Govt APC on 12th to evolve strategy against militancy

[Edevelop]

ISLAMABAD: The PML-N government officially announced on Wednesday that it would hold an all parties conference on July 12 “to discuss and evolve a national strategy to curb militancy and address the overall law and order and security situation in the country”.

Before leaving for China where he will be staying till July 8, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif issued an official statement about his decision to convene a meeting of heads of all political parties represented in parliament.

In his speech in the National Assembly on June 18, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had indicated that the government planned to take all political parties sitting in parliament on board to formulate a national security policy.

Besides energy crisis and economic challenges which the PML-N government blamed on its predecessor, a sudden spike in terrorist attacks over the past four weeks has taken the prime minister and his cabinet by surprise. Some political observers were of the opinion that being a centre-right political party its government would be spared by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant outfits, but the myth stands shattered.

Except Lahore, all three provincial capitals — Quetta, Peshawar and Karachi — have suffered attacks resulting in the killing of scores of innocent people. So much so, the TTP killed 10 foreign mountaineers in Gilgit-Baltistan on June 23.

It will be interesting to see if Mr Sharif continues to stick to his old stance — talks with the TTP — he had taken in recently held APCs, at a time when militants have refused to give any room for discussion to the new government.

The PML-N chief was the main speaker at the JUI-F-sponsored APC held in Islamabad on Feb 28 which unanimously agreed to negotiate peace with militants through a broadened tribal jirga.

The JUI-F was given the task of convening the jirga, but the initiative lost the steam because of political parties’ focus on the May 11 elections. Signed by about 30 political and religious parties, the declaration said: “All the religious and political parties and Fata elders participating in today’s APC announce that the present, interim and the next elected government and the (future) opposition will be bound to implement all the steps agreed upon.”

The declaration’s main focus was on dialogue with the Taliban.

Earlier on Feb 14, the Awami National Party had also held a multi-party conference, but in-camera. It too supported calls for negotiations with militants. Although Mr Sharif didn’t participate in the conference, his PML-N supported its outcome.

Now in the government, and confronting the increased terrorist attacks, mostly claimed by the TTP, the PML-N leadership has no option but to take a leading role in developing a consensus on how to counter the menace. In a recent statement, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan also urged the prime minister to take the army chief on board because without military’s input and agreement there could be no effective counter-terrorism strategy.

But to make suggestions or recommendations as an outsider and to be in the thick of things are entirely different scenarios which the PML-N leadership must have realised in the short span of four weeks.

The PPP government also had its share of APCs on the similar issue of law and order and militancy which were also attended by Nawaz Sharif.

On Sept 30, 2011, then prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had managed to get heads of all political parties as well as entire top military leadership under one roof.

Mr Sharif was one of the leading participants in the meeting which adopted a 13-point resolution asking the government to take an initiative with a view to negotiating “peace with our own people in the tribal areas” and putting in place a proper mechanism for the purpose.

Mr Sharif had put some tough questions to the military leadership on the occasion. Although it was an in-camera meeting, Mr Sharif was widely quoted by the media as having criticised the security establishment for running the country’s foreign and defence policies in total disregard to parliament. He called for putting everything on record before parliament.

There has been no change in the military leadership, except former ISI chief Lt Gen Shuja Pasha who has been replaced by Lt Gen Zahirul Islam, since Mr Sharif gave his opinion on militancy at the PPP-sponsored APC.

Now Mr Sharif is prime minister and also holds the portfolios of defence and foreign affairs. It can be anybody’s guess if his government will wait for November when Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani is due to retire, to formulate its new security policy or go ahead forthwith considering the serious level of threat posed by militants.

Govt APC on 12th to evolve strategy against militancy - DAWN.COM

 

[SBD-3]

 

[Edevelop]

Meeting on national security: Nisar says army chief to be invited

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Thursday that Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani would be invited to the proposed meeting of the heads of all political parties in parliament to formulate a comprehensive national security policy.

Talking to medial personnel in his office, the minister said although no date had yet been finalised, he had started contacting political leaders.

The Prime Minister’s Office said on Wednesday that the meeting would be held on July 12, but Chaudhry Nisar said the date would be finalised after consultations with political leaders.

He said participants of the meeting would include the four chief ministers and heads of all law-enforcement agencies.

The first session would include briefing by security and intelligence officials over security situation in different parts of the country. It would be followed by a one-hour question session for politicians.

The minister said recommendations of political leaders would be used in formulating the policy. “It is a complicated task and can take some time. After finalisation the draft policy will be presented in the parliament for approval.”

Talking about outlines of the proposed policy, the minister said it would contain two parts — operational and strategic.

The operational part will define how the intelligence system should work to have prior information of the possibility of a terror activity.

He said it was necessary to assess intelligence failures and security leaks and to improve coordination among various arms of intelligence agencies. “At present we are doing only reactionary work and need to learn from mistakes.”

The minister said there would be a special rapid force which would act promptly in case of an attack. It would have the ability to reach the spot and engage terrorists before they escape from the scene, he added.

Chaudhry Nisar said the strategic side of the policy would determine the direction of action for law-enforcement agencies.

In reply to a question regarding investigation against MQM chief Altaf Hussain by British police in the Imran Farooq murder case, the minister said British government had not yet officially sought any input from the Pakistan government.

“The case is being dealt by British authorities and the Pakistan government is being updated by authorities concerned. We are aware of the situation, but I am not in a position to share it with the media because of the sensitivity of the matter,” he added.

Regarding initiation of trial of former president retired Gen Pervez Musharraf under Article 6 of the constitution, the minister said a special committee had started its work and its report would be produced before the Supreme Court.

DRONE ATTACKS: Chaudhry Nisar said the US policy of continuing drone attacks in tribal areas could affect its relations with Pakistan.

Terming the drone attacks counterproductive, he said the US ambassador had been informed about the concerns of the Pakistan government. “The PML-N government is clear over the issue of drone attacks and if the US stubbornness continues, there will be a serious stand-off between the two countries.”

He said Pakistan had categorically conveyed to the US government through its ambassador that such a stand-off with Pakistan could have serious implications on the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan as well as the post-withdrawal scenario.

The US must reconsider the ways it had been pursuing over the past seven years, he added.

KARACHI AND BALOCHISTAN: In reply to a question regarding law and order in Karachi and Balochistan, the minister said law and order was a provincial subject and the federal government would provide maximum resources to provincial governments for maintaining peace.

About the killing of foreign mountaineers in Gilgit-Baltistan, he said security agencies had taken into custody some suspects for questioning. But, he added, the real culprits were still at large.

Meeting on national security: Nisar says army chief to be invited - DAWN.COM

 

[Pakistanisage]

I would like to have a serious debate about Nawaz Sharif's ties with Lashkar e Jhangvi, no called ASWJ.

If anyone has any information, please share it in a civilized manner.

Please do not use abusive or rude language, whether you agree or disagree.

I will open by presenting some information I came across and please keep in mind that this is not my viewpoint nor do I subscribe to it. It is just something I came across on the internet and decided to share:



All Islamofascist Party convenes in Raiwind:


Today, on 16 January 2013, Nawaz Sharif (head of PML-N) spoke on behalf of a bunch of Islamofascists leaders who held a meeting in the drawing room of his sprawling estate in Raiwind. All the luminaries, discounting a dead horse like the misogynist G M Khar, are held together by a couple of factors:

(1) They are all beholden to the murderous, inhuman Islamofascist ideology which stipulates that anyone who does not subscribe to the Deobandi line of action must be killed; and

(2) They have tacitly and openly, depending on the circumstances, supported genocides of the Shias and the Ahmadis, and persecution of the Christians and the Barelvis.

These Saudi-sponsored Islamofascists at the press conference included, among others, Nawaz Sharif, Fazlur Rehman, Muanwar Hasan, and Mullah Ajmal.

At the press conference, Nawaz Sharif mentioned, only in half a sentence, the persecution of the Hazara community. He was deliberately withholding the truth: There is no such a persecution as “Hazara persecution”. What has been going on for years is the genocide of the Shia Muslims not just of Quetta, but all over Pakistan. Nawaz Sharif shamelessly did not even make a passing reference to the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ, currently operating as ASWJ) which is patronized by the Punjabi government headed by his brother.

Another Islamofascist Fazlur Rehman made fun of Christians and Sunni Barelvis by calling a respectable Christian leader and former Member of Parliament Julius Salik as a clown, and resembling Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri to Mr. J. Salik.

Talal Bugti who has recently discovered that embracing Islamofascism means money and power made fun of the protest of Quetta Shias. He ridiculed their success in having the Quetta government sacked by saying with a cynical smile, “Nothing will happen by the change of the government!”

Mahmud Achakzai who has renounced his progressive ideology by embracing the Saudi-financed Islamofascist cause by condemned the government and threatened to turn the entire Pakistan into a Tahrir Square. On his own, he cannot get one dozen people to hold a political rally. But he knows that subscription to the Saudi brand of Islam means everything: He is Nawaz Sharif’s choice to become Pakistan’s interim prime minister.

At the press conference, Tahir-ul-Qadri was virulently denounced and not a single word was spoken against the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi or its leaders who are Munawar Hassan’s comrades at every Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC) meeting. Qadri, a Sufi (Barelvi) Sunni, is hated by Saudi Arabia and is a persona non grata there. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is financed by Saudi Arabia.

While Comrades Nadeem Paracha and Najam Sethi celebrated the Saudi-sponsored consensus against a Sunni Barelvi as a great day for democracy, Comrade Abbas Nasir rightly wondered if Pakistan can see similar consensus on battling terrorism one day too. If TUQ is a threat to democracy, TTP-ASWJ is an outright threat to Pakistan’s existence. Why no such consensus against TTP-ASWJ killing machines?

 

[Major Sam]

Kitni APCs bukai jaengi
at the end hona kuch bhi ne


BCH bs paksitaion ko martay hue dekhtay rhe ge. FCK

 

[Cheetah786]

ISLAMABAD: Terrorists have killed at least 160 people during the new Pakistani government's first month in office, fueling concern that the country's leaders lack a coherent strategy to fight the pervasive problem of violent extremism.

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) scored a resounding victory in national elections in May with a platform that promoted peace talks as the best way to quell a systematic campaign by the Pakistani Taliban which has killed thousands of people. The plan quickly fell apart after the Taliban withdrew their offer to talk in response to a US drone strike that killed the group's deputy leader at the end of May.

The government has yet to articulate an alternate strategy, and in the meantime, the attacks keep coming. ''The government is completely confused over the terrorism problem,'' said Zahid Hussain, whose books plot the rise of militancy in Pakistan. ''The government's indecisiveness and dithering has emboldened the militants.''

At least 160 people were killed in suspected militant attacks in June, according to an Associated Press count. It was the second most deaths in a month this year, following April, when there were many attacks related to the election, said Mohammed Amir Rana, head of the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies. Hussain and other analysts said the government failed to respond aggressively enough to the attacks over the last month. The government mostly relied on routine press releases that criticized the violence and expressed sorrow for the dead, but made no mention of who carried them out or how they would respond.

The government has taken a few public steps to show it is dealing with the attacks, which included the killing of international tourists at a scenic mountain, a suicide bombing of women university students and an attack on a funeral that killed a lawmaker. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif flew to Quetta, which has recently been the base for repeated attacks on the Hazara community. He brought senior security officials with him, including the head of the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

''We will give full our attention to bring an end to the lawlessness, whether it is in Quetta and Balochistan or other parts of the country,'' Nawaz told reporters during his trip.

Last month, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan also traveled to Quetta following an attack there that left 24 people dead. Khan reiterated the country's support for talks with militants, although he did say that those who refuse to renounce violence will be dealt with ''through other means. ''Sharif has announced that he plans to hold a high-level meeting with political party leaders on July 12 to discuss a national strategy to curb militancy. Analysts said Sharif's trip to Quetta was a good step, but it's the follow-through that matters. They warned that the government's attempts to form a consensus will likely flounder. Religious parties will likely blame the problem of militancy on CIA drone strikes and the US-led war in neighbouring Afghanistan, and no action will be taken, said Talat Masood, a retired Pakistani army general and defense analyst.

''There's no point in them repeating the same thing that has been said that 'We will get everyone together and then formulate a policy.' The people have voted,'' he said. ''That's fine if you want to take along as many political parties, but essentially the responsibility is yours.''

Interior Ministry spokesman Omar Hameed Khan defended the government, saying officials were committed to coming up with a national security strategy within three or four months in consultation with all stakeholders, including the military. To be fair, the government has had its hands full dealing with an issue that is arguably for most Pakistanis – fixing the country's crippling electricity shortages.

That was the issue that propelled the new government to victory, even more so than its promise to negotiate an end to militant attacks, and failure to quickly turn the lights back on could translate into a short term for the new government.

The government has also negotiated a bailout from the International Monetary Fund and presented a new budget to parliament. Critics say even with those other concerns, the government should take a stronger line on militancy. ''Even if they are devoted to other issues, terrorism is still the most serious issue because it undermines the credibility of the state and shatters the confidence of ordinary people in the capacity of the state to protect them,'' said Hasan Askari Rizvi, a Pakistani political analyst.

Neither Nawaz nor the interior minister has gone to Peshawar on a similar security-related trip, although it, too, has been hard hit by bombings and shootings. Analysts say that is partly because the killing of members of the Shia community has become such a high-profile issue that it can't be ignored. But visiting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is also fraught with more political risks since it's controlled by Sharif's rival, cricket star-turned-politician, Imran Khan.

Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), is even more vocal in its support for negotiations instead of military operations as a way to end terror attacks. While the federal government's stance over the last month has been defined mostly by silence on the militancy issue, PTI officials have consistently pushed their negotiations agenda in the face of repeated bombings in the province. "There is no other way," said Shaukat Ali Yousafzai, a member of Khan's party who serves as provincial spokesman. "We have been fighting for the last 10 years against these people, and terrorism activities are increasing day by day."

Critics say promoting peace talks ignores the Pakistani Taliban's history of using such negotiations as a way to gain time to consolidate their strength. And they question whether the government should negotiate with a group of militants dedicated to overthrowing the Pakistani state and enforcing Sharia law.

Analysts say the Nawaz government may be wary about launching a broad crackdown on militancy because it could trigger blowback in the ruling party's home province of Punjab, which has suffered relatively few attacks. It could also alienate religious conservatives among the party's supporters.

At the end of the day, the new government is likely finding that solving Pakistan's militancy problem is one of the most complicated challenges it faces.

"There is a hell of difference between being in government and sitting out and criticizing," said Mian Iftikhar Hussain. He should know. He's a member of the Awami National Party, which supported military operations against the militants and was voted out of office in May. He also lost his only son to Taliban gunmen.

 

[Leader]

how different this APC will be from the previous ones?

joke with nation, nothing else !

 

[K-Xeroid]

how different this APC will be from the previous ones?

joke with nation, nothing else !

Exactly ! Why we need these APC's when we already have superman Emran khan , He can alone handle this whole situation like he successfully handled in Naya KPK.