Truce, Troops & Rice

By Asem Mustafa

Truce accord announced last week between the battling tribals and Pakistan security forces has evaporated in to thin air and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visit in Pakistan and Afghanistan has given it totally new dimension.

The Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri in a joint Press conference with US official Condoleezza Rice announced positioning of 10,000 more troops in the region. Pakistan has 90,000 troops in the area, which were non-existent before September 11, 2001 and since, and then has handed over 700 Muslims on various charges to US.

Condoleezza Rice visit to Pakistan and Afghanistan after the truce accord announced by the tribals earlier this week has been termed as a sabotaging tactics employed by the US government who wants a continued presence in the war torn region.

Maulana Fazalur Rehman leader of opposition in Pakistan National Assembly and member of Mutahidda Majlise Amal (alliance of religious parties) has said the US official visit is undertaken as US doesn’t want peace in the region and Condoleezza Rice visit at this time depicts that US government wants to pressurize Pakistan government for keeping its presence in the region which is under constant war after the October 7, 2001 attack of the US forces.

“Pakistan has accepted the pressure and stationing of 10,000 troops is an evidence that truce by the local tribesmen in good faith is not accepted.”

The politician warned that this disregard to the accord can lead to more blood shed which US wants added with heightening of friction between Pakistan and Afghanistan governments. The accord between the local tribesmen and the North West Frontier Province Ali Muhammad Jan Aurakzai was viewed by masses in Pakistan as a relief as there will be respite for the people who faced shelling and gunfire each day.

The tribals in North Waziristan asked for the removal for the troops and the pickets that have erected in the area added with release of the prisoners and opening up of the shops so that life can come back to normalcy during the month.

The NWFP Governor Aurakzai also appreciated the truce but never give details as what government will do in maintaining that.

The accord that was announced Sunday took a twisted turn on Monday when seven troop were killed when a driver rammed his pickup in to the picket also killing himself. The local tribesman branded as Pakistan Taleban who are against the Pakistan troops presence claimed no responsibility of the incident but later a person claiming to be Abdullah Farhad representing Taleban took the responsibility.

The incident is an eye opener as local masses facing the barrage of gunfire from armed forces announced the truce and it stands nowhere with Condoleezza Rice visit positioning of 10,000 more troops and ongoing war of words between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The solution everyone says is calling the Grand Tribal Council ‘Jirga’ but fact of the matter is that those who want to be a part of it are reluctant to hold it as divide and rule is the name of the game and with it there are benefits attached for all the power brokers controlling the scenario. The ongoing friction between two key US allies Pakistan and Afghanistan is viewed to be part of a great plan for which is aimed at continued US presence in the region for the gains.

Amir Cheema – Son of the Soil or Extremist?

MYSTERY REMAINS UNANSWERED

By Asem Mustafa

Amir Cheema a student in Germany was found dead in his cell in Moabit Prison, Berlin on May 4, by the German Police authorities who later gave a note scribbled by him that he committed suicide.

The details are very sketchy as the extremes of opinion concerning his mysterious death leaves a lot to be desired from the two governments who are probing the case.

The family of the deceased and people in Pakistan have completely acted otherwise to the details given by the authorities and have asked that there should be a fresh probe to determine the cause of Amir Cheema’s death. Amir’s father Nazir Ahmed Cheema has alleged that his son was killed in police custody and he couldn’t have committed suicide.

The ambassador of Germany Dr. Gunter Mulack in Islamabad at a press conference before the arrival of Amir Cheema’s body said no sign of torture was found on his body and that he had committed suicide.

The police officials sent by Government of Pakistan to investigate the death of Amir Cheema have asked 20 queries from the German authorities about the deceased and were not satisfied from the answers and the cooperation extended. Amir was found with hands tied behind his back and hanging from the ceiling.

Amir Cheema, 28, was arrested in Berlin on March 20 after he reportedly tried to enter the offices of the German newspaper Die Welt, which had published blasphemous cartoon of Prophet Muhammad SAW . He was accused of trying to kill the German newspaper's editor-in-chief Roger Koeppel and later was announced dead on May 4 in police custody.

Thousands of mourners attended the funeral Amir Cheema, who was buried at Saroki village, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) northwest of Lahore, provincial metropolis of Punjab, on May 13. His wish to be buried in Rawalpindi where he studied was not granted and Government of Pakistan acted otherwise taking away the body and created a doubt in the timings of the funeral.

The Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights have also raised objections on handling of the entire case and have raised the issue of an autopsy to be conducted by Pakistani doctors. Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights, Senator S.M. Zafar, said the committee has not reached a final conclusion on the issue and would give its judgment after analyzing all the aspects and available evidence.

Tariq Khosa, additional director general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), told the Senate Committee in Islamabad that Amir Cheema was found with his hands tied behind his back. His findings were contrary to the stand made earlier by the Government of Pakistan as in endorsing the German police authority views that it was a suicide.

Tariq Khosa went to Germany last month and gave the details as student could have been murdered with his hands tied behind his back and also the letter written by Amir Cheema was not handed to the Pakistan investigation team.

He briefed the Senate Standing committee there were marks on Amir’s wrist as they were tied and his life line was ruptured. Senator SM Zafar has asked Tariq Khosa and Foreign Office to inform the committee if they failed to receive a reply to the questionnaire from Germany within ten days. The official also informed that the FIA hadn’t finalised its report on the death and could examine the body again.

He told that the German prison officials had supplied a ‘translated version’ of a letter reportedly written by Cheema in which he confessed planning an attack on the newspaper editor. However, he said, the German authorities had refused to give the original letter.

Condemning the incident and the government’s “criminal silence over this sensitive issue” Mutahidda Majlise Amal leader Prof Ghafoor said this proved that there was a US-Europe puppet government in Islamabad.

“Cheema’s death in custody of German police is a clear case of extra judicial killing, but our government, instead of lodging even a formal protest with the German government, has reaffirmed its intention to maintain normal relations with that country. This is condemnable.”

The common public gave a heroes welcome to the deceased body and honoured his love for the Prophet Muhammad SAW and termed him a hero and son of the soil who made no compromise when it came to Prophet Muhammad SAW's honour. His funeral was attended by over 200,000 people and despite the killing heat people from all over Pakistan came to the remote village to show their respect for the deceased.

Aruna, Moazzam & Islam

By Asem Mustafa

Aruna and Moazzam exercised their freedom and got married but their actions exposed all that happens in land of the pure Pakistan where corrupt practices brings a bad name to none other then the religion Islam.

The couple was arrested and released and the entire happening exposed the society and the mindset of the people who used and abused the power of their offices.

Aruna 24 year old medical student ran away from home and married Moazzam an engineer by profession in Hyderabad. Hailing from feudal background Aruna’s father a retired judge in Okara objected to the marriage and used the coercive methods to declare the social contract null and void.

The couple was booked and arrested under Hadood Laws in Hyderabad. Aruna case got attention as she had the media taking the interest in the events and higher court offices got involved to resolve the issue on sou moto grounds.

It must be mentioned here that the case also exposed the corrupt legal system in the land of the pure where anything can happen to anyone having the right connections.The strong-arm tactics employed by the law enforcing authority, the police showed that anything is possible under the sun.

The corrupt practice was done under the cover of Islamic law (Hadood Ordinance), which has been in the constitution of Pakistan and has raised enough concern from liberals and west while the religious leaders not changing their stand on it. The law is very clear but it’s the application as when applied in the circumstances makes it always controversial.

The case in actual is nothing but marriage against parents wish and a girl who after failing to convince her parents ran away from home and stayed with his life partner to be. The case got the twist when they were booked under Islamic law ‘Hadood Ordinance” in which her husband was accused of abduction besides other family members and she under coercion was asked to seek ‘Khula’ separation.

The fact needs special mentioning as cases under Hadood Laws are always contested and heated debates are there as not all facts are presented before court and the sentences carried out on the crooked and fabricated details always left a lot to be desired.The details are very brief as why this case made headlines but it left a big question mark on the mind set of society, which has divided opinions.

Some are of the opinion that what she did was right and others are of the view that what she did was wrong as whom did she fight against, her own parents.

The extremes of differences has the parents from both sides fighting in court and Aruna in particular showed resistance against her father who objected to the marriage very strongly. The two have asked for only one thing and that is to flee from Pakistan as they fear for their lives in Pakistan and are afraid that they will be harmed.

Aruna has said that if any harm comes to her husband Moazzam or herself the only person responsible for that would be her father.

Aruna has won but whom did she defeat her own parents who brought her up and when they ask her to leave Moazzam she left them instead. The media role and law need special mentioning as how the facts were twisted and how in the end the Islam came under criticism.

There is no harm in love marriage but there are ways to do that and Aruna lost the love of her family to gain Moazzam. Moazzam stayed quiet when she was in parental custody for months and all the show was created when she made a dramatic escape last month to reach Moazzam.

Who got the attention this scribe leaves it to readers Aruna, Moazzam or Islam?

Nishtar Park Tragedy ---Another Mystery

By Asem Mustafa

Over 60 people were dead and 100 injured when an explosive device went off at Maghrib prayers in a Sunni Tehrik gathering celebrating the Birthday of Prophet Muhammad SAW on April 11, held at Nishtar Park Karachi (KARCHI MAP) the provincial metropolis of Sindh, a province in Pakistan.

The religious scholars killed in the explosion included chief Abbas Qadri, Iftikhar Bhatti, Akram Qadri, Maulana Abdul Qadir, Hafiz Mohammad Taqi, Pir Yaqoob Shah, Maulana Waheed Bandhiani, Hafiz Yameen, Hafiz Noor Mohammad, Maulana Kashif, Zakir Hussain, Hafiz Mohammad Yaseen, Haji Hanif Billo and Shah Faridul Hassan Kazmi of the JAS.

There were conflicting reports as it was a suicide bomber or an explosive device placed under the stage.

Eyewitnesses from the scene said there was an explosion under the stage when the religious scholars were offering Maghrib Salat and were in Raku (bowing) in the third Raka.

The Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao, is reported to have said there was no crater under the stage and it is not an explosive device.

The police issued the statement that it was suicide bomber who exploded himself wearing 10 to 15 kilograms of explosives under his garments. A claim that has been questioned by many as how it is possible.

The government has formed three teams and apart from a head, which is presumed to be of the suicide bomber, there is no further clue about tragic happening.

Three investigation committees are looking in to the incident to find the men behind the blast. Sindh Inspector General heads one committee, the second by the DIG (Investigation) and a high court judge heads the third.

An established norm the report was recorded with a delay and like many other unsolved mysteries it will stay as such and the findings will never be placed before public and the list of the mysteries continues.

The government officials currently are trying to establish an image of the person who is believed to be on the stage and is presumed to be a suicide bomber.

Details are withheld and will be released later for establishing the identity of the presumed suicide bomber.

The ST has demanded the removal of the Sindh government and its Governor Ishratul Ibad who has pending court cases against him while same opinion has been voiced by the Jamaat Islami Chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed who has vociferously blamed Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) for the atrocious act. MQM is the party in power at the provincial level.

Qazi Hussain Ahmed has rejected the governments’ claim of suicide bomber and said it was a remote controlled device, which was placed under the stage.

The incident showed in the incompetency of the government that registered the First Investigation Report (FIR) after 72 hours and as usual came at the crime scene very late.
Needless to say that the news flash after the incident said it was a suicide bomber, which was said by the police officials for the media.

The Sunni Tehrik condemned the attitude of the government and had demanded immediate arrest of the killers.

The new leadership of Sunni Tehrik has now Shahid Ghauri, Engineer Abdul Rehman and Qari Khalilur Rehman Chisti.

The three in their first press conference on Wednesday a day after the tragic incident have said the central cabinet of the ST was the target, and it seemed that the terrorists had succeeded in their plan.

“The tragic incident has made ST even more strong,” the ST new leadership said, “ Tuesday’s incident, the killing of ST Chief Saleem Qadri and bombing are interconnected and same forces are behind the acts.”

They however never named any person or group. They demanded immediate removal of Governor Ishrat Ibad and asked Military Intelligence or Inter Services Intelligence should conduct the investigations.

They put the blame on Sindh Government and accused the government of shifting the responsibilities and have made it clear that they will nominate the Sindh Government in the First Investigation Report (FIR).

In the last one year a number of ST activists have been killed or arrested in the provincial capital and the leadership has been receiving threats since long. Complaints were lodged with the government but no measures were taken for the protection of the religious scholars. It may be mentioned here that the organization was accepted by the masses in Karachi for its moderate views as compared to other parties, which have different political agendas.

Karachi has been a center of the target killings since long and few days earlier there was another tragic incident in which 30 women and children were crushed under a stampede and how it happened no word has been put forward by the government officials.

A prominent Shia leader and Shia Ulema Council, Illama Hassan Turrabi car was also attacked by a remote control device and no details have been put forward by the officials concerned. The Shia leader Illama Hassan Turrabi has also condemned the bomb blast at the Nishtar Mosque.
These incidents happened during the same month of Rabbiul Awaal.

The eyewitnesses have said that security arrangement was very poor and all mobile phones were jammed after the incident and it was chaos.

The ST activists rushed to the hospitals where the injured and the dead were taken and the three big hospitals had to place the injured and the dead in the corridors, as there was no space.
Emergency was declared in Jinnah Hospital, Civil Hospital, Liaquat National Hospital and Abbassi Shaheed Hospital and activists in all the hospitals showed their resentment due to grief and anger.

The Mutahidda Majlise Amal (MMA) the alliance of religious parties in Pakistan have also issued a white paper in which there has been 676 target killings in 2005 only and in them 37 of them were prominent figures including many religious scholars.

Deputy secretary general (MMA) Liaqat Baloch pointed that in the past the government had made deals with MQM (Mutahidda Qaumi Movement) and made it a major political power in the country, which has violent history in the past.

The government ministers have also issued conflicting statements, which have backfired as masses demanded immediate arrest of the people responsible for the killings.

Different opinions were voiced by different people the former Inter Services Intelligence Chief Lt Gen Hamid Gul has put the finger on Indian organization RAW (Research & Analysis Wing) terming it as key factor responsible for the secretarian violence as it has the means and resources to do it and has been operational in Pakistan since long and similar views were voiced by the police officials who have not ruled out the possibility of RAW involvement.

Needless to say the current political setup in Pakistan which has taken drastic steps which includes changing of the Islamic Studies course in educational curriculum, removal of Quranic Verses from different text books, a poem in praise of President Bush in the syllabus and an overall subservience to USA has filled masses with great resentment.

It maybe mentioned here the pro government rallies have never had such incidents it is always in the rallies of the parties, which share a difference of opinion with the government and are critical of government steps, which are always pleasing the western interests and undermining the masses opinion.

The VIP entourage in Karachi in two months has taken over 300 lives as the roads were blocked and most people who died in the blocked roads were patients besides pregnant women.

Pakistan where more than 70 per cent of the total population has no access to clean drinking water and over 50 per cent live below poverty line leaves a big question mark for the government as where it stands in providing much trumpeted relief and social justice to its subjects which can be termed slaves an appropriate word.

Quran verses

And We have sent you (O Muhammad) not but as a mercy for the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinn and all that exists)” [The Noble Qur’an, Surah al-Anbiyaa (The Prophets) 21:107]

"And hold fast , all of you together , to the cable of Allah , and do not separate . And remember Allah ' s favor unto you : how ye were enemies and He made friendship between your hearts so that ye became as brothers by His grace ; and ( how ) ye were upon the brink of an abyss of fire , and He did save you from it . Thus Allah maketh clear His revelations unto you , that haply ye may be guided." Aal-e-Imran:103

SECRETARIAN VIOLENCE

The secretarian violence in Pakistan between Shias and Sunnis is always given a twisted angle by the government and western media. The two sects for decades have been living peacefully and the alliance of religious parties the Mutahidda Majlise Amal (MMA) has both Sunni and Shia leadership in its ranks. The leadership of the two sects have always called for public harmony and have always denied any of its supporters involved in secretarian violence.

However there have been many splinters groups with in these religious parties who were blamed time and again for the assassination of the prominent leadership.

The Nishtar Park incident has put the two sects together and the religious leadership from the two sects is of firm belief that its not the people within but an outside hand which is doing all this to create chaos in the country.

They pointed out that look at the events in the past the Iran-Iraq war why it happened and now the chaos in Iraq where failed attempts are made to make a sectarian rift.

For Danish Queen with Love

A M Awan

To answer the question why a tiny European country like Denmark has resorted to taking such a sacrilegious initiative against the Islamic civilization requires a background to be discussed in detail. Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, who has reigned since 1972 and celebrated her 65th birthday on February 11, is very popular among the Danes. She is heading the Lutheran-Evangelical Church, of which 85 per cent of Denmark’s 5.4 million inhabitants are members. Unlike other monarchies in Europe, she enjoys tremendous influence in the society, particularly among the fast growing conservative Christian believers. The Queen, who does support the now stepped-up anti-integration campaign with special emphasis on anti-Islam ideology, since she professes knowledge of Islam due to her interest in archaeology, has authored a number of research papers on the subject.

In her recently authorized biography, she has warned against the rise of Islam and Islamic fundamentalism in the world. She has particularly warned the Danish government sooner it expels the Muslim immigrants from the country, the better. “People must show their opposition to Islam” is the main theme of her book, dictated to journalist Annelise Bistrup. “The rising Islam is a challenge we have to take seriously. We have let this issue float about for too long because we are tolerant and very lazy”, she further warned. The campaign to rid Europe of Muslim immigrants from the third world countries also gained momentum because of the London bombings in which the British youth of Pakistani origin were found involved. Muslims in Denmark make up about three per cent of the 5.4 million population.

The trend, however, has triggered a debate among the heterogeneous races integrated into the societies and Europe and America, playing actively a constructive role in their economies and societies. As a matter of fact the growing threat of comparatively fast spreading Islam amongst the inhabitants of Europe, America and Australia has sent waves of warning to the policy makers there. The backlash, often harder and swifter, is always considered a psychological reaction, equally swifter and harder, to the surreptitious emergence of a new faith. Senior politicians in Italy’s government have launched a policy manifesto vowing to protect Western civilization from what they say were twin threats of Islamic fundamentalism and moral vacuum. The onus is often put on some notable immigrants from Muslim countries who have succeeded in demonstrating their excellence of character and proved to be as only comforters to many of the sore-sole locals, one way or the other. But this may not be the effective way of disintegrating them from the areas where they have pooled years of life and contributed into those societies.

Pope benedict, in a clear reference to the controversy over caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him) called upon the Christian world on February 20 that the world’s religions and the symbols had to be respected by all means. “In order to promote peace and understanding between peoples and mankind, it is both vital and urgent that religions and their symbols are respected and the believers are not the object of provocations that wound their religious feelings,” he warned in a speech to the new Moroccan ambassador to the Holy Sea, over the publishing of blasphemous sketches a Danish newspaper, causing protests worldwide.

Not only newspapers in 50 countries including Denmark, Holland, Norway, Germany, France UK and US have reprinted the sketches, but also an American clothing outlet has begun selling T-shirts bearing the blasphemous caricatures showing the Prophet (PBUH) as a ‘terrorist’ carrying a bomb in his turban. T-shirts by MetroSpy Company in the US went on sale last week priced at $19.99. The Holland newspapers have threatened to publish these sketches every week. A Californian company in US has uploaded the sketches on a website. It has invited cartoonists from all over the world to send in blasphemous sketches. Same sketches are being e-mailed to millions of internet users across the globe. The governments in US, UK and EU countries are defending the caricatures as right of _expression. The Danish Prime Minister and Chairman of European Commission have supported publication of the sketches on the basis of freedom of speech. As a reward the Jyllands-Posten has been honored with the Victor Prize for “having opened everyone’s eyes by showing how easy it is to introduce cracks in freedom of expression and how so-called political correctness in infiltrating what we believe to be inalienable rights.”

There has been crude resistance from the West, despite the ongoing wave of protests across the world. Pakistan’s President General Pervez Musharraf raised the issue with the visiting President Bush and called for interfaith harmony. He also vowed to take it up with the United Nations, but there was no public response from the US President. The Queen of Denmark is being asked to issue comments to the media but there seems a deliberate silence. A number of countries have called for inter-faith dialogue and the efforts are aimed at tactfully shift the blame on the other side, rather than gracefully taking the responsibility.

Efforts to bridge the gaps between the two civilizations must be aimed at creating harmony, not confusion. Frequent inter-faith dialogues through impartial conduits should be conducted for tangible results. After a thorough homework, moderates from the East need to be appointed by OIC with a message of rapprochement and accommodativeness. Most of the critics do not have enough knowledge of Islam and comparative studies of other religions. The Queen of Denmark is said to be having an influence from the Christian clergy in a limited scenario.

Europe and America have been considered the home of trans-national cultures, thanks to the influx of immigrants from all over the third world. These countries, particularly the Scandinavians, have been, otherwise, a replica of inter-faith harmony and religious tolerance. Even an ordinary follower of Jesus Christ (PBUH) does not resort to religious provocations. The question is how come attempts are now being made to desecrate the sanctity of Holy Quran and the beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Obviously one seems a well-calculated conspiracy behind the move aimed at provoking Muslims. The question is whether the Muslims should get trapped into the cobweb, or react to these provocations as per the enemy’s choosing?

Amidst the wave of ‘Muslim-dubbed’ terrorism, a question is being frequently asked today whether Islam is a failure or a story of success. How Islam (a sanctuary of peace) has been turned into a problem? At the outset Muslims rose high, reached the far ends of the then known world with a speed unknown to history. But equally steep was their fall, too steep for a recovery. Hard facts lead to the conclusion that while Islam undoubtedly infused a new spirit among the Arabs, enabling them to overthrow the Persian and the Roman empires and become master of the world, it did not have the capacity to keep pace with the times, Islam lagged behind and the steep rise of the Muslims took a precipitous downward trend for good. The experiment has failed and it would, according to Abul Kalam Azad, be stupid to give it another trial (India Wins Freedom - page 227). They also ask if Islam sponsors eternal truth and is capable of keeping abreast of the times, why it should have come to a dead stop. The question is important and deserves to be seriously considered and satisfactorily answered.

The Prophet (PBUH) presented to his listeners the Holy Quran, pure and simple, without allowing any mingling with it of man’s own thoughts, concepts, theories or beliefs. He offered them pure what he received by Revelation. His appeal was based on reason. “I call to God with sure knowledge. I and whoever follows me” (12/108). The presentation of the Quranic message was rational and based on true knowledge; there was no compulsion there, neither mental through miracles, nor physical by the, sword. Secondly, those who accepted the message after due thought and conviction and without mental reservation were initiated into mastering it as best as they could. Rasoolullah (PBUH) explained to them the provisions of divine laws together with the purpose underlying them. He taught them how they should, in the light of the inviolable principles of Islam, think out a solution of the problems which might confront them. Thirdly, all atmosphere of true freedom was created in which personality could grow and man’s inborn capacities of head and heart could develop. The shackles of man-made restrictions and conventions gripping them broke one by one and they felt that they were neither another man’s dependent nor his slave. True freedom prevailing n the Quranic Social Order provides the base for the development of human personality. The Holy Quran says about them, “God will be well-pleased with them and they are well-pleased with Him.” (9/100)

This was the simple and straight-forward program which enabled the Prophet (PBUH) to create a community of people whose healthy deeds gave a miraculous acceleration to the pace of divine laws and established a social order in no time to bear witness to, the glorious achievements of Islam. Do we exist with that form of the community today? Shouldn’t we follow that code of life for a tolerant and peaceful society?