Archive for March 10th, 2008
Some Updates Related To Black Flag Week for 10 March 2008–>Emergency and Black Flag week mailing lists and blogs
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Emergency Times Mailing List
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Events for 10th March. Please check out the upto date events at:
http://blackflagweek.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=22589890270
www.teeth.com.pk/blog
http://pakistanmartiallaw.blogspot.com/
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Karachi:
Complete BOYCOTT OF ALL THE COURTS.
Flag Hoistings:
3:00 pm >> Hotel Jabees, Saddar
Islamic Lawyers Movement (ILM)
People’s Resistance and all other friends are invited to join 5:00 pm >> Iqbal Haider’s House
D-25, Block 4, KDA 5, Clifton
Just after Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s Mazar, off 26th Street
Behind Designers.
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Lahore:
1. Black Flag will be hoisted 10:30 A.M.
2. Complete BOYCOTT OF ALL THE COURTS.
3. G.H. Meeting of L.H.C. 10:30 A.M.
4. Address of Mr. Aitzaz Ahsan (President SCBA ) 11:00 A.M.
5. Rally of LBA 11:30 A.M.6. Black Flag Rally at Liberty Roundabout – 5.00 -5.45 pm
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Islamabad:
Complete BOYCOTT OF ALL THE COURTS.
Car Rally with nearly 50 cars with black flags, taking a round of almost all of the busiest areas of Islamabad, honking all the way, starting from Suharwardy Road at Fire Brigade (4 pm), and going through Aabpara,then welcoming Ali Kurd’s arrival at the Rawalpindi International Airport at 5 15-5 30 pm and then going around Islamabad again. The rally will have a public address system to also address public at busy intersections.
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Emergency Times Mailing List
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Courtesy: http://blackflagweek.blogspot.com/ UPDATE > 900pm > rallies, clashes IslamabadClashes, tear gas at rally to greet CJ in judges enclave
1000 + people showed up. The rally was led by Imran Khan and Justice (r) Tariq.
The Rally had participation from Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf, Student Action Committee, Awami Jamhoori Itehad, Insani Haqooq Itehad and the lawyers community. Karachi15,000 people at rally at Karachi Press Club. Ends at Supreme Court Building (Karachi).
THIS IS THE LARGEST RALLY SO FAR IN THE MOVEMENT!
The rally was only possible by the untiring efforts of the People’s Resistance Group in Karachi ever since Nov 3rd.
The event had attendance from political parties, NGO’s, lawyers, traders, reform groups and the civil society.
Speeches were given by Fakhruddin Ibrahim, Rashid Rizvi and Munir Malik. LahoreRally from Neher Ghar to Justice Ramday’s House. The rally was led by Bushra Ahsan and swelled to over 1000 outside justice Ramday’s house. The police was so overwhelmed by the numbers that they did not stop the protesters from entering Justice Ramday’s house.Speeches were given by Aitzaz Ahsan and Justice Bhagwandas. The rally had participation from Concerned Citizens of Pakistan, Student Action Committee, lawyers, some political party workers and members of civil society.Aitzaz welcomes joint statement of Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari to reinstate all deposed judges within 30 days of Parliament. States that countdown will begin. Political parties will be supported from tomorrow. Focus should now be on Musharraf.
Add comment March 10, 2008
US yearns for Pak capitulation–>Shireen M Mazari Article in the News
By Shireen M Mazari
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has given them bases and logistic
support as well as intelligence sharing but what the
US is now demanding from Islamabad has shocked the
Defence and Foreign Ministries and the initial
reaction has been a rejection of what are highly
intrusive demands for the US military and auxiliary
personnel in Pakistan.
This scribe has learnt of the latest set of 11 demands
the US has put to the Government of Pakistan through
the Ministry of Defence. As one goes down the list of
the demands, they become increasingly untenable.
The first demand is for granting of a status that is
accorded to the technical and administrative staff of
the US embassy. The second demand is that these
personnel be allowed to enter and exit Pakistan on
mere National Identification (for example a driving
licence) that is without any visas.
Next, the US is demanding that Pakistan accept the
legality of all US licences, which would include arms
licences. This is followed by the demand that all
these personnel be allowed to carry arms and wear
uniforms as they wish, across the whole of Pakistan.
Then comes a demand that directly undermines our
sovereignty – that the US criminal jurisdiction be
applicable in Pakistan to US nationals. In other
words, these personnel would not be subject to
Pakistani law.
In territories of US allies like Japan, this condition
exists in areas where there are US bases and has
become a source of major resentment in Japan,
especially because there are frequent cases of US
soldiers raping Japanese women and getting away with
it. In the context of Pakistan, the demand to make the
US personnel above the Pakistani law would not be
limited to any one part of the country! So the
Pakistani citizens will become fair game for US
military personnel as well as other auxiliary staff
like military contractors.
The next demand is for exemption from all taxes,
including indirect taxes like excise duty, etc. The
seventh demand is for inspection-free import and
export of all goods and materials. So we would not
know what they are bringing in or taking out of our
country – including Gandhara art as well as sensitive
materials.
At number eight is the demand for free movement of
vehicles, vessels including aircraft, without landing
or parking fees! Then, at number nine, there is a
specific demand that selected US contractors should
also be exempted from tax payments.
At number ten there is the demand for free of cost use
of US telecommunication systems and using all
necessary radio spectrum. The final demand is the most
dangerous and is linked to the demand for
non-applicability of Pakistani law for US personnel.
Demand number eleven is for a waiver of all claims to
damage to loss or destruction of others’ property, or
death to personnel or armed forces or civilians. The
US has tried to be smart by not using the word “other”
for death but, given the context, clearly it implies
that US personnel can maim and kill Pakistanis and
destroy our infrastructure and weaponry with impunity.
Effectively, if accepted, these demands would give the
US personnel complete freedom to do as they please in
Pakistan – in fact, they would take control of events
in areas of their interest.
It is no wonder then that Pakistan’s Defence Ministry,
the Foreign Office and the Law Ministry have reacted
with complete rejection. But, as one official source
feared, “This is just the opening salvo of demands and
the US can be expected to bargain in order to seek the
most critical of these demands.”
As he put it, “Any hesitation or weakness that the US
senses on part of Pakistan will put us on a fatal
slippery slope to total submission. This would result
in increasing instability in the country.”
So, for those who feel there is bonhomie and complete
understanding between the Pakistan military and the US
military, and the trouble only exists at the political
level, it is time to do a serious rethink. The first
step in dealing rationally with our indigenous
terrorist problem holistically and credibly is to
create space between ourselves and the US. As the US
adage goes: “There is no free lunch”. For Pakistan
lunching with the US has become unacceptably costly.
When US embassy in Islamabad was approached for
reaction to this report, Elizabeth Colton, US Embassy
Spokesperson, said, “We will not dignify this attack
with a comment.”
3 comments March 10, 2008
“Terrorist Activities in Pakistan and US-War on Terror”
Pakistan’s strategic location makes it almost impossible for the country to keep itself away from the events all over the world. 9-11 2001 attacks on world trade centre towers in New York lead Pakistan to a situation in which it had to take a U-turn on its successful Afghan policy and they had to pull off their support for the pro-Pakistan Taliban government.
The legitimacy of the war is not only criticized by many in Pakistan and all over the world but the debate is also a hot topic in USA itself whether the 9-11 attacks are the job of al-Qaida or it’s an insider job .
According to former Italian president, Francesco Cossiga:”[Bin Laden supposedly confessed] to the Al-Qaida September [attack] to the two towers in New York [claiming to be] the author of the attack of the 11, while all the [intelligence services] of America and Europe … now know well that the disastrous attack has been planned and realized from the CIA American and the Mossad with the aid of the Zionist world in order to put under accusation the Arabic Countries and in order to induce the western powers to take part … in Iraq [and] Afghanistan.”
Nevertheless Pakistan government took a position of frontline state in the war and now it is facing the brunt of it and also in that war on terror Pakistan was forced to send its troop in the northern parts of its country.
Now after a brief background come to the real topic, the terrorist activities in Pakistan.
Though first suicide attack in Pakistan occurred even before 9-11 in 1995 when an Egyptian bomber smashed his explosives-laden truck into the embassy of Egypt which killed 14 people.
The recent suicide bombing row started from 2002 attacks on French engineers and scientists who were in Pakistan to work on the nuclear submarine project, the blame was put on al-Qaida and its allies in Pakistan ( as a reaction of its role in the war on terror), after that a series of suicide bombings in Pakistan started in which hundreds of people have been killed including the former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and also several high profile leaders including President Musharraf, former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, military personnel and foreigners were attacked in the similar manner.
Some points to ponder
Whenever there is a chance of peace truce being signed or even after signing the agreement between local tribesmen in Waziristan and Pakistan Army some similar pattern activities occur.
1) Us strikes in the tribal areas (like the recent one is February 28th one and just one month ago on 29th January)
2) Pakistan Government denies such attacks by foreign forces and claims whatever actions are being taken in the area are being conducted by Pakistan forces and thus taking the blame on their shoulder (and event they face the mass public pressure they just give a weak foreign office condemnation)
3) Suicide attacks in civilian and military areas of Pakistan (like the one on 2nd March on peace jirga).
4) Then peace talks break, like it has happened twice this year and even before that in 2006 and 2007(the Damadola USA strikes attack etc).
5) During that period several tribal leaders and religious scholars who were actively working for the peace negotiations were being targeted and removed from the scene.
These repetitive set of events and the relation between the events have lead to the rise of the thought which is prevailing very quickly that USA is involved in these activities because it wants to weaken the only nuclear Muslim state.
Recent statement by Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz Khan that people in Pakistan feel that India, Afghanistan and USA are involved in terrorist activities in Pakistan, may have fueled the US officials but the ground reality doesn’t deny this.
We must not forget that many Indian RAW agents have been arrested for their involvement in terrorist activities in Pakistan and also it is now well clear that BLA (Baluchistan Liberation Army ) was well supported by India and Israel (with US-backing and approval).
Also we should not neglect the statement given by Robert Gates in December 2007:
“Al-Qaida right now seems to have turned its face toward Pakistan and attacks on the Pakistani government and Pakistan people.”
We must ask ourselves, “Can we keep our eyes close from the facts? What does the history and prevailing facts tell us. It’s time to learn from the history or get ready to be a forgotten part of it.”
It is clearly evident that USA is again interfering in our political matters ( and our respectful and democratic leaders are allowing it to happen or in fact willingly want them to get involved), we as a society put pressure on our leader to act as true leaders not slaves of Imperialist and Zionist powers.
We should at least ask ourselves, for what we are fighting? And whose cause we are serving? We have put on stake our national integrity and honor, for what? We have damaged our Kashmir cause, for what? We are killing our own people, for what? We toppled our institutions (even the most important one, the judiciary), for what? We disgraced our national hero, for what?
For that so called war on terror whose legitimacy is has become a question mark not only in the whole world but in USA as well.
And our dictator still claims that his actions are in the broader national interest of Pakistan.
Can someone tell me which Pakistan?
It’s surely not the one which was founded by our ancestors.
May be Musharraf wants to make a new Pakistan, “George Ka Pakistan”.
Also read:
http://united4justice.wordpress.com/2008/07/24/the-zionist-game-plan-comment-on-a-friends-blog/
3 comments March 10, 2008
