The Republic of Tea

New Tricks, Same Advani

2005-06-08T01:08:00.000+05:00

This week was budget week. It was also Advani week. The (now former) premier of India's opposition Bharatiya Janata Party was visiting Pakistan, at the request of General Musharraf and his crew. But people back home India were not happy, least of all the powerful fanatic Hindu groups that form the core of the BJP.

Their grumbling began even as Advani prepared to leave for Pakistan. And in the end what really pieved them was his choice of words when he got here, saying that the 1992 destruction of the Babri Mosque by Hindu fanatics was "the saddest day of [his] life" and that Jinnah was "a secular leader who made history as the architect of a new state." These comments were received in India by a flurry of criticism and protest that reached its crescendo upon Advani's return home and resulted finally in his resignation from the BJP presidency.

The fanatic Hindu group Shiv Sena labeled it "a betrayel of 80 crore Hindus in India." It added "By kicking Hindus in India if anyone wants to gain something in politics then it is their outlook. We don't want to gain anything by surrendering the self-respect of Hindus."

But hold on now. If you know Advani's profile, you're probably scratching your head right now. Advani was directly responsible for the destruction of the Babri Mosque, as the leader of a decade long movement to build the Ram Temple on the Mosque's foundations. But why would someone who's built his career on a Hindu Nationalist agenda suddenly turn on his own base?

One might say that he was simply overwhelmed on his visit to Pakistan. I disagree. At 78 years old Advani is a seasoned campaigner. He's not one to lose control of what he says and on a visit to Pakistan no less. Its more likely that he is trying to pave a political future for himself. Being a fanatical Hindu leader can only take you so far. It takes a Vajpayee to become a Prime Minister of India. His visit to Pakistan and his comments were part of a calculated risk he is taking to cast himself as a moderate and make himself more acceptable to the rest of India's heterogenous population.

I suppose the question we should be asking ourselves is whether his comments make him more acceptable to us? No is the answer for me and and any Muslim who is concerned about the cost of the riots in 1992 claiming 2000 lives and the massavres in Gujrat claiming another 2000 Muslims. The destruction of our places of worship. That a person could allow the deaths of so many innocent Muslims and then benefit politically from it. And unfortunately Hakumat-e-Pakistan has already become the central actor in Advani's latest political gimmick.

Karzai: Four Years On

2005-05-24T02:22:00.000+05:00

Only a short while ago, The United States and Afghanistan signed a pact allowing for a long term US military presence in Afghanistan. Afghan President is in the United States on his first visit since his election last year. The visit and the resulting “strategic partnership” signed underscore that very little has changed of Karzai's political position since the US first made him Interim president.

Karzai’s visit to the US comes just after an entire week of continuous protests in Afghanistan. Clearly, a very significant number of people are upset about reports of the Quran Desecration at Guantanamo bay, as well as the deaths of Afghan prisoners while in US custody at Bagram Base. Karzai has showed little dynamism in handling this issue as a leader, saying of the abuses “these things happen everywhere.” He instead used the issue of protests as a fund raising op, complaining of a lack of anti-riot training and equipment.

Karzai is clearly conscious of the view that he is nothing more then a US puppet. In fact he insists that he is not. He brought along, on his trip to the US, a list of grievances among which was a demand for authority over coalition forces in Afghanistan. He must have imagined he’d return triumphantly to Kabul, the new Supreme Commander of 20,000 US troops. Or perhaps he felt the demands would give him a much needed domestic boost. Whatever the case may be, when the this issue was casually dismissed by Bush without much discussion, it only further illustrated how hopelessly dependent Karzai is on the United States politically.

Things have not changed in Afghanistan. Karzai is clearly positioning himself opposite to the growing resentment of US occupation in Afghanistan, despite his claims of “concern” over alleged abuses. And of course the United States, was only happy to consolidate its position in Central Asia via this latest pact, that is before the political situation there gets any worse. Afghanistan meanwhile is no more the “emerging democracy” then it was after the fall of Kabul.

More on the Failures of so-called Islamic States

2005-05-20T01:54:00.000+05:00

A lot has been happening these last few days. So much so that I’ve been torn on what issue to give attention to. Use to be I’d find myself staring at the screen some days (not having anything to write about). Not that I’ve been doing much writing lately. I’m more of a relayer of information. On to important matters.

There’s a link to recent news on Uzbekistan in the sidebar. Here are the latest developments, including mention of the Helsinki Federation Report which asserts that upto 1000 unarmed civilians have been killed by Uzbek police and security forces in the recent set of tragedies.

What concerns me is that our govt. (Pakistan) has done nothing on its part to condemn the violence perpetrated by Karimov on the Uzbek Muslims, not to mention the years of oppression preceding this tragedy. But Pakistan… Brings us back to the topic of this post, the Failures of so called Islamic States.
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Inflation
I think I might have to drop kick the next person I meet who tells me Pakistan’s economy is booming. YES, in a sense, it is true. Pakistan now has one of the top GDP growth rates. The real Concern:

The rate of inflation, measured by the Consumer Price Index, hit 11.1 percent in April 2005, the highest level in almost nine years. According to the official figures released Wednesday, it is the most painful increase in food prices that is hurting the poor deep, besides numerous macroeconomic challenges staring in the eyes of the policy makers.

Prices in Pakistan are growing at a phenomenal rate of one percent a month during the current fiscal year. All the efforts to contain the price hike have failed so far due to lack lustre response of Islamabad to the miseries of the poor. The rising food prices of most of the items used in the kitchen of every household have doubled in some cases just in few months time. While there was no corresponding increase in the actual take home incomes, the level of poverty has worsened. The complete article.

It’s simply wrong for the GoP to be patting itself on the back, glowing in nationalistic pride, when the vast majority of Pakistanis cannot afford their basic necessities like wheat and cooking oils.

For most people incomes do not rise paripassu with the rise in prices. They can consume less, save less. They find planning for the future more difficult because of the greater uncertainty about future prices. The more the uncertainty about the future prices the more deleterious the effect on savings and investment. Inflation distorts the distribution of income and wealth to the disadvantage of the poor. It also stunts real growth due to its negative effects on saving and investment. Economists have established a negative relationship between inflation (even at a moderate rate) and growth of productivity. Go here for more info on Islamic Macroeconomic policy.

Note: Inflation is okay at low levels. Actually, it’s a fact of life. But it’s the double-digit variety that we need to be worrying about. Especially since we’ve now officially hit double-digits.

The Newsweek Blame Game

2005-05-18T18:04:00.000+05:00

So today I found out that my blog was featured last night on MSNBC's Connected: Coast to Coast, in a report that attempted to shift blame from the fallout of a Newsweek article on the desecration of the Holy Quran, to our own Imran Khan. You can download the video here. Presenter Tony Maciulis, a senior producer for MSBC, says "At the center [of the story], by almost all reports is not Michael Isakoff of Newsweek or an un-named source at the Pentagon, but this man (flash to Imran Khan mugshot)." Everything falls into place when you realize that MSNBC is the TV news partner of print magazine Newsweek. Clever trick.

Newsweek is getting burned right and left for its reporting of the desecration of the Holy Quran in the United States and for subsequent damage caused to the US-led War on Terror. The US Govt. and has since denied that any such desecration took place and has condemned Newsweek for the report. Note, that there’s nothing to go by, except the administration’s tainted word, that a desecration did not take place.

As for the widely read news magazine, if history is any guide, heads will roll. Recall Bill Rather of CBS and the New York Times scandals. Its not surprising that the magazine is attempting to shift the blame to others. The logic of their argument is a bit strange though. In simple terms It amounts to blaming Imran Khan (and everyone else) for believing what was reported, and then saying something about it. Imran Khan is a minister of Parliament in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. He’s actually one of the few ministers who actually did their jobs as a Muslim leader.

If Newsweek misreported, they should take responsibility for it. But at the moment, they’ve offered no serious apologies except for a cautious retraction under pressure from the US Administration. But like I said, the desecration may still easily have taken place.

Killer Karimov

2005-05-14T13:43:00.000+05:00

Dozens of people have been killed in the Eastern Uzbekistan city of Andizhan, where townspeople have a staged an armed protest against state oppression, and disappearances. I get “The News” which is a major Pakistani daily. The story was on page 8 in a smallish article that claimed 9 people had died. That however was based on a claim by Uzbek television. But virtually every other paper is reporting the death toll in the dozens (at least).

The LA Times included a first person account of the brutalities:

"I was on the ground next to a building across the square from the soldiers," she wrote. "When I raised my head, I saw the body of a teenage boy a few yards away, face down, a wound in his temple. I ran to a safer place, inside a closed school courtyard, and from then on I could only picture the ensuing carnage from the sound of heavy gunfire and the screams of wounded and petrified protesters."

Karimov is a crucial ally to the United States in its War on Terror:

In recent years, the government of President Islam A. Karimov has arrested thousands of alleged Islamic radicals. It defends the actions as part of a battle against terrorism aimed at preserving Uzbekistan as a secular society. Critics, including human rights activists, say authorities have triggered a backlash by brutally suppressing people guilty of nothing more than fundamentalist religious beliefs.The United States maintains a military base in Uzbekistan that is used to support operations in Afghanistan, and the Bush administration considers this Central Asian country an important ally. Washington has criticized it for rights abuses, although not as strongly as activists think it should.

The US reaction to the incident is typical of its attitude towards brutal secular regimes facing Islamic oppositions. That is an attitude of “concern” rather then outrage. Their official statement was: "We urge both the government and the demonstrators to exercise restraint at this time," he said. "The people of Uzbekistan want to see a more representative and democratic government, but that should come through peaceful means, not through violence."

Despite all this there are still people who are drunk with the idea of secularism as a means to end ideologically motivated fighting. They fail to realize that secularism is itself a bankrupt ideology with a terrible inferiority-complex. All of the most recent state-sponsored acts of violence have been committed in the name of preserving secularism. And virtually all have been given financial support and political cover by the US led war on terror.

Democratic Republic

2005-05-10T01:33:00.000+05:00

Yes. There it is. You see it. Democracy comes to this Republic. I intend to use this feature often so stay tuned.

Poison pill

2005-04-26T00:59:00.000+05:00

In a press release, Amnesty International called on Israeli authorities to investigate the deliberate poisoning of Palestinian fields and increasingly frequent attacks by Jewish settlers on Palestinian villagers in the West Bank.

Scores of sheep as well as gazelles and other animals have been contaminated by the toxins and several have died. Palestinian farmers have been forced to quarantine their flocks and stop using the milk, cheese and meat from them, effectively depriving them of their livelihood. Since the first poison was discovered near Tuwani on 22 March 2005, more fields have been targeted in the same region. In the days prior to the first field poisoning incident in Tuwani, a security guard from the nearby Israeli settlement Ma'on had reportedly told villagers that he wanted Palestinian farmers to stop grazing their flocks near the settlement and that, if they did not agree to this, he and the settlers had ways to make them stop.

On 12 April 2005 one of these toxins was also found in the Northern West Bank village of Yasouf, in a field located near the entrance to the Israeli settlement Tapuah, and near the place where the Israeli army had just re-opened the road connecting Yasouf to the main road. The road leading to Yasouf had been kept closed to Palestinians for years, forcing people to take a long detour to access the village.

This to me indicates the beginning of a pattern which anyone who cares should closely monitor. I'm always worried about two things when it comes to violence against Muslims, and Palestinians in particular: 1) is human loss and suffering. And 2) that Muslims will retaliate in kind, justifying their actions with "They started it." The poisoning of wells (which in general means the poisoning any critical resource, such as land) is strictly and explicitly forbidden in the Quran.

The areas where the toxic chemicals have been found are located in Area C, which is under full control of the Israeli authorities; Palestinian Authority security forces are forbidden by Israel from operating in these areas. To date, the Israeli authorities have not cleaned the toxic chemicals from the affected areas, leaving the task to Palestinian farmers and international and Israeli peace activists. They also have not taken the necessary measures to investigate the matter with a view to bringing those responsible to justice.

Recently Israeli settlers have stepped up attacks and threats against Palestinian farmers and villagers in these and other West Bank areas, preventing Palestinians from accessing their land. In recent months, repeated physical assaults by Israeli settlers from Ma'on and the nearby settlement outpost of Havat Ma'on on Palestinian farmers and on international peace activists and human rights workers, including Amnesty International staff, have not been investigated by the Israeli police. Those responsible for these attacks enjoy immunity.

What really burns me up is that this stepping up of violence against Palestinians comes at a time when the PA and Palestinian militants are literally kneeling to the Israeli Government. There has been unprecedented calm on the Palestinian side. May Allah give us the strength to be patient.

Imran's Enlightenment

2005-04-18T10:04:00.000+05:00

If ever you were looking for the intellectual side of Imran Khan this is it. He recently penned an article in the news that sums up his vision for Pakistan. Enlightenment, yes. But for the sake of Islam, not to destroy it. And peace, yes. But with dignity and respect. Imran’s enlightenment draws from Iqbal’s concept of khudi (dignity and self-respect). Italics are my own comments.

[Iqbal] articulated khudi to restore the self-belief of the Muslims of the Subcontinent, which had taken a battering under colonial rule and which today remains stunted under the rule of their surrogates. Iqbal's concept of "spiritual democracy" foresaw the problems facing a Western civilisation based on secularism that destroyed time-tested religious values. In the absence of religious morality the family system in the West is falling apart with serious consequences for its civilization. The Quaid was also very clear that the path ahead for Muslims did not lie in aping the West, but chalking out our own way in political, economic and social thought.

The institution of family is the typical defender of public morality. The trouble is that, except for dinner-time conversation, there is little political activity going on there. The MMA is involved in family level advocacy, but on a limited scale. Anyhow, Imran’s words demonstrate an understanding of certain important civilizational trends. Pakistan can submit itself to foreign will and reap monetary profit for a time. In doing so we forego the opportunity to complete a divine mission. And our morality will be replaced by a new morality, which is decidedly immoral.

The enlightened Islam of the Quaid and Allama Iqbal was original and completely different from Gen. Musharraf's "enlightened moderation," which was born after Sept. 11, 2001. Gen. Musharraf's enlightened moderation was not conceived after any in-depth study of either the strengths and weaknesses of the present Islamic civilization or that of the West. It was born out of expediency (what he calls pragmatism), not through any conviction, to cash in on Western prejudices that had stereotyped Islam into some violent, mediaeval, outdated belief system. By making himself into some sort of a Renaissance man and a bulwark against Islamic terrorism, extremism and fundamentalism, he merely capitalized on the post-9/11 opportunity of serving US interests in return for its support to his military dictatorship. Apart from daily sound bites for Westerners about appearing "enlightened" through phony and superficial Westernization -- e.g., mixed marathons -- the regime has done little to promote moderation in society. What is enlightened about making political alliances with the most crooked politicians and implementing the most regressive economic policies that impoverish the poor and further enrich the rich?

Nations are not built on hollow slogans but around credible institutions. In contrast, dictators thrive by creating a perception of their indispensability by destroying democratic institutions and creating an institutional vacuum. In an effort to cling to power, General Musharraf has discredited the judiciary by using it to legitimise military dictatorship through the doctrine of the law of necessity. Once the sole institution responsible for ensuring the rule of law is discredited and made redundant, the country's potential to travel on the path of freedom and prosperity is destroyed. Moreover, only a strong, credible and independent judiciary guards freedom of expression that leads to an enlightened society.

Musharraf’s Pakistan is a man that doesn’t know his own color. Muslims have complained for over a century about the injustice of the West, and yet we would allow ourselves to be turned into the very object of our disdain, and all for monetary profit.

General Musharraf is projected as a moderate leader even though he violates the constitution with impunity by refusing to give up power, uses the army against its own citizens in Waziristan, and violates the fundamental rights of citizens by handing them over to the US without allowing them to prove their innocence in a Pakistani court of law first. And, worst of all, he allows US detention centres in Pakistan, according to Amnesty International, where our citizens are tortured by our agencies at US behest -- because US law does not allow such brutality on humans on its own soil and by its citizens.

The supreme irony is that the Musharraf-US alliance is helping to broaden the centre-right political spectrum, as only its leadership speaks out about the people's fear and distrust of the US agenda, whereas the so-called liberal-secular leadership is tongue-tied when it comes to criticising US policies, convinced that the road to power is via Washington. The ever-growing political influence of the religious right is then used by General Musharraf to induce the fear of a Mullah takeover amongst US policymakers and our Westernised elite. This vicious zero-sum game continues to play out at the cost of building a democratic society that would be the real bulwark against extremism and promote moderation.

Before summing up, Imran puts the impetus on western societies to reform themselves, or at least their attitudes in order to co-exist with Islam.

[A strategic partnership is possible] between the West and the people of the Islamic world who basically demand dignity, self-respect, and the same fundamental rights as the ordinary citizen in the West enjoys. However, this partnership can only be forged if the US is prepared to accept and co-exist with democratic regimes in the Islamic world that may or may not support US policies as wholeheartedly as dictators do to remain in power.

How refreshing.

The US-Iran Scenario

2004-12-20T23:44:00.000+05:00

This well-written article outlines Iran's military capabilities against an encroaching US menace. The author goes on to talk about hard and soft-power, something which I discussed in the last post. It demonstrates how history is so frighteningly relevant. I pulled the link off Avari.
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Some thoughts on democracy...

2004-12-14T19:09:00.000+05:00

I’ve come to accept as natural, the existence of secular political leaders paying meaningless lip service to Islam, their hypocrisy or their blatant flouting of our Way. Because in many respects its a reflection of how Pakistanis see themselves. Why would our leaders be any different? On the other hand, Islamic leaders would know that they are accountable not only to a people and their fickle judgments, but more so to Allah and his eternal commands.

Maulana Mawdudi is no doubt the first Islamic democrat in the modern sense, but even he was wary of a potential problem in Islamic democratization, that is its possible contradiction with the sovereignty of God. But his concept of a political party as a vanguard to Islamic change is, I think, different from the way it is being practiced today. Mawdudi would say that the party is responsible not only for soliciting democratic support, but also actively promoting Islamic thought for real social change.

Today's Islamic parties use annual and periodic political gatherings as an important way to garner support. Because of this many people have this false impression of widespread Islamization, or that we are somehow on the brink of a revolution. Not so. The crowds and large rallies are commonplace for political parties of any kind in Pakistan. People will gather to listen to anyone grandstanding with profound indictments against authoritarian power. What is unfortunate is that such a forum has never been used towards real progress, not in modern Pakistan. And the conformity of Islamic parties to this same general pattern is an indication that Mawdudi's blueprints are not being adhered to.

These parties need only to convince their followers to live by the Book. To practice regular prayers and give regular charity. To make Allah(swt) supreme in every aspect of their lives. And if change is brought about in this way, asking for the vote may not even be necessary. Just as politicians are a reflection of Pakistanis today, so too will honest and God-fearing Muslim leaders be a reflection of Pakistanis tomorrow. But why then is all this so hard? Maybe there's a subconscious fear that if the truth is told, there will be no one there to listen. But Islam isn't cable news. And still there again is that possible contradiction.

On Colonists and Turncoats

2004-10-23T23:02:00.000+05:00

If ever there was a clear indication as to the intentions of Western nations for Pakistan, its now. At a press conference at the Foreign Office in Pakistan, the Secretary General of the Commonwealth endorsed Musharraf's retention of his army chief position whilst serving as the country's (non-elected) chief executive.

Don McKinnon contended that the move was legitimate since it was done "through parliamentary route and not executive order." "Supremacy of parliament in Pakistan has been the underlying objective of the Commonwealth," he said. "What is important is that President Musharraf has gone to parliament." But how supreme is our parliament, really?

Musharraf, since he came to power, has been working meticulously towards constructing a napoleonic order. Witness the spate of turncoats in the National Assembly that now bow to military rule. How different are they from the nawabs of the British era? The lower they bowed the more riches allowed.

Musharraf's bribes have paid off. He's backed politically by the Chaudhry's (Shujaat and Pervez Elahi) who, now that they're running things, aren't wasting any time doling out favors and stuffing their pockets. And Shaukat Aziz, a puppet albeit an honest one, has been conveniently relegated to economic affairs.

So if the ruling party are Nawabs, what does that make Musharraf? Simple...a successor to colonial power. Pakistan will not be free until we unseat the tyrranous viceroy Musharraf who represents nothing to this country but foreign interests; the American's and the Brits have their hands firmly on the reigns of power. Not surprising then that they should so suddenly lay the claim that democracy in Pakistan is alive and well.

Gitmo Unveiled...

2004-10-17T19:35:00.000+05:00

NY TIMES: NEWSCLIP

A report in the Times reveals the harsh and somewhat peculiar tactics used by personell at camp X-Ray to extract information from "enemy combatants."

In one method, prisoners are clamped to their chairs, and speakers blaring heavy metal music are placed near their ears with the air conditioner blasting. My mother always told me that music was torture. Of course, there's nothing funny about this.

Ramadan Mubarak

2004-10-16T01:19:00.000+05:00

Ramadan Prayer

O' Allah, be pleased with my fasts, in this month, as
Thou gives credit to those who observe
fasts; and (be pleased with) my special night prayers,
in this month, as Thou gives credit to those who pray
in the night; direct me to be on guard and
pay attention to free myself from the lethargy of
forgetfulness; O' God of the worlds overlook my
wrongdoings, and grant amnesty to me, O' He who
shows sympathy tob the wrogdoers.

Ameen.

FP Scholars: War based on "mythology"

2004-10-14T16:30:00.000+05:00

In an open letter to president Bush, a group of more than 650 foreign policy scholars from every major academic institution have charged that the war in Iraq is the "most misguided one since the Vietnam period," one which emphasized "mythology instead of calculation." The letter was released Oct 12, by a group called "Security Scholars for a Sensible Foreign Policy."The opening of the letter is posted below along with a link to the complete letter.
-RoT

An Open Letter to the American People:

We, a nonpartisan group of foreign affairs specialists, have joined together to call urgently for a change of course in American foreign and national security policy. We judge that the current American policy centered around the war in Iraq is the most misguided one since the Vietnam period, one which harms the cause of the struggle against extreme Islamist terrorists. One result has been a great distortion in the terms of public debate on foreign and national security policy—an emphasis on speculation instead of facts, on mythology instead of calculation, and on misplaced moralizing over considerations of national interest. We write to challenge some of these distortions. Complete letter.

HR Watch: "Disappearances" new US tactic

2004-10-12T16:45:00.000+05:00

In a a 46 page report released earlier today, the Human Rights Watch alleged that 11 al-Qaeda suspect have disappeared from US custody. The report maintains that the United States is refusing to aknowledge the detention of these suspects in order to keep them outside the protection of the law, and consequently without shelter from international conventions on torture. -RoT

(New York, October 12, 2004)—At least 11 al-Qaeda suspects have “disappeared” in U.S. custody, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. U.S. officials are holding the detainees in undisclosed locations, where some have reportedly been tortured.

The 46-page report, “The United States’ ‘Disappeared’: The CIA’s Long-Term ‘Ghost Detainees,’” describes how the Central Intelligence Agency is holding al-Qaeda suspects in “secret locations,” reportedly outside the United States, with no notification to their families, no access to the International Committee of the Red Cross or oversight of any sort of their treatment, and in some cases, no acknowledgement that they are even being held.

“‘Disappearances’ were a trademark abuse of Latin American military dictatorships in their ‘dirty war’ on alleged subversion,” said Reed Brody, special counsel with Human Rights Watch. “Now they have become a United States tactic in its conflict with al-Qaeda.” More.

Complete report issued by HRC.

Rebels Brave Government Ultimatum

2004-10-12T14:10:00.000+05:00

DAWN: NEWSCLIP

Stop attacks or be ready for reprisals, militants told

ISLAMABAD, Oct 11: The military on Monday warned tribal militants and 'miscreants' to stop unprovoked attacks on security forces or be prepared for 'retaliatory attacks'.

An Inter-Service Public Relations press release issued against the backdrop of the kidnapping of two Chinese engineers said the retaliation "may take place in the manner the military commanders deem appropriate".

It regretted that the miscreants had repeatedly gone back on their own offer of a unilateral ceasefire and said that the kidnapping of the Chinese engineers working on the Gomal Zam dam for the development of South Waziristan was a case in point.

"It is ironic that the local ulema do not denounce anti-Pakistan activities in strong, unambiguous and unequivocal terms," the ISPR said. "Security forces are exercising utmost restraint in responding to the provocative acts like unprovoked firing on its positions and subjecting the security forces' convoys to attacks by improvised explosive devices developed, financed and planted by these anti-state elements." More here.

Iraq Under Occupation

2004-10-11T11:32:00.000+05:00

SPECIAL REPORT: AL-JAZEERA

The following is a useful resource for obtaining basic information about the Iraqi occupation. I wouldn't exactly say that its unbiased, but then again news rarely is. You can find the link at the bottom of this introduction, as well as in the sidebar under "Online Resources."

US and British occupation of Iraq is regarded as the re-emergence of the old colonialist practices of the western empires in some quarters. The real ambitions underlying the brutal onslaught are still highly questionable - and then there are the blatant lies over weapons of mass destruction originally used to justify the war. There were no great victory marches by the occupiers, nor were they thrown garlands of flowers and greeted in triumph. More US soldiers have died in Iraq since George Bush declared an end to the war on 1 May 2003 prompting the question: Will Iraq turn into a new Vietnam eventually bringing the US to its senses ... or perhaps to its knees?

Iraq's history, and along with it that of the Arab Muslim world, speaks of several similar encounters. In the past, enemies attacked from East and West before they were swallowed by the moving sands of the region, or forced to retreat, leaving behind a phoenix-like people who adore life and still accept to die for their freedom.

The escalating Iraqi resistance seems to be setting the stage for another act which might usher in a new Arab World or set the clock ticking for the end of yet another empire. Continue.

Uniformed or Uninformed?

2004-10-09T13:54:00.000+05:00

DAWN: NEWSCLIP

Bill on president in uniform moved in NA

ISLAMABAD, Oct 8: The government introduced a draft bill in the National Assembly on Friday aimed at allowing President Gen Pervez Musharraf to retain his army post till his tenure in presidency.

The draft bill was referred to the house committee on law and justice which is expected to meet on Saturday to approve it.

The bill 'President to Hold Another Office Act, 2004' seeking to take effect from Dec 31, 2004, will be tabled at the NA session on Monday or Tuesday for its first, second and third readings before its passage by a simple majority.

The opposition which had created noisy scenes on being disallowed a debate on its adjournment motions on bomb blasts in Sialkot and Multan, showed a poor reaction when the draft bill was introduced by Law and Justice Minister Wasi Zafar. There was no visible protest except for few meek voices of 'shame shame'.

According to the draft bill, "the holder of office of president of Pakistan may, in addition to his office, hold another office of profit in the service of Pakistan which will not disqualify its holder as provided under paragraph (d) of clause (1) of the constitution or any other law for the time being in force, provided that this provision shall be valid only for the present holder of the office of president." Read more.