7 comments I have jsut penned an artcile for ThinkProgress.org featured on The Wonk Room “A Pakistani Perspective On The Current State Of Pakistani Society” and simultaneouls an excertp being featured on the main ThinkProgress.org blog “Attack on Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan rouses anger against militants”
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84 comments by Samad Khurram and Sara Seerat
Published in Daily News (Sri Lanka)
This letter is our expression of deep sorrow and grief at the savage attacks on the Sri Lankan cricket team while they were touring our country. As Pakistani citizens, we are shocked, angered, and greatly embarrassed at being the source of such anxiety to the people of Sri Lanka. There never can be a justification for such horrendous acts of violence, and the Pakistani nation strongly condemns this evil act.
The dastardly attacks were carried out by miscreants who do not share the common values that the peaceful citizens of both Sri Lanka and Pakistan cherish and uphold. Pakistan has been the victim of many terrorist attacks in the last few years, and it is evident that this cowardly act was another attempt to cause increased turmoil and chaos in a country that is already suffering through a period of extreme violence and anarchy.
We therefore thank the Sri Lankan team for agreeing to play in Pakistan even when other countries refused citing security concerns. In hindsight, those apprehensions seem very valid, but the courage of the Sri Lankan Cricket Board and players in agreeing to play is laudable, and the nation of Pakistan shall be forever indebted to your country. This tour was crucial for the revival of cricket in Pakistan, and we greatly appreciate your efforts in agreeing to be a part of this process.
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29 comments Guest blog by Temporal from Baithak Blog
The Sri Lankan cricket team was attacked in Lahore yesterday by terrorists. SSS terms this a “shift”. I think it is a “deterioration” or “escalation” of lawlessness. If Pakistan is to retain its independence this tide will not be curbed easily by a solitary act (like the restoration of the judiciary) nor by the efforts of one individual or one institution. Both Zardari led government and the Army under Kayani have appeared ineffective to stem this.
More pertinent is to view Tuesday’s attack in the context of the peace deals in the Swat Valley and the tribal areas .. Prior to the signing of the deals, the matter of the release of militants who did not belong to the Swat area was raised, that is, non-Pashtun militants… However, after deciding on the level of compensation packages for the families of militants killed or injured by the security forces and other matters related to Swat and the tribal areas, the matter of non-Pashtun militants was deferred and the peace agreements were signed. In effect, non-Pashtun militants have been ignored and the attack in Lahore could be a bloody message to the government that the “Punjabi militants” have the capacity to cripple urban centers at any time and place of their choosing. Syed Saleem Shezad
So what should the ordinary citizen do? Packing up and leaving is NOT an option. Burying their heads in the sand? More prayers to Allah? Joining the orthodox fringe? Or if not joining, then fighting them for their rights?
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26 comments Guest Blog by Azhar Aslam and Shaista Kazmi
Pakistan is in a classic ‘cry wolf’ situation. Now that the wolf has come one risks shouting about it at the peril of being called paranoid, liar, crazy or conspiracy theorist. But this unfortunate ‘wolf cry’ of the ‘foreign hand’ may have given a room to manoeuvre and protection to the external players and handlers. Fourteen ( or twelve) gunmen attacked Sri Lankan cricket team and their guards in a coordinated, well planned attack and got away (until now). But fool may be the one who thinks this was a senseless attack with the aim of terrorising ordinary Lahorites. So let us just look at the facts and let everyone draw their own conclusion. The attack has raised many questions which are pertinent and of utmost relevance and must be answered in a forensic manner.
Attackers: These observations are made on the basis of TV footage available.
Attackers were young (apparently 14 in number). They were heavily armed, had latest equipment for communication and had enormous firepower. They were wearing trousers and shirts and shalwar and shirts and travelled by rickshaws and car. They were not classic Taliban lookalike. They managed to transport all this heavy weaponry to Liberty. That must have required planning and human resource.
They must have had more accomplices who helped them escape. After they ran off there must have been transport waiting to ferry them away. So the routes and roads must have been well known. Some of the attackers were already positioned in the roundabout itself.
For escape there must have been at least seven rickshaws (unlikely), 3-4 cars or couple or mini vans or a mixture of these (to carry 14 people unless some of them walked to escape in the ensuing chaos). This means there were at least 3 to 8 other people involved. This brings a group total to about twenty.
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110 comments 
A secret investigative report has just surfaced prepared by the Additional Inspector General of the Crime Investigation Division, Punjab on 22nd January 2009 outlining the potential threat to the Sri Lankan team. It outlines very briefly the following four points
The report may now all seem inconsequential considering the damage has already been done, but it just goes to show that despite all the warnings there still was a massive security lapse blame for which in my opinion must lie squarely upon the Governor of Punjab, Salman Taaseer who very recently bull dozed a governors rule in the province replacing Shahbaz Sharif. This political shuffle resulted in a sudden administrative upheaval & police postings, which may have potentially be the primary cause for this disaster.
Critics may even shrug aside this report as a finger pointing session towards RAW, but that too should not shroud our mind the plan simple fact is that the Police knew of the looming threat and if they were at all serious in doing their job this would never have happened. The extremist element will exploit any situation and today marks yet another lapse for the umpteenth time, further tarnishing the image of Pakistan, maybe forever
According to NewsEye at DawnNews the Pakistan Cricket Board had promised the visiting team Presidential security, but it has not been provided despite these looming threats by RAW.
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42 comments 
Early today morning a number of terrorist people on foot attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team as it was approaching Gaddafi Stadium the bus was brutally attacked by almost twelve gunmen as it passed through the Liberty Roundabout.
The bus was miraculously shielded from about two rocket attacks and serious damage was avoided as Police Security escorts retaliated for about twenty-five minutes with heavy gunfire. This sadly resulted in critical injuries to police forces and about five of these selfless public servants lost their lives protecting the lives of our cricketing guests.
Reports initially emerged that quite a number of Sri Lankan players were injured but as the news filtered through two players received serious wounds one was a grazing wound to the chest and the other to the ankle. Remaining players received minor injuries due to flying debris and shrapnel. As of now the Sri Lankan team has been evacuated via a helicopter to Lahore airport for an onwards journey to Sri Lanka via Dubai aboard an Etihad Airways flight
Watching different channels and looking at the footage of the attack, it is clear that religious fundamentalists may have struck yet again. They were armed with hand grenades, rocket launchers, modern rifles and other sophisticated weapons apparently they were with a small beard and looked to belong to Pushtoon origin [?].
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58 comments Guest Post by temporal of Baithak Blog
In the nearly 800,000 sq kms of land that covers all the vistas – from the parched deserts of Balochistan and Sind in the south to the peaks of K2 and Nanga Parbat in the north – from the (negroid) Makrani fishermen of the south to the blue eyed beauties of Kailash and Hunza – from the chattering elites, net journos and the do-gooders of Karachi, Lahore and other urban centers to the rural villages bereft of basic utilities – 97 % of the 160-170 million Pakistanis are united by their religion (Islam) and divided by the many gods they follow.
Did I utter a blasphemy?
Would you blame me for questioning when one group praising the Beneficent (Rehman) kills the other who believe in the Merciful (ar Rahim) ? How can the killer and the killed invoke the same Allah?
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3 comments Early Sunday morning hours after the Islamabad bombing I was interviewed by an ABC radio station in Darwin, Australia more specifically by Michelle Crowther who does a Sunday morning show called Hair of the Blog, giving them feedback our perspectives on the tragic events in Islamabad. Being Australian show they were also very much concerned in discussing the Australian teams refusal to play in the Pakistan during the Champions Trophy.
My 10 minute section roughly starts around the 40th min mark.
[audio:r294672_1265265.mp3] 12 comments Posted from Cricket Bloggers of Pakistan
It is being reports on various news outlets that Mohammed Asif, Pakistan’s fast bowler has been held up in Dubai on suspicion of being in possession of drugs [opium or hashish].
Cricinfo: A Senior PCB official, confirming the news of Asif’s detention to Cricinfo earlier, had said that the substance was suspected to be either hashish or opium, Nadeem Akram, a senior board official who is in Dubai handling the case, said officials had not yet identified what the substance is. “It has been sent to a lab for testing but we do not know yet what it is,” Akram, in Dubai since Sunday, told Cricinfo. Akram also stressed that Asif hadn’t yet been arrested and that he had been detained. “No charges have been brought yet.
2 comments Guest Post By Samia Altaf
While everyone is focused on what will happen, the much more profound impact will be of what is happening before it happens. Something will happen after all, it always does when the dust settles there will be a deal: it will be Him, or him, or her in the drivers seat; or Him and her, or Him and him; rather less likely it would be him and her. It will matter a lot to the bunch of ladies and gentlemen, honorable individuals all, who want an office, a chair, a flag at any price and who need to bet right on who will be left standing when the music stops. But what will it matter to us? We have seen them all, individually and in pairs, we have seen them all. And we know that nothing much will change when the dust settles and the music stops.
But what is happening matters, and will matter, a lot to us because it will define the kind of society we will have to live in over the decades to come. It will define whether we move forwards or backwards as a society. And that is why we need to be involved, that is why we need to understand that what is happening at this time is more important than what will happen. That is why we need to make sure that we fight the fight that will be the more important one for our future.
Think of this in a stylized perspective. Imagine there are two states of societal development. The first state can be characterized as that of the jungle. In this state the primary struggle is amongst powerful groups over what would be the rules of the game under which other people would have to live and over who would impose the rules. The second state can be characterized as that of the playground. In this state, all the parties have agreed upon the rules of the game, and the contest is decided by who performs better on a given day.
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1 comment A very interesting article written by Ardeshir Cowasjee printed in Dawn 9th Dec
Having written a column for this week, but having no desire to be carted off to jail or to suffer any physical inconvenience not being a street fighter and, besides, not having too much time left to me I consulted my lawyer and asked him to vet it.
He is young, wrinkled with pragmatic wisdom. His advice: Scrap it! You have no rights at present. You can be picked up by the dreaded men of the agencies, you can be harassed, even tortured, and surely jailed. To so do, they can take you into custody from anywhere your house, your club, a friends house, your park handcuff you, tie you up, put you into solitary confinement, starve you in other words, enlightened moderation. We, your lawyers, will have to fight like King Leonidas against the Persians at the Pass of Thermopylae attempting to stave off enlightened moderation. It is far better to sit at home, stay away from your PC, and enjoy the company of friends in this fair weather.
Then I asked whether my animals were safe my dogs, my cat, my cockatoo. I was told that as they are my property they cannot be arrested but they can be killed. In fact, they have more rights than I do. At least they cannot be picked up. But, and a big but, who will hear you if you are caught?
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19 comments Through very reliable sources with in the Pakistan Tehrek-e-Insaf, it has come to point that Imran Khan while being imprisoned under Anti-Terrorism charges in Dera Ghazi Khan jail has gone on a hunger strike until the restoration of the Judiciary of Pakistan to its pre-martial law November 3rd status.
UPDATE 1740:
ISLAMABAD (AFP) – Pakistani cricket hero Imran Khan began a hunger strike Monday in the prison where he was sent last week for protesting against emergency rule, his spokesman told AFP. He said Khan, who now heads his own opposition party, wanted a restoration of the constitution and reinstatement of judges sacked when Persident Pervez Musharraf imposed the emergency just over two weeks ago. “Imran Khan has gone on hunger strike for an indefinite period,” spokesman Saifullah Niazi said. “He is demanding the restoration of the judiciary and restoration of the constitution,” Niazi said.
Khan is in Deraghazi Khan jail, normally used to house terror detainees and hardened prisoners. He was picked up last Wednesday and charged under a section of anti-terror legislation which stipulates a minimum punishment of at least seven years and up to life in prison. Khan had been put under house arrest after emergency rule was declared on November 3 but slipped the net and went into hiding, communicating via email and video. He was arrested after emerging from hiding last Wednesday at a university campus in the eastern city of Lahore. Lahore police said then that he would face charges for inciting people to pick up arms, calling for civil disobedience and “spreading hatred.” Khan, who led Pakistan to cricket World Cup glory in 1992, had called for Musharraf to face the death penalty for imposing emergency rule.
13 comments An extensive coverage at Lahore Metroblogs of the protests at Punjab University following the betrayal of a few IJT activist who handed the Cricketer turned politician to the police to the bureaucracy
The update on Imran Khan is that he was charged under the Anti-Terrorism charge for inciting his supporters to stand up (take up arms) against the government and has been shifted to Kot Lakhpat Jail. Before his arrest he gave an extensive interview with Newsweek which can be read here
PU witnesses largest ever anti-jamiat protests: The situation at the University’s New Campus started to develop at around 11:00 AM when students from the University’s Law College, Institute of Communication Studies, IBA, and adjacent institutes started a march to protest Jamiat’s role in Imran Khan’s arrest by proceeding from one department to another, gathering more people with them. In no time, the youthful crowd had grown to more than 200 people, mainly from the departments where Jamiat traditionally has little or no presence.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DPzvPENwaU[/youtube]
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59 comments A number of reports continue to pour in stating that Imran Khan did show up at Punjab University to present himself in the rally scheduled there for today. A group of students belonging to a another political party (Islami jamiat Talaba, student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami) colluded with the administration and huddled Imran Khan into their offices where they reportedly gave him a thrashing and then quietly shuttled him into a waiting police van
Dawn.com Reports
Imran Khan defiant in police custody LAHORE, Pakistan, Nov 14 (AFP) Former Pakistan cricketer and chief of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf Imran Khan told AFP from police custody he was trying to start a student movement against emergency rule when he was arrested on Wednesday after more than a week in hiding. “I came to the university to lead a rally of students against the dictator Musharraf and his illegal actions, Khan said. “I would have presented myself for arrest in full public view but my goal was to set in motion a student movement. Khan spoke to AFP by telephone shortly after he was detained while trying to lead a rally at Lahore’s Punjab University. He said he was betrayed by a group of students. “The majority of the students were with me there but a group of them from Islami-Jamiat-Tuliba collaborated with the administration and police, Khan said. “They took me into the office and then forced me out into a van. They did not allow me to be arrested publicly. He added: “I have achieved my purpose. I have started the student movement, I have set the tone for it. Police earlier confirmed they had arrested Khan and would place him back under house arrest, which he slipped out from more than a week ago.
Geo News reports
Imran Khan arrested Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan was arrested here Wednesday after he emerged from hiding for the first time since emergency rule was imposed. Khan appeared at Punjab University in Lahore ahead of a planned protest against President Pervez Musharraf and was immediately pushed inside a campus building by a crowd of students. However, a student organization has reportedly locked Imran Khan in a room at the Punjab University demanding of Imran to leave the university at the earliest. The former cricket captain, who now leads his own opposition party, was placed under house arrest on November 3 after the state of emergency was declared, but slipped the net days later and had been in hiding ever since.
17 comments The following comes in, via a Facebook e-mail exchange, from Mir Ibrahim Rahman who is the CEO of Geo TV in Pakistan, a channel which has been blocked by the Pakistani government who has also begun talks with foreign governments to have the channel’s transmission blocked overseas. In his message, Mir, states that he is safe at the moment despite having received numerous death threats, his TV network along with the Jang newspaper group been victimized while senior hosts, journalists, producers and the chairman have all had their phones bugged and recorded:
I am kind of Okay. They have shut down all our channels. I can’t believe Musharraf has become what he has become. I still feel sorry for him though. I cant believe THAT more than anything else. Anyway, pray for Pakistan. It needs it. Things are a lot worse than you think, since you are probably not watching what is going on as all of Pakistan’s private news channels have been blocked for past 6 days.
Tomorrow they are going to revise the army act, which will give them powers similar to that of the infamous patriots act where they can ‘court martial’ civilians even and hold them without due process or cause for months at a time. Another nail in the coffin of our constitution. actually its only now that I have truly begun to have felt the power of and appreciated words and promises. I guess which is what our or any constitution is- when I realized what life can be without them. we normally don’t feel it. I guess, apart from some of our lawyer friends. and most of us definitely think the common man will definitely not feel it as he or she has many more important things to think about and worry about than a bunch of words written in a book 40 years ago.
