Islamabad – Pakistan's positive side came to light surprisingly at a report
launch on Wednesday, when speakers noted that the terror-hit country is ahead
of many states in delivering compensation to the victims of terrorism and
conflict at a massive scale. This point of concern was highlighted at the
launch of research report on “Compensating Civilian Victims of Conflict and
Terrorism in Pakistan.” The research on the existing policies and practices
being adopted by Federal and Provincial governments for award of compensation
to the civilian victims was conducted by Institute of Social and Policy
Sciences (I-SAPS) in collaboration with Foundation Open Society Institute
(OSI).
The report refreshingly highlighted a positive side of Pakistan. “The
conflict-hit country is doing better than many states to provide relief to the
victims of conflicts,” remarked Michael Shaikh, Director Country Program of
Campaign for Innocent Victims of Conflict (CIVIC).
Erica Gaston, Program Officer of OSI, appreciating the efforts of the country
administration, said that “the concrete steps taken by Pakistan government in
providing compensation to victims of conflicts are commendable and an exemplar
for many countries.”
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani announced on Thursday that General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani will be military chief till 2013.
PM made the announcement in a three-minute televised address to the nation in which he showered praise on Kayani and termed him a respected person both nationally and internationally.
Gilani said that Kayani’s extension was necessary for continuity in Pakistan’s fight against terrorism and said, “He was a key designer of the strategy for the war on terror and it is progressing well under him. The war is going through a critical stage… continuity is needed at the moment and we are sure that the war on terror, under Kayani, will reach its logical conclusion successfully.”
After years of demands and complains of the Pakhtoons, Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier Province is officially renamed as Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, when the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms (PCCR) signed the draft of the 18th Amendment in the first week of April 2010.
The British rulers named NWFP- North Western Frontier Province, commonly as Sarhad in Urdu, for convenience after they had brought certain areas in the north-western part of their empire together as a single administrative unit.
- MQM to oppose NRO, advises President to step down
Chief Mutahidda Quomi Movement (MQM) Altaf Hussain while talking to Private TV Channel has said that he has directed his party members’ national assembly to oppose NRO in the Parliament. MQM Rabta Committee Member Mohammad Anwar while talking to Private TV Channel has confirmed that his Party Chief Altaf Hussain has advised President to step down in better interest of country. The President neither should take test of his coalition partners nor his own Party in the Parliament, he said. “I appeal to the president, his friends and loyalists not to derail democracy, and produce themselves before the people to save the system, and tell them that they are not presenting the NRO in the assembly,” he advised.
No matter how complex it may seem, but Pakistani politics is surely hard to resist. With its changing scenarios every day, thrilling dialogues, comments and ever-changing manifestos of political parties, the politics of Pakistan has become more or less a form of entertainment for the people of Pakistan. And today has been the day of MQM, which was all over the screens of Pakistani news channels because of its volatile move of going against the flow.
This unpredictable move by MQM of opposing National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) in the Parliament which was known as marriage of PPP and MQM is sure to hit the government sooner or later.
This sudden act of MQM of opposing NRO and pointing fingers at Mr. President has disturbed the political scene for the ruling party for a while which seemed to be ruling without facing any opposition or having an inch of concern for the citizens. Whether or not this proves to be a good change for the people of Pakistan but hopefully this might bring a little change in the attitude of the ruling elites.
The way the MQM chief Altaf Hussain advised President Zardari to give sacrifice and face the courts in order to save the country from chaos and turn its direction towards betterment was quite impressive. It remindedme of the Festival of Sacrifice (Eid ul Adha) or more commonly known as eid e qurbaan which is just around the corner.It seemed like an indication that the time has come when Mr. President and his party should be ready to sacrifice positions/ranks for the betterment of the country and for the people.
Is the party really over for the PPP and its supporters? Only time will tell but it seems perhaps the time has come when the ruling party of Pakistan should decide their fate or it will be written over by the people of Pakistan, as it is said that,
"If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. It is true that you may fool all of the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all of the time; but you can't fool all of the people all of the time."
A senior diplomat has become the first US official to resign in protest at the war in Afghanistan, in a move that has shaken the White House, according to reports.
Matthew Hoh, 36, a former captain in the Marine Corps who fought in Iraq before joining the US State department, resigned from his post as the senior US civilian in Zabul province, a Taleban stronghold in Afghanistan. He said that he believed the war only fuelled the insurgency, the Washington Post reports.
"I have lost understanding of and confidence in the strategic purposes of the United States' presence in Afghanistan," Mr Hoh wrote in his resignation letter, dated September 10.
"I have doubts and reservations about our current strategy and planned future strategy, but my resignation is based not upon how we are pursuing this war, but why and to what end."
He said that many Afghans were fighting the United States largely because its troops were there. While the Taleban was a malign presence, and al-Qaeda needed to be confronted, he said, the US was asking its troops to die in Afghanistan for what was essentially a far-off civil war.
American families, he wrote; "must be reassured their dead have sacrificed for a purpose worthy of futures lost, love vanished, and promised dreams unkept. I have lost confidence such assurances can be made any more." Richard Holbrooke, the White House's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, told the Post he disagreed that the war "wasn't worth the fight.". However, he added, "I agreed with much of his analysis."
‘Do you know why these suicide attacks are suddenly one the rise again?’ asked my friend. ‘No, but I guess you have a reason to justify them’ I replied in a cold manner, wondering when did the attacks actually slowed down.
‘Yes I know it is because of the Kerry Lugar bill. You know, these people (read: agents) are attacking our institutions and people to prove that we are in such poor condition that we cannot survive without aid’.
No doubt this Kerry-Lugar bill aka Killer-bill has become quite the talk of the town and people are now blaming the bill for our basic problems such as the electricity issue without realizing what the bill actually aims at.
On Sept 24, the US Senate unanimously passed the revised version of the Kerry-Lugar Bill, titled the Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act 2009.
On Oct. 15th President Barack Obama signed the bill into law which will triple non-military US aid to Pakistan to $7.5 billion over the next five years and hence leaving no choice for Pakistan government to request for any amendments in the bill.
The only choice before us is to either fully accept it or reject it on the whole.
Despite the efforts of the Pakistan government to prove that the act would not harm Pakistan’s sovereignty but the fact remains that US government has rejected the concerns of Pakistan and sent back our Foreign Miniter with an explanatory note, attached with the Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act of 2009.
Surprisingly, our Foreign Minister Mr. Shah Mahmood Qureshi called the explanatory statement "historic” and assured the Parliament on October 16 that no Pakistani authority had been conceded to benefit from the Kerry-Lugar bill. He extensively quoted from an explanatory statement that ‘there are no conditions on Pakistan attached to the authorisation of $7.5 billion in non-military aid’.
Critics say that while using harsh and loud words to get the support of the fellow parliamentarians, what our foreign minister failed to realize is that action speaks louder than words and the people are well aware that he had returned empty-handed from US and thus had to put up this show to save his neck. According to Mr. Anwar Baig (former senator and senior PPP member) the much publicised speech of Mr. Qureshi in the Parliament is ‘nothing but a brilliant piece of acting for which he should be nominated for Oscars.’
Apart from the government appraisal of the act, the main concern of the concerned ones still remain unanswered that why the controversial sections of the act are unaddressed by the Pakistan government.
For instance, Section 203 of the US law considers that Pakistan is involved in the proliferation of nuclear weapons-related materials although it has never been proven in a court of law. The section also presumes that Pakistan is somehow involved in sponsoring terrorism, and that Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies are involved in aiding terrorist groups, including those groups engaged in attacks against the United States or coalition forces in Afghanistan, and against the territory or the people of neighbouring countries.
The act specifically mentions organizations such as Al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed and makes it clear that Pakistan is prohibited from letting them operate in its territory, including carrying out cross-border attacks into neighbouring countries. The law further requires the closure of terrorist camps in Fata and dismantling terrorist bases in other parts of the country, including Quetta and Muridke.
Then the message for the security forces of Pakistan is that it must not ‘materially’ and ‘substantially’ subvert the political or judicial processes of Pakistan.
Some other important concerns are, placing limitations on arms transfers; requiring that all assistance can only be provided to civilian authorities of a civilian government of Pakistan; (Sec. 205).
Other concern is regarding the submission of a Pakistan Assistance Strategy Report within 45 days of the date of enactment of the act; development of a comprehensive inter-agency regional security strategy to eliminate terrorist threats and close terrorist safe havens in Pakistan, including by working with the Government of Pakistan and other relevant governments and organisations in the region and elsewhere to implement effective counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism efforts in and near the border areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan, including Fata, the NWFP, parts of Balochistan and parts of Punjab(Sec. 301. Strategy Reports) and the submission of monitoring reports with description of all amounts made available for assistance to Pakistan during fiscal year 2009, including a description of each program, project, and activity for which funds were made available (Sec. 302. Monitoring Reports).
Although the above stated law may seem like a country’s internal matter but this all has been stated in the US law as if the US is dictating and teaching us the laws to run a terrorist-free country. It appears that this does not like an attack on Pakistan’s sovereignty to our government.
In the end we must realize that it is all a game of interest and of course nobody is willing to help you for free. The US law-makers have clearly stated their policy regarding Pakistan and have laid down their interests in the form of Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act 2009. It is time now that we decide and point out our national interests loud and clear.
