Pakistan and India : Ending hatred syndrome

Pakistan and India : Ending hatred syndrome

Dr. Jassim Taqui

The unfortunate escalation of tension between Pakistan and India is due to many factors. However, I would single out “hatred” among the neighboring states as the most serious reason behind the continued deterioration of the bilateral relations. Extremists in both countries who are tiny minority are undoubtedly the culprits.

Hate creates a narrative of deep and extreme emotional dislike. Although hate is a social and cultural construction, it should be contained since it could cause  many disasters of immense magnitude.

Politicians in both countries are responsible for the spread of hatred just to satisfy their ego ; failing in the process to understand that such attitude is the main reason behind their miseries. Hatred creates anger,  animosity and hostilities towards both nations. It has extended to the fields of culture, arts, music and sports ; making the leadership of both countries a laughing stock and a target of humiliating ridicule.

One would suggest that the leaders of both regimes should address this problem through constructing an atmosphere of trust, confidence-building measures and  people-to- people contacts.

They should see themselves in the mirror and judge their policies: have they achieved anything good?

Execution Qadri :The minority Report

Execution Qadri :The minority Report

Dr. Jassim Taqui

The execution of Mumtaz Qadri has generated intense debate among various sections of the civil society. The issue is very sensitive and might destabilize the government. Hence questions were asked including the most pertinent one: Did the government take into account the fallout on its very survival given the fact that all religious parties and seminaries would continue agitation against it availing every opportunity to bring down the ruling regime?

How about radicalization of the moderate Barelvi sect who constitute the majority in Pakistan ? Didn’t the government perceive a threat from the majority ? By virtue of what an  opportunity  was given to the militants who were marginalized but suddenly they became relevant in the political scene?

While interacting with an intellectual, various motives were discussed. However, the intellectual came with a “ minority report” that he attained  through a brain-storming process. He surprised me with yet another twist in this episode . According to him, the government went ahead with the execution even as it could have postponed it because its obsession with executing Gen. Pervez Musharraf on charges of high treason. PML-N was only preparing the ground for the expected grand occasion in a bid to terrify the army by emulating  the Turkish model. 

An implicit message to the Military Establishment

An implicit message to the Military Establishment

Dr. Jassim Taqui

Radicals and fanatic people in Pakistan and Arab world should read carefully the 42-page book written by  the founder of Al-Qaeda Osama bin Laden. The book shows the inner thoughts of bin Laden and how he plotted to wage jihad against Pakistan. His thesis was that the US and India were plotting to divide Pakistan into 5 or 6 states. Hence he urged his followers to advance and capture the provinces of KP and Balochistan through suicide bombing against the Pak Army and security agencies.

He schemed also to destabilize the Indian front so as the Pak army would not come to the rescue of the troops deployed in KP and Balochistan. Evidently, Al-Qaeda was planning to seize the nuclear and strategic assets of Pakistan to spread a reign of terror and to destabilize not only South Asia but the whole world.

Releasing a book at a time of intense power struggle between the civilian and military is mind boggling. Evidently those who wanted to tame and weaken the armed forces of Pakistan are giving an implicit but clear message that the Military Establishment would lose Balochistan and KP if it continued with its policy of defying the US dictates of freezing the nuclear program. Stand assured that the message is well received and understood. 

France and green Pakistan

France and green Pakistan

From March 1st - 3rd, Mr. Pascal Pacaut, Director for the Asia Region at the French

Agency for Development (AFD) visited Pakistan on a three-day mission. He had the

opportunity to meet with the Minister for Climate Change and with representatives of the

Ministry of Planning, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Water and Power and the

Economic Affairs Division. He mainly discussed future AFD assistance strategy for Pakistan

and issues related to the implementation of the ongoing portfolio of projects.

He also met with funding partners to explore new opportunities of joint financing in

Pakistan.

The French Agency for Development, a public development bank owned by the French

government, finances projects in more than 90 countries on four continents. AFD started

operating in Pakistan in 2006 and has since committed more than 370M€, mainly for

investments in green energy, especially hydro electricity generation. AFD is, among others,

funding the rehabilitation of hydro power plants in Warsak, Dargaï, Chitral and the

construction of Jaggran II and Harpo power plants.

Two months after the Paris Climate Conference 2015 (COP21), France continues to

stress its support for a green and low-carbon development in Pakistan and extends its help to

address both the challenges posed by energy supply and climate change.

The Jakarta OIC Summit

The Jakarta OIC Summit

Dr. Jassim Taqui

All preparations have been finalized to hold OIC summit conference on March 6-7 in Jakarta. The conference would address six unresolved core issues on the dispute between Palestine and Israel. The issues pertain to: fixing the border, addressing the issue of over 4 million Palestinian refugees who live since 1947 beyond the country’s border, resolving the status of Jerusalem, ending the deteriorating living conditions of Palestinians in East Jerusalem and to discussing security measures in the region.

The summit will be attended by 56 member countries along with the representatives of the Quartet ( United States, Russia, UN and European Union), UN Security Council as well as observer countries.

The summit provides a unique opportunity to bring about a reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran on the basis of respecting Saudi territorial integrity, sovereignty and non-interference in its internal affairs.

One also hopes that serious efforts should be made to end the war in Yemen. In this regard, the OIC countries should establish a special fund to rescue the people of Yemen from starvation and untold miseries. The fund can also be used subsequently to reconstruct Yemen.

Ending the war in Yemen would consolidate the war on terror since ISIS and  Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) have exploited the war and establish their presence there , posing tremendous threat to regional and international peace and security.

U.S. and Pakistani Officials Inaugurate National Biocontrol Laboratory

U.S. and Pakistani Officials Inaugurate National Biocontrol Laboratory

Islamabad, March 3, 2016:  U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service Deputy Administrator Jocelyn Brown inaugurated the National Biocontrol Laboratory at the National Agricultural Research Center today.  The U.S. government provided technical assistance and equipment for the laboratory, which will conduct research to help farmers prevent pests from destroying their crops. 

“This new laboratory is an excellent example of governments and institutions working together to introduce new technologies and research capacity,” Deputy Administrator Brown said.  “The laboratory’s work will help farmers control harmful insects, reduce the use of chemicals for pest control, and create a safer food supply for Pakistanis.”   

Country Director of the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) Dr. Babar Bajwa and Acting Chairman of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council Dr. Nadeem Amjad participated in the ribbon-cutting with Deputy Administrator Brown.  

USDA collaborates with international and Pakistani organizations to strengthen Pakistan’s agricultural sector.  During her visit to Pakistan, Deputy Administrator Brown met with representatives from CABI, the United Nations World Food Programme, and the National Agricultural Research Center to discuss key achievements in Pakistani agriculture and ongoing collaborations. 

Deputy Administrator Brown, who served as a Peace Corps volunteer at the Northwest Frontier Province Agriculture University in Peshawar from 1988 to 1990, commented, “It is exciting to return to Pakistan and to see how our countries are working together to resolve challenging agricultural issues that affect our countries and the world.”

Japan and refugees

Japan  and refugees

Islamabad, 2 March 2016: The Government of Japan today announced a contribution of US$16 million in total to the UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and UN World Food Programme (WFP) to support Returnees in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

The Chargé d'Affaires ad interim of the Japanese Embassy in Pakistan, Mr. Junya Matsuura, and UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. Neil Buhne, made the announcement at the WFP office in Islamabad. Joint Secretary of SAFRON, Captain Retired Muhammad Tariq Hayat, UNDP Country Director (a.i.), Ms. Tracy Vienings, UNHCR Representative, Mr. Indrika Ratwatte, UNICEF Chief of Field Operations, Mr. Rahama Rihood Mohammed, and WFP Representative, Ms. Lola Castro, also attended.

The US$ 16 million consists of $US3 million for UNDP, $US 4 million for UNHCR, $US3 million for UNICEF and $US6 million for WFP. The details of these projects are as follows.

UNDP will help reinforce the local governance capacity to manage the recovery process while providing direct assistance to the affected people in the return areas of FATA by creating livelihood opportunities through vocational and business management trainings in order to provide the necessary skills to access employment opportunities after return. Furthermore, small scale cash for work activities to help rehabilitate community infrastructure and improve access to basic services will be undertaken along with technical support to returning communities to ensure safe rehabilitation practices. 

UNHCR will provide protection assistance and support the returnees to FATA as well as education, livelihoods and vocational training opportunities for Afghan refugee youth in the country along with protection and legal assistance interventions and health programmes. Pakistan has been the home to millions of Afghans for over 35 years. More than 3.9 million Afghan refugees have returned since 2002, 58,000 in 2015 alone. Some 1.5 million registered Afghan refugees still live in Pakistan.

The overarching objective of the UNICEF interventions is to provide an improved and equitable delivery of multi-sectoral interventions to support early recovery needs of returning population with special focus on women and children, in areas of their origin in FATA. The assistance will ensure that girls, boys and women have reliable access to safe drinking water and sanitation, knowledge of appropriate hygiene behavior, is improved, enrolment and retention of out of school children (girls and boys) in safer schools environments is enhanced and the nutritional status of girls, boys and women (pregnant and nursing) is protected from the effects of humanitarian crises.

WFP will assist FATA returnees during the initial stage of resettlement to enable a rapid start of livelihoods and nutrition activities for sustainable food security and to avoid nutrition deterioration and will support children’s access to education, especially of girls, enhancement of the learning environment and reduction of gender disparities, which will contribute to an increase in literacy rates in FATA. The social benefits of female education are substantial and are reflected in delaying marriage and pregnancy, improved nutrition for pregnant and nursing women as well as infants, and improved infant mortality rates. The assistance will further contribute to the re-establishment of communities thus creating social stability, a prerequisite for lasting peace in Pakistan overall and particularly in the border areas with volatile Afghanistan.

The Government of Japan has been supporting sustainable return of Temporally Displaced Persons (TDPs) and FATA rehabilitation as a part of its efforts to support the stability of the region near the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 2015, Japan also had granted 18.4 million USD to assist TDPs in KP, their host communities and returnees in FATA. Japan has been supporting Afghanistan including Afghan refugees in Pakistan since 2001.

Pedro nunez on disarmament.

Cuba demands total elimination of nuclear weapons

We live in an international situation characterized by serious threats to international peace and security, bloody wars and frequent terrorist acts. Exorbitant resources are spent on armaments, while it is stated that there are not enough to fight hunger, poverty and disease. Even the modest Millennium Development Goals were not reached. 

The 2030 Agenda provides a new opportunity to settle outstanding debts with the aspirations of progress and development for all mankind and not just for a few. Despite the majority claim, more than half a century after the destruction and suffering caused by the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the survival of humanity continues to be threatened by the existence of thousands of nuclear weapons, many of them ready to be used immediately. Cuba will continue to work tirelessly to change this unfair and unacceptable state of affairs. The human beings and the peoples have a legitimate right to live in peace in a world without nuclear weapons. 

The required progress in the field of disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation of weapons may not be achieved by applying unilateral measures or bilateral or regional agreements. Multilateralism and negotiated political solutions in multilateral organizations are essential, in accordance with the United Nations Charter. 

The Conference on Disarmament has an important mandate to fulfill. The challenges to achieve are not insurmountable. It is urgent that the Conference adopt a comprehensive and balanced work program taking into account the real priorities in disarmament.  Under that program, nuclear disarmament is a top priority for Cuba and most of the States. The prohibition and total elimination of nuclear weapons cannot remain an indefinitely postponed and conditional goal. Immediate concrete actions are required. We support the urgent start of multilateral negotiations for the early conclusion of a Convention providing for the prohibition and elimination of all nuclear weapons within a period of time. We are convinced that the Conference on Disarmament is prepared to negotiate multiple issues simultaneously.

In this context, in addition to a Convention on Nuclear Disarmament, we support the start of negotiations on this forum for a treaty banning an arms race in outer space; another that provides legally binding security assurances for non-nuclear-weapon States; and a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, and also covering stocks. 

The use or threat of use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances is a violation of the International Law and a crime against humanity. The programs of modernization of nuclear arsenals must be stopped and the role of such weapons in military doctrines and security policies must be eliminated. The only absolute guarantee against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is their total elimination. To preserve peace and for the sake of the survival of humanity it is our duty to ensure that nuclear weapons are not used again under any circumstances. The members of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), strengthened by its formal proclamation as a Zone of Peace, are firmly committed to nuclear disarmament as a priority. 

The many activities carried out on the planet every September 26, the “International Day for the total elimination of nuclear weapons," demonstrate the strong international support for nuclear disarmament. We call on all members of the Conference on Disarmament to work together constructively, by adopting far-reaching agreements on nuclear disarmament at the International High-Level Conference of the United Nations Conference on Nuclear Disarmament to be held no later than 2018. 

I conclude by reiterating the words of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro Ruz, to warn of the dangers of a nuclear conflagration and I quote: “No other era in human history is related in any way to this one. Certainly, if these risks are not understood by those who make decisions from the heights of the immense power that science and technology has placed in their hands, the next world war will be the last one”. 

Remarks of American Ambassador David Hale on Deaths of Two U.S. Mission Employees

Remarks of American Ambassador David Hale on Deaths of Two U.S. Mission Employees

Islamabad, March 02, 2016 -- Yesterday we suffered a terrible loss.  Two of our colleagues in Consulate General Peshawar, Abid Shah and Faisal Khan, died as a result of a terrorist attack.  They were an integral and valued part of the Embassy and Consulate team and family.  We are deeply saddened by their loss.

Faisal Khan was the senior-most Pakistani employee in Peshawar.  He joined the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) in 1998 and worked to reduce poppy cultivation in FATA.  He was instrumental in enabling the Government of Pakistan to eliminate poppy cultivation in several districts.    He was known for his great sense of humor, love of his work, and overall for being a wonderful person.  We join his wife, three daughters, and son in mourning his death.

Abid Shah joined the Consulate in Peshawar in 2009 as a Surveillance Detection Specialist.  When that program ended in 2012, he became a security escort and then joined the motorpool in 2014.  Abid Shah is one of eleven siblings, and leaves behind a wife and seven children.  Abid Shah was a family man of deep faith, always quick with a smile and a handshake.  We mourn his death, as well. 

These horrific killings remind us of the inherent dangers we all face in the course of our service, and especially of those faced by our local staff colleagues.  We all know and accept these risks because of the importance of the work we do.  The entire Mission team, and all of the U.S. agencies represented here, at all four of our posts, Pakistani and American alike and equally, display an extraordinary commitment to the Mission family and our work, despite these risks.  That makes me very proud.

Abid and Faisal were working for a better Pakistan.  They, as well as all of the INL staff in Peshawar, faced constant danger in their work, and they knew it.  Nonetheless, they were always enthusiastic and very proud of their achievements and contributions to Pakistan’s stability, made under the most difficult of circumstances. 

Our thoughts and hearts are with the families of Abid and Faisal.

The Revolution of the discontent

The Revolution of the discontent

Dr. Jassim Taqui

The spread of the massive corruption in Pakistan within the framework of globalization and exploitative capitalism has virtually ended the nation state. Presently, the Multinational Corporations have assumed the power of “Global Government,” which is heavily supported by the minority billionaires. This has resulted in the emergence of a class of discontent.

This phenomenon was prominently highlighted by the American economist John Kenneth Galbraith (1908-2006) in over a thousand of articles he wrote on the issue including some outstanding books on the subject especially The Affluent Society, American Capitalism and The New Industrial State.

Pakistan is witnessing the beginning of the revolution of the majority of the poor who are exploited by ruthless capitalists who insist on amassing huge wealth on the expense of the legitimate rights of the majority. Thus, the present unjust system is reversing democracy since the slim minority has become the natural ruler. The majority is increasing feeling that they have become slaves of the capitalist.

If the system continues with this policy of absolute power and  non-transparency, the discontent would start the revolution. 

Shahbaz Sharif follows Sufism

Shahbaz Sharif follows Sufism

Dr. Jassim Taqui

Following the decision of the Sharif brothers to execute Mumtaz Qadri, the Chief Minister of Punjab  Shahbaz Sharif (SS) started tweeting and posting statements in the Social Media according to which he would promote Sufism in Punjab. This is a tremendous change of  SS who ruled Punjab for over 30 years relying on the militant outfits including LeJ, SSP, ASWJ and even the Shiite Tehrik-e-Jafaria (renamed as Tehrik-e-Islami).

SS tended to even ignore LeT. In the process those militants enabled SS to tame all institutions of the state including police, judiciary, Election Commission, NAB, intelligence agencies and even political parties. SS turned to the media and purchased media houses and anchorpersons to mislead the people and cover his massive misuse of power. Ironically, what an anchorperson ears in one month today cannot be earned by a professional journalist who writes according to his conscious throughout his life.

 However, Pakistan had witnessed an unbelievable rise of Imran Khan-led PTI to challenge the Sharif brothers and the status quo. People, especially women, stood firmly behind PTI accusing the Sharif brothers of rigging the 2013 elections. In fact the 

Sharif brothers rigged all elections especially in Punjab.

However, one should give SS the benefit of the doubt on the basis of the notion let bygones be bygones. Still, SS is facing a tremendous challenge in his endeavor to follow Sufism. This can be illustrated by the following illustration of al-tariqua by the 

renowned Sufi Jalaludin Rumi:

What can I do, Muslims? I do not know myself.

I am no Christian, no Jew, no Magian, no Musulman.

Not of the East, not of the West. Not of the land, not of the sea.

Not of the Mine of Nature, not of the circling heavens,

Not of earth, not of water, not of air, not of fire;

Not of the throne, not of the ground, of existence, of being;

Not of India, China, Bulgaria, Saqseen;

Not of the kingdom of the Iraqs, or of Khorasan;

Not of this world or the next: of heaven or hell;

Not of Adam, Eve, the gardens of Paradise or Eden;

My place placeless, my trace traceless.

Neither body nor soul: all is the life of my Beloved.

I have put away duality: I have seen the Two worlds as one.

I desire One, I know One, I see One, I call One.

Can SS embrace al-tariqua by denying himself. Can he believe in Rumi’s famous doctrine, “You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop” ?