The World We Live In !!

Written By :- Dr Shahid Qureshi

Pakistan is unfortunately one of those countries where traitors masquerade as politicians and treachery is deemed to be ‘legitimate politics’.  There is no prize for guessing how did the desire the revoke the 17th Amendment got transformed into a full fledged exercise for subverting the constitution. The answer is that it was a part of the scheme that involved the NRO and the formation of a coalition government in which all the parties are opposed to the Two Nation Theory of Pakistan. Mian Nawaz Sharif saw the game plan a bit late but he did see it and withdrew from the coalition. If he had not withdrawn, the judges dismissed by Musharraf would not have been restored and NRO would have become law. But the puppet masters have not given up; they are still eager to implement their original plan albeit with slight alterations due to new circumstances.

The plan is devious and not easy to understand. Some of those in the committee reviewing the Constitution have some idea of the true nature of the exercise they are engaged in but most of them do not know what is going on; they do not have a clue what is good for the country and are unable to see through the machinations of parties with anti-Pakistan agenda. The reports of ‘consensus’ and ‘absence of leaks’ makes one suspicious of the entire project. I fear that a ready to sign ‘draft amendment’ is a sinister plot. The public and the press must have a debate on what the committee recommends. The Constitution is too important a matter to be left entirely to politicians. It seems to me that all the ingredients are being in place to undo Pakistan from the back door without even a fight. It seems the parties in the ruling coalition are in a hurry to fulfil the agenda of international plotters. The puppet masters had been relying on the gullibility of Nawaz Sharif who has been saying he would support no action that would destabilise the country

The Constitutional Reforms Committee (CRC) which has decided to present the 18th Constitutional Amendment before the two houses of the Parliament, rejecting the reservations of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and some a few of its recommendations. He may have reacted a bit late but it is important that he has smelt a rat. After the priorities of the Zardari regime which came into power on the basis of a controversial ‘will’ of late Benazir Bhutto are dubious to say the least.

Owing to the deliberations and recommendations having remained shrouded in secrecy, people might not know why Nawaz Sharif, former Prime Minster and PML-N chief objected to these constitutional amendments in a press conference only an hour before a signing ceremony? The reality is that these amendments have many dimensions and multiple usages. Obviously the plotters are not stupid and are backed by an efficient machine. For example, those who drafted the Kerry Lugar Bill had Pakistani insiders to advise how to cloak their sinister ‘agenda’ behind nice words like support for democracy, promotion of tolerance and accelerating the pace of ‘development’. The problem is that Zaradri regime has too many ‘insiders’ promoting foreign agenda who are hurting the people and damaging the state. The MQM draft for constitutional amendments visualised “Provincial Autonomy” which gave the federation just two and half subjects – Defence, Foreign Affairs and Currency – Sine qua non for a Federation. The Draft Bill for Constitutional Amendments tabled by the MQM on 12th January 2009 MQM was not without foreign advice and support. I must admire President Asif Zardari, MQM leaders -  Farooq Sattar and Altaf Hussain – and the teams of minders they have, for being so ‘creative’ for their masters. Read more…

The Palestinian Authority has called on international bodies and the Arab League summit in Libya to protect East Jerusalem al-Quds against Israeli settlement activities.

Acting PA Chief Mahmoud Abbas, speaking at the opening of a two-day Arab League summit in the Libyan city of Sirte, called on international bodies and Arab states to force Israel to stop settlement activities in East al-Quds.

Palestinian movement Hamas also issued a statement calling on the Arab leaders to unite and take a “decisive stand and implement a real and serious program to protect Jerusalem (al-Quds) from Israeli aggression.”

Arab leaders have warned on the first day of the summit that the Middle East peace process is bound to fail unless Israel stops settlement activities in East al-Quds, which Palestinians consider as the capital of the future Palestinian state.

“We cannot resume indirect negotiations as long as Israel maintains its settlement policy and the status quo,” Abbas said, calling for a “complete halt to all Israeli practices.”

His remarks come as Israel has recently announced plans to build additional 1,600 settlement units in East al-Quds despite international condemnations.

Abbas said Israel was trying to alter the identity of al-Quds with “ethnic cleansing on a daily basis” and warned that such practices would lead to “wars in the region.”

“And there won’t be any (peace) agreement that does not guarantee an end to the occupation, starting with Jerusalem (Al-Quds), because there is no sense in having a Palestinian state that does not have Jerusalem as its capital.”

In a statement, Hamas called for an end to a blockade of the Gaza Strip and the reopening of Egypt’s common border with the coastal enclave.

“I hope you take decisive action to lift the siege on the Gaza Strip and open the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and our Egyptian brothers,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians gathered in central Gaza and near the Rafah crossing, calling on leaders at the Arab League summit to take serious action against Israel.

The protesters urged Arab states to cut diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv over its policy of settlement expansion on occupied Palestinian land.

AKM/MB

Story Via :- Press TV

Recent debates, especially on facebook, regarding Zaid Hamid and his relations with a convicted blasphemer who died in jail almost a decade ago have certainly caught the Pakistani youth by surprise. They find themselves locked in an argument which is taking a heavy toll on their intellect and energies. On one side there are people who look upto traditional religious scholars with a good number of years and experience in the matters of religion while the other segment is quite wary of these sources and choose to follow their “Sir” Zaid Hamid.

A closer look into the matter reveals that our youth can easily be generalized as passionate, emotional, irrational, impulsive, aggressive, vulnerable, know-it-all, mind guarded and above all frustrated. The description is equally valid for all the participants irrespective of their point of view. Ironic it may be both the parties well and truly are the future of Pakistan. These youngsters are enrolled in medical, engineering and management universities.

A visit to pro-camp points how easily we the Pakistani youth fall prey to rhetorical war mongers in the name of religion. The followers there are not madressah students, long branded for being fanatics and extremists, but rather educated minds. While on the anti-camp you will find statements of religious scholars belonging to various schools of thoughts, evidences produced and deemed authentic in the court, even the complete court judgment. The advocates calling Zaid Hamid of being a vice of a blasphemer are actively gathering proofs to justify their allegations and even interacting with scholars while the other party seems to be too naïve to listen to or visit anyone. What is more surprising is that there have been defectors in the later camp while the former are steadfast. Read more…

Two Israeli tanks have crossed their technical fence near the border with Lebanon two kilometers south of the disputed Ghajar village.

The United Nations peacekeeping forces in Lebanon, also known as the UNIFIL, were present in the area along with Lebanese Armed Forces to make sure that the Israeli forces did not cross the UN demarcated Blue Line.

UNIFIL Spokesperson Neeraj Singh told Press TV no violation has occurred as the Israeli tanks did not actually cross the Blue Line.

This is while Lebanese airspace is being constantly violated by Israeli fighter jets which at times break sound barriers over villages in southern parts of the country. Read more…

Colonel Imam, 65, is scathing about Britain's move to buy off biddable insurgents and the US surge, warning that the Taleban are "fighting addicts

Perhaps no man alive knows Mullah Omar, his Taleban insurgents and the American military quite so well as “Colonel Imam”, a battle-creased Pakistani officer who wears a faded British paratrooper’s jacket and a turban.

As a top agent for the Pakistani intelligence agency, the ISI, Colonel Imam recruited, trained and armed almost every one of Afghanistan’s prominent insurgents and warlords during the 1980s. Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Ahmed Shah Massoud and Jalaluddin Haqqani were all his charges or colleagues at one time.

“I have the Green Beret,” Colonel Imam smiled, recalling the US special forces qualification gained in Fort Bragg in 1973. “But I think this Taleban beret is better.”

He escorted Charlie Wilson, the Texan congressman who funnelled millions of dollars to the Mujahidin, into Afghanistan three times and once took the US Defence Secretary, Robert Gates, then the CIA’s Deputy Director, to a Mujahidin camp near the border. But his closest relationship was with Mullah Omar, the Taleban’s fugitive leader, whom he taught to fight and survive, and to bring down one superpower and tie down another, over 30 years of war. Read more…

Muslims are numerous but powerless. Divisions among Muslims, especially between Sunni and Shi’ites, have consigned the Muslim Middle East to almost a century of Western control. Muslims cannot even play together. The Islamic Solidarity Games, a regional version of the Olympics, which were to be held in April in Iran, have been cancelled, because the Iranians and the Arabs cannot agree on whether to call the body of water that separates Iran from the Arabian Peninsula the Persian Gulf or the Arabian Gulf.

Muslim disunity has made it possible for Israel to dispossess the Palestinians, for the U.S. to invade Iraq, and for the U.S. to rule much of the region through puppets. For example, in exchange for faithful service, Egypt receives $1.5 billion a year from Washington, which enables President Mubarak to buy off opposition. The opposition had rather have the money than support the Palestinians. Therefore, Egypt cooperates with Israel and the U.S. in the blockade of Gaza.

Another factor is the willingness of some Muslims to betray their own kind for U.S. dollars. Don’t take my word for it. Listen to neoconservative Kenneth Timmerman, head of the Foundation for Democracy, which describes itself as “a private, non-profit organization established in 1995 with grants from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) to promote democracy and internationally-recognized standards of human rights in Iran.”

by Paul Craig Roberts

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