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Witnesses’ accounts differ at Dr. Aafia’s trial –>DAWN
KARACHI: The trial of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui has taken a bizarre turn when a witness’s testimony came out to be different from the one given by American official Captain Schnieder, reports DawnNews.
Furthermore, an FBI agent testified that they did not find Dr. Aafia’s finger-prints on the rifle.
The US federal court in Manhattan heard Aafia Siddiqui and 5 other witnesses. Dr. Aafia told the court that she is being misrepresented by the prosecutor’s statement regarding the things she has said about America, that only negative thoughts are being portrayed.
According to DawnNews’ correspondent in New York, Masood Haider, the court heard witnesses who saw the incident including an Afghan interpreter, Ahmed Gul who became a green card holder in 2009 and was processed by the American government and now lives in New York. Abdul previously claimed that he saw Dr. Aafia shoot at the US soldiers.
There was also a cross examination of witnesses and forensic experts and FBI. On the second day of the trial, four witnesses came under cross-questioning.
In the previous hearing, Captain Schnieder told the court that Dr. Aafia shot at him while she was on her knees.
But on the second day of the trial, Ahmed Gul told the court that Dr. Aafia was standing when she fired the gun and the gun was pointing at some other official.
The Afghan interpreter also told the court that he has been granted a green card and has been settled in America by the officials who brought him to testify in the trial.
During the hearing, one FBI official told the court that they found Dr. Aafia’s fingerprints on the documents but not on the gun, Masood Haider said.
Dr Aafia’s kidnapping FIR lodged–>The News
Source: http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=26092
By Salis bin Perwaiz
KARACHI: The Gulshan-e-Iqbal police station here has registered an FIR for the kidnapping of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, along with her three minor children. The FIR was lodged against personnel of an unidentified law-enforcement agency, and a case was filed on the complaint of Dr Aafia’s sister.
Gulshan-e-Iqbal SHO Rustam Nawaz said they received a complaint from Dr Fauzia Siddiqui in which she stated that her younger sister, Dr Aafia Siddiqui, resident of House No: 140E, Block 7, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, on March 30, 2003, left the house for the Karachi airport, along with her three children, to board a flight to Rawalpindi. She, along with her three children, was kidnapped by a member of an unidentified law-enforcement agency en route to the airport.
SHO Nawaz said the complainant further alleged she had also submitted many applications to police stations concerned as well as government officials, including ministers, but to date no action had taken place nor was it clear which agency had kidnapped her younger sister. Furthermore, subsequently it came to their knowledge that Dr Aafia Siddiqui is in an American jail, facing trial.
SHO Nawaz said the application was forwarded to his seniors and after getting their approval, FIR-773/09 was lodged for the kidnapping of Dr Aafia Siddiqui along with her three minor children against unidentified persons or LEA personnel.
Why Zardari needs no enemies–>Ansar Abbasi article in The News
Source: http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=25831
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Viewpoint
By Ansar Abbasi
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari does not need adversaries as he is his own worst enemy. He shouldn’t be worried about the conspiracies, if any, of his political foes, the establishment or his perceived opponent — Geo and a few journalists associated with the Jang Group — because he himself is in a self-destructive mode.
Perhaps not many would be bothered as to what he does to himself but the big worry is about his style of governance which is marred by inaction and indifference at a time when there is a need to do a lot and seriously.
His strange and incomprehensible attitude is damaging Pakistan and threatening the whole system. To be precise and candid, if I am allowed to express my personal view, there is no greater threat to democracy and the system than the president himself. Others have the right to differ.
Getting to the Presidency or the chief executive’s office through democratic means, does not mean anything if the promises made are disregarded, election manifesto is overlooked, institutions are ruined, constitutional distortions are subtly protected to thrust and sustain a one man rule that could be described as civilian dictatorship, and parliament is ignored and cabinet is turned into a non-entity. All of this is happening under Zardariís rule.
Although the president has pointed his finger at Geo and Jang Group as his sole enemy, he conveniently ignored what the whole world says about his style of government, his growing unpopularity, mounting corruption of his regime and his men.
Read the foreign newspapers and magazines, look what is coming from Paris about the submarine deal, go through the international surveys about the record-breaking corruption to adjudge the reputation of Zardari-led political dispensation. You will find that Pakistan is hurting.
Ask the political parties, get the pulse of the military establishment, talk to the members of the civil bureaucracy and even have a heart to heart discussion with the PPP leaders including those holding public office, there is a consensus that the president is doing just contrary to what the situation demands. Pakistan is confronted with Himalaya like challenges but its president appears non-serious to face them and get them resolved. No matter what he said in his last public speech made from the Presidency, now generally termed his bunker, he knows how he is seen by all the stakeholders and how much he is trusted.
Media has always served as an easy prey for every government. What President Zardari also did on last Wednesday was no different from the past? We know the Jang Group has committed ìsinî by unearthing corruption scandals, one after the other, and by consistently highlighting tales of murder of merit, favouritism, bad governance. We are also ìresponsibleî for reminding the president and his government of promises, commitments and pledges that remained unfulfilled. President Zardari may not like it but we would continue doing so because it is our fundamental responsibility and this is what the media has been doing in the past.
We have nothing personal against anyone. We donít seek any personal favour, plots, foreign trips and lucrative positions. We neither conspire nor claim to be the kingmakers. We are just messengers and opinion makers. We may be accused of running campaigns or getting biased but all such campaigns or biases, if any, would be directed for institution building, rule of law, justice and fair play. The deserted ousted dictator General (retd) Musharraf also thought that we were biased against him. To an extent he was right that we were biased. But our bias was not against him but to achieve the goal of independence of judiciary in Pakistan. We achieved the goal for which the whole nation takes pride today.
Our criticism against the president and his regime is based on similar biases, which should not be misinterpreted in any other manner. Needless to say that we are biased against corruption, we are biased against nepotism and violation of merit, we are biased against misrule, we are biased against undemocratic postures of the democrats, we are biased against weakening of the institutions, we are biased against military rule as well as civilian dictatorship and certainly we are biased against anything that in any manner harms our homeland.
Mediaís criticism is nowhere seen as a ìconspiracyî to make or break governments. Instead, it is taken by the matured minds and civilised societies as a chance to improve governance, better service delivery, address injustices and serve the public interest.
President Zardari may not like it but he needs to change himself if he wants to secure his presidency. It may also not sound music to his ears but he also needs to change his company by getting rid of the tainted sycophants, dirtied courtiers, corrupt to the core souls and some ìknownî agents of MI6 and CIA, surrounding him. He has to act without any further delay to undo the 17th Amendment, implement the Charter of Democracy and check corruption. Otherwise, he would continue getting weaker and weaker with every passing day. But for his own follies and failings, there is no reason to blame others, particularly the media, which is the mirror, whom the politician always support and admire when out of power intoxication.
US judge rejects Aafia’s objections to her defence attorneys
That’s a real shameful way of providing so called chance to defend in front of the court. You cannot have your own lawyers, body search cannot be relaxed for a feeble ,90 lbs lady who was shot and tortured by USA security forces.
We protest on the injustice being done with Dr. Aafia by USA courts.
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US judge rejects Aafia’s objections to her
defence attorneys
by The Nation
A federal judge, setting aide Aafia Siddiqui’s objections over her legal defence team at a pre-trial session, has ruled that she would have to be represented by the lawyers who have already been approved by the US District Court.Ms. Siddiqui, the Pakistani neuroscientist is scheduled to stand trial on January 19 for the attempted murder of U.S. interrogators in Afghanistan last year, after Judge Richard Berman declared her mentally fit to face court proceedings.The neroscientist argued before Judge Berman on Tuesday that she does not need the three lawyers retained by the Pakistan government to defend her, saying she wanted to make peace and knew how to do it. She made that plea at what is called “Status Conference” which is held to clear the decks for a trial. The session involved Judge Berman, Ms. Siddiqui, her defence team and the prosecutors. The lawyers, retained by the government of Pakistan, are: Ms. Linda Moreno, Ms. Elaine Sharp and Charles Swift. They were cleared by the court on September 2. The judge briefed the conference on his discussions with Ms. Siddiqui at a 1-1/2-hour closed-door session in which her lawyers were also present. He also said Ms. Siddiqui expressed her outrage at the humiliating strip search she has to undergo before coming to the court. Reacting to her protest, the judge said he had ordered the prison authorities to find a way so that she does not have to go through the tough procedure. While the judge said it was necessary for her to be in the court, she could participate through video-conference if the body search requirement could not be relaxed.
If we need a revolution or something , we need genuine thinkers and visionaries not so called hakims or so called spiritualists .
If we need a revolution or something , we need genuine thinkers and visionaries not so called hakims or so called spiritualists who copy the ideas re-mold them into their dirty deceptive agenda and use the names and work of great genuine people like Iqbal, Jinnah etc for their bogus agenda. I am seeing lots of good people following these deceivers just in the name of nationalism, patriotism etc .
My suggestion is to use your free mind and sense of justice so that you don’t get misguided by these so called nationalists.
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Some of my friends on these views of mine against the war think that I support the terrorists for them I need to say:
Opposing the war doesn’t mean supporting the terrorists.
I consider both army and the suicide bombers or terrorists who are killing the innocent civilians as destroyers of peace and don’t find their actions as just.
The problem is when I oppose the war the “nationalists” think as if I am supporting the
terrorists in fact I am opposing the mess and pointing out to destroy the root cause.
I consider prime responsible for this mess are army and government and reason is they
brought an unwanted war on our land and people.
I oppose the killings of innocent civilians in suicide bombs and by army/air force bombings
but again I consider prime responsibility goes to the country institutions because they (means their key heads rest are just blind followers) created the mess for dollars and this mess has created terrorism.
It was army and government who breached the agreement made by Jinnah for dollars.
It was again army and government with allied forces in Afghanistan with their missile attacks and drone attacks destroyed three peace deals after 2004 .
Before this operation ISPR and Information ministry deliberately tried to mold the facts as if the agreements were broken by tribes but even former army generals like Asad Durrani rejected these claims.
Try to find out how “Neik Muhammad” got killed after the peace deal by USA missile attack and then look at the government reaction of owning it.
The terrorist activities can mainly be categorized as:
1) Revenge of the innocent killings by our forces here and Allied forces in Afghanistan.
Also our support in the form of giving supply route to NATO supplies and Drone attacks are playing it’s part as well.
2) Revenge and anger exploited by enemies of Pakistan but its our fault we are providing them the ground to play with.
3) Attacks like on Shariah academy,Peshawar and Benazir were done by players of weapon-blood-dollar game which includes enemies of Pakistan who want us to remain engaged in the war (so called allies in the so called war against terror) and their pets in our own ranks (politicians, military and civil establishment etc).
After the blast which killed Benazir Bhutto the place and all the evidence was washed within hours and a drama was created to link it with tribal situation which never got proved.
My question is who was being protected here?
4) Not to forget the ethnic and sectarian cards which Musharraf government played with their allied parties and groups to control power, they have also contributed a lot to this mess.
My questions are:
Can we support innocent killings in the name of nationalism?
Can we support injustice in the name of patriotism?
And after doing that can we expect peace?