Nepal: Disappearing Security in Occlusion

Nepal: Fully responsible and accountable governance and government, both are the essential conditions to a successful security system. The national security leaders as well as high ranking officials must work hard to resolve the security lapses problem properly, otherwise they should quite immediately from their public posts in ethical and moral ground.

Please see detail,

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Nepal-Disappearing-Securi-by-Krishna-Hari-Pushk-100110-734.html

Monday, January 11, 2010
Nepal: Disappearing Security in Occlusion
Nepal: Fully responsible and accountable governance and government, both are the essential conditions to a successful security system. The national security leaders as well as high ranking officials must work hard to resolve the security lapses problem properly, otherwise they should quite immediately from their public posts in ethical and moral ground.

Friday, December 25, 2009
Security Sector Reform in Nepal:With reference to UNSCR 1325
The United Nation Security Council Resolution 1325 and Security Sector Reform is significantly relevance to each other. So, the meaningful incorporation of 1325 into national security and defense mechanism of Nepal may only bring expected impact in favor of women during conflict or post conflict situation as expected by UNSCR 1325.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Nepal:National Security System is under Threat
It is urgent need for Government of Nepal to find out immediately that how did NIDN's secret reports become public besides its sophisticated secret proceedings system. Please find out who is guilty and where is the fractures in our system?

Saturday, December 12, 2009
Nepal: Polity for Peace
The article deals with the political dilemmas of ongoing peace and constitution building process of Nepal and it provides possible ways out of the topsy-turvydom. It highlights the contemporary affairs of Nepalese political culture. Specially, it prescribes the proficient ways to end all types of political impunity, undemocratic practices, and finally discuss the ways to bring out the off-track politics into peoples' platform.

Monday, November 2, 2009
Nepal's Dual Citizenship: A Suicidal Decision?
Dual Napalese Citizenship will be a big threat to democracy, sovereignty, integration and harmony as well as to society too. Such a policy could push our nation towards serious problem, if the government introduces the policy without analyzing the potential impact. Therefore, the government should have an open referendum before approving the policy.

Sunday, November 1, 2009
Asking for a Rethink on US Immigration Diplomacy
The US must introduce and practice universally approved norms of immigration diplomacy that will help to know and identify the right of people in right manner. In the name of security the US should not boost the number of enemies.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Nepal's Tumbling Peace
It is unfortunate that some vested politicians' declares that re-insurgency or re-warfare is held in search of peace, however it has proved blunder to impel for “Breach Peace for Peace”.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Nepal's Special Security Plan: Political Stunt?
Nepal is a one of the most leading domicile of many ethno-political insurgents. Since longtime, the country has lost its normalcy of law and order, good governance, civil supremacy, and democratic practices due to fast growing ratio of institutional and private criminal and their rebellion activities. Sadly, the country is terrorized and under control of ochlocracy.

Monday, August 10, 2009
Diplomacy for Visa Lust?
The radical visa strategy which is imposed by the developed world over the developing countries helps spread conflict, discrimination, exploitation, segregation, terrorism, and also swells the gaps between the poor and rich world. It denies human rights and lessens the dignity, development and sovereignty of people.

Monday, December 8, 2008
Security
(2 comments) The developed nations must help developing countries to improve and enforce a better meaning and practice of efficient and effective security systems to cope with their emerging challenges.

Monday, November 3, 2008
Nepal: Non-Madhesis Occupied Madhesi Quota: An Open Challenge to Constitution
The concerned parties and affiliated authorities should be careful and need to work immediately on this issue; otherwise it could add another tension over the Madhes conflict.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Empower Home Administration in Nepal
Nepal is suffering with lawlessness, and even our Government presence is in crisis in entire rural areas. Therefore, immediate empowerment of Home Affairs through restructure, reengineering, and betterment in legal, structural, financial, physical, personnel, academic, and development areas are most essential.

Friday, September 12, 2008
Conflict Sensitive Strategy in Nepal
Nepal Government should immediately impose a rule or directive to adopt the conflict sensitive strategy into practice in entire development or possible administrative sectors of Nepal.

Saturday, August 30, 2008
The Prejudiced Nepalese Media and Anti-Khas Madhesis
(2 comments) The nationalization and mainstreaming of Hindi in Nepal is not well received among Nepalese citizens due to neocolonial grand design of India. Madhesis will not agree to lose their mother tongue and promote or accept Hindi as a means of common language of communication in Madhes region at any cost.

Sunday, July 13, 2008
Communalism Is Superior to Nationalism
Nepal Minister of Home Affairs: Communalism is superior to, and influences insurgency more than, nationalism. The higher degree or intensive influences of communalism are dangerous to sustainable peace and security. It can adversely affect social harmony in pluralistic society. But communalism can be managed by adequately addressing economic discrimination and political exclusion, and by preserving ethnic heritages.

Thursday, December 20, 2007
Seeds of Ethno-Civil War in Terai
There are many issues of concern in contemporary Nepali politics, including the stalled peace process. A new twist is visible now with the resignation of some Madhesi lawmakers. Some say that the senior leaders of seven-party alliance must be blamed for pushing Madheshi ethno political movement one-step forward to the separation of Nepal or the formation of a new nation in the South Asian periphery.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Guerrilla's Merger into Army? : Unfortunate!
It is about Nepal concerning the Guerrilla's Merger into Army issue. It is very research based strategic article with suitable solution, so it is very significant and worthy.

Madhes, CA Election & International Community

Madhes, CA Election & International Community

Cordial Invitation to participate in an online exclusive discussion:

Dear All, we have decided to put the topic “Madhes, CA Election International Community” as major discussion topic of this week therefore; it would be great if you could write your comments, views, observation and suggestions on the issues. Please be informed that all significant writings and conversational transactions will be submitted to the concerned all governmental, parliamentary, judiciary, constitutional and political authorities and superior political personality of Nepal as well it could be possible to use your writings for media reports and research analyse too. Therefore, complete email signature in your writing would be highly appreciable.

1. Is it possible to conduct CA Election in due time without resolving the crisis of Madhes before CA election?

2. Since Madhes is suffering with various Arm and Unarmed Insurgencies, in such ground, is it possible to resolve such huge crisis charismatically within rest few days of CA election? If yes, how and what would be best ideas to resolve the issue in charismatic way?

3. What would be the best role and possible contribution of International community (including India and UNMIN) to resolve the Madhes issues and build a harmonious environment for CA election?

4. What about the legitimacy and validity of CA election if the majorities of Madhesi political powers as well as insurgents group ignore and disturb the CA election, in case government try to impose CA election without solving Madhesi issue? Does it suffer with the similar status as local election (7% vote were casted only) conducted during direct Gyanendra regime?

5. Is there any best idea, ways and approach to solve the Madhesi issues through peaceful means and conduct in CA election in due time? Please give some descriptive and empirical recommendations.

Please follow, observe, contribute or participate in our exclusive online discussion: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NepalOfficers/ or click me for direct access

Sincerely’

Krishna Hari Pushkar

Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal?

Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal?
Prakash Bom

The primary objective of declaring Nepal 'Federal Democratic Republic' as per the mandate proclaimed upon 'People's Movement II' can not just be boiled down to the abolition of the institution of the feudal Hindu monarchy. But the fundamental demand of proclamation is to initiate the process of transformations of its entire establishments. Transformations thus imply restructuring the state that can have all inclusive 'people' representations. Transformations have therefore become necessity without which people's demand for their right to self-governance cannot be fulfilled. Implementation of transformations thus is inevitable.

Make no mistake that people are going to keep quiet because the republic setup has been constitutionally guaranteed. Simply, people can stand no political power above themselves who (persons) or which (political parties) illegitimately over indulging national recourses. In republic democracy the sovereignty of the nation solely rest on people cannot just be established by declaring it in the constitution but implementing it in democratic process. Then only it is worth to mention that people are the symbol of the national unity. If not it is just a political jargon. For people to represent nation their representations must be processed in the structure that give people right to self-governance through the proportional representations.

Republic, therefore, does not mean just the absence of a hereditary based hierarchical institution of the monarchy. But republic must have people's direct impact on the formation of all branches of the government of the nation. This means democratic republic nation cannot form any branch of the government without the consensus of the people that can only be accomplished through the institutionalization of direct electoral process. Therefore, any government branch of the central (federal) or state or local government of 'Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal' cannot be formed without the direct votes of the electorates of respective constituencies. Under this republic provision all the members of both Houses of the federal democratic republic must be elected by the people. Democratic republic setup, thus, by no means can legitimate any form of nomination either arbitrary or consensus for political appointments to replace elected people's representatives.

First of all, do all political parties, their leaderships and cadres comply with these norms and principles of democratic republic? Political consensus plays a role model if it is farsighted and if it is all-inclusive, especially during a transitional political period of a nation like ours. If not, the absence of political consensus demands public awareness – movements of civil society, ethnic organizations, professionals, and so on. Ours is a feudal society where hereditarily dominated and hierarchically stratified ruling elites jump in and take over the state power illegitimately. In order to prevent such discrepancies 'Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal' must mandate the process of full electoral representations.

The question of full electoral representations in all branches of the government based on full proportional representation electoral system might be overwhelming in the beginning but in the long run it is the honest democratic establishment, which can truly transform our society. This may be literally discouraging those (hierarchically stratified ruling elites) who grab power through link of higher social stratifications, nepotism and party lobby. Therefore, the multifold conspiracy under the disguise of nationalism is inevitable to come forth from this group of people who despise federal structure and electoral process in democracy. Whatever is the consequence, the primary question is 'how in the world such a fully electoral representation system can be institutionalized in a nation that has diverse geography and diverse ethnicity?' Therefore, necessity for the federal governance structure has become predictable. The inevitability is to establish systematic federalized national union that can eliminate traditional and hierarchical feudal arbitrations in the government mechanism.

Democratic republic without federal system of governance is prone to one party or totalitarian or military dictatorship, often prompted by the false notion of nationalism. This is a historical fact that was how republican dictatorships emerged in the cold-war era of twentieth century. That's why our own autocratic monarchy lasted this far to the twenty-first century. Again, what sort of federal structure can give the people their right to self-governance as well as keep the national integrity firm are the issues that political leaderships, party-cadres, civil society leaders, leaders of the ethnic organizations, professionals, news-columnists, and Nepali think tank need honest scrutiny to find out the modality of federalism that can address our nation's diverse geography and diverse ethnicity. The truth is that Nepal cannot escape these inevitable democratic transformations without taking place in the entire nation.

Federalism so far has basically evolved with two kinds of structure - symmetric and asymmetric. In symmetric federalism all constituent states have same status and power whereas in asymmetric federalism the status and power of constituent states may vary depending up certain constituent states' geographical, ethnical and linguistic preferences. Under the asymmetric federal system even the some peculiar local constituencies can have certain preference within the states.

For example, if ethnic based federal structure (Maoist proposal) is scrutinized carefully, for instance, Magarat state that is composed of Rukum, Rolpa, Salyan, Pyuthan, Arghakhanchi, Gulmi, Baglung, Myagdi and Mustang districts Mustang district is the most peculiar of all in terms of its geographical, linguistic and cultural preferences. Such preferences of the constituencies (state or local) are established as per the geographical, cultural and linguistic necessity under the asymmetric federal structures. However, such preference of a local or a state constituency in the end is finalized by the votes of the electorates of respective constituencies even it is a constitutional decree.

In regard to Nepal the asymmetric federalism has the prospect for the structures of local constituencies. The ethnicity based states, for example, Madhesi state (under Maoists proposal) consists of all districts of Janakpur, Narayani and Lumbini that have proportional percent of other ethnic settlements from different linguistic and cultural groups. On the other hand, there can be many local constituencies in this state, which have for instance majority of Mithili or Bhojpuri cultural and linguistic group settlements. Therefore, preference becomes probable for those local constituencies, but not for the whole constituent state. As a result, these local constituencies in their school, for example, can decide to teach Mithili or Bhojpuri or Hindi besides Nepali and English language.

Therefore, no ethnic states such as Tharuwan, Newa, Magarat, Tamuwan, Tambashaling, Limbuwan or Madhesi can have state level preferences because all these states have proportional percent of other ethnic settlements. Thus these states will have to accommodate all the permanent residence of their state as bona fide citizens of the nation. If not these states will violate the civil rights and liberty under the constitution of 'Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.'

Nepal has become conglomeration of mixed ethnic settlements. This is statistical facts. Except for certain highland districts of Nepal all other districts have mixed ethnic settlements. There can be no state under the 'Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal' that has hundred percent residence of one ethnic group. However, the probability can exist for local constituencies that have over seventy percent of residence of one ethnic group of people. This change for mixed ethnic settlements has occurred all over the nation drastically in recent decades and it will continue to occur as the nation proceeds further with the democratic changes and the global economy.

Federalism primarily establishes people's right to self-governance. It means constituencies from local level to the central are governed by the elected representatives of people. There is neither the supremacy of states over the local governments nor of the central government over the states. But all have mutual existence with the competitive and cooperative network of sustainability. Federalism is system that establishes trust between citizens and their elected representations. Therefore, it is the question whether SPA leaderships trust people or not to institutionalize such a close relationships.

The necessity of federalism is to have responsible government system which representatives – legislative, executive and judiciary - are directly accountable to people of their constituencies. For example, the local government of Jumla district is formed by the elected local representatives of the constituency, if the mayor or district judge or attorney or law enforcement officer did not do the right things for the district, electorates are not going to re-elect them in next elections. Such check and balance can be established under federalism in local level. The integrity and strength of the nation under federalism rests on the structures of the local constituencies. They are foundation and infrastructure of both states and the nation as a whole.

Therefore, Nepal must define first its local constituencies based on population that is viable for running an efficient local government. A local government can consist of single constituency (particularly in highland – 'Himalayas and Trans-Himalayas') or more than one constituency (generally in lowland and cities). Nevertheless, a constituency consists of units or wards or townships that represent local government's assembly (legislative), administration (executive) and justice (court, attorney and law enforcement agency) bodies of the government. If the minimum population of a constituency is set to fifty thousands, for example, then if the population of Nepal is thirty million there will be 600 constituencies in the whole nation. Then only demarcations for the state or regional governments can be viable. It is a misconception to create state or region first without creating infrastructure of the federation.

Unlike the distorted news media reporting – "republic leading to fragmentation"; unlike partially scrutinized columnist's article published under the title "Hard facts of federalism' on the local news paper; unlike all hasty and apprehensive statements against federalism; unlike untrue accusations that federalism will disintegrate the nation; the socialist democratic evolution of Nepal cannot be set back without the 'Federal Democratic Republic' setup. It seems as if feudal elites and their pseudo scholars around the world are more afraid of federalism than the king is afraid of republic. SPA leaderships must not divert their thoughts with all these negative bombarding of irresponsible news media that publish anything that is written in grandiloquence verse of English. SPA leaderships and their cadre must have faith in federalism as the most successful form of democratic government system that can deliver the most democratic state of affairs to the people and the nation.
Source

Is Maoist Leadership Losing Control Over its Cadre?

Is Maoist Leadership Losing Control Over its Cadre?

Rajan Pokhrel

Is the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) gradually losing its control over its grass-root cadres and combatants? CPN-Maoist chairman Prachanda admitted on Friday that cadres of the pro-Maoist Young Communist League have not given up their unruly activities. "It was reported that the YCL cadres have improved their conduct, but this is not true," Prachanda said while visiting Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital at Maharajgunj to meet pro-CPN-UML student leader Deepak Gautam who is fighting for his life after being severely beaten up by YCL cadres in Kavre. ANNFSU central member Gautam was injured in the YCL attack on Monday. Talking to the media, Prachanda reiterated his hackneyed statement that he had issued strong directives to Maoist cadres not to attack any body. While he was crowing, "They will follow the directives," YCL cadres were merrily beating up traders in Baitadi district the same evening. At least a dozen traders were injured by YCL cadres in Khodpe Bazaar of Baitadi. YCL went on a rampage after traders took to the streets protesting against its highhandedness. In Sankhuwasabha, a group of Maoist cadres led by a district committee member severely beat up police inspector Amrit Thapa on Saturday. "They charged me with snatching their posters," Thapa said adding that he never did so. On Tuesday, three pro-Nepali Congress students were injured in an attack by the YCL in Ramechhap district. Two months ago, Maoist cadres thrashed a Swiss tourist Steve in Kaski in October for allegedly refusing to pay "tourist fee". Steve said: "I had read in the newspapers that Maoist chairman Prachanda had said that his party's policy forbade extortion" adding the Maoist cadres started hitting him with bamboo sticks on his head when he said he could not pay the fee. According to news reports the Maoists are still collecting donation from tourists in the area after setting up checkpoints at different places. Maoist cadres abducted journalist Birendra Shah from Dhodiya Pipra bazaar of Umzam VDC of Bara district on October 5 and killed him the same day. His body was recovered on November 7. After a huge international and national outcry, the Maoists in a press conference in Kathmandu admitted that party cadres Kundan Foujdar and Ram Ekwal Sahani shot Shah after abducting him. The Maoist brass itself expressed commitment to bring the culprits to book within a month but the murderers are still at large. Maoist cadres abducted Kanchanpur-based journalist Prakash Thakuri from Bhansi Bazaar of Mahendranagar on July 7. His whereabouts is still unknown. Probe panels have already tabled their reports to the government saying Thakuri was abducted and is feared killed e by YCL cadres. The Maoist leadership has kept mum till date about the incident. Another horrific incident was the abduction of a doctor and officials of the Biratnagar-based Nobel Medical College. Young Communist League (YCL) cadres kidnapped Dr Gyanendra Giri from Kathmandu and the officials and they were severely beaten up. Each time, the Maoist leadership refutes allegations, then admits these and vows not to let such acts be repeated. The series of atrocities continued, with a group of Maoist cadres looting weapons from the Fikuri police post in Nuwakot district in the first week of August and revolting against their party to form their own Janbadi Yuva Samuh. Rajkumar Regmi 'Sandesh' said that they revolted against the party to protest unequal treatment by the leadership. CPN-UML cadres were attacked in Ramechhap last week while scores of other unruly activities by Maoist cadres were reported in 2007. In 2007, newspapers publication houses and businesses were targeted by Maoist cadres though its leadership kept parroting that it has no policy of attacking media houses. A few months ago, 10 Maoist Peoples' Liberation Army (PLA) men left the Sindhuli camp and joined the Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha (Jwala Singh) in Siraha district. The incident raises the question what step will the 12,000 combatants who have been disqualified from the PLA take in future. Will they turn into to political cadres easily? Pro-Maoist Tharu leader Roshan Tharu quit the party and formed a front of Maoist dissidents. Some district cadres revolted against the Maoist leadership in Sindhuli. YCL chief Sagar has threatened to revolt if the party top brass ties up with "nationalist" royalists. There are cogent reasons behind these incidents: unequal treatment, immature schooling in political ideology, reluctance to give up arms and other rude habits, emergence of new armed groups, impunity, lack of security bodies' effectiveness and transitional phase, among others. Most of the businessmen, common people, teachers, students and farmers among others who were contact for their opinion asked to remain anonymous due to fear of revenge, but the majority of them averred that the Maoist leadership was losing control of its cadres. A senior police officer said it was difficult to book guilty Maoist cadres. "If we arrest any accused Maoist cadre, hundreds of his comrades gherao our office demanding his unconditional release," he said. Speaking at a programme in the capital on Saturday, CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal said the Maoist cadres have not given up their 'looter attitude'. Nepal commented that the grass-root level cadres of Maoists were out of the leadership's control. Continuing unruly activities by the Maoist cadres were harmful for both the peace process and the constituent assembly elections, he added. (Source)

Democracy and Terrorism

COMMENT: Democracy and terrorism —Rafia Zakaria

Pakistan in 2008 is a nation maimed; its institutions destroyed, its leaders assassinated and its people dejected and ruled by fear. To restore the nation to a whole that can enable democratic governance the cruel and unthinking enemy that has unleashed its wrath must first be tamed

The year 2007 has come to a bloody and traumatic close in Pakistan. Its last days saw the incredible cost borne by those who chose to fight for democracy even amid dark fears and chilling threats. While Benazir Bhutto may have sacrificed her life in the valiant quest for democracy, the question Pakistanis must confront in 2008 is whether our country can truly bear the burden of a democratic system of governance?

In questioning this possibility, I am not asserting that democracy is not a valuable goal or that Pakistanis are in some way ill-suited or unworthy of a government that recognises and reflects the popular will. Far from it. Democracy is undoubtedly a venerable system of governance which could well flourish in Pakistan, if it is not routinely overturned by the military. My concern is based on the circumstantial challenges faced by Pakistan today. Consider.

In the year 2007, nearly a thousand Pakistanis died in suicide bombings. Several hundreds more were injured. Scores of shops were burned by religious extremists and young women and girls leaving their homes were increasingly subjected to acts of religious vigilantism.

In July of this year, two itinerant religious leaders held hundreds of students and a traumatised nation hostage to their particular breed of religious obscurantism while military forces laid siege to their mosque complex in the country’s capital. As I write this, military forces continue their operations in the Waziristan agency of the North West Frontier Province and the Taliban have given them two days to leave their territory. As any Pakistani knows, terror justified in the name of religion has imposed a deep and exacting cost on Pakistanis regardless of their ethnicity or economic status. .

In his book “How Democracies Lose Small Wars?” Gil Merom unravels the logic of democratic governance during wartime. Merom’s thesis is a simple one: strong democracies, where power is divided into sub-branches of government and governance is carried out through consensus and compromise, are often unable to make quick decisions required to win small wars. In other words, the basics of democratic governance such as debate over legislation, the requirement of several branches of government to supervise military spending as well as other safeguards built into the system to prevent unilateral decisions all become obstacles when it comes to quick and effective decision-making during wartime.

Merom’s intent is avowedly not to advocate recourse to military dictatorship in times of war, but rather to emphasise the weaknesses of a democratic system of governance when it is required to achieve limited objectives such as victory against terrorist groups.

Appraising the realities of Pakistan, and the grim conclusions of Merom’s thesis with regard to the capacities of democracy places a unique burden on Pakistanis fighting for democracy.

First, it forces us to consider whether democracy in its quest for consensus can truly be sustained in an environment devoid not simply of institutions that would nurture it, but also beset with an enemy which cannot be defeated roundly during the quest for democratic consensus.

Second, democratic politics with its attendant contestation, opposition and unavoidable chaos cannot be carried out in an environment where participating in any form of public political activity amounts to risking one’s life.

Finally, when the life of one of the most prominent political leaders in the country is unceremoniously extinguished in a blatant act of violence by an unabashed perpetrator, little hope exists for a meaningful expansion of political space that would truly result in representatives of the people being afforded the chance of governing the country.

Given this set of circumstances, and without falling prey to the normative prescriptions such as an independent judiciary, a venerated Constitution etc that we all agree “should” exist but are not in reality found in Pakistan, the time has come to reconsider the ubiquitous quest for democracy as the perfect solution to all our problems. Such an assessment, while it should not in turn justify dictatorship or provide a case for the imposition of martial law, would allow for the achievement of several other immediate goals.

First, it would allow a necessary and smooth transition of power from the current beleaguered executive to a national consensus government that while not democratically elected could achieve the crucial task of developing a strategy that could secure the environment of the country. This suggestion, also proffered in the latest report issued by the International Crisis Group on the current situation in Pakistan would prevent further deterioration of the political situation in Pakistan and allow resources and energies to be focused on dealing with the security threats emerging from military operations being carried out in NWFP and the tribal areas.

Second, it would permit the development of political space in Pakistan such that when elections are held following a stabilisation of the situation, the consequent contenders are not handpicked or “permitted” by executive order but rather truly representative of the population.

Finally, it would deflect national attention from its singular focus on elections and the pro-democracy movement to acknowledging and taking seriously the threat posed to the Pakistani federation by terrorism.

Pakistan in 2008 is a nation maimed; its institutions destroyed, its leaders assassinated and its people dejected and ruled by fear. To restore the nation to a whole that can enable democratic governance the cruel and unthinking enemy that has unleashed its wrath must first be tamed.

The quest for democracy thus must not be a blind and unthinking mantra that does not recognise the imperatives posed by the threat of terror or the necessity of defeating an enemy that has wreaked such havoc on our nation.

Rafia Zakaria is an attorney living in the United States where she teaches courses on Constitutional Law and Political Philosophy. She can be contacted at rafia.zakaria@gmail.com

Source

Rethink the concept of morality

COMMENTARY

Bowden: Rethink the concept of morality

Mark Bowden, SPECIAL TO THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

Few subjects I have written about provoked such an outpouring of response as a recent column on the waterboarding of al Qaeda leader Abu Zubaydah.

In a nutshell, I argued that torture in all its forms should be banned, but that in some instances, as with the waterboarding of Zubaydah, it is defensible. The trial and punishment of those who break the law is always subject to the discretion of prosecutors, juries and judges. In rare cases in which a coercive method is employed to prevent a greater wrong, the interrogators involved should not be prosecuted.

Torture isn't always wrong

Many found this outrageous. Most of the responses were polite and thoughtful, and some actually agreed with me. The biggest confusion stemmed from my failure to state my argument clearly; many were outraged by my presumed willingness to "allow" torture. So I will try to approach the same point in a different way.

When researching the topic in 2003 in Tel Aviv, I met Jessica Montell. She led a human-rights organization called B'Tselem, which had successfully sued the Israeli Defense Forces to ban all forms of coercive interrogation.

Here is how Montell framed the point:

"If I as an interrogator feel that the person in front of me has information that can prevent a catastrophe from happening, I imagine I would do what I would have to do in order to prevent that catastrophe from happening. The state's obligation is then to put me on trial for breaking the law. Then I can come and say: 'These are the facts that I had at my disposal. This is what I believed at the time. This is what I thought it was necessary to do.' I can evoke the defense of necessity, and then the court decides whether or not it's reasonable that I broke the law. ... But it has to be that I broke the law. It can't be that there's some prior license for me to abuse people."

I suspect Montell would prefer to see the interrogators of Zubaydah prosecuted, at which point they could raise the defense of necessity. I argued that if official accounts of Zubaydah's history of mass murder, and of his handling during questioning, are true (and various investigations are under way), then his interrogators should not even be charged.

Another school of thought took me to task for placing such a risky burden on interrogators. One former military interrogator wrote that the ban I proposed "would put brave men and women who are charged with protecting us in the untenable situation of breaking the law for doing what's right and necessary."

But placing interrogators in such legal jeopardy is the only way to prevent large-scale abuses. In a perfect world, one where military interrogators were all scrupulously responsible and bright, you could prescribe certain rules governing the use of coercive methods and could feel confident that they would be employed only where appropriate, and only to the extent necessary. We don't live in that world. There are many people with responsibility who will seize upon any opportunity to abuse it. I believe something like this has happened with the Bush administration's effort to authorize "aggressive methods." It had the same effect such efforts always have had: It unleashed the sadists at Abu Ghraib and elsewhere.

Armies are not perfect engines. Certain rules, no matter how well-considered and intended, are impossible to enforce. In an army where hundreds, if not thousands, of men and women will be interrogating prisoners, there will be those who will abuse their power. Human nature being what it is, there is a natural tendency for abuses to occur when one man has complete authority over another, and when men are at war, dealing with prisoners they dislike or even hate, whose languages and customs are foreign, the abuses will be widespread and severe.

The only practical way to curb abuses in prisons is to for guards and interrogators to have strict, clear, rigorously enforced limits. That's why any interrogator who employs coercive methods ought to be mindful that his actions are crossing a serious line, and that he had better have compelling reasons for doing so.

One of the best arguments against mine did not fault either my reasoning or my blackened soul. It questioned the wisdom of allowing exceptions, even defensible ones, because of the impact on America's moral stature.

There is no question that something important is lost when we as a nation accede to tactics considered reprehensible. One correspondent asked: "What is the harm done to the citizens of the country whose agents have a policy that allows torture?," and argued that we ought to accept impending tragedy in the name of honoring a high-minded policy.

I raised the example of a German police chief who threatened a captured kidnapper with torture because he refused to reveal where he had buried alive his 12-year-old victim. The kidnapper promptly gave the location. The German police chief lost his job for making the threat.

It may well have been more noble on some level for him not to have made the threat, but I prefer a less rigid concept of morality. I would not have fired the police chief, or prosecuted him. I agree with his actions, even though torture is repulsive. The boy's life matters more than my rectitude or peace of mind.

Bowden is the author of 'Black Hawk Down' and 'Guests of the Ayatollah: The First Battle in America's War with Militant Islam.'

Source: statesman

The Extremists Are Undermining Democracy

By Kamla Sarup
Terrorism is not over. Extremism is not over. The extremists, and terrorists are forging a front to eliminate democracy. One cannot ignore reality. Worry is not a solution. Things cannot go back to what it was. Need innovative thinking to match the new and emerging reality.

"Should be" is not the solution. Focusing on "what can or could be" would be more realistic. The real controversial issue is the retention or ending of violence and extremism. The question of the role of the people is valid only if a decision to retain the violence-free, extremist-free or leftist-free society is made. A sustainable system has to be that which evolves from practice not prescribed in terms of ideology. Here again, the term "should be" should be replaced by "can be".

A culture of impunity exists. we need to give equal attention to such violations and not based on which side or which persons have committed such crimes. All violations and violators need to be brought to justice.

So naturally, the role of the extremists, terrorists, are always decisive. Renouncement of arms is not a terrorist's, or leftist's agenda. They will participate overtly in the capacity of being able to implement their will fully. Like for example they are already participating unofficially in various countries. The difficulty lies in the fact that the total number of arms are not known. Extremists do not have armory. Their weapons are kept in the houses / huts of their supporters, in the caves in the mountains spread out throughout the country and in dug-outs.

The freedom to be rich and the assurance of the safety of one's wealth and property must be guaranteed, to motivate and encourage people towards economic activities, as a precondition.

Fragmented land sizes, ( see data on land size, it has been the major problem) which are not economically viable, need consolidation, by policy to allow the freedom to accumulate and own wealth and land, without policies to restrict the scope of such activities.

Population pressure on Land has to be reduced, by family planning and by encouraging job creation in industrial and service sectors, by tax reductions, removal of restrictive licensing polity of the government, and limitations or control on domestic and foreign trade of the government (local as well as central).

There is a need for checks and balances to be ensured in the system. With specific rights and duties explicitly stated, based on previous experience. It must be based on the needs of the country based on the will of the people.

If the system is bad nobody will be able to take action to provide law and order in the terrorist controlled areas or any where extremists, leftists or Maoists may be involved. If the government is bad a different group will emerge. But the point is things are happening, and there is no force to streamline or guide the unpredictable changes. Looks like things are just falling apart in some African countries and in Nepal. Law and order is getting worse. And, with one type of violence or another, by one group or another, in one place or another, for one cause or another, the nation is being strangled economically. Worse days are coming to the people.

Journalist and Story Writer Kamala Sarup associates and writes for www.mediaforfreedom.com/. She is a regular contributor to United Press International - Asia News. She is specializes in in-depth reporting and writing on peace, anti-war, women, terrorism, democracy, and development. Some of her publications are: Women's Empowerment in South Asia, Nepal (booklets); Prevention of Trafficking in Women Through Media, (book); Efforts to Prevent Trafficking in for Media Activism (media research). She has also written two collections of stories.
Source:theconservativevoice.com

DANCING WITH THE FOX

BY: Prem Raj

PRELUDE

Dancing with the Fox & playing on its tune would mean the Fox to turn her in to Lion that has been the policy of India to rule the Asia, as well to govern her own subjects. But this can only be possible when there is supremacy of Jungle's laws prevailing all over. For the Fox it is quite vibrant to change the circumstances by uprooting the values, destroying the systems and injecting own theories to dole out the faith and constitutional norms. Not to let others live in peace, keeps her in a self illusion and gives her an impression of an inflated ruler of a super power.

CLASSICAL DANCING

NEPAL

India fully understands the next world war if erupts this will be basing on capturing the water resources of any country. This may not happen even but yet the same concept has been materialized by the Fox arresting the water sources of Nepal, Pakistan, Bangla Desh & Bhutan to turn their land arid & create energy crisis. This in Nepal is being done on behest of the multi party rule which has already foregone its rights in favour of the Fox to rule its silver wealth (handing over of remaining rivers to India) and it is being done solely on the basis of petty gains of sticking on to the government chairs, that too at the cost of national interests. It has also been learnt through reliable sources that the eight party government is all set to gift the Arun-3, Upper Karnali & Tamakoshi hydropower projects to India, how enslaved the leadership of Nepal is which is always ready to sell its motherland.

The people of Nepal are seriously facing the crisis of petro-products due to the non payment of billion of rupees to IOC (Indian Oil Corporation) which has cut down the supply of products to Nepal. India compels Nepal to purchase the products only from her so the government of Nepal acting like a slaved nation bow before her acceding to its dictates thus not even allowing its private sector to import the petro-products from any other country on a much cheaper rates to break the hegemony of India. The leadership of Nepal is fully involved in the kick-backs & is now bent upon inviting the private sector of India to provide petro-products to Nepal. The very precious assets of Nepal are being hijacked by India like the Bansbari Leather Shoe Factory is under the feet of Indian ownership & the tragic part is the story of a Royal Nepal Air Corporation which is withering due to the cold weapon (commission accrued) used by the governmental instruments of Nepal.

It is very strange with all the miseries having faced by Nepal lashed out by the Fox is still harbouring the Indians to accord them the rights of citizenship. Tomorrow these Indians will mount on the back of Nepal to act like a parasite thus eating the total economy of the country.

Madhav Kumar & Ram Chandra Poudel's daughters are becoming doctors by the kind courtesy of Lainchour Durbar without spending a penny of their own. Many political leaders are running behind the Indian Diplomats for want of the bone to be thrown by them. The RAW has gone so deep in to the secret files of Nepalese ministries like Home, Defence, Water Resources, Commerce,

Communication & the Foreign Affairs, which have been presented in a plate by the respective heads of the ministries, how pitiable it is & how tragic it is! These Nepalese officials are receiving additional pay from the Lainchour Durbar and lead an aristocratic life style. This also applies to the journalists in Nepal who work for the Fox to get money in reward.

In 1989, the Indians came up with the idea of bringing Nepal in to the security umbrella which was strongly opposed by the King Birendra. But now the mess has been created in the name of democracy to safeguard the interests of India. Now the Indian embassy has provided 3 million rupees in aid of forming a Madhesh Brigade being launched in Terai by the Rajendra Mahoto group of Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) as logistics support. More over India is preparing to take and organize training of 200 fighters that too on its own soil.

In any direction the fox likes Nepal to dance that has to go on and on until meeting death or there is still time to pave its own path to liberate from the shackles & touch the morning star to illuminate the lost beauty of Nepal.

SRI LANKA

Why are you making the water dirty, inquired the wolf, Well am at down stream how can I make it dirty, replied the little lamb, Oh, your father might have made it so last year, hence I have to eat you up, roared the wolf angrily.

This has all along been the philosophy of the Fox to grind the axe. To reach up to Sri Lanka has been its dream thus came with the idea to build a bridge across the Indian Ocean exactly at a place where Lord Ram had built it from the eastern coast of India to Sri Lanka. Thanks to the religious clerics of India which filed the petition in the august Supreme Court while challenging the project on the ground of faith, stating the pursuing of the project by the government would mean destroying a historical bridge that was built by the monkeys' army of Lord Ram. Otherwise it would have been difficult for any one to stop the Fox from building a bridge from the eastern coast of India up to Sri Lanka. Thus in the garb of friendship it would have captured the trade routes while dominating the waters of Sri Lanka & construction of bridge would have meant an intrusion on Sri Lanka.

This is a well known fact that the mother of LTTE is no one else except India who is always ready to give a moral & material support to this rebellious group while at the same time acclaims its sincerity for Sri Lanka. But this was dawned on Sri Lanka that LTTE could launch a successful air raid while covering a distance of 600 Km without being detected by the Indian version radars installed all along the route in Sri Lanka. Instead of being ashamed of its act of cheating the Fox started dictating a sovereign state of Sri Lanka that she can not buy the weapons from Pakistan or China except India. This bossing attitude is a self illusion having intoxicated in the realm of being super power demonstrated by the Fox, which has no force when an independent sovereign state stands on its feet to defend its integrity.

Dancing with the Fox on its tune is nothing but getting entangled in the ropes soaked in cheating, baffling & hoaxing.

PAKISTAN

Muslims have always been the victim of traitors like Jafar of Deccan, Sadiq of Bengal & most recent name which stands out prominently is Ayesha Siddiqa an author of the book 'Military Inc' who performs Kathak Dance on the tunes of Fox against Pakistan. When the whole country was in a state of gloom and despair on 16th of December she went on writing against the Army to commemorate the fall of Dacca. She passes the compliments to herself, while writing in the same article, "the bulk of the military and its intelligence agencies are geared towards the external threat and perceive India as the most important, in fact the only, enemy. Anyone not favoured by the military is still touted as an Indian agent". There is no doubt about it being an agent of India, Ayesha's writings speak for itself that she has nothing to write but to strike on the back bone of her country. She writes more in the same article, "for the army, every thing that is wrong with Pakistan today is due to India. The conflicts in Swat, Waziristan and Balochistan are attributed to India's intelligence agency, RAW, which is said to be funding and supporting the militants. What is also necessary to understand is if India were supporting all insurgents the Pakistan military would have bled more than it has……….!" And on 28th Dec in the DAWN news paper once again she comments instead of appreciating upon the statement of Pakistan Army Chief who is quite optimistic of the view of calling the year of 2008 as the year of the Pakistani soldier so to be looked after and confidant of awarding more facilities. But this remains indigestible to Ayesha as she can not see the soldiers of Pakistan army prospering or hailing in their life time.

This is also a fact that India after bluffing America has inducted herself in to Afghanistan and rolling on the path of subversive activities. Abdullah Mahsud a Pakistani Taliban fighter kept confined for 5 years in Guantanamo Bay, and then handed over to Afghan government, only returned home to kidnap Chinese with the sole purpose of creating a dent in the strong relationships enjoyed by the two friendly countries. Saboteurs are continuously being trained by the RAW & CIA in Afghanistan to destabilize Pakistan.

As writes Mr.Ahmed Qureshi, in his recent article, "The Plan To Topple Pakistan Military" (Nov 29, 2007), "that book named 'Military Inc' authored by Ayesha Siddiqa was launched with a perfect timings when grounds against the Pakistan Army were softened being gunned down by some of the Pakistani & foreign media to exploit the situation in Pakistan. The book portrays the Pakistani military as an institution that is eating up whatever little resources Pakistan has. Pakistan military's successful financial management, creating alternate financial sources to spend on a vast military machine and build a conventional and nuclear near-match with a neighbouring adversary five times larger - an impressive record for any nation by any standard - was distorted in the book."

In the same article it has been dawned that the author Ayesha developed friendship with the lady Indian diplomat, made frequent visits to India & also stayed in London at a place owned by an individual linked to the Indian diplomat, while leaving her car in the house of the diplomat located in Islamabad. The point here is this: Who assigned her to investigate the Pakistani Armed Forces and present a distorted image of a proud Pakistani nation?"

It is the joint venture of CIA & the RAW, who provided funding for the book and brought her on to the status of writing with an authority on the subject of blackmailing the Pakistan Army every week on the sacred day of Friday for Muslims in the DAWN news paper.
The most disturbing point in the same article is, as he writes, "Another worrying thing is how American officials are publicly signaling to the Pakistanis that Mrs. Benazir Bhutto has their backing as the next leader of the country. Such signals from Washington are not only a kiss of death for any public leader in Pakistan, but Americans also know that their actions are inviting potential assassins to target Mrs. Bhutto." And that's how Mrs. Bhutto was trapped & laid to rest in peace.
The traitors of Asia who are always ready to sell their mother land for their petty gains must remember that the Oxygen of a country will still remain a debt on you even if the country has given you nothing but few ounce of dust in your fist to bury your luck lines.

FOX'S INTERIOR

Fox has a chicken pox face due to its malice running in its blood, this not only speaks of its inner self but has been proved from its acts as well. It is terribly involved in the ethnic, sectarian, linguistic and moreover in the caste ism. The higher class dominating the lower and the rich grumbling on poor is the mass tragedy. Dalits are being treated like dogs and so are they killed in the same manner to be cut in to pieces by all the villagers. Raping a Dalit girl is considered to be an act of valour & virtue. Rather any one belonging to a minority class has to face the dilemma of class discrimination. Such like heinous offences have become a routine in the Hindu dominated society. The story of a young hood days when the Fox praises the voice of a crow to sing a song that held a loaf of bread in its beak, thus loosing the same in favour of the Fox is a constant character of a Fox, which has always tried to snatch the bread from the poor of her country as well as from its neighbours, sometimes by praising & at times by giving threats.

Double standards & inequalities by the Indian Government are the standard norms of India. Atrocities on dalits are on rise. In Khairlanji of Maharashatra a dalit family was paraded naked. In M.P., heads of dalit women were shaven, paraded naked in Kanpur & made to sit on donkeys. The tragic part of the story is the oppressors represent the higher class of Hindu society & are occupying the vantage positions of government, public service & are said to be the big shots.

In the year 2005, there were a total of 967 cases of atrocities against Dalits in Gujarat alone where many were murdered, raped, burnt and seriously injured. In many of these cases FIRs against the criminals, were not registered by the police.

And the fact is that after every four hours, one Indian woman ends her life over dowry. India on record had 218,000 people who committed suicide since 2005 & more than 15 million rural household are landless.

Echoing an ordinary dream of 58 million poor people of India, who are ruled by 15 million corrupt, impotent, and mentally sick feudal, Brahmins & caste maniacs is a sole interior of the Fox. Dalits dancing with the death angel is a favourite prey of the Brahmins.

Few lines from the poem written by Varavara Rao (b. 1940) on "The Caste Ism in India" are unique in its form which describes how the Fox compels Dalits to dance in their lives.

You are born rich
Your agitation sounds creative
Our agony looks violent

You are meritorious
You can break the glass of buses
In a shape
As symmetric as sun's rays

The beautiful roads
Are all yours

We are bare footed
Sweat stinking road rollers
What if we built the roads?
The merit of plan is yours
The credit of contract is yours

We sweep, we clean, our hands are broom
Our sweat is water
Our blood phenyl
Our bones are washing powder

Is menial labor
What merit it has?
What skill?

We are the desolate mothers
Who can give no milk
To the child who bites with hunger

Our births & deaths
Except for census statistics,
What use they have
For the national progress?

But
You are lucky
You are meritorious

EPILOGUE PRANCE

To quote some of the lines of Allama Iqbal, a great philosopher & a poet of the East:

Cut your path with an axe of
Your own,

It is sin to tread the beaten path
Of others,

If you achieve something original
And unique,

Even a sin becomes a virtue

Email: premlaliguras@hotmail.com

Source

Al-Qaeda says it killed Benazir Bhutto

z

Al-Qaeda says it killed Benazir Bhutto

by RNW security and defence specialist Hans de Vreij*

28-12-2007

Terrorist organisation al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the murder of Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto. In a telephone interview with journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad, al-Qaeda commander Mustafa Abu al-Yazid said that Ms Bhutto was killed because she supported the war against al-Qaeda.

Mustafa Abu al-Yazid seen here earlier this year on al-Jazeera TV

"This is our first major victory against those who have been siding with infidels in the fight against al-Qaeda and declared a war against mujahedin."Brigadier-General Javed Cheema, spokesperson for Pakistan's interior ministry, accused al-Qaeda of being behind Ms Bhutto's murder on Friday. The Brigadier-General told French news agency AFP that the popular politician was on al-Qaeda's hit list.

Attack to-order
According to al-Yazid, who proclaimed himself commander of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan last May, al-Qaeda ordered Lashkari I Jhangvi, a Pakistani Sunni terrorist group active since the 1990s, to carry out the attack.

The Lashkari I Jhangvi organisation has carried out a number of attacks, including the one in 1999 against then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the 2002 kidnapping and murder of US journalist Daniel Pearl.

Lashkari I Jhangvi was banned in 2001 by President Pervez Musharraf and the US put the group on the list of foreign terrorist organisations in 2002.

Earlier this year, activists from the organisation were involved in the occupation of the Red Mosque in Islamabad। Lashkari I Jhangvi members follow a strict interpretation of the Koran and are ideologically close to the Taliban. Many members of the group also fought in Afghanistan.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Al-Qaeda claims responsibility of Bhutto's assassination

(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-12-28 15:29

A spokesperson of Al-Qaeda has Thursday claimed responsibility for the killing of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto, Italian independent news agency Adnkronos International (AKI) said.

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto waves to her supporters at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Dec. 27, 2007. Bhutto died Thursday as Party security adviser says she was shot in the neck and chest as she got into her vehicle, then gunman blew himself up. At least 20 others were also killed in a blast that took place as Bhutto left the rally. [Xinhua]

"We terminated the most precious American asset which vowed to defeat the mujahadeen," Al-Qaeda's commander and main spokesperson Mustafa Abu Al-Yazid told AKI in a phone call from an unknown location.

Al-Yazid, who is the main Al-Qaeda commander in Afghanistan, said that the decision to kill Bhutto, who is the leader of the opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP), was made by al-Qaeda number two Ayman Al-Dhawahiri in October this year, according to AKI.

Bhutto had just addressed a pre-election rally on Thursday in the garrison town of Rawalpindi when a suicide bomber blew himself up.

At least 15 other people were killed in the attack and several others were injured.

Al Qaeda already took responsibility for the first unsuccessful attempt on Bhutto's life back in October.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN -- Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, a Pakistani Interior Ministry spokesman said Friday.

An Italian news agency says al Qaeda's Ayman al-Zawahiri began planning the Pakistan killing in October.

1 of 3

more photos »

more photos »

A report by the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan quoted ministry spokesman Brig. Javed Iqbal Cheema as saying, "Al Qaeda in a statement has accepted the responsibility of her assassination, as in the past she had been receiving life threats from this terrorist group."

CNN could not independently confirm that al Qaeda has claimed responsibility.

On Thursday, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security issued a bulletin citing an alleged claim of responsibility by the terror network for Bhutto's death, a DHS official said.

But FBI and other law enforcement officials said that the claim is unsubstantiated and that federal officials are not making any comments about its validity.

No one has accepted responsibility for the Pakistani opposition leader's death on radical Islamist Web sites that regularly post such messages from al Qaeda and other militant groups.

Bhutto, 54, was killed Thursday in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, by flying shrapnel stemming from a suicide bombing, the Pakistani government said. See photos from rally and aftermath »

Italian news agency Adnkronos International apparently was the source of the al Qaeda claim, saying the terror network's Afghan commander and spokesman Mustafa Abu Al-Yazid had telephoned the agency with it.

Don't Miss

• In Depth: Bhutto assassination
• I-Report: Send tributes, videos, pictures
• Death is a blow to stabilization efforts
• World reacts to Bhutto's death

"We terminated the most precious American asset which vowed to defeat [the] mujahedeen," the Italian news agency quoted Al-Yazid as saying.

The agency said that al Qaeda's No. 2 official, Ayman al-Zawahiri, set the wheels in motion for Bhutto's assassination in October.

One Islamist Web site repeated the assertion, but experts in the field don't consider the site to be a reliable source for Islamist messages.

The DHS official said the claim was "an unconfirmed open source claim of responsibility" and the bulletin was sent out at about 6 p.m. Thursday to state and local law enforcement agencies. Watch as an analyst says the killing gives al Qaeda "running room" »

The official characterized the bulletin as "information sharing."

FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said the validity of such a claim is "undetermined." Kolko said the FBI and the intelligence community is reviewing it "for any intelligence value."

Ross Feinstein, spokesman for Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell, said the U.S. intelligence community is monitoring the situation and trying to figure out who is responsible for the assassination.

"We are not in a position to confirm who may be responsible," Feinstein said.

Bhutto had been critical of what she believed was a lack of effort by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's government to protect her.

About a week after an October 18 car-bomb attack on her motorcade in Karachi, Pakistan, Bhutto sent an an e-mail to Mark Siegel, her U.S. spokesman, lobbyist and longtime friend.

Siegel forwarded the message to CNN's Wolf Blitzer with instructions not to report on it unless Bhutto was killed.

In the e-mail, Bhutto said Musharraf should bear some of the blame if anything were to happen to her. View timeline »

"I have been made to feel insecure by his minions and there is no way what is happening in terms of stopping me from taking private cars or using tinted windows or giving jammers or four police mobiles to cover all sides cld happen without him," she said in the e-mail।

Musharraf, after an emergency meeting of his top officials Thursday, told his nation the attack was "the work of those very same people with whom we are waging a war. Pakistan's biggest threat comes from these terrorists."

"We will not sit in peace until we finish off these insurgents and terrorists, until we get rid of them from their very roots because in this is Pakistan's success and health," he said। "Otherwise, this is the biggest obstacle in our quest for peace

बेनजीर के बिना पाक का भविष्य

डा. वेदप्रताप वैदिक

Friday, December 28, 2007 00:31 [IST]

दृष्टिकोण. बेनजीर भुट्टो की हत्या से मुझे गहरा धक्का लगा, लेकिन आश्चर्य बिल्कुल नहीं हुआ। पिछले छह माह में जब भी उनके साथ फोन पर बात हुई या ई-मेलिंग हुआ, उसमें मैंने कई बार कहा कि उनकी जान को खतरा है। वे चुनाव-प्रचार के दौरान अपनी सुरक्षा का विशेष इंतजाम करें, खास तौर से तब जबकि वे सरहदी सूबे में जाएं।

अफगानिस्तान से लगे इस सूबे में तालिबान का वर्चस्व है और इस्लामी कट्टरवादी बेनजीर के खून के प्यासे थे। मई में दुबई में उन्होंने मुझसे कहा कि उन्हें अपनी जान की परवाह नहीं है। वे अगर पाकिस्तान नहीं जाएंगी तो वहां जम्हूरियत आ नहीं सकती। वे आयतुल्लाह खुमैनी की तरह अपने देश से बाहर रहकर जन-आंदोलन खड़ा नहीं कर सकतीं। जो कल हुआ वह 18 अक्टूबर को भी हो सकता था।

पाकिस्तान में लौटते ही उन पर हमला हुआ। वे बाल-बाल बच र्गई लेकिन दो सौ लोग मारे गए। बेनजीर भुट्टो की हत्या तालिबान के सरहदी सूबे या मुहाजिरों के शहर कराची में नहीं, रावलपिंडी में हुई है। रावलपिंडी में पाकिस्तान की फौज का मुख्यालय है। पाकिस्तान की शक्ति-पीठ में पाकिस्तान सर्वथा अशक्त सिद्ध हुआ है। मुशर्रफ के लिए इससे बढ़कर हतक क्या होगी कि बेनजीर भुट्टो की हत्या उनकी नाक के नीचे हो गई।

बेनजीर लगभग उनकी सहयात्री बन चुकी थी। पाकिस्तान के अन्य दलों को शिकायत थी कि बेनजीर ने मुशर्रफ के साथ हाथ मिला लिया है। वे और मुशर्रफ मिलकर पकिस्तान को अमेरिका का मोहरा बना देंगे। बेनजीर ने अपनी चुनाव-सभाओं में यह कहना भी शुरू कर दिया था कि अगर वे चुनी र्गई तो वे आतंकवाद का सफाया कर देंगी। मुशर्रफ के लिए यह दोहरा धक्का है। आतंकवादियों ने यह सिद्ध कर दिया है कि पाकिस्तान में मुशर्रफ का नहीं, उनका राज है।

प्रकारांतर से यह अमेरिका को भी खुली चुनौती है। बेनजीर भुट्टो की हत्या के कारण अगर पाकिस्तान में गहरी अफरा-तफरी फैल गई तो मुशर्रफ को दुबारा आपातकाल ठोकने का बहाना मिल जाएगा, चुनाव स्थगित हो जाएंगे और आने वाले अनेक महीनों तक फौज का एकछत्र वर्चस्व कायम हो जाएगा। बेनजीर की अनुपस्थिति के कारण अमेरिकी रणनीति पंगु हो जाएगी।

यदि नवाज शरीफ के लिए मैदान खुला छोड़ दिया गया तो यह मुशर्रफ और अमेरिका दोनों के लिए खतरनाक होगा। जाहिर है कि मुशर्रफ-समर्थक मुस्लिम-लीग (कायदे-आजम) के अध्यक्ष चौधरी शुजात हुसैन बेनजीर का विकल्प नहीं बन सकते। अगर वे बन सकते होते तो बेनजीर को नेपथ्य से उठाकर मंच पर लाने की जरूरत ही क्यों पड़ती?

मुशर्रफ को मुस्लिम लीग का पंजाबी नेतृत्व नवाज शरीफ का मुकाबला नहीं कर सकता, क्योंकि मियां नवाज पंजाबी अस्मिता के प्रतीक बन गए हैं, इस्लामी कट्टरपंथी भी उनके खिलाफ नहीं हैं और उन पर यह इल्जाम भी नहीं है कि वे अमेरिकी हितों के चौकीदार हैं।

नवाज शरीफ इस समय पाकिस्तानी राष्ट्रवाद के प्रवक्ता बन गए हैं और अब तो उन्होंने बेनजीर की हत्या की सारी जिम्मेदारी मुशर्रफ पर डाल दी है। पाकिस्तान की जनता को भड़काने में वे कोई कोर-कसर नहीं छोड़ेंगे। जाहिर है कि बेनजीर को पर्दे से हटाने में मुशर्रफ का कोई हाथ नहीं हो सकता, लेकिन पीपीपी के कार्यकर्ता अपना गुस्सा मुशर्रफ पर निकालें तो काई आश्चर्य नहीं होगा।

बेनजीर की हत्या के कारण पाकिस्तान के चुनाव स्थगित भी हो सकते हैं, लेकिन अगर स्थगित नहीं हुए तो असली प्रश्न यह है कि अब चुनावों में दम क्या रह गया है? बेनजीर के बिना पाकिस्तान के चुनाव अब सिर्फ एक हाथ की ताली बनकर रह जाएंगे। मियां नवाज तो संसद के उम्मीदवार तक नहीं हैं। यह भी पता नहीं कि बेनजीर की पगड़ी किसके सिर बंधेगी?

यदि उनके पति आसिफ जरदारी मैदान में कूद पड़ेंगे तो यह असंभव नहीं कि पीपीपी को स्पष्ट बहुमत मिल जाए। जैसे इंदिरा गांधी के बलिदान ने राजीव गांधी को 410 सीटें दिलवा दी थीं, वैसे ही बेनजीर का बलिदान आसिफ जरदारी को प्रचंड बहुमत से प्रधानमंत्री बनवा सकता है। भुट्टो-परिवार का दुर्भाग्य है कि जुल्फिकार अली भुट्टो को तो फांसी के फंदे पर चढ़ना ही पड़ा, उनके दोनों बेटों और एक मात्र बेटी को भी संसार से असमय कूच करना पड़ा। भुट्टो परिवार में अब कोई ऐसा नहीं है जो राजनीति की कमान संभाल सके।

बेनजीर के दोनों बेटे और एक बेटी अभी छोटे हैं और उनकी भाभी घिनवा ने एक छोटी-मोटी पार्टी चला रखी है। उनकी एक भतीजी वयस्क है, लेकिन वह बेनजीर के खिलाफ मोर्चा बांधे रखती थीं। ऐसे में आसिफ जी को लोग मैदान में कूदने के लिए बाध्य जरूर करेंगे। हमारे दक्षिण एशियाई देशों के लिए यहां गहरा सबक उभरता है। जो राजनीतिक दल प्राइवेट लिमिटेड कंपनियों की तरह चल रही हैं, उनमें आने वाले इस तरह के अप्रत्याशित संकट पूरी राष्ट्रीय राजनीति को ही खटाई में डाल देते हैं।

बेनजीर भुट्टो की नृशंस हत्या ने पाकिस्तान की राजनीति में तो भूकंप मचा ही दिया है, उसका गहरा असर पूरे दक्षिण एशिया पर भी पड़ेगा। बेनजीर की वापसी से अफगानिस्तान में काफी उम्मीदें जगी थीं। अफागानिस्तान के राष्ट्रपति हामिद करजई ने सितंबर में काबुल में मुझसे कहा था कि यदि बेनजीर पाकिस्तान लौट र्आई और जीत र्गई तो उनसे व्यवहार करना आसान होगा।

वे आतंकवादियों को पकड़ने और सरहदी इलाके को काबू करने में काफी मदद करेंगी। करजई का एक गणित यह भी रहा होगा कि अमेरिका की रहनुमाई में अफगानिस्तान, पाकिस्तान और भारत का लोकतांत्रिक नेतृत्व एक साथ मिलकर काम कर सकता है और उसके ठोस परिणाम जल्द ही सामने आएंगे। यह करने की जरूरत नहीं है कि पिछले 7-8 साल में बेनजीर भारत के काफी निकट आ र्गई थीं।

वे इतने वर्ष पाकिस्तान नहीं र्गई, लेकिन उस दौरान वे दो बार भारत र्आई। मेरे जैसे भारतीय मित्रों से वे अक्सर दुबई, लंदन या वाशिंगटन में मिला करती थीं। फोन और ई-मेल पर उनसे उसी भरोसे के साथ बातचीत हुआ करती थी, जैसे कि भारतीय नेताओं से होती है। यदि वे प्रधानमंत्री बन जातीं तो निश्चय ही भारत के साथ पाकिस्तान के संबंध सुधरते और पूरे दक्षिण एशिया का मानचित्र बदल जाता।

बेनजीर के असमय निधन से भारत के एक भावी मित्र प्रधानमंत्री का अवसान हुआ है। मैं तो गहरी निजी क्षति का अनुभव कर रहा हूं। वे सभी दुर्लभ क्षण याद आ रहे हैं, जब हम लोग सपरिवार साथ-साथ भोजन किया करते थे, साथ-साथ घूमा करते थे और घंटों बतियाते रहते थे। भाई आसिफ जरदारी और बच्चों के लिए मेरा दिल उमड़ा पड़ रहा है।

-लेखक पाकिस्तान-अफगानिस्तान मामलों के विशेषज्ञ हैं और बेनजीर भुट्टो के करीबी मित्र रहे हैं।

गुरुवार, 27 दिसंबर, 2007 को 19:20 GMT तक के समाचार
बेनज़ीर भुट्टो की हत्या पाकिस्तान की पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री और पाकिस्तान पीपुल्स पार्टी की नेता बेनज़ीर भुट्टो की एक रैली में हत्या कर दी गई है. रावलपिंडी में उनकी एक रैली पर आत्मघाती हमला हुआ जिसमें 20 अन्य लोग भी मारे गए हैं. बेनज़ीर का शव उनके पैतृक गाँव लरकाना ले जाया जा रहा है.				'आतंकवाद का ख़ात्मा करेंगे' सुरक्षा परिषद ने कड़ी भर्त्सना की स्थायित्व के लिए खतरा 'दक्षिण एशिया ने बेहतरीन नेता खो दिया' बेनज़ीर के जीवन का सफ़र बेनज़ीर भुट्टोः जीवन का सफ़र
बेनज़ीर के बाद..? बेनज़ीर भुट्टो के राजनीतिक सफ़र का आकलन आप कैसे करते हैं? स्थायित्व को चुनौती? क्या बेनज़ीर की मौत पाकिस्तान की स्थायित्व के लिए चुनौती है ? अंतिम संबोधन बेनज़ीर भुट्टो का अंतिम संबोधन और कुछ अन्य बयान सुनिए.
'दक्षिण एशिया ने बेहतरीन नेता खो दिया' भारत के प्रधानमंत्री मनमोहन सिंह ने कहा है कि दक्षिण एशिया ने एक बेहतरीन नेता खो दिया है जिसने अपने देश में लोकतंत्र के लिए संघर्ष किया.		सुरक्षा परिषद ने कड़ी भर्त्सना की संयुक्त राष्ट्र सुरक्षा परिषद ने पाकिस्तान की पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री बेनज़ीर भुट्टो की हत्या की कड़ी भर्त्सना की है. अमरीका ने इसे 'कायरतापूर्ण' कार्रवाई बताया है.		सिंध में हंगामा, 11 लोगों की मौत पाकिस्तान की पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री बेनज़ीर भुट्टो की हत्या के बाद उनके समर्थकों ने सिंध प्रांत में जम कर हंगामा किया. जिसमें 11 लोगों की मौत हो गई.
बेनज़ीर का जीवन पाकिस्तान की पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री बेनज़ीर भुट्टो का जीवन सफ़र. बेनज़ीर का सफ़रनामा बेनज़ीर भुट्टो की ज़िंदगी का सफ़र: तस्वीरों में बेनज़ीर की आख़िरी रैली रावलपिंडी में बेनज़ीर की आख़िरी रैली में धमाके.