What Next After Karachi’s Carnage? Does the photo at 231 capture a Pakistani ranger who has just been finished off by the Mukti Bahini in East Pakistan`s fight for independence in `71?

Citizenship and Identity in Pakistan Introducing Mayawati is definitely a digression, but however much she might rave and rant against Manuwadi forces, it is basically in the underdeveloped cow belt that these differences come to the fore and allow such riff raff to come to the top.
Most southern states and Maharashtra have long ago implemented the positive action plans. It is unfortunate that the BIMARU states, though most backward and a burden on the country and a big obstacle in the country`s economic progress, continue to have a say in the running of the country.
If these states had in time (during erstwhile Congress rule) taken purposeful steps in empowering the backwards, we would not have buffoons like Lalu Prasad Yadav and the obnoxious Mayawati calling the shots. Lalu has already amassed a fortune through his scams while the backwards in his state remain to languish in poverty. Likewise Mayawati will also start lining her aanti with stolen money, while the poor and downtrodden in UP remain without any future. She, to the dismay of all, like Lalu also harbours an ambition to become the Prime Minister. God save India that day
The politics in India has gone to the dogs as dogs and bitches have come to politics

Militant Liberalism ``Under no circumstances will emergency be declared in Pakistan`` this recent statement by Musharraf is so ludicrous, coming from a fauji lording it over the country. This kind of talk would have seemed more palatable if the country had a regular civilian ruled establishment, but coming from a usurper who snatched power through an army coup and now refuses to go,......... well, one really wonders which way Pakistan`s polity is headed.

Fake Killings: People as Trophies All Indian posters, PLEASE BEWARE! This pseudo who has posted this piece of shit is, we are told a dirty commie. In all his write ups he very subtly blames the terror in India on the Hindutva forces, therby creating a sense of insecurity among the minorities. Like all his Commie peers, he is a fifth columnist who will create discord in the society. He poses as if he is much concerened about human rights but his aim is to show the Hindutva forces in a bad light. He has already achieved his aim when many posters have started abusing the minority community on this board.
India is a secular country and we have our problems, but we will overcome them without the help of such deemak.

Fake Killings: People as Trophies It is infra-dig to comment on the trash that this MC (who is also a BC) keeps submitting here from time to time. Trust these types who literally thrive on reservations and then turn back on the hand that has fed them.

150 Years: Recounting Untold History The article betrays the unfortunate prejudice that in India the Muslim minority has not been given its due recognition. It is sad that a community substantial in population should see itself as marginalised. A natural outcome of the Pakistan movement was the anger felt by the Hindu majority which was also exploited by extreme elements. But over the last sixty years Muslims have very much joined the mainstream. Young Muslims no longer carry the baggage of being responsible for the country`s partition and therefore being pro-Pakistan, and many are forging ahead gaining prominence in all walks of life along with the majority community. No doubt, a lot of corrective measures need to be taken to give the necessary impetus for the community to prosper, particularly in provision of job opportunities in the government, but here again there is so much pressure on the govt job openings that it is only those willing to shell out money or with the necessary connections make it, and it just so happens that the majority gets the larger share. One should take heart that the country`s economy is growing and as the pie becomes bigger, all will benefit.

Likewise, so much is being said about Ambedkar, no doubt he was a great man, but let us assume he never became the leader of the untouchables, would they still be suffering as in the past? As the country opened up to foreign influences and saw life beyond Hindstan, the plight of the Dalits , Ambedkar or no Ambedkar, would have seen the same liberation and empowerment as we see today.

With a flourishing economy all Indians will benefit and maybe we can then stop looking at life including history with a jaundiced eye.

Impressions about Iran One fails to understand what is the necessity of making the girl sailor cover her head with a scarf. Is it not enough that the Mullahs are already smothering their own women why subject foreigners to this incongruity? One sees it in telecasts from Arab countries and also Iran. Poor Islamic countries like Pakistan also do it, maybe to keep up with the Joneses (or maybe Younises). Looks so out of place. Travelling around the world one sees this fashion(?) picking up even in Southeast Asian countries. These women look as if they are under punishment. With no disrespect to the women, they would look more presentable with their hair flowing and jewellery around their necks and in the ears. One can only sympathise with these poor souls. Allah the Merciful save them

Impressions about Iran A sentence excerpted from Robert Fisk`s essay `savages`:

After Graham is wounded in Kabul, the Afghans - in the words of his Irish-born army doctor - have become ``murtherin villains, the black niggers``.

That is for the Pakistani chowkeys who keep referring to their light skin vis-a-vis the dark Indians

Impressions about Iran If Iran has nuclear ambitions who can stop them from getting there? Persia was once one of the great powers in the Northern hemisphere, posing a serious challenge to the Greek power in Europe. They were a military and a political force to reckon with in the mideaval era. Iranian culture has left its mark in several parts of Central Asia, many people adopting their language and customs. Persian was a court language even in India. You just cannot keep a great nation down. Iran will achieve the nuclear advance it seeks on its own steam, but one only wishes they would not buy technology underhand from that nuclear terrorist called Qadeer Khan.

Iran has always been a good friend of India and always sensitive to India`s position on Kashmir. India`s vote against Iran in the United Nations recently in the nuclear issue was therefore really unfortunate.

Iran`s defense of the Arab interests in the Mideast is of conviction, without any axe to grind.

Although Muslim, the Iranians have painstakingly preserved their Zorastrian history unlike the Pakistan-reared Taliban who took great delight in destroying the Bamian Buddhas.

In the past Iranians were Zorastrians, today it is an Islamic country where Mullahs rule, whatever may happen tomorrow, Iranians will always remain a great people.

Individually the Iranians are a very cultured and soft spoken people, always courteous in their demeanour. Always respectful to other faiths, Iranians living in harmony in Western India for several years are a testimony to their accomodating nature. Iranian contribution to art is also well known.

Trapped, surrounded, quarantined or just reading too much into it? India`s division was one of the greatest blunders and catastrophes of modern history, an event that destroyed millions of lives, destroyed the culture of Hindustan, created permanent schism between the Hindus and Muslims and caused the subcontinent to slide into misery.
Dr Rafiq Zakaria one of the greatest scholars on Islam maintained to his last breath that partition of India was a terrible mistake and India`s muslims are paying the price. In an undivided India the Hindus would not have been a dominant majority and Muslims would not be a small minority, with a population ratio of 1:2 a good balance would have been maintained, and as India`s experiment with secularism shows, all would have lived in harmony each region rather than religion contributing to the building of the nation.
Unfortunately the clock cannot be turned back. The Muslims of India today have a great role to play, they must take the lead and get the Muslims of both Pakistan and Bangladesh closer to India so that the people of the subcontinent can live peacefully and prosper.

Raiwind IX Justifying sporting of beards by cricketers by citing the example of WG Grace is so much nonsense. Grace never sported the beard to display his religious affinity, maybe it was just the hep thing to do. But when Saeed Anwar having experienced enlightenment wears a beard and comes out to bat, it looks comic , out of place and just uncricketerlike and maybe creates an uncomfortable feeling that the guy is somehow different.

Maybe when the Tablighi types undergo more enlightenment, we might see cricketers shedding the shirt and pant and coming out in beards, ganjis and tehmads.

When Imran was the captain, one does not remember him starting his interviews with `Bis-Raheem`, one wonders what has got into Pakistani cricketers.

Religion is best left out of sport.

Trapped, surrounded, quarantined or just reading too much into it? Niazi`s surrender photo rekindled old memories. After the famous and ignominious surrender, the General was taken to his POW camp. He was brought in at night in order to maintain secrecy of the location. He was placed in a Single Officers Block in a Cantonment overlooking a hill. In the morning when General Saab got up and walked out to the verandah, he just had one look at the surroundings, turned to the Indian Army Officer who was his Escort and said, ``Oh so, you have brought me to Jabalpur!``

A stray thought, had India not been divided, who knows, maybe he would have been commanding that garrison as a peacetime army brasstack.

He is said to have written a book in captivity, one wonders what happened to that? Though comanding a sizeable force in East Pakistan, the General was said to be an affable guy, one supposes he was at a wrong place at a wrong time.

The POW camp was just opposite the Officers Mess and whenever any functions took place in the Mess the General could be seen watching the proceedings with keen interest. He was shown several films including Pakeeza

Trapped, surrounded, quarantined or just reading too much into it? The poster at #73 has quoted an article by Anjum Niaz which touches upon soft secession. Here is something more worrying for the Pakistanis, an article by Chidanand Rajghatta in TOI tells all:

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WASHINGTON: While Pakistan has charged India with stoking fires in its troubled provinces and produced articles in a Sindhi journal published from New Delhi as `evidence,` it can drum up far more serious charges against its patron United States.

A maverick `academic` based in Europe has been buying airtime on CNN for the past two weeks to advertise his book titled Divide Pakistan to Eliminate Terrorism . The 15-second spot, which is aired every day, charges Pakistan with terrorist activities across the world and says the only way to stop this is to split the country into half dozen separate entities, including Sindhudesh, Jinnahpur, Balochistan and Pakhtunistan.

The author of the book, which is being sold on Amazon.com for $ 15.95, is Syed Jamaluddin, who describes himself in a blog ( www.dividepakistan.blogspot.com ) as a British Citizen- Naturalized in UK and a chartered accountant with a degree in conflict management.

On Amazon, he is described as ``an active writer on issues concerning Pakistan’s involvement in various terrorist activities in the South Asian region`` who was ``forced to leave Pakistan after the military coup of General Musharraf in 1999.`` It says he also ``liaised with political and religious parties of Pakistan as well as Government Agencies.``

Washington’s think-tank circuit, where Pakistani scholars and commentators are frequent visitors, has no idea who Syed Jamaluddin is. The conjecture is he is a disgruntled spook out to embarrass a country that is already in a deep hole in the US where it is seen the grand central -- if not a sponsor -- of terrorism in most quarters, except by administration officials tasked with bringing it to heel with kid gloves.

Indian officials too said they had no idea of the book or the author. One official visiting from New Delhi, when told about the ad, joked that dividing Pakistan was a terrible idea, saying, ``One is bad enough -- who wants to deal with four or five?``
According to the jacket notes for the book on Amazon, Divide Pakistan to Eliminate Terrorism is ``Syed Jamaluddin`s vision to address issues related to combating terrorism emanating from Pakistan which have dramatically transformed the entire region into a systematically controlled network having vicious effects to the global peace.``

This book, it says, gives an in depth analysis about the role of Pakistan`s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Tablighi Jamat which are involved in producing future terrorists. The book also claims to provide ``specific information about the actual tactics of ISI and Tablighi Jamat and their strategy to disrupt the international peace in the name of Islamisation of the world through holy war and martyrdom.``

Jamaluddin, who declares General Musharraf as a ``Terrorist-in-Uniform`` has also been circulating an online petition calling for the division of Pakistan.

Pakistani diplomats in the U.S, who toil ceaselessly to counter critical newspaper editorials by writing plaintive letters to editors, seem to be stumped by the ad, which usually airs in the morning. A 30-second prime time spot on CNN can cost as much as $ 20,000.

Considering the ad has now been airing for a fortnight, profiting from the book seems farthest from the mysterious Syed Jamaluddin’s mind.

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For 60 years the life of Pakistan as a state and of ordinary Pakistanis as citizens (and consequently of the immediate neighbours) has been screwed up by the three `M`s: Mullas, Miltri and Mricans. The only hope is a functional democracy truly federal in character with the fauji firmly back in barracks and responsible and statesmanlike civilians at the helm or such potentially damaging publicity will continue to prolifer .

Trapped, surrounded, quarantined or just reading too much into it? #81
.............as long as the point is taken

Trapped, surrounded, quarantined or just reading too much into it? #76

Quite an unacceptable stand that, wishing the Pakistanis the best of luck if they are sitting on Indian territory, of course, provided the writer of the article is an Indian national.

Trapped, surrounded, quarantined or just reading too much into it? ``There is a comparatively smaller stretch of frontier between China and Pakistan on the north eastern side of Pakistan``

Please do not give away to Pakistan what is not theirs. The area mentioned in the article is Indian territory of J&K occupied by Pakistan. Pakistan does not have a border with China.