Finding “Moderate Radicals”, Barack Obama style

The words we use are important, and each has its own specific meaning. So when the Obama Administration says that it is open to dealing with “moderate Taliban,” people should ask what in the world it means. The Taliban is by definition a radical organization that is not about to give on its maximalist demand of imposing Sharia law wherever it attains power. It is in its very essence contrary to everything we believe in as Americans. When the US President, who considers himself a master of words, speaks about moderate radicals, he needs to be asked, “Are you crazy?”

President Obama is copying the policy of the Pakistani government whereby it has identified elements of the Taliban that it believes are moderate; that is, amenable to negotiation. This, of course, is criminally naïve. Our history with Islamist radicals is that the only time they negotiate is when they believe themselves too weak for a military win and consider themselves bound to any “negotiated peace” only until they are strong enough for total victory. Read more

Indians love Obama, but call him naive on Pakistan

NEW DELHI: On my first day of a visit to India, the media here was pre-occupied with an event they kept describing in horror as “shocking” and “audacious.” It was a terrorist attack in Lahore, Pakistan on the Sri Lankan cricket team that left eight players with minor injuries.

The story dominated every one of the broadcast media and for hours seemed to be the only story they were covering. All day long, at times with a dizzying speed, anchors would interrupt their anxiety-laced presentations to cut to an expert explaining what the “cowardly act of terrorism” meant, to a Pakistani official vowing “we will get the bastards,” to comments from Indian sports celebrities saying how smart their team was not to go to Lahore.

CNN’s sports reporter called the event “an atrocity,” a term his station has never used to describe any of the horrific and fatal attacks against Israel. Nor did his station hesitate for a moment to label the attackers “terrorists,” never once militants. To an outsider, the level of horror seemed out of proportion to the attack and casualties, especially in a region that sees far worse on a numbingly regular basis.

The reality, however, is that it was not.For the former British colonies and especially the nations of South Asia, cricket is treated almost reverentially; as a sanctuary from always tense India-Pakistan relations and the region’s growing political violence. Read more

Murder of Army Officers – Wrong man chosen as IO

Following brutal murder of Army Officers inside Bangladesh Riffles [BDR] Headquarters during February 25 and 26, a case was lodged with Lalbagh Police Station by officer-in-charge Nabojyoti Khisha. Main accused in the case is one of the kingpins of the brutality, Towhidul Alam, former deputy assistant director of BDR.

It was naturally expected that after such tragic brutality in the history of Bangladesh, the ruling government might have shown minimum sincerity in at least investigating the case through neutral hands, so that perpetrators, belonging to any quarter, would be identified for trial. Abdul Kahhar Akhand, Assistant Superintendent of Police [ASP], who only couple of back got his job back, after Awami League government, came in power. Another officer who has been made the ´comrade´ of Kahhar Akhand is ASP Bazlur Rahman. Both are with Criminal Investigation Department [CID]. Read more

Bangladesh: February Massacre & Operation Rebel Hunt

Members of Armed Forces are called by the government, which will come into effect from Monday morning to nab each and every rebel, their instigators and patrons, who were behind the February Massacre, killing more than 135 heroic officers of Bangladesh Army as well as their friends and family members. Experts opine that, Bangladesh Army has complete sympathy and support of the people of Bangladesh in nabbing the culprits. The entire nation is heavy with shock and pain. They want to see trial of the killers and their perpetrators without wasting even a second.

Meanwhile, several days have now passed since the siege laid to the Bangladesh Rifles headquarters was brought to an end and yet, the nation is unable to draw a line under the bloody massacre that was carried out there by a section of murderous troops on February 25 and 26.

To begin with, the nation is yet to learn the full extent of the carnage, given that the whereabouts of many army officers are still unknown. And second, they still do not know why or how this brutal massacre was carried out, who were behind it, and what their motives were. In order to move forward, therefore, the entire nation must not only understand the full extent of the crimes committed and punish those responsible for such barbaric acts, it is also extremely important to find the answers to the many questions that plague the public mind. Read more

Awami League Blowing its Chance

As an individual from one country who often finds himself protesting the actions of another, I frequently am told that doing so or demanding change is an affront to a nation’s sovereignty. That is seriously ironic, considering the continuous demands placed on my country, the United States, and my people’s country, Israel. Bangladeshi officials and governments, for instance, have demanded that Israel withdraw from territory, give free reign to Hamas terrorists committed to its destruction, release murderers of its people, give away its capital Jerusalem, create and fund a hostile state, and so forth. Some have demanded the US quit Iraq or close the terrorist holding base at Guantanamo. So be it; that is their prerogative. Read more

Was it BDR troop mutiny or pre-planned murder?

Although members of media in Bangladesh and elsewhere were initially confused in giving the correct name to what happened during February 25-26 inside the Bangladesh Riffles headquarters at Pilkhana in Dhaka. Some said, it is mutiny, some said otherwise. But, as the information of the entire episode is gradually getting public, it is becoming crystal clear that the entire episode was pre-planned murder of the officers of Bangladesh army. To understand the conspiracy behind, we have to evaluate some facts as well some statements of several politicians and so-called intellectuals of this country.. Let us carefully go through some of the important points chronologically:

It is already learnt from various statements of the survived officers that, red and yellow color bandana and masks were already dumped inside the toilet adjacent to Darbar Hall much ahead of the incident. This has been disclosed also by survived officer Major Monir in an interview with a vernacular daily on March 1, 2009. The very first question is how this was done secretly? Moreover, this evidently shows that, the conspirators were prepared for the brutal murder and
atrocities already. Read more

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