The Earth's seven billionth resident was born in Russia

October 31, 2011
Ilya Stulov

The number of people on Earth has reached 7 billion. The child who opened the new demographic era was born in Russia.

Peter Nikolayev, the 7 billionth human was born at 12.02 am local time on Oct. 31, 2011 in Russia’s westernmost region, the exclave of Kaliningrad. The exact date of birth was entered in the register of the regional maternity center by doctors and UN observers along with the newborn’s height (19.6 in) and weight (6.7 lbs).

“We didn’t plan it that way,” said happy father Alexei Nikolayev. “I used to think that the Earth’s population was already 7 billion or more. My wife told me that, when the likely place of birth of such a child was announced, future moms in her ward were joking and even arguing about it.”

The newborn’s parents will be issued a “Born on 7 Billion Day” certificate. The cautious wording of the document is not accidental. Peter’s claim to the title of 7 billionth child has been disputed. India, China and the Leningrad Region have also laid claim to the 7 billionth child.

The authorities in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky even trumpeted to the whole world that the watershed event had occurred several hours earlier, at the opposite end of Russia.

“On the night of Oct. 31 at 12.19 am local time, a boy by the name of Alexander Bogdanov was born at Maternity Home 1 in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The baby weighs 3,600 kilograms (7.9 lbs),” the local news offices report with baited
breath. “The certificate of the 7 billionth citizen of Earth was presented to the newborn’s mother, Marina Bogdanova. Later, when the child is registered, the parents will be given a voucher for an apartment in a house currently under construction in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.”

Even though the demographic milestone is open to challenge, Kaliningrad’s case looks more solid: After all, UN observers had come there to register the birth of Peter Nikolayev.

Like his Kamchatka rival, the little citizen of Kaliningrad will get his share of attention from the region’s authorities.

“Of course I will take time out to congratulate the parents and the baby,” said regional Governor Nikolai Tsukanov. “For some reason, I was sure that the jubilee baby would be a girl. But it’s great that it is a boy. Considering that Peter is the Nikolayevs’ third child, in addition to the federal benefits they are entitled to, the family will get 100,000 rubles ($3,300) from the local budget and a free plot of land for building a house.”

Pakistan’s non-‘anti-India’ generation

Pakistan was not formed as an Islamic nation. It was instead envisioned as a state designed to provide economic stability and opportunity to Muslims who, post-Partition, would otherwise have found themselves a minority in a predominantly Hindu nation. A state founded for Muslims is by no means the same as an Islamic state. Adding further to this confusion is the central question, what form of Islam was Pakistan meant to follow? Important also to remember is that it was not till 1956 that Pakistan was officially renamed the ‘Islamic Republic of Pakistan’.

Time and again, Pakistan’s religious identity has been reinforced through military dictators such as Ayub Khan and Ziaul Haq. Ayub Khan strived to tie Pakistan to a religious identity through provisions in the First Amendment that clearly stated: “No law shall be repugnant to the teachings and requirements of Islam as set out in the Holy Quran and Sunnah.” Ziaul Haq ensured this was so in every aspect of daily life. Alienating moderate Islam and bringing a Wahabi interpretation into the public sphere, Zia changed Pakistan forever. An ideology so deeply rooted in the social fabric of Pakistan, it is not a surprise then that the country continues to struggle with an identity crisis 62 years later.

Adding to this crisis is the serious ‘anti-India’ paranoia that is embedded in our national history and social identity. At the most basic level, this is reinforced through the Pakistan Studies curriculum that teaches students little about Indian leaders and paints Muslim leaders as subjecting Pakistan to first an Islamic identity and then a nationalistic one. Such educational initiatives have given birth to a generation of Pakistanis marked with a politicised understanding of Islam and brainwashed by a strong anti-India rhetoric.

However, this generation is different. This is the first generation of Pakistan that is brave enough to question its government, army and intelligence agencies and argue against the supposed ideals of its state. Two reasons owe to this shift.

Firstly, the elite and urban youth of Pakistan today is more global. Whether at home or abroad, Pakistanis are interacting with their Indian counterparts through social networks, educational institutions and initiatives such as Seeds of Peace and Aman ki Asha, that foster better understanding between the future leaders of the two countries. Initiatives such as these are crucial if a combined South Asian identity is to be created based on equality, respect and mutual understanding.

Secondly and more importantly, is that the mass youth of Pakistan believe that domestic jihadi movements are a critical threat to the state. The problem they perceive is domestic bred and not a foreign entity. Bad governance, a weak state and lack of national security amongst other daily grievances have led the youth to believe that being a patriotic Pakistani does not entail being anti-India. The military leaders and policymakers of tomorrow are ready to mark a shift from the India-centric leaders of yesterday and today.

An easing of visa restrictions on both sides is hopefully the first step in many more to come. At some level, it is not the tangible grievances that separate the two countries but rather the pride that comes with them. Only an engaged and enhanced partnership based on mutual respect between both countries can trigger a dialogue. From what it seems, a proactive and educated youth is the answer.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2011.

PML-N’s ‘revolution’ kicks off

By Editorial

Published: October 29, 2011

A man pushes his push cart at the site of Shahbaz Sharif's rally in Lahore on Friday October 28. PHOTO: IJAZ MAHMOOD/EXPRESS TRIBUNE 

The PML-N kicked off its ‘go Zardari go’ campaign in Lahore on October 28. The procession was not attended by the party’s main leader Mian Nawaz Sharif, who was away on a foreign visit. Hamza Shahbaz Sharif, the chief minister’s son, came to speak, but it seems that the crowds wanted his father who spoke to the crowd later (this newspaper also reported that a significant proportion of the participants seems to have been brought to the venue from outside Lahore).
There is no way a Pakistani popular leader can be told what his representational flaws are. Who can tell Shahbaz Sharif that his rather tiresome style of singing Habib Jalib has run its course and arouses no emotion; that his wild flailing of arms across the bristling mikes in front of him is now nothing more than a boring pantomime. His accusations contained all the predictable charges against the PPP government and President Asif Ali Zardari: corruption; abysmal governance causing shortages of public amenities all over Pakistan; and slavery of the US.
Zardari’s hate-speech troubleshooter Babar Awan was on hand in Lahore to direct barbs at the flaws in Shahbaz Sharif’s own kingdom where he rules autocratically, using public funds and local government transport to do the party’s work. Governor Khosa pitched in too, accusing the Punjab government of abusing its authority at the rally, indicating the shape of things to come in the battle ahead which the PML-N firebrand Saad Rafiq says will reach its climax in December-January with a ‘Long March’ to Islamabad. The crowds thought Nawaz Sharif would be there at Bhaati Gate but he was out of the country, although he did address his own rally a couple of days ago where he railed against the president and the ruling party.
If there were two poles in the party — the hawks led by Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and the lone moderate Nawaz Sharif — that of Chaudhry Nisar won the day. This pole has fostered the development of the typical PML-N voter who was brought up on the reflex of the mid-term toppling of governments in the 1990s. Of course, one reason for this rally is to forestall the Senate elections that are scheduled for March 2012 and which could see the PPP gain a commanding lead in the upper house of parliament. To this end, Shahbaz Sharif, who seems to be in the camp opposing his elder brother, had been predicting a ‘bloody revolution’. The other factor which must have goaded the party to make its presence known to all and sundry must be the Imran Khan factor, with his rallies in Punjab increasingly gaining a large audience.
The rise of Imran Khan and his formerly rather amoebic party — people still don’t know who the man next to Imran Khan is — has startled the PML-N. While Shahbaz Sharif avoided reference to him in Lahore, Khan was busy attending a jirga in Islamabad protesting American drone attacks, endearing him to the anti-US establishment. Nawaz Sharif is anti-American too, but not as tough and rash as Khan. And agitation experts know that politics of Manichaean contrasts works far better with the common man. Khan’s right-wing pro-Taliban posture threatens to go down well with the pro-Taliban Sipah-e-Sahaba elements that the PML-N has been wooing. A word of support from North Waziristan may be all that is needed.
Surveys show that Nawaz Sharif is the most popular leader in the country, although he is a few notches down from his standing in the past. Shahbaz Sharif is next, followed by Imran Khan; but Zardari is plumbing the depths of unpopularity. This index is upset by the fact that Khan and Nawaz Sharif are going to damage each other at the polls whenever they take place. Hence the subliminal message is that the PML-N will accept an ouster of the PPP through non-electoral means. That will suit Khan too because then he will get into the ruling echelon on the basis of his increased street clout instead of the elections where he is not expected to do much more than improve his party’s standing in the country. After the All Parties Conference, this is the next instalment of political abdication in Pakistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2011.

‘Secret Pakistan’


In a BBC documentary entitled ‘Secret Pakistan,’ a number of middle-ranking Taliban commanders have ‘revealed’ that Pakistan’s security services provide weapons and training to the Taliban fighting US and British troops in Afghanistan. 


The so-called Taliban commanders boast of having received “practical guidance” and training in bomb-making from ISI officers, while a former head of Afghan intelligence claims Afghanistan gave former president Gen Pervez Musharraf information in 2006 that Osama bin Laden was hiding in northern Pakistan close to where he was eventually killed by US forces in May. Both the Foreign Office and the army have rubbished the BBC documentary. Indeed, it would not be unfair to question the editorial impartiality of the documentary. 


For starters, it relies heavily on interviews of officials previously and currently linked with the American, British and Afghan intelligence services and governments. These include former British ambassador to Afghanistan Sherard Cowper Coles, known critic of Pakistan Amrullah Saleh who headed Afghan Intelligence from 2004-2010, ex-CIA officer Bruce Riedel, and Colonel Richard Kemp. If there is one thing sorely missing in the film, it is Pakistan’s version.

To be sure, if Secret Pakistan “does not attempt to take sides” as claimed by the BBC spokeswoman, then why were certain rules of acceptable conduct not followed while compiling the report? Why was an outdated interview of the DG ISPR included rather than a specific interview asking him to respond to the allegations made in this report? Also, why are specific names of known commanders belonging to the areas under question not mentioned? 


And since there are interviews of Washington-based analysts, why aren’t the opinions of Pakistani commentators sought in a similar fashion? At this point, it would be in Pakistan’s favour – given severe criticism of its alleged destabilising role in Afghanistan – to take up the allegations more systematically rather than issue a general rejection. That having been said, one expected a more balanced, impartial and journalistic report from the world’s largest broadcaster. 

With scores tied 3-3, all hell breaks loose in India-Pakistan game

The India-Pakistan encounter of the tri-nation tournament near Perth, Australia on Saturday had all the making of a classic for most part of the game. But a bizarre end relegated the 3-3 drawn tie to the Hall of Shame. A dying minutes altercation between rival midfielders Shafqat Rasool and Gurbaj Singh triggered a free of all between the players from both the sides. This resulted in bruises and cuts to players on either side with Gurbaj needing a couple of stitches to his head wound.

At the time when the game took this violent turn, it was still a minute and 35 seconds for the game to end. Not quite happy with the conduct of the Indian players or the officials, the Pakistan team were not keen to continue with the game. Even when they were forced to take field by the organisers, they refused to roll the ball and restart the game. They waited for the final hooter to go off and trudged off the field once it did.

Pakistani wins Oscar of Science and Technology world

Pakistani Athar Osama, who dreams of reviving the Golden Age of Islamic Science, has won an award at an event considered to be the Oscars of Science and Technology on Wednesday night at the UN Building, New York.

Osama has won the World Technology Network (WTN) award for Science and Innovation Media and Journalism from a breathtakingly talented group of people which included USAID Science Adviser Alex Dehgan.

Osama – known for his pioneering work on introducing and popularising the ideas of science and innovation policy through journalism — visions to promote Muslim science through his online journal Muslim-Science.Com.

Osama has been writing extensively on important science and innovation policy themes since 1992, initially for leading English newspapers in Pakistan, and later in international general interest journals and online.

In his acceptance speech in front of an audience at a black-tie reception, he said “We all cannot hope to create a world that is more developed, better, and safer, if we exclude the 1.5 billion Muslims from the fruits of science and technology. Muslim-Science.Com is dedicated to make a contribution in that realm,” according to the released statement.

He termed the launch of website Muslim-Science.Com as just the beginning. “Our hope is to launch a series of very interesting and important signature initiatives alongside the web portal that will make critical contributions in areas of greatest weaknesses in the science and innovation eco-system in the Islamic World,” Athar added in his speech.

Ahmed Rushdi and Masood Rana, two legendary singers of Pakistan.

Death anniversary of 

‘Pakistani Rafi’

The 16th death anniversary of legendary playback singer 
Masood Rana was observed on Tuesday with rich tributes 
paid by the people.

Rana was born in Mir Pur Khas, Sindh to a Rajput landowner 
family which had migrated from the East Punjab city Jalandhar.

He started his singing career in 1955 on Radio Pakistan 
Hyderabad and later established a music group in Karachi 
in the early 60′s with two famous names of showbiz – 
Nadeem Baig and Akhlaq Ahmed.

He made his debut as a playback singer in 1962 when he sang 
for the film Inqalab and became one of the top male singers in
 both Urdu and Punjabi films for more than three decades.

Rana got a major break when renowned actor Saqi introduced 
him to producer and director Iqbal Shehzad and musician Deebo.

His first film song was “Mashriq ki tareek faza mein naya svera 
phoota hay” composed by music director N. K. Rahoor for the film Inqalab.

But he got fame from his second film Banjaran in 1962. He

 was popular by the name of “Pakistani Rafi”.

Rana was considered a specialist in singing difficult songs in a very
high pitch and was the first choice of music directors for title and theme songs.

In 1964, his song “Tange wala khair mangda” of the film Daachi 

gave him unmatched popularity.
He became the most influential male singer of Lollywood when six 

songs of film Hamarahi (1966) turned out to be mega hits.

Rana is still the only male singer in Pakistani films who sang more
than 300 songs in Urdu and Punjabi. He recorded music for more than 550 films.

Rana was considered to be the most successful singer after
Ahmed Rushdi. He died on Oct 4, 1995.

Kathak: The joy of flight

One of the finest kathak dancers and choreographers,Nahid Siddiqui is recognised internationally and has received numerous accolades including Pakistan’s highest artistic merit, Pride of Performance (1994), Time Out Award (1991), The Digital Award, British Cultural Award and International Dance Award, among others.

The Express Tribune sat down with her for a chat whereby the celebrated dancer shared details about her artistic background, promoting the art scene of Pakistan and planning to open a dance school in the country.

What is classical dance for you?

The word ‘classical’ needs to be broken down and defined properly. Everything in performing arts started from folk, for instance, those who trace their origins from Orissa, India, can dance to the Odissi tune. Kathak, on the other hand, is about grammar, vocabulary and style. Once you embrace it, it becomes a part of you. It’s like a circle and you keep evolving within it.

For me, classical dance is something divine as I enter into another world when I perform. I don’t just dance, I feel dance and treat it as an act of devotion.

How open is our society to classical dance as compared to the 1970s?

I believe until there is a criterion of incorporating classical dance in school curriculums, there will be no acceptance of dance in society. Unfortunately, after partition, dance — as part of subcontinental culture — was conveniently disinherited. My mentor once said, “Only fine arts can give fine brains.” It’s quite sad that the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) is not promoting arts and culture.

How was it living in exile and coming to terms with the fact that you can’t perform in your country anymore?

I was banned and blacklisted in 1979 and was forced to fly to England but I carved a niche for myself there and in other European countries as well.

However, after returning to Pakistan in 1984, I performed every year from then onwards. Dancing is like breathing to me. No one can take that away. I remember, once famous poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz saw my performance and told me to be a reformer and play a part in changing the system. That advice has stayed with me and, hence, I carried on with it.

Given the current state of the country, do you think there can be a revival of dance in Pakistan?

How does one expect arts to flourish in a society plagued by poverty? However, I
believe that hope and struggle to revive it should never die.

Would having an academic curriculum on classical dance revive the dying art in Pakistan? 

Yes, definitely. It’s done all over the world. When people learn and impart this knowledge, I think it will save classical dance from a gradual death. I plan on opening up a dance school in Pakistan, but currently I’m looking for supporters. I believe Karachi can be a turning point as it’s a cosmopolitan city and appreciates culture more.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 27^th, 2011. 

Benazir Bhutto's mother
Nusrat dies after illness in Dubai

Arrangements being made to take the body to final resting place in Larkana

 Sunday, October 23, 2011

An undated picture of Benazir Bhutto with her mother Nusrat in Islamabad. The former first lady of Pakistan from 1973 to 1977 outlived three of her children and is survived by one child, Sanam Bhutto, who lives in London.


Nusrat Bhutto, mother of the late Benazir Bhutto and mother-in-law of Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, died in Dubai yesterday after a protracted illness. She was 82.

Nusrat Bhutto, who was born on March 23, 1929, to the Esfahan family in Iran, had lived in Dubai for more than 10 years.

She was recovering from a stroke and had suffered from Alzheimer's disease for several years.


Nusrat breathed her last yesterday at the Iranian Hospital where she had been admitted about two months ago.

Pakistan’s former first lady, Begum Nusrat Bhutto died Sunday afternoon at Iranian Hospital in Dubai where she was brought under critical condition a day earlier. The 82-year-old lady, whose husband and daughter both served as prime ministers of Pakistan and a political force herself, was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for last many years and had been staying in Dubai for the last 10 years. Begum Nusrat was the first member of ZAB family who died on a hospital bed. She witnessed the traumatic hanging of his prime minister husband Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and violent deaths of her two sons Shahnawaz Bhutto, Murtaza Bhutto and her former Prime Minister daughter Benazir Bhutto.

Prime Minister Gilani on Sunday announced 10-day national mourning on the demise of Begum Nusrat Bhutto. He also announced public holiday on Monday and cancelled all his engagements.

Born on March 23, 1929 in a rich Iranian business family, Begum Nusrat was married to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto on September 8, 1951 and was her second wife. She had four children, Benazir, Murtaza, Shahnawaz and Sanam. Only Sanam Bhutto is now alive and living in London.

Begum Nusrat was the first member of ZAB family who died on a hospital bed. She witnessed the traumatic hanging of his prime minister husband Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and violent deaths of her two sons Shahnawaz Bhutto, Murtaza Bhutto and her former Prime Minister daughter Benazir Bhutto.

She went to Dubai along with her daughter Benazir Bhutto who spent eight years in self exile and took care of her ailing mother apart from leading the PPP from abroad after her party suffered immensely from dictatorial regime of Ziaul Haq and Nawaz Sharif. Nusrat Bhutto showed extraordinary personal strength and determination when she stood by her husband who was ousted in military coup on July 5, 1977 and was later sent to gallows on April 4, 1979. During Zia’s regime, Begum Bhutto personally suffered immensely as a number of cases were filed against her. The military government and elected government of Nawaz Sharif haunted her for many years to discourage her from keeping PPP as a political force alive. She led processions for democracy and was even suffered when she was hit by the police baton charge in one of the demonstration. She said to be suffered a wound in her head in a baton charge and was denied proper treatment and was banned from travelling abroad by General Zia. She was a staunch democrat and had always stood by her husband since the day; General Ayub Khan removed him as foreign minister from his cabinet in 1966. She stood behind Z.A Bhutto and encouraged him to enter politics. It was her support which gave Z.A Bhutto the strength to stand up and fight for democracy. Begum Bhutto was elected member of the National in 1977, 1988, 1990, 1993 and 1997 before she shifted to Dubai with daughter Benazir Bhutto. As the first lady she was in the forefront of social activities aimed at alleviating the lot of poor peasants through official channels and as minister. She was seen as a mother figure by the poor womenfolk of Pakistan who had great faith in her and confidence that as long as she was around she will do whatever possible to make their lives better. As a mother she had suffered hugely when her youngest son Shahnawaz Bhutto was poisoned to death in France and when her elder son was gunned own by Sindh Police in a staged encounter just few yards away from 70 Clifton where she had lived after marrying ZA Bhutto. Due to these most traumatic experiences, Begum Bhutto’s health deteriorated and she went to UAE with her daughter who returned to Pakistan from her eight years self exile on Oct 18, 2007. she escaped a twin bomb blast attack on her reception motorcade on Share Faisal on October 18 but the assassins finally reached her on December 27 when they succeeded in assassinating her in an attack on her car after she was returning addressing a public meeting at Liaquat Bagh Rawalpindi, where the first Prime Minister of Pakistan Khan Liaquat Khan was gunned down on Oct 16, 1951. A pall of gloom descended on localities dominated by PPP as soon as the official announcement was made about Nusrat Bhutto’s death in Dubai. People from all walks of life remembered the graceful figure of Begum Nusrat Bhutto attired in Sari and moving around in official functions and political rallies. She was as popular among the PPP cadres as her husband ZA Bhutto.


Twitter Alert: Nusrat Bhutto "faced Zia like a rock"


Published: October 23, 2011

"Her picture after being clubbed in Gaddafi Stadium Lahore remains a strong symbol of struggle for democracy." PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE

The death of Nusrat Bhutto, widow of former prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and mother of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto sent a wave of sorrow among Pakistanis online, with many recalling anecdotes of the First Lady and her struggle for democracy amidst tragedy.

While condolences streamed online, Twitter users also acknowledged Nusrat Bhutto’s sacrifices and suffering during the era of General Ziaul Haq.
Twitter updates

SaimaMohsin
Sad News, Begum Nusrat Bhutto has passed away – a woman who has witnessed much of Pakistan’s brutal history.

abbasnasir59
I recall with admiration Begum Bhutto’s defiant attempt to break the cordon around Pindi jail and get to ZAB. She faced Zia like a rock.

marvisirmed
She was second to only Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah in impacting Pakistani politics #BegumNusratBhutto

marvisirmed
Ijazul Haq offering condolence for #BegumNusratBhutto on Geo TV. Mr. Haq, do you apologize for what your father did to her? Yes or no?????

sarataseer
Dad at the wheel, BB & Begum in the back, ppp workers hand got stuck in the window & Begum gave BB a smack 4 hurting the worker unknowingly.

sarataseer
Looked at @SalmaanTaseer, he looked at me…”the PM just got smacked” I whispered…peels of laughter

khsyedaliraza
Her picture after being clubbed in #Gaddafi Stadium Lahore remains a strong symbol of struggle for democracy. RIP #NusratBhutto!

xaynabnaqvi
The first natural death in bhutto,s family ..#nusratbhutto

Saba_Imtiaz
@fbhutto, on Geo right now, says that Nusrat’s grandchildren were not even told of her death and found out on TV.

NasimZehra
Begum Nusrat Bhutto dies. Few would have gone through as much pain as she did. May Allah bless her soul. Ameen.

Read more tweets by searching Nusrat Bhutto on Twitter.
Follow the Tribune Twitterati list to stay updated on local news and current affairs.

Promoting religious tolerance: Shehrbano Taseer receives human rights award



Pakistani journalist and daughter of former Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer, Shehrbano Taseer, received a Human Rights Award during an annual award dinner in New York City on Saturday.

In the months since her father’s slaying, Shehrbano has continued to speak out publicly against discriminatory laws that target religious minorities and encourage extremism, said a press release issued by Human Rights First.

Despite criticism and even death threats from militant groups, Shehrbano has worked unremittingly to shed light on the hundreds of victims of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws and to encourage the government to take necessary steps to promote religious tolerance, the press release added.

Human Rights First will honour Shehrbano “for her courage in carrying out her father’s legacy of religious tolerance.” She has published a series of op-ed pieces calling for change in Pakistan, and has openly criticised those who glorify her father’s murderer, said the press release.

She was instrumental in the United Nations Human Rights Council’s groundbreaking resolution in Geneva this March that seeks to address violence, discrimination, and incitement to religious hatred without the controversial notion of “defamation of religions,” the statement said, adding that her courage has led some to characterise the young journalist as “one of the bravest women in today’s Pakistan”.

Afghan leader's office says Pakistan remarks misinterpreted

President Hamid Karzai's office says his comments to Pakistani TV that Afghanistan would side with Pakistan in a hypothetical war against the U.S. was not intended as a slight to Western governments.


By Laura King, Los Angeles Times

October 24, 2011, 2:50 p.m.

Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan— Parsing statements by President Hamid Karzai has become something of a parlor game in the Afghan capital.
The Afghan leader's office sought Monday to distance him from his controversial remarks in a weekend television interview, in which he asserted that Afghanistan would side with Pakistan in a hypothetical war against the United States.

The presidential palace said Karzai's comments to Pakistan's Geo TV, aired Saturday, had been misinterpreted.
The remarks came toward the end of a lengthy interview conducted in English and Urdu, in which the Afghan leader repeatedly urged Pakistan to move against Islamic militants who take refuge on its soil, according to a transcript released by Karzai's office.


In response to a question from the Pakistani reporter about whether Afghanistan would support Islamabad in the event of a conflict between Pakistan and the United States, Karzai initially responded "God forbid," but then went on to pledge his country's backing for its neighbor.


"If a war ever breaks [out] between Pakistan and America, we will side [with] Pakistan," the president said, according to the transcript. "Afghanistan would stand with you. Afghanistan is your brother."


Although relations between the United States and Pakistan have been tense in recent months, particularly in the wake of the raid by elite U.S. forces that killed Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani garrison town in May, the prospect of armed conflict between the two allies is considered remote.
A spokesman for Karzai, Siamak Herawi, said the president had not intended any slight to the Western governments that have spent billions of dollars shoring up the Afghan administration during the 10-year war. At least 1,817 American troops have died in the conflict.


"The media misinterpreted [Karzai's] speech," Herawi said, adding that the president had been trying to express solidarity with Pakistan for having taken in millions of Afghan refugees during decades of war and the rule of the Taliban movement.


Western military officials and diplomats publicly played down the significance of Karzai's comments, even while privately expressing varying degrees of bafflement and dismay.


Christopher Chambers, a spokesman for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's civilian representative in Afghanistan, told reporters in Kabul on Monday that it was important to "focus on the much wider dialogue that is required for peace for both Afghanistan and Pakistan … which the people of both countries certainly want and deserve."


It is not the first time that inflammatory remarks from Karzai have caught his Western backers by surprise, but overt verbal clashes had dropped off in recent months.

Last week, at a news conference with visiting Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Karzai voiced strong support for her assertion that Pakistan needs to move more strongly against insurgents who use havens on the Pakistani side of the frontier as springboards for attacks against coalition troops in Afghanistan.
Even so, in the Geo interview, the Afghan leader reiterated his long-standing concern over wartime civilian casualties, and his often-stated opposition to night raids on Afghan residential compounds by U.S.-led troops.

"I don't want any American soldier entering Afghans' homes anymore," he said.


The centerpiece of Clinton's visit last week was a call for the Pakistani government to rein in the Haqqani network, a Taliban offshoot based in Pakistan's tribal areas. The Western military said Monday that pitched battles over the last week in eastern Afghanistan, the Haqqanis' main area of operations, had left about 200 insurgents captured or dead.

Brig. Gen. Carsten Jacobson, a German spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force, told reporters in Kabul that the latest military push by Western and Afghan troops "degrades the Haqqani network's ability to coordinate and execute future attacks."

So far, at least 20 of the fighters captured or killed have been linked to the Haqqanis, he said.
laura.king@latimes.com

Afghanistan to back Pakistan if wars with U.S.: Karzai

Afghanistan would support Pakistan in case of military conflict between Pakistan and the United States, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in an interview to a private Pakistani TV channel broadcast on Saturday.

The remarks were in sharp contrast to recent tension between the two neighbors over cross-border raids, and Afghan accusations that Pakistan was involved in killing the chief Afghan peace envoy, former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani, by a suicide bomber on September 20.

"God forbid, If ever there is a war between Pakistan and America, Afghanistan will side with Pakistan," he said in the interview to Geo television.

"If Pakistan is attacked and if the people of Pakistan needs Afghanistan's help, Afghanistan will be there with you."

Such a situation is extremely unlikely, however. Despite months of tension and tough talk between Washington and Islamabad, the two allies appear to be working to ease tension.

In a two-day visit to Islamabad, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued stern warnings and asked for more cooperation in winding down the war in Afghanistan, but ruled out "boots on the ground" in North Waziristan, where Washington has been pushing Pakistan to tackle the Haqqani network.

Zardari asks US to stop criticising Pakistan

President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday said that public criticism of Pakistan's role undermined its common struggle against terrorism in the region.

Talking to US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at Presidency, the president underscored the importance of enhanced consultations between Pakistan and the United States on the basis of mutual respect, sovereignty and interests.

During the one-on-one and delegation-level meetings, the two sides discussed host of issues relating to Pak-US relations, fight against terrorism, regional situation with particular reference to Afghanistan.

Zardari said, "Our people and the leadership is among the first ones to fully realise and comprehend the threat posed by violent mindset which is bred on the premises of deprivation and fuelled by sense of inequality."

Discussing situation in Afghanistan, the president reiterated that Pakistan supports all efforts for regional peace, prosperity and connectivity, based on existing realities of the region.

He said Pakistan, being the immediate neighbour, has abiding interest in the peace, stability, security and prosperity of Afghanistan and will continue to support every effort in this regard.

He said Pakistan supports Afghan-led and Afghan owned reconciliation process.

Clinton appreciated Pakistan's contribution in promoting reconciliation. She said that US administration desired continued partnership with Pakistan. She agreed with the president's strong emphasis on promoting trade rather than aid as the vehicle for development cooperation and assured that the US administration was working to facilitate enhanced market access for Pakistani products.

Earlier, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday ruled out any unilateral action against terrorists' safe havens inside Pakistan saying, "We want action against them in concert with our strategic partners like Pakistan."

During her roundtable talks with anchorpersons of various TV channels, she responded to various questions on Pakistan-US relations, particularly their joint efforts to fight the war on terror. When asked if the United States was pondering to send its troops inside Pakistan, she categorically said this option was not being considered.

"We don't want to take action unilaterally, we want to act in concert with our strategic partners like Pakistan and other allies." Replying to a question regarding her reported warning to Islamabad, Clinton said the warning was: "If we don't handle safe havens together the consequences could be terrific to both the US and Pakistan."
In response to another query that ISI was involved in attack on the US embassy in Kabul through Haqqani network, she categorically said," We have no evidence of that."

Clinton admitted that the United States had held one exploratory meeting with the Haqqani network before a series of massive attacks.

"In fact, the Pakistani government officials helped to facilitate such a meeting," she said. But "we're not in any kind of negotiations. We've had one preliminary meeting just to see if they would show up."

Pakistan’s Rabbani Khar Pales Next to Clinton

When Pakistan appointed Hina Rabbani Khar, a 33-year-old politician, as its first female foreign minister earlier this year, there was some suggestion that she lacked experience for the job.
On Friday, sharing a podium with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, she certainly appeared out of her depth.

Mrs. Clinton masterfully chided Pakistan for not invading North Waziristan and managed not to sound too schoolmarmly in the process, although she did ask Islamabad to “squeeze” the Haqqani militant group a few too many times.

Ms. Khar, by contrast, seemed to get lost in her own rhetoric, saying very little during overly-long answers to reporters’ questions. She often repeated phrases like “both sides of the border” numerous times in one response. It was unclear at points exactly what she wanted to get across.

At one stage, her loosely worn headdress, evocative of the late former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto, slipped off her head.

No doubt Ms. Khar will grow into the job and was noteworthy on a recent trip to the U.S. for standing her ground over allegations that Pakistani intelligence ran the Haqqani network.

The last incumbent, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, was pushed out, reportedly after disagreements with the military.Ms. Khar’s rise in politics has been fast since completing a degree in hospitality management at the University of Massachusetts and returning to Pakistan, where she opened a restaurant in the grounds of the Lahore polo club.

She’s from a powerful Punjabi political family and entered politics in 2002 with the political party of former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, switching at the last election to the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party.

Ms. Khar worked closely with the late U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke in a previous junior minister role in which she oversaw foreign aid contributions to Pakistan.

Mr. Holbrooke had nice things to say about her abilities. But since then, Ms. Khar has been fighting a losing battle to build a serious image.


Earlier this year, during peace talks in New Delhi with Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna, who is 79 years old, Ms. Khar won a warm reception from the normally-hostile Indian press.But much of the coverage focused on Ms. Khar’s choice of designer handbag and what shades she was wearing on top of her head.


It would be easy to ascribe much of this to old-style sexism. But, as Ms. Khar’s performance alongside Ms. Clinton showed, she’ll have to work harder to change the focus from her accoutrements to her achievements.


http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2011/10/21/pakistans-rabbani-khar-pales-next-to-clinton/