Nigeria: Senator marries 13-year old, rights activists appalled
Did
Madhuri Gupta, diplomat-spy, convert to Islam?
Pakistan moves 100,000 troops from border with India:
Pentagon
Bin Laden ex-guard says he wants to use nuclear arms:
Report
Terrorist atrocity is the biggest human rights
violation
'Won't sell house to Muslims, Asians'
Sohrabuddin case: CBI arrests police
official
Indonesia detains 28 in Bali beach 'gigolo'
raid
US questions Karzai support, anti-corruption zeal
Benazir’s assassination case to be filed against ‘Musharraf
govt’
Her son served Kasab a glass of water, then
died
Pakistan Taliban chief Hakimulah may be alive:
ISI
Manmohan, Gilani discuss prosecution of Hafiz
Saeed
Muslim Addresses Misconceptions
Jamaat claims Shibir is not its front organisation
Al-Qaida considered a 'joke' to jihadists
Should America Ban the Burqa Too?
Pak SC dares govt again, demotes 54
bureaucrats
US probes 'pvt spy network' in Pak
Clerics fight over Diggy's Batla talk
Furore over Kerala varsity's invitation to Islamic
scholar
Sort out disputes, India, Pakistan told
Egypt court convicts 26 Hezbollah men for plotting terror
attacks
Four Palestinians dead after Egypt says tunnels
destroyed
Pak-born US citizen pleads guilty to terror
charges
‘Iraqi detainees tortured, raped in secret
prison’
Pak non-committal on action against Hafiz
Saeed
Pakistan has banned our Urdu news service on FM:
BBC
Under the Arabian Sun
Father preventing Canadian daughter from leaving Saudi
Arabia
Unpaid Somali soldiers desert to insurgency
Negligence drives young people to drugs, says
study
HRW reveals horrific Iraq prison abuse
Capt. Grant, pilot for King Abdulaziz, passes away at
102
Hamas arrests, frees PFLP supporters for distributing
leaflets
5 Emiratis jailed for funding Taleban
Muslim party seeks support for job quota
Afghans mark anniversary of victory over
Soviets
Obama's Mideast diplomacy sees gains
New contours in the British election
Mohammed to make UAE among the best by 2021
Iran may dominate non-proliferation review
Clinton meets families of Americans held in
Iran
19 Taliban killed in North Waziristan, Orakzai,
Swat
Outpouring of a sensitive
mind
Changing the Muslim conversation
Who is behind the Hazara unrest?
Kashmir: ripe for resolution
Compiled by Asit kumar
Photo: Madhuri Gupta
Did Madhuri Gupta, diplomat-spy, convert to
Islam?
Pakistan moves 100,000 troops from border with India:
Pentagon
Bin Laden ex-guard says he wants to use nuclear arms:
Report
Terrorist atrocity is the biggest human rights
violation
'Won't sell house to Muslims, Asians'
Sohrabuddin case: CBI arrests police
official
Indonesia detains 28 in Bali beach 'gigolo'
raid
US questions Karzai support, anti-corruption zeal
Benazir’s assassination case to be filed against ‘Musharraf
govt’
Her son served Kasab a glass of water, then
died
Pakistan Taliban chief Hakimulah may be alive:
ISI
Manmohan, Gilani discuss prosecution of Hafiz
Saeed
Muslim Addresses Misconceptions
Jamaat claims Shibir is not its front organisation
Al-Qaida considered a 'joke' to jihadists
Should America Ban the Burqa Too?
Pak SC dares govt again, demotes 54
bureaucrats
US probes 'pvt spy network' in Pak
Clerics fight over Diggy's Batla talk
Furore over Kerala varsity's invitation to Islamic
scholar
Sort out disputes, India, Pakistan told
Egypt court convicts 26 Hezbollah men for plotting terror
attacks
Four Palestinians dead after Egypt says tunnels
destroyed
Pak-born US citizen pleads guilty to terror
charges
‘Iraqi detainees tortured, raped in secret
prison’
Pak non-committal on action against Hafiz
Saeed
Pakistan has banned our Urdu news service on FM:
BBC
Under the Arabian Sun
Father preventing Canadian daughter from leaving Saudi
Arabia
Unpaid Somali soldiers desert to insurgency
Negligence drives young people to drugs, says
study
HRW reveals horrific Iraq prison abuse
Capt. Grant, pilot for King Abdulaziz, passes away at
102
Hamas arrests, frees PFLP supporters for distributing
leaflets
5 Emiratis jailed for funding Taleban
Muslim party seeks support for job quota
Afghans mark anniversary of victory over
Soviets
Obama's Mideast diplomacy sees gains
New contours in the British election
Mohammed to make UAE among the best by 2021
Iran may dominate non-proliferation review
Clinton meets families of Americans held in
Iran
19 Taliban killed in North Waziristan, Orakzai,
Swat
Outpouring of a sensitive
mind
Changing the Muslim conversation
Who is behind the Hazara unrest?
Kashmir: ripe for resolution
Compiled by Asit kumar
-------
Nigeria: Senator marries 13-year old, rights activists
appalled
BY KONYE OBAJI ORI
29 APRIL 2010
A Nigerian senator, who introduced and implemented Sharia Law in a
Northern Nigeria state, has married a 13 year old girl from Egypt, and women
rights group have sprung in protest against the allegedly disingenuous senator.
An investigation into his marriage to a minor has been demanded by the Nigerian
senate.
Reports claim that Ahmad Sani Yerima, 49, married a 13 year old
Egyptian girl at the national mosque in Abuja. Nigeria’s human rights commission
has already begun an investigation, following reports of the marriage in
newspapers.
"What we are concerned with is that our minors, the girl child,
should be allowed to mature, before going into marriage. This very evil act
should not be seen to be perpetrated by one of our distinguished legislators ...
that is what we are saying," President of the Women’s Medical Association, Mma
Wokocha was quoted by reporters.
Ms. Wokocha who is behind the petition demanding that the Senator be
taken to court, to face a fine and a jail sentence.
According to reports, the whereabouts of the teenager are unknown -
and it is not clear whether she has any parent or guardian with
her.
Senator sani Yerima has also been accused of having previously
married a 15-year-old girl in 2006. He is reported to have paid a dowry of
$100,000 to the parents of his latest teenage bride - and to have the minor
flown into Nigeria from Egypt.
However, an investigation into these claims is to be carried out by a
Senate committee. In 1999, Senator Sani Yerima oversaw the introduction of
Sharia law - for the first time in northern Nigeria, while he was the governor
of Zamfara state.
In 2008, the Egyptian ministry of justice invoked a law which says
the age gap between spouses should not exceed 25 years. According to BBC analyst
Frances Harrison, the justice ministry allows foreign men to marry Egyptian
women more than 25 years their junior if they deposit a very large sum of money
in the name of their wife at the Egyptian National Bank.
Last year, the Saudi government pledged to regulate the marriage of
young girls, in the middle of controversy over a marriage between a 60-year-old
man and an 8-year old girl.
Saudi Arabia implements an austere form of Sunni Islam that bans free
association between the sexes and gives fathers the right to wed their children
to whomever they deem fit. According to the country’s highest religious
authority, the Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Shaikh, it is not against
Islamic law to marry off girls who are 15 and younger.
http://en.afrik.com/article17521.html
-------
Did Madhuri Gupta, diplomat-spy, convert to
Islam?
April 29, 2010
Madhuri Gupta, the 53-year-old second secretary arrested on charges
of spying for Pakistan, may have embraced Islam about six years ago, a media
report has claimed.
Gupta, who was posted at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, was
perhaps a Shia Muslim, according to a media report.
"She was really inspired by the teachings of Islam, but was scared to
announce her new faith," reads a report in the Post.
"Her kin has very close relations with a well-known Muslim family of
Ashiq Hussain Jafri in Lucknow. Ms Gupta spent her early life in Lucknow with
Jafri's family where she enthused (sic) Islamic values," the Post quoted a
source as saying.
Gupta was spotted in the month of Ramzan by a local journalist
wearing a bangle and rings which usually members of the Shia sect
wear.
"I am fasting and I have
great respect for Islam," she told the journalist.
http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/did-madhuri-gupta-diplomat-spy-convert-to-islam-21873.php
-------
Pakistan moves 100,000 troops from border with India:
Pentagon
Apr 29, 2010
WASHINGTON: Pakistan has moved 100,000 troops from its borders with
India, thinning the lines, to bolster its campaign against Taliban and other
militants on its restive border with Afghanistan, the Pentagon said on Thursday.
The mass shifting of troops is an acknowledgement of the fact that
terrorism and internal insurgency were posing more threat to Pakistan now, the
Pentagon said in a report to the US Congress.
"More than 100,000 PAKMIL troops were moved from the eastern border
with India. This unprecedented deployment and thinning of the lines against
India indicates that Islamabad has acknowledged its domestic insurgent threat,"
the department said in its latest report on Afghanistan.
The Pentagon did not specify the regions' from where the troops had
been pulled out, but said it estimated that more than 140,000 Pakistani forces
were now taking part in the ongoing offensive against the Taliban in Pakistan's
semi-autonomous tribal region, known as FATA.
The Pentagon report was issued hours before the crucial meeting
between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza
Gilani in the Bhutanese capital Thimphu on the sidelines of the SAARC Summit.
The US Defence Department while acknowledging that Pakistani military
operations in tribal areas of NWFP had placed "a high degree of pressure on
militants and reduced their safe havens", but was unlikely to have an immediate
impact on the US-led war in Afghanistan.
The Pentagon report said that there was a broad syndicate of
extremist groups operating in the AfPak region with multiple short and long term
goals.
It identified the groups as al-Qaida, Tehreek-e-Taliban and Lashkar-e
Taiba (LeT) which it said threatened security of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India
and elsewhere.
"The three major groups include the Quetta Shura Taliban,
Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin (HIG), and the Haqqani Network (HQN). These groups
cooperate and coordinate at times and their areas of operations tend to be
geographically and demographically determined," it said.
"They operate mainly in the Pashtun-majority areas of Afghanistan in
the south and east, and in Pashtun pockets in the north. The common goals of
these groups are to expel foreign forces from Afghanistan (although there is no
mention of foreign fighters allied with them or al-Qaida) and to undermine the
central government," the report added.
Pentagon said Pakistan military crackdown so far has focussed only on
internal threats, but outlined that these could be more productive depending on
how they evolve in future.
It acknowledged that Pak military had suffered attacks from
terrorists in response to its successful operations.
"These attacks include mass casualty events in Mingora, SWA (South
Waziristan Agency) -- close to clearing operations -- as well as in Lahore, far
away from the fighting.
"While these attacks do not appear to have shaken Pakistan's
commitment, they do demonstrate, for the time being, insurgent ability to
continue attacks despite reported successful PAKMIL operations," said the report
which runs into nearly 150 pages.
According to the report, Pak Military is beginning to acknowledge the
ties and threats posed by Afghan and Pakistani Taliban.
"The Pakistani operations have focused almost exclusively on internal
threats. These operations reduce the space available to all insurgent and
extremists groups," it said.
"While this evolving approach is unlikely to have significant impact
on the Afghan insurgency in the short term, it offers opportunities in coming
months to have a greater impact on the conflict in Afghanistan, depending on how
PAKMIL operations evolve," the report said.
Despite discussions regarding the possibility of transfer of Afghan
Taliban captured in Pakistan to Afghanistan, most notably Mullah Abdul Ghani
Baradar, no transfers have taken place, it said.
The PAKMIL has also offered to provide military training to Afghan
army and security personnel. The Afghan Ministry of Defence (MoD) is reviewing
the offer, but is evaluating it cautiously based on Afghan Government political
concerns, the report said.
"In conjunction with ISAF's Operation MOSHTARAK, the Pakistan
military has maintained an increased presence along Afghanistan's southern
border.
"Pakistan reports these operations have succeeded in extending the
writ of the Pakistan Government within the area including the former insurgent
stronghold of Damadola, native home of Maulana Faqir Muhummad," it
said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Pakistan-moves-100000-troops-from-border-with-India-Pentagon/articleshow/5871891.cms
-------
Bin Laden ex-guard says he wants to use nuclear arms:
Report
Apr 29, 2010
Dubai : Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden has sought and wanted to use
nuclear arms, former bodyguard Nasser al-Bahri said in an
interview.
"Sheikh Osama used to dream of possessing nuclear weapons, and I am
sure that if he were to get his hands on a nuclear weapon, he would not have
hesitated to use it," the Yemeni guard told the London-based Al-Quds
Al-Arabi.
The United States warned earlier this month that Al-Qaeda's interest
in nuclear weapons was still strong and said the risk of nuclear terrorism was
serious.
"Al-Qaeda has been engaged in the effort to acquire a nuclear weapon
for over 15 years, and its interest remains strong today," said John Brennan,
President Barack Obama's top anti-terrorism and Homeland Security
advisor.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/bin-laden-exguard-says-he-wants-to-use-nuclear-arms-report/612880/
-------
Terrorist atrocity is the biggest human rights
violation
April 29th, 2010
New Delhi, Apr. 29 (ANI): There is a tacit albeit distinct pattern in
the politics of Jammu and Kashmir, a method to the madness, which can be
discerned only through deep analysis and research.
The Army Chief, General V K Singh, on assuming his appointment stated
that he was not in favour of revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act
(AFSPA) since this would adversely impact conduct of operations in the
state.
As if on cue, the unfortunate death of two civilians during counter
terrorist operations elicited visits to their bereaved families by some
political leaders, ostensibly to express sorrow and solidarity, but in actuality
to demand the revocation of the AFSPA.
Full report at:
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/feature/terrorist-atrocity-is-the-biggest-human-rights-violation_100355752.html
-------
'Won't sell house to Muslims, Asians'
Apr 29, 2010
MELBOURNE: A former right-wing leader in Australia has ignited a
controversy by openly declaring that she would not sell her property to Asians
who lived overseas, and to Muslims who she believes are not "compatible with our
culture".
The former leader of Australia's One Nation party, that rode on an
anti-immigration sentiment, Pauline Hanson has put her house on sale, and she
says Asians and Muslims need not bother putting in any offers. Hanson had put up
for sale her million-dollar property in Coleyville, southwest of Brisbane and
announced she was moving to Britain earlier this year.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Wont-sell-house-to-Muslims-Asians/articleshow/5870210.cms
-------
Sohrabuddin case: CBI arrests police official
Manas Dasgupta
Apr 29, 2010
GANDHINAGAR: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday
arrested the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch), Abhay Chudasma, in
connection with the alleged fake encounter killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and
mysterious disappearance of his wife, Kausarbi.
Mr. Chudasma is the fourth IPS officer to be arrested in this
connection, but this is the first arrest effected by the CBI since the case was
transferred to it by the Supreme Court on January 12 this
year.
The CBI, Mumbai, which was investigating the case, lodged an FIR on
February 1.
Mr. Chudasma was taken to the CBI Gandhinagar office for questioning
and was expected to be produced in the special CBI court on Thursday for
remand.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/04/29/stories/2010042961861300.htm
-------
Indonesia detains 28 in Bali beach 'gigolo'
raid
By SUNANDA CREAGH
Apr 29, 2010
JAKARTA: Police on Indonesia's resort island of Bali detained 28
people this week in a crackdown on "beach gigolos,” who scout for foreign female
tourists, officials said on Tuesday.
The raids began on Monday after the release of a trailer for a
documentary on Bali's 'Kuta cowboys', the muscular and tanned Kuta beach surfers
who develop short-term romantic relationships with foreign women in return for
gifts.
'Cowboys in Paradise' follows the trials and tribulations of several
beach boys, their families and their female patrons.
The documentary's Singapore-based director, Amit Virmani, said he
found the arrests deplorable.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article48221.ece
-------
US questions Karzai support, anti-corruption
zeal
29 April 2010
WASHINGTON - The U.S.
military believes only a quarter of Afghans in key areas support President Hamid
Karzai’s government and that political will to tackle corruption “remains
doubtful,” according to a Pentagon assessment released on
Wednesday.
The 152-page Pentagon report to Congress underscores the extent of
concerns about Karzai’s ability to prove himself a viable partner to NATO
efforts to turn the tide in more than eight-year-old
conflict.
It also comes just ahead of Karzai’s May 10-14 visit to Washington,
where he will meet U.S. President Barack Obama and likely attempt to soothe
concerns about the effectiveness of a costly deployment of 30,000 additional
U.S. forces.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/April/international_April1507.xml§ion=international&col=
-------
Benazir’s assassination case to be filed against ‘Musharraf
govt’
By Imtiaz Ali
April 29, 2010
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Secretary General Jahangir Badar has
said that the case of Benazir Bhutto assassination would be filed against the
Pervez Musharraf government.
He said that in criminal cases “state vs accused” is often mentioned
but in the Benazir’s assassination case, the Musharraf government would be
mentioned as accused.
He was responding to questions at the Sindh Chief Minister House on
Wednesday along with Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, while launching the
party’s membership drive in the province.
Badar said that the fact finding committee set up by the prime
minister and the inquiry team set up by Inspector General of Punjab could
interrogate anyone into the assassination case irrespective of his status. He
said that the PPP would not create any hurdles into the
probe.
Full report at:
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=236490
-------
Her son served Kasab a glass of water, then
died
April 29, 2010
Fifty-year-old Jamuna Waghela, who escaped death by a whisker on the
fateful night of 26/11, recalls with horror how her young son was shot dead
after serving a glass of water to gun-wielding Ajmal Kasab and wants the
Pakistani terrorist hanged without delay.
"Why has Kasab been kept alive? He should not be shown any mercy and
hanged without delay," says an angry Jamuna as she waits for justice for her
family on Monday when the anti-terror court is to pronounce its verdict in the
26/11 Mumbai terror attack case.
"What has he (Kasab) gained from killing my son? Why they
(terrorists) do all this? He killed my son for giving a glass of water?" asks a
livid Jamuna fighting back tears.
According to police, Jamuna's son Thakur Wagela (32), a sweeper at
government-run GT Hospital in south Mumbai, was shot dead by Kasab at his hut
located in a lane near Cama Hospital.
Full report at:
http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/her-son-served-kasab-a-glass-of-water-then-died-21202.php
-------
Pakistan Taliban chief Hakimulah may be alive:
ISI
Apr 29, 2010
LONDON/ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud survived a
US drone attack in January this year, but may have lost his clout in the
militant hierarchy, according to a senior ISI official.
A senior intelligence official told the Guardian newspaper that he
had seen the video footage of the attack on Mehsud, but other inputs had since
confirmed that the militant leader had survived.
"He is alive," the official told the paper. "He had suffered some
wounds but is basically OK."
Mehsud was reported to have been killed in a CIA drone strike in
South Waziristan and Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik had claimed he
had been killed, the death was never confirmed by Taliban or US and Pakistani
intelligence.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistan-Taliban-chief-Hakimulah-may-be-alive-ISI-/articleshow/5872592.cms
-------
Manmohan, Gilani discuss prosecution of Hafiz
Saeed
Apr 29, 2010
THIMPHU: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh conveyed his "deep concern"
about Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed, the suspected mastermind of the 26/11
Mumbai terror attack, to his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani on
Thursday. Pakistan, in turn, referred to legal difficulties in prosecuting him.
"PM (Manmohan Singh) mentioned deep concern about Hafiz Saeed and the
way he is allowed to roam free and engage in communication not conducive (to the
relationship between India and Pakistan)," Indian foreign secretary Nirupama Rao
said.
Rao was speaking to reporters after India and Pakistan held their
first prime minister level talks in this Bhutan capital on the margins of 16th
SAARC summit.
Rao said the Pakistan prime minister on his part "did mention that
they have difficulties in their legal system" to prosecute Saeed, who had openly
declared a jehad against India in a rally Feb 5.
She said Pakistan was serious about prosecuting and bringing the
perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attack "to speedy trial".
"Pakistan has said it won't allow terrorists to use its soil," Rao
said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5873064.cms?prtpage=1
-------
Muslim Addresses Misconceptions
by Eric Austin
29 APRIL 2010
Auburn students were given an opportunity last Thursday in Haley
Center to learn about and discuss Islam, a faith to which a predominantly
Christian campus has little exposure and at times outright ignorance to.
“I hope at the end of this you come away with a different
understanding, or at least a foundation,” said Imam Mohamed Ismail, the featured
speaker at the lecture event of the Muslim Students’ Association.
“Clearing up Misconceptions of Islam” sought to answer questions and
address inaccuracies students may have about the world’s second largest
faith.
“The main purpose of the Muslim Students’ Association is to invite
people to learn about Muslims and Islam in general,” said Ansab Ali, president
of the organization and senior in accounting.
Full report at:
http://www.theplainsman.com/view/full_story/7238020/article-Muslim-Addresses-Misconceptions?instance=home_news_lead_story
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Jamaat claims Shibir is not its front
organisation
April 29, 2010
The Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami on Wednesday claimed that the Islami
Chhatra Shibir was an independent body, not a front organisation of the
party.
The claim was made at a
meeting with Chief Election Commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda in the Election
Commission Secretariat on Wednesday afternoon.
A delegation of the party,
led by Jamaat’s law affairs secretary Jasim Uddin, went to the Election
Commission’s office to answer the letter sent by it, asking the party to clarify
Shibir’s relationship with it, after the media reported that Islami Chhatra
Shibir is Jamaat’s front organisation.
Advocate Jasim Uddin told
reporters after the meeting there was no similarity between the Constitutions of
the Jamaat and Shibir.
The Jamaat’s delegation
comprised a member of party’s central election steering committee Izzat Ali,
Dhaha city unit’s secretary Hamidur Rahman Azad and Dhaka city unit’s law
affairs secretary Kamal Uddin.
Election Commissioner M
Shakhawat Hossain was also present at the meeting.
http://www.newagebd.com/2010/apr/29/nat.html
-------
Al-Qaida considered a 'joke' to jihadists
J.J. Green
29 APRIL 2010
WASHINGTON - Not only was al-Qaida clueless about how hard the U.S
would retaliate after the Sept. 11 attacks, but a former associate of Osama bin
Laden tells WTOP al-Qaida was not respected by its peers when it was planning
the attacks.
"Al-Qaida at that time, for all the people and not just for me, was
just a joke," says Noman Benotman, who was leader of the Libyan Islamic Fighting
Group (LIFG) during the Soviet war in Afghanistan.
"The LIFG, during the war against the Soviet Union until 1992, used
to run like five main spots on the frontline."
The war was almost over before al-Qaida appeared on the scene in
August 1988, Benotman says.
Benotman says not only were al-Qaida's leaders in the dark about
America's response to an attack, but "they didn't even understand the meaning of
'jihad.'"
He says the group only saw the religious element of jihad and did not
prepare a military strategy to go with it.
Full report at:
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=778&sid=1945206
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Should America Ban the Burqa Too?
By Phyllis Chesler
29 APRIL 2010
All across Europe, government leaders are deciding whether to fine,
restrict, or ban the Islamic veil. France’s Prime Minister Sarkozy wants a full
ban—one that will also apply to Muslim tourists. Belgium wants one too—although
it has been warned that doing so "will violate the rights of those who choose to
wear the veil and do nothing to help those who are compelled to do
so.”
(That vote has not taken place due to the collapse of the
government). Recently, a Madrid school expelled a girl for wearing hijab; the
government is backing the school, but four of the girl’s classmates have been
coming to school wearing hijab "as a sign of support for
her.”
Full report at:
http://europenews.dk/en/node/31757
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Pak SC dares govt again, demotes 54 bureaucrats
Apr 29, 2010
ISLAMABAD: In a move that could exacerbate tensions between the
judiciary and the PPP-led government in Pakistan, the supreme court on Wednesday
nullified the promotion of 54 senior bureaucrats by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza
Gilani.
The apex court announced its verdict in a suo moto case that was
initiated on the basis of a letter written by Tariq Azizuddin, Pakistan’s
ambassador to Turkey. Azizuddin, who was among officials who were superseded,
said the promotions made by Gilani sidelined senior
bureaucrats.
The court said in its judgment that the criteria of honesty,
efficiency and incorruptibility were “completely ignored” during the promotions,
which also violated several constitutional provisions.
It said the 54 bureaucrats were “promoted in complete disregard of
the rules, destroying the structure of the services and causing anger, anguish,
acrimony, dissatisfaction and diffidence”.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pak-SC-dares-govt-again-demotes-54-bureaucrats/articleshow/5870710.cms
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US probes 'pvt spy network' in Pak
Mark Mazzett
Apr 29, 2010
WASHINGTON: US defense secretary Robert Gates has opened an inquiry
into whether a top Defense Department official violated Pentagon rules by
setting up a network of private contractors to gather intelligence in Pakistan
and Afghanistan.
A Pentagon spokesman said on Tuesday that Gates was also demanding
greater oversight over the millions of dollars the Defense Department spent
annually to carry out “information operations”, to ensure that such missions did
not “stray off course” into secret intelligence collection.
At the center of the Pentagon inquiry is Michael Furlong, a civilian
official working for the US air force who last year used a web of private
contractors to clandestinely gather intelligence in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
According to current and former government officials, some of that information
was turned over to Special Operations troops to help fight militants.
Some American officials think that Furlong may have financed the
secret network by improperly diverting money from an overt program to gather
information about the tribal structures and political dynamics in Afghanistan.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-probes-pvt-spy-network-in-Pak/articleshow/5870718.cms
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Clerics fight over Diggy's Batla talk
Mohammed Wajihuddin
Apr 29, 2010
MUMBAI: A heated exchange of words over whether senior Congress
leader Digvijay Singh engaged in ‘‘doublespeak’’ over the 2008 Batla house
encounter in Delhi ended with one maulana slapping another and the aggrieved
cleric lodging a complaint with the Mumbai police on Wednesday.
The incident occurred at Haj House, where leading ulemas from across
the country had gathered to discuss the establishment of a central zakat (2.5%
of annual profits that Muslims give to charity) fund. Singh, a general secretary
of the Congress, had addressed the gathering, but was not present when a senior
cleric attacked him for an alleged flip-flop on the Batla House issue.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Clerics-fight-over-Diggys-Batla-talk/articleshow/5870494.cms
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Furore over Kerala varsity's invitation to Islamic
scholar
Ananthakrishnan G
Apr 29, 2010
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An ‘‘International Seminar on Language,
Interpretations and Science of Quran’’ organized by the University of Kerala has
run into a controversy over the list of invitees, which includes Yusuf
Al-Quradawi, a Qatar-based Islamic scholar.
On Wednesday, a row erupted after reports on Al-Quradawi’s past. The
Egypt-born cleric had studied under Hassan el-Banna, founder of the Muslim
Brotherhood, who allegedly served as the intellectual basis for the al-Qaida.
Al-Quradawi had also been widely criticized for his public support for suicide
bombings of civilians in Israel and has been banned from entering the US and UK.
Al-Quradawi was to share the dais with CM V S Achutanandan and
opposition leader Oommen Chandy of the Congress at a public function on
Thursday.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thirupuram/Furore-over-Kerala-varsitys-invitation-to-Islamic-scholar/articleshow/5870552.cms
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Sort out disputes, India, Pakistan told
Sandeep Dikshit
Apr 29, 2010
THIMPHU: India and Pakistan should compartmentalise their disputes to
allow the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) reach its
potential in terms of regional connectivity, trade and people-to-people
contacts.
Several leaders of the SAARC countries conveyed to Pakistan Prime
Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani during their bilateral meetings with him that in
particular, Pakistan must address India's concerns, especially with respect to
the prosecution of all the Mumbai terror attack masterminds, highly placed
sources told TheHindu.
The leaders gave the example of India-China ties, which have
strengthened in spheres such as trade and cooperation at multilateral fora
despite decades-long border dispute.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/04/29/stories/2010042962091500.htm
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`Egypt court convicts 26 Hezbollah men for plotting terror
attacks
Apr 28, 2010
CAIRO: An Egyptian court on Wednesday convicted 26 men of spying for
the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and plotting attacks in Egypt, and gave
them prison sentences ranging from six months to life.
Three of the defendants, including the group's Lebanese leader,
Mohammad Qiblan, were convicted in abstenia and received life sentences. The
rest of the group -- including Egyptians, a Sudanese, West Bank Palestinians and
Lebanese nationals -- was handed sentences ranging from six months and 15 years.
The verdict cannot be appealed. The group was charged with planning
attacks on tourists and shipping in the Suez Canal, and sending operatives and
explosives to Gaza to aid militants there.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Egypt-court-convicts-26-Hezbollah-men-for-plotting-terror-attacks-/articleshow/5869012.cms
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Four Palestinians dead after Egypt says tunnels
destroyed
Apr 29, 2010
GAZA CITY: Four Palestinians were killed and 10 injured when a
smuggling tunnel under Gaza's border with Egypt collapsed, medical sources have
said, as security officials on the other side said they destroyed tunnels.
Witnesses said the cave-in occurred yesterday after an explosion on
the Egyptian side of the tunnel, but security services in Gaza did not confirm
that account.
However, Egyptian security officials said they had destroyed four
tunnels north of the Rafah border crossing with Gaza, although they were unaware
of any casualties.
The death toll was the highest for Gaza tunnel collapses since July,
when five people were killed.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Four-Palestinians-dead-after-Egypt-says-tunnels-destroyed-/articleshow/5870603.cms
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Pak-born US citizen pleads guilty to terror
charges
Betwa Sharma
Apr 29, 2010
A Pakistani immigrant turned US national Syed Hashmi on Wednesday
admitted in a Manhattan court to helping a friend deliver protective clothing to
an Al Qaeda commander in Afghanistan, a day before his trial on terror
charges.
The Pakistani born Hashmi entered his guilty plea whereby he would
face only a lighter sentence of 15 years instead of a life term and also averted
a trial that was scheduled to begin on Wednesday. Hashmi pleaded guilty to
helping an Al Qaeda operative four years ago while studying in London. Hashmi, a
college student from Brooklyn, was extradited from Britain to the United States
in 2007. “He made the best deal that was available under the circumstances,”
David A Ruhnke, his lawyers, said. “The Government wanted to lock him up for the
rest of his life. They will not succeed in that goal.”
The Pakistani immigrant told the court that he housed An Al Qaeda
operative, Junaid Babar, between 2004 and 2006 and provided him ponchos, socks
and sleeping bags for use by the terrorist outfit in Afghanistan.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/252301/Pak-born-US-citizen-pleads-guilty-to-terror-charges.html
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‘Iraqi detainees tortured, raped in secret
prison’
28 APRIL 2010
Baghdad, April 28: Iraqi men were raped, electrocuted and beaten in a
“secret prison” in Baghdad, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday, in a harrowing
report reminiscent of the abuses that took place at Abu
Ghraib.
The watchdog interviewed 42 men who were recently transferred from a
jail where they say the brutality took place to another detention facility in
Baghdad, after details of misconduct were passed to the government.
Human Rights Watch described the prisoners’ accounts of abuse as
“credible and consistent,” said there must be an independent and impartial
investigation, and called for prosecutions at the highest
level.
“The horror we found suggests torture was the norm in Muthanna,” the
watchdog’s deputy West Asia director Joe Stork said, referring to the west
Baghdad prison where the men were held until recently.
Full report at:
http://www.asianage.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10601:iraqi-detainees-tortured-raped-in-secret-prison&catid=36:international&Itemid=61
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Pak non-committal on action against Hafiz Saeed
April 28, 2010
Notwithstanding India's insistence on action against Jamaat-ud-Dawa
chief Hafiz Saeed, Pakistan on Wednesday was non-committal on action against the
mastermind of Mumbai attacks and several other terror strikes in
India.
"Same old beaten track," said Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood
Qureshi when asked for his response to India's repeated demand that action
should be taken against Saeed in connection with Mumbai
attacks.
He said Saeed was arrested twice by Pakistan government but courts
let him off "because in the eyes of the judicial process, the evidence against
him was not strong enough to keep him locked up. That is a legal process. You
have an independent judiciary, so do we."
Asked whether Pakistan was making any efforts to collect evidence
against Saeed in connection with terror activities so that he could be tried,
Qureshi vaguely said, "Pakistan has, is and will continue to try and collect
evidence against any terrorist. We do not want our soil to be used against
anyone."
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/bhutan/Pak-non-committal-on-action-against-Hafiz-Saeed/Article1-536836.aspx
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Pakistan has banned our Urdu news service on FM:
BBC
Apr 28, 2010
Islamabad : The British Broadcasting Corporation on said Pakistan has
banned the beaming of its Urdu news service on local FM radio
channels.
Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira has not given written
permission to BBC's 24 partner FM stations to air five-minute bulletins, BBC
Urdu reported on its website.
BBC currently broadcasts its Urdu news bulletins through local FM
channels under permission granted last year by the Pakistan
government.
"The ban on BBC Urdu through FM channels is strange," BBC Urdu
service chief Aamir Ahmed Khan said.
BBC said it was told by the government that all FM channels will be
given written permission to air its Urdu news bulletins.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pakistan-has-banned-our-urdu-news-service-on-fm-bbc/612533/
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Under the Arabian Sun
By MAYA JARJOUR
Apr 29, 2010
Eli Acheson is a free-spirited woman expressing herself in the middle
of the Saudi Arabian desert — through her paintings, that
is.
A resident of Jeddah, for the past five years, the British artist
gets her inspiration from the desert’s golden sand and sun. “I love the sand,
it’s so raw,” says Acheson who holds a master’s in Fine Arts from Leeds
Metropolitan University in the UK. She has exhibited her paintings and
sculptures widely throughout the UK and Europe and even won the Royal Scottish
Academy Award in sculpture.
It is in the vast desert that she feels free and unconstrained — her
blond hair flows freely and visibly as she soaks up the sun’s rays. There are no
people around, and her thoughts flow like the wind that blows through her hair
and brushes the grains of sand against her cheeks. She spends some time there,
observing the landscape and becomes fully aware of her
surroundings…
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/lifestyle/art_culture/article48062.ece
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Father preventing Canadian daughter from leaving Saudi
Arabia
By LAURA BASHRAHEEL
Apr 29, 2010
JEDDAH: A Canadian and Indian dual nationality holder has been stuck
in Riyadh for three years unable to leave the Kingdom as her father has taken
her passport and refuses to grant her permission to leave.
According to the Canadian press, Nazia Quazi, a 24-year-old computer
science graduate, has been prevented from leaving the Kingdom since
2007.
Quazi lived in Saudi Arabia before moving to Canada along with her
mother and brothers to pursue their education where they were granted Canadian
citizenship. Her father, Quazi Malik Abdul Gaffar, however, remained in Riyadh
where he has been working for 25 years.
Quazi returned to Riyadh three years ago after a trip to India. Her
father had asked her to visit him so they could perform Umrah. “He decided I was
supposed to come to Saudi Arabia for Umrah, and be here for a week and then go
back,” Quazi told the Canadian press.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article48228.ece
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Unpaid Somali soldiers desert to insurgency
By KATHARINE HOURELD
Apr 29, 2010
MOGADISHU: Hundreds of Somali soldiers trained with millions of US
tax dollars have deserted because they are not being paid their $100 monthly
wage, and some have even joined the Al-Qaeda-linked militants they are supposed
to be fighting, The Associated Press has learned.
The desertions raise fears that a new US-backed effort beginning next
month to build up Somalia's army may only increase the ranks of the
insurgency.
Somalia's besieged UN-backed government holds only a few blocks of
the Somali capital, Mogadishu, while Islamic insurgents control the rest of the
city and most of the country. That turmoil - and the lawless East African
nation's proximity to Yemen, where Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is based -
has fed fears that Somalia could be used to launch attacks on the
West.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article48102.ece
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Negligence drives young people to drugs, says
study
SBy MD RASOOLDEEN
Apr 29, 2010
RIYADH: A lack of education among children and parental negligence
drive young people to drugs, according to a scientific paper presented on
Wednesday at the second day of the first regional symposium on drug control and
information sharing at the King Faisal Hall in Riyadh.
The study by Nawal Al-Shammari, which looked at the role of
educational institutions in the fight against drugs, pointed out that frequent
beatings and reprimanding children for no reason result in frustration that
could eventually make them disobedient.
“They run away from home and seek shelter with unscrupulous people
who deal drugs,” he said in his presentation.
“School drop-outs are easy victims of drug
abuse.”
Al-Shammari also called for social service organizations to organize
programs with families to advise parents on how to bring up their
children.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article48265.ece
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HRW reveals horrific Iraq prison abuse
Apr 29, 2010
BAGHDAD: Iraqi men held for months at a secret prison outside Baghdad
were systematically raped, electrocuted, beaten up and forced to sign confession
statements that they were forbidden to read, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on
Wednesday in a harrowing report reminiscent of the abuses that took place at Abu
Ghraib.
Some of the detainees, mostly Sunnis from the northern city of Mosul,
were beaten by Iraqi guards so badly they lost teeth and urinated blood for days
afterward, said the report by New York-based HRW.
The watchdog interviewed 42 men who were recently transferred to
another detention facility in Baghdad, after details of misconduct were passed
to the government.
HRW described the prisoners’ accounts of abuse as “credible and
consistent,” said there must be an independent and impartial investigation, and
called for prosecutions at the highest level.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article48319.ece
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Capt. Grant, pilot for King Abdulaziz, passes away at
102
Apr 29, 2010
Captain Joseph Wade Grant, the American who served as pilot for King
Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Royal Family in the mid-40s, has passed away. He was
102 years old.
He died Tuesday night (April 27, 2010) at his home in the United
States, friends of the veteran pilot said in an e-mail to Arab News. No other
details were immediately available.
Born in Stockton, California, on March 24, 1908, Grant was an
airplane mechanic who later became a pilot in the late 1920s. He was a seasoned pilot of many aircraft at
the beginning of World War II, having worked as a barnstormer and commercial
pilot.
In the spring of 1945, he was assigned to deliver a Douglas DC-3
airplane, a gift from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to King Abdulaziz.
Offered to stay in the Kingdom and be a pilot for the Royal Family, he agreed
and stayed for two years. He would later help found Saudi Arabian
Airlines.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article48339.ece
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Hamas arrests, frees PFLP supporters for distributing
leaflets
By NIDAL AL-MUGHRABI
Apr 29, 2010
GAZA: Hamas security forces detained Palestinian political activists
overnight for distributing leaflets urging them to ease up on the people of Gaza
or face a possibly explosive revolt.
An official of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
(PFLP) told Reuters several members were arrested late on Tuesday and set free
on Wednesday.
The PFLP leaflets were the strongest public criticism yet of Hamas,
which seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007 and has been clamping down on any
behavior it sees as un-Islamic, while recently levying new taxes on the 1.5
million inhabitants.
"People are under huge pressure but they are also afraid to express
themselves and we took the responsibility to voice their concerns," PFLP
official Jamil Mezher told Reuters.
The leaflet warned Hamas to beware increasing pressure on the people
in a way that could "push the community to rebel against these practices and
even to explode in the faces of those responsible".
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article48204.ece
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5 Emiratis jailed for funding Taleban
Apr 29, 2010
DUBAI: Five Emiratis and an Afghan national have received jail terms
in the United Arab Emirates for funding the Taleban, local newspapers reported
on Wednesday.
The six men “were sentenced to three years in jail for funding the
Taleban,” a Dubai-based English-language daily reported. Two men were acquitted
of similar charges.
The Afghan was given money by the other five “to channel it to
Afghanistan,” the newspaper said.
Two Emiratis, Rashid Dawood and Abdullah Hassan, were given an
additional year for “attempting to set up an organization to enforce a strict
code of Islam” which “the court said attacked civil liberties,” the paper
said.
Another daily said two Emiratis, whom it did not name, assaulted
“three Emiratis and a Bangladeshi, leaving them disabled for about 20 days,” in
connection with punishing “people for what they claimed were
offenses.”
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article48320.ece
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Muslim party seeks support for job quota
By SHAHEEN NAZAR
Apr 29, 2010
JEDDAH: The demand for reserving government jobs for Muslims in India
is gaining momentum. Morale of Muslims is particularly high after the tabling of
the Ranganath Mishra Commission report in Parliament in December
2009.
The commission, set up by the government, has recommended 10 percent
reservation for Muslims and five percent for other
minorities.
Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen, which has one seat in the Indian
Parliament and seven in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly, plans to launch
a national movement to mobilize Muslim support for the
issue.
Akbaruddin Owaisi, a key leader of the Majlis and a legislator, said
his party was trying to bring all the Muslim organizations on one platform for
the cause.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article48185.ece
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Afghans mark anniversary of victory over
Soviets
Apr 29, 2010
KABUL: Afghan leaders marked the 18th anniversary of a
Soviet-installed regime's collapse on Wednesday with a military parade and a
call to militants to join the current government vying for power against the
Taleban insurgency.
Afghan security forces marched in formation before a reviewing stand
crowded with top government officials.
Noticeably absent were President Hamid Karzai, who was attending a
summit in Bhutan, and top mujahedeen commanders who led the country to victory
in the late 1980s. It was unclear why they did not attend. Militants tried to
assassinate Karzai at celebrations in 2008.
“We have come here to celebrate the victims of the jihad and also to
remember those bloody years and how the nation stood and gained this victory,
without strong weapons of the developed world, against a strong superpower,”
Vice President Mohammad Qasim Fahim said in the keynote address inside the
heavily secured sport stadium.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article48214.ece
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Obama's Mideast diplomacy sees gains
Apr 29, 2010
WASHINGTON: The Israelis and Palestinians have taken a small, halting
step toward peace talks, a modest payoff for President Barack Obama's dogged,
behind-the-scenes diplomacy.
Word emerged Monday that the Israeli government had effectively
frozen new Jewish construction in Jerusalem's disputed eastern
sector.
In short order, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signaled he again
would be ready to start indirect talks with Israel.
The sudden change in direction was a victory for Obama's beleaguered
Mideast envoy George Mitchell, who had spent more than a year in private talks
and repeated trips to Jerusalem and Ramallah.
The Israelis and Palestinians agreed to indirect talks mediated by
Mitchell. But the whole effort blew apart last month when Vice President Joe
Biden visited Israel on a mission to reassure the government of Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu of America's unwavering support shortly before the talks were
to begin.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article47809.ece
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New contours in the British election
Apr 29, 2010
Now we all know that Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass
destruction. The evidence that he had was bent almost out of recognition to the
true facts. The cost in lives torn asunder in Iraq was immense, and only a
handful of Iraqis thought they were better off with the war than without it.
There may have been a dictatorship that was cruel to those that opposed it but
most people, if fearful on occasion, had a peaceful life, law and order, food in
the shops and functioning schools and a health service.
That unnecessary carnage is on many people’s minds as Britain
prepares to vote in its general election. Blair led the charge but his Cabinet
(with one major exception, Robin Cook, the leader of the House of Commons and
former minister of foreign affairs) and the party supported
him.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/opinion/columns/article48162.ece
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Mohammed to make UAE among the best by 2021 Taj M M
Ibrahim
29 April 2010,
UMM AL QUWAIN -His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, reiterated the
resolve to make the UAE one of the best countries in the world by
2021.
“We are determined to fulfil that obligation,” he said while
presiding over a meeting at the Centre of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and
Community Welfare in Umm Al Quwain.
It was attended by His Highness Shaikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla,
Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Umm Al Quwain, Shaikh Rashid bin Saud
bin Rashid Al Mualla, Crown Prince of Umm Al Quwain, Lieutenant-General Shaikh
Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and
Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of
Presidential Affairs. Also present at the meeting were members of the Cabinet,
heads and directors of local departments and
establishments.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/April/theuae_April751.xml§ion=theuae
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Iran may dominate non-proliferation review
29 April 2010
Some 190 nations gather in
New York Monday in a crucial review of the Non-Proliferation Treaty that risks
being overshadowed by the crisis over Iran’s nuclear
ambitions.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to head his
country’s NPT delegation, but is still awaiting a US visa to come to United
Nations headquarters in New York, officials from both countries
said.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be leading the US
team.
US President Barak Obama has over the past month unveiled a series of
disarmament initiatives even as Iran continues to defy the international
community with banned nuclear work.
The United States charges that Iran is secretly developing atomic
weapons but Iran says its nuclear program is only a peaceful effort to generate
electricity. Ahmadinejad has repeatedly said that Iran is against nuclear
weapons, and is almost certain to hammer this theme in New
York.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/April/middleeast_April479.xml§ion=middleeast
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Clinton meets families of Americans held in
Iran
29 April 2010
WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Wednesday for
a second time with families of three American hikers being held in Iran since
July 2009 and discussed ongoing effort to win their release, officials
said.
State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said the meeting took place
as officials sought to explain to the families “steps that we are taking to do
everything possible to gain their release.”
Washington, which has no diplomatic relations with Tehran, has asked
Austria to help in the matter, Crowley noted.
The meeting came less than a week after the families expressed
concern over the health of the detainees, who have not been formally charged by
Iran.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/April/middleeast_April480.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
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19 Taliban killed in North Waziristan, Orakzai,
Swat
April 29, 2010
MIRANSHAH/MIR ALI/PARACHINAR/MINGORA: Security forces killed four
Taliban in North Waziristan Agency on Wednesday, as four others, including a
close aide of Swat Taliban chief Fazlullah, were killed in clashes with the
forces in Swat and Buner districts. Eleven suspected Taliban were also killed in
clashes in Orakzai Agency.
Taliban attacked the Esa security checkpost, 10 kilometres east of
Miranshah on the Bannu-Miranshah road, around 4am. Four Taliban were killed and
two security personnel seriously injured in the gunfight that followed. Official
sources confirmed the attack.
However, AP reported that one soldier was injured when the Taliban
attacked the Esa village checkpost with guns and rockets but the forces repelled
them.
The suspected Taliban’s identities were not immediately
known.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\04\29\story_29-4-2010_pg7_15
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Outpouring of a sensitive mind
by Dr Amjad Parvez
April 29, 2010
Mulaqatein Adhuri Hein By Atta ul Haq Qasmi Nastaleeq Matbooaat; Pp
208
Ahmad Faraz once observed that in every ghazal by Atta ul Haq Qasmi,
one finds at least one or two couplets that astound the reader as they depict
the poet’s inner pain. After reading this book, I agree with the above comments.
Atta says, “Amir-e-sheher, terey faisley bhi terey nahin/ Ghareeb-e-sheher peh
phir roab daab kaisa hei?” This couplet has a direct reference to our rulers who
take directions from elsewhere, even for internal governance. Atta raises the
question why then the masses are rebuked and made to suffer, as they are not the
subjects of foreign powers whereas the rulers have made themselves to be. What
is the result? Atta observes that the city looks like a city that has a curse on
it. People seem to be walking in a ghost town. A simile is that of the darkness
that covers the city-line due to aggressive load-shedding, a situation we face
due to the wrong energy policies of successive
governments.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\04\29\story_29-4-2010_pg3_6
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Changing the Muslim conversation
Mahjabeen Islam
April 29, 2010
In the pre-modern era, religious scholars controlled the discussion;
now anyone even vaguely familiar with the Quran and prophetic tradition can
write a book and gain credibility. Specifically, authorship does not connote
authority
So is Abu-Talha Al-Amreeki going
to be speaking for me now? A 20-year old, formerly known as Zachary
Adam Chesser, is now media-commissioned to be the loudest responder to the South
Park incident satirising Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). On cursory examination, why
should he not be? If you posted bloodied photos of Theo van Gogh (murdered in
2004 for making a film critical of Islam), with the threat that South Park’s
creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone would share the same fate, you would grab
the spotlight too.
Will we always sit up to the squeakiest wheel? Have Muslims,
especially Muslim-Americans undergone a wholesale abdication and left the
conversation to a loner previously interested in Goth and satanic bands with now
radicalism as a primary interest? And ‘Sheikh’ Osama bin Laden as his motivating
idol?
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\04\29\story_29-4-2010_pg3_2
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Who is behind the Hazara unrest?
Part II
Mosharraf Zaidi
April 29, 2010
Part of the reason the Sooba Hazara issue is not going to go away
very soon is that it has in fact been around for a long time. Beyond the
Hazarewals' resentment of slights (both real and perceived) and the fear of
becoming dominated by another ethnic group, however are deeper issues. A
regional Hazarewal identity wasn't galvanized simply on the back of the 18th
Amendment. It is rooted in several other processes and events.
One of its roots is how Hazarewals perceive the history of Pakhtun
nationalism, and its relationship with, at first the idea of Pakistan, and
later, the Pakistani state. Hazarewals see themselves as being among the most
instrumental groups in the formation of Pakistan, because they defeated the
referendum held in 1947 to decide on the fate of the NWFP.
Full report
at:
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=236574
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Kashmir: ripe for resolution
Adil Najam and Moeed Yusuf
April 29, 2010
After a 15-month hiatus, the foreign secretaries of India and
Pakistan got together in New Delhi in March. The meeting served as an icebreaker
and is expected to open up the way for resumption of the composite dialogue.
If this happens, it will be a welcome development not only due to the
desirability of continuing the bilateral dialogue per se but also because there
is reason for genuine optimism in terms of finding breakthroughs on the key
issues.
Notwithstanding the salience of terrorism as a talking point, Kashmir
is certain to be on top of the Pakistani agenda. And while many have argued that
both countries have lost the opportunity to resolve the dispute – the two are
said to have been close to a deal in 2007 – in reality, the prognosis is not as
bleak. Few realise that the events surrounding the Kashmir dispute have been
transpiring – for some time – in a manner that makes the situation 'ripe' for
resolution.
Full report at:
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=236575
11:21 PM
Sultan Shahin
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