Security tightened in Kurram for Muharram

Thursday, December 25, 2008
PARACHINAR: The political administration (PA) of the Kurram Agency has made foolproof security arrangements for peaceful observance of Muharram in the agency, a senior government official said here on Wednesday.

Talking to reporters here, Political Agent Arshad Majeed said meetings were held with religious scholars of both the sects and they assured full cooperation to the political authorities for maintaining sectarian harmony and brotherhood.

The Pak-Afghan border areas would be sealed from 7th-12th of Muharram for security purposes, while check-posts have been set up at various important places to foil designs of saboteurs and anti-state elements.

Special directives have been issued to the law-enforcing agencies to take extra security measures during Muharram, he added. Majeed said the political administration has been asked to keep close vigil on movement of suspects.

He said the Parachinar-Chappry Road would be closed for traffic on Muharram 9 and 10. He said that he was in close contact with the Tesco, the Wapda and the PTCL authorities to ensure their services during Muharram.

Govt. takes major initiatives for swift development of FATA

PESHAWAR, Dec 23 (APP): The government has devised a comprehensive development strategy to bring about a qualitative change in the socio‑economic condition of the tribesmen.

Record allocation of Rs. 7616.00 million has made in the annual development programme 2008‑09 for implantation of 884 on going and 189 new schemes in education, health, communication, agriculture, power and other social sectors.

A spokesman of Media Cell Fata told APP that roads and education stand atop the development strategy and the highest allocation of Rs. 2193.622 million which is 21.10 percent of the development outlay has been made for execution of 177 schemes in communication sector.

The second highest financial allocation of Rs. 1606.726 million has been made for promotion and expansion of education facilities, he added.

The major schemes in education sector include introduction of Post Graduate classes in Govt. Degree College Khar, (Bajaur Agency), Parachinar, (Kurram Agency) and Miranshah, (North Waziristan Agency), construction of student/teachers hostels in Post Graduate Colleges in FATA, establishment of women hostels, rehabilitation and upgradation of the existing educational institutions, provision of free text books upto 10^th class, award of scholarships to FATA students, introduction of technical education and mainstream Information Technology, establishment of public schools and construction of sports stadiums in all the agencies.

A sum of Rs. 244.486 million has been set apart for implementation of 28 development schemes in education sector in South Waziristan while Rs. 203.844, Rs. 202.997, Rs. 185.449, Rs. 171.842, Rs. 128.621 and Rs. 93.109 are being spent in North Waziristan, Kurram, Khyber, Bajaur, Mohmand and Orakzai Agencies respectively.

He said that provision of Rs. 198.797 million has been made in the current financial year’s budget for a number of educational schemes in the six Frontier Regions of FATA. Initiatives are also underway to establish quality educational institutions in FATA with focus on free education to talented tribal students in the premier educational institutions of NWFP.

Terrorism and future of Pakistan

Friday, December 19, 2008

Wajih Abbasi

The United Nations Security Council’s ban on Jamaatud Dawah (JuD) and four other personalities associated with it, including its Amir, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, is a new twist to the events which started after terrorist attacks on Mumbai last month. Even before the UN decision, Pakistan government had started operation against the camps maintained by JuD) and Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) in Azad Kashmir during which several people, including operational head of LeT was arrested. The operation was intensified after the UN resolution and was extended to the Punjab and other provinces where bulk of assets of at least JuD are situated.

This is not for the first time that such actions against militant outfits have been taken in response to the international pressure after major terrorist acts in different parts of the world. Similar actions were taken after 9/11 attacks in New York in September 2001 and attacks on the Indian Parliament later in December that year as well as attacks in London and Madrid. Irrespective to the veracity of accusation being pointed towards Pakistan from time to time and after every major terrorist incident in the world, it is unfortunate that the name of Pakistan has been made synonymous with terrorism and militancy turning the country into nearly an international pariah. The accusations have put the security and integrity of the country and well being of its people under constant threat. Every terrorist incident allows the enemies of the country to point their guns towards Pakistan and try to array an international coalition to punish Pakistan.

The danger posed by these accusations needs soul-searching and making strategic decisions about the whole issue of militancy and jihad and its utility to our national security objectives. We have to ask ourselves whether the policies started after the Sour Revolution in Afghanistan in 1978 which were continued to be tolerated after the withdrawal of Soviet troops from that country in 1989 and collapse of the PDPA government in 1992 have anyway helped Pakistan in the attainment of its strategic and security interests or these policies tarnished Pakistan’s image, made it less secure and increasingly isolated it in the comity of nations.

A lot has been written in Pakistan as well as internationally on how the US planned and executed its proxy war against former Soviet Union in Afghanistan and how militants and weapons from across the world were collected in the name of jihad to bleed the Russians in order to avenge the US defeat in Vietnam. Pakistan’s territory and its institutions were used for this purpose. Pakistan, then ruled by short sighted military junta, groping for its own survival needlessly pushed the country into a quagmire which is constantly pulling Pakistan into an abyss despite best efforts of the country to extricate itself.

The chaos that the US financed jihad created in Afghanistan has engulfed the length and breadth of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and NWFP. The menace is threatening the whole country seven years after the US decision to invade Afghanistan under the UN banner to fight the same forces it had created during the heydays of the Cold War. We should look back and ponder whether a modern, liberal and forward looking Afghanistan which the Peoples Democratic Party of Afghanistan wanted to establish would have served Pakistan better than the lawless swath of territory we have today.

The Russian withdrawal from Afghanistan and subsequent dismemberment of the Soviet Union coupled with collapse of communism in the whole Eastern Europe and North and Central Asia gave a sense of false victory to the Muslim radicals and extremists and their supporters in the country. They soon started to propagate similar type of operations in other parts of the world, including the Central Asia, China and Eastern Europe as well as Kashmir. Their activities estranged Pakistan’s relations with the newly independent states in the Central Asia and deprived the country of the vast potential which the collapse of Soviet empire had created in terms of trade and commerce and as a conduit of petroleum exports from the region. They also created wedge between Pakistan and its times tested friend China besides raising concerns in certain Muslim countries as Egypt and Jordon. The genuine desire of the people of Kashmir for independence or merger with Pakistan has also given a bad name by these organisations allowing India to use unprecedented repression against the Kashmiris in which over 0.1 million people were killed. Last but not the least it tarnished the image of the ISI, an inseparable arm of Pakistan’s defence apparatus, to the point where these organisations are being used by the enemies of Pakistan to pressurise the country.

The militant organisations, militancy, terrorism and extremist generated by these groups have created doubts among the international community about stability of the country. It allows different organisations to dub Pakistan as failing state. The voices become even stronger because of the fact that Pakistan is a nuclear armed country with big arsenal of short and medium range missiles. Recently a report to the US Congress has described Pakistan as a place where weapons of mass destruction and terrorism intersect. The enemies of Pakistan would like to use these voices against Pakistan to deprive the country of its strategic weapons and take other punitive measures to destroy whatever has been built during last 60 years.

Internally, the forces unleashed by Pakistan’s involvement in the Afghan war have unleashed the forces of sectarian extremism, intolerance, narrow-mindedness, militancy and lawlessness. Leaders of militant organisations are behaving like warlords, who have established their own zones and consider themselves as above the law of the land and norms of society. During last three decades the country has witnessed the growing menace of not only Shia-Sunni but even intra-Sunni terrorism. Each pronouncing the other infidel and calling for jihad against the same. The weaponry used in Kurram Agency in Shia-Sunni feud recently was not even witnessed in the African civil wars.

In this situation, it is important for us as a nation to rethink our priorities and policies and put our house in order. The action taken against the JuD and LeT should be expanded to other militant organisations and individuals. Nobody should be allowed to keep and raise private armies in the name of ‘lashkars’, Jaish, sipha or whatever. The religious schools throughout the country should be brought under the law. The government should get their accounts audited every year and should have complete data of staff and students as well as the curriculum being taught in these institutions. The madrassas not complying with the government orders should be taken over and converted into schools where students should be imparted the religious education along with the normal education.

Financing of madrassas and religious organisations by some oil rich nations of the Middle East has worsened the situation. In most of the cases such aid has sectarian connotations and helps promote that sect in Pakistan which is dominant in the donor country. On the one hand, it provides undue influence to the donor government in the internal affairs in Pakistan. On the other hand, the aid promotes sectarian strife in the country. It is high time that the Pakistan government take bold stance on the issue to stop direct foreign donations to religious and sectarian organisations.

The writer is a former APP staffer and a freelance columnist based in Islamabad

SOURCE: http://thepost.com.pk/OpinionNews.aspx?dtlid=196894&catid=11

75 more hostages freed in Kurram Agency

Updated at: 1500 PST, Wednesday, December 17, 2008 PESHAWAR: Seventy-five more persons made hostage by tribes have been released here brought the number of hostages released to 159 since Tuesday. According to sources, armed men killed one, injured another person and kidnapped three others near Hangu two days back. They were belonged to Kurram Agency. After the incident, Tori and Bangesh tribes abducted dozens of people belonged to each other’s clan among which 75 were released today. Efforts are underway for the release of remaining people. http://www.geo.tv/12-17-2008/30852.htm

Tuesday, December 16, 2008, Zil Hajj 17, 1429 A.H Kurram Agency rivals swap 53 abductees

Updated at: 1322 PST, Tuesday, December 16, 2008 PESHAWAR: Kurram Agency rival tribesmen swapped each other’s yesterday 53 abductees, which included 41 women and children. Sources said that yesterday some armed persons attacking a Kurram Agency vehicle near Hangu had killed one person and injured one, while three persons were abducted, which let loose a violent reaction to the incident during which the tribesmen kidnapped each other’s scores of persons. Later, the Jirga members and Political officials brokered the release of the 53 abductees including 41 women and children. Jirga members said that talks were underway with the rival groups for the release of the remaining abductees also.

Taliban torch 18 CD shops

Monday, December 15, 2008

By Saboor Khan

HANGU: Hundreds of armed Taliban attacked a bazaar in Tull tehsil of Hangu district late on Saturday and torched at least 18 shops, police said.

District Police Officer Sajjad Khan told Daily Times that Taliban had blown up two shops with explosives and set fire to 16 others. They also collected CDs and other inventory from eight shops and burnt them near Bannu Chowk, he added. He said the Taliban managed to escape after police opened fire on them.

Locals said Taliban attacked the bazaar from three directions and wreaked havoc for three hours. Blaming police negligence for the damage, they said they had promptly informed the police, which had failed to act in time.

Tull is surrounded by the Tribal Areas from all sides, with Kurram Agency to its west, North Waziristan Agency to the north, Bulandkel area of Orakzai Agency to the southwest, Lower Kurram Agency to the northwest and Palosin Wazir area of North Waziristan to its northeast.

Kurram Agency rivals swap 53 abductees

Tuesday, December 16, 2008, Zil Hajj 17, 1429 A.H PESHAWAR: Kurram Agency rival tribesmen swapped each other�s yesterday 53 abductees, which included 41 women and children. Sources said that yesterday some armed persons attacking a Kurram Agency vehicle near Hangu had killed one person and injured one, while three persons were abducted, which let loose a violent reaction to the incident during which the tribesmen kidnapped each other�s scores of persons. Later, the Jirga members and Political officials brokered the release of the 53 abductees including 41 women and children. Jirga members said that talks were underway with the rival groups for the release of the remaining abductees also.

Man killed in Hangu shooting

Tuesday, December 16, 2008, Zil Hajj 17, 1429 A.H


Updated at: 1420 PST, Tuesday, December 16, 2008
PESHAWAR: Gunmen shot dead one person and injured another in Hangu.

According to police sources, a family of five members travelling from Kurram Agency to Peshawar when armed men opened fire at their jeep in Kotaki area in Hangu.

One person was killed and another injured in the firing whereas rival tribes have kidnapped more than 30 men of each other clan.

Police have cordoned off the area and start search operation for the recovery of abducted persons.

Peshawar blast

Friday, December 12, 2008 By Bureau report

PESHAWAR: The deadly bomb explosion in the heart of the Walled City here last Friday made dozens of families mourn the demise of their near and dear ones instead of celebrating Eidul Azha. The shocking incidence took lives of more than 35 innocent people, injuring 140 as well as depriving many of their businesses, homes and shops. Those, who sustained injuries in the blast and admitted to the nearby Lady Reading Hospital, the major health facility of the Frontier province, never tired of narrating their ordeals. Mohsin, a teenager hailing from Parachinar suffered head injury on and injuries on his chest also narrated his awful story. Talking about the incident, he said that he was staying at Pak Hotel as he had to leave for Parachinar early morning. “At the time of blast I was on second floor when I heard a big bang and I fell down,” Mohsin, the tailor by profession said. Mohsin, who was complaining of backache, went on to say that he did not felt that he had suffered injuries while coming downstairs. “When I reached the main gate of the hotel I felt blood streaming out of my head. After that I became unconscious and fell on the stairs of the hotel.” He appeared to be extremely critical about the role of the law-enforcing agencies, saying that a huge chunk of national exchequer was being spent on them, but they have absolutely failed to perform their duties by putting a leash on terrorists. Syed Hussain, a daily-wager at a local teashop while narrating his sufferings, said that he was serving tea to a nearby shop when suddenly the blast occurred and the intensity was so high that he fell into the nearby drainage, fracturing his left leg. “It is altogether beyond my comprehension that what kind of Islam is this, in which innocent people are being targeted. They turned Eid, the Islamic festival, into a mourning for us,” he said. He said that the militants should have at least differentiated between the combatants and non-combatants, adding, “I don’t know what purpose they have served by killing so many innocent people,” he said.

Slain principal laid to rest

Monday, December 08, 2008
By by Our correspondent
PARACHINAR: Syed Razi Hussain Shah, the slain principal of Government Elementary College, Jamrud, was laid to rest at his ancestral graveyard at Shlozan village here on Sunday.

Razi Shah’s body was recovered from Ghundi area of Khyber Agency on Saturday after unidentified people kidnapped him a week back.

Touching scenes were witnessed when his body was brought to the village where a large number of people had gathered to receive it. Eyewitnesses said that thousands of people attended the funeral.

Speaking on the occasion, the area elders condemned the killing and demanded of the government to bring the culprits to justice forthwith.

Razi Shah was born in 1949 at Shlozan village of Parachinar in Kurram Agency. He started his career as a teacher and remained head master of the local schools.

Later, he served as the controller of examinations, Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Peshawar; deputy director of education, Fata, and regional director education, Dera Ismail Khan. The late academician also served as agency education officer in Khyber and Bajaur agencies. He had also the credit of being the principal of a school in UAE.

He authored a book titled ‘Lutf-i-Sohen’ in which he shed light on his past life. He fathered five sons and two daughters.