Osama dead, Why Pakistan is silent?

Right now every one must have known that Osama has died. The ghost that haunted the world and was main poster boy of terrorism has finally met his end.

Where was he found? Pakistan, not in mountains, not near border, in ABBOTTABAD. Not in some jungle far away from civilization; right in the city.  (Someone has put the location now on the google map)

Right now all the news is coming is from US, that he has been killed, mainly by operation from US forces with Pakistan’s help;

More interesting point is Pakistan is silent.  Why? is the question that is quite confusing. If we played some role, which I want to believe we really did, why are we not coming out and saying, congratulating our forces and agencies for finding him. More silent we will remain more wind we will give to speculations and spins. It is such an important event.

Also we should take responsibility, explain to our people why he was living in Pakistan, for how long was he living in Pakistan.  Why we were not able to track him down before?

It’s not an era where you can assume that by remaining silent you can avoid the questions. Own the responsibility, own the actions we have to taken to stop the terrorism. President and prime-minister please take a leadership role.

{While our govt. is silent, Live updates are coming twitter from Sohaib Athar http://twitter.com/#!/ReallyVirtual, it appears he was in Abbottabad and was tweeting the incidents without knowing what actually was going around.

Well he is on the New York Observer  Sohaib Athar: The Guy Who Live-Tweeted Osama Bin Laden’s Death}

It’s becoming more and more embarrassing by each minute,  according to Omar Waraich PMA was just a kilometer away from compound, even Hameed Gul is saying “That Bin Laden could be in Abbottabad unknown to authorities “is a bit amazing”" (guardian live blog).  Keeping mum will not wash away the huge embarrassement, tackle the issues that have created this embarassement.

 

Governor Salman Taseer assassinated by intolerance

Governor of Punjab Pakistan Salman Taseer has been murdered by his own guard citing that Governor called Blasphemy laws black laws. How much intolerance we can live with? Where is freedom of expression? Can we not criticize a law made by humans?

Killer Mumtaz Qadri is not sole responsible, we all are. Our media anchors, our columnist, our religious scholars and our intellectuals, we all are.

One of the the worst part is there was rumor (according to the TV. Channels) that Salman Taseer was about to removed from Governor’s post. The guy who should have been thrown out of the govt. has now become Pakistan’s hero.

I never liked this guy not because he was vocal against the Blasphemy laws, I respect him for that, but his overall behavior was more of the bully than a respected governor.  Now it’s really hard time for me to say anything against him; he is dead and has been killed for one thing I hold dear, Freedom of Expression.

Let’s not let this person’s spilled blood go waste, let’s start pushing for more open attitude, making people realize that no one will be safe if we let this intolerance attitude prevail.

 

4 bomb blasts in Pakistan in last 2 days

Following are the headlines of Tribune right now

• Suicide attack in Quetta, kills 55
• two killed in Mardan blast
• Explosion in Peshawar, 1 killed

 

Bomb Blast in Pakistan; from Tribune

 

Add one line of the people who died two days back in Lahore, wait, further add floods of the century (not this century which has just started, literally flood not seen in this land for more than 100 years) and you have….. I don’t know what you have, scariest picture or bravest nation or country that should not be even caring about what’s going around any where else.

But no, we are eagerly waiting for  investigation outcome that charges our players, the investigation in the scandal some people are called biggest in last decade. Why because frankly that’s we have got, that’s our booze, that’s our weed, that’s what keeps us to fight about something much smaller than what we face everyday.

Back to attacks, even with track record of Pakistan, these bomb-blasts are not simply an-other attack they have very open tones of Sectarian hate, and can cause widespread sectarian violence.  It’s time to show leadership and come out, try to pacify the crowd. Try to deal with the situation. Let not this become fight between sunni and Shia, because it is not. It’s fight between us and terrorists.

 

I stand with my Shia (&Sunni) brothers, but is it enough?

Triple bomb blasts have hit Lahore and on the Shia procession, near Gamea Sha. Newspapers are telling the names of different routes taken by the suicide bomber; I read names of those places and fell anguish and sadness. These are places where I have rode my bike so many times; sometimes worry free, sometimes in hurry, … but these are places that belong to me not to these terrorists. I see video footage of the scenes after the bomb blast and you see people in trauma, in one video one woman was just running here and there, unable to be controlled by many men. This is true representation of victims of these blasts.

I want to say I Stand with my Shia brothers, but is it enough? Is it enough to say I stand by the victims?

These people were targeted due to their faith? one can say, but most importantly they were targeted because they are part of the Pakistan.  Success of each such event where a group having different point of view is involved, strengthens publics view of it’s own society. Each such event makes a person believe that he is part of this country, this society.

We should remember that previously two places regarded with very deep respect by Sunni’s have been targeted, Data-Darbar and Mosque in Garhishow, in which a famous sunni scholar was killed because he was against Taliban.  It will huge disservice to the people who have died to label this bomb blast as against Shia and extension of negative Shia perception in Sunni majority society. Yes there exist prejudices and negative ideas about each other, but this does not mean people want to kill each other. My grandfather used to take me to the Shia procession, holding his hand we used to watch men chanting in one voice, rhythm by the beat on their chests and then there comes outs the chains; it used to be such enthralling scene.  Many sunni’s still go to these processions, it’s part of our culture. I don’t know if any of the dead is Sunni or not, but it should not matter.

What should matter is our resolve against terrorists? Should we allow them to tell us what is right and what is wrong? Should we allow them to dictate the terms because they have guns and our governments plus establishments have been weak in dealing with them?

We should question why and how? Why and how these people were able to attack? Saying one cannot stop Suicide bomber could be correct, once it is in the public it’s very difficult, but they need the equipment, they need plan, they need logistics, that’s where our mistake comes.

It’s time that we put more money in our security agencies, namely police and FIA; it’s the war where we need them. Give them technology, give them training, give them more man power and most importantly give them respect.

Sobering aspect is our media again, all top media agencies are reporting different casualties, Aaj-tv is saying atleast 37 dead, Tribune Express 18, geo 35 and dawn 27.  Such huge difference?

Either our reporters are bad or the situation in our hospitals so bad that we can’t even count dead people?

 

death of 100 people! no let’s discuss weather

That’s what is attitude of our news media looks like.

About 100 people have died in the Yakagund and you know what are headlines of our news-media websites is? Yes, you will think, it will be about plight of the people, sketches of perpetrators, articles regarding how the investigation is going, might be something why the Taliban attacked this little known place, why it was important.

Oh no! you forget this is Pakistan not some Western country, where even just a unblown car parked in NY streets can trigger news blaze of many days and manhunt on much bigger scale. And no this is not like Britian where 7 july terrorism caused a country wide investigation, where in few days the houses were raided and explosives were found.  Let me stress media did not let the administration go, they kept the watch, they kept it as main story.

No sir this is Pakistan, after one day the main pages of the big Pakistani media outlet’s websites don’t have any article on it.  Dawn has some images in their media gallery, 12 of them to be precise. AAJ, has a general information news report of about 1 minute. Geo Tv’s website does not this news, atleast I was not able to find it. Tribune express has news about it way down their page in “More News” section.

Where as open the http://www.guardian.co.uk/ and you get it On the front page in the opening frame, no scrolling down to read about death of 100 people. BBC has it in OTHER TOP STORIES section on their main page, and on-top in their South Asia page.

Don’t take me wrong, I am not criticizing Pakistani media for caring too much about the degrees of Parliamentarians, I think they are doing a good job here. These frauds ruling us should be exposed and prosecuted. But media should not put death of 100 people on inside page. News agencies should be swamping  the area with their reporters, their investigative journalists should be exposing the negligences, their analysts should be telling us why these people were targeted.  Run the mill journalists covering condition of treatment and facilities available in those areas.

But no we are forgetting them, forget similarly but more quickly than we are forgetting about the Data Darbar. Our media has failed to be investigative and persistent; simply doing talk shows and making viewers listen to analysts debates cannot make their shows come close to reports of international media.

One question that keeps coming to my mind, has this attack happened in Lahore would our news media websites will have same headlines?

 

N.Y Bomb; and there comes the news

Update: Guy Named Shahzad Faisal has been arrested (nytimes, dawn)

Yes, there comes the news which I was hoping will never occur. From the day I read in NYtimes about the Bomb in SUV (that thankfully did not exploded, much due to observant street vendor), I was wishing that no Muslim generally and no Pakistani in particularly gets connected to this one.  We have enough bad publicity already, we don’t need any other stupid person messing it more.  But NYtimes is reporting that F.B.I is looking for the Pakistani connected to that S.U.V. , so much for wishing.

Today with this news those hundreds of Pakistani taxi drivers will have question mark hanging on their heads.

Just today someone was telling me that we are discriminated at airports and I was saying yes even our visas take long time (3 to 4 months for student visas are not uncommon, where as my Indian friends get them like in week), but you know our (people from Muslim) reputation is not good. Whether this reputation is based on some solid reason or not is another thing, but baseline is we are seen as terrorists. Everytime we try to tell other countries look we are not terrorists, you cannot generalize it,  some nut-job claiming to be Muslim is caught doing something stupid.  There was shoe-bomber, then there was some under-wear bomber, then there were backpack people in England,  crazy, crazy crazy people.

I know we cannot generalize the terrorists, there was I.R.A blowing the buildings but no one started discriminating Irish people, there were Tamil suicide bombers but not all Tamils are killers, there are crazy people in every culture in every country; just few weeks ago some White Americans were arrested for planning a terrorism activity and who can forget Oklahoma.  But this we can tell to an educated or understanding person, to general population every Muslim will be susceptible.

I still wish that they arrest people responsible for this activity and I wish he/she is not Muslim and not Pakistani.

I wish because whenever such thing happens no one sees that how many Pakistani are dying everyday in terrorists attack and how much govt. is doing in getting rid of these monsters; monsters which were created not only by Pakistan but rest of the world to fight then communists Russia. Monsters that have attacked every city of Pakistan and which are mutating into different shapes; engulfing and dividing our society.

 

Contradictions

Reading David Rohde. He describes his life as a captive of Taliban. This allowed him to see and analyze it’s captor, now he is writing about it. I have read only some portions and I feel his article will be widely quoted in coming days to describe and evaluate Taliban, especially because Pakistan has started Operation in those areas. What makes these articles important read is that we have so less first hand source of information about Taliban, how they work, what they think, etc… We have so many intellectuals defending or bashing Taliban, most of them have their arguments on what Taliban did at what time, not why Taliban did and Why+What Taliban are doing now. Most of them simplify it too much to just either pursuit of World Dominance to Afghan Freedom fighting.

Not going in detail discussion, I am here quoting a paragraph where he describes the Contradictions of Reasoning

It was a universe filled with contradictions. My captors assailed the West for killing civilians, but they celebrated suicide attacks orchestrated by the Taliban that killed scores of Muslim bystanders. They bitterly denounced missionaries, but they pressed me to convert to their faith. They complained about innocent Muslims being imprisoned by the United States, even as they continued to hold us captive.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/world/asia/20hostage.html

He also discussed what this socalled anti-terrorism war is doing

My captors harbored many delusions about Westerners. But I also saw how some of the consequences of Washington’s antiterrorism policies had galvanized the Taliban. Commanders fixated on the deaths of Afghan, Iraqi and Palestinian civilians in military airstrikes, as well as the American detention of Muslim prisoners who had been held for years without being charged. America, Europe and Israel preached democracy, human rights and impartial justice to the Muslim world, they said, but failed to follow those principles themselves.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/world/asia/18hostage.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2&sq=Rohde&st=cse&scp=1

An interesting insight was how Taliban treated their local captives

Tahir and Asad were held in even lower esteem. The guards incessantly berated both of them for working with foreign journalists and repeatedly threatened to kill them. The dynamic was not new. In an earlier kidnapping involving an Italian journalist and his Afghan colleagues, the Taliban had executed the Afghan driver to press the Italian government to meet their demands.

 

A tough Day for Pakistan as Terrorists wreak havoc

Past week has been really tough one for Pakistan.  Multiple suicide attacks and most importantly some shoot out style attacks on the offical buildings. The vigor and effect of these attacks is very important to notice. These attacks show planning and effectiveness in execution of terrorists, it also shows weakness of our administration.

How in the world these people have been able to execute same style attacks? Why people having such weaponry are able to roam in the streets of Pakistan.

And Today there is news of about 4 attacks going around in Lahore.

May Allah Help Us.

Most Important thing is these attacks should not push us to make decisions which are not acceptable to our conciousness. Where they should not force us to negotiate with the Terrorists giving them upper hand, they also should not force us to let go the civil rights. They also should not force us to sign any accord that is against our national interests.

Sanity, that’s what these people want to steal from us, we should not give them this

 

Section 144, Should Politics be stopped by fear of terrorism

There comes section 144, again in the context of best interest of Pakistan.  Govt. is saying that they cant allow long march because of the fear of the terrorism. Well they are right, there should not be any such political activity when there is fear of terrorism.

But I remember the day Benazir returned to Pakistan she was told to reduce her activity, not go for the big rally and she did not listened. Then PPP put blame on the government. Then again it was advised by that times govt. to reduce the public exposure because there is threat on her life but she did not.  Lot of my friends were of view that she has every right to hold the political rally, that’s how the elections are fought, that’s how the politics works; you go and talk to people, you go and meet people, show your public muscle.

I then thought they were wrong, I now also think govt. has right to stop such public activities if there is clear danger of terrorism. But question is are they imposing the Section 144 with positive intent? Will imposing Sect. 144 save the Pakistan from terrorism?

It does not look that this govt. has any more positive intent than that of the previous govt., which by the was zero.But leaders of the political rallies should think and be responsible for the life and safety of their participants.Routs, security guards should be marked. There should be clear emergency plan. We dont want anything that happened in two of the Benazir’s rallies.

But unfortunately Govt. going for kill by starting the arrests, blocking the paths does not allow any room where both can work out details of the program.

Unfortunately the elements of state that should work to protect the people become too busy protecting government that they forget to protect state.

 

Lahore Attack; Start of Another Media War

Another bad news,
There has been firing on the Srilankan Cricket team. Some of their players have been injured and 7 police officers have died. According to Governor Punjab these people were appearing to be highly trained. And hinted their link with Mumbai Attack. Qasim Zia was more restraint in pointing out the fingers.
Question is what problem anyone has with Srilankan team?Taliban should not have any problem to them. They are not involved in any combat except against Tamils. So it will be difficult to through put blame in them. What is clear is that this will effect the Pakistan in long way.

Indian media has already gone on offensive. IBN CNN was asking the Sanath Jaysuria that do they regret going to Pakistan. Jaysuria gave a reply that they never had any trouble in Pakistan and that’s why they went to Pakistan. Right now when it is not clear what is condition of the injured players and IBN-CNN anchor was asking him if anyone international team will be willing to go to Pakistan after this.  He calmly replied it is too soon for that and they are not more concerned for their players.  {above is not exact quotes but paraphrased ones.}

Before that  one of their reporter was remarking that the Cricket World Cup’s current system (in which some of the matches would have been played in Pakistan) will be in question. Then their former foreign affairs officer came on air and said that this in the indication of the Pakistan going down.  Where the question is not even solved whether these are Taliban or not? On question how can he link to what is going around in Swat, he said that this conclusion (regarding Taliban link) is inevitable.  He continued to score diplomatic points by criticising policy of negotiation by Pakistan and Obama.

I really wish Indian Media will keep it’s fire throwing capabilities on restraint and Pakistan Media will be mature than their Indian counter parts. Hameed Gul has said on Tv that Indian Agencies might be behind this attack. I can assure you many people will believe it and many on Media will be forced to take this stance not because they dont have suspecion of it but because public pressure will be on them. It will be difficult to defend that why we should not point finger to India when they easily go on thrashing us without even single evidence.

Our media showed great restraint while Indian Tv Channels where presenting their views in horsed voices and demanding our foreign minister to let India do hot persuit.  They should show more restraint now. But this does not mean that they should keep their mum when evidence will point finger. Because it appears most of time our government is naive enough to not to go for the diplomatic offfencive when they have clear ground, they try to achieve their local goals and meet local agendas.

We should not forget the Police Loss, they have lost their 6 members. The question is not only who attacked question also should be what was lapse in security.