Quetta: LEJ bombs University bus & siege BMC.

[Gentelman]

I know they are toy guns. Kids playing with toy guns is one thing, and kids taking those guns to extremist gathering is another. And no I don't want you to start posting photos from my country(not that you find any), this thread is about your country so stay on the topic.

which kid will not go to a party where he will get a free gun with some money??

 

[HAIDER]

seems earth is going over populated ....frustrated economic failed human are now looking for some extremist form of religion .....what s the solution ????

 

[Multani]

Here are a few more facts for you.

Malik Ishaq?s bail plea rejected - DAWN.COM

DAWN
March 28, 2013
ISLAMABAD: A judge in the eastern city of Lahore on Saturday rejected a request for bail made by Malik Ishaq, the founder of the banned Laskhar-e-Jangvi group, a senior police official Ijaz Shafi said.

Ishaq has been accused of making speeches inciting sectarian hatred against Shias.

Earlier this week, police had detained Ishaq, also linked to the defunct Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan, at Lahore airport on his return from Saudi Arabia. He appeared in court on Friday in front of a judicial magistrate amid tight security and was sent to the city’s Kot Lakhpat jail for a 14-day-long judicial remand.

The groups, Laskhar-e-Jangvi and the Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan, have been blamed for scores of attacks on Shias in Balochistan and elsewhere in the country.


---------------------------------------------------------------

So for starters, I guess you can stop propagating myths about Malik Ishaq not visiting Saudi anymore.

- Now, you have admitted that LeJ gets huge amount of funding from Saudi but just not at the state level. Obviously and logically, the Saudi salafi establishment wouldn't fund an organization if it did not further their agenda. So please, spare us the rubbish about there being any difference between LeJ and the salafi doctrine in terms of its violently anti-shia focus. Salafis are anti shia - period!

- Secondly, the fact of the matter is the Saudi government actively funded these sectarian killers in the 80 and 90s with the support of our establishment starting with Zia ul Haq(aka scumbag). Whether the government does so today does'nt matter, because there are powerful non state actors in Saudi funding these thugs - namely the salafi establishment, a junior partner in the ruling alliance with serious clout.

- Thirdly, did'nt quite follow your logic about LeJ/Punjabi militants. So the LeJ militants that are a big part of the Punjabi militant arm of TTP, and perhaps some of the best trained militants in the entire network, can't operate in balochistan because they're Punjabi.....seriously??? Not to mention the Punjabi LeJ militants operating in KP! - stop being so naïve.

The fact on the ground is that the Saudi Government is itself fighting Qutbi Wahabis [ TTP/ Bin Laden ] group. The leaders of these wahabis are well known in Saudi, and among those who live in the Gulf.

The Saudi Government is Salafi Madkhali. They do not fund terrorists. They fight terrorists and kill them. They fund Madkhali Salafism. shia iran funds the hezbu terrorists in Lebanon and Syria, in contrast, who are actual terrorists. Shia iran also funds usooli twelverism throughout the Islamic world.

Both of these countries have agendas in Pakistan.

 

[Multani]

Dawn editorial published today.


Formidable threat: Lashkar-i-Jhangvi in Balochistan

2013-06-17 04:13:40

AS Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, that claimed responsibility for the horrific violence in Quetta on Saturay, strikes again and again in Balochistan, there may be a temptation to regard it as an out-of-control problem in an out-of-control backwater. But LJ is part of a continuum of militancy and extremism that has a long history and an ever more threatening future — a threat to all of Pakistan, not just particular regions. The history of LJ itself underlines the complexity of the threat from militancy today: what began as an anti-Shia agenda and targeted killings has morphed into an expansive list of targets, some seemingly picked at random and without much concern about whether women or children are direct victims. There is the LJ in Balochistan, which is alleged to have developed links with the Baloch separatists. There is the LJ in the tribal areas, which has long-standing ties to Al Qaeda and now the TTP. There is the LJ in Punjab, which continues to grow and develop its network inside the umbrella Punjabi Taliban. Taken together, they pose a formidable threat across the country, not just Balochistan. And LJ is only one aspect of a multi-dimensional and multi-faceted militancy threat.

The pervasiveness of the threat does not, however, mean that a modular, regional approach to countering it cannot be implemented. In Balochistan, LJ’s rise is intrinsically linked to a security policy that is controlled and directed by the army-led security establishment. The space for non-state actors’ singular obsession with crushing the Baloch insurgency through violence meant that other non-state actors were able to take advantage of the state’s focus elsewhere. Even worse, there are allegations that the obsession with crushing the Baloch insurgency also led to encouraging pro-state Baloch militants who have their own agendas, including developing ties with LJ. The Baloch separatists remain a problem — the shocking destruction in Ziarat on Saturday is evidence enough — but state policy is an even bigger one. Where a political problem — the Baloch insurgency — is being dealt with by brute force, the problem that does require an iron fist — LJ — is being left largely unaddressed. Both policies, extreme action against Baloch separatists and extreme inaction against LJ, must change and for that a reckoning with army-led security policy is needed first.

Beyond Balochistan and LJ, the bigger picture is almost as bleak. The transition to democracy may appear on track but the politicians have so far made no effort to reach for the holy grail: national security and foreign policy. The euphemistically termed non-state actors cannot and must not be elements of this country’s national security and foreign policy because they are the single greatest threat to Pakistan’s security and relations with the world. Will the army listen?

Formidable threat: Lashkar-i-Jhangvi in Balochistan - DAWN.COM

Mufti Taqi Uthmani, the biggest deobandi scholar in Pakistan, living in Karachi, came out and condemned the Lal Masjid deobandi Militants. A lot of the deobandi youth heeded his call and distanced themselves from those terrorists.

Mufti Taqi Uthmani has also condemned TTP in the past, and most deobandis in Pakistan have heeded his call, and those of other major deobandi scholars in Pakistan.

However, there hasn't been condemnation from his side against Lashkare Jhangvi and Sipahe Sahaba, who operate almost all the times against Shiites in the country.

 

[TalibanSwatter]

Senators suspect 'elements within security apparatus' of being involved in Quetta attacks

Dawn

ISLAMABAD: Senators from both treasury and opposition benches called on Monday for bringing the security apparatus and intelligence agencies under civilian and parliamentary control to improve the law and order situation in the country.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan triggered a debate on the issue of civil-military relationship when he admitted in the Senate that Saturday’s terrorist attacks on Ziarat Residency and Bolan Medical Complex in Quetta were result of “serious security lapse” and “lack of coordination” between security and law enforcement agencies.

The house was shocked to see the minister admitting that terrorists had managed to transport a huge quantity of explosives and arms in vehicles passing through a number of check-posts manned by the police, FC and even army personnel both in Ziarat and Quetta.

Chaudhry Nisar said that no-one could enter or leave hilly Ziarat without being checked by security personnel at limited entry and exit points.

He said there could be no heavier security presence in Quetta where checkposts had been set up every 100 yards and it was surprising how the terrorists managed to carry weapons and tonnes of explosive through these posts.

PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar welcomed the remarks of Chaudhry Nisar that the Balochistan issue was a manifestation of lack of coordination between civil and military authorities as a correct diagnosis and said the civil-military disconnect was indeed the root of the problem. He said parliament would support the interior minister in his efforts to address the issue.

Mr Babar informed the house that the previous PPP-led government had made numerous attempts to bring the country’s security agencies under the ambit of law.

Showing scepticism, the PPP senator said that he doubted that the PML-N government would succeed in doing so. But he offered complete cooperation to the interior minister and said that he was ready to tell Chaudhry Nisar why his party’s government had failed to make any progress and why its efforts remained fruitless.

PPP’s parliamentary leader Raza Rabbani said it appeared that the interior minister had apprehensions that terrorists were being “helped and abetted by some elements within the security apparatus”. He said the situation would not improve until the security apparatus was brought under the parliamentary and civil control.

PML-Q’s Mushahid Hussain said there were islands within the security system. “All (intelligence) agencies are islands itself. There is a need for coordination between intelligence agencies, be it the ISI, MI or the IB,” he added.

The PML-Q senator took exception to a recent reported statement of Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani that the armed forces were prepared to thwart any aggression from India.

He said India didn’t need to show aggression as the country was facing a serious internal security threats resulting in the deaths of over 50,000 people.

He advised the interior minister to visit Sri Lanka to see how a country without having nuclear arms, without a big army and without the US support had crushed the most “ferocious” terrorism merely through the political will of the leadership.

Hafiz Hamdullah of the JUI-F questioned huge budgetary allocations for intelligence and security agencies after their repeated failure in preventing terrorism incidents in the country.

“Are we paying security agencies only to shower bullets in Fata and to create target killers?”

Kalsoom Parveen of the Balochistan National Party (A) said there were a number of reports in media hinting at the “involvement of agencies” in various terrorism-related incidents.

The News

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan Monday burst out over Balochistan issue, expressing shock over how the entire security apparatus along with security agencies could not put a curb on terrorism in the restive province.

Speaking from the floor of National Assembly, Ch Nisar wondered as to how the security agencies want to be equipped to deal with the Balochistan issue.



Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) Chief, Mahmood Khan Achakzai asked: “Why is it that our security agencies are capable enough to find a needle in a haystack but still the law and order situation continues to remain in a poor state (in Balochistan)”.

Ch Nisar said a meeting of civil armed forces has been convened for June 20 and that a security policy will be announced by June 20-21.

“The Ziarat incident appears to be the result of ineligibility on the part of our security agencies,” he lamented, adding, ‘an internal hand could be involved in the incident’.


He said contradiction had been noticed in the statements of the DPO and DCO and vowed to make findings of the investigation report public.

Appearing shocked, Nisar said if the security agencies are really unable to protect even the red zone then what is it that the government should equip them with to help them do their job. “The law enforcement agencies should desist from acting as an independent entity,” he warned.

Mahmood Khan Achakzai in his speech during the NA session warned that ‘if the establishment was not reined in within the next two-three years, he would quit the assembly’.


“Osama (Bin Laden) was nabbed from a place located near the training facility of ISSB and it is also a fact that we are interfering in Afghanistan’s affairs and it was us who provided safe haven to the insurgents,” Achakzai maintained

 

[TalibanSwatter]

The Balochistan Cauldron

DAWN

THE latest bloodbath in Quetta is yet another grim reminder of Balochistan’s dangerous slide into anarchy. The gruesome killing of women students and the subsequent siege of the Bolan Medical Complex indicate the growing stridency of the militants and raises serious questions about our counterterrorism efforts.

Beyond any doubt the twin attacks are the work of the same militant nexus responsible for previous massacres of Hazara Shias in Quetta as well as other terrorist violence across the country.

It was a precisely organised and highly coordinated militant attack in the city that has been drenched in blood so often in recent times. The suicide bombings and gunfire inside the hospital were aimed at causing maximum casualties. The target was ostensibly Hazara girls, but an apparent miscalculation led to the militants bombing a bus carrying students belonging to a mix of ethnic groups.

The terrorists had plotted to kill more members of the Hazara community who would have rushed to the hospital to see the victims. Things may not have gone according to plan; nonetheless the bombing and indiscriminate shooting inside the hospital killed many people and a senior government official.

As in the past, Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LJ) lost no time in claiming responsibility for the carnage, flaunting the brazenness of the terrorist network.

It was the first major incident of violence since the newly elected government has taken charge in the province and had raised hopes of normality being restored.

The Quetta carnage happened hours after the destruction of the Quaid residency in Ziarat by the Balochistan Liberation Army. There appears to be no connection between the two terrorist acts. But both served the same purpose of embarrassing the newly installed provincial government led by Dr Abdul Malik Baloch. Both groups seek to destabilise the democratic process.

That underscores the complexity of Balochistan’s situation and the grave challenge faced by the new nationalist government. The attack on the Ziarat residency was much more symbolic and shows the desperation of the separatists who seem to have lost a lot of ground because of the success of the electoral process in the province.

Violent sectarian militancy in Balochistan, however, poses a much greater threat to the stability not only of the province but of the country as well. The massive escalation in sectarian-based terrorist actions in recent years highlights the strengthening nexus between the LJ, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and elements of the Afghan Taliban who have a huge sanctuary in the province.

What is most disturbing is the impunity with which the militant network continues to operate and carry out terrorist attacks. The way in which the militants carrying explosives and sophisticated firearms entered the hospital indicates the complete collapse of security at important installations. It was certainly not the first such incident when the militants carried out an attack inside a hospital. Countering sectarian terrorism and improving the security system is going to be a serious challenge for the new provincial administration.

While Balochistan, particularly Quetta, has become the main centre of gravity of Sunni sectarian militancy, the latter is certainly not an isolated provincial phenomenon. The problem is much more deeply rooted and has links with the terrorist networks operating in Punjab and other parts of the country.

There is a definite link between the LJ and TTP. The tendency of political parties and security agencies to draw a distinction between the two is disastrous. By offering to talk to the TTP the government would legitimise militancy, thereby providing more space to the sectarian extremists. The policy of appeasement will only increase the militant threat to the country’s unity and integrity.

The issue of sectarian militancy in Balochistan does not have piecemeal solutions. There is a need for a comprehensive national counterterrorism and counter-radicalisation policy to deal with this growing menace. There is also a need to further strengthen anti-terrorism laws. Under existing laws it is impossible to convict any terrorists.

Foreign funding for radical madressahs and sectarian outfits has contributed hugely in fuelling religious extremism in the province. The security agencies too in the past propped up these extremist groups to counter Baloch nationalists groups, with disastrous consequences. It will take a massive effort now to dismantle those networks. But it has to be done to salvage the situation.

 

[RuheTag]

Someone posted on twitter quite right:

PM should not fall into the trap being set by few anchors to create a 99 like situation. Blaming army for #Ziarat is part of this campaign

 

[Cheetah786]

Made numerous attempts to bring the country’s security agencies under the ambit of law.

So Generals are still untouchable and they dont wanna answer to any one.

General kayani what do u have to say about that.

Indians

Number of reports in media hinting at the “involvement of agencies” in various terrorism-related incidents.

General kayani what do u have to say about that.

Indians.

Huge budgetary allocations for intelligence and security agencies after their repeated failure in preventing terrorism incidents in the country.

General kayani what do u have to say about that.

Money did some one say Money i like Money More please.

PPP’s parliamentary leader Raza Rabbani said it appeared that the interior minister had apprehensions that terrorists were being “helped and abetted by some elements within the security apparatus”.

General kayani what do u have to say about that.

Indians

Sir Are you saying indians are working for our intelligence agencies.

Money.

Foreign funding for radical madressahs and sectarian outfits has contributed hugely in fueling religious extremism in the province.

General kayani what do u have to say about that

Funding Money yeah yeah.

The security agencies too in the past propped up these extremist groups to counter Baloch nationalists groups,

So genius Generals decided lets burn down the house so the wild fires cant destroy it.

General kayani what do u have to say about that

Indians.

 

[TalibanSwatter]

To be fair, Kiyani deserves credit for recently admitting that the state can no longer afford parallel non-state armed militias. He also recognized that the internal threat poses the biggest danger to the nation.

That seems to indicate that the military's worldview is shifting in the right direction.

But then again, words will need to be backed by action.

 

[TalibanSwatter]

Express Tribune

The terrorist attack on the residency in Ziarat, Balochistan, where Muhammad Ali Jinnah spent the last days of his life has created a lot of anxiety in some parts of the country. Made by the British, the building was pleasing to the eyes and part of Balochistan’s heritage. However, the alacrity with which some people mourned a dead building as compared with the 26 people who died in various terrorist attacks the same day, was amazing. It seems that we have grown so insensitive to human loss, especially in a distant part of the country as Balochistan, that the brutality of the jihadis does not make us turn and look. Sadly, a building is more of a symbol of national ideology than the people of the country.

The provincial government has promised to reconstruct the building in three months. However, there is lesser clarity regarding the fate of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) jihadists who kill people almost every single day. Due to our peculiar focus, we will not even be inclined to ask how a province and people known for liberal religious traditions got occupied with takfiri jihadis who, like the German fascists, believe in killing anyone that does not subscribe to their values and scheme of things. Poverty and poor governance, of course, are obvious but simple explanations. These two factors can drive people towards frustration and violence but not necessarily of the kind that seems to be growing in Balochistan.

People can get frustrated due to poverty and vent their anger against the state for what they may consider as brutal negligence but not necessarily become part of the religious-ideological ****** network that has grown exponentially in the province, especially in the past few years. The state has played no part whatsoever in questioning or stopping the systematic growth of Deobandi and Salafi ****** networks in Balochistan or even the rest of the country. Why are we so silent when we see the Salafi LeT/JuD network or the Deobandi SSP/LeJ/JeM network penetrate Balochistan and Sindh and gain ground in these territories?

Ethnic politics and nationalism is comparatively a solvable issue. The jihadis who now want to change the future of the state are far more difficult to negotiate with. The LeJ in Balochistan is busy exploiting and recruiting Baruhis to fight against the Baloch. Interestingly, al Qaeda, to which the LeJ is also connected, is trying to provoke Baloch nationalism. In the recent publication Al Hateen, the local al Qaeda has talked about an independent but Islamic Balochistan. This politics is transforming society and so, as a result, we even see some Baloch political parties aligning with the ASWJ/LeJ political network. This is certainly out of political expediency, but the formula is as bad as in any other part of the country, especially Punjab and Sindh.

While we mourn the damage done to a building where the founding father spent some time, we forget that the takfiris and their radicalism, which seems to be spreading gradually, will kill the Pakistan which Jinnah envisioned, that is if it has not happened as yet. The al Qaeda that we dislike now has local franchises that, in turn, are ingrained in society. We continue to draw a distinction between the good and bad jihadis, not understanding that ultimately, they all tend to drift together on the basis of their ideology. The explanation for giving protection to certain religious radicals or their groups is that the military leadership does not want to start a civil war in the populated parts of the country, while it is busy sorting out the war in the tribal areas. Nonetheless, this does not explain why the security establishment continues to tolerate the ideological expansion of these groups and the fact that they are constantly recruiting people. Surely, the banners calling for jihad posted on government hoardings on the National Highway in Punjab do not indicate an intention of these groups to stop their struggle to capture society.

Surely, the recipe that the new government is most likely to entertain is negotiations with these groups. But what is there to negotiate except the future of the country? Will Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar, along with their gangs, settle at anything less than a drastic change in the ideological direction of the state? This is not about wanting or not wanting Islam on the basis of which this country was made but about the capture of a religious ideology by vulgar extremism.

The new interior minister has to be clear on one thing at least, that he cannot save buildings unless he can protect people from such vile extremism. This requires for him and his government to construct a solid policy on terrorism and counter-radicalism. There are several necessary steps which ought to be taken, starting from building consensus and cooperation amongst the various intelligence agencies. To get them on the same page, nonetheless, requires clarity on the issue. The government now has a tool that it can work with in the form of the National Counter Terrorism Authority and the relevant Act. There is a need to identify sources of radicalism and get various stakeholders on board, including the media, to counter such ideological forces. The government must focus on countering radicalism as this is an even larger issue than terrorism. In fact, acts of violence indicate the tip of the iceberg of radicalism. You cannot remove one without removing the other. This consistent ideological transformation that started during the early 1950s but speeded up after 1979-80 must stop if the country has to be made livable for most. It’s nothing to do with sacrificing the Islamic character of the state but is about taking the violence out and making it a place worth living for future generations.

 

[TalibanSwatter]

Express Tribune

The terrorist attack on the residency in Ziarat, Balochistan, where Muhammad Ali Jinnah spent the last days of his life has created a lot of anxiety in some parts of the country. Made by the British, the building was pleasing to the eyes and part of Balochistan’s heritage. However, the alacrity with which some people mourned a dead building as compared with the 26 people who died in various terrorist attacks the same day, was amazing. It seems that we have grown so insensitive to human loss, especially in a distant part of the country as Balochistan, that the brutality of the jihadis does not make us turn and look. Sadly, a building is more of a symbol of national ideology than the people of the country.

The provincial government has promised to reconstruct the building in three months. However, there is lesser clarity regarding the fate of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) jihadists who kill people almost every single day. Due to our peculiar focus, we will not even be inclined to ask how a province and people known for liberal religious traditions got occupied with takfiri jihadis who, like the German fascists, believe in killing anyone that does not subscribe to their values and scheme of things. Poverty and poor governance, of course, are obvious but simple explanations. These two factors can drive people towards frustration and violence but not necessarily of the kind that seems to be growing in Balochistan.

People can get frustrated due to poverty and vent their anger against the state for what they may consider as brutal negligence but not necessarily become part of the religious-ideological ****** network that has grown exponentially in the province, especially in the past few years. The state has played no part whatsoever in questioning or stopping the systematic growth of Deobandi and Salafi ****** networks in Balochistan or even the rest of the country. Why are we so silent when we see the Salafi LeT/JuD network or the Deobandi SSP/LeJ/JeM network penetrate Balochistan and Sindh and gain ground in these territories?

Ethnic politics and nationalism is comparatively a solvable issue. The jihadis who now want to change the future of the state are far more difficult to negotiate with. The LeJ in Balochistan is busy exploiting and recruiting Baruhis to fight against the Baloch. Interestingly, al Qaeda, to which the LeJ is also connected, is trying to provoke Baloch nationalism. In the recent publication Al Hateen, the local al Qaeda has talked about an independent but Islamic Balochistan. This politics is transforming society and so, as a result, we even see some Baloch political parties aligning with the ASWJ/LeJ political network. This is certainly out of political expediency, but the formula is as bad as in any other part of the country, especially Punjab and Sindh.

While we mourn the damage done to a building where the founding father spent some time, we forget that the takfiris and their radicalism, which seems to be spreading gradually, will kill the Pakistan which Jinnah envisioned, that is if it has not happened as yet. The al Qaeda that we dislike now has local franchises that, in turn, are ingrained in society. We continue to draw a distinction between the good and bad jihadis, not understanding that ultimately, they all tend to drift together on the basis of their ideology. The explanation for giving protection to certain religious radicals or their groups is that the military leadership does not want to start a civil war in the populated parts of the country, while it is busy sorting out the war in the tribal areas. Nonetheless, this does not explain why the security establishment continues to tolerate the ideological expansion of these groups and the fact that they are constantly recruiting people. Surely, the banners calling for jihad posted on government hoardings on the National Highway in Punjab do not indicate an intention of these groups to stop their struggle to capture society.

Surely, the recipe that the new government is most likely to entertain is negotiations with these groups. But what is there to negotiate except the future of the country? Will Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar, along with their gangs, settle at anything less than a drastic change in the ideological direction of the state? This is not about wanting or not wanting Islam on the basis of which this country was made but about the capture of a religious ideology by vulgar extremism.

The new interior minister has to be clear on one thing at least, that he cannot save buildings unless he can protect people from such vile extremism. This requires for him and his government to construct a solid policy on terrorism and counter-radicalism. There are several necessary steps which ought to be taken, starting from building consensus and cooperation amongst the various intelligence agencies. To get them on the same page, nonetheless, requires clarity on the issue. The government now has a tool that it can work with in the form of the National Counter Terrorism Authority and the relevant Act. There is a need to identify sources of radicalism and get various stakeholders on board, including the media, to counter such ideological forces. The government must focus on countering radicalism as this is an even larger issue than terrorism. In fact, acts of violence indicate the tip of the iceberg of radicalism. You cannot remove one without removing the other. This consistent ideological transformation that started during the early 1950s but speeded up after 1979-80 must stop if the country has to be made livable for most. It’s nothing to do with sacrificing the Islamic character of the state but is about taking the violence out and making it a place worth living for future generations.

 

[oFFbEAT]

BLA is a rebel group backed by the indians and americans, just to keep the region destabilize

As long as you guys remain delusional......these incidents will keep happening......
Your 'house' is burning man.........when will you wake up........

 

[Leader]

As long as you guys remain delusional......these incidents will keep happening......
Your 'house' is burning man.........when will you wake up........

denial is your religion, what can I say... go to hell?? yes...

 

[AHMED85]

Today i am thinking about this issue, this really heart me and my internal parts of body with on deadly game with students..

If in this bus some daughter of MI sitting and burn along with these girls than what happens..

I am sorry intelligence badly failed here........
D