:::: MENU ::::
Posts tagged with: UK

Guess the Minister who bought a £4.3 million flat in London?

A week back Rauf Klasra disclosed in his op-ed article in The News of a Federal Minister and a member of PPP Central Executive Committee who has recently sprung himself £4.3 million in cash to buy a six-bedroom flat adjacent to Marble Arch in London.

The Minister could barely afford a small apartment during his trips to London with Benazir Bhutto, bunking in with fellow colleagues and now within this short span has transferred hard cashthrough a money exchange dealer based in Islamabad, no mortgages, no loans, no IOU’s just hard solid cash exported to London.

Rauf Klasra does not name the minister but leaves enough of a bread crumb trail to possibly guess the name of the gentleman. Anyone care to venture a guess the name of this Honor-corrupt-able Minister?


Living with the Infidels

Is a new five-part series of short online video clips of five muslims managing a Bradford [UK] based terror cell. Initially set on a path to martyrdom, these jihadi warriors discover that the West isn’t as bad as it seems. Tempted by the likes of Manchester United, Cable TV and even hot looking girl upstairs, they debate the awaited Paradise in the arms of seventy-two virgins or is Shangri-La more closer to home.

As up until now three videos have been released [2-parts] and they are hilarious, do watch these clips but at the same time I’d like to voice a word of caution to any fundos who might take these jokes a tad-bit too seriously, if you are offended by such poking fun, please don’t burn down the Union Jack just yet, instead it’d serve humanity better if you would kindly stay off the Internet
Continue Reading


La Demos Kratos

I was thinking about the process of selection of Secretary General of UN, and why America, Russia, China, France and UK hold the power to veto any selection? I was thinking about the process through which the Pope, who holds the post important position in the Christian world, gets elected? I was also thinking about the process of selecting judges for top positions in judiciary? Also about the process followed to select a Head of Department or CEO in the corporate world? About the selection of leading positions in executive bodies, or Military around the world … etc

One thing was disturbingly common in all! … The individuals which are expected to hold key positions, liable to make decisions effecting a group of people ranging from a few hundred to many millions, are not elected by a process of voting. Instead of electing the figure most popular, democratically, the most qualified and talented individual, having relevant and required experience, with proven track record of performance and character is considered most suitable for the position purely on merit basis. Same is the case with process of making critical decisions, they are made by heavy weights in any department, organizational or state, not by the masses voting to select from a set of decisions.

Now the million dollar question … If selection of key positions in every state department or in organization of international importance like UN or IMF, doesn’t imply a democratic process then why the top hotshot of a country is selected through it?

Continue Reading


UK Border Agency deports a Pakistani National to Afghanistan

Passport of Pakistani Irfan Faisal - deported from UK to AfghanistanA young Pakistani born and bred in village Dhok Gangaal, Post Office Adiala, Tehsil & District Rawalpindi, Irfan Faisal son of Multan Khan who was born on 5 December 1978 holding a machine readable Pakistani passport number AC8911731 which was issued by Rawalpindi office on 12 September 2005 and is valid until 11 September 2010 holding a Pak identity card number 37405-6422173-1 was wrongfully deported to Afghanistan by UK Border Agency. He was deported on mistaken identity by UK Border Agency without making enquiries about his identity whilst at all times his record was available at British Embassy Islamabad.

31 years old Pakistani national came to UK lawfully as a visitor after obtaining a visa which was valid from 25/11/2005 to 25/05/2006. He overstayed his visa and made several claims wrongly or rightly and exhausted all avenues to stay in UK. He may have been an overstayer but not an Afghan national. Afghanistan Govt quietly accepted his deportation and entry to Afghanistan whilst British Embassy in Islamabad at all timers had his record, picture, finger prints and whereabouts.
Continue Reading


Update: Detained Pakistani Students at Manchester

Guest Blog by Amjad Malik, barrister representing the detained Pakistani students in Manchester

police-outside-a-house-in-manchester-following-arrest-of-10-pakistanisI was asked by Pakistan High Commission to represent 4 out of 10 Pakistani national students currently detained at Manchester prison who are threatened of deportation on national security grounds.

They are being deported on grounds of posing threat to national security of UK as being concerned in Islamic extremist activities and for the reason that they were investigated under terrorism Act 2000 since 8 April 2009. Though no charges were brought under criminal proceedings and on 21 April, they were released from criminal investigation to UK Border Agency who initiated immigration deportation proceedings.

If they choose to appeal their deportation orders, they will have a free standing right of appeal before ‘Special Immigration Appeals Commission’ which was set up under SIAC Act 1997.
Continue Reading


Double Jeopardy: Arrested Pak students need Justice & Fairness

Pakistani Students arrested in the UKOn 8 April 2009, twelve students mostly Pakistani nationals were arrested at Manchester in a suspicion of terrorism related offences in a rushed police operation ‘Pathway’. At the time of writing this article those detained have been off loaded from ‘terror charges’ to national security considerations on behest of Home Office and are handed over to UK Border Agency. Home office has indicated that they will be removed from UK being a threat to country’s ‘national security’ having maligned in international terrorism. Prime Minister Gordon Brown initially indicated that police have foiled ‘a very big terrorist plot’ Pakistan as a state was subject to a negative media frenzy and individuals and their families were without counsellor access in breach of Art 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations 1963 and all those detained were on periodical remand until a decision was made not to charge them within 28 days and they had a limited access to basic rights guaranteed by (ECHR) European Convention on Human Rights 1950 as well as country’s Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1925 (s.25) such as free access to their attorneys, contacting their families, medical check up to avoid torture, interpreters, counsellor service access etc.
Continue Reading


Prince Harry, uses racist terms – Paki & Raghead

Prince Harry: Ah, our little Paki friend AhmedAs of yesterday the English media has hurtled itself into yet another royal controversy, where The News of the World videos of Prince Harry, filmed some three back while he was on duty with the Royal Air Force, to have used some unacceptable language. He basically bad mouthed an Asian cadet calling him ‘PAKI‘, ridiculed a friend with the word ‘Raghead‘ and probably the most offending snipe for the English Royal family was when he teased the Queen mother calling her ‘granny’ and signing off on the video with ‘God Save You … yeah, that’s great

The Royal Air Force was termed this language as unacceptable and the Royal family has been quick to issue a public apology.
Continue Reading


Would We Understand Barack Obama?

Guest Post by Farrah K Raja

For quite a while we the visitors on this blog at least have been going through ups and downs and heated debates, we are not afraid to confront our political traumas and to discus religious or social dilemmas.

We the Pakistanis are a surprise to ourselves. Largely we contained our anger, most importantly in response to Bombay blasts, reading back through comments there are so many different aspects and we have discussed that rationally.

We have tried to maintain our pride, nationalism and genuinely tried to separate and investigate facts from propaganda and in a way it has helped us to understand propaganda against us.
Continue Reading


My internal conflicts

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…

Continue Reading


Some Questions over a Lead Story in The Nation

Guest Blog by temporal who blogs at Baithak

Look at this lead story from the Nation. [also quoted below] – Arrested militants name RAW for funding 680m through Afghan secret agency

  • Where are the credits? Who wrote this story?
  • What are the sources of this story?
  • Is this a scoop or a “leaked” story
  • Does it smack of lifafa journalism?

More questions:

  • If this story is true, how could the GoP handle it better?
  • Should the three persons named be charged and tried in an open court?
  • Media be given free and unbridled access to cover the trial?
  • – to interview the three?

Continue Reading


Self flagellations, a religious practice or child cruelty, a critical analysis

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.
Continue Reading


More on Dr Shahid Masood

Guest Blog by RedKazim

Few people know that the journalistic career of Dr Shahid Masood began at the Karachi-based, pro-MQM Quami Akhbar. In those days Dr Shahid Masood used to practice at Jinnah Hospital. He would regularly visit the office of Qaumi Akhbar situated in a street adjacent to I I Chundrigar Road and urge the editors to place his single column nuggets, which he filed as a health reporter from Jinnah Hospital, prominently in the newspaper.

When Dr Shahid Masood was about to move to London (as a medical practitioner) he pestered the editor, Ilyas Shakir, for a letter stating that he was the ‘London bureau chief’ of Qaumi Akhbar. Ilyas Shakir avoided him for quite long apprehending that the doctor wanted to get a visa on the basis of his association with a newspaper. He bothered the news editor, Mr Khusnood, tirelessly who finally issued him an official letter.
Continue Reading


Open Letter to ‘Maj-Gen’ ‘Retd’ Rashid Quraishi – NAB Diaries

Rashid Quraishi,

This is with reference to my application to my Local MP regarding assistance for justice and the subsequent communication between you and a representative of the British Parliament.

My case has been projected by the independent media on several platforms and the entire facts are also available under ‘The NAB Diaries’ at www.teeth.com.pk

The facts are that my Organisation which was the largest IT Group of companies in Pakistan was taken over by my partners namely the mutual fund managed by the serving pilots of PIA with the help of a corrupt General namely Munir Hafeez who was the Chairman NAB at the time. This was done through NAB which did not have any jurisdiction over the matter since public, government or bank funds were not involved. In short, Munir Hafeez used the NAB platform to indulge in corruption for his own benefit and that of his personal pilot friends who also caused their own pilot community to lose millions of dollars.
Continue Reading


Pages:12