Friday, 16 January 2009

Bolivia to take Israel to The Hague International Criminal Court

Israel ignores international calls to end Gaza invasion.
Bolivia is seeking to take Tel Aviv to International Criminal Court over the brutal atrocities the Israeli forces have committed in Gaza.

The Andean state says it is intended to make regional allies take a unified stance against "the Israeli political and military leaders responsible for the offensive on the Gaza Strip" and make it to stand trial at the international body in the Hague, said Sacha Llorenti, whose portfolio covers civil society.

Moves to begin the legal process will begin "probably next week," Bolivia's deputy justice and human rights minister Wilfredo Chavez told journalists during the visit to Geneva, AFP reported on Friday.

Bolivia followed in the steps of its ally Venezuela and severed diplomatic ties with Israel over its massacre of the Gazans and snubbing the international calls for an 'immediate' and 'durable' truce, said the Latin American governments.

The Bolivian president Evo Morales told a group of diplomats in the administrative capital of La Paz that he will request the International Criminal Court (ICC) to file genocide charges against Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

The ICC is competent to adjudicate war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed after 2002.

Israel and its closest ally, the United States, are not among the 108 signatories of the Rome Statute creating the Hague-based court in 2000 to investigate and prosecute war crimes.

After 21 days of non-stop bombardment and aggression, the Israeli invasion of Gaza has left 1,133 Palestinians killed and more than 5,200 wounded.

Turkey: Israel must be barred from UN

Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Turkey's Prime Minister has called for Israel to be barred from the UN as long as it ignores international calls to stop war on Gaza.

"How is such a country, which does not implement resolutions of the UN Security Council, allowed to enter through the gates of the UN (headquarters)?" Recep Tayyip Erdogan inquired on Friday.

The remarks came before UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's arrival in Ankara to discuss the conflict and amid growing outrage in Turkey over Israel's attacks on Gaza.

Erdogan lashed out at the Israeli army's raids on civilians under the pretext of targeting the Palestinian fighters in the territory. He also accused the Israeli media of falsely suggesting that Hamas uses civilians as human shields in the Gaza Strip.

The UN chief, who traveled to the West Bank on Thursday, has urged an end to the 'unbearable' situation in Gaza and called on Israel for a unilateral humanitarian truce.

Last Thursday, the UN Security Council approved a resolution which demanded an "immediate" and "durable" ceasefire leading to the "full withdrawal" of Israeli forces from Gaza. It also called for "the unimpeded provision and distribution throughout Gaza of humanitarian assistance, including of food, fuel and medical treatment."

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, however, vowed to resist outside pressure and push ahead with the military action against Gaza, while Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Israel would act 'only according to its interests'.

Weeks of ceaseless Israeli airstrikes and tank shelling have so far killed more than 1,133 Palestinians across the impoverished coastal sliver, which has been under Israel's crippling blockade since June 2007.

On Friday, Turkish President Abdullah Gul renewed calls for an immediate cease-fire and urged US President-elect Barack Obama to focus on a comprehensive, long-lasting and fair solution to the issue once he is in office.

MRS/MMN

Thursday, 25 December 2008

Indian female spy arrested: Pakistani officials

Islamabad, Dec 13 (IANS)
Source: http://www.thaindian.com


Amid escalating tension between Pakistan and India in the wake of the Mumbai Terror attacks, officials here said Saturday security forces had captured an Indian female spy from near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.An interior ministry official confirmed the arrest and said this was the second Indian spy to be arrested in Pakistan in less than two months.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the burqa-clad woman, arrested after intelligence reports, was shifted to Islamabad and was being interrogated.

Quoting security agencies, the official said there was “strong evidence” of the woman’s Indian nationality and that she was “an employee of a top Indian intelligence agency.”

The official said another spy from an Indian intelligence agency had been arrested near the border in October, though he refused to give the name of the arrested “spies”, saying this would be made public after interrogation.

He said security had been beefed up along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border following the tension between Pakistan and India.

Three Indian terrorists arrested in Pakistan


http://www.thenews.com.pk
Updated at: 1850 PST, Thursday, December 25, 2008

LAHORE: Intelligence agencies of Pakistan arrested three more Indians on the pointation of Indian national Satish Anand on Wednesday.

The intelligence agencies earlier on Wednesday arrested the Indian citizen Satish Anand and recovered from him maps and documents containing sensitive information.

Later, on the pointation of Satish Anand, the agencies raided different parts of Lahore and arrested three more Indians. A camera and pistol were recovered from them, sources said.

Interrogation from the arrested is underway at an unknown location, sources said.

Wednesday, 24 December 2008

Reality on Mumbai Attacks

First it is not clear who were behind the recent siege. As with any crime people should not lay the blame on anyone without clear evidence. Unfortunately it is a common practice today especially by the media to point the finger and blame without clear proof, trial by media can not be accepted. The media is accusing Muslim groups and Pakistan to be behind the blast, but there are many things to consider as below:

The timing of the incident needs to be looked at and we need to consider the events before this and who is going to benefit from this

There have been a series of blasts before this in various places around the country such as in Mumbai previously and more recently in Delhi, Jaipur, Bangalore, Surat, Ahmedabad and Malegoan.

There is clear evidence to suggest that many of these were undertaken by right wing Hindutva forces with links to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Bajarang Dal – who are tied to the Bharti Janta Party (BJP). Due to the upcoming elections in May next year, it was obvious that Congress and BJP would vie for power and use tactics against each other. It is being reported that BJP was to end up third after Congress and BSP in the elections. If BJP were to do so badly in Delhi elections, they would have to write off their hopes for a come-back in next Lok Sabha elections. It is well known that the BJP have previously used violence such as the Gujarat massacre and the Godhra issue for vote bank politics. The exposure by the ATS caused a huge embarrassment for the BJP, with elections around the corner this could have caused major damage for it. The newspapers for the first time had headlines such as Hindu Terrorism! And were using this term. Congress utilized this issue trying to emphasise its secular image.

Recently the Anti-Terror task force (ATS) and its chief Hemant Karkare had exposed links between right wing Hindu groups and the Malegoan and Samjauta express blasts, something which was designed in a manner to pin blame on Muslims. The chief had exposed the involvement of the mode of operations of various radical Hindu groups and despite severe political pressure- including threats to blow up his house and kill him. The timings and method of the Bombay attack certainly served to distract the media glare from the Hindu fascist groups.

Senior officers in the military were involved in these. Malegaon bomb blast case Lt Col P S Purohit was also directly involved with 2007’s twin Samjhauta Express blasts that killed 68 people and injured 50, Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) of Maharashtra Police told a Nashik Court. ATS alleged that Purohit is a recruit of Swami Amritanand Dwivedi alias Dayanand Pandey who they claim masterminded the Malegaon blast. The ATS says that Purohit organised RDX for that terror attack too.

Purohit has admitted that he met Sadhvi Pragya Thakur — the other key accused in the blast case — through the Swami. Pragya Singh Thakur (38), is a ‘sadhvi’ (woman monk), was a popular leader of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the BJP. According to ATS chief Hemant Karkare, the motorcycle in which the bomb was planted was traced to her. Narco-analysis on Purohit has revealed that he had been tasked by Army Intelligence to gather information on student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). The right wing Hindu groups and the BJP leader had been holding demonstrations in support of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur the co-accused.

Now coming to the recent attack in Mumbai – there are certain key factors we must look at such as why was ATS chief Hemant Karkare targeted and killed? He was instrumental in exposing the anti-Muslim forces? Why would Muslims target him?

Also the ports are highly guarded, how did attackers come in and bring so many weapons, ammunition, equipment, etc? One of the photos of the attackers shows him wearing a Rakhi (hindu wristband). It is reported that within minutes of the event unfolding they discovered a boat in which these people had landed, and even found a passport and mobile SIM of Pakistani origin, just like in 9/11!

Although it is feasible that Muslims undertook the actual attack, we have to realize that many militant groups are easy to infiltrate and motivate as they rely heavily on money – other forces can direct them for specific actions. This is what is most likely happened in 911 in America, where it is so clear that the US allowed that to happened in order to project US foreign policy. Even many non-Muslim thinkers have exposed the whole issue, many websites by non-Muslims are there highlighting this. It is well known that a group to whom George Bush belongs to called PNAC (Project for the New American Century) had been lobbying Clinton to invade Iraq since 1998 and they said on their website that America needs a catastrophic event like Pearl Harbour to project American foreign policy.

We have to appreciate that it is feasible for political factions in this country utilize issues to win elections. It is well known the BJP had been calling for the Interior Minister Shivraj Patil’s resignation since the earlier blasts, but after the Batla house episode in Delhi, where evidence points that it was fabricated to save Patil’s position. This time he has been forced to resign.

We have to understand the wider politics at play, Congress and BJP are 2 sides of the same coin but are backed by different powers. It is well known that Congress historically since the time of Nehru has allegiance to the British and they even directly attacked the BJP for being pro-American. The Congress Party openly stated its disdain for the relationship between the BJP and USA. In its election manifesto under ‘Security, Defence and Foreign policy, The Congress Agenda’ it states:

“Of equal concern has been the BJP/NDA Government’s policies towards the USA. They have been charcterised by a lack of transparency. Till this day, the country has never been taken into confidence about the outcome of several rounds of discussions which Shri Jaswant Singh as Minister of External Affairs had with Mr. Strobe Talbott, Deputy Secretary of State of the USA. Sadly, a great country like India has been reduced to having a subordinate relationship with the USA where the USA takes India for granted. This is the result of the BJP/NDA Government’s willingness to adjust the US priorities and policies without giving due attention to India’s own vital foreign policy and national security interests. The declaration of Pakistan as a non-NATO ally by the USA recently exposed the BJP’s claim of a “paradigm shift” in Indo-US relations. This declaration caught the Government of India by surprise. The subsequent protests by the Government of India have been very weak and have lacked credibility and conviction. The BJP/NDA Government has failed to take the country into confidence about the national security implications of the new tie-up between Pakistan and the USA. It has also failed to dispel the widely-held fears that India has accepted the mediator role for the USA in Indo-Pakistan relations.”

Indian national arrested in Lahore, linked to blast

Pakistan security personnels examine the site after explosion.
Sources said that Satish has been arrested in Lahore in connection with a bomb
blast that took place in the GOR-II area. —PPI

LAHORE: An Indian national has been arrested in Lahore in connection with a bomb blast that took place in the GOR-II area earlier today.
According to a report by Dawn News, the Indian citizen was arrested by police officials today.
The television channel reported police officials as saying they have recovered some documents from the individual, which include a valid visit visa of Pakistan and a letter.
Officials say that they traced mobile phone calls made by this person, who tells his name to be Satish, and arrested him today.
Satish had reportedly been working at the Indian High Commission in London for three-and-a-half years before arriving in Pakistan with a visit visa.
Sources add that three identity cards have been recovered from Satish and he has informed them that three other Indian ‘spies’ are also present in Pakistan.

Kashmir Shakes India


A sea of people flooding the streets in a massive show of force carrying the Green and Crescent of Pakistan. How can we Pakistanis not be moved? Who says Kashmir issue is over and all that we Pakistanis can do is ‘peace talks’? See what the New York Times says. Four million Kashmiris have turned the Indian cliché of a rising economy into a joke. Human rights abuses make Iraq’s Abu Ghraib scandal look like a picnic. Indian nightmare turns into reality – the Pakistani flag is raised at the funeral of Kashmiri leader Sheikh Aziz, a peace activist killed in cold blood by Indian occupation soldiers during a peaceful public rally. On 15 August, the Indian independence day, Pakistani flags proudly fluttered all over Indian controlled Kashmir. This is a security, political and diplomatic nightmare for India and just when Indians had thought that they have fully and comprehensibly contained Kashmir resistance and encircled Pakistan from Afghan side as well by supporting multiple insurgencies in Pakistan, the valley seems slipping from their hand.