True Face of Dynamic Indian Armed Forces

True Face of Dynamic Indian Armed Forces
Zaheerul Hassan

January 15, of each year is being celebrated as Indian Army Day. The army authorities rather feeling proud on their self generated wonders should analyze the factors and causes which are taking their soldiers away from humanity and profession. The Indian Forces including Para Military Forces and police are playing in the hands of politicians. These opportunists are using them for crushing Sikhs, Muslims, Christens, Tamils, Sri Lankan, Kashmiri and harassing their political opponents. Carrying out such illegal intelligence and state sponsored activities totally converted the psyche of Indian soldiers. It becomes their second nature to commit unlawful and inhuman actions without considering their repercussions. Indian Armed forces are being known as Rogue Armed Forces. They are terribly involved in corruptions, looting, raping women, and drinking, unnatural and indecent acts, selling of issued items, embezzlements, theft, kidnapping, desertions, and disobedience of their seniors. Since 1947 there is not a single year could be found free from occurrence of criminal act amongst the troops. Quite frequently soldiers of Indian Armed Forces become the news of the day in locals, national and international media as a result of their involvement in malicious activities. Indian soldiers found committing immoral acts in peacekeeping forces too. On the night of 3 and 4 December at around 12:00 A.M. Indian troops of 36 RR and 146 Battalion CRPF barged in the house of Mohammad Abdullah Khatana in south Kashmir village at Dandipora, Kokernag.. The troops who were six in number asked them to switch off the lights before breaking the bolt of the main entrance. While narrating the incident the father of the victim said, we were locked in a room after thrashing me and my brother in law who also stays with us. After locking us in one room they took the victim in another room. The four troop’s gang raped the 17-year girl for an hour, while other two were guarding us. Its not one incident, in fact Indian Army are in the habits of repeating such type of valiance against the innocent public. According to Indian National Human Rights Commission, there were 1,039 cases of human rights violations ( which include, rapes, terrorizing, abduction & killing of innocent women, children youngsters & communal violence) by the security forces from 1990-1999, an average of 109 per year. I would also like to reveal here that no downward trend in crime ratio have been noticed so far. The indecent activities against the innocent agitators almost raised 100%. If we consider that it reduced by 50 % even then figures will be quite alarming for the international community. Indian Ministry of Defence reported that it filed 17 rape cases against army personnel whereas media reported 20 cases of rapes from 2003-2004 and by adding 50 % per annum will make this figure 80 till December, 2008. There are reports that till to-date only two or three rape cases have been concluded so far in a guilty verdict. In the remaining cases, the investigations are still in process or terminated because of tremendous pressure on the presidents of the court of inquiries, investigating officers or on the eye witnesses. After the death of Anti Terrorists Chief Karkara it becomes further difficult for the investigators to produce the genuine results in the criminal cases against powerful security forces.

Another bleak picture of Indian Armed Forces have been revealed by “The Times of India’ on October 3, 2005 , according to the newspaper War-room leaks, liquor scams and fake kills to garner gallantry medals and even rapes, murders has forced the authorities to stag 6,000 courts martial just since 20005. It further stressed that latest statistics show the, Army alone court-martialed 1,215 soldiers in 2000; 1,034 in 2001; 1,031 in 2002; 945 in 2003; and 872 in 2004. In just the last two years, over 20 rape and 10 murder charges have been leveled against soldiers.

The remaining soldiers including officers were charged on the offences of absent without leave, “acts prejudicial to good order and discipline” and desertion to accepting bribes and dishonest misappropriation of funds. The point here to be noted that it’s not only the “lower ranks” which have been afflicted; it included the cases of 30 officers too. The Tehelka generals, booze brigadiers and ketchup colonels, a major-general have been fired through court martial. Numbers of seniors and juniors officer were found guilty and punished too for the offence of bedazzlements. We can well imagine that officers of the rank of Lt General and Major Generals are under trial or convicted in various criminal cases. If the leaderships of an institutions gets themselves involved in such like offences then how they can stop their subordinates to abide by the laws.

It has also proved that Indian army officers are indulging themselves in terrorists and communal violence against minorities in and outside the country. On June 6, 1984 Indian military attacked on the holiest shrine of the Sikh religion, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, and 38 other Sikh temples throughout Punjab. It is an esteemed and established fact that Indian Army had slaughters over 20000 Sikhs and over 70000 Kashmiri in last few years. In 2008 Indian Army has also received a jolt when a serving Lt Col Srikant Prasad Purohit along with retired comrade were arrested in Malegaon Hindu violence against Muslims. Indian Police said that Lt. Col. Srikant Prasad Purohit, provided combat training and explosives to Hindu activists. The text messages he sent to another accused after Singh’s arrest were, “Cat is out of the bag. Singh has sung. Please delete my number”. Indian intelligence staging false flag terror attacks and blamed other neighbouring countries n their internal unrest which is actually prevailing due to their own overt and covert activities. On November 23, Andrew Buncombe, writing for the Independent, reported: “India is in something of a state of shock after learning from official sources that its first Hindu terror cell may have carried out a series of deadly bombings that were initially blamed on militant Muslims.” In addition to bombing attacks in the Muslim town of Malegaon in the western state of Maharashtra in September, the Hindu terror cells are allegedly responsible for last year’s bombing of a cross-border train en route to Pakistan, which killed 68 people, according to Buncombe. It should be noted that the head of the Maharastrian Anti-Terrorist Squad making the allegations about Hindu false flag terrorism, Hemant Karkare, was assassinated as he led his team into the Hotel Taj during the Mumbai attacks. “Killed in the line of duty, Hemant Karare was targeted as the man who was an immense problem for the BJP [the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party] because his forthright investigation revealed Hindutva terrorism and he was not about to stop. Clearly this invalidated the BJP campaign rhetoric against Muslim terrorism, but the BJP will still use the emotional fervor of Hindutva to win against the Congress party,” writes Allen Heart for Op Ed News. Can so called secular New Delhi Government, US, UK and Security Council satisfy the heirs of those innocent persons who were martyred and butchered for no fault by Indian security forces. Fareeda Sheik Liaqat, who lost her 10-year-old daughter in the bombing that Ramadan night in Malegaon and loved one of victimized persons of Samjota Express, Sikhs of India , Christian of Orrisa , Kashmiri , Tamil and Mizos are still crying and asking to so called civilized international community to provide them justice. But I don’t think that this paralyzed UNO, its Security Council and civilized society will raise their voice against Indian brutality as they are already quite on Israeli Naked Terrorism against innocent Palestinians women, children and others civilian. What an innocent words stated father one innocent girl. “I do not understand politics, but the person who killed my beautiful girl should be punished,” said Liaqat, 35, as she ran her hand over her daughter’s pink-and-blue Spiderman school bag. “She wanted to be a doctor.

Apart from crushing minorities, Indian security forces and police are charged with many allegations of rape and torture, and mostly the incidents are denied without any investigation and thus reminding us the barbaric era. Their cruelty and inhumanity can be judged from theses two examples which were published in Indian Media too, 1) On March 9, the National Commission for Women in India received a petition stating that 8 tribal women were raped in Sirisguda village of Chhattisgarh including a student in the 10th standard on Feb 26. The victims were dragged out of their home in the morning and gang raped by police personnel, some in uniform. These women victims were opposing the land acquisition by the government for the TATA Steel Company. A rape victim was able to read the nameplate of one of the men who raped her and his surname is Sahu. The Superintendent of Police refused to register the complaint in a first information report. 2) On February 3rd 2007, while returning from the market at 5 P.M., a young tribal woman was dragged into the forest and gang raped by 4 members of the Mizo Security forces deployed in Dantewada. The men of the Mizo Security force restrained her to prevent from shouting and she lost consciousness. When she regained consciousness, she was alone and naked in the woods. Her back was badly injured and her arms and legs were scratched and bruised from rocks and branches in the forest and now she can hardly move. None of the culprit was arrested because they were from security forces. In September, 2007 a Major General faced the music for sexual harassment. Maj Gen A K Lal, removed as commander of the strategically-located 3 Infantry Division at Leh in September 2007 after a woman officer accused him of “misconduct” and “misbehaviour”, held that he should be dismissed from service.
The dynamic Indian Army senior officers are least pushed about the moral of their troops. They were found involved in corruption while concluding contracts of frozen meat which are being supplied to the troops deployed in Indian held Kashmir and at Siachen area. They accept substandard items for the troops deployed at high altitude area and thus playing with the lives of the soldiers who are already fighting with the weather and locals against their wills. As per Indian press, one Serving Lt General Sahni, One Lt General (Retired) S K Dahiya, four Major Generals, two Brigadiers and eight officers are being charred for various irregularities in relation to procurement of “certain items of dry rations” for soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir .The scam involved the multi-corer purchase of around 1,000 tones of `masoor dal’, which was found adulterated and unfit for human consumption. There were also irregularities in the purchase of huge quantities of animal feed for the force in early-2005. If the court martial had gone ahead, Sahni would have become the first-ever Lt Gen, serving or retired, to face such military proceedings for alleged corruption. The names of Sahni, Dahiya, four Maj-Gens, nine Brigadiers, a Navy Commodore, two Commanders a Lt-Commander, an IAF Group Captain and a Coast Guard DIG have figured in a list of 21 senior officers facing corruption charges tabled by defence minister A K Antony in Parliament. The corruption charges range from selling military liquor in civilian markets to financial bungling in purchase of cereals, petrol and the like in the armed forces.

Their low morality and unethical actions can be observed from the recent example too when on January 11, 2009 an Indian Army Unit 43 Rashtriya Rifles has distributed wine bottles as ‘gift’ to the school children including girls, who had participated in the “National Anthem Singing Competition” on her Raising Day at Thanmandi in Poonch district As per Kashmir Media Service the residents and children of various schools of the area were invited to participate in sports and cultural events. There were total 20 participants’ students out of which 11 were girls’. As per sources a student Sakina Kousar said that she got ‘this award’ from army in a packing. “When I opened the packing, I found ‘Golden Eagle’ wine bottle”, she said. Sakina along with Rubeena Raina, Imtiyaz and Nazir have received wine bottles as award for their outstanding performance in singing national anthem of India “Jana Gana Mana”. The Kashmiri of Poonch observed strike on January 12, 2009 on the appeal of Muslim United Front Chairman Shafkat Wani.
In short all above narrated incidents are indicators of the declining standards of decency, integrity, sincerity, candor and discipline of Indian armed forces. Indian top brass should give a thought, whether they be able to defend their internal external boundaries in the presence of such a Rogue Armed Forces as proved by their own media. International Community should pressurize India and Israel to stop state terrorism against the innocent people. Pakistan Government should ask India to produce Lt Col Prasad for killing of passengers of Samjota Express.

Lt. Col Purohit may face court martial

Lt. Col Purohit may face court martial
Press Trust of India

Malegaon blast accused Lt Col Prasad Srikant Purohit is likely to face court martial that could lead to his dismissal from service with an Army probe recommending disciplinary action against him.

The Army headquarters has received a report of the Court of Inquiry which went into Purohit's alleged role in the
September 2008 Malegaon blast that claimed six lives, army sources said today.

The CoI has recommended disciplinary action against him, they said. This is likely to lead to his court martial and
possibly dismissal subsequently.

"The recommendations of the inquiry are being considered by the Adjutant General branch for deciding the course of
action to be initiated against Col Purohit," they said.

Purohit, who was arrested by the Anti-Terror Squad of the Mumbai Police, is currently imprisoned in Nasik in connection with the Malegaon blast.

The Army officer, who was in the military intelligence, was arrested by the ATS in November 2008 on suspicion of
masterminding the Malegaon blast along with other accused Sadhvi Prayag Thakur and four others.

Purohit is the first serving Indian army officer accused of playing a major role in planning and executing a terror
blast. He was posted at Panchmarhi where he was studying Chinese at a military training institute when his arrest took
place.

The ATS had also arrested retired Army officer Major Ramesh Upadhyay, who along with Thakur, was said to be a
member of the Abhinav Bharat, a Hindu outfit.

Purohit had come in contact with Upadhyay when he was posted at Nashik in the Army's liaison unit.

Nexus of Conspiracies in Balochistan

Nexus of Conspiracies in Balochistan
Dr. Raja Muhammad Khan

Balochistan, the largest province of Pakistan, has immense geo-strategic significance in the emerging international political and economic order. Unfortunately, the prevalent sub nationalistic tendencies and militancy in the province have remained major concern for successive federal governments, who in turn had to resort to operations by security forces for curbing the fissiparous tendencies. For the fourth time in its history, Pakistan is facing an insurgency like situation in the Province. It is perceived that if the situation is not handled aptly, it may have serious repercussions for the country in general and the province in particular. Indeed, Pakistan’s security dynamics essentially relate to changing global environment and internal problems being faced by the country especially after it became a nuclear power in 1998 and in the post-9/11 scenario. Involvement of external forces in exploiting the issue is no more a secret. Major actors involved in the destabilization of the province include most of the regional countries and the former super powers of the cold war. Share and concerns of all these actors in the destabilization process are summarized below. Until 1990s, most of the sub-nationalistic groups of Balochistan were supported by former Soviet Union. Even the militant organisation; Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) is basically a brainchild of KGB. It was built around the core of Baloch Students Organisation (BSO). Indeed there have been reasons to all this. During the entire period of cold war Pakistan was part of the Capitalist bloc under the US, which annoyed the next door neighbour; the former Soviet Union. The Communist country therefore in turn searched for and once found cultured its likeminded people in Balochistan, who never wanted the province to be part of Pakistan from the very inception of the country. India being part of Communist camp was also able to fuel the sentiments of these selfish sardars (feudals) against Pakistan. In this way India and Soviet Union had harmony of opinion against Pakistan right from its inception. After the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, Pakistan felt threatened and sided with the US and rest of the world and Islamic bloc against Russia. Moreover during this campaign the Soviet Union was surprised by the ability and resourcefulness of Pakistan to generate a quick and effective resistance movement in Afghanistan. Therefore to punish Pakistan and to answer back in the same currency, Kremlin decided to create instability in Pakistan through its intelligence setup. It organised and funded most of the sabotage activities in Pakistan. It attracted a number of Baloch Sardars in the guise of higher education and polluted their minds against Pakistan in the process. Many tribal elders of the province also took refuge in Russia during counter insurgency operations. Upon its disintegration in 1991, Russian Federation lowered its guard and covertly allowed India to take on the anti-Pakistan activities in early 1990s. The infamous Indian intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing; RAW, has a history of involvement in the affairs of Pakistan. Indeed, the creation of this very spying network was aimed at destabilization of all the regional countries, especially Pakistan. In reality its first victim was East Pakistan; now Bangladesh, where initially through Mukti Bhanis and later through aggressive military actions, India disintegrated Pakistan in December 1971. In order to destabilise Pakistan, India has never missed a chance in using the soil of all the regional countries having geographical linkages with Pakistan under various ploys. One such location is Zahidan; the capital of the Irani province “Sistan-o-Balochistan”, which is bordering Pakistan. As an estimate, over two million Balochis live on the Iranian side of Balochistan. The opening of her consulate in Zahidan, in the vicinity of Balochistan was directly aimed at its involvement in the domestic affairs of the province through promotion of the sub-nationalistic sentiments. In the wording of Afshin Afzal, “Indian Consulate General in Zahidan and Indian Embassy in Tehran have become Indian intelligence agency RAW’s breeding ground for agents. Diplomats of Indian Embassy in Tehran and Consulate General in Zahidan were photographed holding confidential meetings with leaders of Mujahideen-e-Khalq and Jandolla group in Dubai and Zarang, Afghanistan”. It is not all about; India is manning five consulates and dozens of covert offices in different cities of Iran, all being used for the spying missions, mainly against Pakistan. As a part of its global agenda, India is securing its Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC) as most of her trade with the world is through the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. The strategically located Gwadar port affords an opportunity to Pakistan’s Navy to effectively interfere with her SLOC in any future conflict. Moreover the unanimous opposition of the Gwadar port by India, Iran and the local Baloch sardars creates much concern for Pakistan and has repeatedly strengthened the apprehensions that India is supporting the ongoing Baloch insurgency in its entirety. The inclination of Baloch leaders towards India has enhanced the chances of ill-designed activities. Sub-nationalists are being supported by them who are running the ongoing insurgency in Balochistan while sitting either in Afghanistan or India. Moreover, all training to the Afghan intelligence agencies is also being imparted by RAW, which also is supporting financially and militarily armed outfits like Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Balochistan Revolutionary Army (BRA). The bases of these outfits are set up in Kandahar and Nimroz, Afghanistan where their men are being trained. Besides India, there always have been strained relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan in their entire history. Afghanistan opposed the membership of Pakistan to the UN. This act was followed by convening of ‘Loya Jirga’ on 26th July 1949, in Kabul, which declared Durand Line agreement null and void. The subsequent Afghan governments continue beating the drums of need for re-demarcation of the boundaries. Owing to this interest, Afghan government supported the anti-Pakistan insurgents in Balochistan during the insurgencies of 1958 and 1973. They were given refuge in Afghanistan besides supporting their activities. Apart from the historical connections, the current government in Kabul is actively supporting the sub-nationalists in Balochistan and harbouring and abetting the Indians to fuel the insurgency in the province. Presence of Brahamdagh Bugti and Zamaran Marri and a huge number of anti-Pakistan training camps inside Afghan territory is an open secret. All is being done with the consent of present Afghan government and its collaboration with the Indians. Moreover, it can be conveniently added that Afghanistan is providing safe bases/platform to the RAW elements that are supporting the Baloch separatist elements by all means. Afghanistan also assented India to open at least six consulates along the Pak-Afghan border. These consulates are being used for launching and regulating the terrorist activities inside Pakistan, especially in FATA, and in parts of Balochistan. With regards to Iran, there have been unfriendly relationships between Iran and the Sardars of Balochistan. Fearful of an expansion of the problem to its own part of Baloch populated areas; the “Sistan-o-Balochistan”, Iran did not support the Pakistani Baloch’s fissiparous tendencies until the end of cold war or the disintegration of former Soviet Union. In the post-Afghan war era (1991 onwards), Iran felt marginalized in the regional politics due to Pakistan’s tilt towards Taliban and in the subsequent years, considered the development of Gwadar port in the Balochistan as a threat to its economic interests as well. Upon commencement of initial designing and construction work of the Gwadar port by Chinese companies, as contracted by Government of Pakistan, Iran instantaneously planned to develop its own port at Chahbahar with the help of India. It has also contracted India to construct 213 km long road to connect this Iranian port with Afghanistan and then on to Central Asia. India indeed is eyeing this Iranian port as its own shortest route to Central Asian markets through warm water and may be able to act as a counter balance to Chinese influence in Gwadar. Over the years, Iran’s differences with Pakistan in securing its interests in Afghanistan coupled with the economic interests resulted into an enhanced gulf between the two traditionally very close neighbours. The Gwadar project further enhanced the Pak-China relationship. China; an emerging global power, has provided a large sum of technical and financial assistance for the project. For China, the Gwadar port will not only allow it to diversify its crude oil import routes and extend its presence in the Indian Ocean, but it would also allow the Chinese to more easily monitor US naval activity in the region. China is obviously concerned with the impact of violence on their sizeable investment in Gwadar. China’s interest in the Gwadar project stems from the port’s proximity to the Strait of Hormuz. A base at Gwadar enables China to secure the flow of its oil, 60% of its energy supplies come from the Middle East, through the strait. With all these developments and its presence in Afghanistan, it is highly unlikely that US is unaware of anti-Pakistan activities by above mentioned actors. Its baffling silence over all these is questionable. However US and India are collaborating deeply in Afghanistan and has strategic alliance in the regional politics. It is understood that US would not like China to engage into more development projects in Balochistan. Already by developing the Gwadar port and roads in Balochistan, China is ultimately helping itself by creating a convenient conduit for commerce that would connect China concurrently with Central Asia, South Asia, Middle East, thus having its influence all around. Through its silence and collaboration with India, it is perceived that US desires to keep its options open to play a future role in the regional politics. The possibility of supporting the secessionist Baloch movement in Iran by US cannot be ruled out which would have repercussions for Pakistan as well. Moreover, Washington favours the creation of a “Greater Balochistan” which would integrate the Baloch areas of Pakistan with those of Iran and possibly the Southern tip of Afghanistan, thereby leading to a process of political fracturing in both Iran and Pakistan. Recent unrest in Iran may prove a prelude to the future strategy of United States. Some of the analysts foresee the current US policy in the region as to counter the growing involvement of China in Balochistan’s development projects. Britain and other European countries have provided political exile to a number of the sub-nationalists of Balochistan. As a reference; in November 1979, a number of Marri and Mengals went into voluntary political exile in Europe and some of them are still there. Javed Mengal son of Ataullah Mengal and Hyrbyair Marri son of Khair Bux Marri are supporting the ongoing insurgency in Balochistan while sitting in Britain and other European countries. In spite of Pakistan’s intimate relationship with all Gulf States, Gwadar port is being viewed as rival to Dubai. Some of the GCC states have the feeling that Gwadar would dominate and neutralize the significance of all surrounding ports of the Gulf countries therefore have shown their concerns. Even a number of Baloch insurgents are also operating from the GCC States, which really bothers Pakistan. In spite of having sufficient proofs, over the years, Pakistan has been extra gracious in making accusations regarding deep rooted involvement of regional and global actors, especially India, in the destabilisation of Balochistan. On its part, India perhaps took this mystifying silence as the weakness of Pakistan or else thought, the former is unaware or unable to notice its conspiracies in the province and throughout in Pakistan. As highlighted by Mr. Christine Fair of the RAND Corporation in the US magazine, “Foreign Affairs” of March - 2009, during his visit of the consulate in his private meeting with the Indian officials of the Zahidan Consulate, he learnt that Indians are not issuing the visas, but “are pumping money into Balochistan.” The security environment in Balochistan has necessitated a correct perception of threat analysis which would lead us to formulate correct policies for the future of the Province in particular and Pakistan in general. At the same time world community, especially United States, must avoid playing great games in the region by making use of Pakistani borders, willingly or otherwise. We had suffered enough and let’s there be an end to the miseries for the people of Pakistan. International community must also fulfill its obligations to keep a balance in the region by discouraging anti-Pakistan activities by all those involved in the destabilisation of Balochistan, in particular India.

Email: drmk_edu@yahoo.com

Rivalling eyes on Balochistan

Rivalling eyes on Balochistan
M Jamil

Balochistan: the mineral-rich and strategically-located province – is very much in the rivalling international eyes, with world powers and regional countries eyeing it avariciously to push it into their own orbits of influence and domination.

According to political and defence analysts, the US, Russia, India and even Iran are either directly or indirectly widening the ethnic and sectarian schisms in Balochistan and FATA. Iran, a brotherly state, must realize that it has a large Baloch population on its side of border with Pakistan and the Indian desire of weakening Pakistan by creating independent Balochistan will cost heavily to Iran itself, as the map of Greater Balochistan also includes Sistan province as well. According to a news report carried by national English daily, more than 100 Pakistani Baloch dissidents have been sent to India by the Indian consulate located in Kandahar (Afghanistan) for six-month training. “We have credible reports that the Indian consulate in Kandahar dispatched more than 100 Pakistani Baloch dissidents during the second week of December 2009 for six-month training in India,” an intelligence source told the English daily on condition of anonymity.

Reportedly, upon completion of training under the Indian trainers, half of the strength of the anti-Pakistan elements would report to Commander Abdul Raziq, in charge of Sarhadi Leva (border police) in Spin Boldak close to Chaman while the remaining strength would be placed under Sarhadi Leva post commander in Shorawak district of Kandahar. Balochistan has been in the throes of tribal, ethnic and sectarian strife for quite some time but insurgency escalated on completion of Phase-I of Gwadar project when Chinese engineers were made subject of attacks by Baloch insurgents. In fact, the US, Russia, Iran and India do not wish to see Balochistan to become a trading hub; however India is playing a pivotal role to destabilize Pakistan.

There is strong evidence of Indian support in planning, commissioning and preparing acts of terrorism through setting ‘26 centres’ of terrorism along the western border in Afghanistan. Reports indicated that explosives were brought in by Indian Border Roads Organizations under the garb of reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in Afghanistan through Iran to be used for sabotage acts in Balochistan.

Balochistan is located on the northern tip of Strait of Hormuz through which much of the world’s oil supply passes. It is endowed with rich natural resources with an estimated 19 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves and 6 trillion barrels of oil reserves. Therefore, some countries are trying to weaken Pakistan from within and focusing on FATA, NWFP and Balochistan. Even international media have reported that insurgency in Balochistan is being supported by the RAW from Indian consulates along the Pak-Afghan border, and Indian consulates are being used by Indian intelligence agencies for dispatching trained militants in Balochistan. The Khan of Kalat while forming the ‘Council for Independent Balochistan’ in London had said: “He is enjoying the support of like-minded’ and friendly countries who had promised him all help and cooperation”. It is in this backdrop that the US Under-secretary of State for political affairs William Burns in a statement asked India to trim its consulate in Jalalabad in Afghanistan, which is acknowledgement of eidetic reality about India’s designs. The Khans of Kalat always maliciously propagated that Balochistan was all along an independent state, while the historical evidence suggested otherwise. In fact, Balochistan came under British jurisdiction ever since 1840, and at the time of partition Kalat was only one of the four divisions, and he announced independence of that part of Balochistan against the will of its people. To identify the causes or genesis of Balochistan’s problem, it is important to understand the situation during British Raj. In 1877, at the proclamation of Queen Victoria as Empress, about 700 princely states enjoyed treaty relations with the British Crown. British India had appointed regents (Britons) in the princely states to oversee the nawabs and also that no rebellion-like situation emerges. By the Indian Independence Act 1947, the British gave up the suzerainty of the states and left to the free will of each to merge with India or Pakistan. And there was no concept of independent princely states or regions in the plan for partition of the subcontinent.

It goes without saying that people of Balochistan have the first right over minerals and natural resources of Balochistan, and major part of the income from these assets should be spent on the welfare of the people of Balochistan. Baloch sardars should be given their share out of the income that accrues from gas, oil or copper from the resources found in their respective areas. And they are getting it. It is unfortunate that some sardars are not willing to accept less than independence, and they openly talk about secession. Akhtar Mengal, Shahzain Bugti and Mir Byar Marri do not hide their ambitions of having an independent Balochistan. But no state worth its name would turn a blind eye to the efforts aimed at disintegrating the country and hold talks with such elements.

Those who insist that the government should have talks with them, should first ask these leaders to wean away from secessionist tendencies. In many countries of the world such contradictions exist and that are resolved through talks. But three Baloch Sardars insist that Balochistan was never part of Pakistan, which is travesty of the truth.

In November 2009, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had announced Balochistan Package and placed a ban on the construction of new military cantonments in Balochistan, general amnesty for the armed activists of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and talks offer to three rebel leaders – Mir Herbiyar Murree, Barahamdagh Bugti and Attaullah Khan Mengal, in his speech in the parliament. The Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani had reportedly endorsed the new package after the Prime Minister Gilani sat down with him and ISI Chief General Shuja Pasha to discuss all the important points of this package concerning the role of military in Balochistan. It was decided by the government that the military would not construct new cantonments in the province, however, the two old cantonments would stay functional. Likewise, it was decided that the heads of the Balochistan and Gawadar Authority would be from Balochistan and no outsider would be appointed there.

Anyhow, in an effort to heal the wounds of the past, a 39-point ‘Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan’ package was approved at a joint sitting of the Parliament. Some nationalists and a few members of opposition parties have not appreciated the spirit in which the package has been approved. And some Baloch sardars rejected the package even before its details were made public. Anyhow, recommendations in the package were divided over five categories: constitutional, political, administrative, economic and monitoring mechanism. It proposed the facilitation of the return of political exiles, immediate release of political workers and political dialogue with all stake-holders.

The package included setting up of a fact-finding commission to investigate into the circumstances that led to the death of Nawab Akbar Bugti and stopping the construction of cantonments in Sui and Kohlu, withdrawing the armed forces from these areas. It is a gesture of goodwill and commitment to undo the injustices of the past; therefore Baloch sardars should wean away from secessionist tendencies and reciprocate, which will be in their interest as well as in the interest of the people of Balochistan.

India Tops the World in Underage Brides

India Tops the World in Underage Brides

—UNICEF exposes another ugly face of India
—Indian media reacted negatively to Sania’s wedding when Indians stand on top of the world for getting rid of the daughters at the earliest possible
—RAW gets historic shock as marriage took place amidst its anti-Pakistan and anti Muslim campaign being on peak

From Christina Palmer and Ajay Mehta

New Delhi—While the Indian media and Hindu extremist organization reacting very negatively to Indian Tennis star Sania Mirza’s becoming bride of Pakistani Cricket star Shoaib Malik and while Indian Intelligence Agency RAW getting the shock of its history due to this unique neptual knot as it was very much active in spreading hatred against Pakistanis and Muslims amongst the Indian general public, India has obtained a new title of being number one in the world that is being world’s number one country where underage girls are married and that too in very early age. This tag has been awarded to India by non NGO on children Rights or by no media survey but India earned it through the United Nations as the UNICEF exposed this ugly side of the state of affair in secular India, reveal the findings of The Daily Mail.

The Daily Mail’s findings indicate that more than a third of the world’s child brides are from India, leaving children at an increased risk of exploitation despite the country’s growing modernity and economic wealth, according to a latest UNICEF report.

Nearly 25 million women in India were married in the year 2007 by the age of 18, said the report released on Tuesday, which noted that children in India, Nepal and Pakistan may be engaged or even married before they turned 10.

The Daily Mail’s findings further indicate that millions of children are also being forced to work in harmful conditions, or face violence and abuse at home and outside, suffering physical and psychological harm with wide-reaching and sometimes irreparable effects, the report said.

“A society cannot thrive if its youngest members are forced into early marriage, abused as sex workers or denied their basic rights,” says UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman.

Despite rising literacy levels and a ban on child marriage, tradition and religious practices are keeping the custom alive in India, as well as in Nepal, the report said.

More than half the world’s child brides are in south Asia, which also accounts for more than half the unregistered births, leaving children beyond the reach and protection of state services and unable to attend school or access basic healthcare.

Only 6 percent of all births in Afghanistan and 10 percent in Bangladesh were registered from 2000-08, the report said, compared to 41 percent in India and 73 percent in the tiny Maldives.

Also, about 44 million, or 13 percent of all children in south Asia, are engaged in labour, with more than half in India. Children in the region have also been seriously affected by insurgency and instability, as well as natural disasters.

Trafficking of children for labour, prostitution or domestic services is widespread, especially within Bangladesh and India, and within the region, as well as to Europe and the Middle East.

“Insufficient emphasis has been placed on protecting child victims of trafficking and ensuring that any judicial proceedings brought against them are child sensitive,” the report noted.

According to another study, conducted in various parts of India jointly by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) and National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health (NIRRH), the prevalence of child marriage remains high, fueling the risks of multiple unwanted pregnancies in less than 24 months, pregnancy terminations and female sterilizations. This Indo-US collaborative study, that analyzed the data collected during the National Family Health Survey III (NFHS), was published online in The Lancet — a reputed international medical journal.

“The prevalence of child marriage remains unacceptably high,” said Dr Donta Balahia, deputy director, NIRRH and co-author of the scientific paper.
The study found that more than one in five girls were married before age of 16, while 2.6 per cent were married before age 13.

The number of girls who got married before turning 18 were significantly more likely to report no contraceptive use before their first childbirth than those who married as adults.

“They think they might lose their potency by using contraception,” he said. Nearly half — 48.4 per cent — of girls who were married when minors, reported giving birth before they turned 18. Such women were also more likely to have had repeat childbirths in less than 24 months and to have had three or more childbirths, than those who married after the age of 18,” said Dr Balahia adding,

“Sterilization rates were higher in the case of underage marriages than those who married as adults.”

There was a gender bias in the sterilization percentage, where over 13 per cent women were reported sterilized as against a mere 0.2 per cent men. The authors recommend that existing intervention programmes should be broadened to emphasize contraception other than sterilization, especially among young women. They said such interventions also should include husbands and in-laws, “who might have more control on family planning.”

The Daily Mail’s findings indicate that nearly half of Indian brides wed before they are 18-years-old, the legal age for marriage since 1978, a survey by the Lancet medical magazine, carried out from a geographical and social cross-section of Indian society, says that a total of 44.5% were married by the time they were 18. It says that women who were child brides were far more at risk of having unwanted pregnancies. Marriage at a young age carries grave health consequences, it says. “Child marriage has serious consequences for national development, stunting education and vocational opportunities for a large sector of the population,” says the research paper, led by Anita Raj, a doctor at Boston University School of Public Health in Massachusetts, quoted by a credible international news agency. Researchers collated data from a national family health survey that was carried out between 2005 to 2006 in India. The survey involved 22,807 Indian women who were aged between 20 and 24 at the time of the survey. India first introduced laws against child marriage in 1929 and set the legal age for marriage at 12 years. The legal age for marriage was increased to 18 in 1978. experts say that while the practice of child marriage has slowly diminished, it remains unacceptably high among rural, poor and less educated girls and among those from central or eastern regions of the country who are more vulnerable to the practice.

The survey says:

Child brides are 37% more likely not to have used contraception before their first child was born.
Seven times likelier to have three or more births.
Three times likelier to have a repeat childbirth in less than 24 months.
Fifty percent likelier to have an abortion.
Six times likelier to seek sterilization.

The researchers say that existing policies and India’s economic development gains have failed to help rural and poor populations eradicate child marriages.

They say that the reason why there are such high levels of sterilisation among young brides is because they have had their desired number of children at an earlier age.

But they say it was also indicative of inadequate fertility control, evident from the high numbers of unwanted pregnancies among the women.
They warned that sterilisation could reduce condom use in such couples, which would heighten the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

Compared to a similar survey 10 years ago, the child bride proportion has fallen slightly but the Lancet report said the reduction was insufficient.

The Daily Mail’s findings indicate that in order to check child marriages in the country, the Law Commission, in 2008, proposed that marriages below 18 years of age for both girls and boys should be banned. It proposed that marriages solemnized between individuals below 16 years of age be made void and recommended that registration of marriages should be made compulsory.

While studying the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 (PCMA), the Commission found that the existing law does not make a child marriage invalid even if it’s below the age of 15 years. But under the criminal law, Section 375 of the IPC makes it a crime to have sexual relation with a child under the age of 15 years.

Elaborating on the Commission’s proposals, the panel’s member Kirti Uppal said that the panel had proposed that the age for sexual consent should be raised from 15 to 16 years for girls, regardless of marriage. If the proposal is accepted by the Government, consensual sex would invite punishment for those men who have sex with girls under 16 years of age. Even those men who have sex with their minor “wives,” aged below 16 years, could be booked under the law.

However, this low or these legal reforms could never be implemented due to corrupt bureaucracy and corruption in the legislatures of India which has now resulted into an worldwide embarrassment for both the Indian government and Indian nation.


Fact and Truth

India initiates deadly arms race

India initiates deadly arms race
Sajjad Shaukat

On the one hand international community has been making strenuous efforts for world peace in the wake of global financial crisis and war against terrorism, on the other, by launching its first nuclear-powered submarine on July 27 this year, India has initiated deadly nuclear arms in South Asia where people are already facing multiple problems of grave nature. Majority of South Asian people are living below poverty level, lacking basic facilities like fresh food and clean water. While yielding to acute poverty, every day, some persons commit suicide in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka etc. Setting aside regional problems, and resolution of Indo-Pak issues, especially thorny dispute of Kashmir, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called the occasion of nuclear submarine-a "historic milestone in the country's defence preparedness". Named as INS Arihant, a Sanskrit word meaning "destroyer of enemies", the submarine, and the first of five planned, is powered by 85-megawatt nuclear reactor and can reach 44 kilometres an hour (24 knots) underwater. It will be armed with 12 ballistic missiles. Singh further remarked: "We don't have any aggressive designs nor do we seek to threaten anyone." It becomes a big joke of the 21st century, reminding a maxim, "armed to the teeth, but no enemy", if we take cognisance of India's arms advances, and 34 per cent increase in its defence budget. Indian aggressive designs could be judged from the statement of its Defence Minister, A K Antony who stated in the Lok Sabha on July 20 that it was unfortunate that 70 per cent of defence equipment was still being imported, and now the government was working towards manufacturing state-of-the-art equipment indigenously. In fact, New Delhi with the support of US and Israel has presumed peace-loving Pakistan and China as their arch enemies, but they do not admit officially. In this regard, last month, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited India and finalised a defence agreement essential to allowing US companies to sell sophisticated arms to India as part of the pact of civil nuclear technology concluded during the Bush era. It is mentionable that after 9/11, both India and Israel which had openly jumped on Bush's anti-terrorism enterprise are acting upon a secret diplomacy, targeting Pakistan and China in particular and other regional countries in general. In this context, Indo-Israeli secret diplomacy could be assessed from the interview of Israel's ambassador to India, Mark Sofer published in the Indian weekly Outlook on February 18, 2008. Regarding India's defence arrangements with Tel Aviv, Sofer had surprisingly disclosed: "We do have a defence relationship with India, which is no secret" and "with all due respect, the secret part will remain a secret." As regards joint exercises, Sofer replied, "Certain issues need to remain under wraps for whatever reason." Notably, India's 'The Tribune' wrote on September 10, 2003: "India and Israel took giant leaps forward in bolstering the existing strategic ties", and Tel Aviv has "agreed to share its expertise with India in various fields such as anti-fidayeen operations, surveillance satellites, intelligence sharing and space exploration." Before it, Jerusalem Post had indicated about Israeli sale of the Arrow-II anti-ballistic missile defence system to India, revealing that "the US was a collaborator in the project". The Post further explained, while referring to the joint exercises in the Indian Ocean, "Israel could be acquiring an element of strategic depth by setting up logistical bases in the Indian Ocean for its Navy" On September 2, 2004, Indian Express reported: "Cooperation with the Indian Navy is seen as vital…Indian Navy plans to acquire 10 more Israeli Barak anti-missile defence systems, in addition to the seven already procured for its major warships. India has also approved the purchase of a $97 million Israeli electronic warfare system for ships…decided to launch joint programmes with Israel in the electronic warfare. With Israel's strength being sensors and packaging, and India's being fiber optic gyros and micro-electromechanical systems, both Israel and India can neatly complement each other." Besides recent purchases of arms, a few days ago, Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), G Madhavan Nair, verified that India's Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT), launched on April 20 this year has started sending images. The launch displayed the clandestine Indo-Israeli jointly developed Advanced Mission Computers and Advanced Telemetry System. With the covert help of Israel and America, on 26th February 2008, India conducted its first test of a nuclear-capable missile from an under sea platform after completing its project in connection with air, land and sea ballistic systems. Next day, Pakistan's then Naval Chief Admiral Muhammad Afzal Tahir disclosed: "We are aware of these developments, which are taking place to put nuclear weapons at sea and it is a very serious issue". On May 10, 2008, Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta revealed that New Delhi "will soon float tenders to acquire six submarines". Mehta while accusing Beijing, explained, "Indian Navy would keep a close watch on the movements of Chinese submarines which are operating out of an underground base in the South China Sea" and "wish to enter the Indian Ocean". However, under the pretext of China factor, America, India and Israel are plotting to block the sealanes of the Indian Ocean for their joint strategic goals. There are also other reasons behind US-led Indo-Israeli secret strategy. Fast growing economic power of China coupled with her rising strategic ties with Pakistan and the Third World-Balochistan's Gwadar seaport, connecting rest of the world with Central Asia irritates the US which wants to counterbalance China and subdue Iran through India and Israel. Owing to these reasons, US, India and Israel are creating instability in Pakistan - especially by backing Baloch separatists. In this respect, after meeting the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit at Sharm el-Sheikh, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani stated on July 18 that during the talks, he also raised the issue of Indian interference in Balochistan. It is note-worthy that in May 1998, when India detonated five nuclear tests, the then Defence Minister George Fernandes declared publicly that "China is India's potential threat No. 1". New Delhi which successfully tested missile, Agni-111 in May 2007, has been extending its range to target all Chinese cities. With the help of Jewish-Hindu lobbies, Israel and India are equating the 'war of independence' in Kashmir and Palestine with terrorism. They also accuse Iran, Syria and Pakistan of sponsoring cross-border terrorism in the related regions of South Asia and the Middle East. If India considers Pakistan as its major enemy, Israel takes Iran in the same sense especially due to its nuclear programme which is also negated by the US. These countries are also against Pakistan as it is the only nuclear Islamic country. However, owing to common interest, these three countries are playing a collective secret game. Nonetheless, in reply to Indian new aggressive move of nuclear submarine, on July 27, a spokesman of Pakistan Navy, Captain Asif Majeed Butt said that New Delhi's nuclear submarine would destabilise the security paradigm in the Indian Ocean, adding, "it can trigger a new arms race in the region and all neighbouring states", while Pakistan "reserves the right to take measures." On the same day, Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar made it clear that Pakistan was ready to challenge India's first nuclear submarine, urging that the country does not want war with any state. A spokesman of the Foreign Office also indicated similar views. In May, 1998, when India detonated five nuclear tests, Islamabad was compelled to follow the suit through its own atomic experiments. But Pakistan which so far relied upon the minimum nuclear deterrence has again been forced by India's induction of nuclear submarine to counterbalance the former. Meanwhile, Pakistan's Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Noman Bashir recently held detailed talks with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing for enhancing cooperation between the navies of the two countries. Without any doubt, responsibility goes to the US, Israel and other western countries which encouraged India by providing with sophisticated technology. Regrettably, India has entangled South Asia in a deadly arms race, thus endangering its neighbouring countries, Gulf States, and world peace.

Email: sajjad_logic@yahoo.com

A Bitter Fruit, India's Arm race

A Bitter Fruit, India's Arm race
Ali Sukhanver

The people of the South Asian countries are never worried about their present; they are anxious about their future and frightened of their Past. The situation is more horrid in the countries like India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. According to a research report, published a few years back, people in these countries are more interested in saving than spending, but unfortunately they are neither successful in saving nor in spending because they have a very meager earning. The cause behind all this mess is basically a heavy expenditure on the defense affairs. Some countries are doing these expenses as a precautionary measure and some are taking these measures just to keep an upper hand in the region. The most powerful country in the region is no doubt India, with a large number of population, a huge army and a gigantic set up of nuclear weapons. The neighboring world around India is afraid of the increasing nuclear assets of India. Why India is so much concerned about the increase in number of its nuclear assets; that is the question, the countries around India are continuously asking. The question is giving birth to so many apprehensions and fears.

A few days back, the Indian premier Dr.Manmohan Singh assured the world that India has no ill will against any country. He was addressing the launching ceremony of the newly manufactured nuclear sub-marine The Destroyer of Enemies. This nuclear sub-marine has been completed with the help of Russia. It may be called a joint venture of these two countries. It is something very strange that Russia is helping out India in making it more powerful with respect to nuclear advancements. Russia is knowingly trying to overlook the fact that making India powerful means making USA stronger particularly in the south Asian region. This Russian favour and support to USA is very shocking for the political analysts who cannot forget the past days USA was brutally busy in tearing apart the Russian Union when it innocently dreamed of invading Afghanistan.
Let us believe Manmohan Jee’s assurance that India has no ill will against any country. It means that India has no enemy; but what about the name of this new addition to the Indian nuclear assets, The Destroyer of Enemies. The name shows that India has a long list of enemies and is very much eager about their destruction. According to the details this sub-marine has an ability of targeting the interior areas of Sind and Gawader in Pakistan. This sub-marine has generated an atmosphere of insecurity in the neighboring countries. The situation would surely give a rise to a new competition in the field of nuclear weapon manufacturing.

India is at present enjoying the status of a beloved who has a lot of lovers; receiving gifts from everyone and in return giving an artificial and imposed smile of affection to all her lovers; but inwardly every lover is whispering to himself; my moon is every body’s moon. Naturally this ‘loving’ atmosphere is not going to last long because all these well-wishers of India have a serious clash of interest among them. Very soon everyone will show his eagerness to fry his own fish. This all is like a brothel being cooked by so many cooks. There are many important points to be considered; Can USA and Russia ever be friends? Can the Russians forget the shattering of their own home by the hands of the Americans? The questions are certainly intriguing but the answer is surely a very simple one. USA, Russia and India have joined hands together simply to weaken the enhancing influence of China in the region. In the present political scenario, China is emerging like a gigantic force of South Asia. It is the only country that can challenge the US authority in the region. China has a very huge and modern set-up for the manufacturing of nuclear and non-nuclear weapons with a generosity of supporting the friend-countries in defense and development affairs. Its continuous support to Pakistan in defense affairs has made Pakistan an unbeatable force. It is just because of Chinese support that today Pakistan is assembling Jf-7-Thunder aircrafts very successfully. This ability has freed Pakistan from the painful requirement of American F-17 aircrafts. Recently Pakistan has received the first of four F-22-P-frigates from China. These Frigates would not only enhance the working of Pakistan navy in the Pakistani waters but also prove a counter to the Indian hegemonic designs in the region.

The basic Indian philosophy behind achieving the Nuclear Sub Marine from Russia is to have an ability of targeting Gawader Port in Pakistan. The Gawader port is a joint venture of China and Pakistan. This port would be opening new doors of progress, prosperity and independence for both the countries in near future. That is the reason that from the day first India has been trying to sabotage this project. The unrest in Balochistan supported by India is the most evident proof of Indian disliking for the Gawader port Project. The killing of Chinese engineers working at different projects in Pakistan also adds to the surety that India is not in favour of Pak-China increasing co-operation. The Nuclear Sub-Marine, Destroyer of Enemies is no doubt acquired to target Gawader Port because by doing so India would be satisfied that it has targeted two of its enemies, Pakistan and China. India does not know that it is playing the role of a subservient servant of America. The childish acts like achieving the nuclear sub-marines and aiming them at the neighboring countries will bring no advantage to India; its fruit will go to someone else.

It will not be a misjudgment if we call the role played by the Americans in this region ‘a role below American dignity’. At one hand America claims that it is fighting against terrorism but on the other hand it is supporting and favoring countries like India who have categorically rejected the pacts like NPT. This double-faced policy of America shows that it has a hidden feeling of fear on the part of India; otherwise it would have acted and reacted in a different manner. Greatness and hypocrisy never go side by side. Justice and equality are the two basic elements that help in sustaining greatness. The countries like Iraq and North Korea are penalized for their nuclear advancements and the countries like Pakistan are victimized under the garb of friendship, simply because of their hard – earned nuclear abilities but the culprits like India and Israel are caressed with motherly hands. This injustice is going to bring forth very bitter type of fruit. It is never wise to consider every body’s moon only your own. If some one does so, it means he is entering the fools’ paradise.
Email:

alisukhanver@hotmail.com

ISI, The Defender of Pakistan's Political System and National Values

Pakistani Academic: 'There Should Be No Doubt That The ISI is a Defender of the Country's Political System and National Values'

The Directorate General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is Pakistan's military-led intelligence agency. In recent years, its role has been internationally scrutinized, especially for its links with Pakistan-based militant organizations.

In July 2008, a notification issued by the civilian government of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani placing the ISI under civilian control was rebuffed within six hours. A report in the Lahore-based Daily Times noted: "The military leadership stood up and managed to reverse the government's decision soon after the notification was issued." [1]

Amid continuing concerns of ISI's reported links with jihadist groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan, Prime Minister Gilani noted in April this year: "There is no confusion at all. Our army and ISI are truly professional, sincere, and pro-democracy. The two institutions are working in the ambit of constitution." [2]

In a recent article, Pakistani academic Dr. A. Z. Hilali, a professor of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Peshawar, underlined the importance of the ISI's role in securing Pakistan's national interests. Following are some excerpts from the article, entitled "ISI - The National Asset:" [3]

"New Delhi Spares No Chance to Exploit Domestic Incidents to Gain Global Sympathies in a Manner Calculated to Drive Pakistan to the Brink of International Isolation"

"The end of the Cold War and the incident of 9/11 have left a dangerous, complex and multi-dimensional security environment for Pakistan. In the changing critical circumstances, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) restructures country's security strategy and inevitably adopts competitive and cooperative strategy to protect Pakistan's national security and strategic assets. The agency is involved in a state of... permanent medium alert to detect and prevent possible terrorist and conventional attacks on the [Pakistani] soil...."

"It is also an undeniable fact that after the destruction of twin towers (New York), the U.S. was hostile and the Indian attitude was also unpleasant in the heat of the moment. New Delhi spares no chance to exploit domestic incidents to gain global sympathies in a manner calculated to drive Pakistan to the brink of international isolation. In the situation, it becomes evident that India and its strategic allies U.S. and Afghanistan are potential threats to the security of Pakistan which have successfully been tracked by the ISI because the danger is not remote or abstract; and it is the agency's visceral and a theoretical understanding about strategic ends and tactical means of enemy actions [that are important].

"In modern warfare, covert and overt war is still considered a war, and covert warriors can make logical military choices. India traditionally has a habit of expanding its influence with whatever means are most convenient. It also appears that war is functionally a tool to blackmail others and in this context covert action and warfare march to the same tune..."

"The ISI is a Strong Instrument in The Presence of a Vulnerable Political System, Corrupt Politicians, and Diplomatic Ignorance"

"Media also emerges as a powerful instrument to achieve [Pakistan's] strategic and foreign policy objectives, and in this field perhaps the matter is not so much to blame the ISI as... to diplomats and politicians who failed to defend the country's interests.

"So, the ISI is a strong instrument in the presence of a vulnerable political system, corrupt politicians, and diplomatic ignorance. Let us be direct; if the country's policymakers entail expanding the realm of country's influence and it has to be done covertly, then ultimately no option is left for the ISI [but] to readily opt for a strategy and defend the national interests."

"Pakistan is Facing an International Challenge to its Strategic Assets and Cyber Information"

"In the contemporary time, Pakistan is facing an international challenge to its strategic assets and cyber information. The challenge stems from the strategic competition with India; and competition with New Delhi is an element of regional balance of power structure and also concerns international relationships.

"The question is broader than efforts by traditional adversaries to avail themselves of the latest military technology. Historic and traditional enemies engage in systematic efforts to enhance their military and economic viability at the expense of the weak neighbour....

"In this regard, the elites of Pakistan must send a clear message to both friends and foes that this country does not accept regional and international pressure as far as national legitimate interests are concerned...."

Pakistan "Should Not be Impressed by the Negative Indian and Western Propaganda against the ISI"

"Strategic assets [such as ISI] are an integral part of virtually every sector of country's security and economy. These are important to maintain the regional competitiveness and balance. Moreover, the strategic espionage and its secret theft can threaten national security and territorial integrity of Pakistan.

"The nation should not be impressed by the negative Indian and Western propaganda against the ISI, because they want to destabilize Pakistan by their nefarious designs; [the ISI] is the only agency which is unequivocally committed to defend the case of the country and is conducting its activities in accordance with the law of the land and with due regard for the rights of nation.

"Some sections of people sarcastically proposed that the ISI matter should be open to public, exposing the national secrets which can only help enemies rather than the people. So, the policy of ISI must be confidential, whether or not confidentiality has explicitly been pledged and for this purpose there can be absolute safeguard to the breaches of confidentiality. This is the reason for which intelligence agencies normally do not, and should not, publicly reveal sensitive details about their operations.

"For this reason, signals intelligence or state secret activities may not be known or understood by the public at large. Their limits are well known to every person and the ISI cannot be a matter of public debate as much as some of them would wish. In general, it is the overall responsibility and duty of the country's executive authorities, security establishment, policymakers and the Director of Intelligence for establishing requirements and priorities for the collection of intelligence vital to national security..."

"ISI Does Not Desire to Lose the Confidence of the People - Because It knows That No War Can be Won Without the People's Support and Backing "

"So, it is the business of the agency [ISI] to gather information vital to the national security and foreign policy of the country; and other departments and agencies in the country have the responsibility to assist the agency.

"There have recently been allegations that the ISI has improperly handled the people, which is totally untrue and fabricated stories. However, there is a rigorous regime of checks and balances which the ISI scrupulously adheres to whenever the conversations of people are involved against the country's integrity directly or indirectly. Moreover, the ISI never disturbs any persons unless they are agents of enemy or a foreign power, as that term is defined in law. This is a very serious allegation and it is the standard practice of RAW, CIA and KHAD [of Afghanistan] and some other countries to use their intelligence services to conduct strategic espionage, but that is not the policy or practice of the ISI norms and ethics.

"The... ISI does not desire to lose the confidence of the people because it knows that no war can be won without the support and backing of people. It is undeniable reality that the ISI is one of the pillars of Pakistan intelligence...."

The "ISI is Very Much Responsible to Protect National Citizens and the Country's Security"

"The ISI is doing critical duty to monitoring terrorist activities, arms control compliance, narcotics trafficking... So, the agency could not monitor local conflicts and people's activities until it will affect national interests and strategic capabilities.

"No one should have any doubt that the ISI is very much responsible to protect national citizens and country's security rather than to destabilize public life. But in special circumstances, the agency has the right under the law to act against individuals and companies, who engage in activities on behalf of enemies, terrorist groups, and others working against the country and are of great concern..."

"On many occasions, the ISI helped to protect national interests and strategic assets. It is just not only in the business of agency to keep eyes open on the enemy activities, but it is also responsibility on behalf of country's vanguard to provide fair and clean information.

"The nation should be assured... that the ISI is a purposeful and meaningful agency and is doing its legal, ethical and professional responsibility. There can be no doubt about its activities and certainly its business is vital to the country's national security interests. People must be assured that as a professional organization the ISI is constantly dealing with information that must remain confidential and it will continue to collect information on various subjects that are of vital interest to the nation.

"Intelligence functions are of necessity conducted in secret and the people must be confident that the ISI will not abuse power. The current situation serves as an inevitable matter and must be ensured that the imperatives of national security are balanced with national values."

"There Should Be No Doubt That the ISI is a Defender of the Country's Political System and National Values"

"Finally, the ISI is staffed with hard-working people of talent and dedication and can still do competent assignment. It is interesting to note that people will never know the full story of ISI's courage and for the sake of national interest, people should stop criticizing the agency, because they don't know what it really does.

"This, of course, is the heart of national security and it should be above criticism. The details of specific operations are quite clear to every person and have a remarkably accurate and consistent picture which can be verified from countless different directions.

"There should be no doubt that the ISI is a defender of the country's political system and national values, and Pakistan's interests will never come at the expense of people's rights."

Endnotes:
[1] Daily Times, Pakistan, July 28, 2008.
[2] Daily Times, Pakistan, April 1, 2009.
[3] The Frontier Post, Pakistan, July 27, 2009. The article has been lightly edited for clarity.

Balochistan factor in Pak-India talks

Balochistan factor in Pak-India talks
Sultan M Hali
The BJP, its NDA partners and the SP staged a walkout in the lower house of Indian parliament, Lok Sabha over the inclusion of Baluchistan in the India-Pakistan joint statement The members of these opposition parties walked out of the lower house even as Indian external affairs minister S M Krishna was replying to a discussion on the Indian Prime Minister’s recent visit to Egypt where he met his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani. When Krishna reiterated that India had nothing to hide on the joint statement issued after the prime ministers’ meeting, Advani was on his feet asserting that the opposition’s chief concerns about the inclusion of Baluchistan and the delinking of terror from the composite dialogue process between the two neighbouring countries had not been addressed and led his party members out of the Lok Sabha.

The imbroglio results from the inclusion of the Baluchistan factor in Pak-India talks, which has triggered a wave of consternation amongst the opposition in India. They view it as a tacit admission of Indian meddling in the strife torn province and fomenting trouble through its infamous spy agency RAW. Indian government is busy in damage control through its media. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last week defended the Indo-Pak joint statement in the Parliament by saying that Pakistan did not give any dossier to India on Baluchistan during their meeting in Egypt July 16. That is strange indeed. Was the Indian PM blindfolded or held at gunpoint by his Pakistani counterpart when the mention of Baluchistan reference was included in the joint statement? Times of India in its Op-Ed of July 28 ‘Pak Army Chief exploits Baloch bungle’ claims: “Encouraged by its success in getting Baluchistan inserted in the India-Pakistan joint statement in Sharm el-Sheikh, Islamabad is cranking up its propaganda machinery to raise the bogey of India’s meddling in its volatile province. Reports in the US media quoting official sources said Pakistan army Chief Ashfaque Kayani recently sought to link Pakistan’s actions against Lashkar-e-Taiba with India putting a stop to its alleged covert operations in Baluchistan. The reports in US media said that while Kayani had promised to ‘control’ LeT, claiming ‘we are being more vigilant’, he stressed that India should halt its operations in Baluchistan. ‘By the way, India has to stop messing around in Baluchistan,’ US media quoted Pakistani officials as saying. The attempt to establish linkages should reinforce those who felt that the mention of Baluchistan was a big blunder which may be exploited by Pakistan to put RAW on the same footing as the ISI, and to claim that India was also guilty of using terror as an instrument to further its strategic objectives. The charge is absurd, if only for the reason that India does not have the capacity to engage in covert operations to harass Pakistan even if it wished so. But the fear is that it may find fertile ground among a constituency in the US desperately looking for ways to inveigle India into the Af-Pak cauldron.

In fact, Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy for Af-Pak, is learnt to have already asked his Indian interlocutors whether India would stop its ‘activities’ in Baluchistan. This ‘messing around in Baluchistan’ phrase is likely to pop up more and more in Pak-US conversations. There is no evidence that they can point to but that is not going to deter the Pakistanis. Pakistani PM Yusuf Gilani, after his return from the eventful encounter with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Sharm el-Sheikh, has also kept the Baluchistan issue alive. While saying Pakistan would start a new chapter in ties with India, Gilani said the joint statement ‘underlines (Pakistan’s) concerns over Indian interference in Baluchistan and other areas of Pakistan” and ‘calls for working to create an atmosphere of mutual trust and confidence’. In Swat valley, Pakistani army commanders think nothing of saying that it is actually India that is funding and sponsoring the Taliban, which is an extremist Islamist grouping, including Baitullah Mehsud, who is now described as being financed by India. Pakistanis are already celebrating the victory in Sharm el-Sheikh. ‘We’ve externalized an internal problem,’ the Wall Street Journal quoted a senior Pakistani official as saying.”

Ordinary Indians have expressed their concern at what India has conceded. Seema from New Delhi, commenting on the above story says: “Oh my god. Manmohan Singh, country will never forgive you for this blunder 2009. Thank you TOI for printing this story.” Dr Shankar Singh opines: “PM has landed the country in a mess. Reference to Baluchistan has provided Pakistan besides Kashmir with yet another handle to corner India for all time to come. In delinking terrorism with composite dialogue, we have surrendered to the dictates of Pakistan, nobody knows under what compulsion. PM should leave foreign policy matters to be handled by Minister for External Affairs.”

Indian secret service RAW came into action to give Pakistan a clear cut message by fomenting trouble. Violence broke out in a Gojra village near Toba Tek Singh last week after an alleged incident of desecration of the Holy Quràn during a wedding ceremony. 40 Christian homes had been torched on Saturday by the banned Sipah-i-Sahaba group, which is accused of attacking security forces and of staging bombings at public places in recent years. Initial findings indicate no truth to allegations that the Holy Quràn had been defiled. The international community has taken immediate cognizance of the riots and expressed their concern. In a statement released on Sunday, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini denounced the violence against Christians as ‘a very grave and unjustifiable attack against human rights and in particular against the inalienable right to religious freedom’. Meanwhile India is using the promise to renew dialogue with Pakistan as a part of its coercive diplomacy.

Times of India in its August 3 story ‘India sets bar higher for talks with Pak’ reveals the real intent. Indian support for BLA and its gruesome meddling in Baluchistan needs to be exposed.
Email:sm_hali@yahoo.com

ISI: The national asset

ISI: The national asset
Dr. A. Z. Hilali

The end of the Cold War and the incident of 9/11 has left dangerous, complex and multi-dimensional security environment for Pakistan. In the changing critical circumstances, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) restructures country's security strategy and inevitably adopts competitive and cooperative strategy to protect national security and strategic assets of the country.

The agency is involved in a state of what might be called permanent medium alert to detect and prevent possible terrorist and conventional attacks on the soil of the country. It is also an undeniable fact that after the destruction of twin towers (New York), the United States was hostile and Indian attitude was also unpleasant in the heat of the moment. New Delhi spares no chance to exploit domestic incidents to gain global sympathies in a calculated manner to drive Pakistan to the brink of international isolation. In the situation, it becomes evident that India and its strategic allies (US and Afghanistan) are potential threats to the security of Pakistan which have successfully been tracked by the ISI because the danger is not remote or abstract and it is agency's visceral as well as a theoretical understanding about strategic ends and tactical means of enemy actions.

In modern warfare covert and overt war is still considered a war and covert warriors can make logical military choices. India traditionally has a habit of expanding its influence with whatever means are most convenient. It also appears that war is functionally a tool to blackmail others and in this context covert action and warfare march to the same tune. On the other hand, media also emerges as a powerful instrument to achieve strategic and foreign policy objectives and in this field perhaps the matter is to not so much to blame the ISI as compared to diplomats and politicians who failed to defend the country's interests. So, the ISI is strong instrument in the presence of vulnerable political system, corrupt politicians and diplomatic ignorance. Let us be direct if the country's policy makers entail expanding the realm of country's influence and it has to be done covertly but not then ultimately no option left for ISI to readily opts strategy and defend the national interests. In the contemporary time, Pakistan is facing an international challenge to its strategic assets and cyber information. The challenge stems from the strategic competition with India and competition with New Delhi is an element of regional balance of power structure and also concerns international relationships. The question is broader than efforts by traditional adversaries to avail themselves of the latest military technology.

Historic and traditional enemies engage in systematic efforts to enhance their military and economic viability at the expense of weak neighbour which security requires reevaluation in true measure of national power for developmental perspectives. In this regard, the elites of Pakistan must send a clear message to both friends and foes that this country does not accept regional and international pressure as far as national legitimate interests are concerned. It is also necessary that the country's elites demonstrate their commitment to combat unfair strategic practice, regardless of who engages in it. It is an undeniable fact that strategic assets are an integral part of virtually every sector of country's security and economy. These are also important to maintain the regional competitiveness and balance.

Moreover, the strategic espionage and its secret theft can threaten national security and territorial integrity of the country. The nation should not be impressed by the Indian and Western negative propaganda against the ISI because they wants to destabilize Pakistan for their nefarious designs and this is the only agency which is unequivocally committed to defend the case of country and conducting its activities in accordance with the law of the land and with due regard for the rights of nation. Some sections of people sarcastically proposed that the ISI matter should be open to public exposing the national secrets which can only help enemies rather than the people. So, the policy of ISI must be confidential, whether or not confidentiality has explicitly been pledged and for this purpose there can be absolute safeguard to the breaches of confidentiality. This is the reason for which no intelligence agencies normally do not, and should not, publicly reveal sensitive details about their operations. For this reason, signals intelligence or state secret activities may not be known or understood by the public at large. Their limits are well known to every person and the ISI cannot be a matter of public debate as much as some of them would wish. In general, it is the overall responsibility and duty of country's executive authorities, security establishment, policy makers and the Director of Intelligence for establishing requirements and priorities for the collection of intelligence vital to national security. In this regard, one thing must be understood by intelligence elites that they must have the confidence of the people to ensure that they have an aggressive intelligence capability and better than the enemies. So, it is the business of the agency to gather information vital to the national security and foreign policy of the country and other departments and agencies in the country have the responsibility to assist the agency. There have recently been allegations that the ISI has improperly handled the people which is totally untrue and fabricated stories.

However, there is a rigorous regime of checks and balances which the ISI scrupulously adhere to whenever the conversations of people are involved against the country's integrity directly or indirectly. Moreover, the ISI never disturb any persons unless they are agents of enemy or a foreign power, as that term is defined in law. This is very serious allegation and it is standard practice of RAW, CIA and KHAD and some other countries to use their intelligence services to conduct strategic espionage, but that is not the policy or practice of the ISI norms and ethics. The guardian of ISI does not desire to lose the confidence of the people because they know that no war can be won without the support and backing of people. It is undeniable reality that the ISI is one of the pillars of Pakistan intelligence. Along with other intelligence collection activities which is essential to collect information about the capabilities and intentions of enemy, organisations, and persons to support the opponents and other national interests of the country.

The ISI is doing critical duty to monitoring terrorist activities, arms control compliance, narcotics trafficking, and the development of domestic destruction. So, the agency could not monitor local conflicts and people activities until it will affect national interests and strategic capabilities. There should be no doubt to any person that the ISI is very much responsible to protect national citizens and country's security rather than to destabilize public life. But in special circumstances the agency have the right under the law to act against individuals and companies, who engage in activities on behalf of enemies, terrorist groups, and others working against the country and are of great concern to the agency matter. On many occasions, the ISI helped to protect national interests and strategic assets. It is just not only in the business of agency to keep eyes open on the enemy activities but it is also responsibility on behalf of country's vanguard to provide fair and clean information. The nation should rest be assured and confident that the ISI is a purposeful and meaningful agency and doing its legal, ethical and professional responsibility. There can be no doubt about its activities and certainly its business is vital to the country's national security interests. The people must be assured that the ISI as a professional organization constantly dealing information that must remain confidential and it will continue to collect information on various subjects that are of vital interest to the nation. Intelligence functions are of necessity conducted in secret and the people must be confident that the ISI will not abuse power. The current situation serves as an inevitable matter and must be ensured that the imperatives of national security are balanced with national values. Finally, the ISI is staffed with hard-working people of talent and dedication and can still do competent assignment. It is interesting to note that people will never know the full story of ISI courage and for the sake of national interest people should stop criticising the agency because they do not know what it really does. This, of course, is the heart of national security and it should be above criticism. The details of specific operations are quite clear to every person and have a remarkably accurate and consistent picture which can be verified from countless different directions.

There should be no doubt that the ISI is a defender of country's political system and national values and Pakistan's interests will never come at the expense of peoples rights.

Email: azahilali@yahoo.co.uk & hilali007@yahoo.com

West's Silence over Indian Proliferation

West’s Silence over Indian Proliferation
Sajjad Shaukat

Setting aside the Indian irresponsible record of non-proliferation, defence agreement signed between the US and India on July 20, this year as part of the deal about civil nuclear technology, agreed upon by the two countries in 2008 has raised new alarms on global and regional level.

Now, New Delhi is officially allowed to obtain the US sophisticated arms and nuclear weapons for its armed forces. In February this year, America had pressurised the International Atomic Agency (IAEA) to sign an accord of specific safeguards with India. It permits New Delhi a broad atomic cooperation, while superseding the IAEA regarding transfer of nuclear equipments and technologies. These arrangements also entail enrichment and reprocessing items under the so-called cover of IAEA. In this regard, Washington also contacted the Nuclear Suppliers Group in order to grant a waiver to India for starting civil nuclear trade on larger scale, while the latter has already been getting nuclear material and arms of all kinds from Israel, Russia, and other European countries.

On the other side, US and European high officials including their media make much hue and cry in relation to the safety of Pakistan’s nukes. In this respect, in the recent past, by manipulating Taliban’s advances in Buner, they misperceived that Pakistan could be overtaken by these extremists who could also possess atomic weapons. On April 22, US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton clearly remarked that atomic weapons of Pakistan could fall into the hands of terrorists. Recently, although the President Barrack Obama admitted that nuclear assets of Pakistan are safe, yet he clarified that America had all options open. On the other hand, Pakistan’s successful military operations which flushed the Taliban out of Buner, Dir and Swat exposed the real designs of the US and Europe which only distort the image of Islamabad in connection with nuclear proliferation. In this context, while rejecting west’s misperceptions, Pakistan’s military and civil leadership has repeatedly been assuring that nuclear assets of the country are under tight security.

Notably, on September 25, 2008, Obama had pledged that if elected, he would encourage India and Pakistan to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and resolve the Kashmir problem to reduce nuclear dangers in South Asia. But he has deviated from his earlier commitments and by following the unilateral approach of the ex-president Bush, he sent Hillary Clinton to sign the defence pact with New Delhi. Surprisingly other major European countries like France, Germany and UK are also silence on US-India nuclear deal. In fact, they are also encouraging New Delhi in this regard.

Nonetheless, double standards of the western counties indicate that they totally ignore India on the question of nuclear proliferation as their sole aim is to de-nuclearise Pakistan which is the only atomic power in the Islamic World.

As regards the question of nuclear proliferation, India’s past and present record is replete with innumerable events.

In July 1998, India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) seized eight Kg. of nuclear material from Arun, an engineer in Chennai including two other engineers. It was reported that the uranium was stolen from an atomic research center. The case still remains pending. On November 7, 2000, IAEA revealed that Indian police had seized 57 pounds of uranium and arrested two men for illicit trafficking of radioactive material. IAEA had said that Indian civil nuclear facilities were vulnerable to thefts.

On January 26, 2003, CNN pointed out that Indian company, NEC Engineers Private Ltd. shipped 10 consignments to Iraq, containing highly sensitive equipments entailing titanium vessels and centrifugal pumps. Indian investigators acknowledged that the company falsified customs documents to get its shipments out of India.

In 2004, when the issue of international nuclear black market came to surface, Pakistani nuclear scientist, Dr. A.Q. Khan was only blamed by America and Europe for proliferation activities by neglecting the western nationals and especially those of India. While in February, same year, India’s Ambassador to Libya, Dinkar Srivastava revealed that New Delhi was investigating that retired Indian scientists could possibly be engaged in “high technology programs” for financial gains during employment in the Libyan government.

On June 12, 2004, Berkeley Nucleonics Corporation (BNC), an American company was fined US $ 300,000 for exporting a nuclear component to the Bhaba Atomic Research Center in India.

In December 2005, United States imposed sanctions on two Indian firms for selling missile goods and chemical arms material to Iran in violation of India’s commitment to prevent proliferation. In the same year, Indian scientists, Dr. Surendar and Y. S. R Prasad had been blacklisted by Washington due to their involvement in nuclear theft. In December 2006, a container packed with radioactive material had been stolen from an Indian fortified research atomic facility near Mumbai.

Some weeks ago, death of India’s nuclear scientist, Lokanathan Mahalingam raised new apprehension about Indian proliferation. He was missed from the scenario and after a couple of days; his dead body was recovered from the Kali River. Indian police concocted a story that Mahalingam had committed suicide by jumping into the river. It is a big joke to hide some real facts behind his death because wisdom proves that if an educated person decides to commit suicide, he will definitely adopt a soft way to eliminate his life. Notably, Dr. Haleema Saadia disclosed that death of the scientist is a conspiracy?as soon as his dead body was found, within no time; the police had announced that Mahalingam had committed suicide.

Nevertheless, in connivance with the officials, proliferation of nuclear components and their related-material has continued intermittently by the Indians.

Besides, in the recent past, solid evidence has surprised the world regarding the existence of Hindu terrorism which also shows future dangers of Indian proliferation. In this respect, Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Maharashtra arrested a serving Lt. Col. Srikant Purohit along with some officials who confessed that they were involved in training of the Hindu terrorists, supplying them the military-grade explosive RDX, used in bombings of various Indian cities including Malegaon. The investigation further indicated the confession of Lt. Col. Purohit for the bombing of Samjhota express, while proving close links of the Indian army officials with prominent politicians of BJP, VHP, RSS and Bajrang Dal, who have been pressurizing New Delhi to release the arrested persons. Nevertheless, the enquiry still remains pending. Meanwhile, assassination of Indian Anti-Terrorism Squad Chief Hemant Karkare in Mumbai during terror attacks also endorsed these links. All these developments show that Hindu fundamentalists, trained by Indian military experts or secret agency RAW could obtain Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs). Thus they could jeopardise the global peace by using these fatal weapons inside America and Europe so that these developed nations could point finger to Islamabad because of their ‘stereotypes’ against the Muslims in wake of war on terror.

However, it is surprising that despite nuclear proliferation by India in violation of various international agreements and its refusal to sign Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), CTBT and Additional Protocol with the IAEA, the United States also included New Delhi in its joined non-proliferation goals like Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) by praising India as a responsible atomic actor.

In the past, Islamabad offered a number of suggestions to New Delhi to jointly sign NPT and CTBT, but the latter flatly declined. Instead, in 1998, India detonated atomic devices and compelled Pakistan to follow the suit. On July 27 this year, by launching its first nuclear-powered submarine, India has initiated deadly nuclear arms in South Asia.

It seems that all the global non-proliferation conventions led by Washington and its western partners are applicable to Iran, North Korea and especially Pakistan, while India which has played a real role in the international black market from where even terrorists can obtain these fatal weapons, is exempted because the sole superpower has to fulfill its Asian interests through New Delhi at the cost of Islamabad and other regional countries. If American duplicity in the matter continues, Obama’s policy of South Asia will badly fail as all the issues such as terrorism, Kashmir, Afghanistan and non-proliferation are inter-related.

We can conclude that western countries ignore India which is the real nuclear proliferator. So the right hour has come that the international community must take notice of the dangers posed by Indian proliferation to save the world from any prospective nuclear catastrophe.

Sajjad Shaukat writers on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations.

Email: sajjad_logic@yahoo.com

Freedom, democracy and tolerance

Freedom, democracy and tolerance
S M Hali

Pakistan and India gained their independence in 1947 from British rule on August 14 and 15 respectively. Pakistan was unfortunate to have been deprived of its founding fathers at an early stage, resulting in democracy getting derailed by spates of military take-overs. A democratic system of government did get restored last year but is struggling to survive because of non-democratic norms having been ingrained in the structure which can be purged only with a Herculean effort.

India on the other hand, was fortunate to have its naissance leadership ruling the country for extended periods, providing it a modicum of continuity. Never having been ruled by the army, India has been generally hailed as a paragon of democracy. The truth however can be found in an observation by John Kenneth Galbraith the distinguished economist and former US ambassador to India, who described the country as "functioning anarchy." Another relevant quote is from former BBC South Asia correspondent and Indophile, Mark Tully and his colleague Gillian Wright's book, India in Slow Motion: "Unfortunately, when India got independence it started with British style of colonial administration where bureaucrats and other public officials treat people as if they are governing them rather then serving them." The erudite scholars add: "Another aspect of this non-governance is the ongoing culture of the mai-baap sarkar where only self-servers and lackeys survive."

However, the real blow to Indian democracy comes from its obsession with Hindutva, which is a nationalist ideology, based on a modern day version of centralised intolerant Hinduism. It has nothing to do with the historical tradition of spiritual practices in Hinduism. This centralised and chauvinistic Hinduism - Hindutva - has been brought to the forefront today by a group of political organisations called the Sangh Parivar (Sangh Family) - consisting of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (National Volunteers Association - the mother organisation after which the label Sangh Parivar is coined), the Bharatiya Janata Party (Indian People Party - Hindutva's constitutional front that fights elections etc), the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP - World Hindu Council - the formation's activist front), the Shiv Sena (the fascist front), the VHP of America (Hindutva's overseas arm) and the Hindu Students Councils (VHP of America's student wing).

India is a multi-religious, multi-lingual and multi-cultural nation. Yet it has no state religion. According to the Constitution of India it is a Secular State and every religion has equal status. The constitution guarantees freedom of religion to all persons and prospects the cultural rights of all its citizens and specially the minorities. The Preamble to the Constitution of India (as given in Mathew's book Freedom of Religion and a 'Debate' on religious Conversion pv) reads: "We the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic and to secure to all its citizens: JUSTICE, social, economic and political; LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship; EQUALITY of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the nation; in our constituent assembly this twenty-sixth day of November 1949, do hereby adopt, enact and give to ourselves this constitution."

The readers can themselves decide the extent to which Sangh Parivar is violating the constitution and is trying to deprive its citizens of its fundamental rights by destroying the basic features of the constitution and secular ideology and its pluralistic vision.

The true concept of freedom and democracy is that our freedom does not impinge upon the rights of others while we continue to respect other people's freedom. India has not lived up to this promise either. Directly after getting its own independence, it unlawfully occupied Kashmir, Hyderabad, Junagadh, Goa and Sikkim, while in 1971 it invaded East Pakistan under the pretext of helping the Bengalis create their own homeland Bangladesh.

India has downtrodden its own minorities, reducing them to rubble. According to Wikipedia, India is itself beset with 21 serious separatist movements. The atrocities against minorities and subjugation of its lower caste and non-Hindus would shame the worst perpetrators of crimes against humanity. Yet India continues to masquerade as a champion of democracy. Besides harassing its own people, India has made its policy to practice state terrorism against all its neighbours. It has tried to foment trouble in China, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and even Bangladesh, whose independence it had itself engineered. In Pakistan, it has reportedly been found responsible for training, equipping, arming and launching bands of terrorists in Balochistan, FATA and Swat. Despite the fact that India does not share a common border with western Pakistan, yet it is clandestinely using its Consulates and Trade Missions in Afghanistan, strategically located all along the Durand Line, which are purportedly teeming with RAW operatives to destabilise Pakistan. If this is the kind of secularism and democracy it is practising, it needs to be hauled up in the international courts of justice.

Pakistan too needs to exercise restraint. Many Pakistanis have become intolerant towards their fellow countrymen. Either they are critical of their faith or try to force their own brand of radicalism; be it enlightened moderation at one extreme or fanatic orthodoxy at the other. We have become so intolerant that we are ready to torch property and kill and maim others at the drop of a hat. Pakistan was not created to usurp the rights of others but to live and let live in an atmosphere of peace and harmony. The freedom, which Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and his compatriots worked tirelessly to bestow upon us, needs to be guarded with zeal, vigour and hard work. It should not be sacrificed at the altar of bigotry, hate and intolerance. If we lose it now, would another Quaid-i-Azam come to our rescue to restore our independence? I doubt it.

Email:sm_hali@yahoo.com