Pakistan\'s Afghan Policy #43

on a serious note, warrier read Steve Coll`s ``Ghost War`s``

#46

In general I would agree with HP here, the Taliban started out with no explicit anti-American idea`s. They did get a lot of support from the US with Robin Raphael (yeah the same one) agressively defending the Taliban at the UN. But this support from the US has to be understood in the context of great dis-interest from the Bush-I administration in Afghan affairs with the foreign policy priority having moved to Eastern Europe and Central Asia with the collapse of the Soviet Union. It was not until Hillary Clinton and Mavis Leno (Jay Leno`s wife) started actively campaining for womens rights in Afghanistan did public visibility and perception change.

The fundamental flaw of the Taliban, was that at its core with it was always nothing without the ISI and their Saudi/Paki sponsors and hence beholden to their agenda. They did not have the maturity to realize or the strenght to oppose the Pakistani/Saudi agenda of establishing Bin Laden in their country (and hence involving America after the 1998 embassy bombings) . They could not oppose the establishment of Harkat-ul-Mujaideen camps or challenge the ISI/LeT as they planned the Khandahar hijack that released Masood Azhar and Omar Shaikh hence bringing India into the picture. They were stuck in the middle as Benazir and the US fought over gas pipelines (Benazir had taken money from Bridas an Argentianian company and the US supported Unocal).

Yes the Pakistani sponsored moderate-Taliban may be forced down the throat of the US as it attempts to extricate itself from Afghanistan, but eventually nothing will change as the nature of the state in Pakistan and Saudi remains the same, their ambitions remain the same.

We are just getting set for round 2.

Pakistan\'s Afghan Policy #43

Abdur Rehman or Mohammed Yusuf :-)

Pakistan\'s Afghan Policy you can watch the entire program online:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/taliban/

Musharraf’s Coup - Seven Years Later here is the amnesty international press release after the reopening of the cases

link

Amnesty International also points out that the Supreme Court has ordered the Gujarat police to reopen a large number of cases relating to the communal violence which the police had earlier declared as closed. As per the ruling, as many as 1,594 cases have been reopened and action has been taken against 41 police officials for their alleged role in the communal violence. The Supreme Court has asked the Gujarat police to file quarterly reports on the progress of the investigations.

Musharraf’s Coup - Seven Years Later #231

I essentially agree. I would modify with following changes:

1. People like Teesta Seetalvad played a very prominent role to get a retrial and she deserves great praise for persisting even when Zahira Shaikh stabbed her in the back.
2. Not one, but 2 cases are the ``showpiece`` cases transferred to special courts in Maharastra: Best Bakery and the Bilkis Bano case, but the supreme court has also forced reopening of several hundred cases in Gujarat and hopefully these cases will thoroughy re-investigated.
3. The CBI is investigating the Bilkis Bano case, this is a first for riot cases in India. The doctors and policemen who tried to cover up the case have also been charge sheeted.

See, you have to compare to previous riots like Delhi `83, Baghalpur riots etc and notice that with an activist press and judiciary things can be better this time around. What is important is for the press and public to not lose interest and force genuine investigation and trials for the several hundred cases reopened in Gujarat, because we know if public interest drifts local politicians will try to hush up the cases again.

The General and Kargil #309

Ur name sounds like a locality in Delhi. OK, lets start.

if I were to guess VRV, he means to indicate that he is `99 grad from Univ of Oklahama at Norman.

Musharraf’s Coup - Seven Years Later #222
In the Best Bakery case, a special court was set up to convict the accused, only one case was transferred to it and the desired conviction obtained

Again that is factually incorrect, more than one case has been transferred to Mahrashtra. For instance, most prominent is the Bilkis Bano case:

http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/jan/13bilkis.htm

``A special court in Mumbai has cleared the decks for the commencement of trial in the case of gang rape of Bilkis Bano and massacre of members of the minority community in Gujarat.

The court on Thursday framed charges against the accused for their alleged complicity in the attack on a group of 17 members of the minority community on March 3, 2002, in the aftermath of the Godhra riots.

The Supreme Court had transferred the trial of the case from Gujarat to Maharashtra on August six last year, following the fear expressed by Bilkis Bano that `the witnesses and the Central Bureau of Investigation, which is probing the case, would come under harm in Gujarat`.``

Musharraf’s Coup - Seven Years Later #211

my reply was to counter a factual inaccuracy in you statement that ``no one was convicted in the best bakery case (other than zhira sheikh)``.

If you want to discuss the larger issues of the failure of the police/judiciary in Gujarat thats a seperate issue. If you have anything concrete to say, I will be happy to respond.

Musharraf’s Coup - Seven Years Later if you want all the details, rediff keeps an archive on all news related to the Gujarat riots:

http://in.rediff.com/news/godhra.html

For instance, read this (date April 12, 2004):

The Supreme Court on Monday quashed the acquittal of 21 accused in the Best Bakery case and ordered its re-investigation and re-trial.

The case will now be tried in a Maharashtra court.

Musharraf’s Coup - Seven Years Later see the dates

25th Feb 2005 for the article I posted and 12 July 2003 for the article you posted.

The re-trial was moved to Maharastra.

Musharraf’s Coup - Seven Years Later #206

Because in India, Muslims were burnt alive in the Best Bakery and the only person to be convicted was Zahira Sheikh, the eye-witness.

okhla-ji,

I have responded to this before, but I see you continue to spread the same canard. Normally I would not respond again but in my experience this lie of yours will be picked up by other Pakistani`s here who deal in half-truths and we will see it reappear on several websites. So now if you could you acknowledge that you have read the article I am pasting below and not repeat this lie again, I would be greatfull:


http://www.hindu.com/2006/02/25/stories/2006022509660100.htm

``MUMBAI: A sessions court here on Friday convicted nine of the 17 accused facing retrial in the Best Bakery case in the special court at Mazgaon and sentenced them to life imprisonment. Eight persons were acquitted for lack of evidence.

Additional Sessions Judge Abhay Thipsay said the death penalty was not called for as no special part played by any accused was satisfactorily proved. The life sentence for the nine persons will run after a series of convictions under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Non-bailable warrants were issued against four accused persons, still at large.

Mr. Thipsay also directed issue of notices to Zahira Sheikh, her mother Sehrunissa, her brothers Nafitullah and Nasibullah and her sister, Sahira, asking them to show cause why they should not be prosecuted for giving false evidence. He said they deliberately gave false evidence and that harmed the image of activist and journalist Teesta Setalvad.``

Muslims ‘Unveiled’ #61

Asif, I myself have been to several nikah`s in US and in India, so its not an issue there. This is about Londres.

Muslims ‘Unveiled’ interesting titibit I thought would be relevant here.

The brother of a friend of mine (Indian-American-Hindu) is marrying a British-Pakistani-Muslim. He refuses to convert and her family insists on a muslim nikah, so they went around London trying to find a liberal mullah who will conduct the ceremony with no success so far. The most common reason for refusal, is that the mullahs say that though they believe that such a ceremony is OK by them the threat to their life is too great! Also my friend says that they do not permit hindu`s to even enter mosque`s, so even if they find such a mullah and even if the groom converts, the grooms family will not be able to attend!

The General and Kargil #194

as you already convinced me training, arming, transporting was no big deal, they just needed to be pointed in the right direction, so I dotn see how you can then ten point to it being logistically implausible.

The General and Kargil #192

ok grandstanding apart, do you really believe that the Afridi`s raided Kashmir without support from the Pakistan government?

The General and Kargil #188

yeak OK, I put my foot in my mouth there.