What goes around, comes around

Almost nine years back, Musharraf had ousted all major politicians from the country charging them to cause corruption and mayham in the country. Nine years later, the same set of politicians have returned, and ousted him from power.

General Musharraf's caused his own downfall by creating an environment of distrust, violence and chaos. Ever since December 2006, and a peaceful protest against "Missing people" in Islamabad, his power has been waning and his popularity dropping. Musharraf's legacy would be as the president who:

• Illegal Abduction: Caused the illegal abduction of Pakistani citizens without any charge against them.
• Illegal Arrests and Extradition: Handing over hundreds of Pakistanis without trial to foreign powers in the name of "war against terror" without bringing any charges against them.
• Illegal NRO: Creating an illegal NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance) which takes back all cases against the political parties for their wrong doing. In essence sending a message that one can do as many wrongs as they want, they will be forgiven.
• Talibanism in Pakistan: There is more Talibanism in the country since his war on them began. All his policies have failed miserably to curb violence, terrorism and talibanism. It will probably take decades for the impact of his failed policies to be eliminated.
• National Accountablity Bureau: A government instrument created to catch the culprits. So far, it has played a dubious role of going after Musharraf's enemies. NAB has also not really taken strict action against any army general who has been involved in corruption. Hence, a political institute for political parties to use to harrass their enemies.
  

The current crop of politicians will have to continue to deliver on the will of the people. The judges have to be restored and the economy has to be stablized and strenghthened. Otherwise, PPP and PML (N) will also be ousted from power.

Prisoner 650 at Bagram Jail

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/1045905-pakistan-afia

We must write to relavent authories and bring it to their notice for the human rights violation and abuses faced by Dr. Aafia Siddiqui. Here is a sample letter to send out to all authorities.

SAMPLE LETTER:

Dear________,

PAKISTAN/USA: A lady doctor is missing with her three children since five years after her arrest

Name of victim: Ms. Dr. Afia Siddiqui and her three children
Block 7, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi, Sindh province
The units of the alleged perpetrators: Intelligence agencies of Pakistan and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI-US)

I am shocked to know that Dr. Afia Siddiqui, a Pakistani citizen has been missing with her three children since April 2003, after her arrest by intelligence agencies of Pakistan. The whereabouts of children is also unknown, which is a serious act of negligence on the part of the government with regard to its responsibility to protect the citizen of the Pakistan.

According to the information I have received Dr. Afia was picked-up by Pakistani intelligence agencies while on her way to the airport and initial reports suggested that she was handed over to the American FBI. A few days later an American news channel, NBC, reported that Afia had been arrested in Pakistan on suspicion of facilitating money transfers for terror networks of Osama Bin Laden.

On April 1, 2003, a small news item was published in an Urdu daily with reference to a press conference of then Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat when, in reply to a question regarding the arrest of Dr. Siddiqui, he said she has not been arrested. But in another report the minister for interior said,"You will be astonished to know about the activities of Dr. Afia." A weekly English magazine in its special coverage on Dr. Afia reported that after one week of the incident, an intelligence agency official, a motor cyclist in plain clothes, came to the house of her mother and warned "We know that you are connected to higher-ups but do not make an issue out of her daughter's disappearance" and threatened her with dire consequences. After this development the whereabouts of Dr. Afia and her children are yet unknown.

What is also of grave concern to me is that when she was arrested by Pakistani intelligence authorities she was handed over to American intelligence agencies without being tried in Pakistan, I do not find any rationale in sending her along with her children to other country when there are Pakistani laws to deal with the suspected terrorists. It is known that President Musharraf handed over 600 suspected terrorists to America.

There are reports that in Afghanistan's prison of Bagram there is a woman prison known as Prisoner 650 and that she has been severely tortured. It is also widely suspected that Prisoner 650 is Dr. Afia Siddiqui. This prisoner has reportedly lost her mind due to constant rape and ill treatment.

I remind you that this is the duty of coalition government under Prime Minister Mr. Yousaf Raza Gillani to probe cases of those Pakistani suspected terrorists who have been handed over to foreign forces in the name of war on terror. The government should also inform Pakistani citizens about the whereabouts of Dr. Afia Siddiqui and her children. I also demand that government should also ensure the safety of her children.

Yours sincerely,

-------------
PLEASE SEND YOU LETTERS TO:

1. The Chief
Allied Joint Force Command
Head Quarters Brunssum,
Public Affirs office, P.O. BOX 270
6440, AG, Brunssem
THE NETHERLANDS
Tel. No.: +31 45 526 2409
Email: pio@jfcbs.nato.intHeadquart

2. Mr. George W. Bush
President of the United State of America (USA)
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20500
USA
Email: presidents@presidentsusa.net

3. Mr. Hamid Karzai
President of Afghanistan
Gul Khana Palace
Presidential Palace
Kabul
AFGHANISTAN
Email: president@afghanistangov.org

4. General Pervez Musharraf
President of Pakistan
President's Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 1422 / 4768; 920 1893 or 1835
E-mail: (please see: http://www.presidentofpakistan.gov.pk/WTPresidentMessage.aspx)

5. Mr. Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani
Prime Minister
Prime Minister House, Islamabad,
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 1596
Tel: +92 51 920 6111
E-mail: webmaster@infopak.gov.pk or infominister@pak.gov.pk

6. Mr. Farooq Naik
Minister of Law, Justice and Human Rights
S Block Pakistan Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 920 2628
E-mail: minister@molaw.gov.pk

7. Mr. Rehman Malik
Advisor for Ministry of Interior
Room No. 404, 4th Floor, R Block,
Pak Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 920 2624
Tel: +92 51 921 2026
E-mail: minister@interior.gov.pk


Thank you

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrchk.org)

One man against a nation

Here is a wonderful video that we found that depicts the feelings of Pakistanis and how they have stood up against one man who is struggling to hang on to power.



We dedicate this video to all the people who are struggling for democracy and freedom from oppression in Pakistan.

Bloggers Fight Pakistan Emergency

Here are some news items recently published discussing the shift in technology usage by protesters against Gen Musharraf and his "emergency".

• Facebookers, bloggers fight Pakistan emergency
  


• With news banned from TV, Pakistanis find it on the Web


• Pakistan students fight emergency

Video: Bol Ke Lab Azad Hain Tere

A wonderful piece of video put together by BoltaPakistan.com folks.

It is time for Civilian Rule

Until recently I was also apolitical along with most Pakistanis who want to be left alone to chase whatever they want be it money or birds (unsuccessful on both counts in my case).

While in Pakistan itself for a number of years there have been two important interest groups

• Those that want to see a civilian government
• A similar sized minority that love military rule believing that authoritarian figures are needed to keep Pak intact
  

In the last year, however, all Pakistanis are being forced to decide which camp they belong to.

This has been due to General Musharraf's political oafishness and lack of common touch which has given the former renewed vigor to agitate for his removal.

The three main catalysts have been

1. The inevitable blow back from doing Bush's dirty work in Waziristan which has tarnished the image of the army generally
2. Failure to blow some life into Pakistani politics by measures such as secret leadership ballots to get new party leaders
3. His taking on of the judiciary has united the different political opposition to military rule where Bush and the Taliban failed to

In so many ways good old Musharraf was so much better than the previous generals - particularly his crisis management job between 1999 and 2003 in very trying circumstances when Pakistan's name was mud internationally.

But he has sown the seeds for his his own downfall by his lack of respect for the judiciary - this was what allowed Aitzaz Ahsan to turn a stuffy figure like Iftikhar Chaudry into a national hero.

Worse still he has appeared to the public as a pathetic rascal who would do anything to keep his presidency - even to do a deal with the crook Benazir (as proven in Swiss courts, however, much she may bleat and appeal) - to again weaken the opposition at the next elections.

His persona from this decision changed to a power drunk autocrat - one that wants to be in power for power's sake - however much he may say that the easiest thing would be for him to leave to be with his beloved Bilal in America.

The momentum that the Chief Justice generated was such that he became more powerful than the President himself - to keep his job the general had to even dismay his Western partners by sacking the Supreme Court.

Personally I think Aitzaz Ahsan and the judiciary went too far in that they were going to declare Musharraf's presidency invalid on the basis that he still had his uniform on at the time of the vote. I think that the opposition should have tried to win the election and given the general a dignified retirement in a few years in the interests of national reconciliation.

But I guess they are all gambling that Mush is losing support by the day even within the army and also want to get their own back on him for the way he has treated them.

While BiBi is having to join in on the bandwagon now that she is finally cottoning onto the fact that the general is sinking.

In the midst of these upheavals I have come to the decision that civilian rule must be Paksitan's political direction. It is the only way that personalities and egos are to be kept in check and that priority will be given to the wants and needs of the Paksitani public.

-- Hamza Anwar (Manchester, UK)

Musharraf: November 3 Step was Illegal

On Friday, BBC aired an interview that President Musharraf gave on the BBC. It was quite an astonishing interview and truly thought provoking. At one point he said quite openly,

"Have I done anything constitutionally illegal? Yes, I did it on 3 November," he said, referring to his imposition of emergency rule.

Can someone elaborate on this? Was that a slip of a tongue? Or did he actually mean it? If this step on Nov 3 was illegal (in his own words) then he broke the law and should be tried accordingly.

Here is the text of the interview.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7099567.stm

Video of the Interview on BBC website

Crisis in Pakistan

This is a wonderful video produced by Geo on the current "emergency" imposed by the Gen. Pervaiz Musharraf in Pakistan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ByClR16oZY