Parachinar Today

2016-05-16T14:21:00.002+05:00

Seeking justice for Parachinar is like crying in the wilderness!

ALI HUSSIAN

Youth of Parachinar and ISO activists protesting in Islamabad. Photo: facebook

The recent action by law enforcement agencies on peaceful protesters, killing three and injuring 10 others, in Parachinar, the headquarters of Kurram Agency, a Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) along Pak-Afghan border, is vindication of the fact that people in the tribal areas are still considered as the second class citizens of the country.

The protesters were demonstrating against the local administration’s decision to block entry of some Ulema/clerics [from both Sunni and Shia sects of Islam] from Peshawar into Kurram Agency who were invited to address a religious gathering on the eve of birthday celebrations of Imam Hussain (A.S) on May 10, 2019 in the agency headquarter.

According to the local administration, the clerics were not given permission to enter Kurram Agency with a view not to disturb the law and order situation of the region which is notorious for sectarian clashes.

Whereas the organizers of the event, Tahreek-e-Hussaini, a local organization, which blamed the local administration for promoting hatred by blocking the clerics of both the sects without giving any prior notice, are of the opinion that the event was organized purely with a view to promote religious and sectarian harmony.

Without going into to be judgmental on the two different opinions of both — the local administration and the organizers — no government of any democratic country can deny the right to protest by their own people in democratic countries and opening straight fire on the protesters and killing them in clod blood cannot be justified in any civilized and democratic society.

Ironically, the local administration, instead of taking action against the involved cops, who opened fire on the protesters, are making fake cases against the locals, not only to hide their criminal act but also to provide a blanked to a senior most officer of the paramilitary force, who is believed to have ordered the law enforcement agencies to open fire on the protesters.

As far the system established in the whole Fata under the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), a hundred year old draconian law, which gives the authority to the local administrator, a Political Agent (PA), to turn black into white and vice versa. The fact that his decision like a royal decree cannot be challenged in any court of law, gives the PA the powers available with a ruler under the totalitarian regime.

In such a situation a common man under the FCR cannot establish his innocence before the court of PA who is also a judge and a prosecutor while the accused has no right to hire a lawyer to defend himself against the charges leveled against him but to accept whatsoever the decision is given about his future.

As the federally government oversees the affairs of the tribal areas through its agent, called provincial governor [Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa], unfortunately does not bother to keep a check on the affairs of the tribal areas for two obvious reasons.

Firstly, the slot which is always politically motivated and in the current case, the appointee of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is mainly aimed at countering its strong opponent, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which is ruling over the province, hence, leave him with no opportunity to focus on Fata’s affairs.

Secondly, the politically appointee is also not supposed to take on the powerful military establishment which is a key stakeholder due to the geo-strategic location of the tribal areas.

As far as Parachinar is concerned, seeking justice is like crying in the wilderness, especially when the administrators have an otherwise opinion on the loyalty of the locals.

The miseries of the locals and the indifference of the State, is what can be judged from the fact that the militants especially outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) besieged the Upper Kurram Agency for almost four years [2007-11] after deadly clashes that left around 2,000 people killed of the Turi and Bangash tribes, was not only disregarded but the locals were labeled as disloyal.

When the region was completely cut off from rest of Pakistan, the locals had only one option to travel a long way via Afghanistan to reach Peshawar through Torkham border. Pak-Afghan border was the only source to fulfill the acute shortages of edibles and medicines but through an administrative order, the border was not only closed for traveling but for other commercial activities which led to further miseries of the locals.

It is hard to prove your loyalty when you’re living on Pak-Afghan border, having different school of through. It is also not enough even to provide weapons to the security forces and volunteer your men to safeguard the border along with security forces whenever there is tension with Afghanistanon the border. Tension on Pak-Afghan border

You will be a ‘disloyal’ and will remain the same and attaching much expectations of the justice is just living in fool's paradise.

Pakistan continues to honour teenage bomb hero

2014-01-15T18:20:00.001+05:00

Corps Headquarters Peshawar recommends

Aitzaz for Gallantry Award on Pakistan Day

By ALI HUSSAIN

Corps Headquarters Peshawar has recommended posthumous gallantry award for 15-year old Aitzaz Hassan who sacrificed his life and saved hundreds of his schoolmates when he stopped a suicide bomber last week in front of his school in Ibrahimzai village of Hangu district.

According to sources the Corps Headquarters Peshawar, in recognition of Aitzaz’s brave and selfless act that prevented the suicide bomber from detonating explosives at his school, has recommended the prestigious gallantry award.

The award would be conferred on March 23, 2014 on the eve of Pakistan Day. The sources said that the recommendation has been sent to Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who would forward it to the federal government.

The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has decided to name his school and a stadium (to be constructed) after Aitzaz Hassan in recognition of his heroic action.

Talking to this correspondent, Muddassir Ali Advocate, cousin of Aitzaz Hassan, said that a delegation on behalf of Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa comprising his special assistant Amjad Khan Afridi and special adviser MPA Ziaullah Afridi visited Aitzaz’s family and laid a floral wreath on his grave.

He said that the chief minister’s special adviser announced that Aitzaz’s school will be named after him while a recommendation will be forwarded to the chief minister for up-gradation of the school to college level.

He further revealed that the adviser also announced Rs50,00,000 (50 laks) for the bereaved family of Aitzaz Hassan, besides announcing construction of a stadium at his village to be named after him.

Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan lashed out at his party’s chief minister Pervez Khattak for not visiting Aitzaz’s family at his village. “They [delegation of KP government] also tendered an apology for visiting our home late…we’re disappointed but being Pakhtuns, we just forget our dismay whenever a guest comes at our home”, Mudassir added.

He, however, regretted that the local Member National Assembly, Khayal Zaman and Member Provincial Assembly Shah Faisal, both PTI’s parliamentarians from the constituency, did not approach Aitzaz’s family so far. “Indeed, we are disappointed over the attitude of our own public representatives — the MNA and MPA — who were quick to visit us for getting vote but did not bother to visit us at this critical time”, he lamented.

Aitzaz Hassan has become a national hero and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has already advised President Mamnoon Hussain "to approve the conferment of Sitara-e-Shujjat (star of bravery) to Shaheed (martyred) Aitzaz Hassan.

Muddassir further said that Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Eng Shaukatullah Khan also visited Aitzaz’s family and laid floral wreaths on his grave on behalf of President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, besides expressing condolences with them. He said that PPP’s MPA Nighat Orakzai also visited Shaheed's village and grave.

The army took the lead in not only declaring Aitzaz Hassan a national hero and Shaheed (martyr). “Nation is proud of this young Hero [Aitzaz Hassan] who has set a sterling example of bravery and sacrifice at a young age of 15 years and has sacrificed his today for our better tomorrow”, Gen Raheel Sharif, chief of army staff was quoted by an ISPR press release issued recently.

It further said that Brigadier Nadeem Zaki Manj, Local Commander in Hangu, visited the grave of young student Aitzaz Hussain (Shaheed), who sacrificed his life to save hundreds of his school fellows from a suicide attack, laid a floral wreath on behalf of COAS and offered Fateha. He also conveyed Chief of Army Staff, General Raheel Sharif's rich tributes to the bereaved family on the bravery and sacrifice of Aitzaz Hassain.

The International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) awarded first Gallantry Award to Aitzaz Hassan on Sunday which was presented by Director International Human Rights Commission Muhammad Shahid Amin Khan to father of Aitzaz Hassan‚ Mujahid Ali.

From Malala Yousafzai to Aitzaz Hassan — a tale of bravery but…!!!

2014-01-12T00:55:00.002+05:00

From Malala Yousafzai to Aitzaz Hassan — a tale of bravery but…!!!

By ALI HUSSAIN

A 15-year Dabang guy, Aitzaz Hassan, who sacrificed his life for the sake of hundreds of others lives of his schoolmates, has undoubtedly proved that there is no dearth of Malalas who are always ready to take on those hell-bent to threaten our peace and dominate their self-style ideology.

The bravery Aitzaz showed to prevent his school from devastation by a misguided suicide bomber left all with no option but to praise him wholeheartedly, from a common man to President, Prime Minister and the Army Chief, besides recommending Sitara-e-Shujaat — a high civilian award for bravery – upon him.

Now as the country is debating whether to negotiate with the militants or not, is the question the people at the helm of affairs can better answer but one thing is very clear that like the 15-year Aitzaz, everybody is ready take on them fearlessly. It’s on the leadership either to drive a nation to heights of pride or threw them before the handful non-state actors.

For a nuclear country which luckily has the world best professional armed forces with total number of 617,000 active personnel and 513,000 reserved forces, only need a genuine leadership who can take bold decisions for the sake of the people and their prosperity.

The situation in which we are living today is demanding to take bold steps as someone has rightly said “a coward dies hundred times a day, the brave meets death but once” otherwise sacrifices of people like Aitzaz Hassan and a police officer Chaudhry Aslam Khan will go in vain – God forbid.

When we talk about Aitzaz heroic action to contain the suicide bomber and save hundreds of lives while sacrificing himself also remind me another character of the history — a 16-year Malala Yousafzai from Swat valley who was shot by Taliban at her head but luckily survived.

Unfortunately, she has become the centre of criticism from a segment of Pakistani society just because she survived the attack which was followed by tremendous complements from across the globe for her campaign for girls’ education in an area where the militants had threatened all the girls stay at their homes.

The criticism intensified after she was nominated for the prestigious World Nobel Peace prize, which she did no get “fortunately” — a setback for her admirers but “blessing” for Malala.

One may be definitely in a state of confusion while reading bulk of articles that have been written in favour and against Malala with countless pages on the social websites depicting pro and anti-Malala views. Some describing her as an ‘agent of the change and hero of the nation’ while others dubbing her as “agent of the west to malign Islam and Pakistan”.

I’m not going to indulge myself in the unending debate as “What Malala stands for”. But what can I say explicitly is; “It is between two different mindsets entangled in defeating each other”.

One specific aspect of Malala episode can be the concept of heroism among others, which the people in the sub-continent especially in Pakistan and Afghanistan which host a large Pakhtun population, having a rich history of their warlords as their heroes like Mehmood Ghaznavi, Ahmed Shah Abdali and etc.

Ages back, there was Malalai of Maiwand of 19th century, born in 1861 at a small village called Khig, about three miles southwest of Maiwand in the southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan.

She is a national folk hero of Afghanistan who rallied local Pakhtun fighters against the British troops at the 1880 Battle of Maiwand. She fought alongside Ayub Khan, son of Afghan Emir Sher Ali Khan and was responsible for the Afghan victory at the Battle of Maiwand on July 27, 1880, during the Second Anglo-Afghan War. There are many schools, hospitals, and other institutions named after her in Afghanistan. Her story is told in the Afghan school text books.

During the late 1880s, for the second time, Afghanistan was occupied by British-Indian forces attempting to colonize the area and annex it with what was then British India (now Pakistan and India). The main garrison of the British was located in Kandahar, which is the closest city to the town of Maiwand.

The Afghan military was represented by commander Ayub Khan. Malalai's father, who was a shepherd, and her fiancé joined with Ayub Khan's army in the large attack on the British-Indian forces in July 1880. Like many Afghan women, Malalai was there to help tend to the wounded and provide water and spare weapons. According to local sources, this was also supposed to be her wedding day.

She was Malalai of Maiwand of 19th century who was a source of inspiration for Pakhtuns fighters of Afghanistan to defeat the British troops and now is Malala Yousafzai of 21st century, an activist for girls’ education.

Raised in a typically conservative Pakhtun society, Malala Yousafzai challenged the radical forces that want girls to stay indoors when militants had virtually established their writ in picturesque Swat valley.

Now entire world is showering praise on a 16-year old Malala for her courageous struggles for girls’ education and has emerged an “agent of the change” in a society where according to a World Bank Report (2008) of the 6.8 million currently estimated to be out of school in Pakistan, at least 4.2 million are girls.

Her critics may be reasons — valid or invalid, but one thing is obvious that there is also a factor of jealousness not only among the common man but also in our so-called intellectuals. And there comes the threat to male-dominated society in the form of a girl receiving world-wide applause for her bravery.

And we, the Pakistani nation — grown up in the womb of conspiracy theories, regard her as an agent of the west, the biggest joke. But we should not be ashamed of this mentality because it has become our national nomenclature to go for absurd things.

With a apologies to Aitzaz Hassan’s family, he was lucky to have embraced the title of Shahadat [martyrdom] and receiving the nationwide complements but I can expect a bulk of conspiracy theories had he been survived as we saw following Malala’s attack.

Recommendations on Fata reforms

2013-12-18T23:48:00.000+05:00

Recommendations on Fata reforms

Holding of LB polls, comprehensive uplift package demanded forthwith

ALI HUSSAIN

ISLAMABAD, December 17, 2013: A ten parties’ representative committee on FATA reforms on Tuesday came up with 11-point urgent recommendations with emphasis on holding of local bodies’ elections in tribal areas and a comprehensive uplift package.

However, the representative committee — Political Parties Joint Committee on FATA Reforms, of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Awami National Party (ANP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Jamait Ulema-e-Isalam-Fazl (JUI-F), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), National Party (NP), Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Qaumi Watan Party (QWP), is yet to take their leadership into confidence on the recommendations.

“We will present these recommendations before the leadership to take them into confidence”, said Rehmat Salam Khattak, a PML-N representative in the committee who presented the recommendations during a media briefing along with other representatives of the various political parties. He hoped that if implemented in letter and spirits, these recommendations will guarantee peace in the restive tribal areas in particular and in the whole county in general.

The 11-point recommendations do not include FCR (Frontier Crimes Regulation) as 2011 amendments not being implemented. While a reform has been inducted demanding an amendment in Article 247 of the Constitution to empower parliamentarians from FATA to introduce legislation in the Parliament for tribal areas. The amendment in Article 247 of the Constitution is emphasized to provide equal rights and shift legislative powers for FATA from the President of Pakistan to the Parliament.

The reforms were unanimously agreed upon following several all-parties conferences held between June and November and the political parties on the FATA Committee reached the recommendations by consensus.

Political parties continue standing together to highlight the urgent importance of mainstreaming and legal reforms for tribal people while also emphasizing the right of FATA citizens to enjoy the same constitutional guarantees and rights as all Pakistanis.

Among other recommendations, political parties agree that local bodies’ elections should be held in FATA like in the rest of the country.

In its recommendations, the panel also demanded that Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) jurisdiction should be extended to FATA, besides strengthening the Jirga system by making it more democratic and independent. It also demanded abolishment of the Actions in Aid of Civil Power Regulation, and separation of executive and judicial powers in FATA.

Presenting their recommendations to government, the FATA committee has earlier met Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions Lt. General (Retd.) Abdul Qadir Baloch in November and had given an indication to share the proposals with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and other parliamentarians from FATA.

To promote the new reforms, the FATA committee will start a nationwide tour to visit the leadership of member political parties and hold media briefings in provincial capital cities.

The committee had already met JI Syed Munawar Hassan at Mansoora in Lahore and presented the reforms demands who had assured his support. The committee also plans to visit Quetta, Karachi and Peshawar in the coming weeks. The FATA Committee also plans to meet the President and the Prime Minister and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor to discuss their 11-point reforms agenda.

Regarding the reforms priorities agreed on by the political parties, FATA Committee members have expressed their intention to continue outreach efforts and ensure that all stakeholders are brought on board to ensure enactment and implementation of the reforms.

In its recommendations, the panel acknowledges that the people of FATA deserve the same rights, freedom, protection and economic opportunities as all Pakistanis.

“We believe that political, economic, social and administrative reforms in the tribal areas are necessary to obtain sustainable peace and development in FATA”, observed the committee in the proposals.

It further stated that the future status of FATA should be decided by its people. Executive and judicial powers should be separated. Citizens should not be deprived of property; inheritance law should be extended and civil armed forces (khasadar/levies) should be strengthened and professionalized, it added.

Parachinar blasts: a criminal negligence and a ‘deep conspiracy’!!!

2013-07-28T00:31:00.001+05:00

Parachinar blasts: a criminal negligence and a ‘deep conspiracy’!!!

By ALI HUSSAIN

Photo: facebook

The recent twin blasts in Parahinar, the headquarters of Kurram Agency Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), is yet another sheer criminal negligence on the part of the local political administration and Kurram Militia, a part of the Frontier Corps (FC).

The incident of terrorism in the holy month of Ramazan, responsibility for which was claimed by a so-called Ansaar ul Mujahiden (a local militant group), killed more than 50 innocent local Pakhtun tribesmen of Shia sect of Islam while injuring 150 others, has been tried by some circles to call it part of the sectarian strife and once again dump the issue in a clod corner.

Parachinar, used to be called 'a paradise on Earth’, a predominated by Turi and Bangash Pakhtuns tribes belonging to Shia sect of Islam with some small Sunni tribes. Historians have described Parachinar a very significant part of Pakistandue to its strategic and geographic location on Pak-Afghan border, the Durand Line.

In 1893, during the rule of AMIR Asif Rahman Khan Bangash of Afghanistan, a Royal Commission for demarcating a boundary between Afghanistanand the territory of British governed India negotiated terms, agreeing to the Durand line. Two parties camped at Parachinar.

From the British side the camp was attended by Sir Mortimer Durand and Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum, Political Agent Khyber. The Afghanistaninterest was represented by Sahibzada Abdul Latif and the Governor Khost Sardar Shireendil Khan, representing King Amir Abdur Rahman Khan.

The strategic location of Parachinar is also important that it situated on a neck of Pakistani territory south of Peshawar that juts into Paktia Province of Afghanistan. It is the closest point in Pakistan to Kabul and borders on the Tora Bora along a beautiful chain of Koh-e-Safaid [White Mountains], starting from Eastern Afghanistan to deep North-Western Pakistan, glorifying the beauty of the region with snow through out the year.

The area has referred ‘very sensitive’ for sectarian clashes in the media but the ground realities are other than. It is an established fact that people of Parachinar are more educated with high education rate among the females than any other tribal region but have been remained the victim of discrimination of every successive governments.

Political agent, the local administrator, is the sole ‘authoritarian king’ under the notorious Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR), who decisions could not be challenged in any law court of the country. Similarly, there is also no audit of the political administration and corruption of billion of rupees goes unchecked every year.

The recent bombings which claimed 50 precious lives was also result of the criminal negligence that occurred because of the administration dispute between the political agent (PA), a civilian officer and commanding officer of FC, a serving colonel of Pakistan Army.

The PA has recently stopped supply of fuel to FC deployed on the check posts in and outside Parachinar city which forced the latter to stop checking on the entry points hence providing an opportunity to the militants to sneak into Parachinar and target the local Shias.

The administration dispute at this critical stage at a part of tribal areas, which has recently recovered from a four-year long clashes between the local tribes and militants, and allowing the terrorists to successfully undertake the terror incidents, have triggered an intense debate among the locals, terming it a deep conspiracy.

The ‘conspiracy’, which is now talk of the town and many of them are openly accusing the country’s premier spy agency as evident from the social networking pages, questioning its role.

In order to remove the sense of alienation and clam the anger of the locals, it is high time that the federal government and other state institutions should undertake measures on war-footings before it’s too late, as the local have already lost more than 2,000 precious lives during the imposed war against them in 2007 that led to a four-year long blockade of Parachinar by armed militants.

Extremists extract a profound human toll: report

2013-04-18T13:05:00.000+05:00

Extremists extract a profound human toll: report

April 18, 2013

ALI HUSSAIN

As many as 559 persons were killed while 718 injured across the country in 379 incidents of extremism over the past 15 months (between October 2011 and December last year), showing an increase of 67 percent over the 181 casualties recorded in the previous year, said a repot released here on Wednesday.

The report titled 'Extremism Watch; Mapping Conflict Trends in Pakistan 2011-2012, released by Jinnah Institute here, stated that majority of incidents recorded by the Extremism Watch project during the said period were perpetrated by violent organisations, but there were also cases of citizens targeting others. Caretaker Minister for Law and Justice Ahmer Bilal Soofi was chief guest on the occasion

while the panellists included Director Jinnah Institute Raza Rumi, Human Rights Activist Marvi Sarmad, senior journalist and Security analyst Imtiaz Gul, anchorperson Moeed Pirzada and religious scholar Amin Shahidi.

The data, presented in the report, also shows incidents distributed across the country, from the remotest regions to the main population centers. The report maps incidents of religious extremism over the last 15 months and identifies violent and non-violent attacks at Sufi shrines, against Hazaras and other religious minorities. The caretaker law minister said that the non-state actors have waged a war against the state of Pakistan, which needs to be addressed. He referred to the ongoing terrorism in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, saying that non-state actors, who considered democracy un-Islamic, had declared a war against Pakistan.

"The insurgency in the province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is a war waged against the state of Pakistan. The issue is not regime specific, but state specific and must be addressed as such", he said, adding that Muslim scholars must incorporate contemporary debates in their teaching curricula.

He said that non-state actors, by waging the war against Pakistan, are violating Article 5 and Article 256 (of the Constitution) and the government has called (in) army in support of the civilian security forces to enforce the Constitution". Highlighting the salient features of the report, Raza Rumi said that extremism was a long-term trend due to mass indoctrination via textbooks, sermons and state policy. He said that the issue of terrorism should not be confused with extremism though the two are often linked.

He explained that the report recorded 379 incidents of extremism from October 2011 to December 2012, a 67 per cent rise over the 181 recorded in the previous year. The number of casualties, went down with 559 killed and 718 injured across Pakistan, compared with 534 killed and 1, 391 injured in the previous year.

According to the report, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was the hardest-hit province in the last 15 months with 143 incidents of extremism - 37 percent of the total incidents recorder in Pakistan. The highest number of deaths and injuries, however, were seen in Balochistan, where a wave of violent sectarian attacks against the Shia community killed 190 people. Sectarian violence was also responsible for the highest death toll across the country, with 525 people killed in 153 attacks, the report states. The incidents were reported from all regions of Pakistan except Azad Jammu and Kashmir. This is an alarming rise compared with 44 such incidents in the previous monitoring period.

The second highest number of incident recorded were attacks against schools. Most of the 136 attacks were in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and FATA, where militants have been targeting educational institutions, especially girls' schools for some years. This number is a significant increase from the September 2010 to September 2011 period, when 62 such incidents were reported, the report adds.

According to the data, 35 incidents of interfaith extremism occurred during the period majority of the incidents were reported in Punjab and Sindh provinces (13 and 15 respectively). Whereas, the reports also highlights 19 cases of blasphemy in which 15 Muslims, five Christians (including a women and two minors) and one Ahmadi were accused of desecrating the Holy Quran or the Prophet (PBUH). Nine lives were lost in the incidents, it adds.

Marvi Sirmed, highlighting the violence and discrimination against Pakistan's Hindu communit, said that there is no limit to how badly Hindu low caste women are being treated in Sindh. She said that they (Hindus) do not have family laws protecting them and it is impossible to prove whether a marriage or divorce has taken place, due to the State's policy of legal neglect". She also explained that sexual violence against women is rampant in the province and there is no recourse to justice, citing several examples of violence against Bheel, Meghwar and Kohli Hindus.

Security analyst Imtiaz Gul was of the opinion that most political parties skirt around the issue of militancy and that extremism is a manifestation of systemic failures that include non-implementation of the constitution and violation of the law by state institutions.

He also elaborated that extremism is not a short-term phenomenon contained within a specific geography, adding that if we don't stand up to this challenge Pakistan will remain isolated politically and socially. Moeed Peerzada gave a historical overview of extremism in Pakistan, pointing out moments in the 1970s when the Ahmadi community was marginalised via a constitutional amendment.

He emphasised that a secular polity could not be established even after that in Pakistan. Dr Peerzada cited examples from post-World War II Germany where curricula reform and retraining of bureaucracy was undertaken to curb the spread of militancy, violence and extremism.

Amin Shahidi of Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen said that there was an urgent need for sectarian harmony in the country and the violence against Shia Muslims needed to be checked. He said that the civil and military institutions of the country should wake up to the dire situation and protect all Pakistani citizens irrespective of their faith, sect and creed.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2013

Foreign office irked by deportation of Pakistanis from UAE

2013-02-11T12:52:00.000+05:00

Foreign office irked by deportation of Pakistanis from UAE

February 11, 2013

ALI HUSSAIN

1 Comments

Pakistan has expressed concerns over "forced deportation" of Pakistanis from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by summoning the UAE Ambassador to the Foreign Office, Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani told Business Recorder.

Jilani said that the UAE Ambassador to Pakistan was summoned to the Foreign Office a few days back and the issue of forced deportation of Pakistanis from the UAE was taken up with him and the government's concerns were conveyed to him.

A number of Pakistanis working in various emirates of the UAE told this scribe that people from a particular sect were being victimised and thousands had already been deported from various emirates of the UAE. Majority of the deportees possess legal residency documents and belong to Kurram Agency, Parachinar of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

"Yes, we are aware of the fact, which is of course a very serious matter. We summoned the UAE Ambassador to Foreign Office a few days ago and the issue was taken up with him," Jilani said. He said that the UAE envoy assured him that he would convey the concerns of the government of Pakistan to his government and assured that they would look into the matter.

Jilani further said that Pakistan's Ambassador to the UAE had also raised the issue with the authorities concerned and expressed Pakistan government's concerns to the UAE authorities.

"This is a serious issue particularly in a country which we consider our good friend and having good brotherly relations with. We've conveyed to the UAE authorities that the issue will create negative image of their country in Pakistan," Jilani added.

Member National Assembly from Kurram Agency, Sajid Hussain Turi confirmed to this correspondent that Pakistanis, particularly from Turi and Bangash tribes of Kurram Agency areas, were being deported.

Turi recently visited the UAE along with Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions Eng, Shaukatullah Khan as well as another MNA from Orakzai Agency Jawad Hussain met with Pakistan Ambassador to the UAE Jamil Ahmad Khan. He said the matter was also of concern for the Pakistan Embassy and they had taken up the issue with UAE authorities.

He also revealed that more than 550 people belonging to Kurram Agency had recently been expelled and 600 more have received telephone calls from the immigration authorities to leave the UAE forthwith.

He also claimed that prior to deportation the Pakistanis were sent to jail where they were humiliated by shaving their heads and eyebrows. "I conveyed my concerns to Pakistan's envoy over such treatment of Pakistani people in the UAE," he said, adding that upon his request, the envoy deputed Pakistan Consular General in Dubai Dr Riaz to investigate the matter, who also confirmed that the Pakistanis of a particular sect were being humiliated by the UAE authorities prior to their deportation.

He said that Ambassador Khan informed them that he had written to the Foreign Office suggesting that the UAE Ambassador be summoned and a serious protest over the issue be lodged. Furthermore, the MNA said that the envoy also revealed that the Pakistan Embassy had got NOC (no objection certificate) from the Foreign Office and Interior Ministry to lodge a serious protest with Foreign Ministry of the UAE.

According to a Qatar-based Pakistani journalist, Rehmat Mehsud, the UAE authorities are expelling Pakistanis for security reasons. "People of different communities used to gather on Friday (for Friday prayers) which led the authorities to suspect some terror activity was being planned," Mehsud alleged.

This scribe talked to various Pakistanis in Dubai and Abu Dhabi who were worried for their future, saying that deportation would not only compel them to suffer a huge loss in their investments but also hurt the national exchequer in terms of lower foreign remittances.

They said that they were being asked to leave their businesses and evacuate properties within hours.

"I received a call for my ill cousin Arif Hussain who is currently on ventilator in ICU (intense care unit) in Sheikh Khalifa Hospital in Abu Dhabi after surgery. The immigration authorities just left a message to Hussain to leave the country as soon as he recovers consciousness," an attendant and cousin of Arif Hussain, who wished not to be named, told this scribe worried. Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights, which met with Senator Afrasyab Khattak in the chair on Friday, also expressed serious concerns over the forced deportation of Pakistanis from the UAE.

Recently, the UAE has expelled dozens of long-term Lebanese Shia residents from the country over their presumed affiliation with Hezbollah.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2013

Terror victims becoming prey to UAE govt biased attitude for “sect”

2013-01-23T15:02:00.003+05:00

Terror victims becoming prey to UAE govt biased attitude for “sect”

10,000 people of Parachinar expelled so far: victims

PT Report

ISLAMABAD, Jan 23, 2013: Haunted by terrorists here in the country, people belonging to Parachinar, Kurram Agency are now being wilfully targeted by the so-called torchbearers of religious harmony, as the UAE authorities have started deporting shia Muslims majority of them come from militancy-torn Parachinar tribal areas of Pakistan.

Gulf States particularly Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the main source of earning for the people of tribal areas who are not only supporting their families in the militancy-torn tribal areas but also contributing billions of rupees every year in the country’s foreign remittance.

Currently thousands of people belonging to tribal areas that leave their home land to earn butter and bred for their kids have been asked by the UAE authorities especially the Abdu Dhabi government to return back their country without any reason.

These helpless and poor people is running from pillar to post to convey their message to UAE authorities that they have came the country only to facilitate their poverty-hit families without having any other motive.

It is astonishing that the Abu Dhabi government has targeted only the people of Parachianr who come from Shia sect of Islam and in January 2013 alone 300 people have been expelled.

While daily 40 to 60 people are being asked to leave the country without any reason despite the fact that all of them have the required legal documents and strictly obeying the local laws.

The issue is a serious question mark on the so-called secular Abu Dhabi authorities besides the criminal silence of government of Pakistan and its ambassador in UAE. Similarly, the biased attitude of the UAE government with the people of a particular sect of Islam is also a question mark on the credibility of so-called Human Rights watchdogs for not highlighting their problems.

Speaking at a news conference in Parachinar, the headquarters of Kurram Agency, a number of those deported recently including Haji Jaafar, Haji Rajab, Haji Asghar Hussain and others told the media persons that they simply received phone calls from the concerned authorities of Abu Dhabi government to leave the country within in a week without disclosing the reasons.

They also alleged Pakistan Embassy in UAE for its criminal silence over the serious issue, saying that for the last four to five years 10,000 people belonging to Parachinar have been expelled without disclosing the reasons.

They urged the Foreign Office to summon UAE ambassador and question him about the Abu Dhabi government biased attitude and the mass deportation of the people of Parachinar.

They also appealed the UAE and Abu Dhabi authorities to stop discriminatory attitude towards the people of a particular sect of Islam, besides urging the Human Rights organizations to take notice of the situation.

PPP Kurram president shot dead

2013-01-09T15:09:00.000+05:00

Fresh wave of target killings in Peshawar

PPP Kurram president shot dead

PT REPORT

ISLAMABAD, Jan 09, 2013: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Kurram Agency chapter president and candidate for the upcoming general elections from NA-37, Dr. Syed Riaz Hussain Shah was shot dead in a life attempt by unknown assailants in Peshawar Wednesday.

Dr Syed Riaz Hussain was attacked by unknown militants outside his clinic situated in DabgariGarden in Peshawar. Eyewitnesses told PT that some unknown militants riding a bike opened indiscriminate fire at Dr Shah’s car outside his clinic in which he received multiple injuries.

They said that Dr Shah was rushed to Lady Reading Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

In the fresh wave of target killings of the particular sect, three persons including Mr Shah were fallen to militants in Peshawar within a week. Earlier in the week, two others belonging to Parachinar and Hangu respectively were killed in targeted attacks.

Dr Riaz Hussain Shah was PPP’s Kurram Agency chapter president and a candidate for National Assembly from Parachinar, Upper Kurram Agency. Dr. Syed Riaz Hussain Shah was born in Okara on 26th July, 1959 to Late Col. Syed Shabir Hussain and was a brother of DIG (rtd) Syed Irshad Hussain.

He belonged to a notable family of Kurram Agency which has always worked for the benefit of Kurram Agency and peace in the militancy hit region.

Syed Riaz attended KhyberMedical College, Peshawar. He was a physician and went abroad to Austria for specialization gastroenterology. Family sources said that his dead body will be shifted to Parachinar for burial.

Meanwhile President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the incident of assassination of Dr. Riaz Hussain who was the President of Pakistan Peoples Party Kurram Agency and a specialist physician by his profession.

The President while expressing grief and sorrow over this unfortunate incident lauded the services of Dr. Riaz Hussain for the people as a doctor and also as a strong proponent of democracy.

He directed the concerned authorities to bring the culprits, involved in such a brutal act, to justice.

In his condolence message to the bereaved family of Dr. Raiz Hussain, the President prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and for the courage of the family to bear this loss with equanimity and fortitude.

Meanwhile talking to PT elders of the Turi and Bangash tribes as well as social circles strongly condemned the brutal assassination of Dr Ria Hussain and also urged the government to bring the culprits to justice.

They also called upon the government to provide protection to the members of a particular sect that have been on the mercy of the militants since long.

Kurram Agency has been remained a militancy-hit areas since long and has been remained under siege for consecutive four years after 2007 deadliest clashes among warring groups particularly Taliban.

135 FALL PREY TO TERROR IN KURRAM AGENCY IN 3 MONTHS

2013-01-04T17:43:00.002+05:00

135 fall prey to terror in Kurram Agency in 3 months

ALI HUSSAIN

ISLAMABAD, Jan 04: As many as 135 people have been killed in various terror related incidents in Kurram Agency in three months from July to September 2012, as security situation remained volatile in 2012's third quarter, says a Fata Research Centre (FRC) report released recently.

The Kurram area was declared an Agency in 1892, while the region was still under British rule, and was made a part of Pakistanin 1947.
Covering a total of 1,278 square kilometers, Kurram can be divided into three geographical areas, Upper Kurram (with an 80% Shia Muslim population), Central Kurram(with a 90 % Sunni Muslim population), and Lower Kurram(with an 80% Sunni Muslim population).

Kurram has North Waziristan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Orakzai Agency and Khyber Agency on its Pakistani borders. It also shares its border with Afghanistan, on the border of Nangarhar province, made famous due to the Al- Qaida base in Tora Bora.

Kurram Agency has a history of sectarian tension and clashes between the Sunni and Shia sects that have resulted in thousands of deaths on both sides.

The report also mentions about the so-called major “Shia militant” groups include Hizbullah, Mehdi Militia and Hydri Taliban, which in fact, has no existence at all.

A security official on condition of anonymity told this scribe that they don’t have any official data of such groups in the name of Hizbullah or other fictions, which the report mentioned about. In fact, the official, added, they have witnessed the locals from the Shia tribes to have been participated in the past four year clashes with Taliban, with flags of Hizbullah.

“We understand that there is no existence of such groups in Kurram Agency and the locals--from the shia sect, though have spiritual inclination towards Hizbullah owing to the groups landmark victories against Israel”, he added.

The report further states about the major Sunni militant groups include TTP, Tehrik e Taliban Islami Pakistan (TTIP) of Fazal Saeed Haqqani and Haqqani Network. Fazal Saeed Haqqani has separated from TTP and formed TTI P in Kurram Agency.

Security Situation in KA

The security situation in Kurram Agency remained volatile in 2012's third quarter. There were 135 casualties reported in 13 incidents. A total of 35 people were killed and 100 were injured.

Casualty types

Out of total 135 reported casualties 35 were killed and 100 were found injured. There were 8 militants, 23 civilians, 1 security force personnel and 3 peace force personnel killed while 92 civilians and 8 security force people were injured.

Security Situation in Kurram

July to September(2012)

Clash between security forces and militants	2
Firing	1
Blasts	2
Target killing	1
Landmine	5
Kidnapping	1
Mortar shells	1
Number of Attacks	13
Killed	35
Injured	100
Total Number of Casualties	135

Comparison between 2 and 3 quarter 2012 in KA

Comparative figures show a minor decrease in the intensity of the security situation, with a decrease in total number of incidents from 17 to 13. There is also a decrease in the total number of killings, which fell from 80 to 35, the number of injuries however almost doubled.

The quarter started with a pro-government tribal chief, Malik Abdul Wazah Khan gunned down in the area of Buggan in Parachinar. Clashes between security forces and militants in Masozai Area of Central Kurram were also reported.

Five Tribesmen were also kidnapped from Kurram agency. A car bomb ripped through a crowded market at the busy Kashmir chowk in Parachinar, the capital of Kurram Agency, killing 14 people and injuring 76 others in what appeared to be a sectarian attack. Tall Parachinar road is open with some attacks reported on and off.

The Nature of extremism in Kurram Agency is different from that of other tribal agencies where Talibanization and Sectarian Violence accelerate each other. A dominant view in Kurram considers the sectarian tendencies in one sect invites extremism which further leads to the formation of militants groups in other sects.

This sectarian conflict facilitates clashes between militant groups that have been supported or backed by national and international forces.

The war in Afghanistan has kept militancy alive in Kurram as the flow of Mujahideens through Kurram's porous borders. Kurram's militant problem is directly related to the USpresence in Afghanistan.

Additionally, in Kurram, where there is limited access to education, literacy plays an important role in triggering conflicts. Areas with high literacy rates are less prone to militancy and vice versa.

PARACHINAR BLAST POSES SERIOUS QUESTIONS ON SECURITY FORCES PLANS FOR PEACE

2012-02-18T14:15:00.002+05:00

Parachinar blast poses serious questions on security forces plans for peace

ALI HUSSAIN

Islamabad, February 18, 2012: The Friday blast in Parachinar has exposed serious questions on the government and the security agencies plan for the sectarian violence sensitive tribal region of Pakistan.

The blast, which is said to be a suicide came on a significant moment when Islamabad was hosting a trilateral summit participated by Iranian President Mehmood Ahmedinejad and Afghan President Hamid Karzai to what security analysts described as “a gift to Shai President Ahemdinejad on his historic visit to Pakistan”.

The bomb blast in Kurmey Bazaar, which killed 32 local people belonging to Turi tribe, the responsibility for which has already been claimed by Fazal Saeed Haqqani-led Tehreek-e-Taliban Islami (TTI) – a breakaway faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is said to be having close ties with Haqqani Network.
The death tool reached to 36 when four more succumbed to the injuries on Saturday.

The TTI which spares itself from military operation a week earlier Pakistan security forces launched operation against the militants, had raised serious questions at that time as TTI chief Fazal Saeed Haqqani was the one who was leading the four-year long siege of the Upper Kurram, a region of 0.5 million population mainly the Shia Muslims.

The reservations of the local people to exempt the TTI from military operation came into reality and also posed serious questions on the government and security agencies strategy to maintain peace in the region which is most sensitive for sectarian clashes.

The security forces deployed in Parachinar for the purpose of maintaining peace also opened fire on protesters soon after the Friday blast in the main town killing five more people and injuring 15 others, also left negative message in the locals that had been in the mercy of the militants for last four years.

According to local sources, the security forces resorted to open fire on peaceful protesters who after the blast were staging protest against the slaughtering of their loved ones. A local source told this reporter that before the security forces operation against the militants, the local people have constituted contingents of volunteers deputed on every entry point of Parachinar for the purpose of checking each and every suspected person.

The source said that no incident of terrorism happened during the period of around four years due to the deployment of volunteers but after launching military operation, the local administration along with security forces stopped the volunteers and deployed Levy force backed by army personnel on the check posts.

According to security analysts the Friday blast was enough evidence for the local administration and security agencies to take action against TTI, which has been involved in killing and abduction of hundreds of people belonging to Turi tribe.

Kurram Agency: MQM, PTI express solidarity with tribesmen

2011-04-30T15:19:00.001+05:00

Kurram Agency: MQM, PTI express solidarity with tribesmen

RECORDER REPORT (ALI HUSSAIN)

ISLAMABAD (April 30, 2011) : Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday, expressing solidarity with the protesting tribesmen belonging to restive Kurram Agency, asked the government to take immediate measure to lift the four-year long blockade of Thall-Parachinar Road.

MQM's parliamentary leader in National Assembly, Dr Farooq Sattar and PTI leader Zahid Hussain Kazmi were addressing a large gathering of protesters belonging to Kurram Agency here in front of the Parliament House. The gathering was also addressed by chairman National Assembly Standing Committee on States and Frontier Region, MNA Sajid Hussain Turi.

Sattar extended MQM's full support to the people of Kurram Agency in redressing their problems of lawlessness and the four-year long blockade of the region by militants adding that MQM would also raise the issue in the parliament. He asked the government to take action against the elements that were creating law and order situation in Kurram Agency. He said MQM would also submit adjournment motion in the National Assembly regarding lawlessness in Kurram Agency and the problems being faced by the tribesmen due to the blockade of Thall-Parachinar Road.

He criticised the government for not taking measures to rescue over 0.5 million residents from the trenches created by militants who were brutally killing innocent tribesmen. Sattar criticised PTI Chief Imran Khan for not raising voice for the people of Parachinar, who he said were subjected to brutalities of the militants. "We all are opposing and condemning the US drone attacks. But it is deplorable to neglect the 0.5 million population who are at the mercy of the extremist elements," he said.

The MQM leader also expressed solidarity with the people of Parachinar on behalf of the party's Quaid Altaf Hussain, adding that his party would stand side by side with the residents of the Kurram Agency. "We have to remove differences and those elements promoting such rifts among the society if we want to create a real Pakistan in accordance with the dreams of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah," he added.

Sattar was of the view that if the government fails to redress the genuine issues of the people there would soon be a revolution. The gathering was later joined by PTI leader Zahid Hussain Kazmi, who also extended his party's support to the people of Kurram Agency. He demanded of the government to undertake immediate measures to restore peace in the restive region.

Kazmi criticised media for keeping itself mum over the matter of Kurram Agency and for not highlighting the plight of the local tribesmen. He was of the view that the government does not have right to govern if it is not able to establish its writ and wipe out militants who were plying with the lives of innocent people.

The rally was also addressed by vice President Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Mirza Hassan Jehadi, Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen leader Allama Fakhar Abbas Rizvi and PPP's former candidate from Kurram Agency Dr Syed Riaz Hussain Shah.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2011

Militants attack Turi tribes convoy, torch 44 vehicles

2011-01-04T19:38:00.000+05:00

Militants attack Turi tribes convoy, torch 44 vehicles

Militants once again attacked Turi tribes’ convoy escorted by FC (Militia) force in Lower Kurram Agency on Tuesday. According to reports, 96 trucks left Parachinar for Peshawar Tuesday morning out of which 44 reached Peshawar while the remaining 52 are still missing. There are reports that these trucks have been torched near Jandari and Shasho areas of Lower Kurram Agency, where the militants are said to be having strong holds. The passenger vehicles reached their destinations safe and sound. It is pertinent to mention here that Thall-Parachinar road, which is the only track to link the restive tribal area with rest of Pakistan, has been closed for the passenger/goods vehicles for the last three and half years only for a particular sect of Muslims. A number of people have been killed or kidnapped while traveling on this road.

سپينه کونتره

2010-06-12T22:56:00.000+05:00

سپينه کونتره

اجمل خټک

راوالوځه ګډا شه د خېبر د لوړه سره

واه واه سپينه کونتره

د مېنې فضا جوړه کا د امن پېغامبره

واه واه سپينه کونتره

دا خونه د تاريخ ده د پښتو او د ايمان

دښمن يې راته سيزي د بمونو په باران

داظلم اپوټه کا د جنګونو له سنګره

واه واه سپينه کونتره

نن وخوره چورلکونه زما وينه مستانه کا

خبر مې په مېړانه دامغروره زمانه کا

د ننګ چغه پېدا کا د نرانو له ډګره

واه واه سپينه کونتره

دا خپل مستانه قوم د خپل ښاېست په تماشه کا

دې وينه کښې ، دې مينه کښې پېدا نوې جذبه کا

دا شر اؤ فساد ورک کا له هېواده سراسره

واه واه سپينه کونتره

يو داسې امن غواړم چې زما د خاورې پت وي

د بم او ډالر نه وي د ايمان اؤ د غېرت وي

په خپله فېصله شي د محراب نه تر ټغره

واه واه سپينه کونتره

سپرلي د جنت راشي دې جنګونو سوي کور ته

ملي زندګي راوړي دغه خاورې دغه لور ته

ژوندون شي مينه مينه دلته کوزه هلته بره

واه واه سپنه کونتره

خپل حسن زما ننګ راته يو نوې فېصله کا

د وخت د شين اسمان په پلوشو کښې مو جرګه کا

خټک ته زېري راوړه د وطن د سپين سحره

واه واه سپنه کونتره

مېلمستیا MELMASTHIA

2010-06-12T21:48:00.001+05:00

مېلمستیا MELMASTHIA

The famous and greatest demand of Pakhtunwali is Melmasthia, (melma means a guest) , hospitality and protection to every guest irrespective whether he be an outsider, not in a position to return it, or be his fellow tribesman. A Pathan does not care for colour, race, religion, or qaum in respect to Melmasthia, this is the proof that Pathans are free of any prejudice, juandice and unnecessary ill will. Thier spacious and commodious hujras bear testimony to this fact. A Pathan would keep due regard for his guest styaing in his hujra even if the host happens to be per chance his kidnapper. Prof. Langlands, Principle for the Cadet College, Razmak North Waziistan Agenc (NWFP) , when kidnapped fro mthe permises of Miranshah by Turi khel wazirs on 20-2-1988, when interviewed after recovery, said,

"shutti khan with whom he was staying in karkanwam (the famous abode of outlaws in noth waziristan agency) served me daily with roasted mutton tikkas and half-boiled eggs for breakfast. The man looking after me was an outlaw but he treated me very well indeed".

Melmasthia also demands that he Pathan accords protection to all who claim it from him. In this regard Melmasthia takes precedence over Badal, and even the enemy who comes seeking refuge, must be granted it and defended against his pursuers. This custom was a constant irritant in the Pathan's relaions with the British in old days. The man proclaimed a criminal in Peshawar, could flee to the hills and could not only expect but demand protetion and sanctuary from every house he came to. The practiceis virtually alive even today.

One of the main instruments for implementing melmastia on day to day besis is the hujra (guest_house). This consisit of a room or two where the visitors is quartered and fed. Each village will have one or sometimes two or more hujras containing few charpais, pillows and a cheelum (hubblebubble). Most of the maliks in tribal areas have their own hujras or small baitaks as Khans have settled in districts.

In addition to serving as aheadquarters for transients, the hujras is a kind of cleb for the local inhabitants. The men of the clan gather there to drink tea and discuss the affairs of the day including national and international events and local gossip. The information provided by Radio Pakistan, the BBC the voice of America, as well as by Radio Kabul is digested and commented upon freely which is most often leads to outbursts of humour, laughter and gossip which a Pathan is temperamentally given to. The atmosphere is exclusively male , and frequently the bachelors sleep in the hujras. Melma has specific privillages. In the host's house melma is specifically safe. If anyone tries to harm melma, the korba (the host) must treat the offender in exactly the same way as if he has harmed one of the family member of the host.

one receiving Melma is greatly respected by all knowing him. No matter how great a criminal the Melma is, once he has entered the korba's (host) house, neither the korba nor the Melma's eneimes can harm him. In some tibes, besides receiving and serving the melma, gifts are also given to him.

a British who happened to be the guest of a Pathan once wrote,

"this notorious proclaimed offender is a good friend, a social man of the first order and above all, hospitable. you would fine him ready for any service to his fellow-beings. "

"a Pathan may sleep with an empty stomach, but would provide all possible comforts to his guest".

the following are some of the proverbs that find common usage amongst Pathans of both hills and plains which speaks eloquently of their hospitality.

the guest is the ward of the host.

eating by self, turns into mere excreta while feeding others, turns into flowers.

from the guest, men even refuse not their heads.

a guest is God's blessing.

are you a guest setting at rest!

while confessing the noble and cherished value of hospitality of the Pathans, it at the same time must be confessed that the very trait is more a matter of personal prestige and self-aggrandizement that of charity or brotherly love. Badal springs from pride and retribution rather than from a desire to promote the commn good or the rehabilitation of the offender. yet the least which can be said is that the Pathans are a strong and free people at a tie when it is not easy for those possessed for their nuclear weapons or massive sums of money or to be either.

a Pathan's prodigality in the matter of Melmasthia os also proverbial, and most aften crosses the limits of economics, but it is what they feel proud of. The served as charity by some of the tribes to the guests on the first day of death occurring in their families s also the proof of their hopitality though purely unIslamic.

Until recently the Hujra played a pivotal role in the social life of the Pathans in villages, but with commercialisation of life, the sway of lust for money and other material gains, the insitution of hujra has sadly now come to wane, but the hospitality trait of the Pathans remains alive though not as marked as compared with past times.

2010-06-12T18:59:00.000+05:00

2010-06-12T18:57:00.000+05:00

2010-06-12T18:56:00.001+05:00

2010-06-12T18:55:00.001+05:00

2010-06-12T18:54:00.000+05:00

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2010-06-12T17:55:00.000+05:00

Millions suffer in 'human rights free zone' in northwest Pakistan

2010-06-11T19:01:00.001+05:00

Millions suffer in 'human rights free zone' in northwest Pakistan
Life for civilians in northwest Pakistan's 'human rights free zone'

© Amnesty International

Over a million people remain displaced by the conflict between the military and the Taleban

© Amnesty International

The displaced suffer under the Taleban and feel abandoned by the government

© Amnesty International

10 June 2010

Millions of Pakistanis in the northwest tribal areas live in a human rights free zone where they have no legal protection by the government and are subject to abuses by the Taleban, Amnesty International said in a major report released on Thursday.

"Nearly 4 million people are effectively living under the Taleban in northwest Pakistan without rule of law and effectively abandoned by the Pakistani government," said Claudio Cordone, Amnesty International's interim Secretary General.

The 130-page report, 'As if Hell Fell on Me': The Human Rights Crisis in Northwest Pakistan, is based on nearly 300 interviews with residents of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and adjacent areas of the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP). The report gives voice to those whose experiences are rarely reported and reveals the abuses faced by the region’s residents.

"There are still more than 1 million people who were displaced from their homes in Pakistan's northwest tribal belt by the conflict with the Taleban whose plight is largely ignored and are in desperate need of aid," said Claudio Cordone.

Amnesty International's review of available information also suggests that at least 1,300 civilians were killed in the fighting in northwest Pakistan in 2009, from a total of more than 8,500 casualties (including combatants).

The report documents the systematic abuses carried out by the Taleban as they established their rule by killing those who challenge their authority, such as tribal elders and government officials.

They imposed their rule through torture and other ill-treatment, targeting teachers, aid workers and political activists. The Taleban have particularly targeted women and schools and health clinics catering to their needs.

Amnesty International was told of Taleban insurgents blocking roads to prevent civilians from escaping as villages fell under heavy bombardment by government forces. The insurgents also increased the likelihood of civilian causalities by dispersing themselves among civilians and in and around schools.

Successive Pakistani governments have treated the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan with disdain, ignoring the rights of the area's residents, particular in FATA.

Over the past decade, Pakistan's government has veered from appeasing the Pakistani Taleban through a series of failed "peace deals" to launching heavy handed military operations that include indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks.

The USA's use of drones to target insurgents in northwest Pakistan has generated considerable resentment inside Pakistan. Amnesty International has called on the USA to clarify its chain of command and rules of engagement for the use of drones and ensure proper accountability for civilian casualties.

Many displaced residents of the area told Amnesty International that they had suffered under the Taleban and felt abandoned by the Pakistani government. In the words of one teacher who fled Swat with his family in March 2009:

The government just gave away our lives to the Taleban. What's the point of having this huge army if it can’t even protect us against a group of brutal fanatics? They took over my school and started to teach children about how to fight in Afghanistan. They kicked out the girls from school, told the men to grow their beards, threatened anybody they didn’t like. Our government and our military never tried to protect us from this.

The residents of FATA continue to be governed by a colonial-era law, the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) of 1901, which denies basic constitutional rights and protections for the residents of FATA, including their rights to political representation, judicial appeal, and freedom from collective punishment.

"For years, FATA has been treated as a stage for geopolitical rivalries and is currently in focus because of the conflict in neighbouring Afghanistan and the search for al-Qa’ida, rather than the rights of the people living there," said Claudio Cordone. "The Pakistani government should not just respond using military force; it needs to provide and protect the basic rights of its citizens living there."

The FCR gives a government-appointed Political Agent ultimate judicial and executive authority, including the ability to carry out communal punishment, including formal detention, by holding all members of a tribe potentially responsible for alleged infractions committed by any tribe member.

The Constitution of Pakistan of 1973 explicitly excludes FATA from the legal, judicial and parliamentary system of Pakistan, including barring residents from full representation in parliament and from bringing appeals to a higher court outside the territory.

The government of Pakistan has recently promised to reform the FCR but this has not yet happened.

"The Pakistani government has to follow through on its promises to bring the region out of this human rights black hole and place the people of FATA under the protection of the law and constitution of Pakistan," said Claudio Cordone. "There is no quick fix for decades of misrule and the conflict of the past few years, but the road to recovery starts with recognizing the rights of the people of FATA."

Amnesty International urges both the Pakistani government and the Taleban to comply with international humanitarian law by taking all measures to prevent loss of civilian life and buildings including hospitals and schools and allowing unfettered NGO access to provide food, shelter and medical supplies to the injured and displaced.

Tribal areas ignored again in Pakistan reform deal

2010-06-11T19:00:00.000+05:00

Tribal areas ignored again in Pakistan reform deal

(Published Tuesday, 27 April 2010 17:00)on http://www.thesamosa.co.uk/index.php/comment-and-analysis/politics/332-tribal-areas-ignored-again-in-pakistan-reform-deal.html

By Ali Hussain

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari has signed into law the country’s major constitutional reform package, the 18th Amendment, as the country faces a law and order crisis in its western Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

But beyond a call for the government to implement reforms announced by President Zardari last year to the draconian Frontier Crime Regulations (FRC), and to provide opportunities for national political parties to organise in FATA, the constitutional package is silent on introducing necessary constitutional reform to the tribal areas.

FATA needs an immediate extension of the Political Parties Act to those areas to bring the tribesmen to the mainstream politics, as well as reforms to the FCR and other steps for the social and economic uplift of the tribesmen.

Agents against change

According to experts on the tribal areas, the main reasons behind the terrorism and extremism in those areas are political ignorance among the people and the region’s constitutional status.

Currently, the national president rules this tribal region directly. The federation’s step-motherly treatment of FATA has kept the region away from development. Under Article 247 (3) of the Constitution of 1973, no Act of Parliament is applicable to FATA unless the national president so directs.

Indeed, the governor of ‘Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa’, the new name given to the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), acts as the ‘agent’ to the Pakistani president.

Yet it is the political agent, or his assistant in his absence, posted in each of the seven agencies and six frontier regions of FATA, who is the real boss on the ground. Under the FCR, the political agent or his deputy enjoys unbridled powers, both executive and judicial. He is both judge and jury.

Under the FCR, suspects are tried by the tribal jirga, which submits its recommendations on whether to convict or acquit to the political agent. The political agent then decides whether to convict or acquit, but is not bound by the jirga's recommendations. The orders of the political agent cannot be challenged before the higher courts.

There is no regulatory mechanism to check any misuse of the political agent’s powers, which often result in serious human rights violations.

Judge and jury

Indeed, the systematic denial of legal and judicial reforms in FATA has institutionalised Taliban-style justice in the region, and the absence of proper structure or governance has created the conditions which have led to war.

FATA is divided into two administrative categories – ‘protected’ areas that fall under direct control of the government, and ‘non-protected’ areas administered indirectly through the local tribes.

Under the FCR, the local administration has the unchallenged authority to arrest and detain anyone without specifying the charges. The accused cannot get bail. Contrary to all civilised laws and jurisprudence, the FCR provides for collective punishment of the accused’s family members or blood relatives, instead of punishing only the guilty.

Family members or blood relatives are handed a jail term for no crime of their own. Innocent men, women and children become victims of this black law. Children as young as two years old have been convicted under it.

In ‘non-protected’ areas, the tribe has been vested with the responsibility of implementing the jirga decisions. The jirga often mete out punishment to an offender with a heavy fine. More severe forms of punishment include expelling an individual or a family from the area and confiscating, destroying or setting fire to homes and property.

Under the FCR, tribal prisoners have had to serve two or more sentences for the same crime, whereas Article 13 (a) of the Constitution of Pakistan states that no person “shall be prosecuted or punished for the same offence more than once”. Many tribal prisoners complained that they remained in jail even after serving their sentences because they were unable to furnish large bails to political agents.

A democratic no-man's-land

There has been no attempt to provide access to the rule of law for the people of FATA. The Constitution itself provides the biggest hurdle to the access of justice, as Article 247 (7) states: “Neither the Supreme Court nor a High Court shall exercise any jurisdiction under the Constitution in relation to a Tribal Area, unless Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) by law otherwise provides.”

No legislation passed by Parliament is applicable to the FATA region without the assent of the President under Article 247 (3) of the Constitution.

Under Article 247 (3), FATA has been excluded from all legal reforms that Pakistan has witnessed since 1947. Pakistan has enacted many laws relating to administration, social, economic, political and judicial reforms to cope with changing social needs, but these have been denied to the people of FATA due to Article 247(3).

On April 16th this year, a cross-party conference organised by Jamat-e-Islami on ‘Why FATA is deprived of constitutional reforms’ asked the government not to adopt the recommendations of the parliamentary Constitutional Reforms Committee until reforms in FATA are included in amendments to the Constitution.

The conference called on the government to bring FATA into mainstream politics. Participants were unanimous that the government had failed to fulfill its promises about extending the Political Parties Act to tribal areas, and proposed a ‘FATA Legislative Council’ to empower tribesmen to play their role following their tribal traditions.

A roadmap for progress

FATA needs to be given the status of a province. If not, then the FATA Legislative Council – the Gilgit Baltistan-style constitutional structure – is the most valid demand for the tribal areas.

It would not only help the government of Pakistan to bring the region under its administrative control, but would also leave very positive impacts on Afghanistan’s situation.

There is a dire need to take practical steps to do away with FATA’s draconian laws and bring the people of the region into the mainstream politics of the country.