India Bluffed LTTE – Sri Lanka Victory by Zaheerul Hassan

A couple of years back I happened to come across four Sri Lankan’s Army officers who reveled that their country is passing through a Indian sponsored war with Tamils . They reveled that Velupilla Prabhakaran Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Chief is one of the world's most ruthless rebel’s leader. They also narrated me that thousands of innocent Tamils and Sri Lankan forces have been killed during last few years. Any how, those young army officers were determined to fight insurgency and their faces were revealing that sooner and later they would be throwing out insurgency from the country. Still I remember that On 61 national day of Sri Lanka, President Mahinda Rajapakse expressed that shadows of terrorism have almost been wiped out with the last remnants of the cornered in a patch of jungle in the islands northeast. At that time, he further stressed while saying "I am confident that the Tigers will be completely defeated in a few days,”. Thus Sri Lankan forces played their final episode and have defeated 37 years old Asian longest insurgency and eliminated LTTE’s Chief Prabhakaran too. It was 1979 when LTTE has been established with the support of RAW. Sri Lanka even though made many efforts to resolve the issue peacefully but India remained fully involved in backing LTTE and never let the former allowed to go for negotiations. Prabhakaran who began his fight for a separate state for Sri Lanka's minority Tamils slowly and gradually has became strong rebel leader and started struggle for an independent Tamil State. The Lankan Leaders were in the opinion that the situation much worse than what it was during the 1987. In 1986/87 full throttle have been imparted to the movement by RAW while establishing 32 LTTE training camp in Kulathur, Salem district, India, By mid 1987, over 20,000 Sri Lankan Tamil insurgents had been provided sanctuary

A time came when probably Rajive Gandhi came to know about the real motives of Tamil’s leader. He asked his world’s notorious agency RAW to pull her hand out from the Tamils. Rajiv Gandhi also ordered the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to fight the LTTE because he realized that Indian government made a blunder while supporting LTTE. The Prime Minster stance was totally against the secret agenda of RAW and thus agency totally behaved opposite and deliberately helped in assassination of her Prime Minister through Prabhakaran. The LTTE chief was arrested but released on bail leaving behind a big questioned mark. Basically his bail was arranged by RAW to launch him again for attaining their mission of establishing an independent state of Tamil on Sri Lanka’s piece of land. Maddrass High Court though issued Death Warrants of Prabhakaran earlier but he never been apprehended by professional intelligence agency of India.

India has taken “U Turn “when she came to know that Sri Lankan forces are determined to up root their launched plan and Tamils started facing defeat continuously. The basic aim of India was to keep the Tamils away from the idea of establishing Independent Tamil State on majority’s area i.e. Indian Territory. For this RAW pitched them against Sinhalies and has bluffed innocent Tamils. The Indian Armed forces used to carry out brutality against Tamils and as per www.tamilnation.com Indian peace keeping forces (IPKF) never felt hesitation of raping Tamil’s women. There are many officers like Lt. Col. Srikant Prasad Purohit who murdered and raped innocent women and Tamil’s male members of the families. I noted that LTTE and Taliban militants were using same technique while fighting against Pakistan and Sri Lankan Forces. Both were and are using human shields. It means the terrorists have been provided combat and explosives training in Indian and Afghanistan. "Suicide cadres are coming in front of troops in the frontline and exploding themselves," military spokesman of Sri Lanka, Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said. The government has always remained enthusiastic in waging war while handling LTTE despite involvement of India. Here the question remains, why LTTE didn’t want peace and where was LTTE which was just a militant organization getting all the finances. The deadlock between LTTE and Sri Lanka was occurred because of illegal involvement of India and RAW in Sri Lanka’s internal problems. Any how an excellent and splendid victory has been received by Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka defeated RAW’S Game Plan .But difficult phase of rehabilitation has been started and should be done on war footing. Hundred of thousands Tamils have been displaced and buried in the soil due to the longest war. Same was happened in Swat where more than 2.5 millions people were internally displaced and thousand were killed so far.

The LTTE movement against Sri Lanka do have new political scenario in the region. The chances of creation of Tamil’s state is now much more than earlier , since most of the trained Tamils either became underground or went back to Indian held Tamil Nadu state . Reportedly, before pushing back and surrendering, LTTE’s leadership has decided to reorganize the movement with changed brand and go for an already perceived Tamil State on Indian Territory. Thus it’s quite right that India is going to reap as she has sowed for Sri Lanka and other regional countries. Reportedly, there are more than 100 liberation movements which are struggling for the rights of self determination in their respective states. Out of these liberation movements, Kashmir, Khalistan, Mezzo Tribes, Assam and Tamils are on the top of the list. But unfortunately India is busy in spreading state terrorism against Sikhs, Muslims and christens rather than resolving their internal ethnic problems. Bangladesh mutiny, Dlai Lama and Tamils problems and interference in FATA area of Pakistan are showing clear cut involvement of New Delhi. Let’s hope that Dr. Manmohan Sing should be able to stop her notorious agency from her malicious activities against neighbouring countries. At the same times Sonia Gandhi should also detail some inquiry to find out the actual cause of the death of her husband along with the responsibly. UNO should launch some rehabilitation programms since colossal efforts are required to restore the life in effected areas of Sri Lanka. World community should also force India to stop storming state terrorism in the region.

INDIA: NUCLEAR-CHEMICAL-BIOLOGICAL THEFTS OR SMUGGLING by Saman Malik

The international media remains toujours preoccupied with fears of NCB-material thefts from Pakistan’s installations. There are some feeble voices, like that of US Congressman Ed Markey who, nevertheless, occasionally expresses concern at fragile security of India’s WMD materials and technology. Markey considers that India’s installations are very porous and offer scope for theft, and by corollary, proliferation.
Concern about India is corroborated by her historical record. Let us have a bird’s-eye view of a few incidents. Four containers of phosphorous penta - sulphide were detained by Sri-Lankan authorities at Colombo Port, en-route Bombay to Israel (1994). These containers contained ingredients for manufacture of a deadly nerve gas. In 1989, India publicly confirmed that Yellowcake was being smuggled from Jaduguda Uranium mines in the Singhbhum region of southern Bihar to Nepal. Yellowcakes are manufactured from Uranium powder that could be converted into radiological-dispersal devices, commonly known as dirty bombs. The notorious smuggler, Maheshwar Deo Singh was caught by Indian police and 1.8 kg of Uranium was recovered from his possession in 1989. In the Uranium market of Kathmandu, one kg of Jaduguda Uranium costs Rs 1 crore. On being interrogated, Deo confessed that his network of couriers have been carrying on the `businesss’ for the past several years. He disclosed that a courier gets the minimum of Indian Rs 25,000 for successfully carrying a consignment from Jaduguda to various dumping centres in Bihar and West Bengal. From there the inter-country `dealers’ smuggled Uranium to Katmandu.
In 1990/1991, two shiploads, containing Nuclear Biological and Chemical (NBC) materials from India were on their way to Syria, but the vessels were called back. However, later in 1992, India succeeded to deliver such consignments to Syria. India supplied thiodyglycol and some other chemicals to Iran in 1992. Again in 1993, the United Phosphorous Ltd of India supplied 30 tonnes of trimethyl – phosphate to Iran. During November- December 1993, India made an abortive attempt to ship chemicals to Iraq through Jordan. The shipment embarked from Madras Port. The information about this shipment was received by American Government, which protested to Jordan and the ship was turned back. In 1994, four containers of phosphorous penta – sulphide were detained by Sri-Lankan authorities at Colombo Port, en-route Bombay to Israel. The consignment contained ingredients for manufacturing a deadly nerve gas.
Three persons, with eight kilograms of Uranium were arrested by India’s Central Bureau of Investigation in Tamil Nadu in July 1998. The stolen material contained six kilograms of natural Uranium. The contraband was sent to Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research for analysis. It confirmed that the recovered material contained Uranium 235 and 238. On 31 July 1998, two engineers were arrested by police. They were carrying 2.31 kilograms of Uranium from. From the samples, 1.40 percent and 2.20 percent of enriched uranium was extracted, confirming that the recovered Uranium was neither an ore, nor a depleted compound. Mumbai Police seized 8.3 kilograms of uranium, confirmed by Bhaba Atomic Research Centre to be radioactive, on May 1, 2000.
In 1994, a shipment of beryllium and other material worth over US $ 24 million, useful for making an H-bomb, was caught in Vilnius. This catch confirmed the late 1980s CIA assessment that India was trying to develop a Hydrogen bomb.
Let us quote a few more incidents. An Indian national, Sitaram Rai Mahadevan, having Canadian citizenship and permanently residing in the USA, was arrested in October 2003 for sending blueprints of specialized nuclear valves to North Korea. Twenty-five kilograms of radioactive uranium were recovered from smugglers on November 5, 2000, and fifty-seven pounds of uranium on November 7, 2000. On 13 Nov 2000, three uranium rods were recovered from smugglers, according to an IAEA report. On August 27, 2001 West Bengal police arrested two men with more than 200 grams of semi-processed uranium. Radioactive Cobalt-60 rods were stolen from the Tata Steel factory in Jamshedpur on August 15, 2003. Seven hundred and fifty kilograms of Uranium was stolen during transportation from Jadugora Uranium Mines (Bihar) to Hyderabad in January 1999.
Delhi based M/S NEC Engineers Private Limited shipped 10 consignments of prohibited material, worth $ 791,343, to Iraq between September 1998 and February 2001. The exports included titanium vessels, spherical aluminum powder, titanium centrifugal pumps and industrial cells with platinum anodes that can be used in the manufacture of rocket propellant. Protech Consultant Private Limited supplied NBC-weapons-related material to Iraq as well as Iran. This shipment violated USA-imposed sanctions on NEC Engineers and Protech Consultant Private Limited of India. Taiwanese customs authorities recovered 1,000 tons of Aluminum Oxide from a North Korean container ship in August 2003. The Aluminum Oxide found aboard the ship had been manufactured in India. The substance when mixed with other materials could be used for making shells. Twenty-nine Titanium Alloy Rings, worth Indian Rs 22.50 lakh, used in rocket engine were stolen from the highly-guarded Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre in Bangalore (February 6-12, 2004). Two persons, Khurshid and Aslam, were arrested by Bareilly Police with 254 grams of weapon-grade Uranium.
That‘s not all. Akhtar Hussain Qutbuddin Ahmed, an Indian businessman working in Dubai was deported on 12 June 2004, on charges of trying to sell India’s nuclear secrets to various diplomatic missions. He was accused of offering nuclear secrets which he had acquired from his brother who was working as a senior scientist at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). He was interrogated by police and security agencies for over 40 hours and later handed over to India, on arrival he was arrested at Mumbai airport.

An Indian national Sitaram Rai Mahadevan, having Canadian citizenship and permanently residing in USA, was arrested in October 2003 for allegedly sending blueprints of specialized valves, a critical part for nuclear plants to North Korea. On 30 September 2004, US State Department announced imposition of sanctions against two Indian nuclear scientists; Dr C Surrender and Dr. Y S R Prasad for transferring unconventional weapons and missile technology to Iran.
On 23 March 2007 US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested two Indian citizens Parthasarathy Sudarshan and Mythili Gopal in South Carolina, USA. They were involved in smuggling to India US-made electronic components for use in missile-guidance system.
The above incidents are only tip of the iceberg. Indians even advertised on websites dual-use (nuclear) equipment. It is unfortunate that the world community seldom shifts its focus, away from Pakistan, to India.

India Continues to Imprison Human Rights Activist Dr. Binayak Sen

Last week marked the second anniversary of the detention of the internationally recognized award-winning human rights activist Dr. Binayak Sen, who’s worked as a public health professional in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh for twenty-five years. He was arrested on May 14, 2007, for allegedly helping the Maoist, also known as the Naxalite, insurgency in the state and detained under one of India’s most draconian laws, the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act.

(for further details visit the website: http://www.democracynow.org/2009/5/18/india_continues_to_imprison_human_rights)

Pakistan in a state of war! by Muhammad Jamil

Pakistan is in a state of war with militants and terrorists - some sponsored and aided and abetted by enemies of Pakistan.

And this is not the time for polemics over the genesis and the causes behind terrorism but to wholeheartedly support the armed forces, as all major political and religious parties barring a few proverbial exceptions have reached consensus that terrorists are enemies of Pakistan and the army should take the operation to its logical conclusion. Indeed, when the people of Swat and other areas see the army succeeding in its mission, they will be more than willing to bear the brunt of inconveniences because they would see light at the end of the tunnel. The government has started setting up camps for the displaced persons and care should be taken that these are safer places near their homes but away from the reach of the militants and terrorists. Anyhow, there is an enormous humanitarian crisis and rehabilitation of refugees is a great challenge, however it provides an opportunity to help the displaced persons estimated to be more than a million, who have all the time on their minds as to what will happen to their houses and belongings. They are physically suffering and under psychological stress and need care and attention. They should be assured that they will never be left alone and would be looked after in the camps, and will furthermore get all the help in rebuilding their houses after the militants are flushed out of the area. To manage such an influx of people who lost their homes and other belongings is not an easy task and requires extraordinary leadership having strength of character to face the situation. At official level, services of bureaucrat having repute in their commitment and devotion to duty should be inducted in the teams to manage the camps and providing the displaced people the necessities of life. To express solidarity with the displaced persons, the NGOs, civil society organizations and political parties should send their delegations to visit the refugee camps. Punjab government has expressed solidarity with the people of NWFP in this hour of need, whereas some religious parties are criticising the military operation and doing only lip service to the affectees. Ulema should be facilitated to visit those camps to tell the people about militants' motives and that they are acting against the teachings of Islam. The people thus be inspired to never bow down to the imposters who raise the banner of Islam to denigrate it through their barbaric methods like bullying, killing and maiming their Muslim brethren. Armed with the trust and confidence, these people in the camps would prove a great asset, and in future they will stand up and fight the enemies of Pakistan and Islam. The media should also play its role by giving all out support to the armed forces and discouraging the so-called intellectuals and religious zealots who try to prove that action should not have been taken against the militants. There can be no two opinions about Pakistan's need to eliminate terrorism; for one the writ of state has to be established, and secondly it cannot allow foreign elements to operate from its soil against Afghanistan to invite wrath of the international community. Without going into specifics, all Pakistanis must unite to frustrate the designs of terrorists and enemies of Pakistan and Islam. The should reinvent the spirit of 1965 war with India when people of Pakistan were united and stood behind the armed forces, and it was because of that unity that Pakistan not only could repel the attack but also made advances in Kashmir sector. Today, the people can play their part by giving all-out support to the armed forces, and also help the displaced persons that have been uprooted from their abodes due to the ongoing war between the armed forces and the terrorists. In February 2009, Awami National Party had entered into a peace accord with Sufi Muhammad with the objective to restore peace in Swat by demobilisation of Taliban militia and restoration of the state's writ to the beleaguered valley. But none was anywhere in sight. On the contrary, Fazlullah's brigands had publicly vowed neither to disarm nor to demobilise. Visibly, the militants had consolidated their position in Swat and began advancing to Buner, Lower Swat and Shangla to entrench, and link up with local Taliban and enlist new recruits to hold on to these regions too. Many people had raised eyebrows over the peace agreement on the pretext that it was the result of building up pressure on the NWFP government by arm-wielding Taliban. So far as residents of Swat are concerned, with enforcement of Nizam-i-Adl their old demand for restoring system of courts that was in vogue during Wali-i-Swat era had been met. Agreement to this effect was signed by Sufi Muhammad, who on his part had assured the government that he would use his influence over Maulana Fazlullah of Tehrik-i-Taliban and his followers would lay down arms after the announcement of Nizam-i-Adl. It however transpired that Fazlullah had some other motives, and he prevailed upon Sufi Muhammad who insisted that he would himself appoint Qazis and Darul Qaza, monitor the entire system, and the government would have no say in the matters in Malakand Division. It so happened that after the announcement of Nizam-i-Adl, they started moving from Swat to Dir and Buner, terrorizing people and forcing them to enlist as recruits to organise manpower to run a parallel government. Meanwhile, Maulana Sufi Muhammad in a public meeting used derogatory remarks against the Constitution, Supreme and High Courts, describing democracy and its institutions as nizam-i-kufr. By doing so, he lost the support of a large section of the people who had earlier supported or sympathized with his cause. On seeing the colossal human suffering, Ulema and Mashaikh of Sunni Ittehad Council has described the army operation as jihad. Unfortunately, Amir Jama'at-i-Islami Munawwar Hassan has opposed the military action and by doing so Jama'at-i-Islami would further lose support of the people. The army this time should not stop unless militants and Fazlullah's brigands are flushed out of the area. In the past, peace agreements were signed but to no avail because after military operation and quelling violence, the army went back to the barracks without finishing the job, because there were many voices criticising the security forces for killing their own people. But this time around, the government, parliamentarians, political parties and people at large are supportive of the military action and wish to see that armed forces complete the job and destroy the fortifications of the terrorists and militants.

COAS briefs politicians by Muhammad Jamil

In a briefing on Pakistan's security, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani told the senior government officials and political leaders that there was no going back on the military operation against militants till its logical conclusion and that a swift action had been launched to flush out extremists from Swat and other parts of Malakand division.

In a five-hour long in-camera briefing military leadership also reassured political leadership that Pakistan army would continue its presence at border with India and no guarantee from international community would be accepted for showing laxity on eastern borders. A few days ago, there was news that the US had asked Pakistan for the deployment of force to the border with Afghanistan by moving them from border with India, and the US was willing to give sterling guarantees that India would not make any misadventure against Pakistan. But Pakistan rejected the US proposal because Pakistan could not trust a hostile neighbour like India. If the US can use its clout with India not to do any misadventure, the question is why the US leadership does not ask India to resolve the Kashmir dispute with Pakistan? The question also is that why the US did not ask India not to conduct war exercises of its strike forces in Indian Punjab in the close proximity of Pakistan's border at a time when tensions were already running high after Mumbai attacks. It goes without saying that non-state actors were involved in Mumbai mayhem and Pakistan as a state was not involved. President Barack Obama at his 100th day press conference had said: "Pakistan's military leadership was beginning to recognise just in the last few days that the obsession with India as the mortal threat to Pakistan has been misguided, and that their biggest threat right now comes internally." It appears that his advisors have misguided him and Pakistan's military leadership was not misguided about India's mortal threat to Pakistan, as Pakistan's political as well as military leadership have been expressing their concern over internal as well as external threats to Pakistan. Such statements cannot satisfy Pakistan, as India on one hand refuses to implement UNSC resolutions on Kashmir while on the other is building dams on Pakistani rivers to deprive its farmers of the required water. The problem is that American-industrial-military-complex and international corporate capital are vying for orders from India for hundreds of billions of dollars, because the latter is on buying spree to acquire sophisticated weaponry and equipment and materials for the so-called civil-nuclear technology. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani said: "Pakistan is at the crossroads of its history. The situation is not normal; militants have threatened the very fabric of our society by trying to impose their will through coercive measures. After having exhausted all political and peaceful means, the government was left with no other option but to call in the armed forces to take stern action against the miscreants." Though briefing was in-camera yet sources said that the political leadership appreciated the assessment by military leadership with regard to internal and external threats to Pakistan, which was reflective of high professionalism.

Swat’s worst humanitarian crisis by A Z Hilali

The people of Swat have ultimately got what they wanted and thanks to the Pakistan military that finally they have conducted operations against militants for their permanent relief in Malakand region of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), where at least 1,800 people have been butchered by brutal actions of Taliban.

In the military operation around 15,000 security forces are battling against 4,000 brutal militants, including a small number of foreigners and hardened fighters from the South Waziristan tribal region, who are greatest threat to the national security of Pakistan and the world at large. It is a worst human crisis in the modern South Asian history since the "war on terror" (2001) in which around 2,000 soldiers have died in battles with militants. By every account Swat unleashed the worst humanitarian crisis in the US-led "war on terror". Thousands of civilians have fled from Swat and neighbouring districts in the fighting between the army and militants and hundreds of thousands are unable to move and could be caught in the crossfire. Swat is a partly urbanized area, making civilian casualties a near-certainty. There are fears of a bloodbath if residents are unable to evacuate from the main city (Mingora) and other parts of area. Although thousands fled southwards as skirmishes broke out between Taliban and the army but according to Social-Aid (NGO), desperate people in Swat and particularly from the upper areas are trapped and most residents north of Mingora, such as Matta and Bahrain, have still problem to move for safe shelter. It is estimated that many people have died due to violence, starvation and disease. According to UNHCR, approximately 660,000 people have been displaced from Swat, Dir and Buner areas and predicted that displacement could confront Pakistan with its second largest disaster of the 21st century since the incident of 2001. The country is facing the largest displacement in its own history, and many are now living in camps lacking adequate food, shelter, sanitation, and health care and there is growing exponentially for the staggering countless people who continue to stream out of the Malakand region. Strategically, the Swat valley is surrounded neby the semi-autonomous tribal areas (FATA) on the border with Afghanistan, as well as where Taliban and the Al-Qaeda have strongholds. The military launched the offensive operation after the militants in Swat used a peace deal to impose their reign and continue their genocide of innocent people which was bloodiest and most brutal act of contemporary history. By then more than hundreds of people had been murdered (average of around 18 deaths per day) including men, women and children. In addition, there was a systematic rounding up and shooting of people, either for immediate mass-murder or detention of people in Taliban concentration camps and more than 1,500 are missing and feared dead. Indeed, Pakistan has declared war against US trained extremists and there is a possibility that the military action could trigger a wider conflagration. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, in a televised address to the nation mentioned that Pakistan has launched a full-scale offensive against Taliban guerrillas who have seized control of the vast Swat valley, and other parts of the NWFP. The Prime Minister categorically declared that Pakistan will no longer "bow its head before the terrorists," and called upon the nation to rally behind the armed forces. In fact, the federal government has given task to the military command to "eliminate the militants and the terrorists" once and forever for the greatest interest of people and the country. So, there should be no doubt that military is not fully aware of the gravity of internal threat and they are determined to employ requisite resources to ensure a decisive ascendancy over the militants as well as the forces are also fully prepared to meet the conventional threat from the arch rival of India. Moreover, it is interesting to note that the bulk of offensive against Taliban is being carried out by the military and other forces such as Frontier Corps and paramilitary forces are equally assisting the regular army. But the US media has created wrong perception that there is no indication that the army was pulling any major combat formations off the border with India and preparing to dispatch them or other major ground units to the battle in and around Swat. Furthermore, everyone seems to agree on the severity of the crisis and urged that military command should take decisive action against Taliban because the whole nation has realised the brutality of Taliban and believes that their real agenda was to seize territory and power not the enforcement of Islamic Sharia. Thus, after a long time, the people see a ray of hope in the conflict region and military also realised that majority of people are against the Talibanisation and desire to snub religious extremism for the largest interest of country. The people of the area emphasized to the federal government to focus on a response based on humanitarian aid, while human rights and civil society groups are calling for urgent protection for needy and helpless displaced people. A leading humanitarian group and Social-Aid (NGO) has called on the federal government and UNHCR to take additional measures for the help of over one million displaced people who have been rendered homeless by the ongoing armed conflict in the country. The civil-society groups have also urged the military to carry out operation carefully in the concerned areas and avoid civilian casualties in the strife-torn region because the civilian population is becoming increasingly vulnerable to the devastating impact of bloody violence. Moreover, the government and military both should establish mechanism to avoid gross human rights violations, including the indiscriminate killing of innocent people. In fact, no military can fight war without the help of people because war is not a military activity conducted by soldiers, but rather a social activity that involves entire nation. In this regard, the passions of the people are necessary to endure the sacrifices inherent in war because people supply the blood and treasure required to prosecute war and if this spirit is not available then there is a difficulty in achieving short- or long-term objectives. So, the people have urged that the planning and implementation of military operations in Swat and other parts of region must take into account the safety of the civilian population. Whoever caused the loss of innocent people must be held accountable as General Ashfaq Kayani has instructed the army that the safety and protection of people must come first in the planning and implementation of any military operation. He also ured the army to make precise strikes against the militants and adjacent areas to ensure minimum collateral damage even at the expense of taking risks. Thus, it must be clear that civilian casualties are unacceptable and every effort should be made to protect the civilian population. Moreover, the communication system, including mobile phones, have been disabled due to security reasons and the government workers and the military personnel must provide services to the needy people who are searching for their missing family members. In the same way, there is an utmost need of coordination with other IDPs camps in other parts of NWFP which would help people reduce their panic and dissociation. In general, "International law" does not recognise IDPs as refugees because the International Refugee Regime defines as refugees only those who have crossed a country border within the two sovereign countries. Because of this lack of international legal recognition, IDPs remain without international protection and live out of sight in appalling misery at the socio-political margins of their countries. However, the IDPs are direct victims of "war on terror" and the world community is responsible to develop a comprehensive plan to address their emerging problems and must take action to improve their living conditions, including strengthening the health care system among a population suffering recurrent illnesses such as anemia and acute malnutrition. The aging camps are also in need of new, improved sanitation systems and better refugee housing. For this purpose, additional funds are also needed for protection complementary and supplementary feeding; and access to basic services. Nevertheless, the people of NWFP and the rest of Pakistanis are happy that military has taken action against the atrocities of Taliban who are responsible for gross violation of human rights abuses and the displacement of people in Swat has made it among the world's worst situations in the political history of Pakistan. In fact, militants are responsible for committing or assisting war crimes and genocide of innocent people and their leaders must be treated like Slobodan Milosevic (Former Yugoslav President), Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic (Serb leaders) under the severe charges of genocide. So, the militants are killers of innocent people and solely responsible for mortal threat to the security and safety of country and the world.

Pakistan seeks drones’ ownership by Muhammad Jamil

Drones attack in FATA may have killed a few high-profile al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders but have caused collateral damage killing women and children.

On the whole drones' attacks have been counter-productive for one that Pakistan's sovereignty is violated and secondly when Pakistan looks helpless, this emboldens the militants, as it gives an impression of weakness of the government as well as armed forces that they cannot safeguard territorial sovereignty of the country. Pakistan has, therefore, asked Washington for ownership of US drones that carry out attacks on its territory. "Democracy doesn't believe in half measures. We have asked for the ownership of the drones," President Zardari said, when asked about reports that the US has agreed to pass control of drone aircraft to Islamabad. Speaking in London after talks with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Zardari said Islamabad was "negotiating terms" with the US over the drones, which have long been a source of tension between Washington and Islamabad. Meanwhile, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, at a Senate hearing said that Pakistan had asked surveillance support missions by US unmanned aircraft. But another report says that Pakistani officials have pressed to have direct control over the drones while US intelligence and military officials have offered greater access to the data collected from unmanned surveillance drones. Rubbishing media reports that Pakistan had been given joint control of armed American drones on its territory, Major General Athar Abbas spokesman for the armed forces said Washington never made such an offer to it. But the US administration does not feel any qualms over its disinformation or double speak. In the past, late General and president Ayub Khan who had excellent relations with the US had to write "Friends not Masters", to show his disenchantment with the US administration when it betrayed him during war with India. The US had not only stopped military aid but also economic aid instead of helping Pakistan in the hour of need. Late Bhutto had initially good relations with the US but because it interfered to tell him that Pakistan should not harbour ambitions of becoming a nuclear power that he had to write "Myth of independence". Anyhow, despite all aberrations and 'sins' of the US administration each and every Pakistani ruler seemed to have worked at the pleasure of the US, and when he resisted, he was shown the door either through mass movement or an intrigue. The problem is that Pakistan depends on the US for economic and military aid, and even IMF and the World Bank would not approve loans for Pakistan unless there is nod from the US administration. It is because of this dependency syndrome that our defence minister had in the recent past said that US drones do not take off from Pakistani soil, and Pakistan has only allowed the landing of the drones. One is amazed on the statement because when the drones land in Pakistan then they must have taken off to go to some other destination. The US must understand that despite being friends, allies and also partners in war on terror, the US should respect the sovereignty of Pakistan, otherwise it will further erode its credibility and popularity which is already at the lowest ebb.