9 comments [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUh6xVlndhM[/youtube]
Israeli TV broadcast a father’s heartbreak Friday night when a Palestinian doctor living in Gaza made a frantic phone call to a newscaster saying an Israeli tank had shelled his home, killing three of his daughters and injuring other family members.
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59 comments 
I received this text message from a friend who fortunately is one of those who has not only read history but also never forget it.
“Richard the Lionheart fought the crusades against Muslims who were valiantly defended by Salahuddin Ayubi. In operation LionHeart, who is lion heart in present context? Can somebody ask Gen Ather Abbas?”
Since, I was running fever and hadn’t watched TV or read newspaper for a couple of days; I ask him that what operation Lionheart is? He informed me that joint operation of Pakistani and ISAF forces in FATA is named operation Lionheart. I then forwarded that text message to my favorite hosts and was lucky to get reply from two of them. In their reply they told me that they would ask the question as the next day they were meeting Gen Abbas in Seminar in the Capital. To my knowledge, till these lines are typed, no has asked this questions on-air, may be due to the censor policies of their channels.
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42 comments 
In a very shocking turn of events Mr. Asif Ali Zardari yesterday expanded his cabinet with 40 members and inducted a very controversial Senator Mir Israrullah Zehri. Mr Israrullah Zehri a few months back in August stood up in the Senate and justified the crime of burying women alive by arguing in the upper house that ‘It is a Baluch tribal tradition (to bury accused women alive) and we have to respect it’
Five women were buried alive in Baluchistan a few months before as it was reported that the girls were at the house of Mr. Chandio at Baba Kot village when Mr. Abdul Sattar Umrani, brother of the provincial minister, came with more than six persons and abducted them with gun points. They were taken in a Land Cruiser jeep, bearing a registration number plate of the Baluchistan government, to another remote area, Nau Abadi, in the vicinity of Baba Kot. After reaching the deserted area, Abdul Sattar Umrani and his six accomplices took the three girls out of the jeep and beat them before opening fire with their guns. The girls were seriously injured but were still alive. Sattar Umrani and his accomplices hurled them into a wide ditch and covered them with earth and stones. The two older women protested and tried to stop the burial of the girls who were plainly alive, but the attackers pushed them too into the ditch and buried all alive.
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1 comment Guest blog by Asim
THEY NEED OUR HELP, SUPPORT AND ALL WHAT WE CAN DO, AS THEY ARE US, AND WE ARE THEM in this hour of their need.
I am beyond those limitations
Of suffering and indifference
Years of neglect, and its toll
The divine gifts and its effect
All in presence, all to witness
The land is barren and dry
Full of life, are humans , carries
The message and its formation
All there to be seen, to witness
Through years of neglect
In me, marks of civilization
Remain in me, the natural reservoirs
Carry they with me with pride
The people of my land
Carry they with me hate
The rulers of this land,
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6 comments The News, Sunday, October 26, 2008
Dear Barak Obama and John McCain,
Whichever one of you wins this election, I wish you success and I hope from the depths of my heart that you will transform the image of America into what it should be. I pray that you are able to show the true face of America to the rest of the world — a face which reflects the values of your ordinary citizens, many of whom I met in a recent trip abroad and which was an eye-opener for me.
I was invited by Amnesty International to visit member states of the EU, the UK and the US on a speaking tour in August/September 2008, to meet politicians, parliamentarians and ordinary citizens, and to convey to them the agony and torment that hundreds of other family members, including myself, of ‘enforced disappeared persons’ are going through. I was amazed that many of the people I met had no idea about this burning issue; of the illegal abductions, the detention of these persons in so-called ‘safe houses’, the torture they are subjected to and the fact that they are denied the right to a fair trial. I was touched by the sympathy and promises of moral and any other support that they could offer in order to relieve us of this ongoing pain.
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9 comments Guest Blog by Amer Nazir
I hurried towards the train station to catch the 7:51. I was dressed well – in my Canali suit and my Hugo Boss overcoat. At the entrance to the station, I saw two people handing out leaflets. The one on the right was Susan Krammer, the local Liberal Democrat MP.
She paused when she saw me… and I saw her struggle for a moment though she did hide it well… ‘And how are you?’ she asked as if she had placed me at once without any effort at all on her part… ‘I am well,’ I replied, with my eye towards the approaching train that I did not want to miss… ‘Mrs Krammer,’ I continued hastily, ‘I will never forget your kindness…!’ ‘That’s what we are here for,’ she replied, ‘you know where to reach us if there is anything we can do for you in future as well…’
I bowed, said my goodbye and ran towards the train – but she called after me…’By the way, you look terrific,’ she said. I turned around and saw that she was beaming – there was pride in her eyes…
Once on the train, I thought of her. I could imagine her being a bit indulgent this morning. An indulgence well deserved. I imagined her telling her assistant right at this moment in a hushed tone that I was an ex-asylum seeker – perhaps just to motivate the young man about the moral significance of their job…
38 comments 
I share with you a detailed report published on the People’s Resistance mailing list analyzing the abduction of Dr. Aafia Siddqui and her ongoing trial in the US Courts. Please take time to read the report and if you agree with the contents then it would be a great help if you can join in the effort to spread the word far and wide to get more support for her.
On March 30, 2003, Dr. Aafia Siddiqui disappeared from Karachi along with her three minor children. Media reported that she had been taken by the US authorities with compliance of Pakistani authorities since the FBI had wanted to seek some information from her. In the face of general outcry, the US and Pakistani authorities quickly backtracked but then a year later Pakistani Foreign Office admitted publicly that Aafia had been handed over to the US.1
She became a concern for human rights organizations including Amnesty International who kept the case alive for five years. On July 6, 2008, political party Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf presented a British journalist in Islamabad who said there was reason to believe that Aafia was the “Prisoner 650” at Bagram (Afghanistan) and had undergone brutal rape and torture for five years. Outcry reaches a high water mark and urgent appeals were sent by Asian Human Rights Commission on July 22, to President George Bush and other persons of authority.
On August 4, the US authorities officially admitted of having Aafia in their custody but the US Department of Justice brought forth a charge sheet against her, claiming that she was arrested on July 17 (and not before) while loitering around near the residence of Ghazni’s Governor. They alleged that papers found in her handbag included instructions on making bombs and notes about installations in US.
17 comments By Khurram Ali Shafique also managing About Aafia Blog
At last a word has come out from Dr. Aafia Siddiqui herself about her travails. On Tuesday, October 6, four Pakistani senators met her in Texas but unfortunately their account has not been properly covered in many news reports. One exception is Daily Times, whose correspondent Khalid Hasan has given a remarkably detailed account of what Aafia told the senators in a meeting which lasted 2 hours and 45 minutes.
ACCORDING TO HER:
339 comments Guest Post by Saira Ansari
I’m very disturbed, disappointed and sick to death to see the amount of facebook’ers on my list who think Musharraf’s leaving has been a catastrophe for Pakistan. Just because a new evil, a.k.a Zardari, is in the house does not mean that the previous evil is now a good man. A “leader” as some say. That’s our problem – as an entire nation. We forget and we repeat our mistakes over and over again.
People left right and centre have been levelling accusations at me, and countless others like myself, that we support Zardari. Unfortunately no one takes out 5 minutes to ask if that is so. Let me save you the time…we don’t. And no, he is NOT democratically elected. Hierarchic / Monarchic rule within the party does not ensure a democratic candidate, so stop ranting that its democracy that’s bad. We, the people, have been cheated again. The actual institution has been wronged.
I will get hate messages and mail after this because I get them often for my stance. Those who know me well know my passion for this country and its welfare so at least I can’t be labelled for propaganda as my other friends and colleagues are. But I must have my say – whether or not you bother to read the entire note.
672 comments 
Dr. Aamir Liaquat Hussain a famous religious host of a show called Aalim Online which airs frequently on Geo TV has entered some hot waters in the past few days. It is believed that his comments on the show may have incited Muslims to target and kill followers of the Ahmedi sect. Dr. Aamir has been running this show for the past many years and has developed a strong following catapulting him to fame to the extent that many Pakistanis swear by his religious commentary on TV, and remains a highly sought after show specially during the month of Ramadan.
Historically Dr. Aamir Liaquat Hussain has had his taste of controversy which started of from his fake degrees where this blogger had labeled him as Jahil Online back in 2005, he was then associated with MQM for a few years and ultimately had a falling out with the party over a controversial comment he made on TV condemning the British author Salman Rushdie, saying that Salman Rushdie should be killed for blaspheming the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in his book, Satanic Verses, after making this comment Mr. Online refused to retract his statement despite immense pressure from the top London based MQM leadership which ultimately lead to his dismissal and soon he also resigned from his Ministry
Asian Human Rights Watch reports that on 7th September in his program ‘Aalim Online’ the anchor declared the murder of Ahmadi sect members to be necessary (Wajib ul Qatal) according to Islamic teachings, because its followers don’t believe in the last prophet, Mohammad, peace be upon him.
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6 comments Asian Human Rights Commission has just release a Press Release where they report that three of the five women who were buried alive in Baba Kot, Baluchistan have been exhumed and removed in an attempt to destroy evidence. It is very concerning, while the senator who believed that ‘This is a Baluch tribal tradition (to bury accused women alive) and we have to respect it’, does not come under any serious questioning
Names of victims
Name of alleged perpetrators:
Place of incident:
AHRC PRESS RELEASE: The Balochistan police, in a bid to destroy any available evidence, have removed three of the bodies of the five women who were buried alive in Baba Kot, Jafferabad. (For details please refer to the AHRC Urgent Appeal: PAKISTAN: Five women buried alive, allegedly by the brother of a minister. The women, including three young girls between 16 – 18 years-of-age were buried alive after being shot because the three younger girls wanted to marry persons of their own choice. The bodies were finally recovered on September 2, 2008.
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6 comments Guest Blog by Silence from Islamabad Observer
A United States court Thursday found American-educated Pakistani doctor Aafia Siddiqi guilty on charges to attack U.S army in Afghanistan as a member of Al-Qaeda, said a statement released from US court. This statement is a declaration of the first defeat of United States judicial system in so-called war on terror. Although, many of the citizens of civilized world and United States might not consider it of any importance, as, this is a case of a lady from third world country, who is accused of being related to terrorists.
Dr. Afia Siddiqui, a PhD degree holder, was arrested by Pakistani intelligence agencies while on her way to the Rawalpindi airport and she was later handed over to the American Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). At the time of her arrest she was 30 years and accompanied by her three sons the oldest of which was four and the youngest only one month.
On December 30, 2003 Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui, Dr. Afia’s elder sister met with Mr. Faisal Saleh Hayat (the then minister of interior) at Islamabad with Mr. Ejazul Haq, MNA, regarding the whereabouts of Dr. Afia. Mr. Faisal told Dr. Fowzia and Mr. Ejazul Haq that according to his information Dr. Afia Siddiqui had already been released by ISI and that she (Dr. Fowzia) should go home and wait for a phone call from her sister. Later, the Minister of interior confirmed her arrest on terrorism charges during his interview with a local weekly, “You will be astonished to know about the activities of Dr. Afia” the Minister claimed.
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7 comments Guest Post by Amjad Malik
Message of Imam Hussain, the grandson of last Prophet of Islam of sacrifice is greater in spirit and is held very dear by billions of Muslims across the globe and the message is remembered zealously during the first month of Islamic calendar Muharram. The Ashura ceremony takes place during this month to commemorate the courage & sacrifice of Hussain, a central figure of the Shia faith and his disciples in many Muslim countries adopt various means to express their grief which include holding processions, reading and listening to the tragic events as they unfolded during that month in the battlefield of ‘Karbala’, chest beatings as well as self flagellation. In order to express extreme solidarity a small percentage use five bladed whip attached to a chain and a wooden handle to carry out the matam called ‘Zanjeer Zani’. The practice has been on going for centuries.
In January 2008 during Ashura, a devout Shia Muslim first flogged himself and later considering it part of his religion allowed two under-16 boys to use the bladed whip to flog themselves until their backs bled during a shia religious ceremony. He was charged upon a complaint of the mother and statements of the boys that they were forced and he was later convicted by a Jury upon a trial at Manchester Crown Court on two counts of Child cruelty in August 2008. He will be sentenced this September. This is a land mark case carrying serious repercussions on religious practices of a Muslim minority and critics view this prosecution as a tip of the iceberg and consider this policy decision will trigger more cases in future. This incident has initiated a debate where self flagellation as a religious ritual is up against the child protection laws.
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10 comments Guest Post by Naeem Sadiq
Baba Kot, is a remote village 80 kilometers away from Usta Mohammad city of Jafferabad district. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) reports that it is here that Abdul Sattar Umrani, a brother of Sadiq Umrani, a serving PPP provincial minister, came with more than six persons and abducted five women at gun point. They were taken in a Land Cruiser jeep, bearing a registration number plate of the Balochistan government, to another remote area, Nau Abadi, in the vicinity of Baba Kot. After reaching the deserted area of Nau Abadi, Abdul Sattar Umrani and his six companions took the three younger women out of the jeep and beat them before allegedly opening fire with their guns. The girls were seriously injured but were still alive at that moment. Sattar Umrani and his accomplices hurled them into a wide ditch and covered them with earth and stones. When the two older women protested and tried to stop the burial, the attackers were so angry that they also pushed them into the ditch and buried them alive. After completing the burial, they fired several shots into to the air so that no one would come close.
The incident took place one month back but the case has still not been registered by police. When the AHRC contacted elder brother Sadiq Umrani, (a provincial PPP minister) he confirmed the incident but insisted that only three women had been killed by unknown persons.
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41 comments Reported by Abdulhadi Hairan, Peshawar (Published first at Instablogs)
Also reported on BBC Urdu
Senator Israrullah Zahri
A Pakistani Senator Israrullah Zahri from Baluchistan province Friday, August 29, 2008 tried to justify the crime of burying women alive by Umrani tribal elders. He told the Upper House, ‘It is a Baluch tribal tradition (to bury accused women alive) and we have to respect it’ referring to the brutal incident of burying three girls and two older women a few days ago.
According to the information obtained by Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), ‘the five women Ms. Fatima, wife of Umeed Ali Umrani, Jannat Bibi, wife of Qaisar Khan, Fauzia, daughter of Ata Mohammad Umrani, and two other girls, aged between 16 to 18 years, were buried alive in a remote village, the Baba Kot, 80 kilometers away from Usta Mohammad city of Jafferabad district.’
