Army rules Pakistan. Is Zardari capable of taking on  Pakistan Army and ISI ? Zardari,  literally speaking has come on the scene only yesterday. He has in addition the blot of being highly corrupt. Political parties depend upon ISI and Politicians on army support for survival.

Army in Pakistan is a force to reckon with. In fact the only cohesive force. ( LeT, Taliban Jaishe Mohammed and other terrorist organizations  are forces, but can in no way be termed cohesive)

Democracy has not been able to take root in Pakistan. You only have to take note of the fact that not one of the head of government has ever died a peaceful death at home in Pakistan.

       Iskandar Mirza was among the first presidents to go to London and be in exile. Musharraf their last president is in still in  exile in London. There is a warrant of arrest for him. Nawaz Sharif was in exile for a long time and managed to come back after supplicating with the Pakistan Army. His predecessor Benazir Bhutto was in exile , once again in London for long before the army under Musharraf allowed her to come home and meet a tragic end.

     Right now the bonhomie between the US and the Pakistan Army is at a low ebb. That must have encouraged Zardari to approach  Mullen in US warning him of another takeover by the military.

Zardari clearly under-estimated the deep bonds that Pakistan Army and ISI had and continue to have in the US defense circles CIA and the State Department.

 General Kayani is fully aware that Zardari is no match for the army. He is only a civilian mask, to the real power in Pakistan. He is also the fall boy. Kayani appears to have learned from Musharraff Sharief episode. Why take over and create a circumstance like his predecessor Musharraf did in deposing an elected government under Nawaz Sharief ? Pakistan became a pariah among democratic nations, and was even thrown out of Commonwealth. It took Musharraf nearly two years to get some legitimacy and be acknowledged as head of government in Pakistan.

Chidambaram

In Bad Company ?  A case of ‘Vinasha kale Vipareeta Buddhi’ ?

     Chidambaram had by and large been above controversies – till recently.

      Suddenly skeletons are tumbling out of the cupboard.

Has hes lost his moral high ground, and is he on the same level as any venal politician?

1.            The case against his election to the current Lok Sabha is already under cloud. Ms Jayalalithaa, has openly accused him of manipulation. The delays in the courts have allowed him to retain his seat as a member of Lok Sabha.

2.            His association with Raja to determine the spectrum price and procedure in the  2G case must be giving him sleepless nights, with frightening visions of Subramanian Swamy in his dreams. Swamy has managed to unearth a great deal of evidence to indicate that Chidambaram had prior knowledge of Raja’s plans. Not that Raja could have carried out such large scale fraud so boldly on the nation with out knowledge and acceptance from the PM and the then FM. The attitude of the Congress government towards the scam, the clean chit given by the PM Manmohan Sing to Raja, the statement by Sibal that there is no loss in the 2G spectrum scam clearly  indicate a conspiracy, of silence initially, followed by almost successful attempts to scuttle any investigation by the CBI. It was only after the Supreme Court stepped in that the CBI moved in the 2 G scam case.  The role played by Chidambaram in the 2g scam is becoming difficult to accept. He was a party to the scam willingly or unwillingly under pressure from DMK  and Congress ?

3. Midnight raid  on innocents :The brutal and uncivilized  action by the Delhi Police action at midnight against Swami Ramdev and his disciples ( many were women and aged citizens) was a reminder of colonial days. It was more of an action on the lines of Communists and Nazis, than that of a civilized state. It is known to all that DP comes under the center and not under the state government. It is also well known that such drastic action could never have taken place without clear instructions from Home Ministry.  This has been confirmed by the enquiry carried out by the officer of the court detailed to investigate into the circumstances that lead to the midnight raid on citizens, many women and aged persons included. There is a good probability that this police action had the blessings of Chidambaram. Of course as a politician and a seasoned veteran he would not have left a clear paper trail, but then public perception would hold him guilty for this abominable action.

4. Anna Hazare Fiasco: Once again the Delhi Police took all possible steps to crush the popular demand for a Lok Pal. They denied Anna  the access to Ram Leela grounds, arrested him and his supporters, and the congress party carried out an all out war against Anna and its supporters. This only made the people of Delhi, NCR more stubborn. Ultimately the government had to give way. Wise counsel prevailed after a great deal of commotion on the streets of Delhi. Here again Chidambaram was forefront in accusing Anna. He was supported by congress spokesmen and Kapil  Sibal, another wily lawyer who tried to twist facts and continued with anti Anna tirades. Chidambaram was in the forefront in the verbal assault against Anna Hazare, and obliviously the public perception is that he had a big hand in the Delhi police actions against Anna Hazare and his team. It was clear to any one on the street that congress was against public opinion and persons like Chidambaram were its vocal representation. The actions by Delhi Police and Home ministry were foolish. Chidambaram as Home minister is naturally held responsible for the Fiasco. Did he do this willingly or was coerced into it by the Congress and Kapil Sibal?

5. Withdrawal of FIR : Business man SP Gupta was a client of Chidambaram the lawyer. Some FIRs were filed against him. Home Ministry wrote to the home department of NCT Delhi to withdraw the FIRs. The letter from Home ministry has clearly said that “this has the approval of the Union Home Minister”.Even though Home ministry is trying to throw the blame on a middle level official it is doubtful if it will wash.

      These are some of the cases against Chidambaram. CBI is under him. So much manipulation is possible still.

       Chidambaram should beware of the company he keeps, who seem to be using him to settle scores against popular leaders like Anna, or misuse his position as HM to quash FIRs.

Has hes lost his moral high ground, and is he on the same level as any venal politician?

He

Can you hear the Chinese whispers grow louder?

BRAHMA CHELLANEY    

(The writer is a strategic analyst)

      As geopolitical rivals, India and China face each other over a highly disputed border. The inviolability of virtually the entire 4,057 km border — one of the longest in the world — has been called into question by China’s increasing cross-frontier military incursions and its calculated refusal to mutually draw a fully agreed line of control along the Himalayas.

        The amount of Indian land China occupies or openly covets tops 135,000 sq km, or approximately the size of Costa Rica. China currently has unresolved land and sea border disputes with 11 other neighbours. But in comparison with China’s territorial disputes with other neighbours now or even in the past, its land disputes with India stand out for their sheer size and importance.

         Beijing’s last-minute postponement of a scheduled round of border talks constitutes no real loss for New Delhi because China has used these 30-year-long negotiations to keep India engaged while blocking any real progress. Even as Beijing has since 2006 provocatively revived its claim to Arunachal Pradesh and concurrently stepped up cross-border forays in all sectors, New Delhi has stayed locked in these fruitless talks.
Let’s be clear: These talks, constituting the longest and the most barren process between any two nations post-World War II, have only aided the Chinese strategy to mount more military pressure while working to hem in India behind the cover of engagement.

For example, by deploying several thousand troops in Pakistan occupied Kashmir and playing the Kashmir card against India in various ways, China has clearly signalled its intent to squeeze India on Jammu and Kashmir. The military pressure China has built up on Arunachal may just be tactical. The plain fact is that India’s vulnerability in J&K has been heightened by the new Chinese military encirclement.
To help undermine the Dalai Lama’s role, Beijing is now exerting pressure on India to deny the Tibetan leader any kind of public platform. The recent diplomatic spat, as the Chinese foreign ministry has acknowledged, was not just about the Dalai Lama’s address to a religious conference that overlapped with the now-scrapped talks. Rather, Beijing brashly insists that India not provide him a public platform of “any form.”
Beijing draws encouragement from its success in bringing India’s Tibet stance in full alignment with the Chinese line. In 2003, the aging and ailing Atal Bihari Vajpayee surrendered India’s last remaining leverage on Tibet when he formally recognized the cartographically dismembered Tibet that Beijing calls the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) as “part of the territory of the People’s Republic of China.”

In recent years, even as Beijing has mocked India’s territorial integrity, New Delhi has not sought to subtly add some flexibility to its Tibet stance.

In fact, Manmohan Singh’s climb down in first suspending bilateral defence exchanges and then meekly resuming them has only emboldened Beijing. India froze defence exchanges in response to Beijing’s stapled-visa policy on J&K and its refusal to allow the Northern Command chief to head an Indian military delegation to China. Yet Singh personally delivered a two-in-one concession to Beijing earlier this year, agreeing to resume defence talks by delinking them from the stapled-visa issue and dropping the Northern Command chief as the Indian military team’s leader.

      Even in the latest dust-up, where was the need for the Indian President to first agree to inaugurate the international Buddhist conference and then chicken out even after the Chinese had cancelled the scheduled border talks? The PM too backed out.

       Just as Beijing compelled New Delhi to climb down on the defence talks, it is likely to drive a hard bargain on the border talks, even though their indefinite suspension can only help bare the actions of the encircler, which wishes to expand its 1951 Tibet annexation to Arunachal.

       China has upped the ante on the Dalai Lama because it recognizes that he remains a major strategic asset for India. By asking New Delhi to go beyond denying him a political platform to denying him even a religious platform, it is seeking to extend its containment of India to the Dalai Lama. And it wants India’s help in this endeavour.
Actually, China has embarked on a larger strategy to cement its rule on an increasingly restive Tibet by bringing Tibetan Buddhism under the tight control of an atheist state. From its capture of the Panchen Lama institution to its decree to control the traditional process of finding the reincarnation of any senior lama who passes away, Beijing is acting long term. It is also waiting to install its own marionette as the next Dalai Lama when the present incumbent dies. Only India can foil this broader strategy — and it must for the sake of its own interests.

The writer is a strategic analyst

    US does not wish to leave Afghanistan in the manner they were forced to scramble from Viet Nam.  They would like to leave with some dignity, after all they are the greatest military power today.  Alas, the Taliban and Pakistan are not willing to allow US to depart so easily.

     Pakistan Army which rules the country on its part has no intention of making any real moves against  Taliban.

    Taliban knows full well that US has to leave, sooner or later. Karzai cannot hold on for a day after US troops leave Afghanistan.

    Pakistan in its efforts to curry favor with the Taliban, renders all support it can to Taliban cadres, giving them safe havens within its borders hopes that the Taliban will remember their help when they ultimately take over Afghanistan. Pakistan Army beleives that Talibanised Afghanistan will be a friendly neighbor, providing ‘depth’ to its borders in the west. Of course Taliban will also provide an unending stream of terrorists who can be directed against India, Europe, USA and China.

    These terrorists in addition to Pakistan’s own locally trained youth will be the  bargaining chips for continuing the  blackmail of US  in future also.

After all, the major beneficiary for over three decades of Taliban and terrorism has been the Pakistan Army, and ………….

Ed

13 US troops killed in Af bombing

Taliban Claim Responsibility For Attack

Kabul: A Taliban suicide bomber rammed a van into an armoured Nato bus on Saturday in Kabul, killing 13 American troops and four Afghans, US and Afghan officials said, in the deadliest attack on coalition forces in more than two months.

    The explosion, which occurred as the convoy was passing the American University, sparked a fireball and littered the street with shrapnel. Heavy black smoke poured from burning wreckage at the site.

      The armoured personnel carrier, known as a Rhinowas sandwiched between of a convoy of mine-resistant military vehicles travelling on a four-lane highway frequently usedby Natoforcesin a southwestern section of the city. Nato said 13 service members were killed, but a United States official confirmed they were all Americans.

     The Afghan ministry of interior said three Afghan civilians and one policeman also died in the attack.

       Eight other Afghans, including two children and four other civilians, were wounded, said Kabir Amiri, head of Kabul hospitals.

         The Taliban claimed responsibility for the Kabul attack, as well as for another suicide bombing outside a government intelligence office in the northwest province of Kunar. The attack occurred near the entrance of the American University and the nearby landmark Darulaman Palace, the bombed-out seat of former Afghan kings.

     Nato and Afghan forces sealed off the area as fire trucks and ambulances rushed in. An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw two Nato helicopters landing to airlift casualties, while coalition troops using loudspeakersorderedbystanders to evacuate the area.

      It was the deadliest single attack against the US-led coalition since the Taliban shot down a Natohelicopter on August 6 killing 30 US troops, most elite Navy SEALs, and eight Afghans.

       In other violence, a man wearing an Afghan military uniform opened fire on a joint Nato-Afghan base, killing three Nato service members in Uruzgan province, an area in the restive south that is traditionally viewed as the Taliban’s stronghold. AP

BLOODBATH: Nato troops inspect the site of a suicide attack in Kabul on Saturday;(right) an Afghan boy who was injured recuperates

Can You wean Congress away from Dirty Tricks?

  Congress continues its old practice of shutting up any one who comes in its way to power or the moolah.  The  police , CBI, IB, RAW, ED, etc are only tools to harass any one who dares to stand up. Every rule, every babu is a tool for misuse.

Far better things were expected from Chidambaram as a Home Minister. He was considered to be among the  efficient and ethical ministers. However the extremely poor handling of Anna’s fast from day one , by the Delhi police could not have  taken place without Mr Chidambaram’s knowledge and permission.

    Earlier it was only whispered that Mr Chidambaram along with Mr Sibal were not only hard liners while  dealing with Anna but were willing to resort to unsavory methods. Now actions initiated by various departments of the  government against  members of team Anna and Swami Ramdev and his associates over the last two months confirms the worst.

   The actions against  persons who were only asking for an effective Lokpal legislation and the fact that some parliamentarians have also caused notices to be issued to Ms Kiran Bedi and Prshant Bhushan indicates that the congress government is running scared and is resorting to blackmail and threats aganst persons who are only demanding effective legislation against corruption.

    It appears that people of this country who have backed Anna’ s program against corruption will have to fight the congress government at every step in their quest for corruption free India.

ED

Govt back to dirty tricks: Team Anna

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

     New Delhi: Less than a week after Anna Hazare broke his fast with much fanfare, Team Anna is claiming that government is back to its ‘dirty tricks’ and is victimizing them for their campaign. Hazare’s aide Arvind Kejriwal has received an income tax notice for dues of over Rs 9 lakh, a charge that he has hotly contested, saying it was not the I-T department but “political bosses’’ that have made them do this.
His colleague, Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan, linked the renewed urgency behind I-T department’s move with MPs’ complaints against Kiran Bedi’s “ghoonghat act” and the police claim that the CD with a purported conversation between his father Shanti Bhushan and Mulayam Singh Yadav was genuine.

    Bhushan said, “This shows that the government has not learnt the lesson. There is a notice against Arvind. Delhi Police has closed the investigations in the CD case saying the disc is genuine. There is also a privilege notice against Bedi. They are back to the dirty tricks department.” Bhushan plans to move court against Delhi Police’s closure report and will ask for an independent probe by a court appointed special investigative team.

     Meanwhile, Kejriwal questioned the timing of the notice coming 11 days ahead of Hazare’s fast. Chief commissioner of income tax issued the notice to Kejriwal to clear the dues, claiming that he violated the bond clauses under which he went for study leave for two years. Kejriwal claimed he “did not violate” any bond provision and he resigned from his Indian Revenue Service job after the stipulated three years of rejoining duty after study leave. “It is not the I-T department’s decision. They are doing what government is saying. The I-T officials have no role in this notice. They are doing because of the pressure from political bosses,” Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal said he had taken study leave on full pay for two years from November 1, 2000 and he rejoined work on November 1, 2002 after signing a bond that he would refund the salary if he resigned or retired or failed to resume duty within three years of his study leave. “I have not violated any provisions. What government is saying is wrong. After over one year of rejoining, I took leave without pay which was sanctioned by my superiors. I worked for RTI. I was not into any wrongdoing. I have not signed any bond that I will not take leave after rejoining,” he said.

      However, the government has said that unpaid leave can’t be recognized as active service and Kejriwal should’ve worked in the department for three years before resigning. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) had, in fact, recommended in 2008 that dues against Kejriwal be waived but the Department of Personnel and Training did not agree. In a letter dated April 22, 2008, the government asked the I-T department to “kindly recover pending dues from Shri Kejriwal as per leave rule and furnish a no dues certificate so that his resignation may be submitted for approval of competent authority’’.

     Kejriwal said he had informed the government that he did not have funds to pay off Rs 9.27 lakh dues as he had donated all his savings. Referring to media reports linking his uncle with RSS, he asked what his relatives had to do with the movement.

      Notice to Kejriwal routine matter, says Khurshid

      D enying allegations that it was being “vindictive” and “revengeful’’, the government sought to dismiss the I-T notice against Anna Hazare aide Arvind Kejriwal as routine affair. Law minister Salman Khurshid said no one should be given immunity because they have been working on a campaign against corruption. “It is unfair that allegations are made against government departments about their routine duties. If there are dues, they have to be paid. Why should we be oppressive and revengeful,” Khurshid said. TNN

   No Indian born post partition, in his right mind would consider ,  putting the clock back.

Ed

Fighting for a lost cause

Najeeb Jung
August 31, 2011

One of the major efforts of the UPA 2 and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is to improve relations with Pakistan. But the worrying question here is whether friendship with Pakistan is possible, given its history and its foreseeable future. Three issues stand out here. First, the foundations on which

Pakistan was created. Second, the Kashmir factor and, finally, the current and future situation in Pakistan to the extent we can foresee it.

Pakistan was born on a flawed notion that different religions cannot co-exist in peace. Since its inception, Pakistanis have been fed on anti-India propaganda. It still continues to believe that Islam and anti-India propaganda can keep the country together.

Therefore, despite recent initiatives, relations between the two remain tardy. These initiatives can’t wipe away 60 years of constant badgering that India is a Hindu country determined to usurp Pakistan. Often quoted in Pakistan are Acharya Kriplani’s (Congress president during Partition) statement that “neither the Congress nor the nation has given up its claim of a United India” and Sardar Patel’s statement that “sooner than later we shall again be united in common allegiance to our country”.

But Pakistan today is radically different from India. Conversations in social and political circles of commonality in culture, language and food are misplaced. The more the Indians harp on commonality, the more it hardens Pakistani’s attitude.

And then there is the dreaded ‘K’ word. Working on a perceived threat from India, Pakistan’s policymakers and the army speak of Kashmir as “the unfinished business of Partition”. They feel cheated on the way Kashmir was denied to them in 1947 and later by not allowing any plebiscite. Pakistani leaders are convinced that apart from being Muslim, Kashmir has been historically with Pakistan since all trade and communication routes in Kashmir have been through Pakistani Punjab. Also since Indus, Jhelum and Chenab flow through Kashmir to Pakistan, they are afraid that the flow of water can be stopped despite the Indus Waters Treaty. The government of India’s uneasy dealings in Kashmir and the sporadic periods of violence help Pakistan make the case that the Kashmiris do not accept Indian suzerainty.

The division of Pakistan in 1971 was a major blow to the political establishment and Pakistan’s psyche. For years, they believed that a few thousand Muslim invaders managed to rule the country for several hundred years. They give little credit to the sophistication of Islamic culture, Sufi charm or the short comings of the Indian caste structure that made conversion attractive. Therefore, the dismemberment of Pakistan in 1971 with the clinical efficiency of the Indian Army, destroyed many myths in Pakistani minds.

Against this background, it is difficult for the Pakistani leadership to show statesmanship, to rise above their established beliefs and accept India as a trustworthy neighbour. This is compounded by the fact that Pakistan is not likely to be stable in the foreseeable future. With the Americans inching towards some understanding with the Taliban, Pakistan is likely to have a hard-line Taliban neighbour in Afghanistan. Balochistan and the Federally Administered Tribal Area area remains disturbed. The Federal government often treats Baloch-istan as a “wasteland” and an “economic liability”. Karachi is in flames, ethnic war having destroyed its social services. The provincial as well as the Federal government, seem inept to manage the situation.

Najeeb Jung is the Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia

The views expressed by the author are personal

US plans to snatch & grab Pak nukes?

Washington Says It’s Ready For Worst Case Scenario In Islamabad

Washington: The US has a contingency plan to “snatch and-grab” Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, if and when president Barack Obama believes they are threat to either America or its interests, a media report has said, amid strains in bilateral ties.

   Plans have been drawn up for dealing with worst-case scenarios in Pakistan, NBC news reported quoting current and former US officials, who say that ensuring security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons has long been a high US security priority even before 9/11 terrorist attacks.

       Among the scenarios drawn by the report is Pakistan plunging into internal chaos, terrorist mounting a serious attack against a nuclear facility, hostilities breaking out with India or Islamic extremist taking charge of the government or the Pakistan army. NBC said the greatest success of the US war on terrorism, the military operation that killed Osama bin Laden in his safe house in Pakistan, has fuelled concerns about Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.

        The report said there were increasing suspicions among US officials that Osama had support within the ISI and the Abbottabad operation had emboldened those in Washington who believe an orchestrated campaign of lightning raids to secure Pakistan’s nuclear weapons could succeed.

        In the aftermath of the bin Laden raid, US military officials have testified before Congress about the security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and the threat posed by “loose nukes” — nuclear weapons or materials outside the government’s control. Earlier Pentagon reports also outlined scenarios in which US forces would intervene to secure nukes in danger of falling into wrong hands. PTI

 Pakistan has world’s fastest-growing nuclear stockpile: Experts

PTI Jul 7, 2011, 10.56am IST

WASHINGTON: Pakistan has the world’s fastest-growing nuclear stockpile and it could achieve 150-200 warheads in a decade despite the political instability in the country, two top American atomic experts have said.

Pakistan is in the process of building two new plutonium production reactors and a new reprocessing facility to fabricate more nuclear weapons fuel, wrote nuclear experts Hans M Kristensen and Robert S Norris in the latest issue of Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.

In their paper ‘Pakistan’s nuclear forces, 2011′, the authors estimate that if Pakistan’s expansion continues, its nuclear weapons stockpile could reach 150-200.

“Despite its political instability, Pakistan continues to steadily expand its nuclear capabilities and competencies; in fact, it has the world’s fastest-growing nuclear stockpile,” they wrote.

“We estimate that Pakistan has a nuclear weapons stockpile of 90-110 nuclear warheads, an increase from the estimated 70-90 warheads in 2009,” the paper said.

“It is also developing new delivery systems. Enhancements to Pakistan’s nuclear forces include a new nuclear capable medium-range ballistic missile, the development of two new nuclear-capable short-range ballistic missiles, and the development of two new nuclear-capable cruise missiles,” they wrote.

“With four new delivery systems and two plutonium production reactors under development, however, the rate of Pakistan’s stockpile growth may even increase over the next 10 years,” they warned.

“The Pakistani government has not defined the number and type of nuclear weapons that its minimum deterrent requires. But Pakistan’s pace of nuclear modernization and its development of several short-range delivery systems indicates that its nuclear posture has entered an important new phase and that a public explanation is overdue,” the experts said.

Pakistan may be producing 120-180 kg of HEU (Highly Enriched Uranium) per year, an amount sufficient for 7-15 warheads, they said, adding that the uranium ore is mined at several locations throughout Pakistan, with more mines scheduled to open in the future.

The revelation that Osama bin Laden was hiding for years in Abbottabad, only 16 km from a large military weapons depot with underground facilities, raised new questions about the security and control of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons.

“Outside Pakistan, observers wondered if the nuclear arsenal was secure from potential terrorist theft; inside Pakistan, observers wondered whether the arsenal was safe from a possible US or Indian incursion,” the article said.

“Exactly how Pakistan safeguards its nuclear weapons, and what type of use-control features its weapons have, is unclear,” they wrote, adding that the weapons are thought to have some basic use-control features to prevent unauthorized use.

“Its facilities and weapons are said to be widely dispersed in the country with most of the arsenal located south of Islamabad. Furthermore, the weapons are thought to be stored unassembled, with the cores separate from the weapons and the weapons stored away from the delivery vehicles,” the report said.

        Its friends in the State Department, Department of Defense and the CIA in the USA have been more than willing to spin stories on its behalf. Is it because their friendships go back to the cold war days, and has been cemented by ‘personal friendship’ and more so by the filthy lucre derived from the poppy fields of Afghanistan. The billions from  armaments and the poppy fields have greased many palms in both the countries.

       Col Oliver North is a typical example, who believed that all is fair in war.

         USA has never been serious about the nuclear proliferation or terrorist bases  established and being run by the Pakistan Army and the ISI.

       Today if there appears to be some differences of opinion between Pakistan and USA on how to handle jihadists , it is only a temporary phase. Both will be cooing and billing before long. Both are playing to the gallery, nothing more.

Extracts from an article

ISI Redefining Terms Of Engagement With CIA

By Baqir Sajjad Syed
Dawn.com
ISLAMABAD: Incensed over the �shock revelation� about growing network of CIA spies in Pakistan, the Directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is trying to redefine its terms of engagement with the American spy agency before any settlement of the row over immunity for Raymond Davis, the jailed US operative.

In an indication that Pakistan and the US were actively considering a review of parameters of their cooperation, the chief of the Office of (US) Defence Representative in Pakistan, Vice Admiral Michael LeFever for the first time attended monthly White House Af-Pak meeting recently through video teleconferencing.

The meeting reportedly discussed various options on the table for getting out of the stalemate, which has serious implications for the bilateral strategic relationship.

LeFever�s first appearance at the monthly White House meeting indicated that the Davis issue was now being handled mainly by the two militaries, even though American officials emphasise that it was strictly an issue for State Department to handle.

In Pakistan�s context, they broadly use the term �Government of Pakistan� while some others say �political reality is there� _ an indication that the Army was their main interlocutor.

US Ambassador Cameron Munter and LeFever have both been intensely involved in dealing with the diplomatic crisis after Davis�s arrest.

By Scott McKay

The guy in this video�s name was Shahbaz Bhatti. He was 41, and he was the only Christian member of the Pakistani government. Mr. Bhatti spoke out against Sharia law in Pakistan, and particularly the barbaric law in that country which prescribes a death sentence for blasphemy.

He knew that it was dangerous to do so. In fact, he recorded a message to be aired in the event of his death� On Wednesday, Mr. Bhatti was murdered. Animals from Al Qaeda or the Taliban or some other barbaric Islamist organization caught up with him in the driveway of his mother�s home and sprayed his car down with bullets. These people believe the road is open for them to dominate the world. What happened to Mr. Bhatti isn�t much different from what happened to the Iraqi Christians murdered by Al Qaeda in Baghdad, or the Coptic Christians murdered in Cairo.

Or the two American servicemen another Islamist murdered, shouting Allahu Akbar as he sprayed down a bus carrying American military personnel at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, earlier today. They believe the road is open because they don�t believe the United States is the strong horse anymore. They see a power vacuum, and they�re anxious to fill it.

And the first victims of their offensive will be the religious minorities in their own countries, who are the most vulnerable. Mr. Bhatti knew that better than anyone, even before they slaughtered him.

(FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Scott McKay, a sales, marketing and business consultant, is the Publisher/Blogger at TheHayride.com, a news/commentary blog about Louisiana and national politics.)

2G Scam: Congress desperate

         Congress which has been a party to the 2 G scam is desperately trying to divert public attention from its role. Could Raja  have carried out the scheme without active support of P Chidambaram or the PM Manmohan Singh?

      Did the Attorney Gen Vahnavati or secretaries in the ministry of Telecom have a choice but fall in line once the PM & FM were in the loop?

       Now Raja is bringing out facts in the court, in public. It is not possible for Congress to avoid being questioned. So the best course for it is to call Raja ‘accused’ and say that his statements are not to be trusted.

         Desperate attempts are being made to shut up opposition parties. Delhi Police  has been let loose on Amar Singh. Hindus and BJP are being accused of making bombs and being accused of terrorist activities by the Congress. It is also being actively supported by some media groups in this task. Panel discussions are heavily loaded, with obviously partial commentators and panelists. News channels like NDTV should not underrate the public intelligence.  

Ed:

Raja wants Chidambaram to be made witness in 2G case

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Prime accused in the 2G spectrum scam, former telecom minister A Raja on Tuesday sought his discharge from the case by arguing that home minister P Chidambaram be made a witness in the case.

       The jailed minister said since he was accused of conspiracy, every individual who processed the files relating to his decisions as telecom minister, including the entire Union Cabinet, should be made a coconspirator.
Even as he blamed the media for “misreporting” his statements, saying he never sought to implicate the PM, Raja continued to shift the onus for his decisions on Singh and Chidambaram, then the finance minister.

      Challenging the claim of the government and Congress that he as telecom minister acted unilaterally, Raja said the PM could have easily blocked him if had overstepped his brief by constituting a group of ministers.

       “The allegation is that I overstepped. The PM could have called for a GoM if he saw any conflict, after the file came back from the law ministry in November 2007. Just because the PM ignored it, no GoM was constituted. By that standard, prime minister was also in conspiracy so far as dereliction of duty is concerned. It was his judgment that GoM was not required,” Raja said while concluding his arguments against framing of corruption and other penal charges against him.
The charge mirrors BJP’s allegation that despite being aware of what Raja was up to, the PM failed to stop him from perpetrating illegalities. It also echoes the perception in Congress circles that the government, the PMO in particular, did not pay attention to signs pointing to the impending scam.
Seeking to target Chidambaram for the second consecutive day, Raja urged that the court should make him a witness in the case.
Arguing through his counsel, Raja said Chidambaram, who was finance minister when the spectrum allocation took place, “cleared the sale of equity in Swan and Unitech, so he is bound to come to court as awitness”.

      The former minister also slammed the CAG report, attacking the logic behind “presumptive loss” of Rs 1.76 lakh crore and termed it as “worthless document”, saying “its computation is not even relied upon by the CBI”. He further picked holes in the CAG report claiming that the CAG was “just an accountant and was a legal illiterate”.

         Again attacking the CBI for its “pick and choose policy”, the jailed former minister alleged that the probe agency had falsely claimed that September 24 was the cut-off date. He claimed before the court that there were companies that applied on September, 25, 2007.

Former minister slams SC ‘pressure’ on trial court

Abhinav Garg TNN

New Delhi: Former telecom minister A Raja also criticized the SC for the probe into the 2G scam . The former telecom minister told the trial court it should act independently by using its “judicial conscience”, asking how anybody could “interfere” with trial proceedings.
“How can anybody tell you (special CBI judge O P Saini) that the chargesheet will be filed after 60 days? How can anybody say that the bail plea can be heard only after framing of charges? No court in India can interfere in your work,” senior advocate Sushil Kumar, appearing for Raja, said. “Was the SC conscious of the fact that the chargesheet was filed (in this case) after 60 days? Some persons in the highest court have illegally looked at the chargesheet,” Kumar said.

       “This is the most unfair trial. For the last six months, you (CBI judge) have been examining documents. I am put in jail. I am not getting bail because of the pressure exerted by some other court. Please use your judicial conscience,” Kumar said.

        Advancing arguments on framing of charges, the DMK MP submitted before Saini that the case was depicted as a “sensational” one and as a consequence, nobody was caring for the judicial system. “Did anyone care? This is so sensational a case because of Raja that no one cares for provisions of the CrPC and the judicial system. You are degrading the judicial system in this case,” he said.

     Raja changed press note, says AG

       Attorney general Goolam Vahanvati refused to comment on A Raja’s allegations against him on the allegedly forged press note, saying the matter was sub-judice. He told TOI that he cleared spectrum allocation on first-come-first-served basis. “This press release was then changed to make it first-comply-first-served, that is whoever complies with the conditions first will be given the licence. I was never shown this amended release but Raja wrote in separate ink saying it had been approved ,” the AG said.