the Indian Navy at Chabahar, + Pak Navy, all outside the Persian Gulf. Mama Russia + Russ Navy is about the only one Iran doesn't have.
Azerbaijan - Writs of culpability have been issued for 18 persons who are indicted to be involved in the assassination of three Iranian nuclear scientists, ISNA quoted Tehran Prosecutor General Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi as saying. Bills of indictment will be issued for the persons in the near future and they will be tried in the next year, he added.
Elementary-particle physicist Massoud Ali-Mohammadi was assassinated in a bomb attack in Tehran on January 12, 2010. Physicist Majid Shahriari was killed in a bombing in Tehran on November 29, 2010 and professor Darioush Rezaiinejad was shot and killed by a gunman with an AK-47 in Tehran on July 23, 2011.
Operation Lemony Snickett has been a smashing success so far...
In January, Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi said Iranian intelligence agents have foiled several assassination plots against a number of nuclear scientists. He refused to give additional information, saying that the details of the operations would be announced soon.
"I can say no more!"
The methods of the terrorist groups to hatch assassination plots have been discovered and neutralized through intelligence operations, Moslehi added.
A former agriculture minister and an economist are leading candidates to be named Syrias first rebel prime minister when the opposition Syrian National Coalition meets to vote in Turkey this week. The two men are among around 10 opposition figures Coalition members are expected to consider during their gathering in Istanbul on March 18 and 19.
The list includes virtual unknowns, as well as some prominent members of the opposition to President Bashar al-Assads regime, with former agriculture minister Asaad Mustapha and economist Osama Kadi believed to be leading the pack.
In moving to select a rebel premier, who will choose a cabinet to be approved by the Coalition, the opposition is hoping to show it can administer large swathes of captured territory where there is now a power vacuum.
There is a real need in the liberated areas for better administration of daily life, Damascus-based activist Matar Ismail told AFP. There should be a civilian authority that acts as an alternative power to the Assad government.
Opposition members said they wanted a good administrator with long-standing ties to the uprising, although nations backing the rebels, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia, are also likely to influence the choice.
The prime minister must be a man who is completely with the revolution, and it is better that it be someone who was in Syria until recently, not someone who has lived abroad for a long time, opposition figure Haytham al-Maleh said.
The next prime minister wont be chosen on the basis of whose name is most circulated in the media, but on the basis of who is best able to lead a government that takes care of the Syrian people and addresses their most pressing needs, added Ahmed Ramadan, a member of the Syrian National Coalition.
Kadi, born in Aleppo in 1968, is founder of the Syrian Centre for Political and Strategic Studies in Washington and favoured for his technocratic background.
Mustapha, born in Idlib in 1947, brings experience as a minister under Syrias former president Hafez al-Assad for eight years.
If whats wanted is a technocrat then perhaps Osama Kadi will win. And if the choice is based on who has experience and is the most capable politically, it will be Asaad Mustapha, Ramadan told AFP. The latter has good experience... and he has been close to the revolution from its beginning and is respected.
At least one potential candidate, Christian dissident Michel Kilo, has already made clear he will not be standing, and neither former Syrian National Council head Burhan Ghalioun nor defected ex-premier Riad Hijab appear on the current list.
Ramadan said the Coalition was expected to hold an initial vote, followed by a run-off between the top two candidates.
It would be good if there is consensus on one name, but if not it will be decided in a democratic fashion.
The decision to name a prime minister and form an interim government is opposed by some opposition figures, who favour the creation of an executive body with limited powers to administer rebel-held territory.
Council members speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity said those opposed to creating an interim government want dialogue with the regime and the formation of a government composed of regime and opposition members. That is believed to be Washingtons preference, although Turkey and much of the Arab League favour an interim government.
For opposition supporters on the ground, the vote is an important opportunity to create a real alternative to the Assad government.
An interim government will also bring the exiled opposition into direct contact with the people. So even if we havent elected them, we can hold them accountable for their errors. Overall, I am hopeful, Ismail said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/18/2013 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Bangla Daily Star] Changing the Gilaf (cover) of Holy Kaaba is a traditional ceremony in Makkah and, as in every year, it was held with due religious solemnity in October last. Many photos of this event are found across the cyber world. A Bangla site posted one such picture, but with the caption: "The imam of the Holy Kaaba here vouches for Sayeedi's good character."
[Dawn] In his last interaction with media personnel as interior minister, Rehman Malik admitted his government's failure to restore peace in Karachi during its five-year tenure.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman
[Dawn] Elders and 
