Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Propaganda against ISI

Propaganda against ISI

ISI alluring Indian Muslims: RAW Ex-chief
Tuesday, April 29, 2008 22:30 [IST]
Indiainfo.com

New Delhi: Former chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India's external intelligence wing, has said Pakistan's ISI is trying to get Indian Muslims involved in "questionable activities". "ISI with its surrogate jehadi groups is now targeting the Indian Muslims to get them involved in questionable activities", former RAW chief Anand K Verma, who was at the helm of RAW, from 1987-1990, said at the second Pramod Mahajan Conclave on "Threats to India's Internal Security". "A new era will not dawn in Pakistan untill military is truly confined in barracks," he said adding the President (in Pakistan) still derives his strength form the military. Dubbing China as another country that India should be concerned about, Verma said Beijing's "core concern" is to maintain its integrity - "territorial or otherwise".

Indian government and especially its intelligence agency RAW has always accused neighbouring countries including Pakistan and China for trouble making. Same has been done by former RAW chief Anand K Verma.

Indian Muslims have free will; their activities are not dependent on Pakistan's or ISI's commands. Indian tactic of blaming Pakistan for any trouble inside India is not new.

Indian authorities must focus on solving the problems of Indian minorities including Christians, Sikhs and specially Muslims rather than accusing Pakistan; solution to their grievances will surely remove doubts from their minds.

So MR VERMA better focus on resolving own issues rather than finding escape goats!!!!

Friday, April 25, 2008

Constantly Increasing incidents of extra Judicial Killings in India

India has always claimed an abiding commitment to the protection of human rights. When India sought election to the Human Rights Council it reinforced those commitments by making several voluntary pledges. In seeking re-election to the Council in May 2007, the Indian government stated it believes "that in a truly pluralistic society, the growth and well -being of citizens can only be guaranteed through a culture of protection and promotion of human rights." Despite the existence of laws protecting human rights, India has failed to properly implement laws and policies to protect its marginalized communities, particularly Dalits, tribal groups, religious minorities, women and children.

Beyond failing to implement laws that vindicate human rights due to a lack of genuine political will, India has also maintained other laws shielding abusers of human rights - so that perpetrators remain unaccountable. Impunity is a major problem in India; serious crimes perpetuated by security forces are rarely investigated or prosecuted. Especially during counter-insurgency operations, security forces in India have been responsible for abuses such as extrajudicial killings, "disappearances", and torture, especially in Punjab and Nagaland in the 1980s, and currently in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and Manipur, and in states where there is a Maoist insurgency.

Human Rights Watch has investigated and reported a pattern of impunity due to Indian government policy. Our recent investigations in 2006 and 2007 have revealed an ongoing failure to prosecute those responsible for human rights violations during counter-insurgency operations in Punjab from 1985-1996 and continuing violations in Jammu and Kashmir.

Impunity occurs because there is reluctance by the government to hold its officials and troops accountable. A series of Indian laws also make it difficult or impossible to prosecute abusers employed by the state. In particular, police and paramilitary forces are protected under Section 197 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which provides that no court will recognize any offence alleged to have been committed by a public servant (including a member of the armed forces) in the discharge of official duty without the express sanction of the federal government. Permission to prosecute is rarely granted, even when an investigation has strong evidence of human rights violations. The army is provided with additional immunity when they are deployed in areas of internal conflict under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. Under this Act, no prosecution, suit or other legal proceeding shall be brought, except with the express sanction of the federal government against any person regarding anything done or purported to be done in exercise of the powers under this Act.

With such impunity provided to police and armed forces, abuses such as extrajudicial killings occur not only in counter-insurgency operations, but even in regular implementation of law and order. Even worse, there are incentives to kill suspected militants or dangerous criminals through rewards and promotions. For instance, in February 2007, police investigations into a "missing person" case of a carpenter Abdul Rahman Paddar in Jammu and Kashmir exposed a culture of extrajudicial executions where people are killed in custody by security forces who construct faked "armed encounters" with militants or criminals, staging executions to look like acts of defense. Policemen arrested for the killing of Paddar were also accused of executing four others, all in an effort to claim cash rewards handed out to teams that kill foreign militants. In April 2007, three policemen were arrested for constructing a "faked encounter" in Gujarat, killing a man in custody and falsely claiming he was a Lashkar-e-Toiba militant.

These cases are among the small handful that are properly investigated. Often the police or army's argument of an "armed encounter" is accepted, although many officials privately admit to Human Rights Watch that extrajudicial executions are widespread. For instance, it is widely acknowledged that there are some policemen in Mumbai celebrated as "encounter cops" who claim to have shot down scores of criminals. While armed rebellions or criminal gangs pose a serious challenge to India's national security, the lack of accountability of police and armed forces in fact leads to further violence and further human rights violations.

There has also been a failure to vigorously prosecute public officials, including police as well as politicians and their supporters, for their involvement in mass attacks on religious minorities, whether it was the attacks upon Sikhs in 1984, or upon Muslims in 1993 and in 2002. This is despite existing findings by government inquiry commissions such as the Nanavati Commission and the Srikrishna Commission that cited involvement of government officials in the mass killing of Sikhs in 1984 and of Muslims in 1993, respectively.

Although the Indian government claims that it has internal systems of inquiry and punishment to tackle violations by security forces, details of any prosecutions or convictions through such measures are seldom available. The families of victims in areas of armed conflict say that while militants (who are also responsible for human rights abuses) are eventually brought to justice, soldiers and paramilitaries are routinely shielded by their uniform, civilian superiors, and by laws that make it extremely difficult to prosecute them in civilian courts. Impunity not only affects victims and their families, but it leads to cynicism and distrust of authority in communities. We cite as examples two well known cases of killings of prominent human rights defenders where perpetrators have not been brought to justice. The problems in securing justice in these cases reflect how difficult it is for an ordinary citizen to access justice when a crime is committed by state officials.

Jalil Andrabi, a human rights lawyer in Kashmir, was killed in March 1996. Under High Court orders, a special police team investigating the killing identified Major Avtar Singh and some other soldiers under his command as responsible for Andrabi's abduction and killing. Some 11 years later, Major Singh and his men have yet to be brought to justice and Andrabi's lawyer says that Major Singh has been allowed to immigrate to Canada.

Jaswant Singh Khalra, a human rights activist in Punjab, was killed in October 1995 after he exposed thousands of secret cremations by the Punjab police. It took ten years before a judge finally convicted six police officials for their roles in the abduction and murder of Khalra. During this time, police had attempted to intimidate key witnesses by framing false criminal cases against them which ranged from bribery, rape and robbery to establishing a terrorist organization. Eyewitness testimony implicates then-Director General of Police, KPS Gill, in Khalra¡¦s illegal detention, torture and eventual killing. However, as of November 2007, the Central Bureau of Investigation has yet to act upon a pending petition from Khalra's widow requesting prosecution.

Human Rights Watch's recommendations

Human Rights Watch calls on the Indian government to:

Repeal all legal provisions providing effective impunity to government officials such as Section 197 of the Criminal Procedure Code and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act.

Publicly announce its opposition to human rights violations by making clear that torture, custodial killings, faked armed encounter killings and disappearances will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

Demonstrate its opposition to such violations by vigorously investigating and prosecuting officials who order, commit or tolerate such practices.

Ensure all individuals have equal access to justice and right to remedies, and examine the shortcomings in the effectiveness of existing justice mechanisms.

Amend the Human Rights Protection Act to allow the National Human Rights Commission to independently investigate allegations of abuse by members of the armed forces.

Provide victims and their beneficiaries with reparations through a prompt and effective procedure that redresses the entire scope of the violations.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Mass graves in Kashmir exposes atrocities by Indian forces

There are over 1,000 unmarked graves across a dozen villages in the area around the town of Uri. The grave sites are believed to contain the remains of victims of unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, torture and other abuses which occurred in the context of armed conflict persisting in the state since 1989. The Indian army and militants have been accused of numerous human rights abuses in Kashmir over the past two decades.

The Amnesty International has called for "prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigations for about 1,000 unmarked graves found in the Kashmir valley". Sadly, the police in Indian-administered Kashmir rejected their demand for action to identify the bodies. The inspector general of police in the Kashmir valley, SM Sahai, said police had investigated all cases of disappearances reported to them and had registered cases for investigation wherever necessary.

While referring to mass graves the villagers said they have no idea who they were and that the police told them the men were foreign militants killed in fighting with the Indian troops.

The Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) reported that more than 8,000 people have disappeared in Kashmir over the past two decades. They fear their relatives who disappeared in the restive region might have been buried in those graves.

The human rights abuses and atrocities by Indian occupied forces in Kashmir is not a new story, but sadly international community and international human rights organizations are taking no notice of it since long. The disclosure of these mass graves and atrocities of Indian occupied forces in Indian held Kashmir must be exposed to the world community and it also requires world-wide condemnation!!!

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Indian Air Force pilot stabbed to death

It is very sad to read that one young IAF pilot stabbed to death & the other injured. I wondered weather the pilots were drunk! or the culprit as it is difficult to understand that the two young trained soldiers could not overpower.

Moreover, it seems that the Lawyers in all parts of India are beginning to behave as if they are above law. Institutes of legal education in India should take note. Morality, professional ethics must be enlarged and emphasized in legal education curriculum. Most lawyers become blind defenders of criminal politicians, form groups of fighters and demonstrators for them. Perhaps, lawyers should be banned from becoming members of political parties. They should be above politics, serving the country and the courts in the correct administration of justice as per law.

Sadly, this incident of killing an Air Force pilot by an Indian lawyer has conveyed a very bad image of relation between Indian civilians and Armed Forces.

65 Indian Army Officers has quit

Unhappy with the submission of recommendations by the Sixth Pay Commission, sixty-five officers of Indian Army has resigned on March 24, 2008. The officers have sought a voluntary retirement and their applications will have to be processed before approval. Most of them are of the colonel and lieutenant colonel ranks. There has been a large-scale resentment among the rank and files of the armed forces over what they see as disparity between them and civil officers.

The large number of resignations in a span of just two weeks has come at a time when the army is facing a shortage of 11,200 officers. Earlier, around 3,000 mid-level commanders had sought voluntary retirement to move to the lucrative private sector. It is expected that more and more army officers will quit if these absurd recommendations are implemented. The armed personnel also complain for luxuries provided to politicians and bureaucrats.

Indian Army was already committing suicide due to frustration; now these recommendations have added fuel to the fire and will further aggravate their complexes!!!

Thursday, April 3, 2008

US UNTENABLE 11 DEMANDS

The US has made a number of highly intrusive demands from Pakistan which has shocked every Pakistani. To offer its support in the war against terrorism, Pakistan has already given bases and logistic support to US. The latest set of 11 demands for US military and auxiliary personnel in Pakistan are extremely intrusive and highly untenable.

These demands include travel for US embassy "technical staff" without a requirement for passports and visas, that US personnel in Pakistan be subject to US not Pakistani law; and that Pakistan's government provide various support services to the US. The one which is most outrageous is number eleven:
Demand number eleven is for a waiver of all claims to damage to loss or destruction of others property, or death to personnel or armed forces or civilians. The US has tried to be smart by not using the word "other" for death but, given the context, clearly it implies that US personnel can maim and kill Pakistanis and destroy our infrastructure and weaponry with impunity.
This set of demands sounds like the US is planning on fighting a war in Pakistan, and is seeking immunity from Pakistan's laws because it anticipates that crimes will be committed. Unfortunately, these demands also sound a lot like the classic Western imperialist demands for "extraterritoriality". US must keep it very clear that Pakistan is a sovereign state and will not tolerate any foreign interference in Pakistani territory. All Pakistanis, our Defence and Foreign Ministries have shown resentment on these demands; hopefully, US will not forget the fact that Pakistan army has deployed about 100,000 regular and paramilitary troops in western Pakistan as a key ally in war against terrorism. Battles with pro-Taliban militants are ongoing and became particularly fierce and militants appear to be employing heavy weapons in more aggressive Tactics. Keeping in view all contributions and support offered by Pakistan, it is expected that US will avert presenting such intrusive demands from Pakistan in future.

LONG LIVE PAKISTAN

PPP discriminated Amin Fahim

Amin Fahim was running PPP for almost eight years when Benazir was in exile and could be the most suitable candidate for the party future chairman. Since Mr Zardari has taken control of the affairs of PPP, everyone has noticed a clear discriminated treatment with Mr. Amin Fahim. He has not been offered any Ministry and has been side lined totally.

Keeping in view all the facts the question that requires suitable answer is, why Mukhdom Amin Fahim is being discriminated by the party leadership. He has not been invited in any important meetings and decision making forums. why?

Why Mr. Zardari has forgot his contributions for the party and discriminated a seasoned politician and deserving candidate in such a discriminated way???

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

STOP SUICIDE BOMBINGS

Pakistan is not only among the countries with the highest incidence of terrorism but it also tops the list of suicide bombings, leaving Afghanistan and Iraq behind during the first three months of 2008. Average deaths reported during 2008 in Iraq were 21 people contrary to 14 people in Pakistan. According to analysts the attacks carried out in Pakistan were more lethal in nature as they were planned to assault security personnel. Mostly security agencies were the prime target for the attackers during 2007 and 2008 as more than 65 percent security personnel's deaths were reported.

While reviewing the world history, it appears that terrorists groups are capable of carrying out bold and destructive acts that at first glance appear to be unexplainable. What kind of person would sacrifice his or her own life in order to kill innocent people? What could possibly motivate a young person to become a suicide bomber?

In the wake of many tragic events, it can be difficult to analyze objectively the causes and processes leading up to them. For many, understanding the motives behind suicide bombing comes dangerously close to excusing or approving it. It may seem easier just to assume that the people involved are "evildoers" or "callous fanatics delighting in the carnage they have created."

Terrorism is not a simple phenomenon with easy explanations; usually there are wide variety of motives and causal factors involved in it. Terrorists tend to have considerable insight into their own actions and are aware of how others view them. They believe that their violent actions, while somewhat regrettable, are justified and noble. Often their actions do not ultimately stem from hatred, but rather from love of their own group and culture that they believe is threatened and requires protection.

Those who train suicide bombers brainwash them to the utmost extend and they start believing that God has sent them on a mission. They are motivated primarily by the promise of a happy afterlife and heavenly reward and the threat of heavenly retribution their rationale is that by blowing themselves up in a crowd of people, they are making themselves martyrs and forging their own gateway to heaven. Many of these individuals are indoctrinated at an early age about the spiritual importance of purifying the world and sacrificing their lives to a holy war. In some cases, enemy countries and their agencies use the concepts of benevolence, self-sacrifice, and martyrdom to spread the idea that suicide bombing is a noble and Godly act.

Many terrorist organizations also offer economic incentives to persuade individuals that it is rational to sacrifice their lives for the good of the cause. For those who believe they lack options, cannot find a job, and have few social safety nets in place to assist them, suicide bombing may seem like a relatively reasonable option. Families of suicide bombers often receive money and are treated as heroes. Once individuals join organizations that share their frustrations, they may undergo a process of indoctrination whereby their beliefs and behaviors are made to conform the group's basic principles. Within these tight-knit communities, individuals' fear of letting down their comrades becomes greater than their fear of dying. Many come to believe that by sacrificing their own lives for the sake of the cause, those lives can take on a broader meaning.

Various grievances and social stressors can also contribute to turn a person into a suicide bomber. For example, poverty, unemployment, epidemics, and criminality often lead to social instability, which provides fertile ground for terrorist activity. Over-population, socioeconomic struggle, and a lack of professional opportunities can also produce a sense of rage, powerlessness, and resentment among the populace. Moreover, indoctrination of young minds can also play an important role in conversion of an ordinary person into a suicide bomber.

The detained terrorists in the custody of Pakistani authorities have also accepted the fact that they got indoctrination, support and lethal ammunition in Afghanistan. The main role in preparation and brainwashing young boys as suicide bombers has been played by secret operatives of Indian agencies in AFGHNAISTAN. The destabilization of Pakistan is in the interest of India therefore it has maintained training camps inside Afghanistan with the consent and support of some culprit Afghan officials.
The outcome of their game plan is constantly rising number of suicide bombing in Pakistan. The poor souls are completely unaware of the reality that they are in fact serving for the enemies of Islam and Pakistan. These misled people are completely brainwashed and they find suicide bombings as an easy way of entering into heaven.
Learn how to live, and you'll know how to die; learn how to die, and you'll learn how to live.