Israel Has Problems at Top Brass, Pacifies Syria, Mounts Anti-Hezbollah Rhetoric |
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12/05/2010 Conditions in Israel are not normal, Israeli media suggested Wednesday, citing “challenges” facing the army and the defense establishments on the one hand, and the specter of war whether with Lebanon, Syria or Iran. “There is no doubt that under normal conditions, the establishment and its top brass would be able to address developments on the ground and decision-making processes from now until the end of the year; however, these are not normal conditions,” Yedioth Aharonoth’s Ron Ben-Yishai warned. News of ‘major confrontations” between army chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and Defense Minister Ehud Barak continue to percolate thus “jeopardizing their ability to effectively deal with the various missions faced by the army.” “What started as a conflict between bureaus recently escalated to the point of growing personal hostility,” Ben-Yishai suggests. Barak insists on choosing his candidate for next army chief in two or three months. This plan provokes anger among Major-General Ashkenazi’s close associates. The army chief will complete his term only in February 2011, so choosing his successor and making major appointments seven months before that will turn Ashkenazi into a “lame duck,” undermining his ability to manage the army effectively. “The fact that senior US officials have met with Ashkenazi en masse in an effort to curb an Iran strike also undermines the relationship between the two figures,” Ben-Yishai says. However he adds that “despite their poor relationship, Barak and Ashkenazi manage to jointly take level-headed decisions on major issues.” In the meantime, Israel is seeking to pacify Syria although it is maintaining its aggressive rhetoric against Iran and Hezbollah. A Haaretz report cites “a synopsis of declarations” made in the past 48 hours to point at “a conflagration” on the northern front. Haaretz believes that developments on the Iranian front depend on the results of Washington’s initiative to impose tougher sanctions – expected to be discussed at the UN Security Council next month. The paper also believes that Hezbollah’s “attempts to exact revenge for the 2008 killing of commander Imad Moghniyeh have failed,” thus leaving the main reason for conflagration in the near future on the alleged transfer of Scud and M-600 missiles from Syria to Hezbollah. In a bid to pacify Syria, the Israeli army sought Tuesday to explain that PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to a reservist training center in Northern Command to observe exercises was well planned in advance, as if urging Damascus not to conclude the opposite. Strong diplomatic activity in the region, recently Russian President Dimitry Medvedev’s visit to Syria, indicates a serious situation in the Middle East. Apparently Israel is not ready to wage war on Lebanon at the present time; its army and defense establishments have their differences; they have the problem of shelters for settlers mainly in the north, they have the problem of being engaged in war on two, three, and maybe four fronts, and they have the problem of not knowing what to expect from Hezbollah during the course of the war. However it should be taken into consideration that Israel takes action when least expected, and based on speeches by Hezbollah’s S.G. and other senior officials, it can be concluded that “least expected” is no longer present in the resistance’s book of warfare. |
Daily Archives: May 12, 2010
India Can’t Handle the Truth About Hemant Karkare’s Murder
SC rejects plea for probe into Karkare’s killing
IANS
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition for a probe into the killing of Hemant Karkare, head of Maharashtra Police’s anti-terrorist squad (ATS), during the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.
The petition wanted an independent fact-finding committee, headed by a sitting or a retired judge of the apex court, to look into the events before Karkare’s killing.
A bench of Justice B. Sudershan Reddy and Justice Surinder Singh Nijjar rejected Radhakant Yadav’s public interest litigation (PIL) but gave him the liberty to move the high court.
Since Yadav, a three-time Bihar legislator, had moved the Supreme Court under Article 32 of the constitution that deals with citizens’ rights, the apex court questioned him on how his fundamental rights had been encroached upon.
Under Article 32 a citizen of India can knock the doors of the apex court for protection of his rights, including the fundamental rights.
The petition “submitted that there was an abject failure of the state of unparalleled magnitude in protecting the citizens of the country from terrorists, including the death of officers like ATS chief Karkare”.
The petitioner contended that the entire Mumbai terror attack should not be seen as single episode but two different attacks.
The petitioner pointed to the book “Who Killed Hemant Karkare”, authored by former Maharashtra Police chief S.M. Mushrif, which said the government explanation given for the ATS chief’s death was not logical and not believable.
He said the R.D. Pradhan Committee, headed by a former senior bureaucrat, was set up by the state government to give a report on various aspects of the Mumbai attack but it did not receive cooperation from various authorities.
Yadav said that Karkare investigated and exposed the plot of “right wing terror groups” who were responsible for several blasts between 2003 and 2008.
Karkare came to know about the involvement of political and religious leaders and was “only inches away from arresting some of them” before his killing, the petitioner claimed.
The petitioner also claimed that the Research and Analysis Wing, India’s external intelligence agency, had sent the Intelligence Bureau precise and actionable information about the Mumbai attack but it was not passed on to Maharashtra police.
Swat From Staged Drama To the Real Thing–When Is Final Act?
Locating the Swat operation
By Zubair Torwali
Officially known as Operation Rah-e-Rast, the military offensive in Swat has now completed a full year. It is indeed this offensive that earned credibility for the powerful army chief of Pakistan, and – to some extent – for the democratic government as well. The applause aside, let us locate the offensive with the people of Swat.
When asked about the effectiveness of the offensive, Mukhtar Yousafzai – head of the independent Swat ‘qaumi jirga’ and a seasoned political activist — analyses the situation as follows: “In Swat, it was the state agencies that groomed, promoted and protected the terrorists. They were given full liberty to use modern means of propaganda and power such as FM radios [and] sophisticated weapons and had full backing. It was designed to make Swat another Afghanistan. The local leadership was either killed or demoralised. Journalism was banned and free voices were choked. Swat was made a safe haven and, in the end, it was handed over to the Taliban to establish their writ in the way they liked. Swat thus became a paradise turned into hell. But the brave people of Swat did not surrender.”
Continuing, Yousafzai says, “They spread out … organised demonstrations, appealing to the civil society within [the country] and the world outside by demonstrating in Washington, Toronto, London and New York. They circulated memorandums to the embassies of all the nations. Indigenous writers came out and used the might of their pens to bring into the limelight the plight of the people of Swat. Owing to the efforts of the people of Swat, the army decided to launch a third offensive against the Taliban.” He says the two phases of the offensive before Operation Rah-e-Rast were “merely war games”.
“They were never aimed at eliminating militancy from the valley. It is this third phase, known as Rah-e-Rast, that has some credibility.”
Asked to elaborate Yousafzai’s statement on credibility, Mukhtar Lala says, “The Taliban are on the run, their strongholds have been dismantled to a great extent, their leadership and network stand afflicted with remarkable harm and they are now isolated.”
However, Mukhtar is extremely worried about the recent wave of target killings that have targeted some important figures of civil society, such as members of the Swat qaumi jirga and other peace committees. “The peace in Swat is too fragile to rely on … it is suspicious and vulnerable. The blowing up of CD shops and the circulation of threatening letters by the Taliban have again frightened the people, who consider these latest developments as the beginning of a new rising in the valley,” he says.
An internationally recognised researcher on Swat, Dr Sultan-e-Rome says of the operation, “A failure … the fresh wave of target killings right under the nose of the army is a testament … [the decision to] force civilians to form lashkars and be their own watchmen during the night, an increase in the number of army posts and frequent checking and curfews are other testaments.”
However, Rohul Amin, a lecturer in Swat, says. “There is marked improvement in the Swat situation, but there is [still] a sense of fear and insecurity among the people after the new spate of target killings of peace committee members. These attacks will scare tourists away during this season as well. Apart from this, business is picking up and schools and colleges are open. There is the writ of the government. People are satisfied with the success of the operation,” says
Ihsanul Haq Haqqani, a senior journalist from Swat, aptly says, “No doubt, the operation was a success, but the post-operation policy is enough to convert the success into a horrible failure. The civil administration and the political leadership are happy to keep the army engaged in the aftershocks. The army should conclude its job at the earliest.”
Even after a year, one wonders how the trust of the people can be reinforced. Mukhtar Lala has a remedy. “The target killings and the bomb blasts are a result of security lapses. The army is Swat has forgotten its core concern – the security – and is now involved in other rehabilitation activities, which are not their responsibility.” He says, “The military should design measures that would improve its credibility by dealing in a people-friendly manner with civilians. It should be open to criticism and counselling by the civil society of Swat. The media must not be controlled through the ISPR. The Maliks and Khans of Swat should gather on a single platform above party affiliations and unite for the sake of over 1.6 million people of Swat.” He says the Swat qaumi jirga would be organised in each village and at the union council level.
Whether the elimination of militancy from Swat is possible or not, the people of this scenic valley are determined to assist the military in their fight against the militants if the army performs its duty wholeheartedly and builds a better relationship with the people. Unnecessary measures and humiliation of the general public by security personnel would be counterproductive. While the people of Swat have not surrendered to the Taliban, the state is prompting the population of the valley to lose trust.
On the current situation, Ziauddin Yousafzai, the spokesman for the Swat qaumi jirga says, “Over the last year, security forces have been successful in restoring the writ of the government. The prevailing peace is borrowed and temporary. It is tranquillity in the shadows of guns. Peace without guns is our dream and aim. That needs a clear vision and good intentions on the part of the state institutions and the people.”
Zubair Torwali is a freelance analyst and activist based in Swat where he heads Centre for Education and Development. He can be reached at, ztorwali@gmail.com
Ukrainian opposition attack pro-Russia policies
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| Wednesday, May 12, 2010 KIEV: Hundreds of supporters of President Viktor Yanukovich threw a cordon around the Ukrainian parliament on Tuesday as opposition politicians and demonstrators angrily accused the leadership of selling out the country to Russia. The ex-Soviet republic is hosting a visit by Kremlin leader Dmitry Medvedev on May 17-18 and tension is high after riots in parliament on April 27. On Tuesday, several hundred members of the pro-Yanukovich Regions Party formed a barrier to the entrance to the parliament building, while police kept back about 3,000 supporters of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko from drawing near. Tymoshenko, who has seized on the Black Sea fleet issue to reinvigorate the opposition, declared: “Everything that happened over Crimea and Black Sea fleet was directed at belittling our independence.” |
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Rehman Malik’s past being whitewashed
[SEE: Mossad And India Spy Agency Team Up, Target Pakistan]
Rehman Malik’s past being whitewashed |
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Wednesday, May 12, 2010 Record goes missing, officials punished; Victims come out in the open to complain; source close to PPP terms cases against Malik bogus, politically motivated  By Umar Cheema ISLAMABAD: The official record of the 1996 cases against interior Minister Rehman Malik has started to disappear and FIA officials who arrested and handled him back in 1996 are now facing his wrath. Meanwhile, A private party has suddenly withdrawn its 15-year old FIR against Mr Malik for illegally grabbing 12 acres of land. A director of FIA in Peshawar confirmed to The News that the record relating to the minister had been misplaced and it is being reconstructed but he denied they had tampered with the previous record. The officials have been punished and harassed so much that they have now come on record to publicly complain that they are being targeted by the all-powerful interior minister. A deputy director of FIA, Tariq Malik, who had reported that Rehman Malik as the then additional DG FIA received two cars as illegal gratification, has been demoted twice and transferred to a far-flung area in Quetta. Likewise, Sardar Azam, another assistant director, now retired, who had arrested Rehman Malik the day FIR No 14/96 was registered against him, has stated on record to The News that his pension is being delayed as punishment. An FIR No. 12/97 lodged against the interior minister in 1997 in Faisalabad, for grabbing 12 acres of private land has also been quashed as the complainant, the private party, has suddenly withdrawn it after FIA officials approached it for a compromise. Tariq Malik, the FIA officer who has been demoted, told The News he would record his statement in case he was summoned by any court or any other authority. Sardar Azam, who retired in January this year, confirmed to The News that he was the man who arrested and investigated Rehman Malik in 1996 but now his pension benefits were being blocked. He said he had recorded statements of two Toyota dealers namely Saleem Godiyal and Rafique Godiyal who had admitted giving illegal gratification in the form of two Honda cars to Rehman Malik and these cars were later also recovered by the FIA. He said the interior ministry was delaying his benefits for no reason and was asking time and again for production of different documents that had been repeatedly submitted but every time a new demand comes up. Jhang resident Barkhurdar son of Raja Sarang and Tassawar Abbas who lodged an FIR No. 12/97 against the minister in Faisalabad, were approached by FIA officials for a compromise and they have surrendered. Their surrender even turned out to be surprising for the judge of the special court hearing the case on February 18, 2010 as he called the complainants separately, inquiring about the reason of their surrender and the family head told the judge: “he had become too ill to contest legal battles any further.” The minister was facing charges of registering false cases against private individuals from Jhang, for pressuring them to quit possession of more than 12 acres of land purchased by them in 1992, as the same land was subsequently got allotted by the minister in the name of his real sister, Noor Begum. The minister’s staff officer again played an instrumental role as the complainant party submitted to his wishes when strings were pulled. The petitioner Barkhurdar, a resident of Jhang, confirmed to The News they had withdrawn the case upon the intervention of “some common friend”. He also confirmed the judge hearing the case was curious about the withdrawal decision and he had told him that being a diabetic patient, he couldn’t afford legal battle like this. Tasarruf Shah, Deputy Director FIA, Faisalabad, when contacted by The News denied playing any role in this case. Tariq Malik, FIA’s deputy director, who has twice been demoted after he refused to temper with the record about charge-sheeting of the minister, has now been transferred to Quetta from Islamabad. But he told The News he would speak about it in a court of law. Tariq being an FIA inspector had filed a source report in 1996 that led to the registration of an FIR No. 14/96 against Rehman Malik alleging that he received two Honda cars as bribe from Toyota Company. The minister’s staff officer summoned Tahir Malik in the interior ministry six weeks ago and interrogated him on how he came to know about the cars and how was it a bribe. The staff officer then demanded of Tariq Malik to alter his statement to help Rehman Malik get acquitted from the court. As Tariq refused he was told that times had changed. “I know times have changed and also know it is changing very fast,” he is said to have replied. However Malik had to pay for his defiance as he was demoted one down to an assistant director, a notification which was cancelled later by the secretary interior. But in a space of two weeks, he was not only demoted again but also transferred to Quetta, a station that is seeing the pullout of all Punjabi FIA staffers after some of them were murdered there. All these cases against Rehman Malik stand reopened after the revocation of the NRO but since the FIA is the executing agency it is lending crucial support to cover up the past cases against their current boss. The News talked to many FIA officials for their versions in all these issues. The minister’s staff officer, Sajjad Haider, who has been accused of using strong arm tactics to temper record, remove it or facilitate compromises between parties disconnected the call when he was asked the question. He was later sent a message stating his version is required and that he should attend the call but he did not. The minister’s phone also remained un-attended and message sent expressing the intention of the caller was not responded to. Director General of FIA, Zafrullah Khan, when contacted to inquire about Tariq’s demotion said the interior secretary was the competent authority to do this. About his transfer to Quetta the DG said it was a routine matter. Secretary interior was not available for comments. About the manipulation of record by FIA Peshawar office, DG FIA Zafrullah Khan referred this correspondent to speak to Inam Ghani, the director posted there. When contacted Director Inam confirmed that the record relating to the minister had been misplaced and it is being reconstructed but denied if they had tempered with the previous record. The misplaced record is about a case in the Peshawar’s Court alleging Rehman Malik of fleeing abroad in 1998 while being on ECL. Sources say it is being manipulated though officially it has been misplaced. An FIR No. 62/98 was registered against the minister under the Exit from Pakistan (Control) Ordinance. The minister’s staff officer went to Peshawar for securing FIA’s help, official sources confided to The News. An assistant director of the Passport Circle, refused to entertain his request. Then an inspector level investigator was assigned the task and he prepared a diary dated February 6, 2010, a report stating that the accusations against the minister were fabricated and that the minister was not informed that he was on the ECL. As the court took up the case on February 10, 2010 and the case diary was presented, the court asked for the old record but it was told it has been misplaced. A deputy director (law) appeared before the court taking up the minister’s bail matter, instead of resisting the bail application, suggested to the court that he should be granted bail as denying this would amount to his humiliation, officials privy to development said. In the case in which Rehman Malik continues to be a Proclaimed Offender, The News contacted Shuja Naveed, an FIA deputy director heading Special Investigative Unit (Islamabad). This case was instituted against the minister under FIR No.12/97 for registering a false case against one Dr. Mooeni, in which the minister had allegedly demanded Rs500000 through a journalist, named Dawood Ahmed Khawaja, Chief Editor Nai Roshni of Multan, whose affidavit dated 5/12/96 is on judicial record. Shuja Naveed confirmed the court of special judge had sought details about what action has been taken against the accused and it has been informed that the record relating to the minister was shifted to NAB in 2004, hence they’re not responsible for any action. Upon non-appearance, the minister was declared a Proclaimed Offender. Now when the court of a special judge has directed the FIA to intimate what action has been taken against the PO, the FIA has opted to remain silent. A source close to the PPP, when contacted, declared all the cases against Interior Minister A Rehman Malik as bogus and politically motivated. He said at that time officials of FIA and other departments were forced to fabricate cases against Malik. These cases could not be further investigated because they had no foundation and were very weak. He said the allegations about misplacement and tempering of the record by FIA officials had no truth. He said the staff had been asked to complete files with honesty. They had also been ordered to make investigations without any fear or favour. |
Afghanistan, Iraq And Next Pakistan?
[The author in the following asks the question--why {has} the US urged Pakistan to launch a military offensive in the northern areas?
Understanding why the US wants Pakistan to launch major military operations in northern Pakistan should be clear to all readers of this site, the United States is really interested in southern Pakistan, Balochistan, to be more precise. They want all Army and air resources tied-up fighting against the ISI's militants, while they sweep into the south from the forces being built-up at Kandahar and Helmand.
| SEE: ‘Final Solution’ Frenzy – Part Four: Final Solution for Pakistan ] |
Afghanistan, Iraq And Next Pakistan?
By Gulam A. Mitha
| 10 May, 2010 - Countercurrents.org
Does it have to be that an entire country and it’s innocent civilians have to be punished after the failed New York Times Square bomb attempt by one person? It seems to be that way. Maybe another false flag operation was planned to issue stern warnings to Pakistan that should there be a successful attack next, there might even be a “boots-on-the ground” US presence on Pakistan as reported by the New York Times, a Zionist mouthpiece, on Saturday May 9, 2010 (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/world/asia/09pstan.html). After the unsuccessful bomb attack by US citizen Faisal Shehzad who was captured by US authorities on board a flight to Pakistan via Dubai, the US administration has started issuing threats to Pakistan. The first threat came on May 5, 2010 from Fareed Zakaria, author and host of CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS” in which he reported that “Pakistan is the epicentre of Islamic terrorism” and that “..it’s worth noting that even the terrorism that’s often attributed to the war in Afghanistan tends to come out of Pakistan, to be planned by Pakistanis, to be funded from Pakistan or in some other way to be traced to Pakistan..”. Zakaria was a favored student of Dr. Huntington the celebrated author of “The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of the World Order”. Zakaria has also been noted to be involved with George Bush and Paul Wolfowitz in pushing for the war on Iraq. Why would Zakaria use the words “Islamic Terrorism” rather than Muslim terrorism? In my article, The Winds of Change, published by Countercurrents on May 4, 2010 I’d written that since the war cannot be waged on Islam, the next best is to wage it on its adherents to weaken them. The strategy is working. The affluent group of Muslims are being weakened as they pursue materialistic objectives whereas the poorer Muslims are being intimidated through wars waged on them. One group fears the loss of wealth and the other fears loss of lives, not their own maybe but of their families. On May 7, 2010, US military commander in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal met with Pakistan’s military commander General Ashfaq Kiyani in Islamabad to clearly issue a stern warning that Pakistan must immediately begin a military offensive against the Taliban and al-Qaeda in North Waziristan. US ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson also met with Pakistani president Asif Zardari and used “forceful” language to convey the American point that the Pakistanis had to move more assertively against the militants threaded through the society. As if that is not enough, pressure mounted from Hillary Clinton on May 7, 2010 that it faced “very severe consequences” if a terror plot like Times Square bombing were traced to Pakistan. US officials have even admitted that if there is a successful attack, the US will have to act. Maybe there is a successful attack being planned by the US either on its soil or on some European, Indian or Israeli soils. If the unsuccessful bomb attack is so politically successful, one would wonder how successful will be a successful bomb attack. The answers to the question why US has urged Pakistan to launch a military offensive in the northern areas is very clear. It is to create more fear and terrorism, more suicide bombings, ensure more terrorists are bred, continue and further increase drone attacks and, demoralize and weaken the military through exhausting the hardware in its arsenal such that if a joint US-Indian-NATO attack is launched on Pakistan in the near future, it’ll not be able to sustain the war. Nuclear deterrence against an enemy already on its soil is pointless. The one thing that most Muslim leaders severely lack is diplomacy and negotiation skills, more so a nuclear state like Pakistan than any of the others who’ve no strong and viable defences. Pakistan could easily retaliate to threats from US or India but being an indebted nation whose leaders are corrupt to the nth degree and who have families overseas, they’re unable to demonstrate diplomacy or use language that would remove threats so they submit to threats. Zardari is a known state criminal and the US has all the scoops on him to blackmail him should he not relent to US demands. It is now obvious that the US has military intentions towards Pakistan. India and Israel but more so the latter would like to see Pakistan denuclearised. Pakistan is also of significant geo-political importance as it would serve as a corridor for land-locked Afghanistan and the former Soviet satellites . 9/11 led to the occupation of Afghanistan, WMDs led to the occupation of Iraq and its becoming obvious that the relentless pressure of terrorism might lead to Pakistan’s occupation and subsequent denuclearisation. The Zionists have mastered the art of fabrication without being challenged. They’ve not only fabricated 9/11, WMDs and other false flag operations but they’ve also fabricated an economic culture leading to rewards for the obedient servants and slavery for the masses throughout the world. Much as the US, France, Germany and UK would like to bomb Iran to the rubble because of its oil and gas, Russia and China have not been supportive of actions against Iran in the United Nations. The next best target is therefore Pakistan as the US needs not secure UN, Russian or Chinese support for actions against it. The excuse of containing the epicentre of “Islamic terrorism” is sufficient. Pakistan is in the pressure cooker with the lid on and the stove flame on high. Gulam Asgar Mitha 180 Citadel Crest Cir. NW Calgary, AB, CANADA T3G 4G4 |
Trying To Make the Lives Saved Worth Living For Trauma-Scarred Servicemen
Multi-Symptom Pain Disorders Plague Returning Service Men and Women
Source: American Pain Society
Newswise — Nine in 10 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans return with some form of pain and about 60 percent have significant pain, mainly from the cumulative effect of exposure to recurring blasts which cause unimaginable injuries, according to prominent VA pain clinicians speaking at the American Pain Society’s annual scientific meeting.
“We are talking about a complicated set of problems involving cognitive issues, deep emotional impacts, and acute and chronic pain that have serious, long-term implications for our veterans and make effective pain treatment outcomes far more difficult to achieve,” said Michael E. Clark, Ph.D., clinical director of the Veteran Administration’s largest and most comprehensive pain management and rehabilitation program in Tampa, and associate professor, department of psychology, University of South Florida. “The pain constellation exhibited by returning service members is the most complex situation I have ever seen in my 30 years of practice and calls for a revolutionary new approach to simultaneously address the spectrum of shared, common symptoms across these severe disorders.”
“These Middle East conflicts, with their very high level of blast injury survivors, call for the military, the VA and the civilian health system to treat post-injury pain as a priority after military discharge to prevent pathophysiology, with a focus of providing effective pain control and rapid restoration of function and social networks to prevent disability and secondary negative health and personal consequences of chronic pain,” said Rollin M. Gallagher, M.D. MPH, deputy national program director for pain management for the VA and clinical professor of psychiatry and anesthesiology, Penn Pain Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Clark added that the severity and breadth of the problem has been aggravated by the prevalence of multiple tours of duty for many service members, including weekend National Guardsmen who can be older with families and jobs, a situation not seen in previous U.S. conflicts.
Dr. Gallagher further noted the VA’s pain care challenge is magnified by a 90 percent injury survivor rate from these conflicts compared with only 40 percent in the Vietnam War. VA clinicians are now challenged to manage pain in blast survivors with one or several other consequences of blast, such as head injuries causing mild to severe TBI, physical disfigurement and social stigma, emotional trauma, and often post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
“The evidence is compelling that the symptoms of these comorbidities, as well as others such as substance abuse, depression and sleep problems, overlap significantly,” Dr. Clark explained, “and there is ample reason to believe they will not respond as favorably to traditional interdisciplinary pain treatment when compared to other groups of former soldiers.”
“The need is for a fully integrated, system-wide and evidenced-based continuum of pain management from the battlefield to military hospitals to our community care facilities with increased pain care access, state-of-the art treatment protocols, high competence levels for care providers, and the integration of pain education into professional training,” said Dr. Gallagher.
Dr. Gallagher pointed out that earlier and more aggressive acute pain treatment intervention closer to the battlefield may help to prevent or lessen longer-term disabilities and secondary consequences of chronic pain. “Present research will tell us definitely what we know from our clinical experience – that early blockage of neurological pain impulses to the spinal cord and brain close to the site of injury using peri-neural catheters and nerve blocks , along with more aggressive analgesic treatment, is proving more effective than the traditional method of just morphine injections,” he said. “And the soldiers appreciate the earlier intervention.”
VA’s Integrated Pain Care Approach
The overlapping disorders of pain, mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), and post-traumatic stress (PTSD) among returning soldiers is leading to new initiatives at the VA.
“The VHA has directed a new pain management strategy with a stepped-care model that offers a comprehensive continuum of treatment from acute pain at injury to longitudinal management of chronic pain, and this approach is now being considered by the Department of Defense in collaboration with the VHA,” Dr. Gallagher said. “The goal is to reduce pain and suffering and improve the quality of life for our returning Iraq and Afghanistan service men and women suffering acute and chronic pain.”
“The use of silo treatment pathways in chronic pain treatment is insufficient, less effective and less efficient,” Dr Clark said, “because they typically focus solely or primarily on pain-related symptoms and either exclude those with concurrent PTSD and/or TBI symptoms or occasionally refer them to relevant specialty programs for simultaneous but independent treatment.”
As an example of the VA’s health care system refocus, Dr. Clark reviewed current work at the Tampa VA facility using a single team approach and a post-deployment behavioral health program with specialties in behavioral medicine, pain, PTSD, TBI, substance abuse, physical therapy and case management.
“Our objectives are to maximize function and life adjustment, prevent symptom development or exacerbation, and reduce stress through a single team effort,” Dr. Clark said. “Treatment involves established and modified cognitive behavioral therapy interventions targeting PTSD, pain, mild TBI, sleep and substance abuse, typically in combination, and with a physical training component.
“As we extend and refine our PMD treatment components and complete more research on PMC treatment and how overlapping comorbidities interact, our hope is that this raised awareness level for integrated care within the VA will eventually be reflected in community care center treatment for our returning service personnel,” Dr. Clark summarized.
About the American Pain Society
Based in Glenview, Ill., the American Pain Society (APS) is a multidisciplinary community that brings together a diverse group of scientists, clinicians and other professionals to increase the knowledge of pain and transform public policy and clinical practice to reduce pain-related suffering. APS was founded in 1978 with 510 charter members. From the outset, the group was conceived as a multidisciplinary organization. APS has enjoyed solid growth since its early days and today has approximately 3,200 members. The Board of Directors includes physicians, nurses, psychologists, basic scientists, pharmacists, policy analysts and more.
Using Alleged Terrorism to Escalate War and Homeland Repression
Using Alleged Terrorism to Escalate War and Homeland Repression
by Stephen Lendman
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:: Article nr. 65860 sent on 11-may-2010 02:40 ECT
www.uruknet.info?p=65860
How Do We Tackle the Alternative Palestinian Homeland Conspiracy?
[There has always been an unspoken agreement that the "two-state solution" referred to Israel and Jordan (as Palestinian homeland).
Noam Chomsky, revealed in a 2007 interview at Democracy Now
that when Israeli leaders speak of the “two-state solution,” they have always considered Jordan to be the Palestinian state, and American leaders have always accepted it.
NOAM CHOMSKY:
“In 1988, as you know, the Palestinian National Council formally accepted a two-state settlement, and the Israeli government responded. This was the coalition government of Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Shamir. They responded by issuing a formal declaration that there can be no additional Palestinian state between Jordan and Palestine -- “additional” because for Shimon Peres and his Labor coalition, Jordan already was a Palestinian state. It’s a view that’s attributed to the right wing, but that’s mistaken. This is Shimon Peres....
The Bush Baker Plan endorsed Israel's position without qualification and went on to add that any Palestinian negotiators would have to accept that framework, namely no second Palestinian state in addition to Jordan.”]
How do we tackle the alternative homeland conspiracy?
By Ahmad Obaidat
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:: Article nr. 65872 sent on 12-may-2010 01:41 ECT
www.uruknet.info?p=65872
BRAINWASHING THE HERO-WORSHIPPING SOCIETY
BRAINWASHING THE HERO-WORSHIPPING SOCIETY
By: Peter Chamberlin
14 August 2007
According to the US State Department, anyone who believes that “vast, powerful, evil forces are secretly manipulating events,” is a conspiracy theorist. [1] Belief that our government answers to a secret higher authority is an “extremist belief system,” according to the authors of the “Prevention of Homegrown Terrorism Act – H.R. 1955.” [2] Spreading these beliefs to “advance political, religious, or social change” is defined as “radicalization.” If you believe that the creators and dispensers of fiat money and their corporations control our democratic Republic and manipulate events to outcomes favorable to their control, then you are an extremist. If you are trying to educate your fellow countrymen, to democratically change this equation, then you may find yourself accused of “facilitating ideologically-based violence.”
If you seek to break the back of the debt-based financial system, you will find yourself up against seemingly insurmountable odds, trying to awaken a demoralized society, that has been broken over many generations by the psychological warfare tactic of “learned helplessness.” [3] Total economic control over people provides the controllers of the essential borrowed money with the means to indoctrinate with the psychology of hopelessness. Fear of further economic losses is a powerful motivating tool. After nearly one-hundred years of this domination and control, Americans have been robbed of hope. Today’s sleepwalking zombie population of “sheeple” is a product of the world’s longest running psychological warfare operation.
The brainwashing by the secret rulers of America extends into every conceivable area of possible indoctrination or control. Learned hopelessness is taught through every communications medium. In a world of mass-hypnosis and mass-seduction, entertainment has proven to be the most effective psychological weapon. Television serves that purpose twenty-four hours a day, by providing both negative reinforcement of the idea of the fragility of the human condition (through the “news”), coupled with positive subliminal suggestions of hope in the idea of intervening heroes.
Organized religion is probably the most entertaining and the most debilitating form of mass entertainment, because along with the show comes a false sense of hope, that can only be obtained by surrendering the free will to a “higher power.” This is the comforting element of the conflicting teachings (knowing that you will be saved by some superior force), providing a counterbalance to the rest of the teachings of personal inferiority, unworthiness and helplessness, which are designed to make you know that you are incapable of saving yourself.
“Christianity” was the official Roman state religion created by order of Caesar. It was an amalgam of all the popular “pagan” religions within the empire. [4] It was designed by “priests,” to make the subject peoples easier to control. The beauty of this religion’s craftsmanship is that people seduced by this manmade religion, want to be misled. They are enslaved by its teachings of their own inferiority and “unworthiness,” in relation to the only worthy “One” (who will save their wretched hides). The dual message of helplessness and hope makes believers susceptible to this form of spiritual/psychological dictatorship, masquerading as the One True Religion.
The best that the faithful can hope for is to accept the teachings about their innate helplessness, to get access to the accompanying “out” clause. By signing on to the contract, they give up their free will to a more evolved superior, in exchange for promises of eternal rewards. For Catholics, the pope is the most superior human being; they believe in his claims of infallibility. For American Protestants, faith in the magical one, who “will come with the clouds,” is a more intangible belief and a more illogical one. This belief, that blind faith in an invisible superior brings fantastic magical rewards, makes Protestants even easier to manipulate. A populace that is conditioned to look for salvation to come down from the sky (whether it comes in the form of a god or an alien), will believe in anything that is done in their hero’s name.
A nation of demoralized lost sheeple is easy to lead further astray by the introduction of false heroes through the twenty-four hour indoctrination box. Television brings the time-tested formula of learned helplessness and false hope into the lives of everyone, even the non-religious. It is here where the perfected art of mass brainwashing reaches the peak of perfection.
Escapist entertainment conveys the suggestive brain-numbing message of hope from hopelessness to the hollowed-out minds of the American people. Here our elitist masters entertain us with pretend heroes, while we “suspend disbelief” and become desensitized to the violence that is necessary to extend the empire beyond America’s shores. Using imaginary heroes, like Jack Bauer of “24,” illegal acts (ranging from illegal wiretapping, to torture and even cold-blooded murder) are made acceptable and justified as necessary for “national security.” [5]
To reach even bigger audiences, a larger indoctrination screen is required. The big screen brings us heroic figures of messianic proportions. Comic book super-heroes come to life and save everybody from certain utter doom. Even more heroic than these “super” types are the heart-wrenching exploits of seemingly ordinary people, who rise above their own hopeless circumstances, to lead other ordinary citizens in mass uprisings against tyranny. These are the most loaded of all the contrived plots, intended to mislead the real heroic types among the disillusioned masses to believe that violence against corrupted authority is humanity’s only hope. This is where movies like the “Matrix” series and “V is for Vendetta” become integral parts of the conspiracy to eliminate the last barrier to total permanent dictatorship.
In both of these heroic films, we find elements of the actual conspiracy on display for all to see, leading to a climactic finish where horrendous acts of violence are justified in the end. “Neo” rages against the system of enforced hopelessness, where society is docilely anesthetized by an unreal “Matrix” of an illusory world, and humans are reduced to a mere commodity (“copper top” batteries), to power the corrupt system. “Zionism” is equated with the superior humans, who are bold enough to take up arms and have faith to the bitter end, in the process humanizing the inhumane ideology of God’s “chosen people.” In the movie “V is for Vendetta” (by the same Jewish film-makers, the Wachowski brothers), “V” uses multiple acts of horrific terrorism, in a decimated post-Bush apocalyptic world (including blowing-up the British Parliament), to spark the non-violent revolution that allegedly will free mankind.
This theme, that violent acts of terrorism are justifiable in defense of freedom, is the final piece of the conspiracy puzzle. We have been bombarded with this message through the hypnotic mediums for many years, for a reason. Our corporate masters want us to provide the spark of antiwar violence that will justify the final crackdown on American democracy. Everything that has been done by the current administration to finish building the framework for an American police state has been done in preparation for the anticipated spark of violent resistance.
The American antiwar movement is deeply concerned about the conspiracy’s henchmen the Bush Administration and their next move, intended to complete the transition from democracy to dictatorship. Many of us are most worried about another “false flag” terror attack initiating the end of freedom, even though the end is more likely to come in response to homegrown terrorism from the disillusioned masses.
Everyday on the Internet we see proof of this growing tendency to answer violent repression with acts of counter-violence, committed in the name of “pacifism.” Accompanying the many excellent articles and blogs seeking to advance political, religious, or social change by educating the American people about our Constitutional power to change our government, we read commentary that promotes violent revolution. Whether these comments are made by provocateurs or those lost souls who are simply misled is irrelevant. What is important is that these ridiculous comments do not go unanswered. If we want to deter those who urge violence in this manner, we have to refute every comment urging violence and destruction. We cannot provide the secret government with the justification that they seek.
Effective opposition to the coming police state requires that we become self-policing in our efforts to “radicalize” by spreading the truth. To become the acceptable source of credible news we must dedicate ourselves to finding the hidden truth, wherever that search takes us. If we find the hidden truth about government complicity in the many cover-ups, then we must boldly proclaim it to the world as clearly as possible, in truths that are simple to understand. If that simple truth is that our government promotes a bi-partisan campaign of terrorism and planned genocide in the name of freedom, then we must clearly say just that – no matter the personal cost of that ugly expression of truth.
[1] http://usinfo.state.gov/media/Archive/2005/Jul/27-595713.html
[2] http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h110-1955
[3] http://www.bestcyrano.org/THOMASPAINE/?cat=143
[4] http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5547481422995115331
[5] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/11/AR2007081101219.html?hpid=topnews
A Tale Of Lies, Deceit, And Terrorism: The Birth Of Israel
A Tale Of Lies, Deceit, And Terrorism: The Birth Of Israel
By William A. Cook
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:: Article nr. 65887 sent on 12-may-2010 06:12 ECT
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Russia seeks to become regional player in Middle East
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| May 11, 2010
DAMASCUS // The Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, yesterday criticised the United States for not doing enough to foster peace in the Middle East, warning that the regional situation was “dangerous” and could slip out of control. After two days of talks in Damascus with the Syrian president, Bashar Assad, Mr Medvedev said Moscow was prepared to step in and take a more prominent role in bringing about a deal between warring factions. He also met Khaled Meshaal, the exiled leader of the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas. Russia and Syria maintain close links to the group, which is considered a terrorist organisation by the US, despite winning elections in Gaza in 2006. According to his spokeswoman, Mr Medvedev urged Hamas to free Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier captured in 2006. “In essence the Middle East peace process has deteriorated,” the Russian leader said at a joint news conference with Mr Assad. “The situation is very, very bad. It’s time to do something.” In response to a comment by his Syrian counterpart about Washington’s failure to take greater positive action, the Russian leader said the US could take a “more active position”. “A further heating up of the situation in the Middle East is fraught with explosion and catastrophe,” he warned. The peace process has been in limbo for years. Although the administration of president Barack Obama has taken some steps to restart it, the moves have faltered in the face of an Israeli refusal to stop construction of illegal settlements, and Palestinian disunity. Syria and other Arab countries have urged Washington to take a harder line on its ally Israel to break the impasse. At yesterday’s meeting in Damascus, Mr Medvedev said Russia, which together with the US, EU and UN forms the Quartet for Middle East peace, intended to help stimulate a desire for a proper solution. Any final deal, he said, would have to include the liberation of occupied Arab lands and the formation of an independent Palestinian state that would coexist peacefully with its Israeli neighbour. Mr Medvedev, the first Russian leader to visit Syria since the Bolshevik Revolution despite the two countries’ close Cold War relationship, also opened the door to Moscow assisting Damascus in a civilian nuclear power programme. Russia has built a nuclear power plant in Iran, to the chagrin of the United States, which accuses Tehran of trying to manufacture atomic weapons. Syria is under investigation by the United Nation’s nuclear watchdog over allegations it had a secret atomic programme at a site bombed by Israel in 2007. The Israeli foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, on Tuesday repeated the claims against Syria, accusing it of joining with North Korea in an effort to obtain weapons of mass destruction. Syria denies such allegations and insists it wants a Middle East free from nuclear arms – Israel is the only country in the region to posses an atomic arsenal. Damascus has, however, expressed interest in nuclear power to help it overcome an electricity shortfall. “Co-operation on atomic energy could get a second wind,” Mr Medvedev said after a morning of discussions with Mr Assad. The pair discussed various energy-related issues, including oil and gas projects and the possible construction of “conventional or nuclear-powered electricity stations” according to the Syrian president. The Russian energy minister, Sergei Shmatko, who accompanied Mr Medvedev to Damascus, together with a large business delegation, also said Moscow wanted to help Tehran expand its civilian nuclear capabilities. “We are in favour of continuing co-operation with Iran in the energy sphere to the full extent, including in building light-water reactors,” he told reporters. While supporting Tehran’s right to peaceful nuclear technology, Russia has indicated it may back UN sanctions against Iran over its non-compliance with Security Council demands it suspend uranium enrichment. Both Mr Medvedev and Mr Assad stressed the need to resolve the disagreements over Iran’s nuclear ambitions through peaceful negotiations. Israel and the United States have both said “all options”, including a possible military strike, remain on the table in order to stop Iran obtaining nuclear weapons. Mr Medvedev’s visit comes at a time of heightened regional tensions, with Syria and Israel – technically still at war over Israel’s occupation of the Golan territories – exchanging increasingly barbed rhetoric. Israel last month accused Damascus of giving ballistic missiles to Hizbollah, the Lebanese resistance movement that fought Israel’s vaunted armed forces to a standstill in 2006, in part through the use of advanced weapons that Israel says were supplied by Syria and Iran. However, with the Russian leader due in Turkey for talks today en route to Moscow, it appears as if efforts are under way to try to diffuse tensions, if not solve the more intractable underlying reasons for conflict. |
:: Article nr. 65898 sent on 12-may-2010 07:48 ECT
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Link: www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100512/FOREIGN/705119871/1002
The Financial Oligarchy Reigns: Democracy’s Death Spiral From Greece to the United States
The Financial Oligarchy Reigns: Democracy’s Death Spiral From Greece to the United States
By David DeGraw, AmpedStatus Report
As the Economic Elite continue their plunder, the people in Greece riot and the big banks score yet another big blow against the people of the United States.
——-I: Democracy Vs. Oligarchy: Lessons from History
——-II: The Second Civil War: Financial Reform 2010
——-III: Financial Terrorism Operations: 9/29/08 & 5/6/10
——-IV: Economic Imperialism and Blowback
——-V: Propagandized in America
——-VI: Save Yourself and Take Action
Democracy throughout the world is under attack. Many people can make the argument that our democracy here in America is only an illusion, but even the illusion of democracy is crashing down. Tragedies are currently playing out across the world on an epic scale. Unprecedented economic and environmental catastrophes have become the norm. Billions of people, the overwhelming majority of humanity, have been sentenced to a slow death due to a concentration of wealth and resources within humanity’s economic top 0.5%. Ultimately, short-sighted greed has proven to be humanity’s most severe disease.
I: Democracy Vs. Oligarchy: Lessons from History
The experiment known as democracy is devolving into fascism before our eyes; the “ iron law of oligarchy” is once again asserting itself. From the Founding Fathers on, we have known that you cannot have a concentration of vast wealth and Democracy at the same time – and we currently have the greatest concentration of wealth in the history of the United States. As former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once said, “We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both.”
The power struggle between democracy and the concentration of power represented within private banking interests has been a war raging throughout American history. Our Founders and early Presidents were very explicit in their opposition and our need to vigilantly guard against any private interests who sought control over our economy. In fact, our current crisis and power structure were summed up with stunning accuracy by the Founding Fathers themselves. What James Madison called, “the daring depravity of the times.” As he described, “The stock-jobbers will become the praetorian band of the government, at once its tools and its tyrants, bribed by its largesse, and overawing it by clamors and combinations. Substituting the motive of private interest in place of public duty, leading to a real domination of the few under an apparent domination of the many.”
Leave it to Madison, the Father of the Constitution, to give us one of the most prescient quotes on modern-day America you can find. For those of you who have never heard the term “stock-jobbers,” here’s the definition from a dictionary written in 1811:
“Stock Jobbers
Persons who gamble in Exchange Alley, by pretending to buy and sell the public funds, but in reality only betting that they will be at a certain price, at a particular time; possessing neither the stock pretended to be sold, nor money sufficient to make good the payments for which they contract: these gentlemen are known under the different appellations of bulls, bears, and lame ducks.”
Yes, even the Founders, long before High Frequency Trading algorithms and derivatives, had a clear understanding and great fear of the casino rigging tyrants in “Exchange Alley.” Madison also famously said: “History records that the money changers have used every form of abuse, intrigue, deceit, and violent means possible to maintain their control over governments by controlling money and its issuance.”
Thomas Jefferson was prophetic in his statements as well: “Our country is now taking so steady a course as to show by what road it will pass to destruction, to wit: by consolidation first, and then corruption, its necessary consequence.” Jefferson added, “I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. Already they have raised up a monied aristocracy that has set the government at defiance.”
If that wasn’t clear enough, Jefferson reiterated his conviction: “I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [them] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless…. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.”
One wonders what Jefferson would have to say about our current foreclosure crisis and stock market driven housing crash. (read HERE)
The sum of all Arab fears is a regional nuclear arms race
The sum of all Arab fears is a regional nuclear arms race
Emile Hokayem, political editor
- Last Updated: May 11. 2010 8:19PM UAE / May 11. 2010 4:19PM GMT
In the movie The Sum of All Fears, based on the book by Tom Clancy, a nuclear-armed Israeli aircraft is shot down over the Syrian desert at the height of the 1973 October war. The rest of the plot – a terrorist conspiracy that causes a nuclear stand-off in the present day between the US and a weak Russia – is probably the US president Barack Obama’s worst nightmare.
Avoiding such an extreme scenario was the impetus for the recent arms reduction treaty with Russia and the Washington nuclear summit.
Arab and Israeli viewers probably reacted differently to the movie. For Arabs, Israel’s presumed willingness to use its nuclear weapons is exactly why they want the country disarmed. For Israelis, using nuclear weapons as a last resort is a legitimate, if officially unconfirmed, response to any threat to its existence.
Israel is purposefully ambiguous on whether it has or is willing to use nuclear weapons. This is partly to avoid international opprobrium, partly to avoid forcing Arab states into a nuclear arms race, and partly to preserve doctrinal flexibility.
How to deal with this ambiguity has long puzzled Middle Eastern governments and analysts. This conundrum is now compounded by the prospect of Iran following in Israel’s footsteps: obtaining a nuclear weapons capability but never being clear on whether it possesses actual weapons.
A Middle East containing two, potentially nuclear-armed enemies could lead to a stalemate. The tension between them may never lead to nuclear war, but it could indefinitely prolong current conflicts, hold Arab states hostage to the whims and ambitions of either camp, and lead to a regional arms race.
The Arab’s response to Israel’s nuclear ambiguity and Iran’s ambitions is the effort led by Egypt to make the Middle East a nuclear weapons free zone (NWFZ).
Egypt has been the most consistent and determined advocate of the NWFZ. At the 1995 Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference, Egypt obtained a resolution in favour of practical steps to establish a WMD-free zone. Unfortunately, the international community and the region were unwilling to take those practical steps.
Egypt’s strident criticism of Israel finally has a friendly ear in Barack Obama. With the latest NPT review conference under way in New York, the US has signalled to Egypt its interest in starting a discussion on nuclear weapons. US officials however have cautioned that the establishment of a free zone would have to follow peace and normalisation with Israel.
Despite these reservations, Washington is paying more than lip service to Egypt’s pet project. Regional dialogue on nuclear weapons can muster Arab support for efforts to halt Iran’s nuclear efforts and perhaps fend off a nuclear arms race should those efforts fail.
Beyond these practical matters, it is in America’s interest to play nice with Egypt. As the chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, Egypt carries considerable weight. It can disrupt progress on other matters if it feels slighted (as it did in 2005). Thus, the Obama administration is particularly sensitive to Cairo’s mood.
Egypt’s advocacy is commendable on moral grounds, but it also makes sense: a country that has renounced its own nuclear ambitions will want to curtail those of its neighbours.
For a country that considers itself the leader of the Arab world, attempts by Iraq, Libya and Syria to go nuclear were embarrassing as much as they were concerning. In Egypt’s eyes, its leadership is being contested by Iran’s nuclear programme. Combine that with Egypt’s geographic proximity to Israel, the belief that Israel slights Egypt despite their peace agreement, and the lingering Arab perception of an Israeli nuclear threat and the tremendous pressure on Egypt is apparent.
The unpleasant truth, however, is that neither Israel nor Iran will disarm outside of a broader agreement. Iran will not abandon its nuclear ambitions without a political agreement with the US and a new security architecture. Israel will not disarm without a comprehensive peace and regional framework that limits Iran.
Israeli officials scoff at the very idea of joining the NPT or trusting its guardian, the International Atomic Energy Agency. From their perspective, there is no point in joining a failing nuclear order that has allowed its members to conduct covert nuclear activities. Undoubtedly, Israel is a free-rider that expects other countries to abide by norms and rules and not itself, but that does not seem to affect its calculations.
The Arab states alone cannot convince or coerce either Israel or Iran into taking verifiable steps towards their nuclear weapons-free vision. Only the US can facilitate this by brokering peace agreements and offering security guarantees to both. As with the Israeli-Arab peace process, American will and muscle remain the key ingredients.
What the Arab world can do, however, is outline not just the goal, but the process as well. Short of joining the NPT, Israel can still adopt measures to build confidence, such as ratifying the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, joining the Fissile Material Cut Treaty and halting research and development of nuclear weapons.
To achieve this, Arab states must dispense with the double standard argument. The accusation that Israel gets a free pass on its nuclear arsenal makes for good political theatre, but it has little legal standing. Israel came into possession of a nuclear weapon before the NPT was drafted. Meanwhile Pakistan remains outside the NPT without much Arab protestation, and Iran is perhaps a worse violator. The strategic and political case for disarmament is vastly more compelling, but it requires more sophisticated discourse that links it to normalisation.
A tale of two bases: how an Afghan war will be won or lost
A tale of two bases: how an Afghan war will be won or lost
Hamida Ghafour
- Last Updated: May 12. 2010 12:56PM UAE / May 12. 2010 8:56AM GMT
In the last six months two combat bases have been abandoned by the American military in the far north-eastern reaches of Nuristan and Kunar provinces in Afghanistan. Why they were abandoned, and what has happened since, shows where this war may be heading.
Combat Outpost Keating in Nuristan, which had been manned by 60 soldiers, was closed down first. It had been under constant mortar and rocket fire for months before it was ambushed by 300 insurgents on a morning in October. The base was set in a ravine in Kamdesh district surrounded by high ground, which meant it was at a tactical disadvantage despite an elevated observation post nearby.
Eight soldiers were killed and 22 wounded in the attack. The next morning, the Americans left, but the base had been due to close anyway because the US military did not believe it had any tactical or strategic value.
A second base in the Korengal valley next door in Kunar province was evacuated in April. The valley is 10 kilometres long but the Americans only managed to hold about half of it since they opened their outpost in 2005. It is a corridor for insurgents, possibly al Qa’eda, smuggling arms and fighters across the border from Pakistan. Residents were paid to turn a blind eye. In the last five years, 40 US soldiers have been killed in the valley and many more wounded.
Both decisions have been controversial. For some, it was evidence the Americans are abandoning the country and declaring defeat.
But there are no easy answers as America struggles to shape an Afghan counterinsurgency strategy which is supposed to focus on protecting and helping the population. In Kamdesh and Korengal, the Americans were doing neither.
Nuristan is so removed from the rest of the country that when an Afghan official visited the province in January, the residents of one district had never heard of Afghanistan. They thought Nuristan was its own country and the valleys were provinces.
The region has had virtually no contact with Kabul since the Soviet invasion in 1979. There is a generation of Nuristanis whose only experience with the outside world was the Soviets, so when the Americans established a base in 2006 it seemed like a continuation of a foreign, non-Muslim invasion.
There was no opportunity to protect or help the residents because the Americans were not wanted. Insurgents took advantage of this anger and for years the base was under fire from the Taliban and Hizb-e-Islami, an Islamist paramilitary group led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a former Afghan prime minister.
Korengal, about 130 kilometres to the south in Kunar province, poses similar problems. The valley is remote and exotic even by Afghan standards. Korengalis speak a language known only to their valley and just a century ago practised paganism.
US forces stepped on the proverbial hornet’s nest by establishing a base on the site of a timber mill which was important to the local economy. The arrival of the Americans shut down the mill.
There was no chance of implementing a population protection strategy because insurgents provided residents with money and weapons. Fighting that killed Afghans worsened sentiment against US forces until the main purpose of the base was self-defence. It became a bloody stalemate.
The army decided to shut down the post and a deal was struck with tribal elders. The Americans said they would leave if the tribe promised not to attack during the evacuation. Not a shot was fired.
The worry is that the valley will again become a crossroads for fighters and weapons smuggled from Peshawar.
But something interesting has happened. In the last few weeks, the Korengali leadership has reached out to the central government’s representatives in Kunar’s capital. The Americans are cautious but hopeful.
In the case of Kamdesh, there is even more excitement. One local leader who previously fought against the Americans has urged residents to turn against the Taliban. He has also agreed to allow the Afghan border police to set up a post. In the near future, he is expected to openly declare his support for the Kabul government. This could be an opportunity to bring the valley into Kabul’s orbit, if not control, for the first time since the Russian invasion.
The province of Nuristan is still very violent. The Americans appear to be relying on drone strikes and night operations, but a border police post could allow Afghan authorities to establish a security toehold.
What lessons, then, can be extrapolated from Kamdesh and Korengal?
Afghanistan is a fractured state. The Americans may decide that with limited resources, they will concentrate efforts on villages and cities where their help is welcomed by the local population.
What works in Kamdesh and Korengal will not necessarily apply to Kandahar, where a massive military operation is imminent this summer. Nato forces will have to make decisions town by town, district by district. But at least there maybe a recognition that a strategy of one policy fits all does not apply.
Hamida Ghafour is embedded with the US army’s 4th Infantry Division in eastern Afghanistan
India, Kazakh have congruence on regional and international issues: Krishna
India, Kazakh have congruence on regional and international issues: Krishna
Astana (Kazakhstan), May 12 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna, who arrived here on a three-day State visit on Tuesday, said that both India and Kazakhstan have a strong congruence of views on major regional and international issues.
Addressing the media here, Krishna said: “India and Kazakhstan enjoy warm and friendly ties going back several millennia. We both are multi-ethnic, multi-religious and secular societies. We have also forged a strategic partnership to give a qualitative boost to our ties.”
“The landmark visit of President Nazarbayev to India (January 2009) as a chief guest at our Republic Day celebrations provided a significant impulse to our bilateral ties,” he added.
He also said that India have rapidly moved to implement the far reaching initiatives taken during his visit, in diverse sectors like energy, including hydro-carbon, thermal and nuclear, fertilizers, agriculture, informationtechnology, space, pharmaceuticals, trade and investment.
Krishna further said he was confident that an agreement between ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) and KazMunaiGas on exploration and production in the Satpayev Oil Block would be concluded soon.
He said he is also confident that an Inter-Governmental Agreement on civilian nuclear energy cooperation would be finalized soon.
“This sector has immense possibilities for bilateral cooperation including for supply of uranium ore, investment by Indian companies in mining in Kazakhstan, construction of nuclear reactors and others,” he added.
He said discussions in several other promising areas like thermal power plants, transportation and banking are at an advanced stage.
“Both India and Kazakhstan are factors of peace, stability, development and growth, not only in the region but also in the world,” he added.
Krishna further said: “We would like to invite Kazakh companies to invest in India and take advantage of the huge market that India has to offer.”
India and Kazakhstan will sign an exploration and production agreement for the Satpayev oil block on the Caspian Sea before the new domestic Kazakh law on reviewing contracts of foreign companies comes into force. (ANI)
Remember May 12, 2007, Karachi
more about “MQM is exposed“, posted with vodpod
Eyewitness: Karachi
A narrative of the events of ‘Black Saturday’ and the ‘stop-the-blame-game’ argument
By Beena Sarwar
“Here in Karachi, we avoid ‘name calling’ and ‘finger pointing’ due to fear of having our knees drilled…”
On May 12, 2007, Karachi witnessed orchestrated mayhem. Such carnage is hardly unique to Karachi or to Pakistan — law enforcement agencies have stood by and even participated in worse massacres elsewhere, like Northern Ireland and Gujarat, India. In Karachi that day, ‘only’ about 46 lives were lost, and 150 or so injured.
But this was the first time in Pakistan that live television cameras captured the situation for viewers
to see: government tankers used to block off routes to the airport, police and rangers conspicuous by their absence or standing idle as armed men ran amok on the streets of Karachi, corpses and wounded bodies lying by the wayside in pools of blood.
The security plans chalked out for May 12 were abandoned overnight. The Sindh home department withdrew the weapons of most law enforcement personnel in Karachi on May 12. Armed only with batons, the 15,000 or policemen deployed in the city avoided the violent areas. Rangers who were to hold key positions on the ‘flyovers’ on the main airport road were nowhere in sight. Instead, armed men in civilian clothes held those posts, and fired into the crowds trying to reach the airport to receive the chief justice stranded inside.
At 5:00am on Saturday morning, Shahrah-e-Faisal (Drigh Road), the main airport route normally trafficked at all hours, was deserted as a journalist friend in Karachi found who was out and about early. He emailed me: “I saw something which gave me the chills — no police or Rangers on the roads, just kids with guns guiding trucks, tankers to block the intersections, entry and exit points on the main artery of city. I saw an NLC truck also being used to block the road (picture attached). We all know NLC is Pakistan’s largest trucking company, owned and managed by the army. Tie-rods were being removed from front tires so the vehicles could not be moved even by a tow truck. I thought, “What if ambulances are required to move on Shahrah-e-Faisal?” My thought was immediately answered when I saw two KKF ambulances moving freely (Khidmat-Khalq Foundation, MQM’s social service wing) and MQM activists among those supervising the blockade.”
Getting to office took him two hours, a journey that even during rush hour takes only 45 minutes. “I told my colleagues about my fear and almost all of them told me to relax as MQM is not that stupid they will not repeat the 1992 & 94 stupidity. By 12 noon Karachi was bleeding.”
“There were bodies lying at every street intersection,” ‘Uzi’, a reporter related later on her blog. “We picked up a whole bunch of them and put them inside police mobiles parked nearby.” As for the police and the Rangers: “They did NOTHING! They stood around and LOITERED while my city was tainted with blood.”
The areas she covered were the second bloodiest that day. It took her nearly an hour to get to Jinnah’s mausoleum (Mazar-e-Quaid), normally a 15-20 minute drive from her house. At Kashmir Road the cab driver couldn’t go any further and she walked the remaining distance. At around 01:00pm, she was stopped by a political worker who put a TT pistol to her forehead (“NOT the temple, the FOREHEAD”). She was allowed to proceed after showing her press card.
Over at the Sindh High Court, lawyer Ayesha Tammy Haq sent this text message around 5 pm Karachi time: “In the High court. Things getting worse. Judges will not leave as there will be a rampage…” (Later in an interview, General Musharraf denied such plans and reasserted his commitment to democratic politics. But then, he has also justified what happened in Karachi as ‘the political activity’ of a political party attempting to show its strength to its constituency — interview with Talat Hussain, Aaj TV, May 18, 2007)
Another lawyer emailed: “Not only was the Sindh High Court under virtual siege by armed activists, but lawyers attempting to enter the Court were repeatedly beaten and roughed up. The armed activists did not even spare the Judges of the High Court.” One judge was held at gun point and his car damaged. “While holding me at gun point, the youth called someone and stated ‘Yeh bolta hai kay High Court ka judge hai…kya karun is ka?…achaa theek hai, phir janay daita houn.’ (He says he’s a judge of the High Court. What should I do with him? Ok then, will let him go).”
Many judges, unable to drive to the Sindh High Court, had to leave their official ‘flag’ cars and make their way through menacing crowds and climb over the court’s back wall in order to reach their chambers.
Munir A. Malik, one of the 25 lawyers accompanying Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry from Islamabad to Karachi, narrates how they were forced to remain inside the airport. The Sindh government representatives offered to transport the Chief Justice by helicopter but this offer was for him alone. Since the lawyers with him had already foiled the attempts of ‘two uniformed people’ to “snatch the CJP and take him from the other side,” he refused. (‘Story at the Airport’, The News on Sunday, Special Report, May 20, 2007)
Armed men attacked lawyers at Malir District Bar, Iftikhar Chaudhry’s scheduled first stop in Karachi, killing a lawyer and injuring several others, including female lawyers. The CJP and his team, of course, were ‘externed’ to Islamabad after several hours. Late that night, residents in the low-income Ranchore Lines mohalla were awakened by loud banging on their doors. One resident relates that it was two young boys distributing freshly cooked biryani and suji in plastic bags: “Yeh chief justice ki wapsi ki khushi mein hai” (This is to celebrate the chief justice’s return [to Islamabad]).
On the Karachi streets, Uzi’s press card had saved her again at around 05:00 p.m. as she and a colleague tried to reach the Rangers Headquarters in Dawood College. “A car chockfull of ammunition passed in front of us, stopped, backed up and stopped in front of us, Kalashnikovs pointing at the two of us from the windows. We showed our press cards and the car moved on. NEVER in my LIFE have I felt more grateful to my press card than I did yesterday.”
At around 06:00 p.m., she and her colleague were trapped by gunshots all around. “Short of climbing the walls and entering one of the houses around, there really was no other place for us to go.” They stopped a police mobile and asked which way would be safe to go. The answer, accompanied by laughter: “You can be killed wherever you go. Choose your place.”
In published reports, journalists prudently avoided naming the parties involved. “Young men toting flags and banners had set up camp outside the airport departure lounge. They hid, however, when policemen came by. Reporters in the vicinity were asked whether they had seen any political activists around. Munawar Pirzada (from Daily Times) said that he had seen some nearby. After the policemen had left, the activists came up to the reporter, dragged him by the hair and took him aside. They then proceeded to threaten him with dire consequences if he said anything the next time the policemen came around” (Urooj Zia, Daily Times, May 14).
But the affiliation of these gangs was visible in the live coverage provided by several private television channels, which showed plainclothes men brandishing weapons on the deserted roads, using government tankers as cover, exchanging gunfire with unseen opponents, the tri-colour MQM flag visible on their motorcycles.
After Aaj TV’s continuous live coverage of such scenes, armed men attacked the television station, firing at it for several hours. Instead of stopping the coverage, Aaj showed live footage of reporters ducking behind a desk, shots being fired at their office, as anchor Talat Hussain provided an account of the situation on the phone. Reporters in the area asked the Rangers posted nearby to help the Aaj workers trapped inside their building. The answer: “We’re helpless. We can’t do anything unless we have orders from above.”
Aaj TV’s refusal to suspend its live coverage emboldened the new breed of ‘citizen journalists’. “My faith in independent media was restored and I was confident that I am not alone,” wrote one blogger. He had hesitated to post out the testimony of a doctor at a Karachi hospital who witnessed armed political workers turn up to finish off an injured political worker. Encouraged by the Aaj re-broadcasting of images that clearly showed the involvement of MQM workers in the violence, he published the testimony with a disclaimer that “it was an anonymously posted comment and could be entirely false, you be a judge for yourself.”
There is a story behind each of those who were killed, some belonging to one or other political party, and others just because they were there. Masked men stopped ambulances and sprayed them with bullets, killing an Edhi Ambulance driver, Faizur Rahman Khan, 65, when he refused to throw out a wounded person he was transporting to hospital from near the airport; the wounded man was also shot again. Armed gangs herded passers-by into an alley and shot dead a young overlock machine operator along with another man, in front of two colleagues who were also shot but survived to tell the tale (“They shot us one by one…” by Munawar Pirzada, Daily Times, http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20075\14\story_14-5-2007_pg12_3).
There have been reports about an SHO who guided a procession into an ambush and a pregnant woman who had to deliver her baby in the car when armed men refused to let her proceed to the hospital with her husband. The Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) reports that several journalists were manhandled and nine wounded. Some TV cameramen were beaten and their cameras snatched or damaged.
In all these stories of horror, there is at least one amusing aside: the stranded reporter Uzi had the thrill of getting to ride a motorbike when her editors sent a senior reporter to pick her up. “You couldn’t use a car etc, because on a bike your press card was visible, and that was a kind of immunity. In a car or a van, they’d shoot at you on sight. So yeah, I got to ride pillion on a bike, and I didn’t sit sideways either, like women usually do here. :D I sat like guys usually do — ‘handsfree mode’. :D Initially I was scared shitless, but then I got used to it, and it was AWESOME — like flying! MQM-waalahs on the way kept turning and staring at the weird Chick who was riding pillion like guys do and didn’t have to hold on to anything to maintain her balance. :D AWESOME, it was! I want a bike now! :P”
Karachi educationist, Anwar Abbas, later emailed: “My son-in-law and daughter who live in a building adjoining Baloch colony flyover had a good look at the ‘thugs’ in action from their rooftop. Their only regret is that they did not have a camera to capture the ghastly scenes.” They returned to their flat because their little daughter was alone with the maid and because the thugs had also climbed the roofs of adjoining buildings in order to obtain an aerial view of their targets and shoot at random.
He added: “It is not important which group they belonged to; it is important that they could behave the way they did in complete disregard to the rule of law; if indeed the law was awake or not in collusion with the ‘thugs’.” Many others, including Aaj TV’s Talat Hussain and MQM’s Dr. Farooq Sattar have also suggested that the ‘blame game’ be avoided.
But a lawyer friend, ‘angry and distressed in Karachi’, argues that “If we avoid ‘name calling’ and ‘finger pointing’, we will simply be brushing the events of last Saturday under the carpet of indifference. Here in Karachi, we avoid ‘name calling’ and ‘finger pointing’ due to fear of having our knees drilled. Even Urdu speaking lawyers, while talking of last Saturday’s events at the Sindh High Court look over their shoulders and speak in hushed tones when mentioning the name of MQM…
“As we try to understand the carnage of 12th May, we have to ask the following question: Which political group stands to lose the most in a Musharraf ouster? Not the PML (Q). The Chaudhrys and their ilk will merely disperse and filter back into the PML (N) or the PPP. The unprecedented power and privilege of the MQM however is firmly tied with Musharraf’s hold in Islamabad. It was the threat to their benefactor from the supporters of the Chief Justice, which unleashed the gunmen on 12th May.” Zaffar Abbas is correct when he writes that Karachi was only at peace for the past many years because it suited its militants (‘Back to the future?’ Dawn, May 14, 2007)…
“‘Finger pointing’ is necessary, because throughout our history, instead of a catharsis, we simply go through a ‘jo ho gaya ab bhool jaao, aagay daikho’ (forget what has happened) attitude. Already, with the President’s pat on the back at the emergency meeting of the ruling party in Islamabad (on Monday) the MQM is back on the front foot…
“Although it is unlikely that the perpetrators of Saturday’s violence will ever be brought to justice, at least they should continue to be exposed before the entire country. More importantly, they should face the consequence of such exposure. Public image is very important to the MQM and the national outrage at their conduct may be the best prospect of compelling them to change their ways.”
Pentagon Details Cold War Mind-Control Tests
Chemical Concussions and Secret LSD: Pentagon Details Cold War Mind-Control Tests
More than 30 years after it was written, the Pentagon has released a memorandum detailing its involvement in the CIA’s infamous Cold War mind-control experiments.
But a warning to conspiracy theorists on the lookout for new fodder: This isn’t quite Men Who Stare at Goats II.
The 17-page document (.pdf), “Experimentation Programs conducted by the Department of Defense That Had CIA Sponsorship or Participation and That Involved the Administration to Human Subjects of Drugs Intended for Mind-Control or Behavior-Modification Purposes,” was prepared in 1977 by the General Counsel of the Department of Defense and released on May 6 after a Freedom of Information Act request.
Most of the details have been revealed in earlier CIA papers. And if anything, the Pentagon’s recap is a reminder of how little the Department of Defense cops to knowing about the CIA projects.
Still, there are some tantalizing new details. Take the origins of MK-ULTRA, the notorious CIA program that dosed thousands of unwitting participants with hallucinogenic drugs.
Initially funded by the Navy, the project set out to study the effects of brain concussion. Soon after, scientists noted that a blow to the head prompted amnesia, leading to the pursuit of a drug-based technique to “induce brain concussion … without physical trauma.” Shortly thereafter, the project was transferred entirely to the CIA, because it involved “human experiments … not easily justifiable on medical-therapeutic grounds.”
Other programs, described briefly focused on mind control. MK-NAOMI was after “severely incapacitating and lethal materials … [and] gadgetry for their dissemination,” and MK-CHICKWIT was designed to “identify new drug developments in Europe and Asia,” and then “obtain samples.”
Edgewood Laboratories, where many of the programs were carried out, is also identified as having tested an incapacitating chemical on prisoners and military personnel without the agency’s approval. The drug, EA#3167, was “appl[ied] to the skin” of subjects using an adhesive tape.
Another program, MK-OFTEN, started as a study on dopamine. But the scope was soon expanded to evaluate ibogaine, a hallucinogen, and then several more drugs, in hopes of creating “new pharmacologically active drugs affecting the central nervous system [to] modify men’s behavior.”
And the Navy is reported to have “obtain[ed] heroin and marijuana” in an effort to develop speech-inducing drugs for use on defectors and prisoners of war. The drugs were eventually tested on 14 people: six volunteer research assistants, and eight unwitting Soviet defectors.
The report pins most of the nefarious activities on CIA-funded scientists. But that’s hardly the verdict of subsequent government documents, like a 1994 report from the U.S General Accounting Office. In that report, Pentagon officials are said to have “work[ed] directly with the CIA” and dosed “thousands” of military subjects with LSD and other drugs. Eyewitness accounts, like that of psychiatrist James Ketchum, describe outlandish Army efforts at creating hallucinogenic weapons in conjunction with MK-ULTRA.
And the Pentagon’s had plenty of experience in out-there mind control, even without CIA involvement. Troops have been dosed with LSD and cannabis oil, and Pentagon officials were reportedly toying with the idea of psychic spies as recently as 2007.
Not surprisingly, the released report also doesn’t address darker questions that persist about the specifics of the CIA projects. Last year, a group of vets sued the agency for illnesses and trauma caused by the “diabolical and secret [MK-ULTRA] testing program,” which they allege included experiments with nerve gas, psychochemicals, and brain implants.
[Visionary: Josh Rogin]
Photo courtesy Overture Films
Balochistan: a flawed policy
Balochistan: a flawed policy
While remote-controlling the province via civil armed forces may breed more resentment and violence, support for apolitical tribal chiefs as an alternative against the popular Baloch leadership will solely promote corruption, bad governance and will lead to a harmful future. — Photo by Reuters
The situation in Balochistan has reached its lowest ebb since the military operation that began in January 2005. The entire province is besieged: the provincial government has been abandoned while the centre is directing policies according to its will with the gun and the stick, terming this ‘development’ for the people’s betterment.
The establishment has itself opened up a war inside Balochistan on all fronts. This has resulted in increasing polarisation and radicalisation of Baloch society. Though socially and economically underdeveloped, Balochistan was largely a peaceful province before Musharraf’s aggressive policy of what can only be called ‘colonisation’. Regrettably today, Balochistan is marked with nationalist, sectarian, ethnic and racial violence, which has resulted in the killings of hundreds of civilians.
Islamabad’s half-hearted efforts have failed to calm the situation. However, the central government is very quick to blame ‘foreign hands’ and ‘miscreants’ for the deteriorating situation in the province. Yet there is very little tolerance within the establishment when it comes to admitting and rectifying defective policies, which have resulted in a fully fledged war between the Baloch and the central government.
Obviously the killing of unarmed civilians by the militants and indiscriminate use of force, disappearances and torture of political activists and human rights abuses by the military and paramilitary forces are inhuman and widely condemnable acts.
But there is much to understand about the causes behind the anger and despair of the Baloch people. The absence of the rule of law, lack of justice, transparency, awful governance, endless exploitation, the centre’s unwanted control over Baloch wealth, militarisation, erosion of human resource, lack of clear and long-term social, economic, education and development strategies and denial of basic human rights is creating more insecurity among the population, instead of respect and support for the state.
Islamabad has to rethink its policies, including governing Balochistan through the outdated ‘control’ policy. Control is based on a set of mechanisms used in multiethnic states by the dominant ethnic group to contain and retain its hold over dissident ethnic minorities.
Control is based on the principle that one ethnic group takes over the state, imposes its culture on society, allocates to itself the lion’s share of resources and takes various measures, including violent means (military operations), to prevent the non-dominant group from organising politically.
Control works through three interrelated mechanisms: a) divide and rule — internally creating rifts and divisions among the non-dominant groups; b) economic dependence — making them permanently dependent for their livelihood on the dominant group and central government; and c) co-option — involving the non-dominant elite like greedy tribal chiefs, feudals, drug barons, corrupt intellectuals and politicians through dispensation of benefits and favours.
Over the years, the state apparatus in Islamabad has been endeavouring to systematically wipe out the popular indigenous Baloch leadership and replace it with loyalists. This tactic was implemented by imprisoning the top opposition leaders, carrying out a brutal crackdown against political activists and secretly bribing pro-establishment tribal notables to contest elections against the committed representatives.
Boycott by popular, secular and democratic political parties of the last general elections paved the way for ideologically shallow, politically unpopular and inherently corrupt elements to return to power. As a result, the province once again came under the control of Gen Musharraf’s cronies, the pro-Taliban Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI) and the Pakistan Muslim League.
Musharraf’s friends did not only ensure the continuity of his repressive policies, they also overburdened the provincial exchequer by promoting corruption, mismanagement and bad governance. Thus, 50 people in the 65-memebr Balochistan Assembly were inducted in the cabinet of the country’s poorest province. Absence and systematic exclusion of the genuine Baloch leadership has plunged Balochistan into a horrific crisis of governance. While bad governance, rampant corruption and exclusion of middle-class educated people is one reason for the unchanged situation in the province, some other depressing indicators further dim prospects of peace in Balochistan.
While no headway has been made on the implementation of the so-called Balochistan package, the chief minister complains that the Frontier Corps has established a parallel government in the province, which does not provide ample breathing space to the provincial government to enhance the process of reconciliation. With the governor and chief minister of Balochistan admitting that the province is not being run smoothly either due to hindrances created by the security establishment or the incompetence of the provincial government, the Balochistan policy in Islamabad needs a rethink.
While remote-controlling the province via civil armed forces may breed more resentment and violence, support for apolitical tribal chiefs as an alternative against the popular Baloch leadership will solely promote corruption, bad governance and will lead to a harmful future. The ill-conceived policies and pattern of repression may have a human cost for the Baloch people. But looking at the larger picture, Pakistan will face, in fact is facing, the political and economic consequences.
The writer is a former senator.
balochbnp@gmail.com
