Asia Burning

Pakistan PM appeals against court summons

admin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:13:41 +0000

Pakistan PM Gilani appeals against Supreme Court summons

Pakistan PM Yousuf Raza Gilani appealed against supreme court summons on Wednesday. Pakistan supreme court issued PM Gilani summons on 2nd February to appear in court on February 13 against contempt of court. Supreme court is reacting strictly on PM Gilani as he refused to re-open corruption cases against President Zardari. It was a strong and historical move from supreme court as Gilani is the first PM of Pakistan facing such allegations.

Pakistan’s Scenario – Current government is about to complete it’s elected term in history of Pakistan. If supreme court act further, this may lead to an early elections in country. Apparently current scenario is making Pakistan unstable. It would be worse if this government refused to take elections by neglecting democratic sentiment in the country. PM Gilani’s lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan has supported his appeal by following the precedents in countries like India, UK, France and Australia. Aitzaz Ahasn said that court has not given specific reasons and explanation for initiating the proceedings against Gilani. PM Gilani had appeared before court in January 19, refused to re-open corruption cases against President Zardari related to his Swiss accounts. Gilani refused to act against Zardari as he has presidential immunity. Supreme court confirmed that they recevied the appeal from PM. A bench of nine judges will hear PM Gilani’s appeal in supreme court. Court hasn’t given immediate date for the hearing. According to law experts PM Gilani has only way out is to apologies to court and to promise to write Swiss authorities about the case. Allegations against President Zardari was frozen by Pakistani political amnesty in 2007, which was overturned in 2009. Zardari has spent 11 years in custody for the chargers of corruption. His wife late PM Benazir Bhutto and him have been alleged of using Swiss bank accounts for money laundering which was bribe paid by companies seeking custom inspection contracts. Although Swiss shelved the case in 2008, this ghost of past might cause PM Gilani and President Zaradri their entire government.

Cops to rope in Farhan Akhtar for ads on crime against women

admin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:41:02 +0000

Farhan Akhtar to fight crimes against women through Ad Campaign

Actor-Filmmaker Farhan Akhtar: The Face of Delhi Police

Farhan Akhtar is donning a new role after the release of his movie Don2. This time it is not that of a director but that of an instigator of change. After having completed a newspaper campaign for the Delhi Police, the actor-director is to be roped in for a one-minute long ad campaign. Through this, Farhan will help the Delhi Police make Delhiites aware about crimes against women and urge viewers to help end the violence. This is not the first time that the Delhi police is involving a celebrity to popularize their initiative.

Celebrity endorsements and eradication of crimes

Several citizens are questioning the basis on which the Delhi police selects celebrities to support their campaigns against crime. According to Delhi Police’s PRO, Rajan Bhagat’s statement, they agreed to create a minute long short film with Farhan only because he volunteered to offer his service to educate the masses on the sensitive topic. Many believe that taxpayer’s money is wasted on such advertisement campaigns that have not been capable of curbing the rising crimes in the last three years. Exact data on whether celebrity endorsements have actually helped curb crime has not yet been revealed.

Some strongly believe that if laws become stricter, crimes will be eradicated sooner without expenses on newspaper and ad campaigns. Repealing laws giving protection to politicians and people in position of power will enable the police to arrest criminals without fear.

Wait and watch

In the print campaign, Farhan has made a forceful statement to fight crimes against women. He calls upon men to fight against crimes and report them, but why not empower women with defensive techniques? Hopefully, he will encourage women to bring out the rolling pins in the ad campaign. Lets wait and watch.

Highest Crime Rate Against Women in Tripura

admin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:40:13 +0000

Highest crime rate against women in Tripura

National Crime Record Bureau has come up with terrifying details. Tripura has emerged as the leading state when it comes to crime against women. National Crime Record Bureau uses ratio of crimes committed per lakh of women population as a standard. Tripura has disturbing figures on this account. 46 cases of crime against women have been registered for a population of one lakh.

Ground reality in other states

Other states as Assam, Rajasthan, Kerala and West Bengal have also reported more than 25 cases of crime against women for a population of one lakh. Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Haryana follow close by with up to 20 cases of crime reported against women for a population of one lakh.

Cases that go unreported in Tripura

Gender inequality is a big problem in India and Tripura is no exception to this. Annual data on crime reported against women in Tripura is published each year, but many cases go unreported. These include cases related to rape, domestic violence by husband, molestation and dowry deaths. In most of the cases, close relatives are involved in such kind of inhuman behavior and the women has to suffer in silence. Tripura is no exception to this developing trend and the findings of National Crime Record Bureau has come as a shock for policy makers who pay little attention to this sensitive issue.

Reasons for increase in crime rate

Most of the cases that go unreported in Tripura occur in remote rural areas. Rural youth take advantage of young girls who are uneducated in most cases. They lure the young girls and often make them end up in wrong hands. Lately cases of educated people exploiting city girls have also been reported in Tripura.

Crime against women is a sin. National Crime Record Bureau needs to awake to this reality and should ensure formulation of a policy that ensure comprehensive protection for women in Tripura, as in rest of the country.

Malaysia dissolves Parliament, pays way for early general elections

admin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:24:00 +0000

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has announced that parliament should be dissolved in order to pave the way for the 11th general elections. At a press conference, PM announced the King’s approval to dissolve the parliament with immediate effect to allow elections to be held. PM further added that he had advised all the states to dissolve the state assemblies with immediate effect. PM Abdullah had indicated that he did not expect a repeat of the 2004 landslide where the Barisan Nasional coalition seized almost about 90% of the parliamentary seats. However, the polling date was yet to be decided by the Election Commission. Rumours say that it would probably be fixed for 20 or 21 March. PM Abdullah was also hopeful that he would be reelected as PM with two thirds of votes going to him. Expect this situation to get heated up during the next 30 days with mind games being played among politicians involved. There would be war of words, war of flags. But this is exactly what makes Malaysia politically special. People are so enthusiastic about their respective beliefs. Voting has to be take place within 60 days of dissolving parliament. According to intelligence agency reports, the 12th General Election will be the first election in Malaysian history where voters will vote based on candidates rather than parties. As much as the right candidate will be crucial in determining who gets voted in, the party the candidate represents will also have a bearing on who wins and who gets ousted. As much as that candidate could be a suitable candidate, but in the wrong constituency it would be disastrous. Image Credit: Malaxi Via The Australian News

Beijing Olympics under Darfur shadow

admin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:24:00 +0000

Following Steven Spielberg’s withdrawal as an artistic adviser from the Beijing Olympics yesterday, China is now being pressurized by the international community to use its influence on ally Sudan to stop atrocities in the Darfur region. This August’s showpiece event is set to be overshadowed by China’s overall human rights records and Beijing’s alliance with Sudan that is behind the horrifying atrocities in Darfur. A letter of protest, organised by a group of Nobel laureates and international athletes, criticises the Chinese President Hu Jintao for providing unnecessary economical, political and military support to a government ‘that continues to carry out atrocities against its own people’. Many human rights activists have proposed a boycott of the Games, which to me is personally a bit too far ahead, yet, the 2008 Olympics should be used a background to highlight China’s complicity with a genocide that is unfolding in the deserts of Darfur. Sudan is an important trading partner for communist China, supplying arms and ammunitions and buying oil in return. Beijing has also threatened to veto United Nations security council resolutions imposing sanctions on Khartoum. Analysts feel any international arms and economic embargo on Sudan would be a setback for the Chinese economically as the Asian giant buys two-thirds of Sudanese oil exports mostly at highly subsidised rates. Although China is not going to be bothered by this sort of intellectual protests, there is an indication that Beijing is concerned that the Games could be under threat from international activists who could politicise the planet’s most high-profile sporting event in August. To prevent any diplomatic mishandling, the Chinese government has appointed a special envoy to deal with Sudan and has, on occasions pressurised the Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir to accept an international peacekeeping force in the region. Darfur is not the only concern for Beijing. The preparation for the Olympics have already been hampered with some leading athletes and countries voicing their concerns about the quality of Beijing’s air pollution. But what could severely dent the mighty Asian nation’s reputation is a host of negative human rights records that the state is accused of. It is under fire over its imprisonment of dissidents, lawyers, journalists, excessive state control over the internet and persecution of unapproved religious groups. It remains to be seen what the diplomatic stance the Chinese take over a growing opposition to the Beijing’s role in Darfur and other controversial regional matters. But the world, no doubt, would want to see a successful Olympics in the Chinese capital and maybe the Games could bring a change of heart in Chinese diplomacy in the world. Source Link: The Independent Image Link: Beijing2008

President Musharraf’s unpopularity grows ahead of February 18 elections

admin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:23:00 +0000

Pakistani President Parvez Musharraf faces an unprecedented opposition in his country ahead of the National Assembly elections on Monday. Although this is not a Presidential election, President Musharraf’s fate probably rests on the results of the elections. An opposition victory in the provincial assemblies and the National Assembly could pit the former army chief against a very hostile parliament which would then pressurise him to step down from his post. There have been media reports that the pro-Musharraf party Pakistan Muslim League-Q(PML-Q)is taking all the necessary steps, fair and foul, to maintain its supremacy in the provincial assemblies. PML-Q’s rivals are the late Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party(PPP) and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s party Pakistan Muslim League-N(PML-N) but both the opposition parties allege that President Musharraf would not allow a free and fair poll to take place come Monday. Opinion polls suggest that the PML-Q, which was created by President Musharraf to back his military rule, is facing a lack of support in all the provinces that would go to vote on February 18. The Independent reveals that the support for the PML-Q stands as low as 12% as the opposition cashes in on the President’s increasing unpopularity. Months of political turmoil and military violence have made the nuclear-armed US ally very volatile and the ordinary people are fed up of daily violence, inflation, power shortages and widespread corruption. President Musharraf has already called Monday’s vote as ‘mother of all elections’ and has urged international opinion poll firms not to pre-judge results which could incite violence in the country. If the polls are fair, which many do not expect to be, there is every chance that the PPP would gain a massive sympathy vote to win the elections. The assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is still fresh in the minds of the people and it remains to be seen whether the sympathy votes have enough strength to provide a major blow to President Musharraf’s political ambitions. What could hurt the opposition surge is the fact that extremism has proved to be a major stumbling block in path of election campaigning and low turnout is expected on Monday too as people are very much concerned about their security in voting queues. Among the four provinces that would go to the polls, Punjab and Sindh are the key and analysts believe that the PPP would gain immensely amidst a sympathy vote. With Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N also likely to make significant inroads, there is every possibility that the PPP and the PML-N would form a coalition government to put pressure on Musharraf. But it must not be forgotten that President Musharraf’s allies are very powerful and have the support of strong families in the countryside which could turn the contest on its head in a matter of moment. Whatever be the outcome, the international community hopes that Pakistan returns to normalcy and a democratic transition takes centrestage to eliminate the radical extremists. Source: Independent

Vested interests and politics harming Afghan cause

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:22:00 +0000

The statement by Michael Semple, a UN official arrested by the Afghan government on Christmas Day last year, brings to the fore many vital aspects of the conflict in Afghanistan. First and foremost is that there are many Afghan leaders, not only in Kabul, but all over the country, who have vested interests in maintaining status quo. Though western objectives in the country have not been met (a worried US is asking its allies to send in more troops), these Afghans are enjoying the clout and money in the present regime. They do not have to do the fighting; NATO is doing it and keeping the Taliban at bay. Moreover they are keen that Taliban is not brought into the mainstream of Afghan politics, as it would mean loss of their clout. Semple firmly believes that some elements of the Taliban could be coaxed to join the national government in Kabul and to stop fighting the US and NATO forces. There have long been suggestions of trying to pull in the ‘good’ elements of the Taliban. ‘Good’ meaning the moderate elements in the group. The problem the US hasn’t the faintest idea of how to go about it. In fact political games played by the status-quoist elements in the Afghan polity will continue to hinder any moves in this direction. Semple brought to light another disturbing fact; that personal enmities are being settled by labeling a person as a Taliban sympathizer. The western forces, ignorant of the local situation, then go after those thus branded, ultimately driving them into the arms of Taliban. These revelations bring into sharp focus the fact that Karzai’s government has no say in large parts of Afghanistan. It has failed to establish its sway over these areas, and I do not mean only militarily. Unscrupulous elements and Taliban have filled this vacuum. US still has a long way to go in Afghanistan. Image Source: Guardian

New face of violence: Suicide Bombers

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:22:00 +0000

The new face of violence in Afghanistan seems to be the suicide bombers who have become a gruesome reality in the region which has constantly battled long for stability and levelling. One of the recent features that the desperate government and the military have introduced is the strategy of raids which they assume would enable them to curb and monitor terrorist activities in the region. Taliban, which has its dominant roots in the region has started to use and employ suicide bombers as a means of fighting and asserting their influence just as the Iraqi violence has surged in Iraq. Gereshk and Helmand are the two main provinces in Afghanistan which have been the hub of the terrorist activities especially of suicide bombings. These suicide attacks have increased in the present and is being the newest feature if the marked violence in the regions. As more and more instability is being credited to Afghanistan, the human factor has taken on as the means to an end and also as the most dangerous of all the violence caused as more and more young men and women are falling prey to the brainwashing of the militants and terrorists for the sole purpose of becoming suicide bombers. What the government seeks to initiate is a strategy which is full of doubts and fissures as they themselves cannot apply these strategies to the core. These raid operations seem to limited as a Major Crispin d’Apice of the Coldstream Guards says: We cannot frankly justify going into peoples’ homes in a situation like this, kicking down doors, all guns blazing. That would be simply counter-productive. Although in the pretext of these raids, men have been detained and the weapons seized, ammunitions found and other activities have been uncovered, there are limitations to it as residents and people living in these areas are puzzled and stupefied because of these sudden and incongruous military operations. But it is about time we see how Afghanistan is going to unleash the terrorists who are living in the shelter of protection of the civilians including those who are not a part of the terrorist activities. Source: Independant Image

Can anti-Musharraf parties run Pakistan successfully?

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:21:00 +0000

The result of much awaited elections in Pakistan are about to be revealed and the supporters of Pakistan Peoples Party whose leader, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated on Dec. 27, and the Pakistan Muslim League-N, the faction led by Nawaz Sharif have started to celebrate the end of military rule. Pakistan’s opposition parties have won parliamentary elections, keeping Musharraf government and its allied parties out of office. But do you really think, government either formed by PPP alone or with alliance with other party like Pakistan Muslim League- N will bring any drastic change in Pakistan? Do you believe the opposition government will be able to create happiness, employment, prosperity, justice at all front, foreign investment, gender equality, security, and terror free nation? I doubt that. Pakistan, which has been witness of many major bomb explosions merely before 40 days of upcoming elections, is still socially and politically unstable. This election is for 272 seat in Pakistan’s Lower House and some regional offices. It is more a referendum between ‘Islam first, Pakistan second’ supporters and the ‘Pakistan first, Islam second’ advocates. Bhutto’s widower (and defacto head of the PPP) recently stated that he believes Al-Qaeda and Baitullah Mehsud (the Taliban leader who the Pakistani, US and British governments have identified as the most likely suspect in the Bhutto Assassination) was not responsible for his wife’s death. Any way I hope, the Feb. 18 elections would be yet another blow to the freedom of expression, civil liberties, constitution, societal tolerance, and the people’s participation in the state affairs in Pakistan. Via: NY Times

Asif Zardari appears confused on militants issue

admin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:21:00 +0000

It is pretty much clear as to who is going to come to power in Pakistan. It is going to be the PPP-PML(Nawaz) combine. The deputy chief of PPP, Makhdoom Amin Fahim will be probably the new Premier as he is experienced. But the real power will lie in the hands of Asif Zardari and Nawaz Sharif. They will be the real players, albeit behind the scenes. The biggest concern for the US will be how the new government deals with the rising militancy problem. Some inkling has been provided by Asif Zardari in that regard. But Zardari is a novice in governance. What he has said reflects his confusion and the lack of cohesion in his thinking on the militancy issue. On the one hand he says the new government favours talks with the militants. This is hardly going to go well with the US. Musharraf tried it once and failed. The Taliban/Al Qaeda only strengthened during the period of truce that Musharraf had agreed upon with the tribal elders. The US is not going to allow the new regime to go in the same direction. Zardari than says slightly juvenile things like using the police against the militants and saving the army only for emergencies. He knows that it was only after the Frontier Corps failed that the army was sent in by Musharraf. The army too has had mixed results in the campaign. Perhaps when he talks of using the police, Zardari refers to an invigorated Frontier Corps. The US has announced that it will finance and train the body to make it more effective. If Zardari is speaking of talks with the militants only for political consumption, then it is acceptable. If he really means what he is saying then either he has not understood fully the actual situation on the ground in the tribal areas or he is extremely naive in the matter. One hopes wiser counsel from Nawaz Sharif and Fahim will prevail and the Pakistani government will not make the same mistake that Musharraf made about the militants in the tribal areas. Source: IHT Image