Opinion LSE nails ISI,Prez
A register of reports and views from the Pakistan press....
The LSE study on the ISI being quoted around the world has ruffled many feathers in Pakistan. The News reported on June 14: The study drew an angry reaction from the military. It is a part of a malicious campaign against the Pakistan Army and the ISI, army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said… It also said President Asif Zardari was reported to have visited Taliban prisoners… where he is believed to have suggested support for them… Presidential spokeswoman Farah Ispahani dismissed the allegations as absolutely spurious. She said there seems to be a concentrated effort to damage the new Pakistan-American strategic dialogue.
Nevertheless,Hafiz Saeed was seen rubbing shoulders with Pakistans religious parties,reported Dawn on June 14: Hafiz Saeed stood alongside mainstream religious party leaders on Sunday as his Jamaatud Dawa held a march to condemn Israeli atrocities… Hameed Gul,former ISI chief,was also present. The occasion was also used to oppose the expansion of army operations against militants… It was the second public activity of Saeed… after being released from house arrest.
Kyrgyz crisis
The death of two Pakistanis in Kyrgyzstans internal upheaval continued to grab headlines. Two students have been killed and at least 10 taken hostage,Dawn reported on June 14. It added on June 15 and 16 that the government decided to send three air force planes to Kyrgyzstan to bring back the 269 Pakistanis stranded there and that 260 students were safely flown home.
Karachi rattled
Violence has again gripped Pakistans largest and richest city,Karachi. Daily Times reported on June 14: To control ongoing targeted killings and sectarian violence,Sindh Home Department has prepared a list of 175 activists of banned religious organisations… These activists… have been released from prisons… the city is returning to normalcy after three days of violence,for which the police give credit to the deployment of police and Rangers in sensitive areas.
The president had to step in yet again to vow his sincerity to restoring peace,reported The News on June 15: President Zardari decided to clamp down on the banned outfits and launch a ruthless operation against them to restore peace… On June 16,Dawn reported the first remedial measure: Pakistan has banned public political meetings in Karachi to control target killings. Daily Times added on June 17 that a red alert was declared in the city.
Hunter hunted
An armed American was caught by Pakistani police while in hot pursuit of Osama bin Laden,reported Dawn on June 15: Gary Faulkner,a US national,has been arrested from Kalash valley while trying to cross into the Nooristan province of Afghanistan… Faulkner had entered Chitral as a tourist on June 2… He went missing on Sunday… A heavy contingent of police rushed from Chitral and spotted him… During interrogation,he said he was going on a mission to decapitate Osama bin Laden.
Dawn added on June 16 that interrogation revealed he had been to Chitral several times in the past three years. On June 17,another report quoted him as saying he was obeying an order from God to avenge 9/11.
Faking degrees
Legislators in Pakistan are under a cloud of fake educational degrees,reported Dawn on June 15: The Election Commission has sent degrees of 228 lawmakers to National Assemblys Standing Committee on Education for verification by the Higher Education Commission (HEC)… The panel ordered the unusual step after lawmakers were found to be holding fake degrees… It was decided to get degrees of all lawmakers verified and asked the EC to provide copies which would be sent to HEC. After a PMLN legislator was found to have a fake BA degree,party chief Nawaz Sharif reacted strongly and asked his legislators who hold fake degrees to quit their seats, reported Dawn on June 17.
Indus saga
Land acquisition issues threaten Harappas archaelogical heritage. Dawn wrote in an editorial on June 16: Some 358 acres of the protected Harappa archaeological site land is reportedly under threat of occupation by citizens claiming ownership. The dispute between the archaeology department and the claimants goes back several years. The latter demanded the market price for ceding their land,while the archaeology department offered them only one-fourth the amount… with colonial-era land acquisition laws favouring government departments,the claimants now want to occupy the area willy-nilly.
Share
