Pakistan minister terms Swat flogging a Jewish plot

KARACHI: Federal Minister Senator Azam Khan Swati of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) said on Saturday that the flogging of the 17-year-old girl in Swat was a Jewish conspiracy aimed at destroying peace in Swat and distort the image of those Islamists who sport beards and wear turbans. Speaking at a reception hosted by the JUI-F Karachi Chapter in his honour, Swati said that the JUI-F may part ways with the PPP-led coalition government if drone attacks continue to violate the sovereignty of Pakistan. “We shall not tolerate the violation of our country’s sovereignty through drone attacks,” he said, adding that under a deep-rooted conspiracy, the Pakistan Army was being defamed. He said that the ISI might be modernised on the lines that they bring a bad name to its reputation among Pakistanis.He said that the US administration has declared Baitullah Mehsud as its enemy and approved financial aid for the Pakistan government for actions against people such as Mehsud. “There are apprehensions that the US administration may turn Pakistan into the next Afghanistan on the pretext of an operation against terrorists as they did with Afghanistan in the name of Osama Bin Laden,” said Swati. The JUI-F minister expressed concern over the fact that the US might target Pakistan’s nuclear installations, adding that we must be careful. “It is unfortunate that we long for water and electricity in this age of advancement,” he lamented, while also condemning the killings of Pukhtoons in interior Sindh. Qari Usman, Qari Sher Afzal and Maulana Abdul Karim Abid of the JUI-F also spoke on the occasion. staff report

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Obama Afgh-Pak Policy Already Unraveling

Delhi, India. United States President Barack Hussein Obama unveiled his much awaited South Asian strategy in a globally televised speech last night (Indian time). Today many Indians told me, as one put it, that Obama “lived up to his middle name by showing the face of a pro-Pakistan US policy,” a critical component of which that policy is to find “moderate Taliban” with whom the United States and its allies can negotiate a peace. Imagine if in 1942, Franklin Roosevelt said the US was going to look for moderate Nazis who could negotiate peace. Americans would have been outraged then, and history would show the policy to have been a calamitous mistake. Fortunately, we do not have to wait for the passage of history since those moderate Taliban have already provided evidence that the policy is terribly flawed. Read more

Amnesty says govt handing over Swat people to Taliban

PESHAWAR: Reacting to the official announcement about enforcement of Nizam-e-Adl Regulation in Malakand Division and Kohistan district, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director Sam Zarifi has said the government was reneging on its duty to protect the basic human rights of Swat valley by “ handing them over to Taliban insurgents.”

In an emailed statement, the AI director said the Pakistani government must ensure protection of the human rights of nearly two million people in Swat valley and neighbouring Malakand district.

“This follows the announcement that the government entered a truce with insurgents, known as the Pakistani Taliban, in Swat valley, that could legitimise the human rights abuses that have been taking place in the region as the Taliban influence has increased,” he said.

Previously, he said, the government launched indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks against the Taliban that mostly harmed civilians. “Now the human rights of these civilians will be in jeopardy if they live under Taliban laws,” he maintained.

“The influence of the Pakistani Taliban has already been felt by the people of Swat valley, with the unlawful killing of scores of government workers, as well as those whom they view as violating their edicts,” he further said.

The statement said the Taliban had also publicly whipped men for shaving their beards, destroyed shops for selling music and forcibly prohibited women from leaving their houses unless escorted by a male relative.

“Girls and women have been systematically targeted by Taliban for gender-based violence and discrimination. Their rights to freedom of movement, work and education have been severely curtailed. The Pakistani government cannot just abandon these people and sign away their rights,” he said.

Zarifi added that since 2007, when a previous peace deal fell apart, between 250,000 – 500,000 people had been forced to flee their homes in the Swat valley. “The AI has previously warned about the situation for civilians in the Swat valley,” he concluded.

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Pakistan imposes Islamic law in Taliban stronghold

Saeed Shah 

Islamabad , 15 February ,Pakistan is to impose Islamic law in a vast region of the north-west called Malakand in an attempt to placate extremists, even as President Asif Zardari warns that they are “trying to take over the state”.

Pakistani Taliban militants who are in control of the Swat valley in the region announced a ceasefire tonight, reacting to the government’s agreement to bring in sharia courts.

Malakand is part of North West Frontier province, a regular part of Pakistan, not the wild tribal area, which runs along the Afghan border.

Critics warned that the new sharia regulations represented a capitulation to the extremists’ demands, and that it would be difficult to stop hardliners elsewhere in the country from demanding that their areas also come under Islamic law.

“This is definitely a surrender,” said Khadim Hussain of the Aryana Institute for Regional Research and Advocacy, a thinktank in Islamabad. “If you keep treating a community as something different from the rest of the country, it will isolate them.”

Javed Iqbal, a retired judge, speaking on Pakistani television, said: “It means that there is not one law in the country. It will disintegrate this way. If you concede to this, you will go on conceding.”

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Military operation in Fata, Swat must be stopped: Jamaat-e-Islam

PESHAWAR: The Jamaat-e-Islami would observe February 18 as ‘black day’ in Malakand Division to press the government to stop military operation in Swat and take practical steps for restoration of peace and enforcement of Shariah in the area.

Addressing a news conference here Friday, acting NWFP president of JI Shabbir Ahmad Khan said that due to the intensity in the operation in Swat, Bajaur and other tribal areas, an average over 30 people are being killed on daily basis.

He said that the operation was intensified after the meeting of NWFP cabinet, which demanded of the federal government and security forces to expedite the operation and make it more targetted.

Shabbir said that civilian casualties were increasing with each passing day in the military operation that has been going on for the past one and a half year. “And the most astonishing thing is that wherever the security forces carryout operation, the government loses its writ there,” he said, adding after military action the people are informed through media about the killing of miscreants in a large number. However, 95 percent of the casualties were civilians, he claimed.

He said severe military action was launched in Shmozai area of Swat some 10 days backs in which eight civilians were killed. The operation was so severe that the people could not burry their dear ones and the deceased persons were buried in Ramora locality of Lower Dir by the activists of Jamaat-i-Islami and Al-Khidmat Foundation, he maintained.

He said the provincial government had taken part in the general election on the slogan of peace and it inked some peace agreements soon after taking power.“We welcomed those agreements. But no single step could be taken for implementation of those accords despite lapse of one year,” he argued.

He said that the most sorrowful aspect of the entire situation was that the NWFP government had no solution or even planning for resolution of the issue. He said after intensification of the operation more than 5000 people were killed and many more injured. More than one million people have shifted to the down districts from restive Swat, Bajaur and Mohmand agencies and education system has paralysed, he said.

Shabbir was of the opinion if the provincial government maintained its present policy, it would result in serious repercussions. He said if the present situation persisted, the entire Pakhtun region would plunge into fire. He said the only way to extinguish the fire was that the prolonged military operation should be stopped, the internally displaced people should be rehabilitated and a compensation package should be announced for the affectees. The government should also accept the unanimous demand of all the people of Malakand Division and enforce Islamic system there, he said.

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Sherpao for enforcing Sharia Law in Swat

Wednesday, February 11, 2009
ISLAMABAD: Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao has urged the federal government to ensure the implementation of Sharia regulations in Swat for sustainable peace and development.The Pakistan People’s Party (Sherpao) cheif said that only the proposed ‘Sharia law’ could restore peace in Swat. “The Sharia law would pacify the militants.”

Sherpao said the military operation was no more a solution to the militancy in the troubled region where a number of innocent people were suffering from the ongoing insurgency. He criticised the role of the NWFP government for its failure to maintain law and order in the region. However, he acknowledged its initiative for proposing to implement the Sharia Law in Swat.

“Now the federal government needs to positively respond to these proposals.” Sherpao proposed the deployment of civil administration in the region for development and confidence building of the local people, adding that a number of local people had left their houses and properties due to unrest in the areas.
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Taliban killed three women in Swat

MINGORA: Three women were killed in Swat on Thursday as Taliban continued their attack on people they consider to be pro-government.

The militants also blew up two government schools.

The women, Zarmina, Zarbibi and Farzana, were killed and three men were kidnapped when militants stormed their house in Dagai village and accused them of supporting security personnel manning the nearby Wenai bridge post.

The girls’ primary school and boys’ high school were blown up in Nazarabad area of Matta.

The house of constable Abdul Kamal was set on fire in Kala Kalley area of Kabal tehsil.

One Jamil was injured by security personnel in Makan Bagh area of Mingora.

Meanwhile, the Mingora-Charbagh road reopened when curfew was relaxed in the area.

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30 security men freed after ‘promising to quit force’

MINGORA/TIMERGARA, Feb 4: The Taliban in Swat set free 30 police and paramilitary personnel in the presence of journalists in Kotli Dadhara area of Kabal tehsil on Wednesday, after securing written promise from them that they would quit their government jobs.

“The hostages have been released on humanitarian grounds, but with a condition that they will quit their jobs and never fight against the Taliban,” local Taliban leaders told newsmen after a meeting of the Taliban Shura.

Constable Kiramat Shah said: “Taliban have given us a new life. We had been under the siege for about 36 hours and pleaded for reinforcements, but nobody came to our help.”

Taliban leaders said the released personnel would publish advertisements in local newspapers, announcing their resignation and promising never to take part in any future action against Taliban.

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