Taliban Hold S. Wazir Press Conference In Plain Sight–Where Is Omniprescent Army?

Thousands of Taliban sent to Afghanistan, claims Wali

By Sailab Mehsud

In this photo taken Sunday, October 4, 2009, new Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, left, sits with his comrade Waliur Rehman during his meeting with media in Sararogha of Pakistani tribal area of South Waziristan along the Afghanistan border. — AP Photo

LADDAH: ‘Thousands of Taliban fighters’ have been sent to Afghanistan to join the war against US-led Nato troops, according to the South Waziristan chief of Taliban, Waliur Rehman.

Talking to reporters in the Shaktoi area, he said the move was consistent with Taliban strategy of ‘waging a guerilla war’ against Pakistani forces and a small number of ‘our fighters are sufficient to engage the troops in Waziristan’.

Wali, who was accompanied by Taliban spokesman Azam Tariq and a number armed guards, said the move was a response to the US troop surge. ‘More reinforcements can be sent to strengthen the Afghan Taliban.’ He said that Taliban were ‘still strong’ in South Waziristan despite the ‘tactical withdrawal’.

Troops, he said, controlled only areas near roads but the rest of South Wazristan is still under Taliban. The real war will be fought … in the rough terrain and thick forests of Waziristan’.

He denied security forces’ claim that over 600 militants had been killed and said Taliban had lost ‘less than 20 fighters … since the launch of the military offensive on Oct 17 this year’.

He said that Hakimullah Mehsud, the central leader of Taliban, was safe and ‘guiding his men in Waziristan’.

According to him, they would stop attacking military forces only if Pakistan severed ties with the US and ended its support.

Mr Wali claimed his group had 2,500 trained suicide bombers and a lot of them being trained at secret locations. ‘They are waiting for Taliban chief’s order to strike anywhere in the country.’

Denying that Taliban carried out suicide attacks in mosques and markets, he said that their targets were security forces and government installations.

He claimed that ‘Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden is safe and alive and was in constant touch with his followers’, but said he had never met him in person, He rejectd claims that Taliban were Indian agents and said that the TTP would continue its jihad (Holy war) against America and also India.’

AP adds: A US military spokesman in Afghanistan, called Wali’s comments ‘rhetoric’ that were not to be believed.

‘We have not noticed any significant movement of insurgents in the border area.’ Ishtiaq Ahmad, a professor of international relations at the Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad, said the comments were an attempt to worsen the already tense relationship between the US and Pakistan.

‘When the US expects Pakistan to synchronise its own counter-terrorism policy with troop surge … the militants issue these statements in an attempt to create problems in this relationship,’ said Prof Ahmad.

TTP propaganda

Dawn Editorial

Why would Waliur Rehman (L) try to interpose the TTP into the militants fighting in Afghanistan? The answer seems to lie in attempting to re-position the TTP as a force fighting a ‘legitimate’ war against a foreign enemy. –File photo

Waliur Rehman, the kingpin of militants in South Waziristan, has emerged from hiding to make some bold claims. ‘Thousands’ of the TTP’s men have been sent to Afghanistan to fight the American-led foreign forces, according to Rehman, while the TTP has 2,500 trained suicide bombers ready to strike ‘anywhere’ in Pakistan. Truth or propaganda? Given what is known about the TTP, it would appear to be the latter.

In recent times, the Afghan Taliban have gone to some length to dissociate themselves from the TTP. Mullah Omar himself is believed to have rejected the TTP’s militant activities inside Pakistan and expressed displeasure about the attacks against places of worship and civilian targets. Indeed, some among the Afghan Taliban have even gone to the extent of dropping the ‘Taliban’ appellation in a bid to distinguish themselves from their Pakistani ‘counterparts’. So why would Waliur Rehman try to interpose the TTP into the militants fighting in Afghanistan? The answer seems to lie in attempting to re-position the TTP as a force fighting a ‘legitimate’ war against a foreign enemy. And since the Pakistani state is supporting the ‘enemy’, the TTP is probably seeking to justify its increasingly unpopular war inside Pakistan by resorting to that old canard that a friend of the enemy is also an enemy.

Regarding the claim of several thousand suicide bombers waiting to be dispatched, the TTP is almost certainly trying to alarm the public here and in doing so to put pressure on the state to call off its military operations. Without a doubt the almost daily suicide attacks are an indication that the TTP really does have a significant number of suicide bombers ready to be deployed. But grim as that threat may be, events since Operation Rah-i-Nijat in South Waziristan suggest that Waliur Rehman was exaggerating by an order of magnitude the size of the ‘army’ of suicide bombers at the TTP’s disposal.

However, while Rehman may well have been spewing propaganda to recover the TTP’s lost standing and put the state under fresh pressure, there is real cause for alarm for another reason. How did Rehman and the TTP spokesman Azam Tariq find it possible to arrange a meeting with media personnel? The TTP’s centre of gravity in South Waziristan may well be no more, but the army has had virtually no success in eliminating or capturing the top-tier leadership. Poor intelligence-gathering has been blamed for that glaring shortcoming, but if Waliur Rehman’s ‘press conference’ is anything to go by, the situation is still dire on that front.

Kasab says signature taken on blank paper

NEW DELHI: Ajmal Kasab, under-trial in the Mumbai terror attacks, on the fourth consecutive day on Thursday denied all the charges framed against him in the case.

He told the 26/11 trial judge, ML Tahiliyani, in Mumbai that his signature was taken on a blank sheet of paper by the Indian police with regard to his confessional statement. “The confession recorded by magistrate was not read out to me and it does not contain the truth,” he said.

He again told the special Mumbai court that he did not arrive in Mumbai by fishing trawler, Kuber, but by the Samjhauta Express. He also denied that he had talked to Abu Hamza by a satellite phone. “If I had talked to him, then my voice would have been recorded,” he said. When asked about Abu Ismail, Kasab said: “Who is he, I do not know… I was not with him.”

Brit Press Cites “Proof” US Economic Recovery Underway

[A one-month rise in orders for computers and a handful of other items that are still "made in the USA"  does not a recovery make.  Any citation of numbers of jobless claims as proof that people are returning to work , or avoiding unemployment is meaningless.  Unemployment numbers do not reflect the true number of unemployed, or those who have stopped looking for minimum-wage (or below) work.]

US durable orders up, jobless claims at 15-mth low

New orders for long-lasting US manufactured goods, excluding transportation items, surged in November and new applications for jobless aid hit the lowest level in 15 months last week, pointing to a firmly entrenched economic recovery.

The US Commerce Department said on Thursday that durable goods orders, excluding transportation, rose 2 percent last month, more than reversing October’s 0.7% drop and beating market expectations for a 1% rise.

However, a plunge in orders for civilian aircraft tempered overall orders, which rose only 0.2%, below expectations for a 0.5% increase.  A separate Labor Department report showed initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell 28,000 to 452,000 last week. That was the lowest level since early September 2008. Economists expected a drop of only 10,000.

“Both of these series point to ongoing healing in the economy,” said Robert Dye, senior economist at PNC Financial Services in Pittsburgh. He said the figures suggested economic growth in the fourth quarter would be stronger than had been expected “with a moderate recovery through 2010.”

Analysts now see US GDP growing at an annual pace of between 4% and 5% in the fourth quarter, up from a 2.2% rate in the July-September period. Waning government support, however, is expected to weigh on growth in 2010.

US stocks rallied on the data, with all three indexes closing at 2009 highs in a shortened preholiday session. Prices for US government debt fell. The data eased concerns about the durability of the recovery that were revived by a report Wednesday that showed an unexpected drop in new home sales.

LABOR MARKET MENDING

The labor market is slowly mending after the worst US recession since the 1930s. Employers cut the fewest number of jobs in more than a year last month, and the unemployment rate dipped to 10% from a 26-1/2 year high of 10.2% in October.

The improving labor market tone was underscored by a decline in the four-week moving average of new claims, which reached the lowest level in nearly 15 months last week.

The average, which is considered a better measure of underlying labor market trends than initial claims figure, dropped to 465,250, closing in on the 450,000 mark that some analysts say will indicate labor market stabilization.

“We might even see some job growth when we get that December jobs number,” said Marc Pado, US market strategist at Cantor Fitzgerald & Co in San Francisco, referring to data the government will release in early January.

The durable goods report showed strength in orders in nearly every sector last month. Durable goods orders are a leading indicator of manufacturing activity and tend to give good indication of overall business health.

In a sign that businesses are starting to spend again, non-defense capital goods orders, excluding aircraft, jumped 2.9% last month after dropping 2% in October.

“This suggests that the fourth-quarter recovery in business investment was a bit stronger than we previously feared. This report supports our view that GDP will expand by about 5% annualized in the fourth quarter,” said Paul Ashworth, senior US economist at Capital Economics in Toronto.

Durable goods inventories fell 0.2% in November after being flat the prior month. Shipments increased 0.3%, adding to October’s 0.7% gain.

“The factory recovery is broadening and may be accelerating, although it remains a question as to how much a leveling in inventory liquidation as well as fiscal stimulus is powering the improved performance,” said Cliff Waldman, an economist for Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI in Arlington, Virginia.

What Happened to Chief Karkare’s Bulletproof Vest?

Latest twist to case of Karkare’s missing jacket

NDTV Correspondent

Why is the bulletproof jacket worn by Hemant Karakare during 26/11 missing?   The mystery, now the subject of a court case, has deepened.

On Tuesday, a sweeper at the JJ Hospital in Mumbai said he found Karkare’s jacket on the morning after the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. Karkare’s body was brought to this hospital for an autopsy.

Police sources told NDTV that the sweeper had thrown away the jacket into the garbage, and that it had been sent to a dumping ground.  But on Friday, the sweeper in question, Dinesh Gattar, denied this. He now says that after he found the jacket, he placed it aside and alerted a nurse.

So the case now returns to the basic point of who discarded the jacket – and why?

Hemant Karkare, the chief of Maharashtra’s Anti Terror Squad, was killed on 26/11 outside Cama Hospital, along with Assistant police Commissioner Ashok Kamte and Encounter Specialist Vijay Salaskar.  Karakare’s bulletproof jacket was never found.  A Public Interest Litigation has alleged that the jackets worn by Karkare and others were defective. A court is trying to determine if a sub-standard consignment was indeed, delivered to the police, either accidentally or deliberately.

A few days before the first anniversary of 26/11, Home Minister P Chidambaram apologized on NDTV to Karkare’s widow, Kavita, for the Mumbai police’s inability to find her husband’s jacket.

Earlier this week, Kavita Karkare dismissed the sweeper’s revelation as one forced by a government under pressure to cover its mistakes.

Did Jesus Visit India?–the Missing Years

Did Christ come to India to study Buddhism, Vedas?

New Delhi: The spotlight is back on Jesus Christ and his India connection as the world celebrates Christmas on Friday. Some historians believe he spent 17 years of early life – from the age of 13 to 30 – in India learning Buddhism and the Vedas.’There are references that Christ’s family (parents) settled in Nazareth, but the next time he appeared in Nazareth, Jesus was 30. He was said to have been growing in wisdom and stature in the missing years,’ British film producer Kent Walwin said.

Here to receive the Dayawati Modi Award for arts, culture and education in 2009, Walwin’s latest project, ‘Young Jesus: The Missing Years’, will explore early years of the messiah, which are not described in the Gospels.

Text: IANS

Images: Getty Images

According to Walwin, his movie is ‘on the Apostolic Gospels, which says Jesus was last seen in West Asia when he was 13-14 years old’. The first part of the movie will be based on Gospels and the second part of the movie will be ‘pure conjecture based on archival material’, the filmmaker said. There are several references to the India connection.In 1894, a Russian doctor, Nicolas Notovitch, published a book called the ‘The Unknown Life of Christ’ based on his extensive journeys in Afghanistan, India and Tibet. During one of his journeys, he visited Leh, the capital of Ladakh and spent some time at the Buddhist monastery of Hemis when he broke his leg.

At the monastery, he was shown two large yellowed volumes of a document in Tibetan language, ‘The Life of Saint Issa’. Jesus was referred to as Issa – or the son of god – by the Vedic scholars who tutored him in the sacred texts.

Notovitch noted down 200 verses from the document at the back of his journal which he kept during his travels. The document later created a storm in the West. Monks at the monastery of Hemis, located 40 km outside Leh atop a hill, corroborate to the legend of Christ in India.’Jesus is said to have visited our land and Kashmir to study Buddhism. He was inspired by the laws and wisdom of Buddha,’ a senior lama of the Hemis monastery said. The head of the Drukpa Buddhist sect, Gwalyang Drukpa, who heads the Hemis monastery, also believes in the legend.

Swami Abhedananda, a Bengali spiritual scholar and seer, had journeyed to the Himalayas to investigate the ‘legend of Christ visiting India’. His travelogue, a book titled ‘Kashmir O Tibetti’, tells of a visit to the Hemis monastery in Ladakh. It includes a Bengali translation of 224 verses of the ‘Issa legend’ which Notovitch copied.

In 1952, another Russian, Nicholas Roerich, a philosopher and a scientist, visited Hemis and recorded the legend. According to Roerich, ‘Jesus passed his time in several ancient cities of India such as Benares or Varanasi’.'Everyone loved him because Issa dwelt in peace with the Vaishyas and Shudras whom he instructed and helped,’ Roerich said in his account.

Christ’s teachings in the ancient holy cities of Jagannath (Puri), Benares (in Uttar Pradesh) and Rajagriha (in Bihar) earned him the wrath of the Brahmins, forcing him to flee to the Himalayas after six years, historians and authors say. Christ, say archival documents, spent another six years studying Buddhism in the Himalayas.

German scholar Holger Kersten’s book, ‘Jesus Lived in India’, also tells the story of the early years of Jesus Christ in India. ‘The lad arrives in a region of the Sindh (along the river Indus) in the company of merchants. He settled among the Aryans with the intention of perfecting himself and learning from the laws of the great Buddha. He travelled extensively through the land of the five rivers (Punjab), stayed briefly with the Jains before proceeding to Jagannath,’ Kersten says in his book.

Blackwater In Pakistan–Undeniable Proof of Conspiracy

Welcome to Pashtunistan: the aim of America’s secret war Shaukat Qadir December 24, 2009 Few people by now can be unaware of Blackwater, later known as Blackwater Worldwide and now as Xe. The private security agency formed in 1997 and based in North Carolina is owned by Erik Prince, a former member of the US Navy Seal special forces, and has long-standing links with both the CIA and the FBI. Its presence in Pakistan has been an open secret for some years. The investigative journalist and writer Jeremy Scahill, an authority on Blackwater and author of the bestselling Blackwater: the Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army, revealed last month that it has been there since 2006. He says Blackwater is being employed for covert ops, essentially intended to target high-value al Qa’eda leaders, including Osama bin Laden, but it has also assisted in providing information for drone attacks and has kidnapped suspects and transported them covertly to the US for interrogation. In other words, it is an American agency with a licence to kill or kidnap, thus exonerating official American agencies that might one day be held accountable. (Although personally I doubt if the CIA will ever be held accountable. I continue to aver that it is the only real rogue intelligence agency in the world. Mossad might enjoy liberty of action for any operation, but it cannot undertake one without the approval of the Israeli prime minister: no such restriction applies to the CIA.) Mr Scahill does not engage in speculation, and is not to be taken lightly. So when he states that Xe is sitting in Karachi, he is not likely to be wrong. He has added that the operation is so secret that many senior people in the Obama administration were unaware of it. However, he seems to have erred in one respect: Xe is not only in Karachi. It also has a massive presence in Islamabad and Peshawar, where I understand the organisation has rented up to seven adjacent houses. Neighbours who heard muffled explosions soon after the houses were occupied suspect that they are linked by underground tunnels. That the former president Pervez Musharraf permitted Blackwater entry to Pakistan does not surprise me in the least; he would have been ready to bark if George Bush wanted him to, not that Asif Ali Zardari is much different; both have been acceding to every US demand at every opportunity. There is no doubt that for the past year or so US drone attacks have been far more successful in targeting militants than before, although, with the exception of Baitullah Mehsud, only in taking out low-level soldiers. My information is that the CIA/Xe have improved their human intelligence, and with its presence in Peshawar it is possible that Xe might have contributed to this improved performance of drone attacks. But what else is it doing there? If its purpose is to kidnap suspected terrorists and convey them to the US, then clearly no one can know how many they have managed to extract since the operations would be covert; but, equally clearly, none has been high profile, or their disappearance would have been noted. All major non-Pashtun names on the US list of terrorists still roam at large in Karachi and Punjab. If Xe is meant to target al Qa’eda, again they don’t seem to have had much success. The US secretary of state Hillary Clinton continues to assert that Osama bin Laden is in Pakistan, without offering concrete evidence; and if he is, why has the professional and highly paid Xe failed to kill or capture him? For such an expensive operation, Xe seems to have little to show to justify its continued presence in Pakistan. The latest twist is that the organisation’s founder and owner, Mr Prince, has given an interview to the American magazine Vanity Fair, apparently in a fit of pique, in which he claims to have been a CIA asset since 2004 with a mission to hunt down and kill al Qa’eda militants for the US government. Describing the backlash after his employees shot dead 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad in 2007, Mr Prince said: “When it became politically expedient to do so, someone threw me under a bus.” He now says he is severing all ties with Xe, and after the interview the CIA said it was cancelling all contracts with the organisation. Nevertheless, there appears to be no evidence of its impending departure from Pakistan. This is a security agency that is available to anyone who can afford it. If its contract has indeed been terminated by the CIA, what is it still doing in Pakistan? Either the “termination” was a farce for public consumption, or Xe has found other paymasters. I am not a subscriber to conspiracy theories. However, sometimes there seems to be no alternative logical explanation, and/or the conspiracy theory appears logical in itself. When this happens, one is forced to become a believer. This seems to be one such instance. Pakistan’s conspiracy theorists have long held that the real object of Xe, acting on behalf of the CIA, is to destabilise Pakistan so as to have an excuse to take over or destroy its nuclear assets, because Israel and the US remain uncomfortable with a nuclear Pakistan. I have long disputed this theory, but am finding it increasingly difficult to continue doing so. The Brazilian journalist Pepe Escobar has suggested that the US wants to leave behind a united Pashtunistan, consisting of Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province and Afghanistan, an independent Balochistan and a weak, truncated Pakistan. The argument is a clever mix of fact and fiction; Jeremy Scahill he is not. But then, what is Xe doing in Pakistan? All official statements from the US, Pakistan and Xe itself have denied its presence; but we all know it is there and, if my conclusions are correct, apparently serving no visibly useful purpose. All the denials can only give credence to one conspiracy theory or another: take your pick. Brig Gen Shaukat Qadir is a retired Pakistani infantry officer

:: Article nr. 61409 sent on 24-dec-2009 21:35 ECT
www.uruknet.info?p=61409

Link: www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091222/OPINION/712219926/1080

Afghanistan War: The Soviet Lesson Not Learned

Video- Afghanistan War: The Soviet Lesson Not Learned

bravenewfoundation

December 24, 2009 more about “Video- Afghanistan War: The Soviet Le…“, posted with vodpod To get all of our videos, go to: http://rethinkafghanistan.com./ Thirty years ago on December 27, 1979 Russia invaded Afghanistan. After a gruesome conflict that lasted nearly ten years the Russian army withdrew facing an unwinnable scenario. The episode marks a dark era in Russian and Afghanistan history, leaving many to wonder if anything was accomplished. Thirty years later and with the U.S. in its 8th year of occupation, Rethink Afghanistan interviews former Soviet veterans of the war and Afghan leaders of that time who believe the U.S. is repeating their mistakes.

Obama Continues to Privatize America’s Imperial Wars

A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford

December 24, 2009 The Pentagon has methodically insulated its wars from most of U.S. civil society. “For the United States, war has devolved to a matter of contracts, a multi-trillion dollar cash cow for corporations, a self-perpetuating financial bubble that feeds the planet’s most dangerous and nonproductive, useless classes.” The mercenary is the ideal corporate warrior. Obama Continues to Privatize America’s Imperial Wars A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford “The mercenary war is a simple commercial transaction – a private affair between employee and management.” It is now beyond question that civilian military contractors – mercenaries – are permanently embedded in the structure and longterm planning of the United States Armed Forces. In recent years, about half the U.S. personnel in the combined South Asia theaters of war – Afghanistan and Pakistan – have been civilians, according to Pentagon figures. The one-to-one ratio of military to civilians – a percentage that would have been unthinkable prior to the invasion of Iraq – may become even more lopsidedly mercenary with President Obama’s troop escalation in Afghanistan. The Congressional Research Service estimates that as many as 56,000 civilian contractors may accompany the 30,000 uniformed troops scheduled for deployment to Afghanistan. That’s a ratio of almost two-to-one civilian to military. The Afghanistan/Pakistan theater has become the modern world’s first large scale corporate/civilian war. The official statistics on civilians in the war zones do not include covert operations, or “black ops,” which have been steadily increasing since President Obama took office, especially in Pakistan. The Pakistani military is extremely sensitive to the influx of thousands of American mercenaries. Much of the Pakistani press and public believe the Americans are sneaking in mercenaries to threaten the Pakistani state and seize its nuclear arsenal, which is likely one reason the Pakistanis have systematically delayed the processing of American travel documents. The mercenary outfit formerly known as Blackwater is one of the most hated names in Pakistan. For the United States, war has devolved to a matter of contracts, a multi-trillion dollar cash cow for corporations, a self-perpetuating financial bubble that feeds the planet’s most dangerous and nonproductive, useless classes. “Those who are most likely to be killed in U.S. wars are from families and towns that are least likely to complain.” Ever since the near disintegration of the U.S. military in Vietnam, the rulers of the United States have schemed to make war an activity that directly touches only a small proportion of the population. In 1972, the all-volunteer system made it possible for the Pentagon to socially engineer the demographics of the military. In the post-9/11 era, as any viewer of PBS News Hour can observe, the troops most likely to die are small town whites and Latinos – demographics that are not prone to political protest and, at any rate, wield little power in American society. To put it bluntly, those who are most likely to be killed in U.S. wars are from families and towns that are least likely to complain, and are in no positioned to protest effectively, anyway. Recent brown immigrants and white kids from nowheresville are precious to the Pentagon precisely because they present so few political problems. Mercenaries are even better – ideal. The vast majority have already been trained in the combat arms. They are separate from the military chain of command, which can always disavow their crimes with no prejudice to the honor of the uniformed services. Most importantly, the mercenary war is a simple commercial transaction – a private affair between employee and management, and none of the general public’s business. Notions of democracy, shared national culpability, citizen’s obligations to one another and to the human species – none of this enters the equation in corporate war-making. It is pure killing for profit – or pure profit for killing – on an industrial scale. For Black Agenda Radio, I’m Glen Ford. On the web, go to www.BlackAgendaReport.com. BAR executive editor Glen Ford can be contacted at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com.

Sectarian Terror for Christmas in Pakistan

[Terrorist outfit that calls itself a political party, Sipah e-Sahaba, continues it reign of hatred and terror in "Land of the Pure."]

Gojra violence survivors living in fear

GOJRA: In a tented camp in the Pakistani city of Gojra, Christians left homeless by religion-motivated violence were still camped out on Thursday, the eve of the Christian festival of Christmas.

There is little festive cheer in the camp, rather a pervasive sense of fear, after summer’s outburst of violence against their community, the worst violence against minorities in Pakistan this year.

Some of the Christians said they had received mobile phone text messages warning them to expect a “special Christmas present,” and they are terrified that their camp will be attacked, or their church services disrupted.

Local Bishop John Samuel said people were afraid of “terrorism.”

In early August, a mob of hundreds of Muslims rampaged through the dirt streets of Gojra’s Christian Colony, a neighbourhood in the heart of this Punjabi city, which lies about 220 miles (354 kilometres) southwest of Islamabad.

The mob looted and torched homes as panicked residents tried to flee and thick black smoke rose into the air.

Eight Christians died, seven of them from one family trapped in a burning home.

The attack, which Pakistani officials said was incited by a banned radical Islamist group Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, followed rumours that Christians had torn pages of a Quran, Islam’s holy book, an act considered sacrilegious by Muslims.

The ensuing carnage drew condemnation from the Pope and Pakistan’s prime minister, and highlighted how religious extremism has left the country’s minority religious groups increasingly vulnerable.

Christians make up less than five percent of Muslim-majority Pakistan’s 175 (m) million people.

Christians say more than 100 homes were burned and looted in Gojra and the nearby village of Korian. While many homes have been rebuilt using state money, dozens of families were still living in tents, waiting for construction on their houses to finish.

Both those who have moved back into their homes and the ones still in the camp say they are still regularly threatened, with phone calls warning them not to press charges against those responsible; armed men turning up at their homes; text messages on their cell phones promising a “special Christmas present;” and rocks thrown at the tents in the night.

“When we sleep at night the fear never leaves our heart,” said Safia Riaz, a 30-year-old whose father died of a heart attack during the riots. The violence “sticks in our minds” she says “God forbid that the violence will ever happen again.”

Officials say strict security arrangements were being put into place for the minorities during Christmas.

Security has been ramped up across the country anyway, as this year Christmas comes during the Islamic month of Muharram, which is often marred by bombings and fighting between the country’s Sunni Muslims and its Shiite minority.

But Gojra’s Christians have little faith in the police, who were accused in August of standing by during the worst of the violence, and complain that there have been no convictions of anyone involved in the rioting. They say those who led the mob are well-known in the town, but are left untouched.

Extremists have increasingly targeted minority religious groups in Pakistan.

Before the Gojra riots, local news reports said Muslims also set fire to dozens of Christian homes in the Kasur area near the eastern city of Lahore, while in March, Taliban militants told the leaders of about 25 Sikh families near the Afghan border they must convert to Islam and join jihad or pay five (b)billion rupees (62 (m)million US dollars) for protection.

Minority Rights Group International, a watchdog organisation, lists Pakistan as seventh on the list of 10 most dangerous countries for minorities, after Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Myanmar and Congo.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani issued a Christmas statement ahead of Christmas Eve saying that “today, more than ever, we need to rediscover the path of peaceful coexistence” and stressing that “Pakistan is a multicultural society and Christians are (a) very significant segment of our social settings.”

Gilani stressed that the government was “committed to working for the progress and prosperity of the minorities.”

But in Gojra, few feel festive. “We have no plans to celebrate Christmas” says Irfan Masih. “We don’t have anything. What sort of Christmas can we celebrate?”

Meanwhile in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, there are numerous Christmas decorations on display, despite some security precautions in place this year.

A Catholic church in an affluent western neighbourhood has hundreds of coloured lights strung up around the building.

In past years the church has allowed worshippers to congregate outside for the busy Christmas eve mass on December 24, but this year plans to hold two services to ensure everyone can fit inside the building.

Indo-Israeli plan to counter Pakistan, terrorism

Akhtar Jamal Islamabad—Indian and Israeli military officials have discussed a new secret plan to jointly counter “threats” from Pakistan and ‘Islamic’ militants in Afghanistan. Reliable reports reaching here say that during a two-day meeting early this week held in New Delhi Indian Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar and the Director-General of Israeli Defence Ministry Retired Brigadier-General Pinchas Buchris formulated a joint offensive strategy in this region. According to reports Indian and Israeli defence officials and senior military strategic planners met in New Delhi on December 22 and discussed a detailed approach to a joint plan to counter-terrorism and share intelligence on Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Gulf region. Other secret meetings and engagements were not revealed to the media. The reports reaching here also say that Israeli officials agreed to train and equip Indian Special Operation Forces (SOF) to counter terrorism threats in India and Afghanistan. Military observers say that Israeli weapons such as Tavor assault rifle and other warmachines are being provided to Indian Special Forces. In addition to that Joint simulation exercises and training of complete units could also be initiated. Military experts from both the sides also reviewed a proposal to jointly develop a surface to surface missile similar to the Indo-Israeli agreement in February. Approximately US$2.2 billion have been allocated for the development of the new long-range surface-to-air missile with Israeli technology. During the meeting of Joint Working Group (JWG) on Defence the two sides agreed to move ahead on three other agreements including expansion of sharing of satellite intelligence on the region. It is important to note that Israeli Defence Forces Chief Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi made an official visit to New Delhi early in December and had a detailed meeting with his Indian counterpart, Gen. Deepak Kapoor. Last year an IDF delegation headed by Deputy Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Moshe Kaplinsky visited the Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir apparently “to study and advise” the Indians on suppressive measures against the struggling Kashmiri people.

Jesus Christ, Peace be upon him!–(The One True Religion)

On the eve of Christmas

An Open Letter
TO CHRISTIANS WITH LOVE

Jesus Christ (Peace be upon him!) was the last but one prophet of God. Christmas Day, the birth date of Jesus is as important to Muslims as it is to Christians. IMW wishes greetings to the whole mankind on this occasion, especially to Christians and Muslims.

By Dr Javed Jamil

Dear Christian brothers and sisters

Peace be upon you all!

I have been feeling strongly for quite some time that I must address an open letter to all our Christian brothers and sisters. The reasons are multiple.

First, Christians are the biggest majority of the world today. (This is another matter that, according to the statistics only a small percentage of “Christians” do believe in the fundamentals of Christianity.)

Second, the Holy Quran praises Christians for certain of their qualities. It states:

“… and nearest among them in love to the believers wilt thou find those who say, “We are Christians”: because amongst these are men devoted to learning and men who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant. And when they listen to the revelation received by the Messenger, thou wilt see their eyes overflowing with tears, for they recognise the truth: they pray: “Our Lord! We believe; write us down among the witnesses. What cause can we have not to believe in God and the truth which has come to us, seeing that we long for our Lord to admit us to the company of the righteous?” (5: 82-84/A)

Third, Christians are mostly educated people, and it is much easier for the more educated to appreciate the beauty of the message of Quran than it is for the less educated.

Before inviting you to study the religion of Islam, I must clarify a few misunderstandings prevalent among Christians regarding Islam and Muslims, which have been aggravated in the wake of the attacks on World Towers in the US. Christians in larger numbers have now started believing that Muslims hate Christians and want to kill them on account of their religion. Here, it would be appropriate to state that:

1.        Islam literally means PEACE and there is nothing in the religion of Islam that allows or exhorts Muslims to kill (–except when attacked or victimised–) people of other faith on the ground of their beliefs.

2.        Those who planned attacks in America were neither themselves Islamic priests nor had any sanction of Islamic authorities;

3.        No Islamic scholar condoned their actions; in fact Islamic scholars were unanimous in condemning the attacks. This is another matter that many of those had hardly any sympathy for a number of the policies of American government. The governments of most Muslim countries supported America in its war against Taliban and Al-Qaeda.

4.        Those who planned these attacks had done so not to express their hatred for Christianity; it was directed against the US hegemony.

Conversely, there have been a number of Christian rulers and armies that killed Muslims in millions. Serbian President Millesowich slaughtered about hundreds of thousands of Bosnian Muslims. Soviet army (mostly Christians) killed about half a million in Afghanistan. Does this mean that Christianity was responsible for killing of Muslims?

Common Grounds
You must understand and realise the fact that out of all those who do not believe in the fundamentals of Christianity it is only Muslims who love all those whom Christians love: God, Mary, Jesus, John the Baptist, Holy Spirit and all other messengers of God including Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Job, Jonas, David and Solomon (Peace be upon them!). Love for them is an inseparable part of Islamic Faith. Not only their belief in Jesus and respect for him and his mother are profound, they also believe Jesus will come again in the world and will unite Muslims and Christians against the Evil forces ruling the world. And most Muslim scholars believe that the time of Second Advent of Christ is not far away.

Quran glorifies Jesus (Peace be upon him!) and Mary (Peace be upon her!)) in no uncertain terms. Muslims regard Jesus as the penultimate Prophet of Islam (the last being Muhammad (Peace be upon him!)) and “Statement (Kalimah), Messenger of God”.  And though it might sound incredible to Christians but the fact is that apart from several stories common in Quran and Bible, there are many events in the lives of Jesus and Mary that are described only in Quran; Bible is silent about them. For example, Quran describes in detail the story of how Virgin Mary went on to take bath and The Holy Spirit announced to her the birth of Jesus as a miracle of God. It also describes events related to the birth of Jesus, difficulties faced by Mary, the help by God, slandering of Mary by the community and Jesus’ miraculous speaking in the cradle to silence his mother’s detractors. Not only this, Quran also describes in detail the birth of Mary herself and her miraculous childhood. It also describes the birth of John the Baptist. These all stories are not present in any of the versions of Gospel. At the same time, Quran does also not fail to rectify certain misconceptions about Jesus’ life that will be discussed later.

This will also be interesting for you to know that Quran coins for Jews and Christians a very respectable term, “Ahl-e-Kitab”, the People of the Book because they have been reading earlier parts (Torah, Psalm sand Gospel) of the Book of God. To affirm their proximity to Muslims, several practical measures have been taken. The foods of Muslims and People of Book have been declared lawful for both. Quran states:

“The food of the People of Book is lawful unto you and yours is lawful unto them.” (5:5)

Taking another major leap towards bonding Muslims with the People of Book, Muslims have been permitted to marry Christian and Jew women; they are not required to change their religion. Quran states:

“(Lawful unto you in marriage) are (not only) chaste women who are believers, but chaste women among the People of the Book, revealed before your time,- when ye give them their due dowers, and desire chastity, not lewdness.” (5: 5)

Muslim rulers have also taken care to judge the internal affairs of Christians (as well as of Jews) on the basis of their own laws.

Quran on Mary and Jesus

Let us first see what Quran states about Mary and Jesus. Quran states:

Behold! a woman of Imran Said: “O my Lord! I do dedicate unto Thee what is in my womb for thy special service: So accept this of me: for Thou hearest and knowest all things. When she was delivered, she said: “O my Lord! Behold! I am delivered Of a female child!” And God knew best what she brought forth “And nowise is the male like the female. I have named her Mary, and I commend her and her offspring to Thy protection from the Evil One, the Rejected.” Right graciously did her Lord accept her: He made her grow in purity and beauty: to the care of Zakariya was she assigned. Every time that he entered (her) chamber to see her, he found her supplied with sustenance. He said: “O Mary! Whence (comes) this to you? She said:

“From God: for God provides sustenance to whom He pleases, without measure. ” (3: 35-37/A)

* Kaf.Ha.Ya `Ain.Sa. (This is) a recital of the mercy of thy Lord to His servant Zakariya. Behold! he cried to his Lord in secret, praying: “O my Lord! Infirm indeed are my bones, and the hair of my head doth glisten with grey: but never am I unblest, O my Lord, in my prayer to thee! “Now I fear( and colleagues) (will do) after me: But my wife is barren: So give me an heir as from Thyself, (one that) will (truly) represent me, and represent the posterity of Jacob; and make him, O my Lord! one  with whom Thou art well-pleased!” (19: 1-6/A)

* While he was standing in prayer in the chamber, the angels called unto him: “God doth give thee glad tidings of Yahya, witnessing the truth of a word from God, and (be Besides) noble, chaste, and a prophet, of the (goodly) company of the righteous.” He said: “O my Lord! How shall I have a son, seeing I am very old, and my wife is barren?” “Thus”, was the answer, “doth God accomplish what He willeth.” He said: “O my Lord! Give me a sign!” “Thy sign,” was the answer, “shall be that thou Shall speak to no man for three days but with signals. Then celebrate the praises of thy Lord again and again, and glorify Him in the evening and in the morning.” (3: 39-41/A)

* (To his son came the command): “O Yahya! take hold of the Book with might”

And We gave him wisdom even as a youth, and pity (for all creatures) as from Us, and purity: he was devout, and kind to his parents, and he was not overbearing or rebellious. So peace on him the day that he was born the day that he dies and the day that he will be raised up To life (again)! (19: 12-15/A)

* Behold! the angels said: “O Mary! God has chosen thee and purified thee-chosen thee above the women of all nations. O Mary! worship: thy Lord devoutly: prostrate thyself, and bow down (in prayer) with those who bow down.”

This is the part of the tidings of the things unseen, which we reveal onto thee

(O Apostle !) by inspiration: Thou wast not with them when they cast lots with arrows, as to which of them should be charged with the care of Mary: nor wast thou with them when they disputed (the point). Behold! the angels said: O Mary! God giveth thee Glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honour in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those Nearest of God; He shall speak to the people in childhood and in maturity; and he shall be (of the company) Of the righteous.” (3: 42-46/A)

* Relate in the Book (the story of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the east she placed a screen (to screen herself) from them. Then we sent to her our angel and he appeared before her as man in all respects. She said: “I seek refuge from thee to (God) Most Gracious: (come not near) if thou dost fear God.”

He said: “Nay I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee

The gift of a holy son.” She said: “How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?” He said: “So (it will be): thy Lord saith, `That is easy for Me and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a mercy from Us’: It is a matter (so) decreed.” (19: 16-21/A)

* So she  conceived him, and she retired with him to a remote place. and the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree: She cried( in her anguish): “Ah! would that I had died before this! Would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!” But  (a voice) cried to her from beneath the (palm-tree) “Grieve not! for thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee; and shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree: It will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee. So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye and if thou dost see any man, say, “I have vowed a fast to (God) Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into no talk with any human being.” At length she brought the (babe) to her people, carrying him (in her arms). They said :”O Mary! Truly an amazing thing hast thou brought! O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy Mother a woman unchaste!” But she pointed to the babe. They said: “How can we Talk to one who is a child in the cradle?” He said: “I am indeed a servant of God: He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet: and He hath made me blessed wheresoever I be, and hath enjoined on me prayer and charity as long as I live; He hath made me kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable; So peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die, and the day that I shall be raised up To life again”! (19: 22-33/A)

* “And God will teach him the Book and wisdom, the Law and the Gospel, and (appoint him) an apostle to the children of Israel, (with this message): `I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, In that I make for you Out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, And breathe into it, And it becomes a bird By God’s leave: And I heal those Born blind, and lepers, And I quicken the dead By God’s leave; And I declare to you What ye eat, and what ye store In your houses; surely Therein is a Sign for you If ye did believe; (I have come to you), To attest the Law Which was before me. And to make lawful To you part of what was (Before) forbidden to you;

I have come to you With a Sign from your Lord. So fear God, And obey me. It is God Who is my Lord And your Lord: Then worship Him. This is a Way. That is straight.’ (3: 48-51/A)

* Behold! the Disciples said: “O Jesus the son of Mary! Can thy Lord send down to us A tablet set (with viands) From heaven?” Said Jesus: “Fear God, if ye have faith.” They said: “We only wish To eat thereof and satisfy Our hearts, and to know

Thou hast indeed Told us the truth; and That we ourselves may be Witnesses of the miracle.” Said Jesus son of Mary: “O God our Lord! Send us from heaven A Tablet set (with viands), That there may be for us Fro the first and the last of us A solemn festival And a sign from Thee; And provide for our Sustenance, For thou art the best Sustainer (of our needs).” God said:” I will Send down unto you: But if any of you After that resisteth faith, I will punish him With a penalty such As I have not afflicted On anyone among All the peoples.” (5: 114-115/A)

* O ye who believe!  Be ye helpers of God As said Jesus the Son of Mary To the Disciples, “Who will be My helpers to (the work Of) God?” Said the Disciples, “We are God’s helpers!” Then a portion of the children Of Israel believed, and A portion disbelieved: But We gave power To those who believed Against their enemies, and they became The ones that prevailed. (61: 14/A)

* And remember, Jesus, The son of Mary, said: “O children of Israel! I am the apostle of God (Sent) to you, confirming The Law (which came) Before me, and giving Glad tidings of an Apostle To come after me, Whose name shall be Ahmed. (61: 6/A) (Note: Ahmed means `praiseworthy’, the word     nearest to the original Hebrew word, which is now translated as “counsellor” or “comforter”.)

* And  (the unbelievers) Plotted and planned, And God, too, planned And the best of planners Is God. Behold! God said: “O Jesus ! I will take thee And raise thee to Myself And clear thee (of the falsehoods) Of those who blaspheme; I will make those Who follow thee superior To those who reject faith, To the Day of Resurrection: Then shall ye all Return unto me, And I will judge Between you of the matters Where in ye dispute. (3: 54-55/A)

* That they said( in boast), “We killed Christ Jesus The son of Mary, The Apostle of God;” But they killed him not, Nor crucified him, But so it was made To appear to them, And those who differ There in are full of doubts, With no (certain) knowledge, But only a conjecture to follow, For of a surety They killed him not; Nay, God raised him up Unto himself; and God Is exalted in Power, Wise…. (3: 157-158/A)

Differences between Islam and Christianity

As seen above, Qur’an pays great respect to all those who are revered by Christianity. But while Christian priests are admired for certain qualities, Qur’an does not fail to put the matter straight by criticising Christianity in matters that dilute or corrupt the absolute monotheism. Jesus was a man of truth like all other messengers of God but he was a chosen human being, who would guide mankind in a way instructed by God. God is Absolute, Infinite and Perfect. Not even for an iota of time can He, in part or as a whole, become limited or bound by space or time. For whatever aim, God can never be caught by human beings and killed. Jesus was very special; whatever he did and said was in accordance with what God wanted him to say or do. This is another matter that many of his sayings or doings were not correctly recorded or interpreted.  He was not the SON of GOD biologically but metaphorically, because God the Absolute creates and not reproduces. Reproduction is a sign of dependence. It can be proven from Bible that, at several places, Jesus called God as Father of not only himself but also of all humans; he called himself “Son of Man” at several places. Humans were called “sons of God” at several places in both Old and New Testaments. God may be like father in the sense that He is Kind towards His creatures in some of the ways as a father is expected to be kind to his children. But to call Him Father in the Biological sense would deprive Him of His Absoluteness. God is one that encompasses the whole universe (even any other universes that might be existing) and controls it. One who can create anything need not reproduce. Furthermore, Son of God cannot be a role model for sons of men. Jesus was born without a father as a special miracle of God like Adam was born without parents and Eve without mother.

Islam (literally meaning PEACE, and defined as TOTAL SUBMISSION TO GOD) is not a new religion. It is the same religion, which Adam, Abraham, Moses and Jesus (Peace be upon them!) followed, and that hundreds of thousands of other messengers and devotes of God spread all over the world, except that God remodelled the constitution to suit new requirements. The basic philosophy of Belief in One God, Belief in His Messengers and Books, Belief in Hereafter and Belief in GOOD ACTIONS remains the same. But as Quran is for all times to come, it sets guidelines concerning all matters of life. Unlike Christianity that primarily seeks to reform an individual, Islam also gives well-defined principles about family and social life, including social, political, legal and economic systems.

ISLAM THE RELIGION OF PEACE

Islam, as opposed to the propaganda unleashed by the enemies of Islam, which gains credence from the activities of some Muslims who endeavour to use violence as a method of protest against the designs of some Western governments, Islam remains a system committed to and aimed at PEACE.

This is not without significance that Islam literally means Peace, and is defined as submission to God which means that peace cannot be obtained without total submission to the Lord of the universe. Similarly Iman means total satisfaction which again can be obtained only through unshared devotion to God. When Quran calls, “Enter Islam wholeheartedly”, it does not merely invite its adherents to follow the institutionalised system of Islam; it also beckons to them that the real, comprehensive and long lasting peace can be achieved only through total acceptance of the System of God. ….. And the best way to achieve peace, Quran states, is to continuously engage in Jihad, which again has the most comprehensive meaning possible. Jihad is primarily aimed at achieving peace at all levels; it implies revolution: within the body, and outside. Endeavours to achieve peace, the regular (or major) Jihad, must obviously be chiefly through peaceful means; but if peaceful means are not enough to ensure peace, armed (or minor) Jihad must be used, whenever unavoidable, in order to quell aggression, violence and mischief. Jihad is obligatory for every Muslim who must “enjoin good and forbid evil”. But, before telling others to behave, one has to learn behaving oneself. This makes Jihad against “self” as the best form of Jihad. Internal revolution is a sine qua non for external revolution. The external revolution has, however, not to be forgotten; it has to remain the ultimate goal. The combination of Internal and External Revolution alone can lead to real peace.

Thus the message of Quran, the Final Document of Peace, is unequivocal; anything good and desirable has to be promoted, and anything undesirable has to be discouraged. All possible means within the ambit of Islam are to be availed for achieving the goal. This goal however cannot be achieved with perfection unless there is unity of mankind; and mankind cannot unite unless it submits to One God, imitates One Prophet, follows One Book and faces One Direction. This is the real meaning of Wahdat (Unity) that is central to all Islamic systems of affairs. Wahdat of God means, in effect, the Wahdat of mankind. The only way of achieving the real peace is therefore in accepting Wahdat in principle, and in practice. Wahdat of Muslim Community has to be not for confronting the Unbelieving world but for striving for the unity of the whole world, in accordance with the commands of God. Let us pray to the Lord of the Universe for the unity of mankind in total submission to His Law!

APPEAL TO CHRISTIANS

My Christian brothers and sisters-in-humanity! I invite you all to Islam, because you have perhaps a little greater right (on account of your devotion to the penultimate messenger of God and Islam) than any other community to accept and benefit from Islam, the Final Version of God’s religion. By accepting Islam, you will not abandon Jesus but will follow him, because Jesus followed none but ONE GOD. Jesus had never said that none would come after him and he gave a clear indication that “Father” will send a “COMFORTER” to guide mankind “who will glorify me”. Out of all the important historical religious figures, it was only Muhammad (Peace be upon him!) and none else who glorified Jesus. He commanded his followers to believe that Jesus brought the truth from God and generated such a love for Jesus in the minds of Muslims as no other religious community has. It is only due to his teachings that Muslims alone believe in his miraculous birth from only a woman and his ascending to the heaven. If he were not a true messenger of God, he would not have hesitated to point out to the “dubious” nature of the birth of Jesus. If he had not been categorical in his admiration of Jesus, Muslims too could have responded, in the like manner, to the rebukes and slanders some Christians use for Muhammad (Peace be upon him!). Those who speak abusively about Qur’an must know that the pages of Qur’an are full of the stories of Jesus and Mary, apart from the glorification of God the Only Creator and Lord of the Universe. The Holy Spirit brought Qur’an to Muhammad (Peace be upon him!). Along with you, followers of Islam alone are those who love Jesus and Mary (Peace be upon them!). Those who tried to kill Jesus were Jews; and Hindus, Buddhists, Janis and Zoroastrians do not believe in them at all. Islam declares Virgin Mary as PURE and “would-be-leader of women of her time in Paradise” and Jesus as one of the biggest miracles of God. Along with you, we Muslims too are waiting for his Second Advent when he, along with Mahdi, one of the descendants of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him!), will eliminate the forces of evils from the world.

LET US UNITE!

If you accept the religion of God, the penultimate Prophet of which was Jesus and the last one Muhammad (Peace be upon them!), the way will be opened for the triumph of the good over the bad. If you do not accept Islam, even then Christians and Muslims must make every possible effort to unite against injustice, chaos, exploitation, crimes and other evils that pervade society. Christians and Muslims, combined, form almost half of mankind. Hatred between them does not augur well for the world. Mutual understanding and co-operation will lead to a long-lasting peace in the world. Once they unite, they must endeavour to unite all others for the common good of the people of the world. The world today is being ruled not by the system of God but by a system created by the forces of business and globalisation for their own selfish interests. They have commercialised and glorified all those evils that Bible and Quran campaigned against. They have commercialised all forms of addictions, sex and crimes. The result is chaos at every level. Family system is being disintegrated.  Sex and alcohol have become the greatest tormentors of humanity; their high scale and organised commercialisation has brought AIDS as one of the biggest killers of humanity, and exploitation of women and children in a big way. If these evils are not uprooted from society the day is not far when, despite all scientific and technological advancements, human life will become nothing but an unadulterated misery. Mankind already seems to be wandering on the road to ruin. Let us bring Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, Zoroastrians, Sikhs, Jains and all others together on the path of peaceful struggle against all forms of evils!

Let us all pray to God for total peace in the world!

Truly yours

Dr. Javed Jamil

Executive Chairman

International Centre for Applied Islamics

Headley Drama Upsetting Al-CIA-DA Wet Dreams

America flashes visa virus alert

K.P. NAYAR

Washington, Dec. 23: The US government has just stopped short of asking its citizens not to visit India in the light of mounting tales of harassment of Americans by immigration officials at airports across the country.

The harassment is the result of severely red faces in the Union home ministry over revelations that not only David Coleman Headley, but Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, also visited India with impunity.

Adding to the pressure on the home ministry to take draconian measures against arriving foreign tourists, those fighting turf battles against North Block have dug up proof showing that Masood Azhar, head of the terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed, arrived in Delhi on a questionable Portuguese passport in 1994. Waved in by immigration officials, he went on to co-ordinate several terrorist plots on Indian soil.

It is the contention of South Block and others engaged in these turf battles that North Block lost no sleep for as long as 15 years over these gaps in internal security which may have contributed to the planning of the Mumbai attacks last year.

But because immigration officials at Indian airports are now suddenly going to another extreme and treating almost every arriving foreigner as a potential terrorist, the US embassy in New Delhi has issued the following advice to citizens planning trips to India: “American citizens travelling to, or departing from, India are urged to review travel plans in light of these changing procedures.”

This is just short of asking Americans not to travel to India, a step the US state department took following the December 2001 attack on Parliament.

The then US ambassador, Robert Blackwill, had enraged South Block when he ordered the evacuation of embassy staff members.

Sensitive to the uproar he caused in South Block, the US embassy in New Delhi and its consulates elsewhere in the country have this time asked American citizens planning to visit India “to contact the nearest Indian embassy, high commission or consulate overseas or the nearest foreigners’ registration office (FRO) in India to determine proper procedures to follow”.

This is tantamount to turning the tables on the Indian government.

If every American citizen planning a trip to India were to contact Indian missions and seek such advice, these missions would be swamped by enquiries: they are simply not equipped to handle such large-scale queries and do not have helplines for dealing with the public during such exigencies.

Nor can any locally recruited clerk, who will inevitably be assigned to man the phone line, be in any position to answer such queries: because ultimately, it will be the whim of the officer at the arrival counter at an airport that will determine whether a visa holder enters India or is sent back from the airport, not any rule set in stone.

Besides, Indian consular offices in the US have very limited experience of dealing with the public after it outsourced all visa collection and delivery process to an American company in October 2007.

In a severe and undiplomatic indictment of the Indian immigration system, the US embassy in New Delhi has formally warned American citizens that “these new visa and registration regulations are being implemented inconsistently and are not finalised”.

It is understood that separately, the US deputy chief of mission in New Delhi, Steven White, has protested to Gaitri Kumar, joint secretary in charge of the Americas in the ministry of external affairs (MEA), over the inconvenience to Americans at entry points in India.

The British high commissioner in New Delhi is also said to have written to the MEA over similar problems affecting British citizens visiting India.

If India does not respond to these complaints, it will only be a matter of time before Indians arriving at US and UK airports are put to similar inconvenience.

Countries which have self-esteem believe in reciprocity in diplomatic dealings and if India continues to be unreasonable in its dealings with arriving foreigners, it is only natural that foreign governments will implement tit-for-tat policies.

At the heart of the current immigration problems at India’s points of entry is a new home ministry rule after the Headley revelations that “there should be a gap of at least two months between two visits to the country on a tourist visa”.

However, according to the Indian embassy in Washington, “in case of requirement to (re)visit the country within two months, permission should be sought from” the Indian ambassador here. “In such cases, registration would be required within 14 days of arrival” at the nearest foreigners registration office in India.

But according to the US embassy in New Delhi, to mention a case among the many it has recorded, “one American in India on a business visa was informed that she would not be allowed to depart India until she had registered with the FRO, even though she had only been in India for seven days and her passport was stamped ‘Registration not required if stay is less than 14 days’”.

There Is No “Judea or Samaria,” You Freakin’ Extremists

‘Anti-Freeze’ Action Plan Released

by Hillel Fendel

(IsraelNN.com) Grassroots organizations in Yesha Judea and Samaria [West Bank], together with the National Union faction in the Knesset, have published a rough draft of a plan to actively fight the construction freeze. The program is formulated carefully and logically, yet deals with what it calls an “existential threat” and the “first step towards the destruction of most of the Jewish presence in Yesha.”

The Komemiyut (Proudly Upright) organization will disseminate the plan in post offices throughout Judea and Samaria at the end of this week. The program begins by outlining the calamitous nature of the construction freeze decision by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, explains the draconian nature in which the freeze is expected to be implemented, and concludes with an operative set of steps to fight it.

The decision to freeze all construction in Judea and Samaria is not something that can be easily ignored. It is nothing less than the first step – irreversible, under natural circumstances – towards expulsion and destruction….

Plan of Action: Basic Principles
We must create an atmosphere of tension and agitation, in order to get the nationalist-camp politicians to truly pressure and threaten Netanyahu.

No Dialogue!
We must also employ psychological warfare, in the sense of, “We’re upsetting the board and not playing anymore.” There must be no dialogue with the government or the IDF. Dialogue only serves their purposes, of keeping things under control. Their fear of the unknown and lack of control is much greater than ours, and if we don’t talk with them, they have more to lose than we do.