Jul2007

Jul31--Benazir accounts restored as a token to show military keen to move forward from its past of recriminations...military hopes her induction will end militant revolt..
Jul31--the Sc referred registrar objections to a bench in the Qazi hussain plea against a musharaf in uniform
Jul31--Even though a constitutional president has tobe elected by every new assembly musharaf bent upon being elected in uniform by present assembly... even if he takes off his uniform later his legitimacy will remain questionable...many hope that a new army chief will quickly show him the door and bring the system back to normal
Jul30--Benazir says no to a uniformed president as she talks about the threats of an islamist revolt as next meeting is rumoured in september...reported deal to include backing of from victimisation and a naked musharaf
Jul29--soldiers and policemen told to look like civilians off duty
Jul29--Neither operations nor massive killings will kill the suicide bombings said mullah aziz..authorities assume 600 missing jamia faridia students are trained bombers and that sixty controllers in tribal areas control them
Jul29--military regime to end two term primeministerial limit
Jul28--The national assembly has been summoned on monday to announce elections and an interim setup... according to the dawn the interim primeminister maybe Hamid nasir chatta...some mna's still want a few more months salary despite such abject failure...
Jul28--The US agreed to supply india nuclear fuel for US nuclear plants even in the eventuality of missile tests and nuclear tests...
Jul28--Balochistan govt spokesman Razik Bugti shot dead by car riding assasins...a brave man he never asked for security despite threats from the BLA and bugti militants...
Jul28--The US took the first steps of turning pakistan into an enemy state...by tying aid to progress on terrorism..musharaf was ridiculed by state deptt and presidential spokesmen who refused to rule out an invasion of pakistan by US troops or a strike at any supposed al qaeda hideout...
Jul28--a bomb blast in aabpara killed fourteen including seven policemen as the lal masjid fiasco took a new turn...the beige colored mosque was painted red by the namazis who refused to accept the government appointed mullah and asked for mullah aziz to return..two jummas took place one outside and one inside...as tear gas and clashes took place...the police raided the mosque and ended the second occupation...
Jul28--Benazir and musharaf met in abu dhabi and tried to sort out their differences which include the uniform and when she should return...the military wants her to forget the uniform and not return until after the elections...Dawn reports that musharaf has not been able to forget that the PPP was anti muhajir and seems to want her to stay away from teh country and the next elections...the PMLq is taking damage control steps if musharaf fails to convince the PPPP to let them govern despite a lack of any mandate...
Jul28--The national assembly has been summoned on monday to announce elections and an interim setup... according to the dawn the interim primeminister maybe Hamid nasir chatta...some mna's still want a few more months salary despite such abject failure...
Jul28--The US agreed to supply india nuclear fuel for US nuclear plants even in the eventuality of missile tests and nuclear tests...
Jul28--Balochistan govt spokesman Razik Bugti shot dead by car riding assasins...a brave man he never asked for security despite threats from the BLA and bugti militants...
Jul28--The US took the first steps of turning pakistan into an enemy state...by tying aid to progress on terrorism..musharaf was ridiculed by state deptt and presidential spokesmen who refused to rule out an invasion of pakistan by US troops or a strike at any supposed al qaeda hideout...
Jul28--a bomb blast in aabpara killed fourteen including seven policemen as the lal masjid fiasco took a new turn...the beige colored mosque was painted red by the namazis who refused to accept the government appointed mullah and asked for mullah aziz to return..two jummas took place one outside and one inside...as tear gas and clashes took place...the police raided the mosque and ended the second occupation...
Jul28--Benazir and musharaf met in abu dhabi and tried to sort out their differences which include the uniform and when she should return...the military wants her to forget the uniform and not return until after the elections...Dawn reports that musharaf has not been able to forget that the PPP was anti muhajir and seems to want her to stay away from teh country and the next elections...the PMLq is taking damage control steps if musharaf fails to convince the PPPP to let them govern despite a lack of any mandate...
Jul27--PPP and PMLn critisize each other over government contacts...both sides are close to the government with nawaz and benazir both having given promotions to musharaf...while nawaz sharif is said to have influence over PMLq followers who were once in his party...nawaz and benazir differ because they come from different provinces and have differing views about the musharaf regime..benazir exploring possibilities of a coalition with musharaf if he takes off his uniform while nawaz insists on a movement to topple the army and its supporters...both sides have changed teh views that they had in 1988...?
Jul27--as things worsened in miranshah and trouble spread to Bannu the army cutoff the routes between the two places and took over miranshah surrounding it and occupying its exchange...people flee as a confrontation looms...soldier killed in checpoint attacka nd two road side explosions in ashari gutt...
Jul27--The SC tells the EC to register all eligible voters irrespective of ID cards...
Jul27--anti terrorism is apparently a one way street..while the mullah in pakistan is liable tobe killed or caught...somebody in england who serves the interests of MI6 is free as long as he practices terrorism back home in the east...
Jul26--The dawn reports that shaukat aziz might be kicked out and shujaat hussain brought in...that would enable everybody to blame shaukat aziz for the regimes current problems and also possibly allow shujaat to control who becomes the next premier...shaukat aziz generally seen as a mild subordinate to musharaf has allowed musharaf to join him in sitting at the head of the cabinet...however shaukat aziz has calmed religious sentiments after lal masjid although he is blamed for allowing teh situation to get out of hand..shujaat seems to favour a one year extension for the the current system and an APC which might bring politicians closer...shujaat might also be able to bring in pervaiz elahi as the next premier who is known to eliminate opponents financially as in the hamid gul owned varan tours...many blame Benazir for allowing the PMLq to win with underhand ppp cooperation and she might be asking for the favour tobe returned..
Jul26--The SC might cancel elections until electoral rolls which have a whopping 20 million deficiencies...are rectified...3 million applications for changes in rolls..
jul26--barrage of rockets fired at bannu killing nine...rockets fired twice at one location
Jul26--in times of crisis a missile test is usually a diversion...pakistan tests a cruise missile but its effect is minimal as the pakistan army has lost almost all its prestige and supposed honesty of purpose especially in the political domain...
Jul26--a three member survey team including an engineer were killed in the zehri mountaneous area..
Jul26--The actionable intelligence pressure seems tobe working as two armed motorcyclists killed a former taleban commander near chaman..two uzbeks and a policeman were also shot dead near chaman..
Jul25--The pakistan army has taken total control over security actions in pakistan as the wobbly musharaf-PMlq regime falters and fumbles...Benazir Bhutto is attempting to move into the political vacuum created by taking a tougher stance aginst militancy, political seminaries,rigged elections and faulty electoral rolls.....
Jul25--negotiations between goverment sponsored tribal chiefs and the militants have ended in failure..
Jul25--many checposts were attacked in north waziristan...and the deptts of works and services in miranshah and town committee in datakhel were destroyed..many rockets were also fired at security services..two rangers soldiers kidnapped and killed in bajaur..
Jul25--The pakistan army added another luminary to the long list that it has eliminated...Abdullah mehsud a sort of famous retired one legged taleban militant blew himself up with a hand grenade when he was surrounded in a JUI politicians home in zhob...he apparently had just returned from afghansistan..The army seems to have no other solution to militancy but keep eliminating people that are fingered by afghanistan or teh US....abdullah acquired fame after fighting in afghanistan and being the former taleban head in north waziristan...
Jul25--The CIA had setup a fully manned operational base at tarbela according to the Dawn with predator remote controlled drones capable of firing missiles...The issue has been highlighted by US insistence that it has actionable intelligence...in the past such intelligence has been used to destroy several small seminaries and mosques and has been characterized as useless...The CIA reportedly also started a base in Dir and supposedly has numerous undercover people in waziristan including some in the taleban...such reports usually lead to the killing of supposed taleban leaders and bombing of supposed training camps in tribal territories...The military regime has often used US actionable evidence to eliminate politicians/taleban/revolutionaries/mullahs thru murder...
Jul24--demolition of the controversial bullet ridden Jamia Hafsa begins where thousands may have been killed by the pakistan army...no investigation has yet been ordered into the armies actions...
Jul24--Qazi hussein of the MMA resigns from parliament as it has just become a useless body...US says they have provided info on al qaeda bases which is difficult to believe...SC asks how so many lal masjid students vanished...115 are interrogated by MI in Adiala jail..
Jul24--militants warn pakistan army soldiers to quit or face further suicide attacks..they warned soldiers that they loved their salaries,nude posters,and liquor while suicide bombers loved death...they said that soldiers had become a slave to the US and the infidel musharaf and are traitors to their religion for food, clothes and shelter...
Jul24--conflict in north waziristan continues with attacks on convoys and checkposts..military says it killed 35 militants and two soldiers died in teh last two days...
Jul24--benazir bhutto moves SC on the huge numbers that are missing from the new electoral laws..it must be mentioned that the EC setup display centers far away from the areas of their listings and the form of getting an entry was extremely comp,licated...it should only contain name address and form of identification...
Jul23--railway line blownup near quetta...as exports of balochistans onion crop stop as 800 tons of onions donot arrive...
Jul23--lal masjid renovation almost complete...a three foot high beige outer wall and a greenish interior..a grade 12 khatib is being selected who will obviously have tobe offered some incentives given the situation...
Jul23--In the context of a Benazir-musharaf deal dawn contemplates musharaf's removal by the new army chief and even a coup as the pakistan armies reputation has been left grovelling in the dust by the events of recent weeks...a new modern army chief with no chip on his shoulder...younger, smarter and probably with more ability to deal with the americans and correct political problems generated by musharaf...musharaf many suggest has played his innings and should peacefully draft his own removal if does not want tobe kicked out by a coup or the new army chief...
jul23--at least two military convoys were attacked with the military firing on armed men entering from afghanistan...the pakistan army used cobra helicopters to attack escaping militants and pounded some hideouts ...militants also fired at the cobras...at least 13 are rumoured dead with at least six militants...a dispensary was also blownup..
Jul23--rumours about the Benazir Bhutto deal with musharaf are losing ground as benazir says such a deal would hurt her party with many opposed to military rule...many regard musharaf as floundering and attempting to get elected thru the current assemblies and than refusing to giveup the COAS position as he did before...Benazir will have to wait till december to see if musharaf turns up as an illegitimate civilian or continues as a rogue coup plotting COAS
Jul23--The musharaf regime its popularity reeling after the SC's CJ verdict and retaliations after the lal masjid fiasco is talking tough on americans willingness to attack supposed al qaeda safe havens in pakistan...rumours still on about what they did inside teh lal masjid...how they killed and murdered women and swept the floors clean of quranic material, bloodied dresses and bodies..the dump was discovered as buldozers tried to hide the evidence..how they vanished around a thousand students is also a guessing game...a headless body was recovered from the lal masjid which some mercenary soldier beheaded in the hopes it was ossama ben laden...for $50 million a pakistani soldier would do anything...military regime is calling the american stance on unilateral actions inside pakistan irresponsible and even they say that the repercussions would be disastrous...
Jul22--It is being suggested that the moderates are not fighting the extremists but it is the extremists versus the extremists...moderates never fight they only talk...
Jul22--In a story in dawn the army has offered to rig the elections for Benazir Bhutto...?...they suggest that Benazir Bhutto agreed to leave internal security and foreign affairs to teh army which is hard to believe...apparently she is only interested in a domestic agenda...!!!it also states that musharaf is battling militants who are trying to get a toehold when they are literally running many areas thru force and terror with the army surrounded and subdued in their mini cantonmements...The army of retired and serving generals and other officers who have been marginalized by musharaf may prefer the openness of a civilian ruler too..
Jul22--The man behind the lal masjid operation ejazul haq says he is starting to look for places to hide and has no plans to attack any other seminary whether it has weapons or not...? he is supposed to have said i advised an operation from the start and said that rebuilding mosques would be futile...
Jul22--The militants in north waziristan say they have retaliated against the army to seek revenge for the killings of mullah ghazi and his comrades...he called musharaf a tyrant and said the army, police and rangers had brutally killed unarmed men, women and children..he also said that the armymen killed in fights with the people cannot be called shaheeds or martyrs...
Jul22--the attacks on the army slowed down with only three checkposts blownup..
Jul22--The army-taleban agreement which had been working given the disastrous situation after it was cancelled..tribal chiefs and taleban working on a new working arranngement...Pakistan in what can be termed as telling Bush to shutup has rejected US allegations of a safe haven for the alqaeda in tribal territory...why pakistan must work to avoid an attack by a supposed ally is difficult for many to understand...if alqaedas top leadership is in pakistan it will be difficult to find them since strangers in tribal territory stick out like a sore thumb...and by now they must have started to look like locals...anyway the al qaeda leaders are little more than useless without any sort of communication network..since most of the attacks they planned have either taken place or fizzled out...
Jul21--imran kahan insists that musharafs moderate and extremist theme is a device to turn pakistan into a lebanon or iraq where everyone including the army, armed groups and civilians used military methods to achieve their goals...that destroyed lebanon and afghanistan and musharaf would be happy ifit happened in pakistan...musharaf must realize that and since he apparently seems unable to handle things an intyerim setup headed by the senate chairman might be the ideal way to move from military rule to a more democratic dispensation...The pakistan army has to realize that it cannot use its weapons against the people and against each other...they have to realize that they must function under the legal representatives of pakistan and an interim military system does not mean that it can continue indefinitely...
Jul21--it was quite a day apart from american threats... a suicide attack killed four in a attack on a checpost in miranshah...
Jul21--While bush wants to buy more time for his beleagured generals in iraq he insists that the pakistan army act quickly to destroy al qaeda otherwise he will act unilaterally...musharaf already in deep trouble is being offered american firepower...however unilateral actions and american involvement will destroy american credibility as there have been no operations in the USA from pakistan based al qaeda...and al qaeda is not directly threatening to pakistan...The US should relize that they should push for their ally to hand over power rather than indulge in further foolish war mongering...It was the al qaeda policy that terrorizing would help them achieve their goals...it should not become the tool and objective of democratic and even military regimes...
Jul21--In upper Dir three villages were devastated by a thunderstorm...lightening, a thunderstorm and flash floods have killed upto a hundred...
Jul21--The judiciary has stoodup for the first time in pakistan against a military ruler...The SC decision is being seen as a major achievement since it was spurred by a lawyers movement and literally open contempt for the judiciary by the pakistan army and its ruling clique...the reference was discredited, the process adopted by musharaf was clearly seen as malicious and unlawful....the military intelligence agencies were discredited...a single judge stood upto the military regime and won...while the CJ is not an ordinary person people were still able to smile at the militaries defeat...Justice Ramday in the end suggested that they were judges and not a trade union...hopefully the judges of the supreme court will also remember that justice is upto them and cannot be based only on the arguments that are delivered...musharaf whom many initially regarded as a different general who might like the muslim army chief in thailand hold elections and hand over power...he has proved himself tobe a power hungry person bent upon bending laws to fulfill one persons control and hold on power...while the politicians might be learning that they must handover power when the going gets tough and the mandate is never for a single person... musharaf is still bent upon hanging onto power despite being an obvious failure...
jul21--In what is being seen by many as the supreme court defending its turf the 13 judge panel threw out the musharaf reference and reinstated the CJ...while this is a show of some courage by the judges it has come at the price of over sixty lives and many hope that the SC will show its acumen in cases involving the military and the politicians in the future...the governments possible involvement in killings in karachi and islamabad maybe things that the supreme court may look into apart from individual freedoms and restoration of teh constitution and ending military governance...
Jul20--The government should make clear that it will break off relations wit
Jul20--The government should make clear that it will break off relations with the USA if it directly attacks pakistan or invades...such a scenario would mean war with the USA and a breakoff of the meaningless relationship that cooperates with the NATO activities in afghanistan...
Jul20--54 people died in the latest bombings by anti security(military/police/intellignec) militants in hub, hangu and kohat..militants apparently want to take over policing the country.....in hub a chinese van escaped as the suicide vehicle rammed into the escorting police van killing 30 including seven policemen with tremendous roadside damage...in hangu a suicide bomber blewup at the entrance of a police training center killing six including a policeman...in kohat a suicide bomber blewup inside a military mosque in the pathan military training center...the reasons could be other than religious militant activities but the tide is turning against the government that is unable to think of anything todo...many suggest a comprehensive ceasefire between the army and mlitants as talks pave the way for islamic measures which this government has overturned like the friday holiday...others suggest that the military consult militants on its islamic/ US policies and other interests that they might have such as afghanistan, iraq, kashmir...it is the present government policies that has icreasingly militarised the militants and made them turn against the military regime and their country...other suggestions include a comprehensive dialogue between politicians and the military to end military rule...the government seems frightened of even taking face saving measures in the CJ, lal masjid and karachi killings scenarios...
Jul19--pakistans economy looks tobe in dire straits when one notices the huge deficits...$10 billion in trade and Rs256 billion in the current account...
Jul19--Belatedly Justice ramday acknowledges that an army chief can be removed at any time ..even during a war
Jul19--two US spies or pakistan army spies shot dead in bahaur...while a barber shop blownup in mohmand...
Jul19--musharaf trying to project worsening situation as a fight between moderates and extremists...unfortunately so many disparate groups seem involved that the situation can only be controlled by removing musharaf as he has shown a remarkable lack of ability in dealing with teh situation...the responsibility is that of the government that has caused the situation and that has to deal with it...peoples support when they have little or no say in governance hardly matters...the people are in the middle..the army and extremists both threaten them with weapons...
Jul19--musharaf seems to think that he alone can fight militancy...under him militants have shown surprising success and tenacity...there are reports that the pakistan army and interior ministry are possibly involved in bombings especially the one at the CJ's islamabad gathering in which eight PPP walas were also killed...many regard musharaf as one of the reasons for militancy as he is an illegitimate ruler and unable to deal with things without guns and fighting...his continuation in a similar mode is going to have disastrous consequences as the present environment shows...supposedly he works for the americans who show a total disdain for him and have been threatening to bomb targets inside pakistan...pakistan army must do something about him as he causes half the trouble...
Jul19--34 killed as pakistan army clashes with militants in Ghazlamai and Mir ali..military convoy ambushed in ghazlamai killing 17 soldiers and 12 militants...in mir ali the militants lost 5...pakistan army usually exxagerates opposition casaulties...in garam chasma a road side bomb killed three civilians and a soldier..as the convoy retaliated army soldiers shot and wounded a kid swimming in teh area...rockets fired at paramilitary fort in miranshah..an explosive device went off outside a tribal maliks home..and pro govt militants captured a suicide bomber...
Jul18--Police van bombed in timergarha..
Jul18--The military lawyers have been unable to explain teh sudden SJC meeting in the dead of the night and its actions on March 9 and related events despite close questioning by Justice Ramday...
Jul18--As the PMLq refuses to provide tickets many groups of the turncoat biradri and former PPP supporters are turning back to the PPP fold in punjabs rural areas...Shah Mahmood Qureshi if he succeeds could be the next chief minister of punjab...
Jul18--In north waziristan a suicide bomber on foot blew himself up at a checkpoint in mirali killing three soldiers...as authorities tried to bring the militants back to the ceasefire agreement...militants have upto now refused because of a lack of sincerity on the part of the musharaf regime as demonstarted in the lal masjid fiasco...
Jul18--In what is being seen as an attack on the people rather than a typical militant/al qaeda attack a suicide bomber blewup at the islamabad district courts where the CJ was about to visit a lawyers convention...17 killed , 45 wounded...it has similarities to those killed in the CJ's visit to karachi...many doubt whether the mqm is involved in suicide bombings...it looks more like the work of political opponents of teh CJ who are a varied group...including the mqm, musharaf and the PMlq...it took place in teh PPP camp and many suggest that Benazirs support of the military regime in the lal masjid could also be the inspiration...reports suggest that there are five to six lal masjid affiliated suicide bombers in punjab...many also suggest that suicide bombers could possibly be turning mercenary...
Jul17--local taleban set on fire 18 shops selling illicit drugs in an area of darra adamkhel...
Jul17--Nwfp chief minister says that the NSC only okayed limited use of force in nwfp and that too under the directions of DPO's..
Jul11--Elections under the present regime are always going tobe a farce and declaring an emergency or delaying them hardly matters as the government has been hurtling thru one crisis after another and using all emergency powers without referring anything to parliament whether it is the use of military forces or negotiations with india...
Jul17--The military regime has withdrawn the allegations of judicial misconduct from the CJ reference leaving only the matter of his soliciting a job for his son in FIA..?...since that involves shaukat aziz's supposedly granting a favour and thus becoming a coaccused...with little left in teh case the SC must now wind it up and end the governmental farce aginst teh judiciary...
Jul17--SHO's in the capital are to surround police stations with barbed wire with sandbagged machine gun encampments on the roof...The pakistan army and police are now probably more in need of protection than the karachiites...army officers already isolated in the country are being advised to further distance themselves from the people...the army seems tobe of the view that enjoying life in cantonements is their right rather than being on the borders with afghanistan...maybe that needs to change and the army had better start earning their living...?
Jul17--The cruelty of the pakistan army is legendary...we used to question what they did in east pakistan,jordan, balochistan, sindh, karachi and now it has happened right in the capital...apparently they could not handle an old woman who refused to open her door...they broke down the doors and killed the unarmed women..they also killed children as they ran out onto the courtyard...!!...the lal masjid mullahs were right when they said army attacks on the lal masjid would spark suicide bombers...
Jul16-- The potential for fireworks in waziristan increased as the taleban scrapped the deal after what they said were pakistan army attacks in saidgai, dwa tui,peryat and gudai wala
Jul16--The suicide attacks in swat apparently three in number were the most devastating...two cars detonated against a military bus/convoy while a motorcycle bomb also went off in the same area...21 people died and many houses and shops were blownup...In DI khan an open air police recruiting center was blownup killing 12 policemen and 16 recruits...
Jul16--The impression being created that troops are being moved into nwfp might be erroneous as nwfp is the hub of armed forces training centers...however the militaries people on the ground in nwfp seem inadequately trained and equipped...troops battle hardened in karachi and islamabad have been sent in as reinforcements...many suggest that at least two more corps should be moved in between the peshawar and quetta corps just to check the long border with afghanistan...pakistani press reports that they are going to use remote sensing/reporting aircraft seems tobe false as only the USA has such capabilities...
Jul16--iraq looked like a peaceful country as militant suicide bombers struck in swat and di khan killing over 50 mostly policemen and soldiers...four cars and several houses were blown up in matta as a suicide attack on a military convoy killed over a dozen and injured numerous others...In di khan 26 died as a suicide bomber struck a police lines recruitment center...the army had upped the ante in swat encircling the kanju township and their was concern in nwfp about military operations and the lal masjid scenario...the musharaf regime has only one option and that is to downgrade its strange relationship with the USA without which there will be no peace...pakistan has brought terrorism home from the USA and afghanistan..and it is going to be difficult to control without policy changes...denouncing such actions are not going tobe effective given the huge difference in perceptions between the people and government...and obviously our police system is ineffective as it seems tobe based more on propaganda than hard work...and the militant is usually much more indoctrinated than the policeman...
Jul15--Apparently the convoy attacked consisted of troops that were involved in the lal masjid debacle...!!
jul15--militant groups in the tirah valley the lashkar e islam and the ansar e islam fought pitched battles killing over nine...
Jul15--An FC man was killed in turbat while three other FC bodies were handed over by the iranians...
Jul15--In what is being seen as the pakistan armies brutality at least seven children and 9 girls were killed in the lal masjid mostly due to uncontrolled and needless violence..alongwith abdul rashid ghazis mother who was killed alone in her house...the Ministry of interior says at least ten foreigners were also killed...some say they were murdered after they could not read an urdu newspaper...
Jul15--As the pakistan army started moving a huge numebr of troops armed with long range artillery into north waziristan the militants struck...24 soldiers were killed near razmak as a suicide car rammed into a huge convoy...there is some outrage in nwfp at troops being moved in from the punjab...There were several other minor incidents alongwith a failed car bombing outside the askari bank in peshawar...there was a firing at a military checkpost...rockets were fired at the malakand university in chakdara where 2000 troops are being housed..an army vehicle blewup near bannu airport...almost 30 people have died in nwfp since the lal masjid fiasco in various incidents...
Jul14--The PMLq government in islamabad rigged teh autopsy of kafila siddiqui to save there man from murder charges..the second autopsy apparently shows that she had many unexplained bruises as well as a window cut out of her head...
Jul14--many are suggesting an anwar sadat like revenge action...pakistan army is being warned that most of the bigger seminaries are well armed and that it should organize precautionary searches in karachi, nwfp and lahore..
Jul14--It seems that the lal masjid operation took place a day or two earlier than actual announcements and the PMLq was negotiating with a dead man for propaganda purposes.....?
Jul14--over 6000 villages affected by floods in sindh and balochistan and over 340 killed in three provinces with 150 missing...
Jul14--troops have started patrolling in battagram and swat after incidents of violence and protest activities increased...
Jul14--three tribal leaders shot dead in north waziristan as taleban announce enforcement of sharia in bajaur...
Jul14--mullahs all over the country prayed for the lal masjid dead and critisized the military actions as crazy and unnecessary...a mullah in rawalpindi was thrown out of the mosque for not mentioning the lal masjid fiasco...mullahs also questioned the governments propaganda surrounding the incident and said that most of the arsenal shown to the media did not belong to the lal masjid...
Jul14--The pakistan army killed upto 25 women and children in their lal masjid ferocious assault...It seems to have been unnecessary as the lal masjid militants really were not trained to fight...They did not even use their arsenal...and dawn reports suggest that intelligence was aware that they had weapons for more than a year but did nothing as the mullahs were closely associated with government and military figures for the last four decades...how the weapons travelled all the way from afghanistan into teh capitals mosque without interference is a reflection of teh current military governments worsening reputation...
Jul13--flood situation worsening in upper sindh..
Jul13--the government is using benazir bhuttos favourable reaction while the press and others are mocking the attitude...benazir has also called for a judicial probe into the fiasco which according to maulana fazlur rehman was covered up to hide the deaths of 400-1000 students..
Jul13--talal bugti says hawks in the army sabotaged the lal masjid talks even though many suggest that chaudhry shujaat gave the green light for the army to move in...he said it was similar to what happened in dera bugti...he pointed out the pakistan armies contradictory roles in appointing a man as governor sindh who was wanted in 72 cases..but killing nawab bugti, abdul rashid ghazi, zulfikar ali bhutto and murtaza ali bhutto......
Jul13--The SC has stayed the sale of the PSO
Jul13--there have been several retaliatory reactions to lal masjid...the army had to move into batagram and alai regions and positioned on hilltops to reopen the karakaram highway blocked for the last five days...two suicide attacks in miramshah and mingora killed seven including 3 policemen...
Jul13--despite suggestions of peaceful intentions pakistans extremely violent army and religious community might soon be at loggerheads on a bigger scale...people are suggesting that the lal masjid and over sixty terrorist incidents over teh last three years could disintegrate pakistan into a lesser version of iraq...the madrassa's all over pakistan now feel that they too might one day be defending themselvers...the lal masjid folks apparently were very nice and did not use any of their real armaments against the pakistan army... they could have fired everything at them and escaped innto the night...even though many suggest that army trucks brought in the armaments for journalists viewing after the fact...
Jul13--The pakistan army has tried to show a clean jamia hafsa which suggests that immense cruelty was perpretrated on those killed...the number of killed according to the pakistan army around 102...that leaves a huge number of missing students who probably fled the violence...the army showed little respect for the mosque and walked in with boots and the charred entrance of lal masjid and chipped minarets show the ferocity of their attacks...it tooke teh army over two days to clean it up...
Jul13--in what is being seen as the first major in country army redeployment one to two corps are being shifted from the placid punjab to the volatile regions of nwfp...troops are being moved into swat, lower dir,di khan, lakki marwat and bannu the border and volatile regions of nwfp as well as north waziristan...upto now the army has been slow to address civilian concerns insisting on planning and spending time in their posh cantonements...when viewed just visually the army looks well fed, endowed with huge financial resources and doing nothing since going nuclear...the army will now move quickly to address the concerns in the much lesser developed civilian areas in pakistan..
Jul12--the army was sent in to the lal masjid to wipe them all out...They did not want anyone left alive...the pakistan armies attitude has been questionable from the start...first they did not come in than when they did they took a long time...much longer than necessary...waiting for orders from the USA one assumes...others suggest that the musharaf regime agreed to kill its entire lal masjid terrorist group for two old f-16's...other rumours suggest that the army controllers had already eliminated the militants before the regular pakistan army moved in...??still others suggest that an SSG group had already wiped them out before the army got orders to move their butts...???
Jul12--The impression created is that pakistan army is willing to attack mosques, seminaries and kill women, taleban and clerics to achieve its ends to suppress any opposition to US sponsored military rule and their related policies...the only people left smiling are pakistan army soldiers..many question why the SSG could not mount a quick surgical strike to takeout the mosques leaders quickly...the controversy surrounding the death of col haroon islam was further mired in doubt when the army suggested that they needed a colonel to go and plant explosives to blow up a wall...total poppycock...
Jul12--The supreme court has ordered that arguments in the cJ case be ended by the 20th suggesting that elections might be announced soon to save the shatkat aziz -musharaf regime from further embarassments...
Jul12--lal masjid cleric abdul rashid ghazi has almost achieved hero status and has been buried in his home village in rojhan marri in almost a style similar to the judicial murder of zulfikar ali bhutto...in that case too the pakistan army had killed zulfikar ali bhutto in rawalpindi jail which was surrounded by the pakistan army and hurridly buried to avoid reactions...the supreme court had to intervene to provide passage to rashids sisters and family particiapation in the burial
Jul12-- a grand democratic alliance has been formed by opposition groups minus teh PPP in london talks...
jul12--reports suggest that the pakistan army is hiding facts saying that 73 were killed and 86 surrendered..dawn reports suggest that jamia hafsa is littered with bodies covered with white shrouds suggesting that numerous women had been killed by the pakistan army...confusion of burials etc...with police checking identities of some killed militants
Jul11--bothe jamia hafsa and jamia fareedia the seminaries at the forefront of the lal masjid fiasco tobe closed and probably demolished...
Jul11--In what was a surprise for many Benazir bhutto credited for creating the taleban movement in afghanistan came out in support of musharaf's actions in the lal masjid...she called it a terrorist headquarters and many surmised that she had been misinformed..she however also critisized the regime for allowing such things to happen in teh countries capital...no other opposition leader barring altaf has praised musharaf for his actions in the matter...sindh seems tobe on one side and the rest of teh country on the other...!!
Jul11--in reactions to the lal masjid fiasco a soldier and 13 security personnel were injured in nwfp and tribal areas...gun wielding people blocked the karakoram highway..fired on vehicular traffic..ngo offices set on fire in batagarm
Jul11--mystery shrouded pakistan army operations inside jamia hafsa as trigger happy army soldiers killed at will women and militants who showed any resistance...of the ruling lal masjid family the mother and deputy cleric abdul rashid killed...
Jul11--Early in the morning musharaf rejected an agreement between his henchmen and the lal masjid...the army was ordered in at 4 in the morning...all day they pounded the jamia hafsa with small gun fire and blew up resistance with explosives...killing and wounding a huge number of people numbering around 300 according to some reports..about fifty surrendered while abdul rashid ghazi died the death that he preferred...fighting the corrupt and unislamic pakistan army..coincidently the airforce garrison cinema in rawalpindi was showing a new indian film...suppress and torture the people and enlighten the world...
Jul10--The mqm minister safwanullah reportedly considered rich and corrupt has resigned as minister of housing on party orders...
Jul10--A dying government has been dragged back to attempt a last minute resolution of the Lal masjid rebellion which it has festered into a wound...The crusaders of god have been attacked by the pakistan army, police, rangers, SSG and government...The SC also ordered talks...musharaf who had yesterday threatened to kill all of them backtracked and urged a peaceful solution...Musharaf has been little better than a tyrant or saddam in his cruel suppressions in balochistan, north waziristan and involvement in numerous deaths in kargil and karachi...shujaat who could not implement an agreement between him and the lal masjid earlier attempted another loud speaker negotiations...frightened of going into the mosque themselves they used a liason or go between...shujaat has a deserved reputation of being the benign face of the ruthless military regime..the frontman whom people know will be followed by death and destruction...the man who broke away PPP and independent members and forged a coalition between them and unlikely allies like the mqm and the defunct NA to serve a coup plotter...
Jul10--A mini summit between opposition leaders might study the effects of the lal masjid fiasco and their campaign against military rule...with the possibility of the MMA agreeing to step down from the balochistan cabinet and dissolving the nwfp assembly a greater unity might be possible...?
Jul0--militants blew up a power transmission line in kohlu...
jul9--many have urged the multi policy(policies change by the minute)--darpok(cowardice prone0--brainless PMLq-military government to make a permanent peace with the lal masjid rebels on the pattern of north waziristan...they are also students and teachers just like other schools of pakistan...many dont understand that the word taleban means students...
Jul9--Bajaur levies jeep hits a roadside bomb..one killed
Jul9--Three chinese killed in a slaughter house in peshawar...the chinese involved in export of hides and turtles...!
Jul9--pakistan army again occupies positions in north waziristan...
Jul9--The london APC came out with a mild declaration asking musharaf to resign, supported the 1973 constitution and blamed the MQM for teh violence in karachi..apart from opposing the islamabad GHQ, supporting the baloch struggle, provincial autonomy, release of all prisoners of conscience and to oppose military rule and dictatorship collectively...almost all parties had their viewpoints accomodated
Jul9--many suggest that those remaining in side the lal masjid might include a few battle hardened jihadis who were former allies of the pakistan army...
Jul9--government and military intelligence seem to have created an inflated fearful picture of the threat from those inside teh lal masjid...upto now there is no evidence of suicide bombers or rocket launchers...the guns are said tobe no more than a dozen...so what is teh pakistan army frightened off...apparently gunship helicopters are keeping a watch for ghazi rasheed ...if he appears he will be blown to kingdom come...when they have already started firing on the mosque complex they will probably pinpoint a location for the cleric and start lauching cobra rockets...since they are aware that an infantry assault will result in casualties that might get musharaf fired...others suggest that the possibility of mines frightens the pakistan army and the assault will come from the air...
Jul9--An SSG commander killed in lal masjid action...some say he was involved in an abortive raid others say he was walking around without a flak jacket...or blown up in a mine
Jul8--The APC in london took off without any hope of a real outcome...musharaf on the other hand said that those not willing to work under the pakistan armies leadership were not welcome in his brand of politics...The APC is left with very little except to either boycott the elections or do something about musharaf in real terms...
Jul8--The lal masjid standoff is causing the government and pakistan army enough harm...the army is seen as unable or incapable to handle a small situation in a developed city..others see it as a deliberate attempt at prolonging a situation which could have been easily solved if the senior officialdom had not become frightened...there were reports of the death of a pakistan army officer from a stray bullet...musharaf on the other hand threatened to kill those remaining in lal masjid thus killing the PMLq propaganda that they did want further bloodshed...
Jul7--The lal masjid standoff continued with the pakistan army slowly breaking away pieces of the mosque with intermittent firece exchanges of firing and two explosions...radical cleric rashid ghazi and his militants refused to giveup despite pleas by outsiders.....
Jul7--In what can be described as an amateurish attempt on musharaf his plane was in the air when a loud burst of aerial firing from an LMG or anticraft gun were heard in the locality of asghar mall...military intelligence remnoved three guns and a few suitcases from the empty house...that caused an intense security buildup along the sharea faisal in karachi that evening...musharaf even though he has escaped much more serious attempts before would at best consider it a warning to go home for good...
Jul7--The much awaited APC in london starts
Jul7--militant retaliations seemed to takecenter stage..In chakdara a bomb on a cycle blewup a military vehicle killing two officers and two soldiers...in mingora four policemen injured in an ambush...six die in a tribal attempt to save a military officer from kidnappers...four kidnappers and two tribal volunteers died...
Jul6--The lal masjid standoff continued with many unable to understand why government employed clerics had been allowed such leeway...government policy and the feeble attempts by the pakistani police and army seemed to show a paucity of training and ability in handling such situations...it is the military running of teh country that actually allowed such seminaries to be established and go out of control...some taleban tried to escape but were captured..many suggest that many girl students were killed last night in escape attempts while the pakistan army flew cobra sorties all day and many shells have been fired at the mosque causing damage...the administration refused safe passage to the remaining students..pakistani army commandos could easily have raided the mosque and ended the standoff...the latest news suggests that the students have around a dozen kalashnikovs...the ISI staged an interview on state television of the arrested cleric and apparently he was talked to in a derogatory and repulsive manner despite his cooperation...using a burqa as a camouflage is nothing new...many suggest that the huge resources used to fund and train the pakistan army/rangers/police are a total waste if they cannot handle such a situation quickly without so many casaulties...
Jul6--four rockets fired at khyber rifles base in landi kotal...Four policemen killed on teh outskirts of peshawar and a policeman died in a blast in dera allahyar...
Jul6--militants in the troubled waziristan vowed revenge for the government attacks on the lal masjid...
Jul6--gas supply to quetta and surrounding areas restored after eight days...
Jul6--Justice Ramday suggests that the SC verdict on the CJ removal reference would be historic...people suggest that the only historic outcome would be declaring the involvement of the pakistan army, its intelligence organisations and teh army chief in governance as illegal...raising the stature of the CJ to that of the president and the army chief might be another option...and ending all executive/state/administration attempts to remove judges could be another...
Jul5--In what seemed something of an anti climax over a thousand students of the lal masjid schools surrendered after teh government cutoff electricity and food and threatened to blow up the lal masjid...The radical cleric who had been pushed into a corner by the regime also tried to escape but was captured in a burqa..the west has long considered the islamic burqa and head scarves as security risks.....The PMlq showed its anti islamic nature by ridiculing the religious students and their cleric and the burqa as well as many islamic concepts and surprisingly supported chinese prostitution as well...over twenty people died in the fierce exchange of firing including over 15 students...the Pmlq suggestions that they were against bloodshed rang hollow as they killed students which included many girls..the mosques defiance of the countries military led regime however continued under the deputy cleric...
Jul5--the mqm trying to pursue an unimaginable liberal image fired their own cleric aamer liaqat who allegedly advocated bloodshed in the lal masjid standoff according to altaf's previous policy...aamer liaqat resigned from the national assembly...he was state minister for religion...in one television program he had justified the killing of people by the mqm in their no go zones...the mqm had earlier advocated harsh action against teh lal masjid cleric...
Jul5--the road link between karachi and quetta was restored as the balochis affected by the disasater suffered further in various areas...
Jul5--Shadadkot started to evacuate as breaches in canals and nullahs threatened to inundate it..
Jul5--two blasts rocked pasni and bostan in balochistan..in bannu a suicide bomber ran his car into a military truck killing six soldiers and four others...things hotted up in swat with a mortar attack on a police station, a policeman shot dead and a roadside bomb blew up a police vehicle...The police attack on the lal masjid seems to have caused some retaliations in other militant dominated areas..
Jul5--in what can only be regarded as a ridiculous defence musharaf's lawyer suggested that musharaf lacks the capacity/capability to form a personal opinion and he just pushed a reference prepared by the shaukat aziz without any thought and they probably just jokingly tried to threaten/force the CJ to resign...the reference was obviously prepared after their interrogation style behaviour with the CJ and keeping him incarcerated and than stripping him of the flags and suspending his judicial position...
Jul5--six more missing persons traced from intelligence safehouses...
Jul4--In what is the worst example of military governance in pakistan after their handling of north waziristan and balochistan.....the lal masjid standoff boiled over as police firing of tear gas shells at a womens demo and an attack by students on government offices nearby led to fierce day long clashes with 11 dead...ambulances shuttled all day long and firing continued until 2am when the military took over and announced a curfew...The standoff seems to have been caused by a stalling in the governance process with the military refusing to handle civilian riots and shaukat aziz as usual trying to float without making a decision...the conflict between musharaf and the pakistan army was eventually resolved and the lal masjid defiance of a corrupt and unislamic government might be nearing an end...The military gave an ultimatum for surrender which has passed...the students attacked a nearby government office setting it on fire and protests against the government were reported from some areas...many suggest that the musharaf regime is a dead government and should be replaced by caretakers until the elections...
Jul4--Farida Khanum sings in Srinagar...
Jul4--the judges in the SC after some aggression calmed down and moved towards the government position...Justice Ramday said that many judges were removed arbitrarily in the past ...many suggest however that they usually caved in to government pressures...the government attitude surrounding the reference is still questionable and many suggest that CJ should be restored whose only fault is some anti government decisions...
Jul4--in balochistan the rains eased but problems of flooding increased in jafarabd and nasirabad...communications and other services remained suspended...shahdadkot in sindh in danger of being flooded
Jul4--The controversial electoral rolls will remain on display till the 18th after musharaf backed of and issued a new ordinance empowering teh CEC to do so..most people still unaware where the rolls are displayed..
Jul3--The lal masjid standoff moving towards bloodshed as rangers trying to isolate and surround teh area...over 2000 rangers and police commandos in teh area belying government claims that they are not going to initiate action...both sides have some sort of weapons...government says that it will try to restrict any further taleban style moralistic actions while the lal masjid has warned the massage centers and say they will continue their raids..
Jul3--soldier killed in waziristan
Jul3--situation in balochistan still very grave as thousands are marooned in balochistan and sindh...The kachi plains devastated in blochistan and thousands marooned in mining areas as coal mines are flooded...two sections of the makran coastal highway have been washed away...repair work seems tobe again disregarding the physical situation generated...
Jul3--In what is being described as the most disgraceful act of the musharaf regime the government filed scandalous and mischievous documents against the CJ and several judges..The court expressed its anger by fining teh federation and suspending a government lawyer and throwing out the alleged report...The court in a defining moment also asked all military intelligence agencies to leave the court and stop bugging teh court and their private lives...The MI and ISI have lost considerable prestige already...they are accused of deliberately creating scandalous materials against judges to serve one single person teh military chief...The job of the ISI and MI is specific and their job is not to protect musharaf but to work in teh sphere of military and strategic intelligence gathering...why they have been involved in civilian systems and supposed police work and against government opponents is teh militaries biggest failure...MI/ISI has long been used to spreading distrust about non military systems by spreading propaganda against politicians and civilians and propagating military personnel...
Jul2--musharaf seems tobe an idiot who is unable to understand the constitutional process and the reasonings of legitimacy and unnecessary changes in the constitution which changes the system of governance irrepairably...the military chief cannot under any circumstances become a legal chief executive of teh country whatever he may do and a military controlled legislature is also not authorized to make silly changes in teh constitution to serve a military individual ...The military only supposed group who can change the process towards democracy or people oriented rule...
Jul2--in these times of trouble this thoughtless military sponsored regime government is moving to create further difficulties by raising gas and electricity prices...
Jul2--widespread losess in 15 calamity hit districts of balochistan..breaches in sindh bundhs inundated vast areas in qambar-shadatkot..balochistan districts turbat, gwadar, nasirabad, jafarabad, jhal magsi, bolan, kharan, khuzdar, wushak and naushki badly affected...in the nal area of khuzdar entire villages have been washed away...
Jul1--lal masjid putting up sandbags but many doubt their ability to block a real rangers/army/police invasion...although bloodshed is an almost foregone conclusion the administration can still solve the issues without that...many think that the shaukat aziz governments flailing attempts in all directions should result in there abdication from government...a caretaker might be able to handle things better...
Jul1--musharafs repeated appearances at PMLq rallies has been described as improper by teh chief election commissioner after teh MMA complained...
Jul1--three explosions rocked kalat and khuzdar and peshawar
Jul1-- a glacier broke loose in chitral leaving villagers stranded as it buried several houses...floods affected landi kotal and many areas in the mansehra/battagram region were blocked by landslides..
Jul1--In the larkana region over 400 villages were flooded after rainwater from balochistan swept away many protective bandhs...
Jul1--The situation worsened in balochistan with over 300 deaths and a mediocre relief effort...problems worsened in jhal magsi and khuzdar with problem ridden other areas such as nasirabad, jafarabad, kharan, wushak and kalat...electricity,train services and gas supply could not be restored...helicopters only means of transport..breaking dykes, hill torrents, earlier flooding and overflowing dams still a problem...RCD highway washed away at bela...
jul1--after the corp commanders accepted defeat the taliban started to control many areas in Fata and nwfp..Fata which is federally administered had upto now been managed by the nwfp governor and political agents..control had shifted to and from the corp commander peshawar and the governor..aurakzai too could not control things...and now a home secretary for fata has been appointed who will try to control things thru three regional coordinators...The federation should move to provincilize FATA and appoint a complete administration and police system there...that is the only real option...