Pakistan's urban elites (fake liberals) promote Sherry Rehman as a champion of human rights.

Related posts: Some gems from Declan Walsh’s article promoting Sherry Rehman

Where Ansar Abbasi and Mosharraf Zaidi converge: “PPP killed Sherry Rehman’s bill”

Adil Najam and his pseudo-liberals’ outpouring of sympathy for Sherry Rehman – by Sarah Khan

In a previous post, we highlighted how elite media as well as elite human rights groups (e,g., HRW, HRCP) are unduly and dishonestly presenting and promoting Sherry Rehman as a champion of human rights.

The elite media is a term used to describe newspapers, TV channels and other media that influence the political agenda of a powerful elite. According to Noam Chomsky, “[t]he elite media set a framework within which others operate.” The term denotes a structural position within the mass media, however, it is equally applicable to NGOs (so called rights groups, civil society etc) which too act on specific economic or political agendas to promote perspectives and interests of the powerful elite.

Ambassador Sherry Rehman’s recent statement on the state of human rights in Balochistan and the US Congressional Hearing on this issue may serve as an opener to those who had some iota of trust in her human rights credentials. In view of her condemnation of the Baloch rights activists and shameless defence of as brutal military establishment, Sherry Rehman can be safely placed in the league of Rehman Malik, Babar Awan, Sharmila Farooqi and other apologists of Pakistan army who are firmly rooted within the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

Sherry Rehman’s proclamation “Balochistan is an integral part of Pakistan” cannot hide the fact that Pakistan army is responsible for hundreds of extra-judicial murders of the Baloch nationalists since 1947, particularly since 2006 when Nawab Akbar Bugti was target killed under direct orders from former army chief General Musharraf.

Ambassador Rehman must note that Pakistan cannot continue to conduct a genocide in Balochistan in the name of integrity or sovereignty. She may wish to review this documentary that Al Jazeera has made about Balochistan:

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/aljazeeraworld/2012/01/2012121372863878.html

According to Sherry Rehman: “The government is strongly committed to protecting the fundamental rights and freedom in all parts of Pakistan, including Balochistan, and has initiated an extensive programme of constitutional and other reforms to empower all citizens in the continuing consolidation of democracy”. For starters, what good is “democracy” for the Balochs when they are devoid of the right to free speech and even the most basic necessities of life, like food, water, shelter etc. This also includes the natural gas exploited from Balochistan which is abundantly delivered to Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad but is not available to a large number of the Balochs. How can Ambassador Sherry Rehman claim that Balochistan is an integral part of Pakistan when it is a known fact that Balochistan was illegally annexed by the Pakistani State post-partition (1947), and that the government blatantly refuses to provide the Balochs their basic human rights and due share of resources?

“Pakistan is a democracy conducting itself in accordance with the international law.” This is the joke of the year!

Why is Ambassador Rehman worried if issues related to human rights violations are being investigated during the congressional hearing? Is it not true that Balochistan has escaped international media and scrutiny while a most abject repression has been launched against the people there with the security agencies conducting a reign of murder with impunity.

US congressional hearing on Balochistan ‘ill-advised’ move: Sherry Rehman

Source: Express Tribune

WASHINGTON: Taking a strong exception to a United States Congressional hearing on Balochistan this week, Pakistan has termed it an “ill-advised” move that would be detrimental to the trust between Pakistan and the United States of America.

A Pakistan Embassy spokesman in Washington said that Pakistan’s Ambassador Sherry Rehman raised the issue of an exclusive hearing on Balochistan by US House Committee on Foreign Affairs in her meetings with the members of congress and senior officials of the US administration.

According to the spokesman, Rehman said that the government of Pakistan strongly rejects the purpose and findings of the hearing and considers it an “ill-advised and ill-considered” move that will have serious repercussions for Pakistan-US relations.

“Balochistan is an integral part of the Pakistan,” the ambassador said. “Pakistan is a democracy conducting itself in accordance with the international law.”

Sherry said that the elected parliament, the Balochistan assembly, the independent judiciary, a vigorous media and a thriving civil society are avenues for expression and seeking redress of political and economic grievances.

“The government is strongly committed to protecting the fundamental rights and freedom in all parts of Pakistan, including Balochistan, and has initiated an extensive programme of constitutional and other reforms to empower all citizens in the continuing consolidation of democracy,” she said.

She said that the hearing was marked by a “blatant disregard for the history of the issue and manipulated selective facts”.

“It is deeply regrettable that the legislature of a country that calls itself a friend of Pakistan allowed itself to be used as a platform for advocating the dismemberment of Pakistan and provided justification to terrorists attempting to hold Balochistan, and Pakistan, hostage,” the envoy said.

“Pakistan views this hearing with a serious concern and considers it unacceptable. “This kind of an exercise constitutes interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs. The hearing will be detrimental to mutual trust and confidence,” the envoy said. (Express Tribune)

Sherry Rehman condemns US hearing on Balochistan
APP
WASHINGTON: Taking strong exception to a controversial Congressional hearing on Balochistan this week, Pakistan has termed it an ill-advised move that would be detrimental to building trust between Pakistan and the United States.

Pakistan’s ambassador to Washington Sherry Rehman raised the issue of an exclusive hearing on Balochistan by a House Foreign Affairs sub-committee in her meetings with the members of the Congress and senior officials of the US administration, said a Pakistani official on Friday.

Ms Rehman said Islamabad strongly rejects the purpose and findings of the hearing and considers it an “ill-advised and ill-considered” move that will have serious repercussions for the bilateral relations.

The government has a strong commitment toward protecting fundamental rights and freedom in all parts of Pakistan, including Balochistan, she added.

“Pakistan views this hearing with serious concern and considers it unacceptable in no uncertain terms. This kind of an exercise constitutes interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs. The hearing will be detrimental to building mutual trust and confidence and will add to suspicions in Pakistan about the US motives in the region and concerning Pakistan,” the envoy said.

Source: Dawn / AFP

Specimen of promotion in media

Here are a few examples of how elite media within and outside Pakistan promotes Sherry Rehman as a champion of human rights.

Washington Post

Islamabad appoints rights activist as US ambassador after scandal claims predecessor

The government appointed a liberal lawmaker and rights activist as its U.S. ambassador Wednesday, swiftly replacing an envoy who was forced out amid allegations he sought Washington’s help in trying to rein in Pakistan’s powerful military. Sherry Rehman, who has faced militant death threats for speaking out against Pakistan’s anti-blasphemy laws often used to persecute Christians, appeared to be a candidate acceptable both to the army and the weak civilian government.

Ali Dayan Hassan, Pakistan director for Human Rights Watch, said the army would prefer a retired general “who would talk their talk in D.C.”

“Sherry is highly unlikely to do any such thing,” Hassan said. “But she represents someone everyone can live with, including the military. The civilian leaders are happy to take ownership of her, and she has resonance in influential and urban sectors of Pakistan.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia-pacific/islamabad-appoints-new-ambassador-to-us-after-pakistani-envoy-resigned-over-memo-gate-scandal/2011/11/23/gIQAHBW3nN_story.html

Dawn

Former federal information minister and human rights campaigner Sherry Rehman has been appointed Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States within 12 hours of Husain Haqqani’s resignation. In your opinion, will Sherry Rehman’s political portfolio make her a credible Ambassador to the US?

http://forum.dawn.com/2011/11/23/the-right-call/

Express Tribune

Indeed, in 2009, he (Zardari) had asked her to resign from the information ministry during the heat of tensions with a media group. She switched her imaginative talents and employed the hardworking tenacity to build up a think tank. The Jinnah Institute that she had established took no time to get registered by relevant quarters. As a lightening rod of the same think tank, she remained active on track II as well to find out ways of establishing peace with India and seek a doable strategy to deal with Afghanistan. Her vocal stance on women-related issues, diligent working for some women-empowering legislation and above all her efforts to inject sanity in blasphemy laws augmented her credentials.

Nusrat Javeed in Express Tribune

http://tribune.com.pk/story/296773/how-sherry-rehman-emerged-out-of-nowhere/

Human Rights Watch

KenRoth Kenneth Roth
New #Pakistan ambassador to US @sherryrehman has strong rights background–probably not what ISI would have wanted. wapo.st/rQidUl

KamranShafi46 Kamran Shafi
@KenRoth Yes, but she will not speak on Balochistan

AliDayan Ali Dayan Hasan
Rights campaigner @SherryRehman’s appointment as #Pakistan’s ambassador to DC is a “welcome development” says @HRW ’ bit.ly/rHNzSK

AliDayan Ali Dayan Hasan
While the military will now seek greater influence over #Pakistan’s US policy, @sherryrehman- a progressive democrat will seek to temper it

AliDayan Ali Dayan Hasan
@SherryRehman as #Pakistan ambassador to the US suggests that the military has failed to assume complete control of Pak-US relations.

AliDayan Ali Dayan Hasan
All those who struggle for human rights and civilian supremacy in #Pakistan owe both @sherryrehman and @husainhaqqani a debt of gratitude

AliDayan Ali Dayan Hasan
#Pakistan needs rights-defenders such as @sherryrehman and @husainhaqqani in leadership positions. Congratulations Sherry.

ijazkhan Ijaz Khan
@AliDayan @SherryRehman @HRW Wow Really? We need to keep the difference between politician even if struggling for rights & a rights activist

Elitist Awards
As a logical outcome of her promotion by elitist media and NGOs, Sherry Rehman has received a number of awards.

In January 2009, she was hailed “Democracy’s Hero” in a report of the International Republican Institute as a result of her close association with former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s campaign for democratic rule in Pakistan. However, the reference received mixed coverage in Pakistan.

In the same year, Rehman was also named among the “100 Most Influential Asians” by UAE magazine, Ahlan.

The March 2011 issue of Newsweek Pakistan ranked her on its cover as “Pakistan’s Most Important Woman”.
Foreign Policy magazine has identified Rehman as one of 2011’s Top Global Thinkers. (Source)

Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan does not represent majority of peaceful Sunnis.

Source: Pakistan Blogzine

Related posts: Sipah-e-Sahaba’s attacks on Sunni Barelvis

Sipah-e-Sahab Pakistan (SSP, currently camouflaged as Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat ASWJ) is a banned extremist organization. Comprising radicalised Jihadi-sectarian assets of Pakistan army, the SSP-SWJ represents a tiny minority of the Deobandi sub-sect of Sunni Islam, and per se does not represent the majority of Sunni Barelvi, Deobandi or Salafi Muslims.

Sunni Muslims in Pakistan are divided into three main sects or sub-sects: Barelvis (70%), Deobandi (25%) and Ahl-e-Hadith (5%).

During the CIA-Saudi sponsored Jihad against the Soviet-backed regime in Afghanistan (1979-87), Pakistan army (ISI in particular) recruited and brainwashed thousands of Deobandi Muslims, most of them from Deobandi madarasahs (seminaries) in Pakistan and Afghanistan, to deploy cheap mercenaries in the so called Jihad in Afghanistan.

There were two types of Deobandi Jihadis produced by Pakistan army: Internal and External.

The Internal Jihadis were tasked to attack all those individuals and groups (political parties, religious sects, rights groups etc) who could cause an obstruction in the way of Pakistan army’s international Jihadist agenda. Within Pakistan, the internal jihadis focused on killing leaders of progressive political parties (e.g., ANP, PPP, other progressive intellectuals etc) as well as religious sects opposed to radical Deobandi-Wahhabi agenda. Shias, Sunni Barelvis, Ahmadis and Christians were particularly targeted by the brainwashed Jihadist Deobandis.

The External Jihadis were tasked to operate in Afghanistan, India, Bosnia, Chechnya and other countries to promote the goal of international Islamic Empire or Caliphate.

In view of the mounting international pressure in the aftermath of the 9/11, General Musharraf declared the extremist Deobandi organization (the internal Jihadi branch) Sipah-e-Sahaba as outlawed in 2002. The organization was banned in 2002 as a terrorist organization under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997.

However, while the Sipah-e-Shaba Pakistan (SSP) was apparently banned, the organization was secretly allowed to operate by Pakistan’s military establishment. The organization continued its Jihadi-sectarian activities by simply adopting a new name “Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat” (ASWJ).

The adopting of the ASWJ was a cunning move by the Sipah-e-Sahaba leadership because Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal-Jamaat or Jamaat-e-Ahle-Sunnat is a name particularly used by Pakistan’s Sunni Barelvis, moderate Sufi Muslims who constitute a dominant majority of Pakistan’s Sunni Muslims and are strictly opposed to extremist Deobandis’ (SSP) Jihadi-sectarian agenda.

In fact, Jihadi-sectarian militants of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (which also operates as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi LeJ) have conducted numerous attacks not only on Shias, Ahamdis and Christians but also on Sunni Barelvis in which hundreds of Barelvi Muslims have been killed or injured.

Jihadi-sectarian militants of the SSP-LeJ are pro-Wahhabi and puritanical in their ideological interpretation and practice of Islam and consider Sunni-Barelvi Muslims as polytheists (mushrik) and deviant Muslims. In the last few years, LeJ-SSP-Taliban terrorists have attacked dozens of Sunni Barelvi congregations including attacks on sufi shrines in Islmabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar etc and also attacks on Eid Milad-un-Nabi’s processions and Sunni Barelvi mosques. Numerous Sunni Barelvi leaders have been killed by the LeJ-SSP militants including but not limited to Saleem Qadri, Abbas Qadri, Sarfraz Naeemi and several others.

List of key attacks on Sunni Barelvis by extremist Deobandis of Sipah-e-Sahaba

• 18 May 2001: Sunni Tehreek leader Saleem Qadri was assassinated by the Sipah Sahaba Pakistan(SSP). His successor, Abbas Qadri, charged President Pervez Musharraf’s regime with “patronising terrorists” and “standing between us and the murderers.” (Source). Various Sunni Barelvi outfits alleged that the country’s intelligence agencies were responsible for the killing of Maulana Saleem Qadri. According to these outfits, the agencies were utilising the SSP to trigger sectarian violence among the Shia, Deoband and Sunni Barelwi sects. (Source). When the SSP’s Karachi finance secretary was arrested after the murder of Sunni Tehreek chief Saleem Qadri, he revealed that his organisation received 32 lakh rupees a year from Karachi for the purposes of posting bail, assisting its imprisoned activists and the families of deceased activists. This entire amount was reportedly kept as amanat (safe custody) with one Maulvi Saadur Rehman, head of a religious school in Karachi, and the withdrawals were made through written messages. (Source). Qadri, a high-profile Muslim cleric of the Sunni Barelvi school, was ambushed, apparently by a team of six well-trained assassins riding three motorbikes while he was on his way to Noorani Masjid in Rasheedabad no 7 for the Friday congregation. Qadri and five others were killed on the spot, and three others, including his six-year-old son Bilal Raza, and eight-year-old nephew, Ahmed Raza, were wounded. The dead include Anis Qadri, 23, Mohammed Altaf Junejo, 40 (Qadri’s nephew and brother-in-law), Ibrahim Qadri, 30, van driver Abid Baloch, 30, and police constable, Hafeez Qadri. The corpse of one of the alleged killers, who was later identified as “Arshad alias Polka, an activist of the Sipha-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP)”, was also found in the vicinity of the Qadri killing soon afterwards, who was killed in retaliatory firing by Saleem Qadri’s guards. (Source)
• 19 March 2005: An SSP-LeJ suicide bomber killed 36 at the shrine of Pir Rakhel Shah in Jhal Magsi, Balochistan.
• 27 May 2005: As many as 20 people were killed and 100 were injured on May 27, 2005 when an extremist Deobandi suicide-bomber attacked a gathering at Bari Imam Shrine during the annual festival. According to the police the two men, said to be active members of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), were arrested from Thanda Pani and police seized two hand grenades from their custody. The police said that the two men brought the suicide-bomber from Northern Areas and provided him boarding at the house of another member of the SSP in Rawalpindi before sending the attacker to the shrine. http://tribune.com.pk/story/236095/bari-imam-shrine-attack-2005-police-await-suspects-on-judicial-remand-in-another-case/
• 11 April 2006: A grand Sunni Barelvi congregation celebrating the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad on Eid Milad un Nabi was suicide-bombed by an extremist Deobandi. 57 died including almost the entire leadership of the Sunni Tehrik; over 100 were injured. T
• 16 December 2008: Pir Samiullah was killed by extremist Deobandis in Swat, his dead body was exhumed and desecrated.
• 17 January 2009: Pir Rafiullah was killed in Peshawar.
• 18 February 2009: JUP-Noorani’s provincial leader Maulana Iftikhar Ahmed Habibi was killed in Quetta.
• 8 March 2009: Attack on Rahman Baba Shrine by extremist Deobandis
• 12 June 2009: Mufti Sarfraz Ahmed Naeemi was killed by an extremist Deobandi. He was a leading Sunni Islamic cleric from Pakistan well known for his moderate and anti-terrorist views. He was killed in a suicide bombing in Lahore, Pakistan after publicly denouncing the Taliban’s terrorist actions and ideologies. http://criticalppp.com/archives/tag/sarfraz-naeemi
• 2 September 2009: Attack on Hamid Saeed Kazmi in Islamabad. He sustained injuries but survived.
• 1 July 2010: The July 2010 Lahore bombings occurred in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Two suicide bombers blew themselves up at the Sufi shrine, Data Durbar Complex. At least 50 people died and 200 others were hurt in the blasts.
• 7 October 2010: 10 people killed, 50 injured in an attack on Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine in Karachi
• 25 October 2010: 5 killed, several injured in an attack on the shrine of Baba Farid Ganj Shakar in Pakpattan.
• 14 December 2010: Attack on Ghazi Baba shrine in Peshawar, 3 killed. http://criticalppp.com/archives/33455
• 3 April 2011: At the annual festival of Sakhi Sarwar Shrine near D.G.Khan, a twin suicide attack left 42 dead and almost a hundred injured. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/04/world/asia/04pakistan.html

List of Deobandi and Wahhabi Muslims killed by Sipha-e-Sahaba:

30 May 2004: A senior Deobandi religious scholar and head of Islamic religious school Jamia Binoria, Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai, was gunned down in his car while leaving his home in Karachi.

17 September 2007: Maulana Hasan Jan was killed in Peshawar.

19 September 2008: A bomb exploded at an Islamic religious school in Quetta killing five people and wounding at least eight. The school was run by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam of Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman.

2 October 2010: Dr. Muhammad Farooq Khan, Mardan

Waqt News TV’s political talk-show, Awami Express

(Bardasht—Bardasht—Bardasht) 14 December 2011

Guests: Mufti Muhammad Abid Mubarak (Sunni Barelvi scholar); Aurangzeb Farooqi, head of Sipah-e-Sahaba, Karachi

Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal-Jamat (Sipah-e-Sahaba) is a Deobandi terror outfit hiding behind a Sunni mask, in reality they are an extremist Deobandi outfit, which do not represent Sunni Barelvis nor Deobandis.

Mufti Abid Mubarak (a Sunni Barelvi scholar) said:

(13-18 minute segment)

hum shadeed muzammit kartay hain is qatl o gharat gari ki.

ibtada mein jab aap nay taaruf karaya ahle sunnat wal jamaat kal-adam jamat sipah sahaba. is mein humaray logon Sunni Barelvion ka moqif yeh hai kei hum pur aman log hain, humara naam istemal na kiya jaaye.  sipah sahaba kal-adam jamaat hai, is ka ahl-e-sunnat say koi talluq nahin.

ahle sunnat pur aman log hain, woh dehshat gardi mein, qatl o gharat main mulawis nahin hotay hain, yeh sab batain on reocrd hain, bohat say log humrary shaheed huay, kai log pakray gaye, saneha nisthart park mein bohat say logon ka naam aaya, jis kay tanay banay sipah sahaba say miltay hain.

humarayshaheed-e-ahle sunnat akrm rizvi shaheed huway, un kay tanay banay bhi sipah-e-sahaba say miltay hain,

ahle sunnat ka naam aap isetmal na karen, ahle sunnat kay karoron log hain, hum Sunni barevli hain, humara dil dukhta hai, hum krororn sunnion kay dil dukhtay hain, hum aulia kay maan-nay walay hain, yeh dehshat gard humara naam istemal na karen aur nah hamain in kay saath chipkaya jaye.

aap ye naam istemal naa karen, in kay maslak kay lakhon log (deobandi) apnay aap ko sipah sahab ka nahin kehtay. humray mnaslak kay karoron log in kay qatl o gharat kay khilaf hain.

21-25 minute segment

khudkush humla aawar, funding milti hai in ko or in kay (doebandi) madarson ko, sohrab goth mein in kay lgo hain, koi amreeki nahin aaya, na kisi goray nay kia hay, koi robot nahin aaya, yeh inhi kay, sipah sahaba kay log hain jo dehshat gardi kartay hain.

sarfraz naeemi per humla hua, bhakkar ke deobandi madarsay say khudkush hamla aawar aya tha.

abdullah shah ghazi per humla huwa, deobandi madarsay ka talib ilm nikla

aap ungli kay peechay sooraj ko na chupa saktay. hum iss ko aik waqt takt hi bardasht kar saktay hain

barlevi maslak ka sipah-e-sahaba kay intaha pasand dehshat gardon say koi talluq nahin

aaj tak pakistan main jitnay bum dhamakay, dehshat gardi ki karwaiyan huwin, aik bhi ahl-e-sunnat wal-jamat, barlevi madarsay ka talib ilm nahin tha

data darbar per humla, deobandni madarsa. abdullah shah ghazi per humla, deobandi madarsa. sarfraz naeemi per humla, deobandi madarsaay ka banda tha.

28-30 minute segment

ahle-sunnat kay baray senior rahnuma salim qadri shaheed huway, hit kia gaya galion say, un ka guard tha hafiz raza, us nay fire kiay, aik humla aawar mara gaya, un qatilon mein say aik mara gaya, tafteesh huwi, sipha-e-sahaba ka sar garm kar kun tha lasbela ka

saleem qadri ko shaheed karnay walay sipah-e-sahaba kay log thay.

35-37 minute segment

jo log karwaiyan kartay hain, un ko giriftar kyun nahin kia jata. qanoon ki amaldari nahin hay, dehshat gardi mein mulawis log riha ho rahay hain, sufi muhammad jesay 200 logon kay qatil riha ho rahay hain, jo pakray gay hain, un ko sazayen kyun nahin hoteen?

huma ya rasoolallah kehnay walay log hain lekin humara haq nahin hay jo hum say ikhtlaf karta hai un ko goli marain. sipah-e-shaba kay logon ko humara naam nahin istemal karna chahiye. dehshat gardon ka ahle sunnat se koi taaluq nahin.

38-39 minute segment

kuch deobandi madaris hain jo tashaddud, intaha pasandi ki himayat kartay hain, khud kush bambar tayyar kartay hain, sahibzada fazle karim nay national assembly main bhi baat ki hay.

40-47 minute segment

[Anchor: maasoom logon ko kon maar raha hai, hazara shiaon ko kon maar raha hay, karachi mein target killing kon kar raha hayi. khudkush humlay main madarais say jo larkay pakray gay hain un say aap ka koi talluq nahin, punjab main jo karwaiyan ho rahi hain, koi talluq nahin, karachi mein target kiling ho rahi hai ya nahin?

SSP leader: humara koi talluq nahin dehshat gardi ki kisi karwai say.]

Mufti Abid Mubarak: meri rai hay jitnay log mar rahay hain, woh hawa say mar rahay hain, pakistan kay 18 krore awam bay waquf hain, jo dehshat gard hain unka kisi ahle sunnat barlevi madarsay say talluq nahin, woh sipah-e-sahaba kay deobandi madarson say talluq rakhtay hain

sea view kay bum dhamakay main jo log maray gay who kis madarsay kay thay, sipah-e-sahaba kay haami deobandi madarson kay thay.

woh jo deobandi madarsay say talluq sabit ho raha hay woh kyun hay

sea view kay dhumakay main jo khudkush larka mara gaya, us ka baap deobandi madarsay main plumber hai, us nay kaha woh tau madarsay main prhta tha. is tarah kay bohat say dahshat gard hain.

———-

Remembering Maulana Salim Qadri: Allama Syed Irfan Shah Mashadi’s speech
In this speech, Allama Irfan Mashadi clearly identifies Sipah-e-Sahaba, its patrons in Pakistan army (General Musharraf) and Saudi Arabi (Wahhabi financiers) as responsible for the murder of Sunni Barelvi leader Saleem Qadri.

Here are two clips from his speech against extremist Deobandi terrorists of the Sipah-e-Shaba and Jaish-e-Muhammad:

(6:oo-10:00)

(3:00-8:00)

Today, in the exotic desert setting of Dubai, Pakistan completed a much awaited 3-0 whitewash of England, presently the first-ranked Test team in the world. This historical win is certainly the icing on the cake after Pakistan’s two earlier Test victories in the ongoing 2012 series.

The whole nation duly rejoices as their cricketing heroes under an unobtrusive Misbah ul Haq have emulated a feat that was achieved the last time in a Test match 105 years ago. Some cricket analysts and hosts on our TV channels have suggested as if this feat of a team scoring less than 100 runs in the first innings of a Test match and still winning, has happened only once or twice before in Test cricket. This is not true.

As a matter fact, this feat has been achieved six times in Test cricket before Pakistan emulated it today, the seventh such instance in Test match annals. For the benefit of cricket enthusiasts and to set the record straight, let me present here abbreviated scores of all the seven such Test matches starting from the earliest:

1. Australia (63 and 122) beat England (101 and 77) by 7 runs at The Oval, 1882.
2. England (45 and 184) beat Australia (119 and 97) by 13 runs at Sydney, 1886-87.
3. England (75 and 475) beat Australia (123 and 333) by 94 runs at Melbourne, 1894-95.
4. England (92 and 330) beat South Africa (177 and 35) by 210 runs at Cape Town, 1898-99
5. England (184 and 190) lost to South Africa (91 and 287-9) by 1 wicket at Johannesburg, 1905-06.
6. England (76 and 162) beat South Africa (110 and 75) by 53 runs at Leeds, 1907.
7. Pakistan (99 and 365) beat England (141 and 252) by 71 runs at Dubai, 2012.

Incidentally, the first time this feat was achieved also happened to be the same Test match when England were beaten at home for the first time in Test cricket, 29th August 1882. This defeat led to the famous ‘Obituary’ published in the Sporting Times, London the next day as a mocking write-up on the “English cricket that died at The Oval” and which ultimately gave birth to the legendary Ashes since played between England and Australia.

It may also be noted that the feat of a team scoring less than a hundred in the first innings and winning that Test has been achieved six times in the first 30 years of the 135-year Test match history since the first ever Test match was played between Australia and England from March 15-19, 1877 at Melbourne. And now it goes to the credit of the mercurial Pakistan team to have repeated this feat after over a hundred years.

The writer is a communication consultant, an Amnesty International “Prisoner of Conscience – 1984” and a former first-class cricket umpire.

Taliban meet none of these criteria in Afghanistan or Pakistan, and therefore cannot be considered a Pashtun nationalist movement. They take ideological and political inspiration from Arabs and other non-Pashtuns. They have consciously, as a matter of policy, targeted different cultural traits of Pashtuns, like tribal councils and folk music; they are not concerned about the language and promote mostly Arabic and/or interestingly, Urdu; Economic resources or their control is not their concern; neither is any political or administrative manifestation of Pashtun identity their goal.

They have killed a large number of traditional Pashtun elders in FATA and banned the Jirga as means of dispute settlement in areas under their influence. They have been eliminating the Pashtun way of life.

Taliban have, as a matter of policy, targeted cultural traits of Pashtuns, like tribal councils and folk music; they are not concerned about Pashto and promote Arabic and/or Urdu
The term ‘Taliban’ referred to students of madrassas. The current use of the term started when Mullah Umar led some of those students to rise against the atrocities of the Mujahideen groups who had fought against the Soviet Union. In the beginning, even Americans considered them a force to counter pan-Islamists as well as the neighbouring Shia Iran. But very soon, international terrorists, mainly Al Qaeda, established connections with the Taliban.

Today, the only connection that they have with Pashtuns is that the term Taliban is a Pashto plural for the Arabic term Talib (student), and that they are using Pashtun territory. The only thing that unites these diverse groups is that they follow a particular brand of Islam. Quite a large number of them come from Punjab.

The Pakistani state considered the intervention of Soviet Union an opportunity to achieve long-cherished policy aims based on its threat perceptions from India. It had always considered Afghanistan’s closeness with India as against its security and also feared Afghan claims about the Durand Line. In this situation it had always seen the Pashtun nationalist with suspicion. The unitary post-colonial state of Pakistan had always considered all the pluralist democratic identity movements as a threat. Due to the Afghan connection, Pashtun identity politics and autonomy aspirations, even within Pakistan, were considered more so.

Pakistan’s use of religious extremists as a tool of policy began in early 1970s when most of the Mujahideen leaders who rose to fame in 1980s were backed to oppose President Daud’s government in Afghanistan. This policy was furthered later by promoting the Mujahideen amongst the resistance movement at the expense of Pashtun nationalists (Afghan Millat, one such Pashtun Nationalist Party from Afghanistan, was denied freedom of action in 1980s) amongst the anti-Soviet resistance. The Pakistani state aimed at a social and political engineering of Pashtuns. It was believed that a secular Pashtun cannot be trusted. There was similar mistrust of the secular freedom fighters in Kashmir too.

The Taliban were supported before 9/11 with the similar aims – as an alternative to those liberal Afghan Pashtuns who were getting increasingly fed up of the warring Mujahideen groups. Even after 9/11, Pakistan does not talk about Pashtun tribal elders or Pashtun nationalists of secular leanings when it expresses concern about Pashtun representation in Afghanistan.

In FATA, the current Taliban concentration includes a sizeable number of non Pashtuns and Al Qaeda. The extremist challenge in Punjab is taken to be a completely separate problem, and the very strong presence and role of Punjabis in FATA is often denied.

The approach also suits pan-Islamists because it makes it easier for them to use Pashtun territory on both sides of the Durand Line as a sanctuary and provides them with a constant source of of foot soldiers. They are aided by the lack of modern state governance in those area. But none of the insurgents talks about this lack of governance, or the rights of Pashtun in any part of Pakistan or Afghanistan.

On the contrary, Talibanisation is de-Pashunisation of the Pashtun, and may lead to the de-Pakistanisation of the Pashtun.

Source: TFT

The author is an engineering graduate who works in the telecommunication industry. He tweets @intrepidparadox and blogs at absarulhasan.wordpress.com

Back when I used to live near my school building, Dr Mohsin’s family lived in the lane next to mine. Like regular Pakistani youths who bond over a common love for cricket, his sons and I played the sport we loved in our neighbourhood. They were good cricketers, and the younger son was jovially termed “mirchi” because of his short height and amazing leg break bowling.

Although I didn’t interact much with Dr Mohsin, two incidents are still as fresh in my memory as if they happened yesterday

One day, when we were en route to school, we saw him pushing his car on the road by himself. As kids, we loved to go to school on foot, so when we saw him struggling with the car, we stopped and pushed it with all our might. In the third attempt, the car started and despite the fact that he was in a hurry, he dropped us home.

Another time, when I went out to the neighbourhood shop at the end of our lane to buy bread, I ran into Dr Mohsin. I remember that he was laughing uncontrollably. Then I heard him crack a joke about a comment made about Shias being “bed bugs” and Sunnis being “mosquitoes”:

“Aray Khurshid bhai, machhar ho ya khatmal, donon he khoon choostay hain!”

“Oh Khurshid bhai, bed bugs and mosquitoes are the same – they both suck blood!”

Dr Mohsin’s take on the matter reflected his cool-mindedness – he was not one to react aggressively at the mention of anything that is even remotely sectarian.

These memories may be vague, but from the little I knew of him, he was a composed and moderate man.

It’s been almost 13 years since I left that neighbourhood, but Dr Mohsin stayed there – and was shot right in front of his house while reading a newspaper.

Who can justify the killing of any human being?

It does not matter that I do not belong to the Shia sect; it does not matter that I may not agree with many of the ideologies that Dr Mohsin had; it does not matter that he is not my relative or even my neighbour anymore.

What matters is that he was a Pakistani, a Muslim – as Muslim as we all think we are.

Despite the sectarian debate that this might attract, I felt the need to write about Dr Mohsin because of the association that supersedes any difference of sect – it does not matter what sect he belonged to, what matters is that he was a human being.

I am dejected. I am helpless. I am ashamed that I cannot do anything to stop this.

Source: Express Tribune

He placed his own life in danger to save millions of innocent lives from a most wanted terrorist.

The Pashtun land on both sides of the Durand Line has been devastated by Jihadi-sectarian militants including foreign terrorists like Osama Bin Laden, in collusion with Pakistani military establishment.

Dr. Shakeel Afridi did a great service to the world in general, and the Pashtun people in particular, by helping the US eliminate the Saudi Jihadi-sectarian terrorist Osama Bin Laden.

By ridding Pakistan of the most dangerous Jihadi-sectarian beast, Dr. Afridi has in fact served, not hurt the interests of the people of Pakistan. He deserves to be awarded with a civil gallantry award in recognition of his services in locating world’s most dangerous terrorist who killed thousands of Sunni and Shia Muslims, Christians, Pashtoons, Hazaras, Tajiks and other peoples of diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds.

Despite pressure by Pakistan’s military establishment, Government of Pakistan must never try Dr. Afridi for treason. He did a great service to people of Pakistan by eliminating a top leader of the terrorists who have committed crimes of terrorism against people of Pakistan from all religions and ethnicities.

All peace loving around the world who disagree with Al-Qaida ideology must do whatever they can to support the doctor and have him released by the custody of the Pakistani (military) authorities.

We support the following petition for release of the doctor and request our readers to sign it.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/drop-treason-charges-against-shakeel-afridi/

Zamu Domki, her daughter Jana Domki and driver Barkat Baloch, were returning home at their DHA based resident from a wedding when unknown asiliants on a motorbike fired at them in an ambush, killed all of them and conveniently escaped.

Some Bugti families agreed about the tripple killing that this was clearly an act of Pakistani agencies

The victims were wife, daughter and driver of Sibi based Balochistan MPA Mir Bakhtiar Khan Domki who said “They used to kill the men of our family, now they have started killing our women as well,” he said. “We have been sacrificing for our country, and will continue to do so.”

Exiled in Geneva Brahamdagh Bugti Grand son of Nawab Akhbar Khan Bugti is leading a pro independence movement

I.S.I. and M.I. want to stop his surface political movement in such a brutal way by killing of Nawab Brahumdagh Bugti’s family members. The world should take notice and stop Pakistan from killing of Baloch women and children,” Sher Mohammad Bugti official spokesperson of Baloch Republican party told the reporters

The brutal act of assassinating Baloch women must be condmned, whisking away, torture and target killing of Baloch scholars, journalists, political activists is routinely carried out in Balochistan by Military and Para-Military forces of Pakistan whereas the clearly biased media either manupulates the stories or completely skips them. In 2011 alone 350+ (on average one each-day) Baloch were killed and ruthlessly dumped and thousands still remain in captivity.

Some news reports termed this attack as an outcome of family vendetta, whereas Mir Bakhtiar Domki enjoys no enmity with any of his clan or other Baloch tribes.

Soon after this, I had a vision of arguably the greatest Urdu language poet, Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib (1797-1869). As per his wishes, I am sharing a famous ghazal he wrote over 150 years ago – a befitting commentary on the memogate scandal. This is how he summed it up:

Nawaz Sharif:
کوئی ا مید  بر  نہیں  آتی
کوئی صورت  نظر  نہیں  آتی
Ko’ee umeed ber nahin aati
Ko’ee surat nazar nahin aati

Media:
موت کا ایک  دن معین  ہے
نیند کیوں رات بھر نہیں آتی
Maut ka aik din mo’ayyan hai
Neend kyoun raat bhar nahin aati

Hussain Haqqani:
آگے آتی تھی حال دل پہ ہنسی
اب  کسی بات  پر  نہیں  آتی
Aagay aati thi haal e dil pe hansi
Abb kisi baat per nahin aati

Maulana Fazlur Rehman:
جانتا ہوں ثواب طاعت و زہد
پر  طبیعت ادھر  نہیں  آتی
Jaanta hoon sawab e ta’a't o zuh’d
Per tabee’yat idhar nahin aati

Ijaz Mansoor:
ہے کچھ ایسی ہی بات جو چپ ہوں
ورنہ  کیا  بات  کر  نہیں  آتی
Hai kuchh aisi hii baat jo chup hoon
Varna kya baat ker nahin aati

President Asif Zardari:
کیوں نہ چیخوں کہ یاد کرتے ہیں
میری  آواز  گر  نہیں  آتی
Kyoun  na cheekhun ke yaad karte hain
Meri awaaz gar nahin aati

PM Yousaf Raza Gilani:
داغ دل  گر  نظر  نہیں  آتا
بو بھی اے چارہ گر نہیں آتی
Daagh e dil gar nazar nahin aata
Boo bhi aye charagar nahin aati

General Shuja Pasha:
ہم وہاں ہیں جہاں سے ہم کو بھی
کچھ  ہماری خبر   نہیں  آتی
Hum wahan hain jahan se hum ko bhi
Kuchh hamari khabar nahin aati

General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani:
مرتے ہیں آرزو میں مرنے کی
موت  آتی ہے  پر  نہیں  آتی
Marte hain aarzoo main marnay ki
Maut aati hai per nahin aati

Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry:
کعبے کس منہ سے جاؤ گے غالب
شرم  تم کو  مگر  نہیں  آتی
Kaa’bay kis mun’h se jaao gay Ghalib
Shar’m tum ko magar nahin aati

Dear Pakistan army, just relax and open new Fauji fertilizers and other similar corporations with our money; Malik Ishaq of Sipah-e-Sahaba/Lashkar-e-Jhangvi  (also known as Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat) is enough to defend the country, congratulations!

Here are some pictures from the ISI-sponsored Difa-e-Pakistan conference, a union of anti-Shia, anti-Ahmadi, anti-Barelvi, anti-Christian, anti-Hindu Jihadi-sectarian parties (SSP-ASWJ-LeJ, JuD-LeT etc). The convention was held in Multan on Sunday 29 Jan 2012.

Just as Pakistan army used Islamo-fascist paramilitary fanatics (Al Shams, Al Badar, affiliated with Jamaat-e-Islami) to murder thousands of innocent Bengalis in East Pakistan, Pakistan army is using patent killers and haters of Hindus (Lashkar-e-Taiba, JuD), Shias, Ahmadis and Christians (Sipah-e-Sahaba aka ASWJ or LeJ) to enable further massacre and harassment of innocent Pakistani citizens.

Related Posts: Imran Khan’s message to the Defence of Pakistan rally in Lahore – by Hakim Hazik

Imran Khan’s PTI joins banned terrorist groups in pro-army rally in Lahore

Credits for pictures: Express Tribune
Caption: M. Baloch

Videos:

Malik Ishaq’s hate speech

Ahmed Ludhianvi’s hate speech

In Capital Talk (30 January 2012): MNA Sheikh Waqas and Hamid Mir admit that Difa-e-Pakisan is an ISI-sponsored platform for a terrorist organization

Related posts: Pakistan’s military state enables further Shia killings in the name of Difa-e-Pakistan

Defence of Pakistan Council or Union of Shia Killers?

Malik Ishaq, a most dangerous man

Previously, more than 80 Shia doctors were serial killed in Karachi. Now more than 6 Shia lawyers have been killed in the last three months.

Related post: Pakistan’s military state enables further Shia killings in the name of Difa-e-Pakistan

Six Shia Muslims were killed in Karachi and Quetta on Wednesday 25 January 2012 in the latest incidents of target killing of Shia Muslims in Pakistan. The six Shia professionals killed today included: 3 lawyers (in Karachi), 1 TV artist, 1 poet and accountant, 1 FIA officer (in Quetta). Genocide continues!

According to the World Shia Forum and Shaheed Foundation, more than 700 Shia Muslims were target killed in 2011 by Pakistan army backed Jihadi-sectarian organizations (e.g., Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat ASWJ (also known as Sipah-e-Sahaba or Lashkar-e-Jhangvi etc). Pakistan army is currently supporting terrorist anti-Shia organization Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan under the banner of the so called Difa-e-Pakistan (Defence of Pakistan) rallies and conferences. Sipah-e-Sahaba (a radial Doebandi organization) and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (a radical Wahhabi organization) are two main parties in the Difa-e-Pakistan Conference. The Difa-e-Pakistan Council is also supported by Imran Khan’s political party PTI; Khan sent a special message to the Difa-e-Pakistan Conference in December 2011 in Lahore.

In the first 26 days of 2012, at least 40 Shia Muslims have been target killed, which averages out to one to two Shia target killing per day across Pakistan. In the most deadly attack this year, at least 27 Shia Muslims were killed in Khanpur (Punjab) on 14 January 2012 during a mourning procession for Imam Hussain (Chehlum).

In the latest incidents today, 3 Shia lawyers were killed in Karachi when Jihadi-sectarian militants opened fire on their car near then Aram Bagh area of Karachi.

In Quetta, another three Shiite Muslims were killed at Makengi Road, including FIA Police Inspector Wilayat Hussain, a TV artist Abid Ali Nazish and Muhammad Anwar.

KARACHI: Advocate Kafil Jaffery, his father Baidar Jaffery and brother Shakeel Jafery were killed when four gunmen, riding two motorcycles, opened fire on Lawyers’ car when they were going back home from the City Court Karachi. A fourth lawyers is in critical condition and is undergoing surgery at the Civil Hospital.

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has announced a nation wide boycott of courts on Thursday.

Eyewitness accounts state that the police failed to act and only opened aerial firing after the attack had already taken place. The police were also late in cordoning off the crime scene. Pakistan’s police is usually under instructions from Pakistan army / ISI to refrain from intervening when ISI’s assets (proxies) are conducting their operations against Shias, Ahmadis, Christians, Barelvis etc.

QUETTA: Police said the three victims were travelling in a car on Ibrahim Street on Mekangi Raod when the attackers, riding a motorcycle, opened fire at them, killing them on the spot. The assailants managed to escape from the scene. The bodies were taken to Provincial Sandeman Hospital for an autopsy where they were identified as FIA Inspector Vilayat Hussain, actor Abid Nazish and Mohammad Anwar, an employee of the accountant-general of Balochistan’s office.

Artist Abid Ali Nazish (shaheed) with Tauqir Nasir

Media and human rights organizations silence:

Pakistani media, both English and Urdu language media, and both right wing and so called liberal journalists continue to either ignore or misrepresent the news of Shia killings. For example, Express Tribune, which is usually presented as a liberal progressive voice in Pakistan by urban elites, refused to identify the motive and identity of the three professionals killed in Quetta, and wrote this line: “The motive behind the murders could not be known immediately.”

On Twitter, where only two days ago, hundreds of bloggers and activists, who were busy in condemning TV anchor Maya Khan’s violation of liberal space and progressive norms, kept complete mum on the genocide of Shias. No activism, petition or pressure on Pakistani media, government or army was evident in order to highlight, condemn and stop the ongoing Shia genocide.

However, Baloch, Pashtun and Ahmadi activists were most vocal on Twitter against the ongoing Shia genocide; they also criticised Pakistani media’s and urban elites’ hypocrisy and silence on Shia killings.

In the meanwhile, the Wolrd Shia Forum has appealed to all Shia scholars and youths to refrain from participating in any political or religious meeting in which there is likelihood of hate speech against other sects or religions including Ahmadi Muslims, Christians, Jews etc.

It is high time that Pakistan’s oppressed communities including Shia Muslims, Ahmadi Muslims, Christians, Balochs, Pashtuns and others unite and support each other against the ongoing persecution and target killing by Jihadi-sectarian assets of the Deep State.

Video report: Karachi

Video report: Quetta

Video by Shia Killing