Pak's latest Bombshell:
Hina Rabbani Khar

Pakistan’s latest mechanism to create unrest in India has finally made it to the country. The reigning Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Hina Rabbani Khar, is creating more news than her country’s foreign policy.

Being the youngest and first woman foreign minister of Pak, Hina has garnered more footage for her style rather than the political agenda that she’s here to discuss.

Dressed in a plain blue suit with her head covered by a dupatta, Hina landed on the Indian soil to initiate peace talks between the two nations. But, it seems that this time, people are more interested in talking about the minister’s fashion sense than the political agenda.

The Roberto Cavalli shades and Birkin bag by Hermès gave her a strong, formal look. The string of pearls around her neck and diamonds on her finger added to the glam quotient of the 34-year old, mother of three.

Her arrival has caused a flutter in the virtual world too. Indians seem to be smitten by her style and persona. Posted an Indian fan on one of Hina’s communities on Facebook, “OMG, Pak foreign minister "Hina Rabbani Khar" is tooooo sexy for politics.....i love her....(sic)”

Another Indian admirer remarked, “too sexy..india se wapas mat jane do,sania mirza k badale le lo ise.. :)) (sic)” (Too sexy. Don’t let her return from India, exchange her for Sania Mirza).

From one social networking site to another, people are simply going gaga about this young and charming minister.

Shereen Sikka tweeted on the micro-blogging site, “Hina Rabbani... VERY CHIC! makes me wanna watch the news more often;) (sic)”

Now that Indians are sending out messages to the minister, wonder what Hina has to say to the proposal.

Born into one of Pakistan’s most prominent and influential political families, Hina Rabbani Khar carved a niche of her own when she became the youngest and the first woman Foreign Minister of her country on 20 July, 2011.

The 34-year-old hospitality graduate faced her first big test just six days into office, when she travelled to India for bilateral peace talks between the neighbouring nations.

Even before the stunning Ms Khar set foot on Indian soil, local media and social networking sites went abuzz over “how Pakistan had put it’s best face forward”.

And once the mother of three landed at the New Delhi airport, her Roberto Cavalli shades (which covered half her face) and oversized Hermes black Birkin bag, not to mention the exclusive South Sea pearls around her neck and ears, won the approval of the fashionistas on this side of the border. While her 17-lakh Birkin bag was one of the top trending items on Twitter, Khar’s looks and attire fetched more newsprint than the peace talks itself.

Speaking of the real purpose she was here, Khar failed to create a stir. While she chided the Indian media for their “dated” rhetoric in the discussion on terrorism, which has soured relations between the two countries, she herself said nothing we hadn’t heard before. Worse still, she referred to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks as “the Mumbai incident”.

Ms Khar, we’d like to remind you that over 160 lives were lost and several hundred were injured in the attacks. You might call it just “an incident” in Pakistan — in your words, the one country in the world that faces the challenge of terrorism “on a daily basis, on an hourly basis,” but don’t make that mistake here.

As if to make up for her irresponsible statements, Khar paid obeisance at the dargah of the famous Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya at New Delhi and prayed for peace between the two countries.

As Khar flies out of India, she might have won many admirers in the fashion circuit, but as a Foreign Minister she left much desired.

Background and Political Career

Khar was born on 19 January 1977 in Multan, Punjab, Pakistan. She is the daughter of politician Ghulam Noor Rabbani Khar and niece of Ghulam Mustafa Khar. She graduated with a B.Sc. (Hons) from Lahore University of Management Sciences in 1999 and received her M.Sc in Hospitality Management from the University of Massachusetts in 2001.

Married to a businessman named Imran Khan, the couple has two sons and one daughter. A polo enthusiast, Khar is the co-owner of the Polo Lounge, a popular upscale restaurant located on the Lahore Polo Grounds.

She served as the State Minister for Economic Affairs and Statistics in the cabinet of Yousaf Raza Gillani. On 13 June, 2009 she became the first woman to present a budget speech in the National Assembly.

She was appointed Minister of State for Foreign Affairs on 11 February 2011, as part of Prime Minister Gillani’s cabinet reshuffle. After Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s resignation as foreign minister, Khar was officially appointed foreign minister on 19 July by President Asif Ali Zardari and was sworn in on 20 July.

Hina Rabbani’s face may be new, but her lies are old

In her interactions with the Indian media on Wednesday, Pakistan’s foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar chided them for their “dated” rhetoric in the discussion on the problem of terrorism, which has soured relations between the two countries.

Khar’s point was that Pakistan is today the one country in the world that faces the challenge of terrorism “on a daily basis, on an hourly basis” but that the Indian media were not reflecting its predicament, but instead focusing excessively on Pakistan’s sponsorship of terrorism in Indian soil.

She then provocatively referred to the 26/11 attack on Mumbai — in which terrorists from her benighted country, brainwashed by ISI militarists, set sail for India and waged war — as “the Mumbai incident”, and suggested that the trial of its perpetrators in Pakistan was proceeding at a faster pace than the trial in India of the accused in the 2007 bombing of the Samjhauta Express.

Both of Khar’s statements project a flawed equivalence between Pakistan and India.

It is of course true that Pakistan today faces terrorism “on a daily basis, on an hourly basis”. But the difference, Ms Khar, is that these are the poisonous fruits of the jihadi tree that your country’s leaders have themselves planted.

It was your country’s military leaders and their ISI cohorts who spawned terrorist groups ( or “non-state actors”, as you call them) as part of your agenda to engage India in “proxy war” — first in Punjab, then in Kashmir, and then elsewhere in India. And you’re now reaping the grim harvest of that cynical power game.

So while we sympathise with the loss of innocent lives even in Pakistan, please forgive us if we don’t see the Pakistani state as quite the victim in the same way as we see ourselves when you send murderous gangs to wage war in our cities.

You’ve been heralded, in over-the-top media accounts in India, as the new face of Pakistani diplomacy.

You’ve taken the high moral ground by claiming that India-Pakistan relations mustn’t be held hostage to the vicissitudes of history.

But the words you speak reek of the same, tired dishonesty that we’ve heard down the ages.

From the dark night on which your country was born, it has nursed — as this son of one of Pakistan’s iconic politicians noted — a venomous obsession with India. India’s very existence as a secular democracy and as a home to millions of Muslims calls the bluff of the Two Nation theory, on which basis Pakistan was founded.

It was your covetous lusting of Kashmir that poisoned your countrymen’s mind and led them into three disastrous wars with India. And when that didn’t work, you bred jihadi serpents and set them loose in our garden.

If you really mean what you say and want to make a new start with India, there’s much that you and your country can do.

For a start, it would help if you called it the “Mumbai terrorist attack organised by Pakistani handlers” — not “the incident”.

Second, you can show earnestness of purpose by addressing the core problem of terrorism that is tearing your country’s soul apart — and inflicting grievous pain when it strikes in our cities. Up until now, all we’ve heard are wholesale denials of culpability, even when they’ve been laid bare for the world to see, and persistent coddling of terrorists.

And if you really want to open a new chapter in relations with India, stop lusting after Kashmir, and let your countrymen’s minds be healed of the jihadi fervour that currently overwhelms them.

Perhaps then we might begin to unburden the baggage of history that weighs our two countries down.

'What's the big fuss over Khar's fashion?'

She is rich, stylish, and travels the world - so what's the big deal about Pakistan's youngest and first female foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar's Birkin bag, Roberto Cavalli shades and Jimmy Choo heels that were on view during her visit here, ask Indian and Pakistani designers.

Her classic black Hermes' Birkin could cost anything above $10,000-$15,000, her Roberto Cavalli shades cost over $500 and the Jimmy Choo heels over $900.

Karachi-based designer Huma Adnan admits Khar, whose three-day trip to India concluded Thursday, is one of the most stylish politicians in her country, but finds it strange that there is so much discussion in India over her dressing.

"I know Hina for the past 15 years. She is a public figure with a very conservative and neat look. Her sense of using right accessories makes her different from other politicians. But the fact that she wears high-end brands should not be a topic of discussion. She belongs to a rich family, owns property in Punjab...so why not," Adnan asked while speaking to us over the phone.

When Khar landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here Tuesday for talks with her Indian counterpart S.M. Krishna, her blue ensemble, teamed with a simple string of pearls, oversized handbag and shades grabbed many eyeballs.

A post-graduate in hospitality and tourism from the University of Massachusetts, Khar has her roots in a wealthy feudal family of southern Punjab and owns Lahore's posh Polo Lounge, a haunt of the rich and the powerful.

In past appearances across the border, she has been spotted sporting bags from luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Prada and Salvatore Ferragamo.

Designer Fahad Hussayn from Lahore said: "I believe a woman always picks up an accessory that is driven by her persona. And with how she carries herself, you can tell the style statement is not newly acquired."

Khar likes her subdued, yet stylish dressing - something she proved with the cream ensemble she wore during India-Pakistan talks here.

Aamna Isani, a senior fashion journalist from Karachi, feels proud that Indians are lauding Khar's dress sense.

"It's good to know that a Pakistani leader is emerging as a style icon. The last fashion icon we had was Benazir Bhutto, who represented a perfect mixture of style and grace," Isani told us.

"When it comes to designer brands, this is not the first time a Pakistani leader has come out with such an image. Pakistan leaders have always been very stylish and fashion-conscious - from Mohammad Ali Jinnah to Bhutto...so why fuss over Khar's style," she added.

Even Indian designer Anjalee Kapoor of label Anjalee and Arjun Kapoor, supported the young minister.

"No one has the right to comment on the materialistic things Hina Rabbani carried. It's her personal style. As far as she can afford it, everything should be fine. It hardly matters if Pakistan is a poverty-stricken state. She belongs to a well-off family...so it's okay," Kapoor told us.

Pam Mehta said that Khar looked extremely graceful in her kurta and pants, "and kept in tune with the traditional look and workmanship with fine embroidery and an extremely fresh colour palette. The accessorising was subdued and controlled with subtlety of white pearls and a classic Birkin in black and and sophisticated black shoes. Her look was not overstated, and it was overall a very sophisticated"

The Twitter world reacted strongly to the 34-year-old's upmarket dressing. Some, including actress Gul Panag, gave it a thumbs up, while others questioned the viability of flaunting expensive brands.

"I like the way Hina Rabbani looks. With her movie star sunglasses, head covered, Birkin in tow. May be she is brilliant too," Gul posted.

However, well-knonw media person Rajdeep Sardesai did not react positively to Khar's expensive style statement.

"Rumour has it that Hina Khar came to Delhi with a $10,000 handbag. And we thought pak was in an eco crisis! (sic)," he posted on Twitter.

Sardesai's wife Sagarika Ghose, herself a well-known journalist, said: "Hina Rabbani Khar is beautiful but obviously part of disconnected Pak elite. 10 thou $ Hermes bag when country devastated? not the right note."

Another Twitterati, Saumya Sharma, said: "Hina Rabbani Khar loves Birkins and pearls. Her country is devastated, suicide bombing is literally an industry, economy non-existent.. .and that's what she wants to talk about on a state visit?? NICE! Khar wearing Hermes and Jimmy Choo doesn't excite me. I'd much rather have a national leader like Indira Gandhi - always wore Indian handlooms."

Indians most depressed: WHO report

Indians are a depressed lot: Report

Kounteya Sinha, TNN Jul 27 World Health Organization

According to a study conducted by the World Health Organization, India has the highest rate of major depression in the world.

It was found that in India, around 9% of people have been reported having an extended period of depression within their lifetime and nearly 36% suffered from “major depressive mode” (MDE). The average age of depression in India is 31.9 years a compared to 18.8 years in China.

MDE is a phenomenon characterised by symptoms like sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, guilt or low self-worth feelings, disturbed sleep or loss of appetite etc.

The study also signified that people living in wealthier nations are more depressed than those in relatively poorer ones as the average percentage of MDE was higher in high-income (28.1%) than in low to middle-income (19.8%) countries.

Indians are among the world's most depressed. According to a World Health Organization-sponsored study, while around 9% of people in India reported having an extended period of depression within their lifetime, nearly 36% suffered from what is called Major Depressive Episode (MDE).

MDE is characterized by sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy and poor concentration, besides feeling depressed.

Lowest prevalence of MDE was in China (12%). The average age of depression in India is 31.9 years compared to 18.8 years in China, and 22.7 years in the US.

Health Ministry seeks details of WHO survey

 

The Health Ministry has sought details of the WHO-sponsored World Mental Health Survey Initiative, which has come out with the finding that India has the highest rate of major depression in the world.

Health Ministry officials maintained silence on the survey findings, saying they would respond only after studying the survey findings.

"We are seeking details of the survey findings and studying them and will respond accordingly," Director General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, R K Srivastava told PTI.

The study, "cross-national epidemiology of DSM-IV major depressive episode", based on interviews of about 90,000 people across 18 countries with different income levels, had come out with the finding that India had the highest rate of depressed persons in the world.''

The WHO-sponsored study, published in BMC Medicine Journal, has found that Indians are the world''s most depressed people with nearly 36% suffering from Major Depressive Episode (MDE), the cluster of symptoms of depression.

Indians are the world's most depressed people with nearly 36 per cent suffering from Major Depressive Episode (MDE), the cluster of symptoms of depression, according to a WHO-sponsored study.

The study found that people living in wealthier nations like Netherlands, France and the US were less happy and more depressed than those in poorer ones.

Netherlands with an average 33.6 per cent case of MDE came second while France and US were placed on third and fourth positions with 32.3 per cent and 30.9 per cent cases respectively.

In India, around 9 per cent of people reported having an extended period of depression within their lifetime and nearly 36 per cent suffered from MDE.

The average age of depression in India is 31.9 years compared to 18.8 years in China, and 22.7 years in the US.

The study, published in the BMC Medicine journal, is based on interviews of more than 89,000 people in 18 different countries.

One in seven people (15 per cent) in high-income countries is likely to get depression over their lifetime, compared with one in nine (11 per cent) in middle and low-income countries, the study says.

MDE is characterised by sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy and poor concentration, besides feeling depressed.

WHO ranks depression as the fourth leading cause of disability worldwide and projects that by 2020, it will be the second leading cause.

Women are twice as likely to suffer depression as men and the loss of a partner, whether from death or divorce, was a main factor, the study reveals.

Depression affects over 120 million people worldwide. It can interfere with a person's ability to work, make relationships difficult, and destroy quality of life. In severe cases it leads to suicide, causing 850,000 deaths a year.

Oslo attacker feared ‘Pakistanisation’ of Europe

Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian terrorist who killed more than 90 people in two attacks in Oslo, was mortally terrified of the idea of several ‘mini Pakistans’ appearing all over the map of Europe.

In a 1,600-page manifesto titled ‘2083: A European Declaration of Independence’, Breivik laid out a stark picture of the future of Europe, citing poor human rights in Pakistan as the fate of the continent. Norwegian authorities confirmed on Sunday that the manifesto was written by Breivik.

In his doomsday scenario for Europe, Breivik predicts that several ‘mini-Pakistans’ would be created all over Europe by 2083, one in each country due to ‘Lebanon-style’ conflicts. “It could be similar to the division of India after World War II, with the creation of one or several Islamic ‘Pakistan’ enclaves,” he says.

While Breivik’s rhetoric against Muslim immigration into Europe is not unusual, he cites many names that might be familiar to Pakistanis, including Allama Muhammad Iqbal and Maulana Abul Ala Maududi, as well as prominent human rights activist Hina Jilani and Dawn columnist Irfan Hussain.

He seems to believe that Iqbal, in particular, was sympathetic to communism and views multiculturalism as a Marxist concept. He quotes Iqbal as saying “Islam equals communism plus Allah.”

Breivik also claims that Pakistan is systematically annihilating all non-Muslim communities. He claimed that Hindu girls are being forced to convert to Islam in Sindh. In this context he even quotes Hina Jilani as saying: “Have you ever heard of an Indian Muslim girl being forced to embrace Hinduism? It’s Muslims winning by intimidation.”

He goes on to describe the situation for Christians in Pakistan as being no better, citing Father Emmanuel Asi of the Theological Institute for Laity in Lahore as saying in 2007 that Pakistani Christians are frequently denied equal rights.

Jamaat-e-Islami founder Abul Ala Maududi is also quoted in the manifesto, though in a manner that would imply that the stated objective of an Islamic state is to kill or subdue all non-Muslims around the world.

Breivik seems to be a fan of Daily Times columnist Razi Azmi, whom he calls “one of the more sensible columnists of Pakistan”. He mentions one of Azmi’s pieces where the columnist asks whether it was possible to imagine a Muslim converting to Christianity or Hinduism or Buddhism in a Muslim country, using it to support his view of Islam as an intolerant religion.

He also cites Dawn’s Irfan Hussain’s column criticising Hizb u-Tahrir’s vision of a caliphate.

His ire against Pakistanis and Muslims seems to have at least partial origin in personal experience. He speaks at length about his childhood best friend, a Pakistani Muslim immigrant to Norway who, despite having lived several years in Europe still appeared to resent Norway and Norwegian society. “Not because he was jealous… but because it represented the exact opposite of Islamic ways,” Breivik conjectures.

The inability of Muslim immigrants to assimilate into European society seems to bother him, which he blames on Muslim parents not allowing their children to adopt European ways. He also asks why Muslim girls are considered ‘off-limits’ to everyone, including Muslim boys, and why Muslim men view ethnic Norwegian women as ‘whores’.

He also seems to believe that the Muslims in Europe who collect government benefits view it as a form of jizya, a medieval Islamic tax charged on non-Muslim minorities.

He rails against multiculturalism, which he blames for making immigration too easy for Muslims in Europe. “When the veil of multiculturalism disappears, it will be Pakistanis who live in London, Turks who live in Berlin, Algerians who live in Paris and Moroccans who live in Amsterdam. And then the show begins,” he says.

That show, he says, is a dramatic demographic shift that he calls the ‘Pakistanisation of Europe’.

Our search for a forgotten identity

Anti-Pakistan and pro-western and pro-Indian Pakistani writers keep writing about Pakistan negatively to breed doubts and misgivings about the foundations of Pakistan, two-nation theory, Pakistan’s ideology, its identity and even Pakistan’s national anthem. The liberal class in particular remains in the vanguard to spread feelings of despondency. Fascinated by Indian and western cultures, this class steadfastly defends foreign cultures and their acts of omission and commission and enthusiastically sing the tutored themes to undermine Pakistan. The western educated intellectuals and writers among them feed half-truths and lies to confuse the youth that had neither seen British imperialism, nor the real face of bigoted Hindus, or had experienced the pangs of Pakistan movement and travails of partition of India.

It is now an established fact that irrespective of infrequent extension of hand of friendship, India has never desired to live as peaceful and friendly neighbor with Pakistan. 64 years is a long period but time and tide has not mellowed down the undying hatred of Indian leaders’ for Pakistan. They have neither forgiven Jinnah nor reconciled to the existence of Pakistan. They still dream of absorbing Pakistan into Indian Union so as to fulfill their age-old dream of illusive Akhand Bharat either by force of arms or through deceptive means. They have artfully used media and psy ops as tools to poison the minds of Pakistanis and to draw cleavages between various communities with a view to fomenting regionalism and weakening the very foundations of Pakistan. The US, Europe and Israel harboring ill-will for Muslim Pakistan buttress Indian efforts.

In order to weaken Islam which acts as the sole unifying factor, India has been resorting to never ending tricks to undermine Islam. Apart from its own efforts, it has been making good use of the liberal brigade in Pakistan which helps in distorting facts of history and creating sense of disillusionment and despondency among the younger generation about Pakistan and its future. Since all the leading English newspapers like Dawn, The News, Daily Times as well as journals and publishing houses are controlled by seculars, and are funded by foreign powers; it becomes that much easier for India and western powers to promote their agenda.

India’s first major success was in former East Pakistan where Indian inspired language controversy became the cause of east-west estrangement. Subsequently real and imaginary grievances were aired on the plea that the west was prospering at the cost of east. Punjab was projected as the chief villain to widen the gulf. After dismembering Pakistan and creating Bangladesh, Indian psy operators shifted their focus entirely towards Sindh so as to poison the minds of Sindhis. Their insidious efforts resulted in birth of several anti-Pakistan political parties/groups in interior Sindh such as Sindhu Desh led by GM Sayyed. Politics of Sindh were further vitiated after the delivery of MQM in Karachi which sharpened rural-urban divide. Sindh is in throes and Karachi where target killings have become a norm has become a wounded city.

India is currently concentrating on Balochistan where East Pakistan type conditions have been created. Rebellious Baloch Sardars belonging to Bugti, Marri and Mengal tribes in rural Balochistan fully aided by RAW and other foreign agencies are waging a separatist movement. While non-locals, Hazaras and pro-government Baloch are being routinely gunned down by shady outfits like BLA and BRA, the non-locals have migrated from Baloch held regions. The minds of Baloch youth and women are being poisoned and brainwashed to hate Pakistan, particularly Army and Punjab. Neither national anthem is sung nor Pakistan flag flown in most Baloch controlled educational institutions.

Although the separatist elements form a tiny minority and majority of Baloch as well as all other nationalities including largest minority of Pashtuns are patriotic Pakistanis and abhor separatists, human rights activists and some foreign paid NGOs support the cause of rebels. They feel disturbed when security forces take counter measures to safeguard national interests and to protect the lives peaceful citizens and dub their preventive acts as human rights violations.

In her write up ‘Our search for a forgotten identity’ dated April 14 appearing in The News, Kamila Hyat seeks to defend the acts of Baloch rebels. She maintains that only miniscule size of population in Balochistan prevents the struggle to assert independence from succeeding. Rather than castigating non-singing of national anthem in Baloch run schools/colleges, she casts aspersion on the anthem defining it as controversial and enigmatic. She makes fun of it by asserting that none in Pakistan understands its meanings since it is a mix of Persian, Arabic and Hindi. She also underplays Urdu saying that it is depicted as being more refined and higher in lingual hierarchy. Even English has not been spared since she says that only a tiny minority speaks this language. If that be so, one fails to understand, which language would have been more suited for our anthem.

Being so highly educated, one wonders why she is so ignorant about the history of Urdu which has vowels from Arabic, Persian and Hindi languages. Persian was the official language throughout the long rule of Mughals until it was axed by the British in 1835 and replaced with English so as to shatter the culture and civilization of Indian Muslims and render them uneducated. While Urdu was declared as a lingua franca for Pakistan by Quaid-e-Azam, and it continues to be so, Kamila sees language crises in Punjab where according to her tens of thousands of parents do not converse in Punjabi with their children and that Punjabi is not formally taught in educational institutions. What has she to say about that category of elites which converse more in English and very less in their mother tongue?

All these 64 years, Pakistanis have been singing national anthem with gusto. The lyrics and powerful composition is so motivating that it inculcates a sense of pride and oneness among all Pakistanis irrespective of their religion, caste, ethnic and sectarian diversities. I am nonplussed what impelled Kamila to harbor dark thoughts about the anthem about which none has ever raised any objection. There can be no other reason to this lunacy than to please India and Bloch rebels.

To encourage separatists in Balochistan, she subtly draws a comparison by saying that today Bangladesh is much more prosperous than what it was when it was part of Pakistan and is socially and economically better than Pakistan. I may suggest to her to take a trip to Bangladesh and interact with the people and gain firsthand information how they feel towards Pakistan and India. Majority of the older generation fondly recall the good old days of united Pakistan and curse India. Despite Indian massive propaganda over 60% of the youth in Bangladesh is pro-Pakistan. This becomes evident on the occasion of India-Pakistan cricket match played in Dacca. Pakistan has helped Bangladesh in development of its armament industry, air force, air defence and several other fields.

Kamila pricks the minds of Pakistani youth by suggesting that it is confused about Pakistan’s identity, why was it created, what it is about and what precisely was gained by seeking independence and who we are. She expresses doubts whether Pakistan is based around a commonality of religion or other factors. It is people like her who are befuddled and are neither here nor there. They are ashamed of their identity, culture and religion and their country of origin from which they draw all benefits and social status. Sailing in two boats, they are Pakistanis in name only but in practice are attached to western and Indian cultures. They call themselves Muslims but know little of their religion and yet censure those who are better versed with Quran and Hadiths. To please their mentors, they dub Islamists as uncouth, fundamentalists, extremists and terrorists and hold them responsible for all the ills in our society.

Kamila blames Gen Ziaul Haq for pushing Pakistan from South Asia to Middle East by way of introducing Arabic as a subject in schools and emphasizing on Islamic teachings as in Saudi Arabia and changing the dress code from trouser to shalwar kameez (she prefers to call it keffiyeh to sell her point that Zia imposed Saudi culture). Great majority in Pakistan has all along preferred shalwar kameez which is affordable and comfortable. She laments that Zia tried to mould our centuries old South Asian identity into West Asian. She is oblivious to the historical fact that it was secular Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto who after the 1971 debacle had scraped western pacts of SEATO and CENTO and gravitated Pakistan towards West Asia to gain greater security from aggressive India. Islamic conference hosted by him in 1974 was a step in that direction.

Notwithstanding that 65% of our population has its origins in Central Asia; we cannot detach ourselves from our roots in Arabian Peninsula from where Islam under Holy Prophet (pbuh) sprouted. The first brick of Islam was laid in the Indian subcontinent by Muhammad bin Qasim in 712. The Arabs made Sindh an extension of Ummayad Empire and ruled it for over 300 years. Kamila and scores of her like-minded friends do not mind Indian and western culture seeping into Pakistan but feel unduly alarmed at the prospects of Muslim culture permeating into our society.

Ignoring Indo-Pak antagonism and following in the footsteps of Indian sponsored group ‘Aman-ki-Asha’, Kamila admonishes unnamed hawks who in her view are preventing Pakistan from falling into Indian lap. She strongly feels that salvation of Pakistan rests in forging friendship with India. I hazard to ask her, starting from Jinnah which Pakistani leader espoused animosity with India? All our leaders, whether civilian or military, endeavored to develop close ties with India, but their efforts were thwarted by hawkish Indian leaders. Didn’t Musharraf go out of the way to solve Kashmir dispute which is the real bone of contention between two neighbors? Is India prepared to solve the dispute in accordance with UN resolutions and the aspirations of people of Indian occupied Kashmir? Is India prepared to stop constructing dozens of dams over rivers flowing into Pakistan in violation of Indus Water Treaty? Will India agree to build even-handed and mutually beneficial ties with Pakistan? Answer to all will of course be in negative.

While Indian historians have distorted history of Muslim rule in India by undermining Muslims rulers and overplaying Hindu leaders, Indian youth is fed with fanciful myths to glorify Hindus ancient past. However, India presses Pakistan that its history books lionizing Muslim rulers should be amended since it bred extremism.

Now that the real actors behind 26/11 attacks are getting exposed, Kamila has tried to give a new twist to the incident that Mumbai attacks may have been engineered by hawks in Pakistan (meaning ISI) to prevent the two archrivals to embrace each other. She has described India as a holy cow ever desirous of peace and Pakistan as a devil fomenting hatred against India and polluting the minds of the younger generation. Either she is extremely naive, or she considers us all to be dimwitted.

I may like to remind her that Vajpayee had signed peace treaty with Pakistan in January 2004 with evil intentions. While he was signing the agreement RAW was busy giving final touches to its covert war plan to be unleashed from Afghan soil in concert with other intelligence agencies. Eastern border including Line of Control in Kashmir were made peaceful so as to launch cultural invasion in Punjab. The youth, artists of all hues and the liberal class were its targets for subversion. Publication of negative stories about Pakistan’s identity and national anthem are a consequence to Indian cultural onslaught. Kamila’s article devoid of judiciousness is simply nauseating.

Azerbaijan: Banning hijab may result in Jihad

Playing with faith is playing with fire; never ridicule anyones faith.

The law of Allah and mercy for Muslims women – this is the way a hijab is called within Islam. Muslim believers today say that it gives them a sense of protection from the aggression of the world. Yet, what is the mercy for Muslim women is a threat to h

uman rights and international security for some politicians. In some European countries a hijab may cause jail time.

Baku police stopped a protest rally of the public association "Juma" in front of the Ministry of Education. Members of the association, mainly Muslim women, wanted a simple right for their sisters and daughters, the right to wear headscarves in schools.

The crescent on the flag of Azerbaijan does not mean that in this country everyone has to live under the sharia law. Under the constitution, Azerbaijan is a secular state, just like Russia. However, if in Moscow a young Muslim woman has the right to wear hijab, in Baku this is not the case.

Misir Mardanov, Minister of Education of the Republic, believes that the dispersal was the right measure. The minister said that the ban on the hijab was not a personal initiative of his office, but a state policy. The Ministry of Education, as a law-abiding agency, is obliged to stick to this line. The ban on the hijab in school is normal. When a girl leaves school, she can put her handkerchief on and then wear it anywhere. When in school, she is obliged to follow the rules. As for the defenders of the hijab who gathered nearly every month in front of the Ministry of Education, they are clearly not advocating for it. It is not ruled out that these are the conspiratorial agents of the international terrorism. "Certain forces, both domestically and abroad, try to use the theme of the hijab in the educational institutions of Azerbaijan for their ow

n purposes," said Minister to the Information Agency "Novosti – Azerbaijan." The Minister believes that the statements about the violation of the rights of the believers are provocative, as in Azerbaijan the rights and freedoms of believers are fully respected, including in terms of wearing religious clothing.

The activists say that the Minister, talking about respecting the rights of believers in the country, has distorted the facts. One cannot wear the hijab not only in schools. Not wearing it for Muslim women is worse than prison. Speaking of prisons: in France, women face imprisonment for wearing the Muslim scarf in public. A hijab on the subway, in a store or just in a yard in France is considered a threat to the French democratic values – in other words, ideological terrorism. Italy also supported the French initiative. The echo of the European war on the hijab could be heard in Asia. In Turkey, some activists of pro-Western parties attack Muslim women with scarves on their heads. Hijabs are publicly burned on the Turkish streets. Rectors of some institutions no longer allow attending classes even to those students who wear the hijab outside only and take it off at the entrance to the Alma Mater. Turkish universities asked those who wore hats with veils instead of headscarves to leave. The same thing is happening now in Azerbaijan.

Why is this happening? Chairman of the Islamic Committee of Russia Heydar Jemal believes that the reason is the "gray cardinal" of the West: "For the West, Islam and Orthodox Christianity are enemies, and the West is trying to find holes out there and start shaking the foundations. For the secret service it does not matter whether the propaganda is Catholic or Baptist. The main thing is the very disintegration of civilization."

According to the expert, the split usually starts at the top. "In Azerbaijan this is the case, many politicians now want to fit into the western format. This is happening in secret. A representative of the Azerbaijani elite continues to position himself as a traditionalist, but the media discovers that this man secretly went to the West and got baptized secretly and even joined a Masonic lodge. In the case of the elites that goes hand in hand", said Jamal to Pravda.ru.

This is the case with the elites, and on the bottom, according to the believers, the real persecution of the Muslim head covering is ongoing. Women here do not face prison for putting a hijab on, but this required piece of clothing can bring a lot of problems to Muslim women.

Humat Hajiyev, a human rights activist with the "Centre for the Protection of freedom of religion and conscience" (DEVAMM), described some of them.

Humzat says it all started when the hijab was banned in passport photos. Many Muslim women then refused to get a passport. Undocumented women in this country have no rights. They cannot get a job, leave the country, and are limited in everything. Without a passport a young mother will not be given her baby in a hospital. Problems arise with Muslim girls as well. If they are seen wearing a hijab in a local school, they may be expelled, even if they are straight A-students. Many parents try to transfer their daughters to other schools, but the story repeats itself. The problem could be solved by the existing Muslim schools, but the number of seats is limited. Many of them are just going through the phase of development and currently cannot provide proper education.

Eldar Sultanov, a lawyer with the DEVAMM, says that disparaging women for wearing a hijab is unlawful and violates the rights of the believers.

Muslims, of course, can avoid all the problems associated with the hijab but simply not wearing it in public. It would be justified not only by following the laws of the country but also security considerations. However, this is European mentality. Muslims think a little differently. For them, removing the hijab is not a security measure, but a compromise with conscience.

Leila Bahadori wrote in her article "Hijab – complete surrender" (islam.ru): "The hijab gives women a sense of security. It is a fact known to everyone who wears it." Leila said that the hijab was a veil of Allah. A woman who is completely obedient to Allah in return for her will receives mercy of God.

And not only that: "In Moscow, wearing Shariah-compliant clothes, at first I paid much attention to the fact that men stopped looking at me with the eyes of anxious males, and began showing care and protection. They held heavy doors in the Metro for me, gave me a seat in public transportation, rushed to help if I dropped a bag. And there are many examples. It was funny to me and I would share with my family: "Apparently, they believe that Muslims are weak creatures, not capable of taking care of themselves." Yes, they do … and the best of them rush to the rescue. Security. Is not it what a woman needs?" You may agree or disagree with Leila, but this is the point of view of nearly every Muslim.

Hijab for the believers is as mandatory as a prayer and help to the disadvantaged. It suffices to quote one verse of the Quran: "O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies. That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allâh is Ever Forgiving, Most Merciful. "(33:59).

In Islamic law there is provision that any government is better than chaos. The persecution of the hijab for Muslims is chaos. Some see a bigger issue here. For them, the ban on the hijab is encroaching on Islam. If this happens, Muslims, like all religious people, are obliged to defend their faith. The extreme form of such protection is jihad, an act of faith as a holy war. Muslims do not wish such a turn of events. Radical Islamists, covering themselves with the camouflage of hijab, can once again shed blood of innocent people.

Pravda.Ru

US Designs to Destabilise Asia

During the last two decades, political experts have already been saying that the US which is acting upon a secret strategy, wants to make India the superpower of Asia in order counterbalance China, while this game has openly been disclosed by the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who was on three-day trip to India.

In this regard, on July 20 this year, Hillary Clinton urged India to be more assertive in Asia, saying that the country should play more of a leadership role. She explained, “India has the potential to positively shape the future of the Asia-Pacific.” Clinton further said, “India should play a role as a US ally in regional forums such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).” On the other hand, while showing US paradoxical approach towards Pakistan, and concealing American double game, She remarked, “New Delhi could also help promote trade links in violence-wracked South Asia, which would bring prosperity and peace to India, Pakistan and Afghanistan…Pakistan must do more to tackle terror groups operating from its territory being used for attacks that destabilise Afghanistan or India.”

In 2010, US President Barrack Obama’s visit to India had left a negative impact on the whole region. He announced $10 billion in trade deals with New Delhi to create more than 50,000 US jobs, declared the measures, America would take regarding removal of Indian space and defence companies from a restricted “entities list”, and supported Indian demand for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. Owing to various agreements with New Delhi, India will purchase latest defence-related equipments from Washington.

America which signed a nuclear deal with India in 2008, intends to make India a great power of Asia to contain China and destablise Pakistan and Iran.

On the other side, by ignoring Sino-Pakistan peace-approach, on October 15, 2010, Indian Army Chief General VK Singh had openly blamed that China and Pakistan posed a major threat to India’s security, while calling for a need to upgrade country’s defence. Indian former Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor had also expressed similar thoughts.

In fact, Pakistan’s province, Balochistan where China has invested billion of dollars to develop Gwadar seaport which could link Central Asian trade with rest of the world, infuriates both US and India. With the help of India, US desires to control Balochistan as an independent state in containing China and restraining Iran. It is due to these reasons that Washington and New Delhi are creating instability in Pakistan by backing Baloch separatists to complete their hidden strategic agenda.

In this connection, the separatist group, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) gets logistic support from India, while another American and Indian-backed separatist group, Jundollah (God’s soldiers) is also working against the cordial relationship of Pakistan with China and Iran. In the past few years, their militants kidnapped and killed many Chinese and Iranian nationals in Pakistan, while committing other subversive acts in the province. In this respect, on October 18, 2009, a deadliest suicide attack had killed dozens of officers in the Sistan-Baluchistan. On December 15, 2010, two suicide bombers blew themselves up near a mosque in southeastern Iran, killing at least 39 people. In both the cases, Iran had directly accused US and its CIA for patronage and funding of that type of terrorist attacks.

It is of particular attention that Islamabad and Tehran have signed the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project without New Delhi as the latter was reluctant in this matter owing to its pro-US tilt.

Under the pretext of Talibinisation of Afghanistan and Pakistan, American CIA, Indian RAW and Israeli Mossad have well-established their networks in Afghanistan from where well-trained militants are being sent to Pakistan to commit various terror-acts. Besides, in the past few weeks, these foreign secret agencies have also started backing heavily armed insurgents who enter Pakistan from Afghanistan and continue attacks on our country’s infrastructure and military check posts intermittently. As a matter of fact, before leaving Afghanistan, US is determined to shift Afghan war to Pakistan so as to weaken the country in wake of a perennial wave of CIA-operated drone attacks by ignoring the public backlash.

In fact, Pakistan is the only ‘nuclearised’ country in the Islamic World. Hence US, India and Israel either want to destabilise it or to ‘denulearise’ it. In this respect, US also takes Islamabad as an obstacle in obtaining its Asian designs by boasting up Indian role.

It is mentionable that in the recent past, more than 180 persons died in ethnic riots occurred in Urumqi, the capital of China’s Xinjiang province. In fact, New Delhi which has given shelter to the Tibetan spiritual leader, Dalai Lama and his militants has been playing a key role in supporting upsurge in the Tibetan and Muslim areas of China. Knowing the US-Indian secret aims, China has signed a number of agreements with Islamabad to help the latter in diverse sectors. And Chinese engineers are working on multiple projects in Pakistan. However, Washington has further emboldened India to keep on going with human rights violations in India and the occupied Kashmir—to continue its anti-Pakistan and anti-China designs.

Besides, American strategic thinkers presume China’s fast-growing economy and military modernization including its cooperation with Iran, Middle East and other African countries as a great threat to American interests.

Nevertheless, in its pursuit to make India a great power of Asia, US is likely to initiate a new cold war between China and India, and will divide the world between two blocks—China block and the US-backed Indian block. Main players of the game such as North Korea, Pakistan, Iran and Asian Republics are likely to align with China alliance.

On the other side, Japan, Georgia, Ukraine, South Korea will join the US-backed Indian block. After the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, the latter could also join the China block. As regards Russia, apart from differences over American occupation of Iraq and its national missile defence system (NMD), differences exists between Moscow and Washington over the US-led NATO’s attack on Libya. So Russia could join the China block as a leading member.

It is noteworthy that it is due to the US ill-conceived policy that it will compel India and China to follow the bygone days of the Cold War—deadly arms race, increase in the defence expenditures at the cost of development of public sectors and proxy wars including all the tactics of psychological warfare in wake of the modern world trends like renunciation of war, peaceful settlement of disputes and economic development.

Meanwhile terrorism is likely to add a dangerous element of ‘hot war’ to the future cold war. In this regard, an unending ‘different war’ between the sovereign and non-sovereign entities in Afgahanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen etc. and other Middle East countries will make the matter worse. All these negative developments are likely create political and economic instability in Asia where some less developed countries are already facing multi-faceted crises at various level, but these will also envelop the developed countries such as Japan, South Korea etc.

Even India will badly be affected by following American such a strategy. India has already been facing separatism in more than seven states where terrorist incidents have become a routine matter.

In case of Maoist insurgency, it has increased to a greater extent. On September 21, 2009, even Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had admitted that the Maoist “insurgency is the single biggest threat to India’s security” and, “Maoist violence affects a third of all districts…India is losing the battle against the rebels.” As regards the Indian-held Kashmir, Indian forces have failed in suppressing the freedom movement by employing all the possible tactics of military terrorism. Besides, fundamentalist parties like BJP, RSS, VHP, Shev Sina and Bajrang Dal have missed no opportunity to communalise national politics of India, posing another major threat to the country. Notably, on July 17, this year, Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh called for investigations into the role of all Indian terror groups in relation to serial blasts in Mumbai, adding, “RSS runs bomb-making factories to spread terrorism in the country, and its role should be probed.”

New Delhi must also know that militants are well-organised from Somalia to Afghanistan and from Uzbekistan to the Occupied Kashmir. So after withdrawal of the US-led NATO forces from Afghanistan, these insurgents will not only roll back Indian networks from that country, but could also create unrest inside India.

Nonetheless, it looks surprising that by learning no lesson from a prolonged war against terrorism, defeatism in Iraq and Afghanistan, heavy cost of war, acute financial crisis inside America, as to why the US has nourished designs to destabilise Asia by entagnling India and China in a new cold war, which will unltimately damage American regional and global interests.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations