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<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" media="screen" href="/~d/styles/rss2full.xsl"?><?xml-stylesheet type="text/css" media="screen" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~d/styles/itemcontent.css"?><rss xmlns:geo="http://www.w3.org/2003/01/geo/wgs84_pos#" xmlns:creativeCommons="http://backend.userland.com/creativeCommonsRssModule" xmlns:feedburner="http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0" version="2.0"><channel><title>Teeth Maestro</title><link>http://teeth.com.pk/blog</link><description>A Pakistani blog predominantly discussing issues surrounding Pakistan and its impact on global politics, this blog is maintained and run by a practicing Karachi dentist Dr. Awab Alvi, who maintains a practice at Alvi Dental Hospital</description><language>en</language><lastBuildDate>Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:31:49 PST</lastBuildDate><generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5</generator><sy:updatePeriod xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/">hourly</sy:updatePeriod><sy:updateFrequency xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/">1</sy:updateFrequency><geo:lat>24.8565605752</geo:lat><geo:long>67.0542917888</geo:long><creativeCommons:license>http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/</creativeCommons:license><image><link>http://www.teeth.com.pk/blog</link><url>http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/feedcount?id=lvbj3m2ucjsplucl2i6r5qcq2c</url><title>Teeth Maestro powered by Feedburner</title></image><atom10:link xmlns:atom10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" rel="self" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TeethMaestro" type="application/rss+xml" /><feedburner:emailServiceId>TeethMaestro</feedburner:emailServiceId><feedburner:feedburnerHostname>http://feedburner.google.com</feedburner:feedburnerHostname><feedburner:browserFriendly>Teeth Maestro</feedburner:browserFriendly><atom10:link xmlns:atom10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" rel="hub" href="http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com" /><item><title>Sugar Boycott (Pakistan) – Nov 5th to Nov 12th</title><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TeethMaestro/~3/dHH1UxpjqgU/sugar-boycott-pakistan-nov-5th-to-nov-12th</link><category>Corruption</category><category>Pakistan</category><category>Politics</category><category>Video</category><category>Protest</category><category>Sugar</category><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Teeth Maestro</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:31:49 PST</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">http://teeth.com.pk/blog/?p=6884</guid><content:encoded xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"><![CDATA[
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<p>Boycott consumption of Sugar from 5th November to 12th November 2009 &#8211; The Power of One can make a difference</p>
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TeethMaestro/~4/dHH1UxpjqgU" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded><description>Boycott consumption of Sugar from 5th November to 12th November 2009 &amp;#8211; The Power of One can make a difference</description><wfw:commentRss xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/">http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2009/11/09/sugar-boycott-pakistan-nov-5th-to-nov-12th/feed</wfw:commentRss><slash:comments xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/">11</slash:comments><feedburner:origLink>http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2009/11/09/sugar-boycott-pakistan-nov-5th-to-nov-12th</feedburner:origLink></item><item><title>New Iran – New Intentions</title><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TeethMaestro/~3/wHyp5sq7wlI/new-iran-%e2%80%93-new-intentions-2</link><category>Blogger</category><category>Guest Blog</category><category>Human Rights</category><category>International</category><category>Iran</category><category>Pakistan</category><category>Conflict</category><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" /><pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:29:33 PST</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">http://teeth.com.pk/blog/?p=6870</guid><content:encoded xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"><![CDATA[
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<p>The attack which killed the National Deputy Commander of the ground forces of Iran&#8217;s Revolutionary Guards (RG), General Noor Ali Shooshtari and the provincial commander for Sistan-Baluchistan, Rajab Ali Mohammadzadeh along with some senior officers and 42 others in a homicide bombing inflicted Iran&#8217;s worst military casualties in years.</p>
<p>Quick after the mishap, an Iranian military official went as far as to raise the prospect of a possible military offensive into Pakistan against the group blamed for the attack. &#8220;There is even unanimity that these operations (could) take place in Pakistan territory,&#8221; the ISNA news agency quoted MP Payman Forouzesh as saying. While the headquarters of Iran&#8217;s armed forces blamed the bombing on &#8220;terrorists&#8221; backed by &#8220;the Great Satan America and its ally Britain,&#8221; Fars News Agency said Sunday.</p>
<p>Islamabad strongly denied the allegations and said the attack was an attempt to &#8220;spoil ties&#8221; with Iran. &#8220;There are forces which are out to spoil our relations with Iran. But our ties are strong enough to counter these machinations,&#8221; said the Pakistan&#8217;s foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Basit while dismissing the allegations.<br />
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The point to ponder is that, how come Pakistan would be wishing to create unrest in some neighbour while its own house is burning. Pakistan has been the victim of worst type of terror since many years. The war which initially started in Afghanistan was purposely shifted to Balochistan province of ours as a part of the Great Game. Amid the GWOT the active involvement of many countries intelligence agencies in Balochistan was observed. These agencies, while playing with the internal conflicts of the center and the Baloch people, are subversively involved in provision of funds and arms to different armed groups. This has been proved many a times that the outlawed armed groups of Balochistan, BLA and BRA are funded and trained by Indian RAW. Even the websites of BLA and greater Balochistan are updated from India. The role of Indian consulate offices in Afghanistan is suspected since their origin.</p>
<p>Keeping in view the sensitivity of the problem, it is difficult for India to openly support the Baluch insurgency because it may harm her relations with Iran (never bother about Pakistan). If the Indians will come out openly in support of the BLA, anti-Indian elements in Pakistan will quickly bracket New Delhi with the alleged Great Game of the US against Iran.</p>
<p>Indian relation with Iran have generally been viewed by observers as a tightrope walking to balance out her interests in Iran as well with the US. India, knowingly, that sidestepping the international community’s efforts to thwart Iran’s so-called drive for nuclear weapons would only devalue her credibility in the eyes of global power, New Delhi is fast trying to convey an unambiguous message that a nuclear armed Iran is as unacceptable to India as it is to the US, the U.K. or France. Hence, India (a good time’s friend) seems to be all set to dump Tehran to seek new alliances and please her new friends.</p>
<p>Iran is a regional power and an aspiring nuclear state which poses a threat to Israeli expansionism in Middle East. There is no denying the fact that Iran’s nuclear programme has been a persistent worry for both, US and Israel. And the choice between new allies and old friend is getting tough on India. To understand India’s dilemma, it requires a critical view of her relation with both Israel and Iran. There has been a steady strengthening of the India’s relationship with Israel ever since India established full diplomatic relations with Israel in 1992. Ever since then, the flourishing Indo- Israel relationship has gained much potential to make a significant impact on the global politics, by altering the balance of power not only in South Asia but the Middle East as well. Today, India has become the biggest market for Israeli arms with their strategic, defence and intelligence cooperation growing at a rapid pace. Where as, on the other hand, the vast oil and gas reserves of Iran serve magnetic affiliation to the quenching India’s long term thirst for energy. And yet another attraction in Iran’s case is that she offers India access to Afghanistan and Central Asia, side-lining Pakistan.</p>
<p>Given the scenario, India is more likely to tilt towards Israel in future. As regardless of her important ties with Arab countries and Iran, her lure for intelligence consultations with Israel seems a durable one. Until now, India has veered between cooperation and altercation in case of Iran yet in the time to come we may expect India to go along with Israel and US in destroying Iran, one of the country in Bush’s war against his self-selected axis of evil. A nuclear Iran suspected of supporting Palestinians and organizations sympathetic to them, faces a great threat of attack on its nuclear installations. And India would support such an operation clandestinely, while opposing in front of the world, not to annoy Iran because of economic reasons. Amusingly, India’s interest in the proposed IPI gas line project diminished sharply from the time the US-India nuclear deal began to take shape. Probably, the US wants to undermine India-Iran economic relations to such an extent that New Delhi becomes a stakeholder in its plan against Iran.</p>
<p>The geopolitical implications of the collaborations between India, US and Israel are grave and manifold. Despite the denials, India is playing a secret role in US strategy against Iran for past many years. India regardless of having close ties with Iran stabbed her in the back by joining EU-3 on Iran’s nuclear issue. It is no more a secret that EU-3 is no longer acting independently, but as a surrogate of the US. How piteous that a democracy ended up as a deputy of a surrogate. History has witnessed how India once used the friendly ties with Tehran as a ladder to achieve US and European community’s support to secure permanent seat in Security Council. Thanks to her mean and wanton nature which made her vote twice against the same Iran in the IAEA governing board, thus endorsing the US agenda for confrontation with Iran. Nevertheless, the Indian vote against Iran has extensively lowered her global structure and credibility. Despite her close economic and political relations, if India could stab a friendly country like Iran in the back, then she could not be considered trustworthy by other developing countries.</p>
<p>The thriving indo-Israeli relations are posing a direct threat to Iran. Their trade has grown exceptionally over the years, especially after the launch of Israeli spy satellite from the Indian Space center, the tie got even stronger. The launch of TecSAR has considerably enhanced Israel’s intelligence-gathering capability. The satellite is clearly affecting the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, as its ability to produce image in adverse weather and even at night allowed Israel to obtain more information about the Iranian nuclear programme. Though India officially argues that she has commercially utilized her advanced technological capacity but the act brought to light India’s full cooperation to dissuade, isolate and if necessary sanction and contain Iran. Nevertheless, Iran should realize that a friend of your enemy can never be your friend and India has already established herself as Israel’s friend and Iran’s foe at many instances.</p>
<p>It is time that India’s credibility as a friendly democracy should be weighed by other developing countries of the world. The Indo-Israel nexus, under the US patronage, is posing a threat to the Muslim world. All their ambitions revolve around targeting particularly Muslim states that are energy rich and either nuclear or threshold nuclear states. It is high time that the Islamic countries take a unified and concrete step to cater this ghastly menace, or else it might become too late.</p>
<p>This post was submitted by <a href="http://ishaal.instablogs.com" rel="nofollow">Ishaal Zehra</a>.</p><div class="feedflare">
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The attack which killed the National Deputy Commander of the ground forces of Iran&amp;#8217;s Revolutionary Guards (RG), General Noor Ali Shooshtari and the provincial commander for Sistan-Baluchistan, Rajab Ali Mohammadzadeh along with some senior officers and 42 others in a homicide bombing inflicted Iran&amp;#8217;s worst military casualties in years.
Quick after the [...]</description><wfw:commentRss xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/">http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2009/11/04/new-iran-%e2%80%93-new-intentions-2/feed</wfw:commentRss><slash:comments xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/">59</slash:comments><feedburner:origLink>http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2009/11/04/new-iran-%e2%80%93-new-intentions-2</feedburner:origLink></item><item><title>Open Letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton</title><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TeethMaestro/~3/BCqmh1Sh9cQ/open-letter-to-secretary-of-state-hillary-clinton</link><category>International</category><category>Obama</category><category>Pakistan</category><category>Politics</category><category>US</category><category>America</category><category>Clinton</category><category>Swat</category><category>Taliban</category><category>War of Terror</category><category>Washington</category><category>Waziristan</category><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Teeth Maestro</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:43:50 PST</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">http://teeth.com.pk/blog/?p=6860</guid><content:encoded xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"><![CDATA[
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<p>Allow me to apologize to you for not being able to be present during your address to civil society at the hallowed campus of Government College University in my beloved city of Lahore. Much as I would have wanted to benefit from the wisdom of your analysis and foresight, I could not make the journey quickly enough from the remote town of Chilas where I was in consultation with the proponents of a major dam which shall displace 32,000 people and submerge 32,000 ancient rock carvings if and when built. Allow me to further explain that since flights were cancelled from the nearest airport in Gilgit, a tedious five hour journey on the Karakoram Highway, I was compelled to take the road journey over the Babusar Pass situated at an altitude of 14,000 feet above sea level, travelling a total of eighteen hours to Islamabad.</p>
<p>Your Excellency, it was during this eighteen hour journey through some of the most desolate yet spectacular landscape of my country that I imagined speaking to you, being unable to join the privileged few who were invited to hear you speak both in Lahore and in Islamabad.  As the vehicle carrying us made its way carefully over open culverts fashioned by the able engineers of the China Construction Company, as it slid over six inches of freshly falling snow, as it dipped into crevices swirling with glacial melt, and as it glided smoothly over the bits of tarmac which have survived the devastation of the 2005 earthquake which killed 70,000 people in these remote parts, I spoke to you, imagining that you were truly interested in what I, an ordinary citizen of this, my beloved, blighted country had to say.<br />
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But before I put those words down on paper, Your Excellency, allow me to welcome you to my country, this broken jaw of your kingdom.  Allow me also to congratulate you, belatedly, on your appointment as Secretary of State of the most powerful nation on earth.  That President Barak Obama had the prescience to see a woman in this commanding position is also a move worthy of appreciation.  That you were his opponent in the Democratic Party’s primaries shows the objectivity and wisdom in President Obama’s selection.  That you are a woman signifies the possibility that you will bring sanity to the White House, and by extension, to the Pentagon.  For if the world was to be run by women, Your Excellency, it is quite possible that today we may not be mourning the brutal deaths of millions killed in the many wars over the past many centuries.</p>
<p>Your Excellency, it was at the outset of the second Gulf War in March 2004 that I resigned from my honorary position as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations to which I had been appointed by Dr. Nafis Sadiq, then the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund. For five years I had tried to bring to the attention of my department the fact that the issue of population, poverty, and peace cannot be addressed without empowering women to deal with all of these.  It was, and still is, my firm belief that women will not choose war over negotiating peace, that given a choice, they will not produce children who must go hungry, that they are the backbone of a nation’s economy and cultural articulation, and that they hold the key to the myriad conflicts which rage like an uncontrollable conflagration, destroying a world built by men and predicated on inequity and injustice.</p>
<p>It is unfortunate that I was unable to convince my department of the value of the genuine empowerment of Pakistan’s women, beyond the provision of services and family planning counselling.  It is equally unfortunate that I was being seen as the face of the United Nations at a point when this esteemed organization was totally impotent in the face of your country’s insistence on invading Baghdad.  My protest at this incapacity led to my resignation, something I have never regretted and would do time and time again, for protest is my right, and practically the only thing left to me to use with clarity, dignity and purpose.  And it is through this fissure that I hope to be able to insert these words, Your Excellency, through the cracks in the daunting security which surrounds you during your visit to my country.</p>
<p>Your Excellency, before me, wrapped in a piece of fabric stained with grime and fragile with wear, lie the gifts I received from the family I recently visited in the hamlet of Thor which straddles a glacial stream rushing down the majestic Karakoram mountains.  This parcel was given to me by the woman whom I met while conducting a Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment for the proponent of the Diamer Basha Dam.  It contains what she had gathered in the fading light of autumn from the forest surrounding her stone hovel which she shares with eight children, her husband, several goats, a cow, two dogs and a ginger kitten with a broken leg.  Lying inside this piece of fabric were a couple of pomegranates, some dried mulberries, and a handful of apricot kernels.</p>
<p>When I shook out the piece of cloth containing these precious gifts, I realized that it had been carefully embroidered with intricate designs resembling the motifs I had seen etched into the dark surface of the igneous rock which lies scattered across hundreds of miles of this desolate landscape, described as the “abomination of isolation” by the British who wished to consolidate the far reaches of their empire in the nineteenth century.  That this family lived just besides the 19th century British-built rest-house, perched on a cliff over-looking the thundering rivulet running down from the melting snows, appeared to me a fitting irony:  rampant poverty living in the shadows of the greatest empire of the modern world.</p>
<p>I listened helplessly as my host explained in a language unknown to me that her husband was being threatened by the powerful land-owners of the area to give up his little patch of land on which his family eked out a meagre existence.  This patch of land shall not be submerged by the 100 kilometre long reservoir of the proposed dam, but before the river is dammed, this family, and many like them, shall be damned to displacement, dispossession, and the absolute disarticulation of everything they have known for centuries: their music, their songs, their stories, their way of life.  There shall be many like them, “collateral damage” in the path of progress of a country starved of energy and full to the brim with contradictions which flame the fire of terror.</p>
<p>Why do I tell you this simple story, Your Excellency?  Why should you be concerned about the lives of an obscure family living in some remote region of a country considered to be the pariah of nations for its involvement in the breeding of terror? Why should your mind be cluttered by the details of the lives of ordinary Pakistanis who struggle to survive all sorts of neglect and deprivation?  After all, the simple mantra chanted by your government and those before it is that by bringing democracy to these conflicted lands, the world shall be a safer place.  And democracy is what supposedly describes the dispensation in our Parliament today, and even for the several years before that, despite the fact that the self-appointed head of state was nothing but a military despot wearing the disguise of well-cut suits.</p>
<p>I tell you this simple story for the simple reason that perhaps the problem lies in the details, Your Excellency, in the details of ordinary lives.  The problem itself is simple, and the solution is not as simplistic as American foreign policy would like us to believe.  The problem, Your Excellency, is the wilful and malevolent perpetuation of a universal state of inequity and injustice – a state of dangerous contradictions poised to implode despite the many hasty and ill-thought out designs to alleviate the burden of poverty and privation.  Today I see you standing before a computer, accompanied by a permanently beaming President and a stately Minister who gives away money to the needy, once a month, as long as the needy are defined by a certain parameter.<br />
Your Excellency, apparently you are to push a button on the computer which shall randomly select a winning family which shall benefit from the munificence of a government functioning almost entirely on the rhetoric generated by martyrdom. That this family is then to return the awarded amount while those in government have loans worth millions of dollars written off is an irony as sharp as the fact that the family in Thor Nallah had never heard of this benevolent scheme, nor have they ever received the benefit of electricity which could possibly power a computer on which their names could be listed.</p>
<p>Your Excellency, I had worked with my mother in the region of Gilgit Baltistan for thirteen years before her untimely death in the region she had come to love.  For most of the people of this region, as for most of the people of the four provinces of my beloved country, such schemes have remained inaccessible, much like gainful employment, health care, education, land, and the most ubiquitous of all rights:  justice.  It is ironic that those who have denied the people of Pakistan these essential rights are the ones you are now accompanied by:  the grinning and ingratiating folk who surround you on your visit.  Your Excellency, how can we possibly be anointed with the ink of Democracy when the parchment we have been writing on is brittle with conflict, fragile with prejudice, and infested with a feudal ethos which eats into the very fabric of democratic principles? How can we, ordinary Pakistanis, believe that those with whom you do business are truly representing our interests, the interests of the family in the Thor Nullah and countless others like them in Awaran, in Badin, in Zhob, in Gwadar, in Dir, in Bakkhar?<br />
Your Excellency:  I am not trying to dissuade you from your noble mission to inform us of what is already written in blood, the blood of men and women and children killed in a war we did not create.  As I write this, news filters in of the deadly bombing of the heart of my father’s beloved city Peshawar.  Tonight the sound of mourning, of women wailing for lost children, of babies seeking lost mothers, shall fill the sky above my country.  Can you hear that song, Your Excellency, that lament of despair, that elegy to a nation defeated by those who sold it for another song, a song of greed and a malignant lust for power?  That is not a song anyone would willingly want to hear, and unless you and those in positions as significant as yours are willing to hear that elegy, I fear that very soon, too soon perhaps, there shall be no space for further burials in this beloved, blighted country of mine.<br />
In closing, allow me to offer you the lines of the wonderful British poet who made America his home:<br />
I am moved by fancies that are curled /<br />
Around these images, and cling: /<br />
The notion of some infinitely gentle /<br />
Infinitely suffering thing. (T.S. Eliot – Prelude)</p>
<p>Yours most sincerely,<br />
Feryal Ali Gauhar<br />
feryalkimail@yahoo.com</p>
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TeethMaestro/~4/BCqmh1Sh9cQ" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded><description>Your Excellency,
Allow me to apologize to you for not being able to be present during your address to civil society at the hallowed campus of Government College University in my beloved city of Lahore. Much as I would have wanted to benefit from the wisdom of your analysis and foresight, I could not make the [...]</description><wfw:commentRss xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/">http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2009/11/02/open-letter-to-secretary-of-state-hillary-clinton/feed</wfw:commentRss><slash:comments xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/">29</slash:comments><feedburner:origLink>http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2009/11/02/open-letter-to-secretary-of-state-hillary-clinton</feedburner:origLink></item><item><title>Different Flavors of Public Protest in India and Pakistan</title><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TeethMaestro/~3/2v-k4hKJ7fo/different-flavors-of-public-protest-in-india-and-pakistan</link><category>Corruption</category><category>Guest Blog</category><category>India</category><category>International</category><category>Islam</category><category>Pakistan</category><category>Politics</category><category>Conflict</category><category>Media</category><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" /><pubDate>Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:27:48 PDT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">http://teeth.com.pk/blog/?p=6847</guid><content:encoded xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"><![CDATA[
<p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/I_9QU7Ev34pZwuBz9N-HNKt0XJk/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/I_9QU7Ev34pZwuBz9N-HNKt0XJk/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/>
<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/I_9QU7Ev34pZwuBz9N-HNKt0XJk/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/I_9QU7Ev34pZwuBz9N-HNKt0XJk/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><p><img src="http://teeth.com.pk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/india-pakistan1-216x250.jpg" alt="india-pakistan" title="india-pakistan" width="216" height="250" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-6854" />Indians and Pakistanis are discussing the leadership crisis in their respective countries, but for different reasons and with different implications. India’s inability to wield influence on the world stage is being blamed on the lack of good leadership. In Pakistan, people feel that the political leaders have failed to instill confidence and provide direction when the country is consumed by the threat of terrorism.  Are these leadership demands signs of widening and maturing democracy in the two countries? Or are the Indians and Pakistanis wanting to re-live the hope and optimism characterizing the era of Nehru and Jinnah? Whatever may be the rationale, the demand for better leadership is showing different traits of the public in India and Pakistan. </p>
<p>Dawn Columnist, Cyril Almedia wrote a timely article, “<a href="http://www.cyrilalmeida.com/2009/10/22/dawn-where-are-you-our-leaders-by-cyril-almeida/">Where are you, our leaders</a>”, on the October 23, 2009. The opening lines of his column are illustrative of what many Pakistanis are thinking:</p>
<p>As the country burns, parents agonize over whether to send their children to school or not, offices of businesses local and foreign ramp up their security measures, the average citizen thinks twice before venturing into crowded locales or government buildings, a simple question for our leaders: where are you? Where are you, President Zardari? Where are you, Prime Minister Gilani? Where are you, Nawaz Sharif?<br />
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While making an eloquent plea to the Pakistani leadership for reassuring the common people, Cyril adds, “politics existed yesterday and it will exist tomorrow. Right now the people are scared and they need their leaders to show some leadership.”</p>
<p>The recent post at CHUP, titled “<a href="http://changinguppakistan.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/an-era-of-citizen-resolve/">An Era of Citizen Resolve</a>” highlights how the scores of Pakistanis are ready to confront and fight terrorists, a challenge evaded by the country’s leadership. Pakistani students from Universities across the country launched  a group named Jaag Meeray Talib-e-Ilm requesting the Government to reopen universities and provide adequte security.</p>
<p>Across the disputed border in India, Hindustan Times-CNN IBN Survey shows that 41% of the population believes that lack of leadership is holding back India from becoming a world power. The survey raised a question, which appeared strange to me: “Has the moral leadership that Nehru and Gandhi stood for ended in India? Are there no such towering figures to give India the much-needed identity?” I am not sure how many Indians would be happy if Nehru and Gandhi held the reigns of power in today’s India.</p>
<p>It is widely believed that despite impressive rates of economic growth, Indian leadership has not been able to tackle the challenges of criminalization of politics, lack of infrastructure and high rates of illiteracy. The inability of the leadership to tackle basic issues of governance tends to pull-back India on the world stage.</p>
<p>Indians and Pakistanis share a common sentiment in their distinct demands: a desire for responsive, responsible and dynamic leadership. But this is where the similarity ends. The demands made by the people of the two countries on their respective leaderships are startlingly different: for Pakistanis it’s an issue of national survival while the Indians desire national assertiveness on the world stage. Moreover, the case for stronger leadership in Pakistan is not the topic of television debates like in India; it is a demand voiced at street protests and every-day conversations. Recent public demonstrations in India are usually parochial; the demands affect only a specific social, cultural or economic group. National demands, on issues that affect the entire country have been more common in Pakistan than in India during the past decade. </p>
<p>Whether its the airline pilots going on strike or threat of protests by IIT faculty; whether its farmers raising demands against SEZ or people of Tamil Nadu criticizing the Center&#8217;s Sri Lanka policy, only local concerns tend to galvanize Indians. Have we ever witnessed protests aganist judicial corruption or illiteracy across the nation? From the long march earlier this year favor in support of deposed CJ Chaudhry to the less noticed public protest against the Government’s Taliban policy, the people of Pakistan have joined hand across regional and sectarian divisions to exert pressure on their political leaders.</p>
<p>India has not witnessed widespread protests on a major national issue in recent years. Many would argue that the democratic system allows Indians other avenues to voice their concerns. The fact however remains that existence of ‘other democratic avenues’ did not prevent Indians from participating in scores of protests relating to parochial demands. India can pride itself with vibrant structural democracy but Pakistan is showing impressive signs of popular involvement despite its poor record at institutional democracy. India and Indians need to move beyond their criticism of Pakistani democracy to support and appreciation of Pakistani people showcasing their democratic resilience.</p>
<p>This post was submitted by <a href="http://thetrajectory.com" rel="nofollow">Madhavi Bhasin</a>.</p><div class="feedflare">
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TeethMaestro/~4/2v-k4hKJ7fo" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded><description>Indians and Pakistanis are discussing the leadership crisis in their respective countries, but for different reasons and with different implications. India’s inability to wield influence on the world stage is being blamed on the lack of good leadership. In Pakistan, people feel that the political leaders have failed to instill confidence and provide direction when [...]</description><wfw:commentRss xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/">http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2009/10/29/different-flavors-of-public-protest-in-india-and-pakistan/feed</wfw:commentRss><slash:comments xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/">11</slash:comments><feedburner:origLink>http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2009/10/29/different-flavors-of-public-protest-in-india-and-pakistan</feedburner:origLink></item><item><title>Nestle Fruita Vitals &gt; Limo ride / Dinner and an HP Notebook</title><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TeethMaestro/~3/Gu-n6Fs8UYI/nestle-fruita-vitals-limo-ride-dinner-and-an-hp-notebook</link><category>Mini Links</category><category>Competition</category><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Teeth Maestro</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:15:02 PDT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">http://teeth.com.pk/blog/?p=6849</guid><content:encoded xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"><![CDATA[
<p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/dJi0_Bg5NUHjj29tnZXi6_JzkpQ/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/dJi0_Bg5NUHjj29tnZXi6_JzkpQ/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/>
<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/dJi0_Bg5NUHjj29tnZXi6_JzkpQ/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/dJi0_Bg5NUHjj29tnZXi6_JzkpQ/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><p>It would be sad if this <a href="http://www.7days1night.com/">Nestle Fruita Vitals competition </a>misses the Pakistani online community or even  my blog readers, such a sweet and easy competition is not to be pissed by any means.  <a href="http://www.7days1night.com/">Nestle Fruita Vitals </a>has a one week campaign on why you should win a Limo ride along with 6 of your friends to an exquisite dinner while at the same time they throw in an HP Laptop to sweeten the deal for you.  All you have to do is give the best answer, <strong>why you should win?</strong>  Tweet / Facebook or visit their site, leave a comment, just convince them that you havta&#8217; win</p>
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TeethMaestro/~4/Gu-n6Fs8UYI" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded><description>It would be sad if this Nestle Fruita Vitals competition misses the Pakistani online community or even  my blog readers, such a sweet and easy competition is not to be pissed by any means.  Nestle Fruita Vitals has a one week campaign on why you should win a Limo ride along with 6 [...]</description><wfw:commentRss xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/">http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2009/10/29/nestle-fruita-vitals-limo-ride-dinner-and-an-hp-notebook/feed</wfw:commentRss><slash:comments xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/">1</slash:comments><feedburner:origLink>http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2009/10/29/nestle-fruita-vitals-limo-ride-dinner-and-an-hp-notebook</feedburner:origLink></item><item><title>Waziristan Strategy or Pakistan Strategy?</title><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TeethMaestro/~3/PNEBUk4uJlw/waziristan-strategy-or-pakistan-strategy</link><category>Afghanistan</category><category>Crisis</category><category>Free Speech</category><category>Guest Blog</category><category>Human Rights</category><category>International</category><category>Pakistan</category><category>Politics</category><category>Swat Crisis</category><category>US</category><category>War</category><category>Swat</category><category>Taliban</category><category>Waziristan</category><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" /><pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:44:41 PDT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">http://teeth.com.pk/blog/?p=6841</guid><content:encoded xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"><![CDATA[
<p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/FddISUMhvcte7TTqqo74K1iI8gI/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/FddISUMhvcte7TTqqo74K1iI8gI/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/>
<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/FddISUMhvcte7TTqqo74K1iI8gI/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/FddISUMhvcte7TTqqo74K1iI8gI/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><p><strong>By <a href="http://awaam.wordpress.com/">Azhar Aslam</a></strong></p>
<p><img src="http://teeth.com.pk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/nwfp-waziristan.gif" alt="nwfp-waziristan" title="nwfp-waziristan" width="222" height="227" class="alignright size-full wp-image-6844" />Waziristan today has come to symbolize the paradigm in which Pakistan finds itself. An epicentre of ‘terrorism’, a symbol of ‘Talibanization’ and now a field for what has been euphemistically called ‘mother of all battles’. Pakistan and Waziristan were not always like this. How we have come to this pass is crucial to analyse, but even more urgent is to assess that are we prepared enough to win this battle?</p>
<p>Is this just a battle or a war? Is the battle confined to South Waziristan? What are the implications beyond Waziristan? What lies beyond the battle? What will happen after South Waziristan has been secured? What are our plans after the area has been secured and captured? How are we going to treat captured combatants? What will be things be like in two, five, ten and twenty years from now? </p>
<p>It is clear that there are no short term measures that can address a problem as complex and deeply embedded as this. The military win will be down to appropriate strategy, superior operational and tactical skills, appropriately trained troops, coordinated intelligence and finally high morale and right motivation. But this battle is about more than just winning in Waziristan. A lot more.<br />
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This is a war that has whole of Pakistan as its battlefield. To be more precise it is the ‘hearts and minds’ of all Pakistanis that constitute the battlefield for this battle. This is a battle, as Ayaz Amir put it ‘to reclaim the idea of Pakistan and create space for a better future’. This is about the meaning of who we are. This is about the future of Pakistan and our generations. Therefore we have no other recourse other than to win. </p>
<p>Crucially, we have to accept that this war has been forced upon us, by none other than but by ourselves.  Do we as a society and nation even recognize that TTP (Terrorist Tehrik of Pakistan) and the philosophy it purports to represent, is a hydra headed monster that we have helped ourselves to unleash in our midst? How as a society are we going to cope with this? What is our long term national strategy to curtail this terror and kill this monster?</p>
<p>At the risk of repetition, two aspects should be mentioned briefly. First, What do Taliban represent, and second, how it all started?  Taliban’s nihilistic interpretation of Islam is amply, though not completely, represented by their social mores. Their law necessitates men to have long beard and unrestricted rights over life and property of the others, mainly weak and oppressed such as women and children and any enemies, which more or less includes everybody not with them. They restrict women to their home, not to go out even for work or education and in some cases even medical treatment. They hate education, sports for women, music, dancing, laughing, hanging pictures in homes and clapping. While they are happy to take advantage of, and accept the latest western weapons and technology, and not to mention the mighty ‘Greenback’; they hate and ban movies, television, videos etc as incarnation of the western devil. Unless of course, they are using the same to show a grisly beheading. This then is their ideology, which is the driving force behind their incessant desire to kill and maim all who disagree with them; and brainwash young and poor ready to be killed in their cause. </p>
<p>It is fundamental to understand their ideology and the phenomenon of Talibanization, since in the long run, the military win is not, and cannot be, the sole measure of success against the terrorism. Victory in this battle should be the start of the bigger task that we face, that of reconstructing the Pakistani society. I almost feel like paraphrasing the Prophet, at the risk of being declared an infidel, when while returning from a ghazawaa, he said that we now go from a lesser jihad to a greater jihad. This brings us to the second aspect.  How did this all begin? </p>
<p>Without delving into the details, for which there is neither space nor time here, this can be summed up as Pakistani State’s overarching role and obsessive desire in defining and sponsoring meaning of Islam and Pakistan. While it is generally blamed on Zia, State’s manipulation of religion goes back in its origins to independence. Anti-Ahmedi riots and failure of ‘Ulema’ to agree on a single definition of a Muslim in 1950s  and naked use by Ayub khan of Pirs and Barelvis in 1960s for his political purposes, are but just two of the examples that support this thesis. Bhutto’s Islamic socialism and 1973 constitution that declared Pakistan as Islamic Republic, continued in the same vein.</p>
<p>However doubtlessly it was Zia’s dark rule that closed the space for politicians, opening it wide for various sectarian and regional groups. It was he who more than anyone else made the state an active sponsor of religion and religious identities. It was under his rule that skewed interpretation of Islam by various factions was officially and openly encouraged, leaving the social fabric of the nation in tatters. It has been related that at the end of an &#8220;Islamic&#8221; Conference held during the Zia era, Maghreb prayers was held by each faction separately, refusing to offer the prayers behind the leader of another faction. But Instead of opening the eyes of the rulers to what this may lead to, the abuse and distortion of Islam continued unabated, turning Islam and Pakistan, initially into a laughing stock  and finally into ‘ the most dangerous country on the earth’ and failed state.<br />
With no political space and only a very restricted social space available, people sought refuge in narrow ‘ideologies’. The near total disenfranchisement of the average Pakistani, who is poor and illiterate, was combined by the life style of the rich, decadent feudal lords and corrupt civil and military bureaucracy around them. The gap between ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ continued to grow.  This scheme of things continued under the ‘democratic dispensations’, with militant outfits starting to represent State and its policies, more and more.<br />
This was initially limited to foreign policy. But anyone who had a little vision, should have known that it would be matter of time before these outfits see it ‘fit for themselves’ to take over the other policies including internal and socio-political spheres. Another obvious consequence that should have been foreseen was, that at some point there would be ‘internecine wars,’ which will inevitably damage the social fabric even more. In addition while these private militias were being created to wage wars on the behalf of the State, the clear and certain possibility of criminals creeping in to muddy the waters should have been known and considered. That this will lead to further development of incestuous relationships between such outfits and hardened criminals, should have crossed the minds too.</p>
<p>Increasing religiosity in these decades, turned into religious vigilantism, that stalked the society, demanding conformity and obedience. The room for diversity of opinion and differences was to be no more. Such intolerance bred further resentment and anger in the society, already riven by poverty and injustice, both vertically and horizontally.  Crucially it created narrowly defined religious, ethnic and regional identities and the fragmented socio-political infrastructure with vacuous pockets. The militants filled these pockets and were able to develop ‘natural’ affiliations and arrangement in the society. It is using these spaces that they have recently managed to bring the war into ‘the urban areas of Pakistan’. </p>
<p>However one ought to be cautious here. How big and numerous are these spaces in the society though which these terrorists operate? Before painting the whole Pakistani society with the same brush of ‘terrorist supporters and extremists’, we need to ask more questions and seek more answers to define this conflict properly. Before moving forward it is fundamental to define the problem and its scope, more precisely, so as one may find appropriate solutions. </p>
<p>Doubtlessly, the Taliban and the supporters of Talibanization are not present in Waziristan only. The movement has its supporters in all parts of the country with varying degree of commitment. But is the current crisis, a war against ‘religious extremism’ that afflicts the whole society?  Is the growing terror and violence an ‘obvious proof’ of the existence of some ‘wide spread support’ for the terrorists?  If so who and where are these supporters? </p>
<p>There are three quick and short arguments that can be presented against this. First and foremost, in 2008 general elections, as has happened consistently in all previous elections, religious parties fared badly, proving yet again that people of Pakistan neither see them as Messiahs, nor worthy of their support. Second, and possibly the best proof comes from the recent survey by two different and globally well-regarded sources, both demonstrate that Pakistanis are overwhelmingly against religious extremism, the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and all related manifestations of violent expressions of political Islam. </p>
<p>The Pew Global Attitudes Project published its survey of Pakistani public opinion on August 13 and the International Republican Institute (IRI) produced its quarterly public opinion poll on October 1. Both surveys indicate that nine out of ten people are against extremisms, that they are seriously concerned about it  and consider Taliban a threat to Pakistan.  </p>
<p>The third argument is the recent behaviour and attitudes of people of Pakistan. Back in the beginning of the year, People supported the deals done with Sufi Mohammad in swat. It took only two speeches from Sufi, for people to realise their folly. Swat and Malakand operation was fully supported by the overwhelming majority of Pakistanis, as were the IDPs, who have been mainly repatriated. Within a couple of months another major showdown with the extremists has been launched. And we do not see any significant voices or protests from the public against the operation. These mind you, are the same people who came out in the support of restoration of Judiciary time and again over a period of 18 months. </p>
<p>These arguments conclusively prove that there is no love lost between Pakistanis and the demonic extremists who are killing indiscriminately. The deeper causes that breed recruits for terrorists are still injustice, deprivation, poverty, lack of voice, feeling of helplessness,, hopelessness, lack of meaning in life and lack of economic opportunities. Not some idealised version of Paradise that we Pakistanis are after. As Dr Musharraf Zaidi has put it ‘an irrational national discourse is not the same thing as the ascendancy of extremism’ </p>
<p>So if this is not the case what is it? Going by the surveys, after all there are still about ten percent who support, like or have sympathies for Taliban. At about 15 million they are pretty big ‘ten percent’. It is some of those who are so advanced in their affiliations that they provide sanctuaries and spaces for the militants to move and maneuver. But who are they then? It is certainly not the poor of this country who send their children to madressahs for education of a kind, clothing shelter and food. They certainly do not send them with the explicit or implicit aim of becoming suicide bombers or terrorists.</p>
<p>The answer lies in the preceding analysis of where and how it all started. These sympathisers are middle class, mostly educated professionals and many of them work for the state of Pakistan, both in the civil and military bureaucracy. It is to them the terrorists owe their urban successes. And to the utter incompetence and failure of State institutions who seem to have neither will nor capacity to deal with the crisis that they helped unleash. </p>
<p>It is quite clear that the pervasive influence of extremism is limited to three distinct sections of the society: one, a small coterie of Pakistan Army officers, who have been variously influenced by the spirit of ‘Jihad Fi Sibi Lillah’, who have taken part in the creation and training of militants, have used them and see them as comrades. As recently pointed out by Majid Nawaaz in his article in daily Dawn and I quote ‘In the year 2000, I had also personally met Pakistani Army officers in London, who had been training at Sandhurst. HT ( Hizb u Tahrir) had recruited them to its cause, and then sent them back to Pakistan’. Second group albeit to a lesser degree are similarly educated, professional and civil servant, sympathizers who work in state machinery but have affiliations with various religious political parties. </p>
<p>Thirdly there is an ultra conservative class of urban middle class businessmen, merchants and entrepreneurs who for various reasons have come to sympathise with the cause of Islam(ism) and so indirectly almost feel obliged to stay as silent supporters of the terrorists. These all constitute what Kepel has called ‘devout bourgeoisie’, in his book ‘Jihad- the trial of political Islam’. There is a Waziristan in the minds and hearts of these people as a symbol of religious philosophy and ideology. It is this frame of mind in a small minority that has helped this violent extremism to sustain and grow.</p>
<p>However even among these sympathizers, those who will support the outright terrorism, killing, maiming and destruction recently unleashed by TTP are very small in number. And we hope this number is growing smaller by the day. Nevertheless it is to this battle field that the war must be taken, or we may argue that this is the first and the most important battlefield in this war. </p>
<p>However such a focus on extremism and its supporters must not allow the state and its organs to escape the accountability for its consistent blunders and massive failures in providing security and preventing law and order breakdown throughout the country, which has become the hall mark of Pakistan. These failures have allowed episode after episode of successful terrorist attacks against various targets.</p>
<p>There is another crucial question that we must ask at this point. Why is it that the rest of 90 percent of Pakistanis who are against terrorist and extremism are silent? Or are they simply voiceless? As far as we can see the reasons behind this silence and voiceless ness are twofold. Firstly there is no one who can give them clear leadership, vision and voice to their beliefs, ideas and concerns. We do not seem to have anyone out there who can articulate the ideas of non-extremist majority into a coherent and loud voice. Our politicians have time and again failed them and continue to fail them yet again. This is apparent in the current shenanigans of Mr. Zardari and Mr. Sharif. How can they have feast and dinners and sleep well in night is beyond comprehension and understanding? But that is so.  </p>
<p>The second reason why the majority continues to be voiceless is because it has many other extremisms to fight against. The extremism of ethnic strife, feudal lordships, poverty and injustices. They have to cope daily,  with the harsh physical realities of a deprived and destitute life. The life for them has become a struggle for mere existence, where they have neither the time, nor the strength left to contribute to filling the socio-political space; thereby leaving the field open to extremist and narrow-minded ideologues. </p>
<p>Finally there are three other related factors that have to be taken into account for a comprehensive solution for this war that we wage. First and foremost is the insurgency in Balochistan and general lawlessness, especially in the southern Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. This is of no less a threat than TTP. In fact one may argue that in an overarching strategy, the same enemy is using TTP to divert attention from Balochistan, vast swathes of which are  beyond the control of the state. Punjab as they say is ‘strewn with radicalised individuals whose ranks appear to swell. </p>
<p>Then there is continued US intervention in Pakistan that continues to provide an excuse to their religious parties and their supporters to continue ducking their responsibility of the national fight against poverty, injustice and lack of economic opportunities and meaning of life. Further there is issue of ‘collateral damage’ a term reserved for non-US human beings who get killed and maimed by United States against all human ethics, laws and norms. Continued killing of Pakistani civilians has resulted in a strong anti-American opinion amongst Pakistanis that continues to grow. Consequently a government that is seen as a poodle to United States loses it legitimacy and moral authority. </p>
<p>Going back to the military operations in Waziristan, any indiscriminate bombing and killing will have a very negative impact on young Waziristani men and boys? How many innocent Pakistanis will die and how their families and kinsmen will respond? What are the short term support plans for the IDPs and what are the plans to rehabilitate them? What will happen to those who are captured in this battle? How are we going to treat them? Are there any plans for rehabilitating them and getting them back into the society?</p>
<p>Third and lastly there is long term and fundamental need for fight against the extremism of all sorts that prevail in Pakistani society. Religious, ethnic, tribal, feudal and personal extremisms. This bit of fight is the longest and the hardest. It is against the misogynistic attitudes and patriarchal behaviours that start with the control of children and expand into controlling lives of the others. This fight is against the poverty, injustice, helplessness and hopelessness. This is a struggle to win the war of ideas. It is to win for life against the nihilism that threatens to take over. It is to understand that meaning of Pakistan and Islam is hugely more than what we have reduced it to, in past six decades. </p>
<p>No one can dispute that there is absolute necessity to eliminate terrorism. But it must go much beyond simple physically eliminating the terrorists. The breaded ones have as much right to life and dignity as non bearded ones. To achieve this we have to come up with the comprehensive and sophisticated solutions. As Dr Ziadi has put it that ‘an irrational exuberance for war among Pakistanis today is taking us into an uncertain future’. We must not let that happen. </p>
<p>Analysis above suggest that our solution should have short term goals and long term objectives. For the short term we must win the battle in Waziristan, with minimum of damage and loss, both human and material. The cost of this battle should be minimized as possible. The captured combatants should be brought before the courts of law and punished accordingly. The IDPs should be supported and looked after properly and then rehabilitated in a just and dignified manner. The rule of law and the provision of security though Judiciary and Police must be strengthened and enhanced. The laws against the terrorism offenses, which still seem inadequate, must be expanded in scope and enhanced. The security and peace throughout Pakistan must be re-established and maintained. A dialogue with all those who are upset and waging struggles against what they perceive as hegemony of the state, must be started without preconditions and concluded successfully.  </p>
<p>In the long term we must win the war of ideas. We must reclaim the meaning and idea of Pakistan. We must make people believe in Pakistan and themselves again. We must plan to rehabilitate the terrorists and those who have been reformed. And last but not the least we must eradicate poverty, injustice, deprivation and hopelessness, by providing a level playing ground and expanding the economic opportunities and horizons of life. We must provide leadership and vision to the silent majority that is neither extremist nor nihilistic.</p>
<p>It is to these matters, we will turn our attention to, in the second part.</p>
<p>This post was submitted by <a href="http://awaam.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">Azhar Aslam</a>.</p><div class="feedflare">
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TeethMaestro/~4/PNEBUk4uJlw" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded><description>By Azhar Aslam
Waziristan today has come to symbolize the paradigm in which Pakistan finds itself. An epicentre of ‘terrorism’, a symbol of ‘Talibanization’ and now a field for what has been euphemistically called ‘mother of all battles’. Pakistan and Waziristan were not always like this. How we have come to this pass is crucial to [...]</description><wfw:commentRss xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/">http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2009/10/29/waziristan-strategy-or-pakistan-strategy/feed</wfw:commentRss><slash:comments xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/">15</slash:comments><feedburner:origLink>http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2009/10/29/waziristan-strategy-or-pakistan-strategy</feedburner:origLink></item><item><title>US official, Resigns in Protest questioning the American agenda in Afghanistan (&amp; Pakistan)</title><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TeethMaestro/~3/-mGB1cNTnxU/us-official-resigns-in-protest-questioning-the-american-agenda-in-afghanistan-pakistan</link><category>Afghanistan</category><category>Crisis</category><category>International</category><category>Obama</category><category>Pakistan</category><category>Politics</category><category>US</category><category>War</category><category>Swat</category><category>War of Terror</category><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Teeth Maestro</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:25:27 PDT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">http://teeth.com.pk/blog/?p=6833</guid><content:encoded xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"><![CDATA[
<p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/DIf3HmzDGelWYHyHUYstenq9pS4/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/DIf3HmzDGelWYHyHUYstenq9pS4/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/>
<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/DIf3HmzDGelWYHyHUYstenq9pS4/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/DIf3HmzDGelWYHyHUYstenq9pS4/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><p>Matthew Hoh, A former Marine Corps captain stationed in the Zabul province in Afghanistan <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/26/AR2009102603394.html?sid=ST2009102603447">tendered his resignation to the US Ambassador Nancy Powel</a>, becoming the <strong>first U.S. official known to resign in protest over the Afghan war</strong>, which he had come to believe simply fueled the insurgency. </p>
<p>&#8220;<em><strong>I have lost understanding of and confidence in the strategic purposes of the United States&#8217; presence in Afghanistan,</strong></em>&#8221; he wrote Sept. 10 in a <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/hp/ssi/wpc/ResignationLetter.pdf">four-page letter </a>to the department&#8217;s head of personnel. &#8220;<em><strong>I have doubts and reservations about our current strategy and planned future strategy, but my resignation is based not upon how we are pursuing this war, but why and to what end.</strong></em>&#8221;<br />
<span id="more-6833"></span></p>
<blockquote><p>If honest, our stated strategy of securing Afghanistan to prevent Al-Qaeda resurgence or regrouping <strong>would require us to additionally invade and occupy western Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, etc</strong>.  Our <strong>presence in Afghanistan has only increased destabilization and insurgency in Pakistan where we rightly fear a toppled or weakened Pakistani government may loose control of its nuclear weapons</strong>.  However again to follow the logic of our stated goals we should garrison Pakistan, not Afghanistan.  More so, the September 11th attacks, as well as the Madrid and London bombings, were primarily planned and organized in Western Europe; a point that highlights the threat is not one tied to traditional geographic or political boundaries.  Finally, if our concern is for a failed state crippled by corruption and poverty and under assault from criminal and drug lords, then if we bear our military and financial contributions to Afghanistan, we must reevaluate and increase our commitment to and involvement in Mexico</p></blockquote>
<p>I believe Matt has hit the nail on the head and Washington is at the moment reeling in an attempt to disaster manage this crisis.  The above <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/hp/ssi/wpc/ResignationLetter.pdf">quoted text from his resignation letter </a>quite interestingly sums up the huge American War of Terror fiasco.  The aimless strategy in Afghanistan combined with the chaotic situation in Pakistan only will add to the our woes more importantly and naturally make matters worse for the the Americans.  Many may ask, if this is a deliberate attempt to weaken the Islamic states or a truly unorganized mess</p>
<p><a title="View  Matthew Hoh first US official to resign over Afghan War on Scribd" href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/21683575/Matthew-Hoh-first-US-official-to-resign-over-Afghan-War" style="margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block; text-decoration: underline;"> Matthew Hoh first US official to resign over Afghan War</a> <object codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" id="doc_600851094836188" name="doc_600851094836188" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" align="middle"	height="500" width="450" ><param name="movie"	value="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=21683575&#038;access_key=key-1op4o2wbfljfc79xb3wb&#038;page=1&#038;version=1&#038;viewMode=list"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="play" value="true"><param name="loop" value="true"><param name="scale" value="showall"><param name="wmode" value="opaque"><param name="devicefont" value="false"><param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"><param name="menu" value="true"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="salign" value=""><param name="mode" value="list"><embed src="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=21683575&#038;access_key=key-1op4o2wbfljfc79xb3wb&#038;page=1&#038;version=1&#038;viewMode=list" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" play="true" loop="true" scale="showall" wmode="opaque" devicefont="false" bgcolor="#ffffff" name="doc_600851094836188_object" menu="true" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" salign="" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" mode="list" height="500" width="450"></embed></object>	</p>
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TeethMaestro/~4/-mGB1cNTnxU" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded><description>Matthew Hoh, A former Marine Corps captain stationed in the Zabul province in Afghanistan tendered his resignation to the US Ambassador Nancy Powel, becoming the first U.S. official known to resign in protest over the Afghan war, which he had come to believe simply fueled the insurgency. 
&amp;#8220;I have lost understanding of and confidence in [...]</description><wfw:commentRss xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/">http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2009/10/27/us-official-resigns-in-protest-questioning-the-american-agenda-in-afghanistan-pakistan/feed</wfw:commentRss><slash:comments xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/">10</slash:comments><feedburner:origLink>http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2009/10/27/us-official-resigns-in-protest-questioning-the-american-agenda-in-afghanistan-pakistan</feedburner:origLink></item><item><title>The Risks Of A Remote-Controlled War: CIA using Drones for International Assassination</title><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TeethMaestro/~3/u2ER3LPxWoo/cia-using-drones-for-assassination</link><category>Crisis</category><category>International</category><category>Mini Links</category><category>Pakistan</category><category>Politics</category><category>Swat Crisis</category><category>US</category><category>War</category><category>CIA</category><category>Drone Attack</category><category>Drones</category><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Teeth Maestro</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:49:17 PDT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">http://teeth.com.pk/blog/?p=6829</guid><content:encoded xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"><![CDATA[
<p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/APi7XmivPmiQ7FVFp7sCGqoXwTE/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/APi7XmivPmiQ7FVFp7sCGqoXwTE/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/>
<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/APi7XmivPmiQ7FVFp7sCGqoXwTE/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/APi7XmivPmiQ7FVFp7sCGqoXwTE/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><p>Jane Mayer, a political journalist for The New Yorker <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/10/26/091026fa_fact_mayer">discusses the ethics and controversies</a> surrounding the CIA&#8217;s covert drone program, in which remotely controlled, unmanned planes target terror suspects in Pakistan.  <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113978637"><strong>A 32 minutes interview on NPR</strong></a>  [<a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=113978637">transcript</a>]</p>
<p>Mayer <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/10/26/091026fa_fact_mayer">writes</a> that unlike the military&#8217;s publicly acknowledged drone program in Afghanistan and Iraq — both official war zones — the CIA&#8217;s campaign doesn&#8217;t operate in support of U.S. troops on the ground. Instead<strong> it&#8217;s a secret program, run partly by private contractors</strong>, that amounts to &#8220;targeted international killings by the state,&#8221; in the words of one human-rights lawyer. Because of its covert status, there&#8217;s &#8220;no visible system of accountability in place,&#8221;</p>
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TeethMaestro/~4/u2ER3LPxWoo" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded><description>Jane Mayer, a political journalist for The New Yorker discusses the ethics and controversies surrounding the CIA&amp;#8217;s covert drone program, in which remotely controlled, unmanned planes target terror suspects in Pakistan.  A 32 minutes interview on NPR  [transcript]
Mayer writes that unlike the military&amp;#8217;s publicly acknowledged drone program in Afghanistan and Iraq — both [...]</description><wfw:commentRss xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/">http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2009/10/27/cia-using-drones-for-assassination/feed</wfw:commentRss><slash:comments xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/">6</slash:comments><feedburner:origLink>http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2009/10/27/cia-using-drones-for-assassination</feedburner:origLink></item><item><title>Jaag Meray Talib-e-Ilm, Students Protest Against Terrorism</title><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TeethMaestro/~3/VVW8Ee0GMHY/students-protest-against-terrorism-video</link><category>Crisis</category><category>Human Rights</category><category>Pakistan</category><category>Politics</category><category>Video</category><category>Karachi Press Club</category><category>Peace</category><category>Protest</category><category>Students</category><category>Terrorism</category><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Teeth Maestro</dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:36:00 PDT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">http://teeth.com.pk/blog/?p=6822</guid><content:encoded xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"><![CDATA[
<p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/mGvWsMfqg4AjtCCn7xBKgZWOIC0/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/mGvWsMfqg4AjtCCn7xBKgZWOIC0/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/>
<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/mGvWsMfqg4AjtCCn7xBKgZWOIC0/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/mGvWsMfqg4AjtCCn7xBKgZWOIC0/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><p><img src="http://teeth.com.pk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/n312147955331_7212-190x250.jpg" alt="Jaag Meray Taalib-e-Ilm" title="Jaag Meray Taalib-e-Ilm" width="190" height="250" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-6812" /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/JAAG-MEREY-TALIB-E-ILM-CAMPAIGN">Jaag Meray Talib-e-Ilm</a> a <a href="http://tazeen-tazeen.blogspot.com/2009/10/my-finest-hour.html">group of students from various universities</a> in Karachi <a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=312147955331#/event.php?eid=312147955331">gathered</a> at <a href="http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2009/10/24/qadam-barhao-talib-e-ilm">Karachi Press Club on Saturday 24th October </a>to protest against the Terrorism being vaged against the school students across the country.</p>
<p><a href="http://deadpanthoughts.com">Fasial Kapadia</a> and I, as concerned citizens decided to join the protest and record short interviews for our <a href="http://laidbackshow.com">Laidback Show</a> of the students who showed up at the press club, despite an apparent scare in the surrounding area, I truly have no words to express when I saw the passion within the eyes of these youthful students, it did fill me to joy to see the youth of Pakistan ready to defy terrorism and willing to stand up for our Country.  </p>
<p>The 6 minute short video says it all, note the passion with which each student conveys his message and I quite sure the last interview will definitely leave a lasting impression.  They wrapped up the protest with a very energetic, a very passionate and a very loud, Pakistan Zindabad. &#8212; Pakistan Zindabad it shall be&#8230;..</p>
<p><embed src="http://blip.tv/play/hLsYgaqIdwI%2Em4v" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="390" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed> </p>
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TeethMaestro/~4/VVW8Ee0GMHY" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded><description>Jaag Meray Talib-e-Ilm a group of students from various universities in Karachi gathered at Karachi Press Club on Saturday 24th October to protest against the Terrorism being vaged against the school students across the country.
Fasial Kapadia and I, as concerned citizens decided to join the protest and record short interviews for our Laidback Show of [...]</description><wfw:commentRss xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/">http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2009/10/26/students-protest-against-terrorism-video/feed</wfw:commentRss><slash:comments xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/">9</slash:comments><feedburner:origLink>http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2009/10/26/students-protest-against-terrorism-video</feedburner:origLink></item><item><title>David Rohde’s Insights Into What Motivates the Taliban: Held by the Taliban</title><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TeethMaestro/~3/bE3sHb1ipzo/david-rohdes-insights-into-what-motivates-the-taliban-held-by-the-taliban</link><category>Human Rights</category><category>International</category><category>Islam</category><category>Mini Links</category><category>Politics</category><category>US</category><category>Afghanistan</category><category>Drone Attack</category><category>Hostage</category><category>Iraq</category><category>NYTimes</category><category>Swat</category><category>Taliban</category><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Teeth Maestro</dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:25:04 PDT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">http://teeth.com.pk/blog/?p=6810</guid><content:encoded xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"><![CDATA[
<p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/WujFml9ve21smhup9qgHgeYBKtk/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/WujFml9ve21smhup9qgHgeYBKtk/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/>
<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/WujFml9ve21smhup9qgHgeYBKtk/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/WujFml9ve21smhup9qgHgeYBKtk/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><p>David Rohde <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/world/asia/18hostage.html?pagewanted=2&#038;sq=Rohde&#038;st=cse&#038;scp=1">writes about the seven months he was held hostage</a> by a group of extremist Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan and conveys this observation about what motivates them:</p>
<blockquote><p>My captors harbored many delusions about Westerners. But I also saw how some of the consequences of Washington&#8217;s antiterrorism policies had galvanized the Taliban. Commanders fixated on the deaths of Afghan, Iraqi and Palestinian civilians in military airstrikes, as well as the American detention of Muslim prisoners who had been held for years without being charged.  Apparently, when we drop bombs on Muslim countries &#8212; or when Israel attacks Palestinians &#8212; that fuels anti-American hatred and militarism among Muslims.  The same outcomes occur when we imprison Muslims without charges in places like Guantanamo and Bagram.  </p>
<p><strong>One of the <a href="http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/10/18-7">most astounding feats in propaganda</a> is how we&#8217;ve managed to take people who live in a country which we invade, bomb and occupy &#8212; and who fight against us because we&#8217;re doing that &#8212; and call them &#8220;Terrorists,&#8221; thereby &#8220;justifying&#8221; continuing to bomb and occupy their country further (&#8221;We have to stay in order to fight the Terrorists:  meaning the people who are fighting us because we stay&#8221;).</strong></p></blockquote>
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TeethMaestro/~4/bE3sHb1ipzo" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded><description>David Rohde writes about the seven months he was held hostage by a group of extremist Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan and conveys this observation about what motivates them:
My captors harbored many delusions about Westerners. But I also saw how some of the consequences of Washington&amp;#8217;s antiterrorism policies had galvanized the Taliban. Commanders fixated on [...]</description><wfw:commentRss xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/">http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2009/10/24/david-rohdes-insights-into-what-motivates-the-taliban-held-by-the-taliban/feed</wfw:commentRss><slash:comments xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/">8</slash:comments><feedburner:origLink>http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2009/10/24/david-rohdes-insights-into-what-motivates-the-taliban-held-by-the-taliban</feedburner:origLink></item></channel></rss>
