Who Tarnished the Image of Pakistan? Ref# 19

[Do you have any evidence to prove this ?]

Top 25 countries and the total number of recorded rapes:

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/cri_rap

US tops the list with 89,110 rapes, followed by South Africa and Canada. India ranks fifth in that list with 15,468 rapes. Pakistan does not make the top 25 list, though it is the 5th most populous country in the world. The number of rapes appear to be less than 1250/year based on that data (still nothing to be proud off).

Few more stats for your perusal:

Rape Facts (US)

•Rape is the fastest growing violent crime in The United States. (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 1994)
•In the United States, a woman is raped every 6 minutes. (Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center of the National Victims Center, 1992)
•The rate of sexual assault in the United States is the highest of any industrialized nation in the world. (Reiso and Roth, 1993)
•1 in 4 women will be a victim of sexual violence at some point in her lifetime. (Warshaw, R. 1988. I Never Called It Rape. Harper and Row).
•1 in 6 boys will be sexually assaulted by age 18. (Walker, L. 1988. Handbook on Sexual Abuse of Children)
•An estimated 92,700 men are forcibly raped each year in the United States. (Tjaden and Thoennes, 1998)

It is difficult to get the latest numbers for Pakistan. I’ll post as soon as I find them. An excerpt from the US State Department Report is attached for your perusal.

TITLE: PAKISTAN HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES, 1994
AUTHOR: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
DATE: FEBRUARY 1995

[“Rape is a widespread problem, although there was a slight
decline in the reported incidence of rape during 1994 compared
to 1993. There were about 800 cases of rape reported in the
press during the year.”]

You can read the complete report at: http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/ERC/democracy/1994_hrp_report/94hrp_report_sasia/Pakistan.html

[Why does an anti-terrorism court have to handle a common rape case ? ]

The initial trial was handled by the Anti-terrorism court under the
Ordinance; “Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Ordinance 1999”, for the purpose of providing a speedy trial for the case. That law provides that any act intended to create civil commotion would be triable in ATA court. In retrospect, that “speedy trial” created more problems than it solved.

Don’t get me wrong. I am on your side and have been on “Mai’s side” since the beginning.

Ref# 20

[No child in MJ case ever alleged he sodomized him. There was so semen, no fractured asshole, no evidence of any forced abuse.]

I am aware of that and thus used only the word “alleged molestation charges”. Please see: Jackson charges in full http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,19389-1464844,00.html

With reference to your other questions:

Ejaculation is not a prerequisite. In fact, approximately 30% of rapists are unable to ejaculate.

Penetration of genitalia, however slight is sufficient to establish rape. In oral sex (cunnilingus and fellatio) even penetration is not required.

The concept of “force” comes under the “legal consent designation. The common law says: The victim may submit by force, by gesture, or by threat of death, physical injury, pain or kidnapping to be inflicted upon the victim or a third party, or by any other means which would compel a reasonable person under the circumstances to submit. It is not required that the victim resist such force or threat to the utmost, or to resist if resistance would be futile or foolhardy, but the victim need resist only to the extent that it is reasonably necessary to make the victim`s refusal to consent known to the defendant.

Who Tarnished the Image of Pakistan? Xari Jalil:

I agree with the sentiment reflected in the article. There is no doubt that putting Mai on exit control list was a lousy PR move on the part of the government. It back-fired.

I failed to acknowledge your effort as an author, initially. Please accept my apologies.

Few corrections for the records:

1) Mai was not raped by twelve men. A total of fourteen people were indicted, four for rape and the rest were from the tribal jirga for their role in the crime.

2) Hudood Ordinance was not passed thirty years ago (close! It passed in 1979).

3) Swift justice was provided by the anti-terrorism court which handed out capital punishments to six convicts. It is unfortunate that it was later overturned by the High court based on technicalities. Now the case is with the Supreme Court. We have to wait and see how it pans out.

4) The incidence of rape in Pakistan is not on the rise, it has remained the same ( much lower than the civilized world). Such crimes including gang-rape does not occur ``everyday`` as you have indicated.

Legal loop holes do exist in other systems, as well. It is not always easy to prosecute all criminals, all the time. One recent example is of the US courts where they failed twice to convict Micheal Jackson on alleged molestations charges of young children.

Who Tarnished the Image of Pakistan? Ref # 2:[Pakistanis tarnish the name of pakistan!!.]
Ref # 3:[Those four Pakistanis in Britain are going to do wonders to Pakistan`s image.]

Cayenne and bbabu:

The suspected bombers are Britons who killed their own people for reasons, unclear at the moment. They are not Pakistanis. Period.

A “particular descent” does not make one prone to a particular type of criminal activity. I do not believe that Pakistani people have “bomber genes” in them, which can be passed on to their successive generations.

If your argument is true then it would be fair to say that “Indians are tarnishing the image of India” as shown by two brothers of Indian descent; Satish and Deepak Kalpoe by their probable involvement in the murder/disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba.

To sue or not to sue… Shahid:

This problem is not going to be solved anytime soon. To be honest, expect it to get worse. Once your name gets matched on a no-fly list, you are out of luck.

Both US and Canada share the lists, even if Canada does not maintain its own or deny to have one of its own. The outcome remains the same.

There are no known means available to remove a name from such a list. Don`t rely too much on a 1-800 DHS number, either. The efficacy of any recourse channels is dubious and may take an indeterminate amount of time before a solution can be provided assuming one is available.

I suggest caution if you plan to cross into US. You will most likely be turned back at the border, as your name will generate a hit on the CLASS System or worse; you`ll be detained ``indefinitely``.

You are fighting a system that is stakced against you. Good luck.

Who Created Pakistan? Ranjit Hira:

Good article overall providing some historic facts over the partition. However, with reference to your last paragraph, I fail to understand the connection between cold war, partition and Jinnah.

Interview with the Vamp Bina Shah:

Good job.

It was easy on the eyes and easy on the mind.

We need more of that light stuff. It`s getting stuffy here on the chowk.


Regards

Nauman Nisar

The Book is also Just a Book Farzana Versey:

I wish you had not used Daniel Pipes and his quotes in you article.

The views of Daniel Pipes, nominated by Bush to the board of the US Institute of Peace, are well known regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Muslims and Quran in general.

His noble views are presented here : http://www.danielpipes.org/blog

Regards

Nauman Nisar

The Book is also Just a Book Farzana Versey

You may be indifferent to the desecration of Quran; however, it is important to recognize its symbolic value for the majority of Muslims around the world. Most may not protest visibly but they may be hurt. It is important not to belittle them or their belief system in anyway.

It is O.K. for someone to protest within reason if they are hurt. However, nobody has to die for it.

I am sure that the Christians, Jews, Hindus and Sikhs would have protested strongly if their holy books; Bible, Torah, Veda or Guru Granth Sahib were to be flushed into toilets.

Giving religious books to prisoners is a routine. Bibles and Chapel services are routinely provided in all US jails. It is not uncommon to see born again Christians coming out of jails.

Prisoners at Guantanamo Bay are routinely provided a prayer cap and a copy of the Quran. Whether or not they take guidance from Quran is not for us to determine. Many of the detainees are almost certainly innocent civilians rounded up indiscriminately during war or sold to CIA agents by rival warlords to collect a bounty of up to $3500.

Regards

Nauman Nisar

Rape Does Not Alter the Victim’s Status! Vijendira Rao:

Welcome to Chowk. You have picked a good topic and I believe that you meant well. It took me some time to figure it out but I take it that you are against porn and firmly believe that it is degrading to women.

There is no doubt that pornography increases the “objectification” of the women but the conclusion that the media and especially internet is somehow responsible for the increase in the incidence of rape is, however, debatable. The common belief, that Porn is the theory; rape is the practice, though shared by many remains unproven.

We would have seen a rise in the incidence of rape on a logarithmic scale with the pervasiveness of the internet considering that more than half of the internet traffic is porn related. That certainly is not the case.

Contrary to what might be expected, studies have shown that there is a negative correlation between pornography and sexual criminal behavior.

In fact, a study done by Robert A. Baron and Donn Byrne in 1984 shows a decline in the number of sexual crimes.



A good review on this topic is available at: http://www.asc.upenn.edu/usr/chunter/porn_effects.html

Regards

Nauman Nisar

Uproar over a Cartoon? Ref# 50

ZahraJ:

Yes! There is such a thing as National Security Council.

See: http://www.infopak.gov.pk/public/govt/Security_council.html``

The Pakistan Security Council is supposed to give advice to the president on issues relating to national security, sovereignty, Islamic ideology, and the integrity and solidarity of the country.

The very existence of this council is debatable and whether it would bring stability in any form to the current political system remains to be seen. Opponents see it as an attempt by the military to have a formal role in the political decision-making and a permanent stake in Pakistan’s governance.

Uproar over a Cartoon? Ref: # 46

ZahraJ: Thanks for your insight. You have raised a pertinent question.

[Pakistan needs to have a consensus as to how far the nation could go. ]
[In what respect?]

I tried to answer that rather broadly in the 3rd last paragaph of that article where I emphasized the concerns of those who seek to define their role in the war against terrorism and the degree of relationship they want to have with the only remaining Super Power.

Within the current framework; Parliment, National and Provincial assemblies and the Natinal security council are the ways to reach a national consensus. We cannot decide the above issues at the street level.

Good article overall. You have picked a tough topic to write, and carried the message well that Pakistan Army (or any army for that matter) should be made accountable for its blunders.

However, one can only hold the army accountable if army is not part of the power structure itself. In all practical terms that has never happened in the history of Pakistan.

The story of Kargil is untold from the Pakistani side. Lacking any official reports or independent research on this topic, it is difficult to theorize about the motives, objectives and outcomes of Kargil adventure by the Army. You are right in labeling it as a “mystery”; however, the very nature of this fact makes you rely only on the Indian side of the story, which makes this article skewed and one-sided.

If the total death toll is a ”closely guarded secret”, then how can one make a determination that the Pakistani death toll is “higher”?

Few historical perspectives that are on record:

Z.A. Bhutto was a civilian but became the civilian Chief Marshal Law Administrator, the first ever in the history of the world by imposing a martial law in 1971. He was also the one who ordered and then refused to publish the Humood-ur Rahman Commission report. Out of the 12 original copies, only one remained with Bhutto and the rest were destroyed. In 1974, a second inquiry, that was much limited in scope and extent than the original, re-opened the case and issued a supplemental report based on its findings. That report was later published by an Indian magazine in 2000 and was then carried by the Pakistani media.

Atrocities happened on both sides in 1971. Pakistan Army did its part and so did the Awami league militants (Mukti Bahni) trained by India. That was actually the first bonafide example of “cross border terrorism” ever seen in South East Asia, where Indian Army openly assisted militants in the name of liberation of Bangladesh.

Kargil happened when Nawaz Sharif was in power and was the Supreme Commander in Chief of Pakistan. Kargil could not have happened without his approval. So blaming army for railroading and sabotaging the “peace” process started by Nawaz Sharif and Vajpayee is simply not correct.

Uproar over a Cartoon? The other cartoon mentioned in the article:



Stephane Peray

Uproar over a Cartoon? Re: # 16

Thanks for your constructive critique. I really appreciate that.

[To be honest, the impact of this cartoon is virtually none on Pakistan and most likely, Pakistan was not even the intended target. In fact, the target audiences for this cartoon probably were the Americans. One can interpret this cartoon as strong anti-Bush.]

I used the words “probably” and “most likely” to provide another viewpoint. However, some readers may not agree with that inference. I used the newspaper’s ranking and strength of its subscriber base as the basis to reach that conclusion.

I have to admit that I, myself, have never read Washington Times before. This newspaper is a small regional newspaper and on its own, could not have reached the Pakistani masses. Most of the Pakistanis were offended after seeing the issue dragged in the Pakistan National Assembly by inept politicians.

A formal protest was neither required not necessary in this case as it was by far the most accurate depiction of the US-Pakistan relationship with regard to war on terrorism.

PS. Bush family owns a cat named “India”, (not a dog).

The name in fact, has nothing to do with India. The cat was actually named after a former Texas Ranger baseball player, Ruben Sierra, who was called ``El Indio”. Please see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1454897.stm. However, that is not what Indians believed when the burned the effigy of George W. Bush. They were taken for a free ride by the Indian politicians, just like their Pakistani counterparts.

Nauman Nisar.

Uproar over a Cartoon? Re: # 3

Ntsyed

[I doubt the Pakistanis have lost the sense of humor, any more than the Americans have.]

I totally agree. Americans loose their sense of humor more often than it is perceived. Even Pop Star, George Michael has to go live on CNN and defend himself for his video “Shoot the dog”. Still many American callers to the program were mad as hell.

“Variable sensitivities” seem to be at play when a commercial in UK was outright banned which showed George W. Bush setting a video on fire after failing to play it.
See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/2518151.stm

Other cultures may show “intolerance” too. Indians, in fact, protested strongly to Maxim Magazine when they published 23 computer generated cartoon images showing Gandhi beaten by a man. The magazine issued an apology later.

Nauman Nisar.

Poverty creation - Maharashtra ishtyle
``3. Farmers with more than two children will have to pay one and half times the new rates.``


Why is that? Is there a penalty for having larger families?