November 8, 2009
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT DAWN
It’s worth remembering the adage ‘justice delayed is justice denied.’ Yesterday marked the second anniversary of the missing people’s case. Amina Masood Janjua, chairperson of the Defence of Human Rights in Pakistan – an independent organization calling for the release of all citizens who have been illegally detained – continues her four-year-long struggle to locate her missing husband as well as the other missing people of Pakistan. Most of them were dragged out of their houses, abducted from offices, picked off roads, and hustled into waiting vans, never to be heard from again. For all intents and purposes, they are gone without a trace.
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November 3, 2009
ALSO ON THE DAWN BLOG
Operation Rah-i-Nijat, ‘the path to deliverance’ is the name given to the military operation in South Waziristan. But as the military makes inroads in the tribal area, evoking a spirit of redemption amongst the locals seems to be the most challenging aspect.
As military troops enter a decisive battle in the heart of the Taliban stronghold, over 120,000 locals have been forced to flee their houses. The exodus is not expected to be as big as that from Swat since the population of the tribal agency is nearly half that of the Malakand division. Still, prompt actions need to be taken.
It is important to note that the differences between the humanitarian crises in Malakand and Waziristan are significant, and involve more than just a numbers game. With the Rah-i-Rast operation in Swat, the military was aided by local lashkars in their fight against insurgents who had occupied the valley. In Waziristan, however, the military is not expected to enjoy local support, which makes things more challenging. Unlike Swat, where militants were outsiders to begin with, the Taliban in Waziristan are amongst the local Mehsud tribe, making things far more complex.
For that reason, the military’s fight in Waziristan will have to go well beyond warfare. It will not only be about battling militants, but also winning the hearts of the locals. Keep reading →
October 9, 2009
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT DAWN
On the news of the IDPs’ return home to the Swat Valley, I had mixed feelings, both elation and concern. The joy of people finally returning to their houses was overwhelming. However, increasing fears of backlash overshadowed enthusiasm and questions about the rehabilitation of these people – along with the need to continue aid indefinitely – were frequently debated. It would have been naïve to assume that all would be well and good from here. We can only imagine walking into ruins of shattered houses, burned streets, and luscious valleys reeking of gunpowder.
And then came the bodies. Well after the army had wrestled control of the area and declared it a safe haven for civilians, the people of Swat witnessed the dumping bodies on their already destroyed streets.
Soon after the incidents, news reports regarding possible human right violations started pouring in. Numerous allegations were made against the military, with human rights groups claiming that the military carried out extrajudicial killing during the Rah-i-Rast offensive in the valley. Meanwhile, locals and politicians dismissed the deaths as incidents of score settling by the local people against the Taliban. The Taliban had been ruthless, kidnapping, killing, and even decapitating many civilians. The locals of the war-ravaged valley had been first-hand victims of the Taliban atrocities, so it was not inconceivable that they would try to take revenge. With no reporters being allowed in the area for security reasons, eyewitness accounts and suppositions were all that the rest of the country had to go on. Indeed, there had not been any concrete evidence that could back the claims regarding violence by either military personnel or the residents of Swat.
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October 2, 2009
A history of revolutionary situations is often the prerequisite for insurgencies. Recently, in many cases around the world, we have seen how movements scatter into spontaneous revolutions that breed a group of leaders who then proceed to organise and conduct insurgencies. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) is known to be one such movement.
The goals of the militant secessionist organisation include the establishment of an independent state of Balochistan, free of Pakistani rule. The organisation is often described as a relic of the Cold War. During the USSR-USA war in Afghanistan, the Soviets supported, armed, and funded the organisation. Over the years, the organisation has claimed credit for a series of terrorist attacks in various parts of the country. In 2006, it was declared to be a terrorist organisation by the Pakistani and British governments. It has also been included on a list of 25 banned militant organisations, which includes organisations such as Al Qaeda and Lashkar-i-Jhangvi.
Most media coverage of the BLA in Pakistan revolves around the belief that the organisation is associated with and financially dependent on the Indian intelligence agency RAW. Recent increased and widespread activity of the organisation prompted Federal Interior minister Rehman Malik to claim that India was funding the BLA as a tool to destabilise Pakistan. Similar statements have also been made about the Taliban in Fata and the Frontier province, all of which have been dismissed by the Indian authorities.
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October 2, 2009
AS PUBLISHED IN THE FRIDAY TIMES
In the hype created by the corporate world the term ‘ the customer is god’ strikes most people as something out of a fairy tale. The corporate sector has blossomed over the past years. The telecom sector, in particular, has grown massively, providing ease in communication. But then again, quite often, use and abuse go hand in hand, I would say it has also revamped the patterns of stalking. At first, we only had to put up with missed calls, now cheeky text messages are the ‘in’ thing. With cost-effective text messaging, this stalking and scamming seem to be taking a new toll. Telecom industries have only gone as far as offering to block a few numbers – only calls and not text messages. The extreme lack of help from the corporate sector leaves one with no other choice but to take matters into one’s own hands. Let us not get wrong ideas now shall we, I was only implying to endless brainstorming to trace down ways one’s number could have landed into the hands of a stalker.
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September 24, 2009
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT DAWN
Conspiracy theories have always had high currency in our part of the world and ritual cynicism towards America is quite usual. Recent reports claiming the presence of CIA’s contractual army – Blackwater – in Pakistan have bolstered concerns within the Pakistani public about US involvement in this country’s affairs. It’s high time, though, that the government came clean with the public about the extent of US involvement in this country’s security affairs.
- Image Courtesy-Defence.pk
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September 22, 2009
I recently came across a couple of videos showing a social experiment. These videos range from plotting scenarios in the mall ‘where actors are plotted to reconstruct a case of discrimination’. One of these videos include a clear case of racism towards colored people being harassed in stores while shopping. The most interesting part of the study was watching people concentrate more on their shopping while the discrimination continues to get more and more stronger. Some of these people reacted and most of them did not. Needless to say that this does portray what generally goes around and is easily overlooked.
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September 18, 2009
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE FRIDAY TIMES
My good old school days are among the most cherished memories of my life. Back in those days, the most worrying thing in life was an incomplete homework or a pending assignment. Now as we grow up, responsibilities have piled up and the little things that meant the world to us do not have the same impact. Back in those days, parents’ biggest concern was discipline in school. I remember my mother complaining about teachers giving too much homework or giving harsh punishments. However, times have changed now and so have people.
Recent news about protests by fifth-grade students of a well known public school in Karachi,against a course book startled me. It was shocking to hear about nine year old students going on a strike against the administration over a textbook. The students were reported to have been expelled by the school administration. Well deserved I thought. My conclusion was based solely on the fact that any private institute would consider protests and strikes as a strong challenge to discipline. Therefore, I wondered what exactly the kids were thinking and why the parents were not concerned. My queries soon revealed reports about not only the parents but also the involvement of education authorities. The uproar was over a Science textbook that included chapters regarding reproduction and contraceptives. Apparently, the parents found it to be too much information for their children aged nine or ten. The protests were blown further out of proportion when school authorities claimed that there was nothing wrong with using those course books.
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September 4, 2009
The death of Saad khan has slowly made its way to the mainstream media. I have been hearing that GEO and Dawn have recently covered it. Meanwhile there has been a lot of discussion,heated debates,questions and grief over the incident on twitter and Facebook. The news was first brought up by Farrukh Ahmed, his message on twitter made the most impact it read:
@Farrukhahmed: is thinkng while we sleep, some1 is lying in a casket in a foreign land waitng 2 return only 2 B put away 6 feet undr. RIP Saad Khan
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