Posted by: Redmax! on: January 23, 2011
An Aid flotilla heading towards the isolated and oppressed valley in the middle east was raided, attacked, hijacked and its passengers harassed. Among many others killed, nine belonged to Turkey alone. This deadly attack was carried out in the International Waters on 31st May, 2010 by none else but the armed forces of the only troublemaker in the region. Though the Israeli forces invited enough chiding from the international comity of nation which must have sufficed to inject an apologetic sense in the Israeli militants, yet the latter continued its stubborn stance denying the charges.
The U.N chief Mr. Ban Ki Moon was instant in addressing this issue and called for formation of an inquiry commission to probe the happening. The records have it that Israeli government showed lack of trust in U.N commission and announced to form her own commission for the probe. Turkey, the partner in military exercises and several trade agreements including sale and purchase of arms, had called home its Ambassador in Tel Aviv on the day of the deadly attack on Mavi Marmara. It further promulgated that it would also compile a report to bring the offender to the guillotine.
It was yesterday, 23rd of January,2011, when Israel made public its report of the incident acquitting herself of all the charges and justifying the attack as permissible under international law. To the much astonishment of the international analysts, Israeli premier Netanyahu, went ahead to praise the killers (read Israeli soldiers) in dubbing their act as the one performed under obligation to the National Defense and defending their own lives. The Turkish Prime Minister unequivocally rejected the report and termed it a ‘pack of lies’.
The outcome is still oblique and the future consequences unpredictable. Whether the confrontation would lead to much trouble or an arbitrator might intervene to harmonize the two sides, few things are inevitable to be borne in mind.
1. An independent inquiry commission must be formed to inquire the incident impartially. A report issued by the accused themselves lacks credibility by a 100% deficit.
2. The offender, if proven guilty, must be taken to the task as to obviate any such future incidents occurring in international waters.
3. International Laws must be promulgated vividly and regulated vigilantly in order to avoid confusion in interpretation as well as its misuse as has been continuously done by the Israel.
4. The victims must be compensated both monetarily and morally by offering them an apology.
International laws apply to every individual and state regardless of nationality, creed, caste, colour and beliefs. There’s no impunity and immunity extended towards any mischievous under the word of law. it is yet to be seen if the integrity of international law is upheld by those monitoring this conflict.
Posted by: Redmax! on: January 12, 2011
Munter`s remarks
The current US Ambassador Cameroon Munter admitted what his predecessors as well as White House officials have been equivocally concealing since long.
The news in this paper recently had best put his words in one tag i.e “We pay, so we intrude”
Unfortunately, it is the grimmest truth that our nation forbears in present times. We are being paid and that`s why we are being told what to do and what not to do.
Successive governments have condoned the illicit intrusiveness of its aiding states and organisations altogether.
It was the IMF that coerced the country administration to withdraw subsidies on electricity if the latter wanted to have the loan approved.
And it was none other than the United States that brought the country on the deck of combating terrorism which was never the primary problem of Pakistan.
Our sovereignty has been compromised very often under the cloak of national interests. One may ask how long this will continue.
How deeper will we bury our nation under the garb of destructive debts? It is time the country was put on the track of economic stability and economic independence.
In the absence of this, such remarks will only testify an old axiom which says: “The one who pays for the pipe, must call the tune.”
Posted by: Redmax! on: January 8, 2011
The Conversion of newly constructed cantonment in Dera Bugti district of Baluchistan into a military college along with a vow to induct 10000 Baloch youths into army is a step in the right direction. The construction of this cantonment was contentious since its commencement in the Musharaf’s era. It had engendered reservations in the minds of the people of this province. Although the administration of the cantonment was envisaged to be handed over to Frontier Corps under the Baluchistan Package announced an year ago, yet, it was under control of army. Yesterday’s inauguration of Military College Sui, the third such college in the country, must be viewed as an attempt to address to inveterate woes of Baloch people. This must also serve as a move to bring the erstwhile estranged people of the largest province of the country into mainstream of educational and economical development. The province was also an extra share in the landmark 7th NFC Award owing its backwardness. This incentive combined with the Aghaz-e-huqooq-e-Baluchistan formed an olive branch for the barren province. The omens are encouraging for this province as the government and its key institutions like army have come forward to heed to the demands of the people of this province. Though, this may not be the hundred percent fulfillment of their aspirations, yet it is enough to discourage to some extent the secessionist movements allegedly being conceived in the province. It is hoped that the government together with its putative wings would continue taking more concrete measures for the development of long deprived province of the country.
Posted by: Redmax! on: January 8, 2011
The American diplomat that died on 13th December, 2010, due to aortic dissection, a rare medical predicament, was man-in-charge of the Afghan dilemma. He served at various distinguished positions from Ambassador to Assistant Secretary of State. He was the only diplomat in American History to have held two position of Assistant Secretary of State for two different regions of the world viz. Asia from 1971 to 1981 and Europe from 1994 to 1996. He also remained U.S Ambassador to United Nations under erstwhile Bush administration in 2001. President Obama appointed him as U.S Special Representative for Pakistan & Afghanistan to oversee the affairs of the region.
Posted by: Redmax! on: January 3, 2011
ALAS! Not a day passes in our country when the poor are not further impoverished. The New Year Eve was no exception. It was an immensely miserable moment to read the news about hike in oil prices from seven to nine per cent on the first morning of the New Year.
While the world was busy planning how humanity may possibly be ameliorated from natural and synthetic distresses, the so-called caretakers of this country had an evil plan in mind. It reminds me of a news item published on May 1 of the bygone year that comprised the prime minister’s address on the International Labour Day.
The premier had assured the nation that those living beyond the poverty line would be taken care of. One hoped the words might translate into concrete actions and the downtrodden strata of the country might be upheaved. But the premier was perhaps excessively engrossed in arbitrating
between conflicting institutions that he forgot all the promises made to the public.
The New Year present, an inflation-packed gift wrapped under an economy bolstering cover, would push to the walls the poor and the middle class alike. The rise in already soared fuel prices is highly unjustified keeping in check international prices.
It’s irrational on the part of the economic team, currently holding offices in the cabinet, that, on the one hand, it aims at reducing the inflation in the country and, on the other hand, conforms to such economic destabilising steps that would afflict a vast majority in our country.
The authorities fail to understand this that any change in fuel prices affect almost every industry and every individual due to the utility of fuel in transportation of goods. This would make nearly all everyday use items, from groceries to garments, dearer by as much ratio as may satiate the hankering of profit-making lobby.
The inflation, if untamed, would probably reach new peaks and prevail until a panacea is discovered to provide solace to the poorly privileged
poor lot of the country.
[Also published in Dawn 4th January,2011]
Posted by: Redmax! on: December 9, 2010
THE Sindh Public Service Commission through its notification issued on Dec 7 extended the date for applying to the posts of lecturer in various subjects to Jan 8 next.
These vacancies were previously advertised by the SPSC on Feb 19.
The previous last date for applying was March 31, which was later revised to April 30.
The latest extension in the date comes after eight months and most shockingly at a time when the word was spread among applicants that the written test for these vacancies would be conducted in December.
It is the height of ignorance on the part of the SPSC that it has cloaked the fudged extension date under the cover of recent floods. One must remind the SPSC that floods surfaced nearly three months after the revised last date had ended, i.e. on July 28 onwards. Whereas the revised last date had passed on April 30.
All those aspirants for the said posts who were eligible must have applied for these jobs on the stipulated dates much before the floods ravaged the country.
One wonders what the SPSC is up to in this recent move. The applicants and others concerned over the prevalent disregard for transparent conduct see this move as politically motivated and aimed at depriving meritorious applicants of their jobs.
It is such a hapless situation that I do not find a man of authority whom I may plead through this letter to reform the SPSC to bring it to the standards of the public service commissions functioning in other provinces of the country.
The SPSC needs urgent reforms which will not come unless the government of Sindh acts more seriously to address the predicament of young people of the province.
[Also printed in Dawn today i.e 9/12/2010]
Posted by: Redmax! on: October 10, 2010
Hardly an hour ago, while I was still sitting at my study table on a chair, filling up application for a post advertised a few days ago in the newspaper, I felt my chair wavering. I sensed it was a jolt and left the chair to wake up my friend who was fast asleep in a corner. We rushed out of the house at once. To our bewilderment, street was already crowded by many of neighbours who had also felt the jolt and left their homes in fear of any further jolts that may bring the building down to earth. One of my neighbours immediately recalled the traumatic day in the course of Pakistan, 8th October, 2005, which had brought a massive quake in northern parts of the country making more than 2 million peoples homeless. The intensity of that deadly blow was recorded on the rector scale at 7.6 magnitude. However, we soon moved back into the home half-assured that the midnight calamity had turned away. Nevertheless, the fear of another jolts was existing in minds but we just couldn’t gather enough courage to give it words. It was the first ever earthquake I had felt in my life. I was shocked, terrified, jolted, taken aback and above all considering myself fortunate to have survived it. Feeling lucky, I powered on the laptop and with the lumping hands and groped to type what came in my mind. The first thing I did was to check the latest news for any damage wrought by quake in any part of the country. Second purpose was to know the intensity of the current jolt which I found to be 5.3 magnitude comparatively lesser than the one that hit the country five years ago. I felt relieved to see there was no casualty reported and gratefully planned to put this all on my blog.
Please share your feelings if you belong to the area where the jolt was felt.
Regards,
Altaf Sheikh
Posted by: Redmax! on: October 8, 2010
The cross border incursion by a NATO helicopter firing missile on a Frontier Guards check post near Pak-Afghan border had led to tension between two uneven allies in so called on war-on-terror. The ‘tragic’ incident had resulted in loss of two lives of soldiers on duty at the check post. Islamabad halted the NATO supply via Torkham Border by blocking the passage and registered a protest against NATO forces. Rasmussen, the NATO chief was reluctant in admitting the folly by his men and pronounced it as an act of self defense since they were faced with gun fires from the ground. Islamabad on the other hand held the version that gun fires were shot in a warning to pilot of the chopper that he was entering a sovereign territory. However, an inquiry team was set to probe the incident which took a day for investigating it and another for rephrasing the vocabulary of their findings. At the end, US ambassador to Pakistan, extended a formal apology on the part of white house that it regretted the incidence and sympathized with the heirs of the deceased soldiers.
It was a rare apology, most rare from a country that boasts herself of being the Super Power. The early reluctance in avowing the incident and late apology has its own significance in the diplomatic world. US offered its apology perhaps, primarily to ease tension with its most important ally in the region, of course Islamabad. Undoubtedly, the underlying cause was to imperatively get the main NATO supply route reopened which was closed down by Pakistan earlier in a protest. With Obama eyeing a honourable exit from Afghanistan and leaving the region to the responsibility of contagious states, it would have been inexcusable to infuriate the only ally capable of accelerating a desired thaw with the militants in the region.
Intrinsically, this has revised prospects for Pakistan to reconsider its options and reassess its means and ends in indulging in an unending war. Pakistan must reconsider its limitations in coping with the militants alone once the US exits. In the meantime, it is imperative for policy-makers in Islamabad to make public the policy over cross border incursion in Pakistani territory and let white house know that it cannot decide the terms of trade unilaterally and Islamabad must be fully compensated for her beyond-the-capacity loss in a war which many in the world have detached themselves from. Whatever meager assistance was granted under Kerry-Lugar bill or anyother civil-military aid, has been insufficient in handling the crisis within the country let alone commencing new projects and keep abreast the modern military equipment. An eye opener in this regard would be to get long overdue stalled loans of more than $50bn (excluding recently approved $11.6bn by IMF) written-off. Whether the government in Islamabad would be capable enough to get for her country a new debt-free life by exploiting the geo-political strategical importance it enjoys in the region, we shall know by the mid of 2012 when US forces begin to quit the region.
