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The
making of a
suicide bomber?
Columnist
Gp Capt (Retd) SM HALI provides insight into the
indoctrination of suicide bombers.
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On Sunday May 18, 2008, I had the
opportunity to accompany a team of national/international
media persons, who were flown into the remote former
Baitullah Mehsud territory of Spinkai Raghzai (South
Waziristan) by ISPR. We witnessed a human tragedy
of epic proportions. The village was devoid of any
human life apart from army soldiers patrolling to
keep the miscreants at bay. The houses in Spinkai
Raghzai village indicated that their occupants had
left in extreme urgency, not even bothering to take
their valuables with them. Earlier at Dera Ismail
Khan, the GOC 14 Div. Major General Tariq had briefed
us that not a single civilian casualty had occurred
because leaflets were dropped asking the civilians
to vacate or face the wrath of the Army. Those who
stayed behind were killed or forced to retreat. 200,000
internally displaced persons (IDP) were provided refuge
in different camps.
The media team, led by its host the DG ISPR, Major
General Athar Abbas had the opportunity to interact
with a group of IDPs. They narrated their sad plight,
the torture they received at the hands of Baitullah
Mehsud and his band who tried to impose Talibanisation
on the hapless residents by terrorizing them with
threats of dire consequences.......more
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 “Maritime
Strategy and
Nation Building Technology”
Columnist
M. NAIM SHAIKH makes a case for adoption of dual purpose
marine technologies to help naval build up and also
contribute to nation-building.
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The Pakistan Navy (PN) is at the crossroads of history
both in terms of the armed forces of Pakistan and
the Indian Navy (IN). It has the smallest budgetary
allocation as well as personnel in Pakistan’s
three military services. It can not match IN either
man to man or boat for boat. Neither can PN squeeze
a larger budgetary allocation as compared to the Pakistan
Army (PA) or the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). Yet, its
mandate of defending the sea frontiers is larger than
either the country’s air corridor or its borders
with four neighbouring countries. In fact, the sea
is the limit! Add to all this is the adage that, as
Admiral Mahan would have said, all great nations are
indebted to their command of seas for their great
power status.1Pakistan is more concerned with the
security of its sea dependent commerce, a whopping
97% of its total trade, than dreaming any great power
status. However, PN is mindful of India’s quest
to make the Indian Ocean its own lake as a successor
to the British Empire. Any discussion on PN must discuss
the challenge posed by IN. India, on the other hand
is also mindful of its own maritime history and how
it was dominated for almost two hundred years by a
tiny seafaring nation – Britain........more
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NPT Preparatory Conference -2008
Columnist FAZAL HABIB CURMALLY explains why the US
finds itself in a mess in Iraq and Afghanistan, among
other things.
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“Congress
has lost its ability to defend its own role in governance,
and over time has demeaned its constitutional mandate
by transferring powers inherent to the legislative
branch to an executive branch which has assumed
the role of caretaker of the military. By vesting
absolute power in the hands of the executive, Congress
has all but assured that America has become a nation
no longer governed by the rule of law, but rather
the rule of man.” Scott Ritter The Pentagon
vs. the U.S.: “How Americans Have Become Targets
of Their Own Military.” Scott Ritter-in Truthdig.
Posted on May 7, 2008 and published in Alternet
of May 8, 2008.........more
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Pak
Nukes and
Propaganda Explosions
Columnist
Dr S M RAHMAN examines how dictatorial rule has
continued to damage democracy in Pakistan.
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The
western strategic scholars and think-tanks, while
they take pride in being rational and objective in
their analyses, when it comes to Pakistan, they are
outrageously discriminative and tend to grossly defy
norms of even-headedness and are persistently committed
to systematic propaganda against Pakistan’s
‘minimal nuclear deterrence.’ It had to
acquire this capability as it was faced with a very
precarious existential dilemma. Not to acquire it
would have amounted to accepting India’s over
lordship in the region and live like a vassal state.
India’s initial nuclear explosion was made by
first hood-winking the entire world that it was for
the so called “peaceful purposes” and
the typical ‘kautalian’ mind-set induced
to name it ‘Smiling Buddha’. It is wrong
to assume that USA with its enormous intelligence
net-works had no inkling of India’s great global
ambitions. When subsequently it exploded the weapons,
it was even more ridiculous on the part of USA to
acknowledge its intelligence failure to gather the
information in time. Shutting eyes against India’s
massive nuclear programs was part of a design to make
it at par with China so that it could be contained........more
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Portrayal
of President Musharraf in the Washington Post
Exploring news Framing
Columnist
Dr SYED ABDUL SIRAJ presents a study showing how US
foreign policy influences media content relating to
the international sphere.
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Abstract
This study quantitatively analyzed portrayal
of President Pervez Musharraf in the “Washington
Post” in the year preceding and following
the 9/11 terrorists attack on the US World Trade
Center and Pentagon. The incidents and the aftermath
events dominated the news media in all parts
of the globe in general and the US media in
particular. Public opinion in America since
9/11 has shown that the counter attracts and
the war against terrorism are the most important
issues facing the US government. The study (N
=86 stories selected by using systematic sampling)
found that amount of coverage given to Musharraf
differed between the pre- and post-9/11 periods.
The mean length of stories after 9/11 was greater
than before. The newspaper described Musharraf
as friend and favorable after the 9/11 than
before. The treatment of the newspaper most
likely seems within the context of the changed
relationship between the United States and Pakistan
after this attack, wherein Pakistan became an
ally of the United States in its War against
Terror.......more
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The
Theory of Evolution -
Bible and Qur'an
Columnist
Brig (Retd) AFTAB AHMAD KHAN sheds light on the
theory of evolution.
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The science has
formulated a ‘Theory of Evolution’ to
explain the creation of human beings. The word ‘Theory’
means something taken as true without proof for the
sake of argument or investigation, its opposite is
‘fact’; a thing known for certain to have
occurred or to be true; a datum of experience. Evolution
is a gradual process in which something changes into
a different and usually more complex or better form.
The idea of human evolution was first presented by
the Muslim thinkers Al Jahiz (776-868 C.E) and Ibn
Miskawayh (930-1030 C.E) also mentioned by the great
Sufi mystic and poet Maulana Jalal-ad-Din ar-Rumi
(1207-1273 C.E): “Low in the earth, I lived
in realms of sore and stone; And then I smiled in
many tinted flowers; Then roving with the wild and
wandering hours, O’er earth and air and ocean’s
zone, In a new birth, I dived and flew, And crept
and ran, And all the secret of my essence drew Within
a form that brought them all to view- And lo, a Man!
And then may goal, Beyond the clouds, beyond the sky,
In realms where non may change or die- In general
form; and then away Beyond the bounds of night and
day, And Life and Death, unseen or seen, Where all
that is hath ever been, As One and Whole.” [Translation,
quoted from “Reconstruction of Religious Thought
in Islam” by Muhammad Iqbal, the great poet
philosopher of 20th century].......more
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Weapons
of Mass Destruction, Nuclear
Disarmament and Non-Proliferation
Views from Pakistan
Columnist
TAUQEER H. TAKI SIRGANA stresses upon Pakistan's commitment
to prevent proliferation activities through implementation
of a stringent export controls regime.
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Introduction
Following the events of May 1998, any discussion
on the topic of proliferation and weapons of mass
destruction leads us inevitably to the situation
in South Asia. As a responsible member of the international
community, Pakistan shares the concerns about nuclear
proliferation, specifically the threat of acquisition
and use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by
non-state actors and is determined to work with
the international community to prevent any proliferation
activities through the implementation of stringent
export controls regime strengthened by a system
of national export measures.
In the wake of the overt nuclearization of South
Asia in May 1998, there has been a strong realization
in Pakistan (and this pre-dates the AQ Khan revelations
by 3-4 years), that we need to manage our nuclear
capability, as well as our external and internal
policies in such a manner that while the objectives
of our national security are effectively achieved,
international concerns on nuclear proliferation
are also equally addressed. This includes formulation
of a transparent Nuclear Policy, development of
Command and Control Organization, robust safety
and security measurements, establishment of Pakistan’s
Nuclear Regulatory Authority and promulgation of
Export Control Act-2004.........more
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Reforming
Pakistan’s Intelligence Services
Columnist
FAROOQ HASSAN suggests restructuring Pakistan's intelligence
agencies on modern lines.
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Whether a country
is a Democratic state, a Dictatorship or a Hybrid,
the Intelligence service has a vital role to play.
Intelligence is generally regarded as the second
oldest profession in the world, the first being
of a more esoteric nature. I recently asked the
Consul General of a modern Islamic country “which
is the most powerful institution in your country?”
Without hesitation he replied “The intelligence
services”
The Basic function of any intelligence
agency is to:
1. Collect data and storage
2. Tabulate the Data
3. Analyze
4. Extrapolate
5. Draw conclusions
In a political and democratic
environment the agency only presents the findings
for the political masters to draw conclusions and
make decisions. In other countries, especially with
an overbearing military, as in Pakistan, the intelligence
agencies act on their own findings.........more
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The
Two Most Notorious Sects of
Islamic History
Columnist M A GILLANI dwells upon a dark chapter of
Islamic History
and wonders why cannot we learn from our history.
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Introduction
There are many hateful personalities in Islamic
history who founded notorious sects by making changes
even in the holy verses, Sunnah and Kalma. The interpretation
of some holy verses was also twisted by them to
misguide simple people for achieving their evil
designs and providing cover for their nefarious
activities. With their outward suavity, devotion
to religion, prayers and by delivering sermons they
were able to entice the poor people and peasants.
Deserters and absconders, dacoits and miscreants
also joined them because they found refuge and protection.
The two most notorious sects are CARAMATHIAN (the
KARAMITA-278 AH-891 AC) and the ASSASSINS (HASHI
SHINS or SABAHI or HASSANI or BATINIA 455 AH-1063
AC) which created hideous dents in unity, discipline,
faith and brotherhood of Muslims. The CARAMATHIANS
had filled with rapine, carnage for over 40 years
the whole of ARABIA, SYRIA and IRAQ, and brought
disaster on the Muslim world. The ASSASSINS created
terror for almost 150 years in the Muslim world.
They assassinated a great number of Muslim scholars,
religious leaders, many ministers, amirs, commanders
of opposing forces, a most eminent prime minister
and even some sovereigns because they had opposed
the doctrines of the sect. Sultan SLAH-UD-DIN was
attacked twice but he escaped the daggers of the
assassins. Sultan MOHAMMAD GHORI had become a victim
of the ASSASSINS near SOHAWA (Distt: JHELUM) PAKISTAN.
Those were sad and sinful days but we can only repent........more
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