Pakistan Declares Death Penalty for 'Cyber Terror'

American officials can have some pretty over-the-top reactions to hackers and so-called cyber terrorists. Once, I saw a briefing comparing our own Kevin Poulsen to Osama bin Laden and Pablo Escobar -- seriously. But the U.S. has nothing on Pakistan, when it comes to cyber terror paranoia. Yesterday, Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari signed a law making cyber terror a crime "punishable with death."

In contrast, the maximum penalty for a hacking crime under U.S. law is 20 years in prison. Although, as we've seen in recent years, Washington seems to give itself a little, um, leeway when it comes to perceived terror threats.

Pakistan approves bill to protect women against harassment



Pakistan's cabinet on Wednesday approved a bill aiming to protect women against workplace harassment and provide them with a safe working environment, the information minister said.
Under the proposed legislation, the government plans to set up a special federal ombudsman to handle complaints from women who face harassment at work, minister Sherry Rehman told a press briefing.

"Safe environment will be provided to all working women," she said. The minister said that the bill, which will be sent to parliament for approval, would also amend certain criminal laws to increase punishments for offences related to the harassment of women.
Currently there are no specific laws dealing with workplace harassment in Pakistan and women have no legal recourse to justice against their colleagues, supervisors or employers.

Obama keen on ties with Pakistan’

President-elect Barack Obama is deeply interested in promoting bilateral socio-economic relations with Pakistan, US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson said on Wednesday. Patterson added that after securing a majority, Obama was in a better position to support the country. She called the nomination and election of a young African-American as US president ‘the beauty of a transparent democratic process’.

Pakistan press welcome Obama, query anti-terror policy

Pakistan's English-language press on Thursday applauded Barack Obama's US presidential election victory but amid tensions with its "war on terror" ally, questioned his policy on tackling extremism. Leading dailies here echoed sentiments around the world that Obama's election opened up possibilities for a new direction in US foreign policy.
But they voiced concern about his support for US missile strikes against suspected Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants in Pakistan's tribal border region that have led to strong protests and warnings from Islamabad.
"Here in Pakistan, Mr Obama's earlier take on the issue of militancy was sometimes seen as short-sighted and belligerent," Dawn said in an editorial.
"The US certainly cannot go it alone without the support of Pakistan (that is a reality that America must acknowledge publicly if it is an honest broker)".

The News also noted Obama's opposition to the Iraq war and recognition that mistakes were made by shifting attentions there after the ouster of the hardline ruling Taliban in Afghanistan in late 2001.

In Pakistan, Afghanistan, Obama's win called positive sign

TV stations throughout Pakistan used Obama's full name, including his middle name of Hussein, in what some people saw as an attempt to appeal to the majority Muslim population here.

The headline on the popular Aaj TV station in Pakistan said it all: "Obama Wins, World Awaits Promised Change."But in Pakistan and Afghanistan, people have more at stake than in much of the rest of the world.
Obama has criticized Afghan President Hamid Karzai for being a weak leader, and he
has urged Pakistan to do more to fight militants.

Most Pakistanis initially disliked Obama. Historically, Pakistanis have supported Republicans, thought to be more financially generous toward Pakistan than Democrats.

"Pakistanis will be quite happy he had a Muslim father," said Talat Masood, a retired general and political analyst. "This shows the greatness of America. To me, I think America has won back the hearts of people of the world, even those who are so bitterly critical, as in Pakistan."

Q+A-Pakistan weighs options as payments crisis looms

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and adviser to the prime minister on economic affairs Shaukat Tarin are in Saudi Arabia on a two-day trip hoping for economic help, including a facility to defer oil payments.
Pakistan has a few weeks to raise billions of dollars in foreign loans to keep meeting debt payments and pay for imports and is hoping for help from friendly governments, such as Saudi Arabia, though it says an IMF loan would be a last option.

HOW MUCH FOREIGN CURRENCY DOES PAKISTAN HAVE?

As of Oct. 25, Pakistan had $6.92 billion of foreign currency reserves, of which the central bank held $3.71 billion, not enough to cover September's imports totalling $3.807 billion.
The rupee hit at an all-time low of 84.40 per dollar on Oct. 17, about 27 percent weaker than at the beginning of the year but it has recovered slightly, to 81.35/45 on Tuesday.
The international bond market has already priced in a default on a $500 million bond due to mature in February.
Pakistani officials say it won't come to that.

HOW MUCH MONEY DOES PAKISTAN NEED TO STAY AFLOAT?

The IMF estimates the financing gap on Pakistan's balance of payments at up to $4.5 billion, compared with the government's estimate of $3.0 billion for the fiscal year ending on June 30 next year.

HOW MUCH IS PAKISTAN SPENDING?

Economists say Pakistan is shedding reserves at a rate of about $1 billion a month.
The September trade deficit was $2.207 billion.
In July-September, the current account deficit widened to $3.95 billion from $2.27 billion the previous year.
The main factors behind the widening deficit are soaring oil and food prices, compounded by a poor wheat crop last year. Falls in the oil price should help reduce the deficits.

HOW CAN PAKISTAN HELP ITSELF?

The rupee's depreciation will go a long way to inducing overdue adjustments in the economy.
The central bank could raise interest rates, impose capital controls, ban imports of non-essentials, limit dollar purchases by foreigners in Pakistan.
Pakistan can also stop foreigners from withdrawing funds. A floor imposed on the stock market in August effectively stopped investors exiting a market that had fallen 35 percent this year. The Karachi Stock Exchange plans to remove the floor once a fund is in place. Investors fear it will spark a rush for the door.
Bringing in rules to make foreigners keep proceeds from sales of stocks or bonds in Pakistan for a set period is an option.
The central bank can also buy time by imposing capital controls that would break the link between onshore and offshore players, like ending credit facilities for offshore players.

WHAT CAN PAKISTAN DO TO FIX ITS BUDGET?

Stop the government borrowing from the central bank.
Cut current, development and defence spending. Zardari may face objections from the powerful army as it battles militants across the northwest, and tries to match Indian military power.
Broaden the tax base. At 10.5 percent, Pakistan's tax as a percentage of GDP is one of the world's lowest.
Raise taxes on agriculture, a move long resisted by the landed aristocracy, and raise taxes on services, including real estate and stock market transactions.
Tarin said last week he hopes to increase the tax to GDP ratio to 15 percent.

WHERE COULD HELP ARRIVE FROM?

The global economic crisis clouds prospects for help.
Tarin has said Pakistan would finalise talks with the IMF by Nov. 10 and its board was likely to take up Pakistan's case for approval for a bail-out package.
The World Bank has $1.4 billion available under an existing programme for Pakistan, but it needs board approval.
The Asian Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, and Britain's development agency would also help, Tarin says.
Pakistan imports about 82 percent of its crude oil from Saudi Arabia and analysts said deferred payments on a third of that, as requested, would provide relief of up to $1.8 billion a year on its balance of payments, at current oil prices.
'Friends of Pakistan': These potential donors, including China, are due to meet in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 17.

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Black Man Given Nation's Worst Job

African-American man Barack Obama, 47, was given the least-desirable job in the entire country Tuesday when he was elected president of the United States of America.

In his new high-stress, low-reward position, Obama will be charged with such tasks as completely overhauling the nation's broken-down economy, repairing the crumbling infrastructure, and generally having to please more than 300 million Americans and cater to their every whim on a daily basis. As part of his duties, the black man will have to spend four to eight years cleaning up the messes other people left behind. The job comes with such intense scrutiny and so certain a guarantee of failure that only one other person even bothered applying for it. Said scholar and activist Mark L. Denton, "It just goes to show you that, in this country, a black man still can't catch a break."

Pakistanis give U.S. general an earful

In his new position as head of the United States Central Command, General David Petraeus met top Pakistani officials for the first time Monday and heard one message wherever he turned: American air strikes against militants in the tribal areas are unhelpful.Petraeus, the former commander of American forces in Iraq, arrived in Pakistan as missile strikes from drone aircraft against the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Pakistan's tribal areas have escalated. There were two separate missile attacks by American drones on Saturday. In retaliation, a suicide bomber killed eight Pakistani paramilitary soldiers in South Waziristan Sunday

Indians flay Obama’s comments on Kashmir*

BJP says comments ‘unwarranted interference in India’s internal affairs’ * Party claims terrorism in India, Afghanistan ‘rooted in Pakistan’By Iftikhar GilaniNEW DELHI: The Indian government on Monday attempted to downplay US Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama’s comments linking solution of the Afghan conflict with resolution of the Kashmir dispute.In one of his final interviews before the vote, Senator Obama had suggested on Sunday that the US should try to help resolve the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan, as part of efforts to address terrorism in the region.Though there was no official reaction, official sources said it “could be pre-election rhetoric and needs to be ignored”.

Painting Pakistan in French Week

Gone are the days when in every city, town and village of Sindh, wind catchers were erected high on the rooftops of houses, funneling the cool breeze into homes. The olden concept has been replaced by technology, electricity and air conditioners, however, the concept has not yet been forgotten.
Viewers, especially women, were highly impressed by the art on display. Who wouldn’t be when the Pakistani artists beautifully painted the sensitivities of their nations culture, its history, the folk stories it tells, the traditions it boasts, and the religions it follows. The work of 25 Pakistani artists was displayed in an art exhibition at the French Consulate General, which was a part of the French Week being held in Karachi.

India may help Pakistan get a bailout

As Pakistan heads to the IMF for an emergency bailout or risk financial meltdown, what are the implications for India?

Pakistan's negotiators, led by Shaukat Tareen, completed one round of talks with the IMF in Dubai this week. It will see Pakistan making a formal request for help which should be wrapped up by the IMF by November 15 — when the G-20 meets in Washington to get a grip on the global financial crisis and two days before an 8-nation Friends of Pakistan meet in Abu Dhabi to help Pakistan tide over the present crisis. Pakistan's financial situation is not enviable. Its foreign exchange reserves plunged to less than $7 billion in the last week, down by more than $400 million the previous week. Forex reserves with State Bank of Pakistan were $3.71 billion, down by over $320 million from last week.

The country estimates it needs up to $15 billion from foreign lenders to cover its current financing needs. The Asian Development Bank released $500 million in the beginning of October, but that hasn't helped much. The real problem is not that Pakistan's economy is tanking — in the wake of the global financial crisis, there are others headed that way. It's a couple of things: first, that Pakistan's best friends, China, Saudi Arabia and US, have failed to fulfil 'Plan A', and it's this lack of confidence by friends that is eroding further confidence from the country. Pakistan is understandably reluctant to go to the IMF. The global financing body, after a few years in the shade, is suddenly enjoying a resurrection, but its conditions are as unpalatable now as they were in the late 90s, as bitter memories of Korea and Thailand will testify. Certainly Pakistan has already been asked to cut defence expenditure. Reports from Pakistan say the IMF has asked the government to cut expenditure, further depreciate the rupee and raise taxes. A cut in defence expenditure (in 2008 Pakistan spent 3.2% of GDP on defence) would be extremely unpopular with the army which is battered by strongly adverse public sentiment on the one hand and their own Taliban on the other.

It prompted Asif Ali Zardari to publicly reject that condition. Zardari's game is now to work out a package from the IMF that avoids some of the harsher strictures, to give themselves some room. But an IMF package, however lenient, involves some painful decisions, which may be difficult for a precariously positioned civilian government to undertake.

In this Pakistan will receive help, certainly from India, because PM Manmohan Singh is clear that he will, like most other world leaders, support Pakistan's request of a bailout from the IMF. India watches with concern a Pakistan going down the tube, with nuclear weapons and state-sponsored jihadis on the rampage. India's assessments about the present situation centre largely on the security aspects. Certainly, Pakistan will not take any substantive action to act against terror groups targeting India, citing the financial crisis and how tough steps are difficult.

While India will support Pakistan's bailout plea, India has also suggested that one of the easier ways by Pakistan to lessen the pain within is to open up to more trade with India. That would give a big fillip to its economic recovery plans. It's easier said than done, because financial crises hasn't helped a large part of the Pakistan establishment de-link trade from Kashmir.

Second, India will have to work much more closely with other, more important stakeholders in Pakistan (India is not a member of the FOP grouping). This will include suggesting more trade, less restrictions on an open economy, specially with India.

On the flip side, India worries that a Pakistan, holding the twin nuke-jihad guns to its own head, can essentially get a pass from some essential restructuring of its country — less the economy than its military-terror infrastructure. It's a restructuring of the ISI that is required, say Indian analysts, more than raising interest rates and taxes.

India believes Pakistan will get better-than-expected terms for a bailout, because Pakistan's case is not comparable to say, Ukraine or Hungary. Its Pakistan's position in the war on terror that will tilt the balance, say Indian sources. The world is reluctant to let Pakistan go down the tube, India believes.

Some Indian optimists want India to offer a short-term bailout package to Pakistan in return for a deal on Kashmir. Pakistan is yet to cash $25 million aid that India gave after the 2005 earthquake in PoK. It will take more than a financial crisis to change Pakistan's mind on its national fundamentals.