Pakistan PM Agrees to Appear on Contempt Rap

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's beleaguered premier agreed on Jan. 16 to appear in court to face a contempt notice served on him for failing to re-open corruption cases, including proceedings against the president.

The Supreme Court found Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in contemptand summoned him later this week, escalating pressure on a weakened government at a time of crippling tensions with the army which some analysts believe could cost the prime minister his job and force early elections.

The court wants the government to write to Swiss authorities to demand they re-open corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, including multi-million-dollar money-laundering allegations, after an amnesty expired in late 2009.

Judge Nasir-ul-Mulk on Jan. 16 told the Supreme Court, which met to debate how to proceed on graft charges against Zardari, that Gilani had been ordered to appear before it on Jan. 19.

Gilani agreed to the summons in the National Assembly late Jan. 16, after his ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and its coalition partners passed are solution expressing full support for democracy and democratic institutions.

"The court has summoned me and I will appear before it as a mark of respect on Jan. 19," he said in an address televised by Pakistani TV channels. "There can be difference of opinion with the judiciary and the military but they cannot either pack up or derail the whole system. Rather, they have to strengthen it."

"We have struggled for democracy," he said, adding: "We have to strengthen the parliament and democratic institutions."

As the resolution was put to vote, the main opposition party, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) walked out of the house, with its leader in the assembly, Chaudhry Nisar Ali calling it a "smokescreen".

After days of high tension between the military and civilian leadership, the resolution insisted "all the state institutions must strictly function within the limits imposed on them by the constitution" and Pakistan's wellbeing should be ensured through democratic institutions.

Zardari and the PPP leadership insist the president is immune from prosecution as head of state and Maula Bakhsh Chandio, minister for law and parliamentary affairs, said they would take legal advice on how to proceed.

In the past, the PPP has accused the judiciary of overstepping its reach and colluding with the army to bring down the administration before its five-year mandate ends in 2013.

Last year, a Swiss prosecutor said that it would be "impossible" to reopen a case against Zardari, as he has immunity.

Supreme Court judges have outlined six options on how to proceed on graft charges against Zardari - which include finding Gilani in contempt, disqualifying the prime minister and president, and holding early elections.

Mulk said he had been left with "no option" but issue the notice to Gilani after the government ignored the court's demands.

It is only the second time that contempt of court proceedings have been initiated against a serving prime minister in Pakistan. In November 1997, prime minister Nawaz Sharif was also found in contempt in a case which ultimately led to the resignation of president Farooq Leghari.

Analysts are divided on whether Gilani could be convicted, pushed out to protect Zardari or show flexibility in order to avert a wider crisis.

"There is possibility now that the prime minister will be made a scapegoat and he may resign," senior lawyer Quosen Mufti told AFP. "Another possibility is that the prime minister will appear before the court ... If he gives the court a commitment on implementation the court can discharge the contempt notice. If not then he may be convicted."

Zardari's government is also under pressure over a memo soliciting American help to prevent a coup apparently feared in the aftermath of Osama bin Laden's killing in Pakistan on May.

A close Zardari aide, Husain Haqqani, was forced to resign as ambassador to Washington and the Supreme Court ordered a judicial inquiry into the memo following a demand from the chief spymaster.

The army has carried out three coups in Pakistan, but analysts believe it has no appetite for another direct takeover, instead preferring to force early elections behind the scenes in concert with pressure from the courts.

The attorney general said Jan. 16 he had been unable to obtain crucial evidence - BlackBerry message data sent between Haqqani and U.S. businessman Mansoor Ijaz, who claims to have acted as a go-between on the memo. He said BlackBerry's makers refused to release such records without the customer's permission.

The commission adjourned the hearing until Jan. 24.

Pakistani President, Army Chief Meet Amid Tenions

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari met the chief of the powerful Pakistani Army on Jan. 14 for rare face-to-face talks, a spokesman said, amid a civilian-military standoff that is shaking the government.

The unscheduled talks come against the background of shaky ties between Zardari's weak civilian administration and the military over a probe into a mysterious memo that sought US help in curbing the army's power.

"Chief of the army staff Gen. Ashfaq Kayani called on President Zardari in his office today," the president's spokesman Farhatullah Babar said.

Babar gave few details about the meeting beyond that, saying the "current security situation came under discussion."

Kayani, widely regarded as the most powerful figure in Pakistan, is also attended a meeting of a defense committee, which comprises senior ministers and military chiefs, later in the day.

"The committee is likely to discuss matters related to defense and national security," a government official said.

He declined to comment when asked whether the meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, would help defuse tension between the civilian and military leadership.

Pakistan has been under military dictatorships for about half its history since independence in 1947, its civilian leaders thrown out in three coups.

But despite current tensions, analysts say another coup is unlikely and they instead predict early elections, possibly in the first half of this year.

The "Memogate" scandal centers on an unsigned note allegedly sent by an aide of Zardari to the U.S. military last May, apparently to avert a possible coup after the killing of Osama bin Laden by the U.S. in Pakistan.

The memo has pitted the Pakistani Army against Zardari's government, and the Supreme Court is now tasked with deciding whether the government endorsed the note and, if so, if it can remain in power.

In an unusually bold interview with Chinese media, Gilani earlier this week accused the Army and intelligence chiefs of failing to make their submissions to the commission investigating the memo through government channels,.

The Army vociferously denied Gilani's accusation and said it had passed its response through the defense ministry to the court in accordance with the law, ratcheting up tensions between the two sides.

The Jan. 14 defense committee meeting is, among other items, expected to finalize recommendations to frame new rules of engagement with NATO following the November 26 air strikes on a border post that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.

Pakistan Defense Secretary Fired Over Army Row

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's army warned Jan. 11 of "grievous consequences" for the country over criticism by the prime minister that has ramped up tensions between the military and civilian leadership.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani immediately sacked the top bureaucrat in the defense ministry over the row, with the government saying the official had been the cause of the "misunderstanding" with the military.

The spat centers on a Supreme Court inquiry set up to investigate a controversial unsigned memo allegedly delivered to the U.S. military seeking its help in curbing Pakistan's highly powerful armed forces in May.

In an unusually bold interview with Chinese media earlier this week, Gilani accused the army and intelligence chiefs of failing to make their submissions to the commission through government channels.

The army issued a statement on Jan. 11 vociferously denying Gilani's accusation and saying it had passed its response through the defense ministry to the court in accordance with the law.

"There can be no allegation more serious than what the honorable prime minister has leveled against COAS (army chief Gen. Ashfaq Kayani) and DG ISI (spy chief Lt. Gen. Ahmad Shuja Pasha) and has unfortunately charged the officers for violation of the constitution of the country," the army's statement said. "This has very serious ramifications with potentially grievous consequences for the country."

Kayani returned on Jan. 10 from China and met on Jan. 11 with the head of Myanmar's air force in Rawalpindi.

Pakistan has seen three military coups since independence in 1947. It has spent about half of its life under military dictatorships.

The current civilian administration headed by Zardari has lurched from crisis to crisis since coming to power in 2008 following elections held a month after the assassination of his wife, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Defense secretary Naeem Khalid Lodhi was fired over what the government called a "misunderstanding" between Gilani and the top brass caused by his failure to pass court submissions through the prime minister's office.

"Prime minister has terminated the contract of defense secretary Naeem Khalid Lodhi for gross misconduct," a senior government official told AFP.

The army's statement cast doubt on the government's claim and said that Gilani had issued a press release last month apparently approving the army's replies to the court as being made "through proper channel."

The statement also defended submissions made to the memo inquiry as in accordance with the military's obligation to "state the facts."

The highly controversial memo was allegedly an attempt by President Asif Ali Zardari through Husain Haqqani - a close aide and then-ambassador to the United States - to enlist help from the U.S. military to head off a feared coup in Pakistan.

American businessman Mansoor Ijaz has claimed that Zardari reportedly feared that the military might seize power in a bid to limit the hugely damaging fallout after U.S. Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in May.

Tension between the army and Zardari's weak civilian administration soared over the note, allegedly delivered to then-chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen in May and made public by Ijaz in October.

Pakistan's Supreme Court last week decided to set up a judicial commission to investigate the matter and Pasha, the head of the ISI intelligence agency, has called for a "forensic examination" of the memo.

Haqqani has already resigned over the affair and the court has stopped him from leaving Pakistan. At the second meeting of the commission held on Jan. 9, he repeated his denial of any involvement in the scandal.

The commission, being held in Islamabad, is to meet again on Jan. 16 and is expected to submit its findings within four weeks.

The probe puts fresh pressure on the president, who visited Dubai in December over health fears, with most observers expecting early elections sometime in 2012.

Iranian Cyber Commandos downed the American stealth Drone

A secret U.S. surveillance drone that went missing last week in western Afghanistan appears to have crashed in Iran, in what may be the first case of such an aircraft ending up in the hands of an adversary.

Iran’s news agencies asserted that the nation’s defense forces brought down the drone, which the Iranian reports said was an RQ-170 stealth aircraft. It is designed to penetrate enemy air defenses that could see and possibly shoot down less-sophisticated Predator and Reaper drones.

A stealthy RQ-170 drone played a critical role in surveilling the compound in Pakistan where Osama bin Laden was hiding in the months before the raid in which he was killed by U.S. Navy SEALs in May.

U.S. officials acknowledged Sunday that a drone had been lost near the Iranian border.
 This is the second time in history a stealth tech/plane has been brought down (f-117 being the first). Possible first time ever one has been hacked into in the air, and the fact that it's still in pretty good shape makes it priceless as it now can be disected and reverse/engineered

The chinese and russians are probably dying to take a look at this intact american Toy...

Billions of dollars worth of state-of-the-art stealth/drone/aircraft technology is now under the microscope being examined/reverse engineered.

Pakistan Green-Lit Deadly NATO Strike: Report

WASHINGTON - Pakistani officials gave the green light for the NATO strikes that killed 24 of their troops last month, unaware that the forces were in the area, the Wall Street Journal reported Dec. 2.

The Journal cited U.S. officials briefed on the preliminary investigation into the incident - the worst exchange of friendly fire between the two reluctant allies in the decade-long war in Afghanistan.

The officials told the Journal that an Afghan-led force including U.S. commandos was pursuing Taliban fighters near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border when they came under fire from what they thought was a militant encampment.

When they called in air strikes on the camp, team members contacted a joint command-and-control center manned by U.S., Afghan and Pakistani troops, and Pakistani representatives said there were no friendly forces in the area, clearing the way for the air assault, the officials told the Journal.

The officials nevertheless acknowledged errors on both sides.

"There were lots of mistakes made," it quoted an official as saying. "There was not good situational awareness to who was where and who was doing what."

They also cautioned that the latest account is based on initial interviews with the commandos involved and could change as more details come to light.

The Pentagon has insisted there was no deliberate attack on Pakistani forces, but U.S. officials have stopped short of apologizing over the incident.

Pakistan has said the air assault on its soldiers was unprovoked and spread over a period of two hours, despite Pakistani protests to the Americans.

Relations have long been tense between the two allies, with Washington accusing elements of Pakistan's military and intelligence services of collaboration with the Taliban and other Islamist militants.

Pakistan has in turn alleged that U.S. drone strikes aimed at militants have killed scores of civilians, stoking extremism and bolstering its own domestic Islamist insurgency.

The friendly fire incident over the weekend set off the worst crisis in relations between the two countries since U.S. commandos swooped in to kill al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani garrison town in May.

Still-angry Pakistan Backs Out of Afghan Conference

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan decided Nov. 29 to boycott a key international conference on Afghanistan next month, ramping up its protest over lethal cross-border NATO air strikes that have plunged U.S. ties into deep crisis.

The decision was taken at a Pakistani cabinet meeting in the eastern city of Lahore, days after Islamabad confirmed it was mulling its attendance in the German city of Bonn, where Pakistan's participation was considered vital.

"The cabinet has decided not to attend the Bonn meeting," a government official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The prime minister's office said the cabinet agreed that "unilateral action" such as the Nov. 26 strike in the tribal district of Mohmand and the May 2 killing of Osama bin Laden near the capital was "unacceptable."

U.S.-led investigators have been given until Dec. 23 to probe the attacks, threatening to prolong significantly Pakistan's blockade on NATO supplies into Afghanistan implemented in retaliation for the killings.

The U.S. military appointed Air Force Brig. Gen. Stephen Clark to lead the investigation into the attack.

The team, set to include a NATO representative, is yet to arrive in Afghanistan but an initial military assessment team went to the border at the weekend after the catastrophic strike that killed 24 Pakistani troops.

The Afghan and Pakistani governments are also being invited to take part.

There was no immediate reaction from Islamabad or Kabul, although some analysts voiced surprise that it will take as long as nearly four weeks.

A Western military official in Kabul said the schedule for the findings being delivered was "way quicker" than initially expected.

U.S.-Pakistani ties have been in free fall since a CIA contractor killed two Pakistanis in January, and the latest attack raises disturbing questions about the extent to which the two allies cooperate with each other.

Islamabad insists that the air strikes were unprovoked, but Afghan and Western officials have reportedly accused Pakistani forces of firing first.

"With the kind of technology available to the U.S. and NATO, it was expected they would be able to do it [the investigation] much earlier, not more than two weeks," Pakistani defence analyst Talat Masood told AFP.

In Pakistan, angry protests over the NATO strikes pushed into a fourth day, with 150 to 200 people demonstrating in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, setting fire to an American flag and an effigy of NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

The crowd carried banners and shouted: "Those who befriend America are traitors" and "We are ready for jihad," an AFP reporter said.

Pakistan has vowed no more "business as usual" with the United States. In addition to shutting its Afghan border, it has ordered Americans to vacate an air base reportedly used by CIA drones and a review of the alliance.

Yet behind the rhetoric, Islamabad has little wriggle room, being dependent on U.S. aid dollars and fearful of the repercussions for regional security as American troops wind down their presence in Afghanistan in the coming years.

In an interview with CNN, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani stopped short of threatening to break the alliance altogether saying: "That can continue on mutual respect and mutual interest."

White House spokesman Jay Carney said U.S. President Barack Obama believed the latest incident was "a tragedy," and said Washington valued what he called an "important cooperative relationship that is also very complicated."

Last time Pakistan closed the border, in September 2010 after up to three soldiers were killed in a similar cross-border raid, it only reopened the route after the United States issued a full apology.

The U.S. military has insisted the war effort in Afghanistan would continue and has sought to minimize the disruption to regular supply lines.

Nearly half of all cargo bound for NATO-led troops runs through Pakistan.

About 140,000 foreign troops, including about 97,000 American forces, rely on supplies from the outside to fight the 10-year-old war in Afghanistan.

Yet so far, officials say there has been no sign that Islamabad would bar the U.S. aircraft from flying over Pakistan.

Pakistan Rebuts Report on Movement of Nukes

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Nov. 6 angrily rejected a report that it had been moving its nuclear weapons in unsafe conditions, saying nobody should underestimate its capability to defend itself.
Two U.S. magazines reported Nov. 4 that Pakistan has begun moving its nuclear weapons in low-security vans on congested roads to hide them from U.S. spy agencies, making the weapons more vulnerable to theft by Islamist militants.

The Atlantic and the National Journal, in a joint report citing unnamed sources, wrote that the U.S. raid that killed al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden on May 2 at his Pakistani compound reinforced Islamabad's longstanding fears that Washington could try to dismantle the country's nuclear arsenal.
But in a statement, Pakistan's foreign ministry said the report was "pure fiction, baseless and motivated. It is part of a deliberate propaganda campaign meant to mislead opinion."
Pakistan has consistently rejected concerns over the safety of its nuclear arsenal and alluded to a smear campaign.
"The surfacing of such campaigns is not something new. It is orchestrated by quarters that are inimical to Pakistan," said the statement.
The ministry said Pakistan was capable of defending itself.
"No one should underestimate Pakistan's will and capability to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity and national interests."
After the bin Laden raid, the head of the Strategic Plans Divisions (SPD), which is charged with safeguarding Pakistan's atomic weapons, was ordered to take action to keep the location of nuclear weapons and components hidden from the United States, the report said.
Khalid Kidwai, the retired general who leads the SPD, expanded his agency's efforts to disperse components and sensitive materials to different facilities, it said.
But instead of transporting the nuclear parts in armored, well-defended convoys, the atomic bombs "capable of destroying entire cities are transported in delivery vans on congested and dangerous roads," according to the report.
The pace of the dispersal movements has increased, raising concerns at the Pentagon, it said.
The article, based on dozens of interviews, said the U.S. military has long had a contingency plan in place to disable Pakistan's nuclear weapons in the event of a coup or other worst-case scenario.

U.S. Reins in Drones Over Diplomatic Concerns

WASHINGTON - The U.S. spy agency has quietly tightened its rules on drone strikes in Pakistan over concerns about their impact on tense relations with Islamabad, the Wall Street Journal reported Nov. 3.

Pakistanis protest U.S. drone strikes on Oct. 28 in Islamabad, Pakistan. Concerned about strained relations between the U.S. and Pakistan, the CIA has tightened rules on drone strikes, according to the Wall Street Journal. (Aamir Qureshi / AFP via Getty Images)

The Journal, citing senior officials, said the new rules resulted from a behind-the-scenes battle between an aggressive Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. military and diplomatic officials concerned about relations with Pakistan.

A high-level review reaffirmed support for the drone program - which has killed hundreds of militants, including top commanders, in recent years - but established new rules to minimize the diplomatic blowback, the Journal said.
The changes reportedly include granting the State Department greater sway in strike decisions, giving Pakistani leaders advance warning of more operations and suspending operations when Pakistani officials visit the United States.
"It's not like they took the car keys away from the CIA," the Journal quoted a senior official as saying. "There are just more people in the car."
The Journal said the debate was sparked by a particularly deadly drone strike on March 17 that took place just one day after Pakistan agreed to release a CIA contractor who had killed two Pakistanis.
Tensions between the two allies escalated throughout the spring, climaxing in May with the killing of al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in a secret U.S. commando raid carried out without Islamabad's knowledge.
At issue in the debate over drones were so-called "signature strikes," in which unmanned drones fire on groups of suspected militants without necessarily knowing all their identities.
These strikes, which make up the bulk of operations, are seen as more controversial than "personality" strikes, which target alleged top militants, the Journal said.
U.S. officials do not publicly discuss the drone program, but they claim to have substantially weakened al-Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan in recent months by taking out top leaders.
Pakistan has criticized the program, however, saying it inflames anti-American sentiment and extremism by killing scores of civilians.

Pakistan Clandestinely Moving Its Nukes: Report

WASHINGTON - Pakistan has started moving its nuclear weapons in low-security vans on congested roads to hide them from U.S. spy agencies, making the weapons more vulnerable to theft by Islamist militants, two magazines reported Nov. 4.
The Atlantic and National Journal, in a joint report citing unnamed sources, wrote that the U.S. raid on May 2 that killed al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden at his Pakistani compound reinforced Islamabad's longstanding fears that Washington could try to dismantle the country's nuclear arsenal.

As a result the head of the Strategic Plans Divisions (SPD), which is charged with safeguarding Pakistan's atomic weapons, was ordered to take action to keep the location of nuclear weapons and components hidden from the United States, the report said.
Khalid Kidwai, the retired general who leads SPD, expanded his agency's efforts to disperse components and sensitive materials to different facilities, it said.
But instead of transporting the nuclear parts in armored, well-defended convoys, the atomic bombs "capable of destroying entire cities are transported in delivery vans on congested and dangerous roads," according to the report.
The pace of the dispersal movements has increased, raising concerns at the Pentagon, it said.
Pakistan has long insisted its nuclear arsenal is safe and the article quotes an unnamed official from the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency saying: "Of all things in the world to worry about, the issue you should worry about the least is the safety of our nuclear program."
The Pentagon declined to comment on the article but a senior U.S. military official told reporters in Washington that the United States remains confident Pakistan's nuclear weapons are secure.
"I believe the Pakistan military arsenal is safe at this time, well guarded, well defended," said the military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The article, based on dozens of interviews, said the U.S. military has long had a contingency plan in place to disable Pakistan's nuclear weapons in the event of a coup or other worst-case scenario.
U.S. Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) has for years trained for a potential "disablement campaign" that its forces would lead and that would require entering more than a dozen nuclear sites and seizing or defusing atomic weapons, it said.
The operation would use sensitive radiological detection devices that can pick up trace amounts of atomic material, and JSOC has even built mock Pashtun villages with hidden mock nuclear-storage depots at a site on the East Coast to train elite Navy SEAL and Delta Force commandos, the report said.
Although Pakistan has suggested it might shift towards China and forsake its ties to Washington, Chinese officials have reached an understanding in secret talks with U.S. representatives that Beijing would raise no objections if the United States opted to secure Pakistan's nuclear weapons, said the report, citing unnamed U.S. sources.

Obama Says All Troops Will Leave Iraq By Dec. 31

WASHINGTON - President Obama said Oct. 21 that all U.S. troops will leave Iraq by the end of the year, ending a long, bloody war after the failure of talks on keeping a small American training force in the country.

President Obama announces Oct. 21 that all U.S. troops will leave Iraq by Dec. 31. (Jim Watson / Agence France-Presse)

After the deaths of more than 4,400 U.S. troops, tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians and the expenditure of hundreds of billions of dollars, Obama said the last American soldier would leave with his head held high.

"Today I can report that, as promised, the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of the year. After nearly nine years, America's war in Iraq will be over," Obama said at a White House news conference.
"Today, I can say that our troops in Iraq will definitely be home for the holidays," said Obama, who rose to power in opposing the unpopular Iraq war and pledged as a presidential candidate to bring all U.S. troops home.
"The United States is moving forward to a position of strength. The long war in Iraq will come to an end by the end of this year," he said, nearly nine years after President George W. Bush invaded Iraq and ousted Saddam Hussein.
Obama made the announcement after holding a video conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and the failure of talks between the two sides on keeping a small number of troops in Iraq after the end of 2011.
It also came after his credentials as commander in chief, bolstered by the killing of Osama bin Laden and top al-Qaida suspects, were further enhanced by the Oct. 20 death of Moammar Gadhafi after a NATO mission in support of Libyan rebels.
"Just as Iraqis have persevered through war, I'm confident that they can build a future worthy of their history as a cradle of civilization," Obama said, as officials said Iraqi forces were up to the task of ensuring security.
"We'll partner with an Iraq that contributes to regional security and peace, just as we insist that other nations respect Iraq's sovereignty," he said, in an apparent reference to Iraq's neighbor Iran.
Talks on extending the U.S. presence broke down because the sides were unable to agree on granting legal immunity for American troops who would have stayed in place to help train Iraqi forces and to counter Iran.
Al-Maliki said in a brief statement that he and Obama agreed on the decision to withdraw all U.S. troops.
"The two points of view of the two leaders were the same, of the necessity of beginning a new phase of strategic relations after carrying out the withdrawal at the specified date at the end of the year," he said.
Despite the disagreement, Obama said U.S. troops will leave Iraq "with their heads held high, proud of their success."
"The transition in Afghanistan is moving forward and our troops are finally coming home," Obama said.
The 39,000 remaining U.S. troops in Iraq must withdraw by Dec. 31 under an accord between the two countries.
Obama said that he had invited Maliki to visit the White House in December, as the two sides revert to a normal sovereign relationship between two nations.
He also placed the withdrawal from Iraq in the context of efforts to transfer responsibility for security to Afghan forces and the stepped-up U.S. battle against al-Qaida in Yemen and Pakistani tribal areas.
"I would note that the end of war in Iraq reflects a larger transition. The tide of war is receding," Obama said. "The drawdown in Iraq allowed us to refocus our fight against al-Qaida and the chief major victories against its leadership, including Osama bin Laden."

Mullen Warns of Afghan Transition Corruption

KABUL, Afghanistan - The United States' top military officer warned July 31 that some Afghan institutions central to the transition of power from foreign to local forces are corrupt.
Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was speaking after a two-day trip to Afghanistan, much of which was spent visiting troops, shortly before he is due to step down in October.

During a press conference in Kabul, he highlighted a lack of good governance in many parts of Afghanistan.
He also spoke specifically about Afghan institutions involved in the transition of power from international to Afghan troops and officials. All foreign combat forces are scheduled to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
Some countries, including the U.S., have already started troop withdrawals as part of the transition process.
"I think it's fair to say that in the main, Afghan government officials must work on becoming more responsive to the needs and the aspirations of their people," Mullen said.
"We know that some agencies and institutions vital to transition are infiltrated and subverted by criminal patronage networks."
He added: "We must end impunity for criminals who are subverting the state and victimizing the Afghan people."
As well as the security handover to the Afghan police and army, the transition process also includes a wide range of local and national government bodies taking on new responsibilities from foreign officials.
Mullen acknowledged that U.S. "inattention" had contributed to the problem.
The U.S. government has spent $51.8 billion on aid to Afghanistan since 2002, though much of those funds go through contractors.
Experts say corruption is an endemic problem among many officials in Afghanistan and that the government and foreign powers must do more to combat it.

Mullen: 'Very Difficult' Time in U.S.-Pakistan Ties

WASHINGTON - The top U.S. military chief warned July 25 that U.S.-Pakistan military-to-military ties were at a "very difficult" crossroads, allowing that a path to progress on that front was not yet clear.

President Barack Obama's administration recently suspended about a third of its $2.7 billion annual defense aid to Pakistan in the wake of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden near the country's main military academy. But it assured Islamabad it is committed to a $7.5 billion civilian assistance package approved in 2009.

"We are in a very difficult time right now in our military-to-military relations," Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen told a press briefing billed as his last before retirement.

Despite the strain, Mullen said "I don't think that we are close to severing" those ties.

And the retiring admiral said he hoped the two nations would soon find a way to "recalibrate" those ties.

Still, Mullen acknowledged: "we need to work through the details of how this (recalibration) is going to happen."

Top U.S. officer Mullen has suggested that Pakistan's army or Inter-Services Intelligence agency likely killed journalist Saleem Shahzad, who had reported about militants infiltrating the military.

On a visit to Washington, Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf staunchly defended the army and ISI. He denied any Pakistani support for bin Laden, who apparently moved to the garrison town of Abbottabad while Musharraf was in power.

U.S. officials have long questioned Pakistani intelligence's ties with extremists, including Afghanistan's al-Qaida-linked Haqqani network and the anti-Indian movement Lashkar-e-Taiba that allegedly plotted the grisly 2008 assault on Mumbai.

Adm. James Winnefeld, nominated to be the number two U.S. military officer, described Pakistan as a "very, very difficult partner."

"We don't always share the same worldview or the same opinions or the same national interest," Winnefeld told his Senate confirmation hearing last week.

Obama has nominated Gen. Martin Dempsey as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Dempsey is due to succeed Mullen, who is retiring at his term's end Sept. 30.

"Operation Blue Star" and Sikh Holocaust 1984

Burning Corpses of innocent Sikhs in set on fire by Hindu Extremists

 May be we do not have any link with Indian Sikhs as we have no direct relationship with them. However, by way of humanity, it is our duty to raise voice in opposition to Indian atrocities against its minorities as we do in case of Muslims of India in general and those of Kashmir in particular. There is another reason for this that Sikhs have confessed their historic role in Punjabi holocaust in 1947’s partition under the influence of Hindu leadership and they have always raised voice against Indian policy of Muslim genocide beside their support for freedom movement in Indian held Kashmir.

                June have passed but no TV channel or any newspaper has expressed solidarity with Indian Sikhs and condemned Indian government for its attack on Sikh’s central religious site “Golden Temple” in 1984. We celebrate many days from Valentine to Father’s Day, no matter these are related to our culture or not. News about Indiansingers, actors and actresses are broadcasted many times. TV channels endeavor to broadcast India friendly news so that its image is softened more in the perception of the world. However, Nawa-i-Waqt, as usual, fulfilled its journalistic duty and printed a four columned news citing Human Rights Watch, “Indian government and courts must serve justice to those involved in massacre of Sikhs”.

Shaheed Sant Baba Jarnail Singh Bhindranwala

                I am sure our new generation and readers do not know what was OperationBLUE STAR and on whose authority Indian army attacked Sikh’s Golden Temple with tanks; Why Indra Gandhi (so called mother of democracy), adopted a dictatorial approach to Sikh Issue; and why world community neglected this fascism as in case of 1971. At last she met her end at the hands of her two loyal Sikh guards on 31 October 1984. To avenge this, notable congress leaders supervised massacre of Sikhs for four days and performed a symbolic bath by rubbing Sikh blood against their bodies. It is not only part of history but a proof as well that India is fascist despite its claims of secularism and democracy. Why Sikhs want separation from India? What was Khalistan Movement? It is quite a long story, however, organized massacre of Sikhs in 1984 is enough for eye opening.

                In 1982, when Sikh political leader Jarnail Singh Bhandranwala felt that he has unnerved Indian Prime Minister Indra Gandhi and established himself in “Guru Nanak’s Niwas” attached to golden temple and started reaching out to world at large through international media and reporters. He knew well that Sikh's religious leadership is not yet ready for separation and Indian local media does not have courage to stand against Indra Gandhi. On 23 April 1983, DIG of East Punjab Police, A K Atwal was assassinated by RAW when he was leaving Golden Temple after meeting President of Akaal Dal, Harchand Singh Langwal. Langwal blamed Bhindranwala for this murder in order to cleat himself. Indra Gandhi made intelligent moves and religious leadership of Sikhs started pressurizing Bhindranwala to vacate Guru Nanak Niwas. On 15 December 1983, supporters of Peer Khalsa and Langwal tried to force him out but he entered into Golden Temple along with his loyal followers.

                Indra Gandhi Government was not prepared for this because Sikh guards of golden temple supported Bhindranwala. Government thought that it would be easy to tackle Bhindranwala outside Guru Nanak Niwas. However, his entry into Golden Temple strengthened his position. Sikh youth started paying attention to his idea of separation. Golden Temple proved to be Bhindranwala’s stronghold and headquarter. At this time, Indra Gandhi decided to eliminate Bhindranwala and his followers because he was being called as Jarnail or General.

                On 1^st February 1984, Indian intelligence agency RAW forced newspapers to broadcast news that Bhindranwala has prepared a motorcycle borne armed group that would target Hindus in Amritsar. Not only Amritsar but other major cities also came under grip of fear due to this news. Bhindranwala declared such a scheme a conspiracy of Hindus and Congress against Sikhs. However, this explanation could not find any place in Indian media. After taking the decision for operation in Golden Temple, Indra Gandhi asked Indian Army Vice Chief General S K Sinha to work out timings and details of the operation. He was promised the post of Chief of Army Staff after this operation. But he advised her to solve the problem through dialogue. She dismissed him immediately violating all military norms. General Arun Shridhar Vadhya was promoted as army chief in his place and was ordered to eliminate Bhindranwala no matter Golden Temple is destroyed in the process. He promised the operation and asked Indra Gandhi to promote General Sunderji as Vice Chief that was agreed.

Civilized Extremists of Congress

On the night of 1^st June both the General officers arrived in Amritsar. The whole province was placed under curfew for 36 hours and all communication links including telephone and electricity were disrupted. In other words, the province came under martial law by the order of Prime Minister Indra Gandhi. Media was warned before hand not to broadcast any news against wishes of the government otherwise media owners and reporters would not be spared. The whole province of Indian Punjab was cut off from rest of the world.

On night of 5^th June, Indian Army under the command of Major General Kuldeep Singh Barar assaulted Golden Temple. Followers of Bhindranwala offered stiff resistance but could not withstand for long against artillery guns and tanks. All seventeen houses were demolished by cannons with in one and half hour. Contrary to that only front five houses were being used by followers of Bhindranwala. Shabak Singh, Leader of front line defense of Bhindranwala was killed along with his other fighters. An exact figure of casualties has not been declared so far because Indian Army frisked away hundreds of dead bodies including those innocent Sikh devotees who were caught in the fire. These also included women and children. Many of these devotees had come from Europe.

Tanks in Golden Temple

In second stage, Indian Army entered the Golden Temple. Bhindranwala and his followers were armed with small arms including machine guns. They fought the Indian Army bravely. At one time General Barar hesitated targeting Akal Takht in middle of pond. However he had example of General Sinha in his mind and ordered the Army to attack Akal Takht. Bhindranwala and his follower had taken refuge in Akal Takht and were engaging Indian Army with machine guns. Some armored vehicles were also destroyed by rocket launchers. Tanks were brought forward. Two tanks entered the Golden Temple. The Akal Takht was engaged with tank fire. The whole building was destroyed before sunrise. As per Indian Army’s claims, 4 officers, 4 junior commissioned officers and 75 soldiers were killed. 13 officers, 16 junior commissioned officers and 220 soldiers were injured. If 83 all ranks of an army supported by tanks and armored vehicles were killed in a night than you can imagine how many Sikhs would have been fighting against them. As per Indian Army, Bhindranwala with his 59 followers was killed along with 492 Sikh civilians. More than 4000 Sikhs were killed as per independent sources. Some of these were killed in Golden Temple. Others Sikh youth were killed by Indian Army on a mere suspicion accusing them as supporters of Bhindranwala. These were killed in cold blood with out any proof or judicial proceedings. 

Golden Temple after Operation Blue Star

Thousands of Sikhs were killed. Operation BLUE STAR met with success and calmed dictatorial instincts of Indra Gandhi. One of her political opponent was eliminated. Human right organizations chose to remain silent. International media only broadcast the news for information. No one condemned or protested against this. After 148 days, on 31 October 1984, Indra Gandhi was killed by her own guards walking from her government residence to offices. The news spread like a wild fire that Sikh guards had avenged killing of Bhindranwala. Sikh were attacked by Hindus in all major cities including New Delhi. For four days, Sikh were attacked and killed in the streets.

On the 31^st, every Sikh on streets was killed and burnt. Even babies and aged people were not spared. However, form 1^st to 4^th November, Sikh population and business centers were targeted in an organized manner. Parliamentarians were seen supervising such attacks. Congress government even freed professional criminal from jails on the condition that they will kill maximum Sikhs. Hindu extremists committed acts of violence against uniformed Sikh Police officers while their other comrades kept looking at it. All Sikhs in police and army were disarmed beforehand.

General Sunderji; Mastermind of Operation Blue Star

As per proofs presented in Indian courts, congress parliamentarians and leaders called their supporters on special meetings handed over weapons, petrol and money for the ugly job. List of Sikh residents were prepared through voter lists, children enrolled in government schools, ration cards, registers of trade unions and records of income tax. These lists were distributed as an electoral roll and groups were organized area wise for attack on Sikh population. This whole planning was completed before 1^stNovember. (it must be remembered that same techniques are adopted against Muslims in India).

Golden Temple; Holy place of Sikhs in Amritsar

On 2^nd November, the riot hit cities were placed under curfew, but not for these Hindu extremists, rather for those unfortunate Sikhs who were trying to escape the violence. On 4^th November, when storm of revenge was over, the so called secular leaders of Congress apologized for Sikh holocaust and assured no further killings. They asked Sikhs to forget what had happened and move forward as they have to live together with the Hindus. As per Indian estimates, 20,000 Sikhs were killed in these riots and 80,000 were displaced. A judicial commission was also organized to investigate these killings. This judicial commission has created so far eleven more commissions but with no results. However, a US based NGO named “SIKHS FORJUSTICE” has filed a case against Indian Congress, now in government, in a New York court for carrying out organized massacre of Sikhs in India. US court has asked Indian Congress and its leader Kaml Nath to appear in the court.

Will this case be decided or USA will use this as bargaining tool for political concessions from India? Time will decide it. Did we avenged holocaust of 1947 by handing over of list of leaders of Khalistan Movement to India or were there some other reasons? May be this question will also remain unanswered as in case of Sikh holocaust...