Of Errant Politicians And The Kashmir Cause

the dckless fauji parasites come out pissing all the way.

nasah:

relax man.

when i first saw the amendments, i could only laugh. i didn`t think the source was correct. i didn`t think the faujis were so demented beyond hope.

after the intial reaction at the proposed amendments, i now feel that it`s all good. let the faujis try their ugly experiments. if after the referendum, musharaf couldn`t learn, then he deserves to live this unhonorable life with an aimlessly self destructive path.

soon enough, one by one, all fauji lovers will quit holding their noses and be willing to smell the filth of the fauji stench. i`m very happy that even the tehrik-e-insaaf has rejected the proposed amendments. since the parties that matter, PPP and PML(N) have done so as well, how I wonder will these new amendments be made part of the constitution?

We can count the hand picked feudals like Legharis and Jatois but will the Faujis be capable of holding around 300 members of the new parliament hostage and forcing them to accept? that will require lots of...guns. perhaps they will succeed there as well.

Right now, a good option for the main parties of Pakistan would be to boycott the elections of october. Even a better option would be to unite with the primary focus of restoring democracy without any of the new amendments (it would not be bad however, if the local bodies governments with functional rights are accepted). A united force of the main parties will scare Musharaf and his faujis and give them all the more reason to rig elections. In the face of unity, very few would be left on the stinking Fauji bandwagon trying to pass off as a chariot to the future.

the parasite faujis need to be put in their place. i liked that word `fundocide`. `faujicide` is even better.

Muslims in Kashmir not seeking Pakistan merger

USA Today

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — In a dramatic about-face, the most influential and hardline Islamic political party in Indian-controlled Kashmir announced on Sunday it was not seeking Kashmir`s merger into Pakistan.

The Jama`at-e-Islami also said it had no links with Islamic militants staging terror attacks and strikes on military targets since 1989 and hinted that it could break ranks with other Kashmiri separatists and consider participation in elections.

The announcement was described as a significant development ahead of state elections in Kashmir. The Himalayan region has been the cause of five decades of tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan and two wars. India accuses Pakistan of sponsoring the 12-year insurgency, which has left more than 60,000 people dead. Islamabad denies the allegation.

For five decades, Jama`at has struggled politically for a merger of Jammu-Kashmir, India`s only Muslim-majority state, into Islamic Pakistan.

However, Jama`at`s president Ghulam Mohammad Bhat said Sunday that there is no mention of merging with Pakistan in the party`s constitution. ``We didn`t ever even pass a resolution demanding accession since we have been working here,`` he told reporters.

The Jama`at is the only one of the hard-line Islamic parties in Jammu-Kashmir that has an organized, disciplined, region-wide network and thousands of members spread across the Kashmir Valley.

Bhat also said he wants to ``make it clear that we have no connection with the militants or militancy, particularly with the Hezb-ul-Mujahedeen,`` the biggest of a dozen militant groups fighting India.

Many Jama`at members have been arrested or detained over the decade on suspicion they were working secretly for Hezb-ul Mujahedeen.

Jama`at also expressed differences with the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, a group of 24 Muslim religious and political groups in Kashmir to which it belongs. The Conference, which opposes Indian control of the region, boycotted the last elections in the Indian state of Jammu-Kashmir.

Indian officials have for months asked Kashmiri separatist parties to take part in the elections planned for September or October if they want to prove that they are the true representatives of Kashmiris.

Bhat said that ``right now`` Jama`at has ``no plans of participating in the polls, but anything can happen in the future.`` He added that his party would not call for a boycott of the elections, which he said would be ``unlawful.``

The ramifications of Bhat`s announcement were unclear. In the past, groups or leaders in Kashmir have made announcements, only to reverse them later. At other times, new factions have formed.

Indian political scientist Haseeb Ahmad described Bhat`s comment as ``the biggest gain for the government of India since the onset of the militancy.``

``This is a clear indication that the Jama`at wants to reaccept ... the basic framework of the Indian democratic setup in Kashmir,`` he said.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2002/06/30/kashmir.htm

Report on Rights Violations in Kashmir by Council of Advocates International - 2002-05-23

The displaced people of Kashmir are suffering from the brutal suppression of Indian and Pakistani security forces, Terrorism of fundamentalist militant outfits, constant torture of local police and unspeakable horrors in the hands of ISI. International rights groups must intervene and extend their assistance to these unfortunate people. This was stated in a report on the violations of rights in Kashmir, here in Toronto.

The report was issued by Carmen Miranda, Co-ordinator, Council of Advocates international. Explaining the background of the report the Council of Advocates international said that in March, it received complaints of massive human rights violations from the refugees and displaced People of Kashmir living in Azad Kashmir and Pakistan. The refugees stated their Plight and said that they were displaced because of cross border shelling between Indian and Pakistan`s military, terrorism and violence.

Most of them were misguided and in some cases forced by the fundamentalist outfits to leave their homes and cross the border. Once they crossed the border to Azad Kashmir, they became Hostage in the hands of ISI and fundamentalist Militant outfits. They were forced to live in those camps with their women and children in horrific and unspeakable situation. These camps were built as showcases for international delegations and fact-finding missions to highlight the Indian atrocities. The fundamentalist militants used these camps for recruitment, shelters for foreign mercenaries, safe-houses and arm Storage. Refugees From the camps are forced to transport arms across the border and most of the times are killed by Security forces. They are unlawfully arrested, tortured and suffer from the gross violations of human rights.

In response, The Council of Advocates International formed a committee, which investigated and prepared this report. Council secretary general Hamid Bashani expressed his deep concern over the situation and said`` the government of India and Pakistan is constitutionally obligated to ensure the safety and security of the people and protect their rights. Their failure to resolve the issue has catastrophic impact and with the passage of time may worsen the situation. Following is the summary of the report: On February 7,2002, Mushtaq Ali and Naseer Khawaja were contacted by a group of Muzaffrabad based militant leaders. During the lengthy meeting they were asked to transport arms across the border. The duo refused to comply and were threatened with dire consequences.

The next day they were arrested by ISI and were transported blindfolded in a house where they were held incommunicado for ten days. They were brutally tortured and humiliated. Every single day, They were severely beaten and kicked with boots. After their release the local police started visiting them frequently and threatened to charge them with theft, arms trading and other criminal acts. During each visit, The police would beat them and ask them for money. They left Muzaffrabad and are now hiding in Pakistan.

Two elderly refugee men and a woman testify that two of their young relatives, Javeed Abu, 23 and Sameer Shaik 19, were contacted by the militants and ISI personnel and them same method was applied to recruit them to transport Arm across the border. After two weeks they received news that they were killed by security forces in an encounter while crossing the border.

Two Kashmiri refugee women testified that over the period of the last four months the local police and other intelligence agencies personnel`s have visited them on regular basis or asked them to go to the safe houses for investigation. Under the pretext of this investigation they were taken to different Places and were sexually assaulted and repeatedly raped. No case was ever registered against them, but they were threatened to charge with criminal offences. They also testified that they knew some other women who went through more brutal situations but never spoke because of the stigma attached to rape and Sexual assault cases Mansoor Butt, a 31-year-old displaced Kashmir reported that he was arrested by the Army (ISI) and accused of spying for Indians Intelligence agencies.

He was beaten with rifle Butts, Punched and kicked in the face. His only crime was that he refused to accompany a group of militants as a Guide to cross the border. He was kept in a Safe-House for one week during which time he was beaten every day. He was released after the promise of full co-operation Muhammad Deen, a fifty one year old refugee, tried to cross the border to go to his home with his wife and 16 year old son. He was shot deadby Pakistani army personnel without any warning or chance to return



http://www.kashmir-hr.net/mainfile.php/articles/111/

New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-southasia-kashmir-pakistan.html

Rebels Aim to Hit Indian Kashmir`s Chief Minister

By REUTERS

Filed at 8:35 a.m. ET

MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) - A pro-Pakistan militant group battling Indian rule in disputed Kashmir said on Tuesday it had set up a ``death squad`` to eliminate Indian-held Kashmir`s chief minister, his son and top aides.

``Our prime target is puppet chief minister Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah and ministers of his government,`` Ghulam Rasool, Pakistan-based chief of the radical Jamiat-e-Mujahideen (JM) group told Reuters.

JM is one of the two rebel groups India banned in April under its controversial anti-terror laws and is also a member of the main anti-India United Jihad Council (UJC) guerrilla alliance.

Omar Abdullah is junior external affairs minister in Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee`s cabinet and has recently replaced his father as head of their National Conference party.

layman…the most famous khar is ghulam mustafa khar..and if you’ve ever read ‘my feudal lord’ by tehmina durrani, not a nice guy at all…known for his many marriages…the latest being to a woman who’s about 25 years younger than him….he has many a offspring from his various wives…the most famous being the model, aamnah haq…and the most notorious being bilal khar, who disfigured his wife’s face with acid….

An Indian summer

By Edward Luce

Published: July 1 2002 20:59 | Last Updated: July 1 2002 20:59





American diplomacy has averted the imminent threat of war between India and Pakistan. But senior members of the Bush administration know that it is only a matter of time before military tensions flare up again between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

The prospects of renewed tension were underlined at the weekend with the appointment of L. K Advani as India`s deputy prime minister. Although Mr Advani was already seen as the successor to Atal Behari Vajpayee, the prime minister, his new title is a timely reminder of the hardline, anti-Pakistani elements that surround the ageing - and increasingly frail - prime minister.

``It might be three months, it might be nine months, but we all know that India and Pakistan will go back to the brink again,`` says a senior US official in Washington. ``Maybe next time they will go over the brink.``

Until now, the US has consistently respected India`s adamant refusal of third-party mediation on its core dispute with Pakistan over the divided state of Kashmir. But having sweated through the latest and most intense bout of nuclear brinksmanship, the US and its allies are quietly revising their long-held position.

http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1025534365666&p=1012571727282

````Consultations on amendments soon``: President

By Our Staff Reporter (DAWN)

ISLAMABAD, July 3: President Gen Pervez Musharraf will meet the politicians to try to achieve some consensus over the proposed constitutional amendments prepared by the National Reconstruction Bureau ...... said minister for information Nisar Memon.

Briefing reporters about the decision of the cabinet here on Wednesday, he said that the president wanted to take the nation into confidence before the adoption of new constitutional amendments by the federal cabinet and the National Security Council.

He said the president would meet the opposition leaders including those of the ARD with a view to seek their views over the new amendments.

Asked whether Gen Musharraf will invite the leadership of PPP and PML for consultation or there will be any pick and choose, the minister for information said he did not have the details about it and that he could get back to reporters over the issue some other time.````(DAWN)

Hence -- the 64 dollar question -- rozaiba:

will the Shere Kargil be Shere Dil enough -- to FACE his one time civilian BOSSES -- Benazir and Nawaz?

OR -- will he CHICKEN out?

Otherwise -- this Ship of Fools carrying the Hazardous Amendment Material -- is NOT leaving the harbor -- and if it does -- it will -- at Mr. Musharraf miaN own peril.

Sayings of Chairman Mao Musharraf:

``We,`` the president said, ``must not loose sight of the political history of Pakistan and the unfortunate experience of mis-governance of the past.``

Yes, yes -- ``must not lose sight of political history of Pakistan and the unfortunate experience of misgovernance```` -- by FOUR army dictators -- for 28 years out of 55 years of Pakistan`s existence..

````The president said that the purpose of inviting politicians and leaders of other segments of the society for consultations with him next week was to know their opinion on the constitutional package.````

The Inquiring Mind Musharraf wants to know -- folks.

what a great consensus builder.

here is the world`s ONLY -- politician inviting --DEMOCRATIC DICTATOR!

now that`s called the ``real`` participatory democracy -- `INVITING` the wretchedly poor politicians of -- the ARD to the RAD -- the Royal Army Durbaaaar -- for their 3 cent `opinon`.

magnanimity thy name is Musharraf.

who says Comedian Musharraf is a run of the mill -- Jumhooriat Shikan -- Gaznavi!!

#: 27

Layman

Pak Chowkies please enlighten - who is the author Malik Khar. Is he somebody famous in Pakistan? There is no intro to him in the article

Mt #29

SPM#37

Poor Layman asked about the Author ,& you both Pakistani wrote the biography of Ghulam Mustapha Khar ...How many wives he beat or Nailed?

Musharaff also answers his questions to American reporter which is seldom like that.... until the poor reporter gives up . Hope Layman doesnt stop enquiring about Malik Shahnawaz Khar who wrote this article ...Good luck b/c two MT & SPM have miserably failed!

``The best thing for him [Musharaf] to do is to seek a compromise with the PPP and PML(N) and ally with them. After all, the cost of their joint decade-long corruption is less than the cost of the army’s defense overruns of last year alone resulting from failed national security policies. ``

-Najam Sethi (The Friday Times, July 5th, 2002)

nasah:

First of all, please dont try to put Mao in teh same league as Musharaf. Mao may have been just as power hungry, but Mao struggled to get to that seat. Mao had a vision.

Musharaf should first get a new pair of glasses. These dime-a-dozen dictators are worthless.

to tell you the truth, i am very surprised. the cowardly generals of pakistan who are good at flinching when uncle sam claps, are also good at shooting themselves in the foot. i still can`t believe what i read of Gen Naqvi`s `reforms`. they are the biggest joke of the month- so far.

by the way. Where have all the Fauji-Lovers gone?

A hard hitting editorial in today’s Dawn on -- Chairman Maosharraf -- ‘the consensus builder’ --and his bag of Amendment worms.

To make it meaningful

(Dawn`s editorial)

It is difficult to be sure whether the consultations President Musharraf wants to have with politicians and other sections of opinion on the political and constitutional changes proposed by the National Reconstruction Bureau will serve any useful purpose.

For one thing, with barely four months to go before elections are scheduled to be held in the country, the time available for the purpose is too short to allow for any thorough and meaningful consideration of the issues involved leading to a consensus which is said to be the aim of the government.

Secondly, the political and constitutional amendments proposed by the NRB are much too complex and sweeping, having deep implications for the nation`s political and democratic future, its basic system and institutions, to be dealt with satisfactorily at a few sessions of debate and exchanges of opinion.

Such a process would seem more likely to be an exercise in futility.

No wonder, politicians feel justified when they accuse the government of making such a consultation process a mere formality.

Not without reason do they accuse the generals of ``informing`` them about their decisions instead of seeking their views before vital decisions are made.

Given the sweeping nature of the proposals, there is little surprise that the political parties have already rejected the proposed amendments.

Most political observers and constitutional experts had expected the government to come up with proposals that would remove some of the flaws and anomalies that are there but leave the 1973 Constitution`s federal and parliamentary character intact.

There is a need, for instance, for placing some checks on what is often called prime ministerial despotism. This can be done by injecting some balance in the powers of the president and the prime minister.

However, the first package of the proposals unveiled last week cannot by any stretch of the imagination be called mere amendments;

____________________________________________

they seek to alter the Constitution`s basic character by altering the federal parliamentary system of government that it envisages.

____________________________________________

If made a part of the Constitution, the amendments would make the elected prime minister a dummy in the hands of an indirectly elected president.

Equally undesirable is the proposal concerning the National Security Council.

As we have repeatedly pointed out in these columns, the NSC would make the elected civilian leadership subservient to the military.

To be headed by the president, the NSC will include the services chiefs and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff committee.

It is they who will call the shots and not the prime minister, thus further eroding the concept of civilian control of Government.

The ONLY acceptable role for the proposed NSC is to advise the government on security and other related matters and not to dictate policies to it and certainly not to act in cahoots with the president in deciding the fate of a government or the assemblies.

The best course for the government would have been to consult the politicians BEFORE coming up with the proposals in question.

Consulting them now looks like a formality that would hardly achieve the purpose of developing a consensus between the two sides.

The worst of an ill-advised move may yet be avoided by withdrawing the amendments proposed and developing a new package after meaningful and substantive discussions with the politicians.

Once the amendments are agreed upon, they should be presented in the form of recommendations to the parliament to be elected in October, leaving it free to decide on these. Any other course of action is bound to create controversies and complications that are best avoided.(DAWN)

Question – talking of checks and balances -- what checks and balances are to be placed on -- the ALL Powerful -- the Checkless -- the Redeemer --the Mess-ayaah -- the President and the Chairman Maosharruf – by the way?

None?

it is past time that people quit trying to apologize for musharaf.

he is not well meaning, he is not sincere, he is not a reformer. People like me were stupid to have believed it otherwise. but it`s good to see that the `alliance` of pro-fauji parties is breaking up.

he is merely a demented dictator who wants glory for himself and his incompetent institution- that of the pakistan army- the most visciuos parasite of Pakistan!

to zafar and other interested indian muslim

why are indian muslims so anti - pakistan esp, hyderabadis ..................

``````The best thing for him [Musharaf] to do is to seek a compromise with the PPP and PML(N) and ally with them. After all, the cost of their joint decade-long corruption is less than the cost of the army’s defense overruns of last year alone resulting from failed national security policies. ``(Najam Sethi as quoted by rozaiba)

rozaiba:

Thanks for Friday Times quote.

of course Najm is 100% right.

If NS and BB stole government money – Musharraf STOLE the government itself.

what`s the difference?

On the scale of criminal MORALITY -- MiaN Musharraf is as much a criminal as BB and NS were.

It’s like kettle accusing the pot how black you`re?



So what makes the holier-than-thou Mushrraf saheb think that he is any BETTER than the politicians BB and NS -- at least BB and NS combined represent 80% of the public will.

What does Mr. Musharraf represent?

Divine will?

at east NS and BB are willing to spend their day in the Court of Public Opinion.

Who is Mr. Musharraf -- accountable to?

so why this `takkalluf` in getting together with the two licensed PUBLIC DIAGNOSTICIANS -- before putting -– the PATIENT Pakistan -- under the KNIFE -- for a major heart surgery -- by an UNLICENSED SURGEON -- like `Massihulmulk` Musharraf.

Here is Irfan Husain lending his powerful voice in his latest column -- against that bundle of stupidity called constitutional amendments -- and asking Musharraf to set aside his personal pique/vendetta -- and take aboard Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto for national consensus, unity and democracy -- at this critical juncture.

Is Musharraf listening???

So far doesn?t seem to be.

Well -- besides the reading glasses suggested by rozaiba ? the myopic General ? may need a pair of hearing aids ? as well.

Irfan Husain in Dawn (excerpts)

````Musharraf is thus caught in a triple squeeze: the Americans are demanding that he go after Al Qaeda and generally crack down on religious extremism more effectively; the fundamentalists from whose ranks the jihadis spring want him to repudiate his pro-American stance and to pursue the cause of Kashmir more energetically; and the Indians are threatening war in case he does not rein in the jihadis.

All three sets of demands are inter-linked but cannot be met simultaneously, although Musharraf is promising to deliver on all the three counts.

While carrying on with this highwire act, Musharraf has opened up a fourth front domestically by trying to marginalize the two major political forces through a series of manoeuvres of dubious constitutional validity.



Instead of surmounting his own personal dislike of Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, he even risked the tainted and tortuous route of a referendum to claim legitimacy.

This tactic backfired to such an extent that he had to apologize publicly for the rigging that took place.

Two important anniversaries are fast approaching: 9/11 will forever serve as a reminder that even the strongest power on earth is vulnerable to desperate people.

For Pakistanis, 12 October, the third anniversary of the coup that brought Musharraf to power, will help us remember that no matter how well-meaning, a dictatorship cannot be a substitute for democracy.(Dawn)

nasah #44:

``If NS and BB stole government money – Musharraf STOLE the government itself. what`s the difference? On the scale of criminal MORALITY -- MiaN Musharraf is as much a criminal as BB and NS were. It’s like kettle accusing the pot how black you`re?``

Nasah, in Musharraf`s defence, no one has accused him of being personally corrupt, which BB and Nawaz Sharif certainly were. Musharraf`s `crime` is that he is messing up the transition to democracy - his personal bias is making him ignore the two biggest political parties.

It was funny watching him talk about `unity of command` in democracy. Spoken like a true military man, with no idea of politics. Politics is all about SHARING power, sharing the cake among various stake holders (or lobbies or whatever you call them), not one person grabbing entire loot for himself / herself. Decisions are taken jointly, by a Cabinet, not by one man.

Of course, Musharraf`s foreign policy is totally messed up (not that it was in good shape before him). He is viscerally anti-India. I think both Pak and India should elect leaders who are not anti each other. It is really worrying to read that October elections in Pak may be postponed. The US may support it as it prefers a pliable dictator in sensitive states, but if it wraps up its `war on terror` by then, it may ditch him.