Courtesy Reuters
Update @ 1113: Assault on Protesting Students in Islamabad
A report received via the People’s resistance mailing list from an activist in Islamabad
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSGEQedkR8A[/youtube]
On 12th November, 9 days after an unconstitutional act of emergency was declared, the regime crossed a new threshold by shamelessly attacking, arresting and detaining schoolchildren in Islamabad. A group of students, most of them between 14 and 18 years of age, was silently walking outside a public park as a sign of protest when it was accosted by Islamabad Police. The Police told the students that they needed special approval from the magistrate’s office to walk any further and that they had to wait until such approval or the magistrate himself arrived. The students, unwilling to challenge the police, obliged and sat down where
they were. Twenty minutes later, the students were informed that they did not have permission to proceed any further, and were asked to return to their starting point and disperse. Once again, the students obliged, showing that they did not want to confront the Police who had clearly been given specific orders from above.
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Update @ 1107: Footage from the Pakistan peace rally in Paris yesterday
On Saturday, over 100 high-spirited students and members of the Pakistani community in Paris braved cold winds in Paris to demonstrate in favor of the restoration of the fundamental rights of the citizens of Pakistan and the Pakistani lawyers.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bA3TFmsyWs[/youtube]
The student organizers estimate that their rally delivered their message to over 4,000 tourists who had come to see the nearly Eiffel Tower. Both GEO and ARY One captured the event, which unfortunately will be able to be viewed in Pakistan only by the few citizens who have TV satellite dishes. More images from the Paris peace rally are available here along with other video footage of the demonstration.
Imran Khan gives message of Resistance
A video message by Imran Khan recorded from an undisclosed location while he is defying arrest. Imran Khan, the leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Justice Party) urges the youth to stand up for the country, while he asks the west to understand the fact that Musharraf is not fighting a war of terrorism but using this as a cloak to ensure he stays in power, and the only system preventing his reign of power was the Judiciary an with the emergency he has replaced all the judges with a string of corrupt judges who will accept all his conditions
English
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6e5G8yJSes[/youtube]
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Understanding the E-Crime Bill
A few days I had posted about the Draconian Cyber Crime Law in Pakistan where I attempted to discuss a small part of the bill trying to convey the gravity of the issue in that short write up, but I feel it probably did not do enough justice to the actual presentation made by Zahid Jamil during his presentation on the Cyber Crime Bill law that he made at T2F that day. The group of activists felt that Zahid’s presentation should have been video taped and shared with the world to see and let the people judge for themselves the impact of this bill if fully promulgated in Pakistan.
If you would like to understand what the fuss is all about, spare a little time and run through these presentations, I assure you, at times you will laugh at the stupid mistakes made by the government but on occasions you might even get a hair chilling thought worrying at how easy it can be to arrest and prosecute anyone with this bill.
Do keep in mind that the way this bill is drafted, it is meant to confuse and accuse, with no protections and rights built in for the innocent. We believe that the cyber crime bill must be re-drafted and not allowed to be enforced into the constitution in its present form, please spread the word and help raise awareness for this issue
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Turkey Censors WordPress.com
A few months back in March there was a huge circus surrounding the decision by the Turkish government to block the entire YouTube website as it hosted a video which according to the official government statement was insulting Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey. Unsurprisingly the same, modern Turkey was now up in arms protesting this blatant censorship and the hue can cry bore fruit as in two days the local court lifted the embargo.
Recently in yet another astonishing move, the new Turkish Pro-Islamic Government has now decided to clamp down on all blogs hosted on WordPress.com and also on Blogcu.com since one specific site adnanoktar.wordpress.com had hurled insulting remarks against Adnan Oktar, a leading Muslim advocate of creationism who is an active leader in the creation vs. evolution debate subscribing to the Old Earth Creationism concept read more details on his Wikipedia article, but if you care to read a counter-perspective where Adnan Oktar is accused of pedophile acts, blackmail and slander, and leading a sect under the guise of the Science Research Foundation then read this article probably composed by his opposition its good to understand and appreciate both sides of an argument before making any assumptions or taking sides
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Pakistan, Northwoods & American Oil Empire
Since 2001, we have all been exposed to the ever growing mass of evidence indicating a major conspiracy theory surrounding the events of 9/11. I have heard far too many, read many and even ended up believing a few, but the fact remains that whosoever orchestrated that event simply served us right into the hands of the United States and left the entire world at the behest of an American hegemony.
I share with you an online video which caught my eye today, it sheds light on a few important issues. The discussion starts off with talks about a suspected link between Mohd Atta and General Mahmoud Ahmad which has been reported that Gen Ahmed made a wire transfer to the tune of $100,000 to Atta just before 9/11 and the other surprising coincidence was the fact the General Mahmoud Ahmad was wining and dining with the American Leadership on an official visit to Washington from 4th – 13th Sept 2001.
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Blood Bath at the Lal Masjid
Tuesday’s clash in Islamabad at Lal Masjid left 10 dead and over 160 people injured if not more. I stand here dejected yet again at seeing my country in a state of turmoil, its sad but 2007 has been a rocky road for Pakistan. It started in early March when the state attempted to assault the Independence of the Judiciary, it then lead to the shocking events of May 12th where Karachi literally bled while the President of Pakistan stood by watching and celebrating a rent-a-crowd rally and now we live another climax with the stand-off at the Lal Masjid
As I pen this article I hear of a probable attack by the Army Special Services Group in an attempt to take over this siege and not continue to embrace Musharraf even further. All Hospitals in Islamabad have been placed on high alert, showing definite signs of an Arnold Schwarzenegger style invasion where the army will go guns blazing in an attempt to kill all the bad guys (!!!). It may seem like a Hollywood scripted pitch dark invasion but Musharraf for his dear life cannot let this issue continue even a day longer, as he is already bleeding from a number of wounds and this can become a yet another gaping wound if left unchecked.
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Kashif Memon Americas Got Pakistani Talent
It was by accident that I bumped across this video of a Pakistani performing a dance on the show America’s Got Talent, and while I was composing this for my blog I was delighted to see that Adil Najam remained as usual a step ahead even during his travels to China and wrote a well balanced review on Pakistaniat
Here in Pakistan despite having over 100 channels on practically all cable TV connections, we generally are at the receiving end of delayed re-runs of a few popular shows being aired in the US, and naturally American Idol is the most sought after show. America’s Got Talent was simply not heard of on this side of the world but it seems interesting as the show features talented individuals who can come on the stage to perform anything worthwhile and are not limited to vocal talents as seen on American Idol
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Imran Khan vs Imran Farooq
A must see dialog between Imran Khan of PTI and Imran Farooq of MQM on View Points from London. The discussion should have been good, but it seems that Imran Farooq did not prove to be a good rival, he mumbled and stumbled through the show without much substance.
The most hypocritical comment which I feel must be mentioned was when he talked about the ‘agencies conspiring against MQM’ during the May 12th massacre, had if not the TV channels not captured this live this lie would have been drilled down our throat with conviction, but as they say pictures speak louder then words, sorry Dr. Farooq, you have been found wanting.
Throughout the interview Imran Farooq remained on the back foot quite literally mumbling support for the lost and fading MQM ideology but was able to sneak a lone punch when he had Imran Khan talking on the Article 62 and 63 charges against him, but even then the goon fumbled his way back to the corner
Bottom line, I feel Imran Khan bowled him over with an in-swinging yorker. He has been sent back to the pavilion, and we await the next batsmen to come onto the crease….
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Geo Tv Blackballed because of Imran Khan
Last night GEO.tv was scheduled to re-broadcast the Jawab Deh where Iktikhar (also known as ‘Fitna’) the show host was interviewing Imran Khan and his tell-all attack on MQM. Reports of the blocked channel came first from Gulshan and it was soon verified by GEO where a number of areas across the country were blocked. My own World Call connection at home had swapped the GEO News channel and had started showing TCM (Classic Movies) instead.
The show had a disclaimer in the beginning that Geo does not subscribe to Imran’s views. In the end Fitna offered Farooq Sattar a show to reply to Imran’s accusations.
Watch the interview distributed in four parts uploaded on YouTube as follows. Link share these videos so that many more can defy the censorship enforced by the government.
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Miandad & Alam Refuse PCB Coaching Job
Cricket Bloggers of Pakistan: Just two days back the PCB issued a advertisement on its website asking for people to apply for a coaching job in Pakistan. The salient features of the memo were as follows (PDF)
NATIONAL COACH
Pakistan Cricket Board seeks applications from interested Cricket Coaches for the position of National Coach.
The key responsibilities of this position will entail:
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Topless Car Wash
I thought twice, if I should post porn video on this site but very quickly decided I most definitely should and see your reaction when you see a some lucky people getting a topless car wash…
Do post your comments on your reaction to the video
Benazir, Eyeing a Return
Can you for a moment imagine a situation where our next Prime Minister of Pakistan becomes Benazir Bhutto a person who was found utterly corrupt not once but on both times she was in office, to now plan for a return to lead us for yet another stint as the Prime Minster of Pakistan. Have we no other person in Pakistan to be willing to take this job, and have to resort to being represented by a leader who is corrupt beyond doubt, she may have managed to dismiss all her corruption charges by bribing her way out of them, but the people of Pakistan will not forget and feel that the Red Notice issued by Interpol was spot on.
It will be a sad day for Pakistan to see this corrupt leader back into our midst. We can be sure that this year, Musharraf has been reeling and dealing with Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif in an attempt to conjure up a plan which allows him to retain the Presidential seat in exchange for the seat of the Prime Minister. It has been rumored that of both the corrupt leaders Benazir was the favored of the two which would guarantee Musharraf an extended stay in power.
Today there are reports that the NAB Special Operations Division Head Hasan Nasim Afzal (GEO.tv video)whose agency had been directly responsible for the ongoing investigation of the numerous corruption cases against Bhutto and Zardari has been transferred to another location. This critical move which will favor Benazir comes at a very critical juncture and can be seen with suspicion since Islamabad is already abuzz with the ongoing Supreme Judicial Council hearing to decide the fate of the Chief Justice of Pakistan. It could very well be the start of the preparations which seem to lead to an eventual acquittal from all outstanding charges literally white washing everything hence lubricating a free entry into the country and maybe heading for a third term at the office.
The people of Pakistan have tried this leadership twice and each time she was kicked out primarily on charges of corruption literally across the board (link), and her husband Asif Zardari was right in the middle of the mess, popularly known as Mr 10% also had an even more extensive corruption list on his dossier.
To refresh those good ‘ol days, I quote a few lines from Ardeshir Cowasjee’s article written six years back Feb 2001
When Benazir was dismissed for the first time in 1990 President Ghulam Ishaq Khan filed six references against her alleging corruption and misconduct. None of these were decided during Nawaz’s first tenure (1990-93). So, when Benazir came back for her second round she naturally had herself acquitted on all charges. The country lost; the people lost.
In her second round, Benazir and her husband discovered a new source of income – inspection companies. Six cover companies were named and used: Capricorn Trading, Dargal Associated, Mariston Securities, Mariston Business, Nassam Incorporated, Bomer Finance. On September 8, 1997, the Swiss Federal Office for Police Matters, Berne, informed our government that sufficient evidence had been found to justify their writing to four banks informing them to block the accounts of “accused persons Bhutto Benazir, ex-prime minister, Zardari Asif Ali, husband of Madame Bhutto, Bhutto Nusrat Begum.”
When Benazir was thrown out in 1996 for the second time, charged with corruption and malpractices, and Nawaz came in for his second bout with the nation one thing he did do was to manage in 1999 to have a high court convict both Benazir and Asif. Asif is in prison whilst Benazir has embarked on a world lecture tour, posing to be as pure as the proverbial driven snow. Both have appealed to the Supreme Court against their conviction and this appeal is to be heard at the end of this month.
Its important to refresh our minds of their rampant corruption that we were all a witness to during her two tenures as the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Simply having the massive list against her name should seriously worry us about allowing her to take the office for the third time, which we all know would be no different then the previous occurrences. I’d like to talk to a person who believes she has turned a new leaf and will go corruption free, I on one hand have serious doubts about allowing her to run my country.
Have we not a single person amongst the 160 million people, that we have to see the likes of Benazir Bhutto again, also to call a leader the person who has been handed an extensive charge sheet for every time she stepped into office, have we not a single soul that can salvage Pakistan from this impending doom, Have we no one !!!!
Nasim Ashraf & his Resignation Bull Shit
Cricket Bloggers of Pakistan: Nasim Ashraf offered to resign, trying to follow the footsteps of Inzamam-ul-Haq who can be considered valiant enough to have accepted responsibility for the World Cup disaster. Nasim Ashraf, the supposed leader of the Pakistan Cricket Board literally ran from the media hovering someplace at an undisclosed location in the interior of Sindh, when on the other hand he should have been manning the fort, and ready to stand to take the heat, front and center. After all it was on his watch that things were going haywire, leading to the culmination of a first round exit.
Immediately a few days after the fateful loss to Ireland followed by the disastrous news of Bob Woolmers death Geo.Tv was able to locate this whimpering Son-of-a-bitch roasting his sorry ass at some feudal lord harem in Sindh. When Geo.Tv talked to him live in a telephonic conversation Ashraf had not much to say to defend the PCB organization but very soon indicated in a casual off-the-cuff remark in a last ditch attempt to save his sanity in front of millions watching Geo.Tv, that he had already tendered his resignation to the President of Pakistan.
There is a must watch video on Nasim Ashraf later in the post
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