The evil in our midst

Depressingly, though perhaps not unsurprisingly given the beliefs of militant extremists, an educational institution has been targeted by two suicide bombers in Islamabad. That the institution happened to be the International Islamic University may be doubly shocking to some. But the dastardly attack against innocent students on Tuesday is indicative of the fact that the fight for the future of Pakistan does not just pit the ‘godless’ against the ‘true believers’; it is actually a war by a radical minority in society that is bent on imposing its millenarian ideals on the rest of the population, including those trying to educate themselves about Islam in a modern environment. Since the middle years of the Musharraf era, the Islamic University has seen a number of changes in its administration and outlook that have put the university in the ‘moderate’ camp of Islam, a change that, to the militants, amounts to heresy, or even apostasy. And it is now well known that anyone who holds even a slight difference in interpretation of Islam with the militants is a ‘legitimate’ target.

The bomb disposal team survey the site of a blast at the International Islamic University in Islamabad October 20, 2009. Two suicide bomb blasts at an Islamic university in the capital killed six people and wounded at least 20, officials said. –Reuters Photo/Adrees La

The motive for the bombing of the IIU is not known yet, but two things are known. One, Tuesday’s attack is another in a wave of suicide bombings and fidayeen attacks since the state indicated its intention to enter the ground zero of militancy in South Waziristan. Two, while the IIU has not issued a statement in support of Operation Rah-i-Njiat, it is known that the government and the security establishment have reached out to the media, civil society and other civilian institutions for support. Perhaps, then, the militants have decided to demonstrate their anger at the lack of support for their ‘cause’ among the public.

The wickedness of Tuesday’s attack, however, raises fresh fears for the public. Security officials have in recent weeks repeatedly warned of the possibility of attacks against civilian targets, including educational institutions. Until Tuesday, there was no way to independently assess how real that threat was. Now we know that the war is widening. Many schools in the country were closed at the start of the week in apprehension of violence in the cities and towns. After Tuesday, more schools will close temporarily. But here is the terrifying reality: schools, colleges and universities are soft targets and securing them against the threat of suicide bombers is all but impossible, especially in the short term. The country is not sinking, but we are slipping towards the very ugliest terrain of urban militant violence. And at this time of great danger, we must also ask: what else will shake leaders such as Nawaz Sharif, who are still on the fence, to take a firm stand against militants and support the effort to subdue them?

Dawn Editorial

Sufi’s world (Beware of extremism in religion)

Sufi Mohammad doesn't speak for himself - He speaks for thousands of barbarians who don't respect the law!
THE uproar is understandable but should it really come as a surprise that Sufi Mohammad and his band of barbarians are opposed to all that we hold dear? Of course not. The position held by people who kill those who don’t subscribe to their point of view is diametrically opposed to that of all right-thinking persons.
From day one, the stance of these militants who murder in the name of religion has been all too clear. These people are savages, yet we don’t put them behind bars. Why? If we don’t have the wherewithal to take them on, we should admit as much and stop making ludicrous claims that the enemy will be defeated in due course.
Striking ‘deals’ with an enemy that is simply buying time won’t help either. Talibanisation is not just a threat, it is the reality today. Face it.Sufi Mohammad’s organisation, which is sympathetic to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, is interested less in matters of faith and more so in power in Pakistan. It is now clear that the Taliban will not stop until they have their way. And this is their prescription for Pakistan: a nation, armed with nuclear weapons, jerked back to a mediaeval age. A country where men without beards are flogged, and women killed if they choose to express themselves. That is where we are headed.
And one is wrong if one thinks this can’t happen in Pakistan. It can and it will unless we strike a decisive blow for the silent majority.We must resist this onslaught. Should we be surprised when Sufi Mohammad says that that the high courts and the Supreme Court are un-Islamic? Certainly not. Are we to register shock when he says that democracy is un-Islamic? Of course not. He is merely articulating what he and his followers have thought from day one.
Sufi Mohammad’s Tehrik-i-Nifaz-i-Shariat Mohammadi, the Pakistani Taliban and Al Qaeda are all committed to overthrowing the State of Pakistan. How many times do we have to say this? Their interest is not limited to enforcing — at gunpoint — Sharia law in Swat and the rest of Malakand. They want to take over all of Pakistan and subject each and every citizen to their brand of ‘justice’.
This government is ceding them territory and emboldening them to an extent where they will be able to dictate terms without fear. Fazlur Rehman of the JUI may say that Sufi Mohammad, a terrorist Mr Rehman supports despite being a member of parliament, speaks for himself. No, you are wrong Mr Rehman. He speaks for thousands of extremists who have no respect for the law. He is renouncing the constitution, which is perhaps tantamount to treason.We didn’t vote for this on Feb 18, 2008. We didn’t vote for barbarity in the garb of religiosity.

Some Examples of Taliban Justice







Extremism is not only a religious problem but also a law and order problem and if religious extremists destabilise the Pakistan, it will undermine the government as well. If we in Pakistan want to resist the rising tide of Muslim extremism, then we better realise that conservative Muslims like those of the JI for instance have a lot more in common with liberal Muslims than they have with the extremists that are blowing up girls’ schools, burning CD shops and forcing men to grow beards.Religious extremism is however complicated by the fact that there are two distinct forces that are using religion at this time. It is important in my opinion to separate them and tackle them differently. The first type of terrorism and violence we see in Pakistan these days is politically motivated. The second type is motivated by a desire to implement an extremist Islamic system within Pakistan. I would like to make a simple point. I believe that most Pakistanis are not beholden to the extreme version of Islam that is being pushed by those that bomb girls’ schools in Swat or terrorise theatres in Lahore.



Muhammad ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ) said,

إياكم والغلو في الدين، فإنما أهلك من كان قبلكم الغلو في الدين

"Beware of extremism in religion, for it is extremism in religion that destroyed those who were before you." (Ahmad and An-Nasaaee)

Imaam Maalik said,

ينبغي للمرء أن لا يتكلم إلا فيما أحاط به خيرًا، فقد كان رسول الله وهو إمام المسلمين وسيد العالمين يُسأل في الشيء، فما يجيب حتى يأتيه الوحي من السماء

“It is incumbent upon a person not to speak on an issue until he knows everything about it. Even the Messenger of Allaah who is the leader of all Muslims would not answer a question posed to him until he received a revelation to that effect from Heaven.”

{ and verily, among them is a party who distort the Book with their tongues (while they read it) , so that you may think it is from the Book, but it is not from the Book, and they say, “This is from Allah,” but it is not from Allah; and they speak a lie against Allah while they know it.} [3:78].

The Shaykh ‘Allaamah Saalih Al-Fawzaan was asked:

هل أسامة بن لادن ومن تبعه من قوله وأيدهم على مذهبهم يُعتبرون من الخوارج؟

Is Bin Laden and those who follow his views and promote his beliefs considered to be from the (deviant sect known as the) Khawaarij?

He responded:

عندكم قاعدة أن الذي يخرج على ولي الأمر أنه من الخوارج سواء أسامة بن لادن أو غيره، اللي يخرج على ولاة أمور المسلمين هذا من الخوارج .

There is a (well known) principle, and this is that everyone who rebels against those in authority is considered to be from the Khawaarij, whether this is Bin Laden or anyone else. Anyone who rebels against the Muslim leaders is deemed to be from the Khawaarij.


Finally, I would like to quote Imam Abu Hanifa from his reply to a letter by Uthman Batti:

“I assert that all people of the Qibla are mu’mins and that none of them becomes an infidel by omission of works. He who has faith and also performs his duties is without doubt a mu’min and destined for Paradise. He who is devoid of both faith and works is an infidel and destined for Hell. He who has faith, but omits to act is certainly a Muslim, but a sinful one. It is up to God to punish or forgive him.”

A Trip to Murree

Karachi to Islamabad
Location: Karachi Air Port, Karachi to Rawalpindi. The start of my tour, from Karachi airPort. It was decided to travel by aero plane instead of train. Overall it was marvelous experience. My flight was sharply at 5:00 AM and reached at Islamabad on time after almost 1:30 hours. It was very economical and costs around 100 USD per person.

Rawalpindi to Murree
My next destination on this tour was to reach Murree and spend 2 nights there. After finishing some persnol stuff and shopping, we started our journey around 12:10 PM by taxi. Good news for Murree lovers that new Motorway to Murree it is almost finished, only metal ling is left on some part. This was bit boring one and half hour drive due to hot summer day. And you can feel Global warming effects if you are travelling to Murree after 10 years. Most of the snaps are took at Murree city on our first day of visit. It cost us around 20 USD from Rawalpindi to Murree on taxi.

Murree to Patriata
My very next day journey after reaching Murree was to visit Patriata Hills and enjoy chair lift and cable car. i decided to hire Jeep to go there, so that i can enjoy places on the way. After too much negotiations on the rate we hired Jeep on 18 USD for round trip and committed with driver to get back by 3:00 PM. It was an hour journey with lots of excitement to explore roadside areas and markets on the way. i found that local people were very innocent and tourism in those areas is the only better way of earning. Despite tourism there is no other business activity on these hill stations. Government should facilitate local and foreign tourists to explore the hidden beauty of this area and to work for the betterment of local people by engaging them in different tourism related activities. Roads should be better maintained to avoid any kind of accidents and to create awareness in drivers to properly maintain vehicles and follow road signs. Patriata chair lift & cable car is a must experienced thing and you can also enjoy horse riding on top of the hill. Patriata hiking track is very safe and wide and you can enjoy trekking on it. You must follow the maps displayed on the top hill for trekking to avoid to forget the way back. The chair lift & cable car cost almost 4.5 USD per person.

Murree, NathiaGali to Abbottabad
The next journey of My trip to Mansehra for Fairy Meadows, it was planned to get up early in the morning and reach Murree General Bus Stand to get bus for Abbottabad. i checked out from Hotel at 6:30 AM morning and reached to bus stand after 15 minutes walk. The total cost of Murree to Mansehra was almost 10 USD. Journey started at 7:20 AM and reached Mansehra near 11: AM morning via Abatobad. It was good journey to move from one Provincial area to another and observe changes in culture influenced by local traditions and values. On a way we have seen many foreign organizations are running number of programs for poor areas of country to increase the living standards and to provide basic necessities of life.

Back to Islamabad Air Port to Karachi
It was almost 5 days trip. then i come back Karachi

9/11 everyday (Allah khair)

Goodness - who gets killed? The poor pakistanis. Who are already striving hard. Yet finding it difficult to feed their families even twice a day.The drivers waiting in car park, the poor security guards. May Allah bless them all in eternal peace. Its going to be a hard struggle for their families from now on. May Allah bless them all.

Pakistan’s 9/11, as Najam Sethi mentioned, seems so APT.

But for someone's 9/11 that happened ONCE why should we let them make our country a 9/11 everyday?

Inna lillah e wa inna alyhe rajeyoon!

Allah khair. Even in Ramadhan - at aftar time … all this. Where are we heading? Who are these people? Nation destabilisers.

Unable to think straight now.

____

The idiots who are leading this nation (sigh) have already deserted Islamabad. One off to praise uncle sam and the other coward to Lahore. That's what proud leaders of proud nations do.

And yeah ... that’s what you get when you say “Yes Sir” blindfoldedly to Uncle Sam.

All Pakistanis can go to hell. No ... wait ... lets create the hell here. Straight away!

It's Time To End Pakistani Role In America’s War

Pakistan is being punished for refusing to allow U.S. military boots on Pakistani soil, for the bombings in India, for the July 7 attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul, and for the failures of the American military in Afghanistan. The attack is a clear message to the Pakistani ruling elite: We will bring the war to your home. The Americans are now accusing army chief Gen. Ashfaq Kayani of complicity in bombing the Indian embassy in Kabul, an accusation that even the Indians dared not make. The General is a suspicious man now in the eyes of the Americans and the Zardari government. After its bungled attempt on the ISI, there is a possibility that the pro-U.S. Zardari government might try to remove Gen. Kayani and replace him with a more pliant army chief who can subordinate the Pakistani military to Washington’s agenda in the region. To end this mess, Pakistan needs to say goodbye to the coalition that Washington assembled in 2001 to occupy Afghanistan, a coalition that has shrunk in seven years to only U.S., U.K. and Pakistan.The massive attack on the Marriott hotel in the heart of the federal Pakistani capital is a punishment for Pakistan for refusing to allow U.S. military boots on Pakistani soil, for the bombings in India, for the July 7 attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul, and for the failures of the American military in Afghanistan.The attack is a clear message to the Pakistani ruling elite: We will bring the war to your home; we will convince you and the world that your situation is worse than Iraq and Afghanistan and that you are unable to handle it alone and need foreign intervention.Pakistan stands accused of attacks in both Afghanistan and India. The Americans have gone as far as blaming Pakistan in advance for future attacks against United States. In fact, in a calculated leak, The New York Times on Sept. 11 accused Pakistani army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani of complicity in the July 7 bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul, something that even the Indians didn’t dare do. And on Sept. 7, President Bush delivered a speech at the National Defense University in Washington where he almost called Pakistan a terrorist state.The Americans had hoped that the pro-U.S. Zardari government in Islamabad would move to neutralize or disband the ISI and check the Pakistani military. They waited enough. The Zardari government did make a failed attempt on July 27 to clip the wings of ISI, which would have ended the agency’s external counterintelligence operations, crucial for the world’s sixth declared nuclear power and an important regional power that has legitimate security and strategic interests to protect. But it seems Mr. Zardari has decided not to risk alienating the country’s powerful military. Hours before the attack, President Zardari told a joint session of Parliament “We will not tolerate the violation of our sovereignty and territorial integrity by any power in the name of combating terrorism.” This statement ended the confusion, at least for now, on Zardari’s apparent reluctance to endorse army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani’s stern warning to Washington not to attack Pakistani soil.The punishment for Pakistan is not limited to the Marriot hotel, which was more of a symbolic target, close to the houses of the President, Prime Minister, federal ministers and senior federal bureaucrats. Hours earlier, explosives-laden cars attacked two military convoys in the tribal belt. Eight hours after the Marriot attack, the power grid in Swat, northern Pakistan, was blown up. The frequency and intensity of attacks inside Pakistan have exceeded the attacks that U.S. military is facing in Afghanistan. Which is in itself a strange thing. If the U.S. accusations are true and Islamabad is behind Afghan Taliban’s resurgence in Afghanistan, then why are the ‘Pakistani Taliban’ attacking Pakistani military targets? They should be happy that Pakistan is allegedly supporting the Afghan Taliban? But what is happening is the opposite: The so-called ‘Pakistani Taliban’ is punishing Pakistan, exclusively. The question is: Who benefits?According to one Pakistani source, there are close to 8,000 foreigners in the country’s tribal belt at the moment. Before 9/11, they were under 1,000, and most of them were peaceful leftovers from the anti-Soviet war in the 1980s, grownup, aging, with local wives and children. Yes, Pakistan did have a domestic religious extremism problem but it consisted of small groups and not armies with endless supplies of money and sophisticated weapons and, apparently, advance knowledge of Pakistani military movements.There is no question that many of these 8,000 foreigners are agents of foreign intelligence agencies who have infiltrated the Pakistani tribal belt from Afghanistan. This is not Hollywood. During the 2001 war against the Taliban government in Kabul, U.S. military used special ops teams made up of Pashtun look-alikes complete with perfect Pashtun accents, assisted by local help, purchased in U.S. dollars, in the areas of their deployment. In Pakistani tribal belt, the numbers of foreigners dramatically increased in the years 2002 to 2004. These foreigners used the natural local anger at Pakistani military’s alliance with U.S. to work up the locals against Islamabad. The area remained quiet for most of the time after the 2001 war until it finally erupted in insurgency led by a series of ‘rebel Mullahs’ who caught the Pakistani government and military by surprise. Karzai’s security and intelligence network is populated with strongly anti-Pakistan officers. The Indians received an American nod to establish an elaborate intelligence and military training setup in Afghanistan. Indians and Karzai’s men are directly involved in training, arming and financing rebels and insurgents and sending them into Pakistan. There is a full backing for an ethnic insurgency in southwestern Pakistan where China is building a strategic seaport. There are reports that the Israeli intelligence, the Mossad, is helping the Indians and Karzai’s security in destabilizing Pakistan’s western parts. The Israeli ambassador in New Delhi admitted in February that Israel offered crucial help to India during the Kargil war in 1999 which was the only reason India managed to repeal what appeared to be a surprise Pakistani victory. The Israelis have built a close defense relationship with India ever since and are also helping India perfect its occupation methods in Kashmir.Pakistanis don’t have evidence that shows direct U.S. involvement in this anti-Pakistan campaign. But the circumstantial evidence is more than overwhelming. Afghanistan could not have turned into a staging ground for anti-Pakistan covert operations involving several players with out Washington’s nod. U.S. military has also been deliberately attacking those militant tribals inside Pakistan who are pro-Islamabad, and sparing those militants who only fight Pakistani military. Also, U.S. government has refused to designate the ethnic insurgency in southwestern Pakistan as terrorism. One very interesting piece of information that points the fingers to both India and U.S. is that these shady ‘Pakistani Taliban’ have focused their efforts in the past four years on attacking Chinese citizens and Chinese interests inside Pakistan. No U.S. or NATO citizens have been attacked. The Afghan Taliban –who are the real Taliban before this American-orchestrated insurgency in Pakistani border areas was deceptively termed ‘Taliban’ – have never attacked Pakistan despite Islamabad’s policy change after 9/11. In fact, senior Taliban officials, like its ambassador to Islamabad Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, never said anything against Pakistan despite having been captured and handed over to the Americans by Islamabad.There is no question that Washington destabilized Pakistan using the same methods it had perfected in South America in the 1970s. As Pakistan faced instability on the border, Washington moved in late 2006 to destabilize the country from the inside. A discredit former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, was convinced to end her self-exile and enter into a U.S.-brokered deal with a weakened President Musharraf in exchange for endorsing the U.S. agenda and having her stolen millions whitewashed. The fast paced political change threw Pakistan off-balance and resulted in massive internal upheaval that continues until today, almost ending Pakistan’s remarkable economic rise of the past decade.Once Pakistan was trapped, U.S. media sprung into action and mounted a massive propaganda about Pakistan becoming ripe for an Iraq-like U.S. intervention to neutralize its nuclear weapons and to ‘save’ the country from turning into a haven for al-Qaeda.The entire purpose of this anti-Pakistan campaign is to remove the Pakistani hurdle that stands in the way of Washington’s plans for the region: China, Russia, Central Asia and Iran, and also to help pave the way for India to assume a bigger role, which it can’t in the presence of Pakistan. This is what the planners in Washington might be thinking. The Indian thinking, however, is more short term. India is more interested in disorienting Pakistan and using all possible opportunities to make hurt Pakistanis and deprive Islamabad of any strategic advantage, whether in Afghanistan or with regards to the Chinese-built seaport near the Gulf.WHAT ISLAMABAD CAN DOPakistan will continue to face instability as long as it continues to be part of the war on terror on Washington’s terms. Pakistan’s legitimate security interests have been so damaged and ignored by Washington that it is time to tell the Americans to go and deal with Afghanistan on their own. This is the only way for Islamabad to regain respect in the eyes of its own people. Pakistan can say that it will help Washington where possible but that it is no longer part of the coalition that Washington assembled to occupy Afghanistan 2001, a coalition that only includes three nations now: U.S., U.K., and Pakistan. In this regard, Pakistanis can renegotiate the terms of letting U.S. use Pakistani soil and airspace for the transport of supplies. Pakistan can ask U.S. military to vacate the remaining Pakistani airbase under American use. Also, Islamabad can revoke the permission that former President Musharraf granted CIA to establish outposts in Pakistan’s tribal belt and the permission to recruit local assets. Meanwhile, Pakistan can continue eliminating the shady foreign and local criminals who call themselves ‘Pakistani Taliban’. This is what the Pakistani military has been doing recently, wiping off all these foreign assets. Which probably explains some of the recent American panic.This way Pakistan can regain some of the stability and also the confidence of other countries in the region, especially China which has been watching with concern how Islamabad has allowed itself to be dragged by Washington into this mess.

Marriot hotel blast in Islamabad, termed as 9/11 of Pakistan

At least 65 people including a US national and six other foreigners were killed and scores others injured when an explosives laden vehicle was blown up at the entrance of a five star Marriot hotel situated in high security zone shaking up the Federal Capital here on Saturday evening.
Those killed include five women. 257 wounded, some of them critically were shifted to the local hospitals after the deadly explosion. The death toll is feared to rise further.
The powerful explosion caused fire in many parts of the hotel besides shattering the windowpanes of the buildings around the hotel.
According to details, a small vehicle broke through the security barrier outside the hotel before an explosives laden dumper truck was struck with the hotel causing a huge explosion.This caused the gas pipelines to burst triggering fire which engulfed the entire building of the luxury hotel.
The blast, which occurred only a few hours after conclusion of President Zardari first address to the parliament, was described as the deadliest one in Pakistan history with more than five suicide bombers riding the mini truck loaded around 1,000 kilogram explosive struck the hotel as people inside were dinning just after the Iftar.This hotel in Islamabad is a favorite place for foreigners to stay and gather, and it has previously been targeted by militants.
Ambulances rushed to the scene, where a fire also burned, smoke hovered and the carcasses of vehicles were scattered.The blast left a vast crater some 20 feet deep and 30 feet wide in front of the main building where flames leapt from the windows and rescuers ferried a stream of bloodied bodies from the gutted building.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was hosting an Iftar dinner at the nearby Prime Minister’s Secretariat. The event was attended by President Asif Ali Zardari and Army Chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. There was no reports of anyone being injured at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, and its exact cause was unclear. But Pakistan, a U.S. ally in the war on terror, has faced a wave of militant violence in recent weeks following army-led offensives against insurgents in its border regions, though the capital has avoided most of the bloodshed.
Suicide bombers seemed to have taken the advantage as the security officials might have lowered their guards for Iftar. The blast, which was termed as 9/11 of Pakistan by some analysts, caused a crater of over 25 feet leaving almost the entire hotel building on fire. There were some reports that no VVIP or VIP was present in the hotel.The bang of the suicide explosion was so intense that it was heard in a radius of 32 kilometers and created panic and chaos in twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The blast has completely wrecked the six-storey Marriott Hotel even of high security alert was issued in the Capital due to President’s address to the Parliament.
The blast ruined more than 100 vehicles parked in the hotel parking area. The road in front of the hotel was giving a site a complete destruction as the blast damaged the vehicles and trees. The ambulances of all the hospitals, Edhi Foundation, Rescue 1122 and other organisations rushed to the scene for rescue operation.
Fire engines of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Army and Air Force were in the operation to extinguish the fire. The explosion caused damages to adjacent buildings of the hotel including multi-storey Evacuee Trust Building (ETB), Frontier and Balochistan Houses, as the rescuers recovered 5 dead bodies from ETB adjacent to the hotel. Dozens of drivers who were in vehicles outside the hotel were also injured in the incident.
The explosion and fire caused huge damage to hotel, feared to collapse at any time. Army Engineering Corps was called to take charge of the hotel to avert any more loss due to destruction of the Marriott Hotel. The inspector General of Police Islamabad, Raza Gardezi told reporters that a Shahzor truck was used in the suicide attack.
Sadruddin Hashwani, owner of the Marriott Hotel, told that more than 600 employees are working in one shift while there were more than 400 guests in different halls and rooms of the hotel at the time of the blast. He said that hotel has 310 rooms and 90 out of them were occupied by foreigners.
The security officials ignored the smaller vehicles and terrorists took advantage of this security lapse and succeeded in causing biggest explosion of Pakistan history in Marriott Hotel. This was third explosion at Marriott Hotel as previous two were of low intensity.