Navid Kermani’s question: You suffer, but why?

If God exists, why do good people suffer? Did Man create God or did God create Man? Can suffering eradicate, or strengthen faith? Questions like these were raised at the book launch session of The Terror of God: Attar, Job and the Metaphysical Revolt by Islamic scholar Navid Kermani, moderated by Samina Qureshi at the second day of the Karachi Literature Festival on Sunday.

Kermani was quick to point out that throughout history people had dealt with why God let people suffer by either justifying or negating His existence, but there were also those who quarrelled with Him. This, he said, was the central motive behind a lot of mystical literature in both Islam and Judaism.

Attar’s The Book of Suffering was the most radical way of questioning God on human suffering. Kermani pointed out that the “prophets and fools” in Attar’s book had expected God to act like a god, so they quarrelled with Him and believed in Him at the same time.

The session was quick to move into interaction with the audience after a brief introduction by the author. Most of the questions focused on the existence and qualities of God and each time Kermani was quick to point out that he was a scholar, and therefore his role was not to give solutions but to raise questions.

One of the attendees questioned Kermani on if it was Man who created God or the other way around. The author said that he was no one to say who created who and it was up to everyone else to find the solution themselves. Kermani said that by writing on human suffering and quarrelling with God, he had put his finger on a forgotten chapter of Islamic literature. He said that these were things that were no longer discussed and were a “forgotten motive.”

Cultures throughout history had been strongest when they were self-critical of themselves and questions were being raised. If you look at Islamic literature, critique, including that of God, can be found everywhere, but none of it can be found today. “I speak about Iran but this can also be translated to Pakistan,” he said.

Kermani said that there was no more questioning of authority today. Questioning made religions strong and if the questioning was internal, it would make it stronger. “The way of thinking today is not the way of Islamic tradition, which is much more open and complicated than it is portrayed today.”

This post originally appeared here.

Zardaris are a Baloch tribe, historian reminds, much to audience’s amusement

Walking into a session on Balochistan, one would expect a discussion and questions on human rights violations, separatist talk and where the government is going wrong. But the session titled ‘Songs of the Falcon: Balochistan’ at the second day of the Karachi Literature Festival on Sunday was anything but that. In fact, it was a talk on the cultural diversity and brief history of the province, and quite dull if summarised into one word.

Named after a short story by Russian author Maxim Gorky, the session was moderated by author and political commentator Dr Rasul Baksh Rais, who spent more than 15 minutes with the introduction and presenting the first question to the panel of Naheed Azfar, Zobaida Jalal and Yaqoob Bangash.

Jalal, who was the education minister during Pervez Musharraf’s tenure, focused more on personal accounts for her answers. Her answers therefore drew on the Makran region, where she comes from, and even when it came to discussing civil society, she chose to mention the construction of a school by her family and how Balochistan focused more on community-based organisation.

Naheed Azfar’s talk on the other hand was more focused on the cultural side of the province, differences in dress, jewellry and a personal account of Baloch hospitality, which left a section of the audience clapping and cheering. This obviously wasn’t very interesting for Bangash, who was seen yawning on stage during one of her answers.

As it turned out, Yaqoob Bangash was a lot more engaging and interesting than the other two panellists – he did exactly what he was good at: give a history lesson to the audience.  Perhaps if the organisers had chosen Bangash to moderate the session, it would have gone differently.

His ‘lesson’ focused more on the history of British Balochistan, the state of Kalat and Baloch tribes existing in both Balochistan and Sindh (mention of the Zardari tribe also being Baloch had Jalal smirking on stage).

Bangash said that it was important to understand the diversity of the province and engage with it, a creation of a state that can hold together. “The reason we don’t understand Balochistan is because we don’t understand what is going on there.”

He was quick to point out that the problem lay with not honouring the Baloch. “You have to engage and honour them, admit past mistakes and tell them that we want you to remain with Pakistan… they will get on board.” Thus, the Baloch will become a part of a national discourse if they are given the opportunity. Probably the most interesting part of the session was not Bangash’s history lesson, but an angry gentleman from the audience who pointed out that the historian was wrong in presenting the geographical history of the province and that the people who knew Balochistan were not being given their rights. The gentleman also directed his ‘mild rage’ towards Jalal, stating that language was a cultural expression of the province and she had not even given its people the right to learn in their mother tongue during her tenure.

This post originally appeared here.

When Twitter gets it wrong

I spend an average of 14 hours online every day. During this time, I monitor stories on different news sites, wires stories, Twitter and various other sources. Being in the news business, you can gauge where the news is wrong and where factual inaccuracies are coming from, which (newsflash) happens often.

From politicians to opinion makers to senior journalists, factual errors and incorrect news is nothing new but it isn’t only media folk who are to blame. The online community itself is also part of this phenomenon. While ordinary citizens are never short of spreading rumors or incorrect news online (coup rumours anyone?) the community in their attempts to play the role of a media watchdog has also gotten ahead of itself on multiple occasions.

Fact-checking is skipped, a practice that makes mountains out of molehills when news starts to spread like wildfire. This often results in damage. But is anyone held accountable for their actions? Rarely.

While the internet is a powerful tool that can be used to further causes, a trend has emerged in recent times to misuse it. A recent example is the online petition against Geo News’ Najam Sethi. The petition, which carries more than 650 signatures, alleges that Sethi made “false claims” and attempted to “defame” Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf by calling his ex-wife Jemima Khan a Jew. While the senior journalist did indeed refer to Jemima Khan as a “Jewish woman” , is his statement something that should launch an online campaign? Is this campaign being led by the right people?

I don’t mean to defend anyone or demean a cause. My point is that we need to use online activism intelligently. The Maya Khan case is one example where it was used in a constructive manner and produced positive results. Do all cases merit a campaign, that too, one that ends in the removal of those against whom action is sought?

Most people on Twitter also choose to tweet information that they have received, and most of the time this information is unverified. After an hour or so of the tweet making the rounds, it disappears once the person who posted it realizes it is incorrect. Recently, rumors of a military coup in Pakistan were started by someone who heard there was troop movement in Islamabad. Interestingly, the government-run APP has also fallen into the trap of misreporting or failure to check the report if you will.

Besides this, many tweets and Facebook status updates can technically be construed as defamation, invasion of privacy and a whole host of other worrisome legal grey areas. It is important for citizens to look at their own actions when calling others out.

So the next time you start an online campaign, make sure you do your research and choose your course of action wisely.

This post originally appeared here.

Dear dictator, your rally really sucked

Dear dictator,

Your ‘show of power’ in Karachi was, if I may respectfully say disappointing and anti-climatic. Despite all your tall claims of having massive public support, and an equally large Facebook following, you did not garner enough support to draw even close to 10,000 people at your rally.

Leaders from your party proudly boasted that your rally would be bigger than Imran Khan’s, yet one can only wonder what happened and where you went wrong. Maybe if the attendees were paid more than Rs1,000 and a plate of biryani, you would have been able to fill the ground.  Not only did the numbers disappoint, the fact that friction in the party ranks has now surfaced also shows that there is much to be done before you actually launch your political career.

That your party has started to fall apart even before your return to Pakistan speaks volumes of how far you have to go with your political career. You launched the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) in 2010 and lost one of your major supporters, Sher Afgan Niazi, before you could even reach the first anniversary of your party.

In addition to this, your supporter, the King’s Party, the Pakistan Muslim League – Quaid (PML-Q) is silent about your return and even the cases against you. And what of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM)? You helped them stand on their feet again; you supported them and they gained. So, have they pledged their support to you yet?

Let me remind you that things in Balochistan went downhill during your tenure, when the Baloch demanded rights over resources in the provinces. Of course, your military mindset would have none of it. People started disappearing in your tenure, and many mothers lost their sons because you would have none of their ‘separatist talk’. Sir, let me tell you this, the Baloch do not forget so easily.

Your bloated ego does not help your cause either. The people of Pakistan are sick of hearing every single political leader talk the usual rhetoric, about how they are the only ones who can save Pakistan, and they are the only ones who are sincere to the country. A little advice to you sir: please bring humble back.

One last thing before I sign off: if you want to gain supporters, I suggest you return to your country. A true leader stands with his people and fights for them. He doesn’t sit miles away, addressing them over the phone.

Sincerely,

A citizen of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

This post originally appeared here.

Salmaan Taseer on Twitter: The gloves-off politician

Former Governor Salmaan Taseer was never short of words, be it for his political opponents, militants and extremists, Indians interacting with him or just regular people on Twitter looking to pick a fight.

Taseer joined Twitter on October 6, 2009. His initial tweets focused more on the former governor’s daily agenda and self-promotion, but this later branched into hitting back at political opponents (specifically the Sharif brothers) and commenting on a host of other issues.

On the politics front, Taseer never missed a chance to take a jab at the Sharif brothers and the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N), and was also an early critic of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan.

Taseer was also fond of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and would tweet about the sacrifices he made for the PPP during General Ziaul Haq’s tenure and also about slain party leader Benazir Bhutto.

He was also a vocal critic of the Indian Army in Kashmir and would equate its presence to the actions of Israeli forces in Palestine.

The following list of select Twitter updates from the late governor’s profile encompass his online political persona.

(Tweets have been proofread for readability)

TASEER BASHES THE PML-N

• MQM in Punjab? Excellent all parties should go national.
• I only wish PML N could get off the GT road and go national.
• In May I will complete 2yrs as Governor Punjab. Please send your flowers gifts etc to Raiwind to thank the Sharifs for their love and support.
• Noting with concern the Sharifs are only paying rs5000 per month tax. I have asked for them to be included in the Benazir Income Support Program.
• Let the Sharifs teach the UK Conservative Party the method of coalitions aka lota’s and forward blocks.
• I heard CM Punjab has joined Twitter after my debut. Imitation is the sincere form of flattery, bare mian to bare mian, chote mian subhanallah
• Like a newly married wife doesn’t take her husband’s name PML N refuses to say TALIBAN.
• I need input what sharmili dulhan PML N should call Taliban. Tweeters have suggested MERE VO or MUNE KE ABU etc…
• I’m writing to WWF to replace Panda as symbol of endangered species with Nawaz Sharif! In the political jungle he’s become extinct.
• News item today the US Govt wants to buy Governors House. I think the PML N govt will sell it for $1 provided they take the Governor with it.
• Nawaz Sharif and George Bush have degrees. Jomo Kenyatta and Mao ze Tung had no degrees. Form your opinion!
• After a long time PML N has come out Number one for the first time? Topped the list of fake degrees holders by a long way. Mubarik Chote bare Mian
• Initially I was targeted by PMLN, Islamic fundo hate groups etc. Now it’s Hindu lunatics RSS and Pak haters. I must b doing something right!
• Another Muslim League! PML N< nincompoops Q< qalabaz F < no marks 4 guessing. One has a sher now Shaheen next should have a rat!
• It’s comforting that anti Bhutto forces are led by Nawaz Sharif. If someone with brains was in that position we could face real problems!
• Shabaz Sharif threatens ANOTHER long march. If he can walk unaided from his new house in model town to Raiwind I’ll resign as Governor!
• Interviewing with Najam Sethi CM Shahbaz said Governor “honest good person”. Sethi “Govnor Punjab?” CM “no governor SBP!” I was shattered.

TASEER ON THE PPP/GOVERNMENT

• Vo jo karz rakhte th jan par vo hisab aj chuka diya… PPP gave the 1973 Constitution and now PPP gives the 18th historical Amendment.
• 18 Tarameem ka matlab hai 2018 tak Zaradari rehay ga!
• Told Bangladesh press delegation that by releasing Mujibur Rehman in 1971, Bhutto saved Pakistan from ignominy and shame.
• In politics there is no ultimate power and no ultimate defeat… 18th Amendment is good for the evolution of power… it is a victory for Pakistan.
• Signing of 18th Amendment by the President was a historic moment. Some people looked sad! Jahan shehnai bajti hae vahan matam bhi hota hae.
• Ranj se khoogar hua insaan tu mth jata hae ranj…Mushkelein itne pari mujh par ke ahsaan ho gayen
• The great Bhutto quoted that Ghalib sher before his judicial murderers in the Supreme Court.
• Like 1973 constitution what PPP sows is RAPED by others. This time Inshallah PPP will again be in power 2017.
• Perhaps UK Conservative Party should take advice from PPP as to how form a government with a hung Parliament.
• Of BB’s political life of 30 years she was in office 5 years only. Ironically she is more powerful in death than in her life as an icon visionary.
• I started my political career with Bibi witnessed the poisonous attacks on the Bhutto’s. Today they are the symbol of the federation of Pakistan.

TASEER ON IMRAN KHAN

• Imran Khan says he can solve Pakistan’s Problems in 90 days: terrorism, power, population growth water etc. What about Imran? Who is going to solve that?
• People messaged me Imran Khan must be given a chance. Unfortunately for him and fortunately for Pakistan it requires 173 seats in the NA. Thank God for democracy.
• Does this mean we will never be a welfare state! RT @ImranKhanPTI vows to make #Pakistan ‘welfare state if PTI comes to power.
• Imran Khan and Sarah Palin is a match made in heaven.

TASEER ON INDIA

• I’m always amazed to see how eager to believe Pakistanis are when there is anything negative about their country unlike Indians who cover up.
• The killing fields of Kashmir have overtaken Palestine. Under the cloak of shining India is a brutal story of murder, rape and suppression.
• The Indian occupation of Kashmir is an exact parallel of the Israelis in Gaza. Same tactics, same brutality.

TASEER ON THE ARMY/MILITANCY

• It is a time to stand up for Pakistan. I do not fear the terrorists. Never give in.
• Wants all Pakistani’s to stand firm behind the army and support your troops. A united Pakistan under one flag.
• How can the ISI aid Taliban who are killing Pakistani troops ? Irresponsible selective WikiLeaks are poison.
• I’m not a conspiracy believer but there are shadowy spook agencies that cannot see Pakistan as an Islamic moderate democratic nuclear success story.

OTHER POLITICAL VIEWS

• Police beating doctors… Doctors beating media… Media beating lawyers… Lawyers beating police……….. Circle complete!
• Knowledge can only thrive in a liberal atmosphere!
• Pakistan has been raped by the so called educated, not illiterates. So why do MPs need to be graduates?
• I have taken leave from the affairs of state to master by new iPad. Who says politicians cannot be techies?
• I was driving today without security talking on the phone and a policeman challaned me. I had to explain I have constitutional immunity!
• Legally the governor as constitutional head of province CANNOT be charged for anything including murder! My family is never excused they pay.
• Other than me which governors, Ministers,CJP, President, PM, Chief ministers etc are on Twitter and listening to the people?
• Bullet proof car being purchased for protocol use by governor house. Not by me I drive my own car, live in my own house and pay my own utilities.
• The existing car is 16 yrs old. Representing the Federal government I have to host Presidents international visitors. So can we stop the BS?
• Next time the Turkish president comes I’ll drive him around on a motorbike and if Hakimullah knocks him off we can tell the world we are too poor.
• Nothing in the Constitution prohibits a Governor from being member of a political party. So-called Non-political governors turn out the worst.
• A politician’s personal spending habits are his business as long as he is not stealing from the Government. I know many frugal thieves – we are not Ghandi.
• Nobody has accused me of a fake degree. NRO safe passage, bank default, tax fraud. Kya baat hae? Maza nahin a raha. I’m feeling left out!
• A judicial coup cannot work in Pakistan. The only formula is democracy, democracy and more democracy.
• The best thing about the APML (2) is that both their leaders Chaudhry Shujaat and Pir Pagaro can’t speak.
• One thing is clear from WikiLeaks – that elected persons with peoples mandate don’t run Pakistan. Makes elections pointless.
• Corruption! I believe rich and wealthy are more susceptible to greed than the poor.
• It is the rich educated and privileged who have destroyed Pakistan, not the poor illiterate and dispossessed.

This post originally appeared here.

Filtering SMS: PTA may ban over 1,500 English, Urdu words

After rumours of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) imposing a ban on porn sites in the country, a new PTA letter floating online orders the imposition of a “system” to ban select words in mobile SMS messages.

A set of two extensive lists in English and Urdu have allegedly been compiled by the PTA. The list of English words crosses the 1,000 figure, while the Urdu list contains over 550 words.

A scan of the letter (dated November 14, 2011) sent from Muhammad Talib Doger, Director General (Services) PTA, states that the filtering of content through SMS must be considered under the scope of “Protection from Spam, Unsolicited, Fraudulent and Obnoxious Communication Regulations, 2009″ and the SOPs laid down to control spamming. The letter is written with reference to a meeting held with mobile phone operators on October 18, 2011 in Islamabad.

PTA has ordered the implementation of the system within seven days of the issuance of the said letter. All operators have been asked to submit a monthly report to PTA regarding the number of blocked text messages.

“Spamming” has been defined as:

The transmission of harmful, fraudulent, misleading, illegal or unsolicited messages in bulk to any person without express permission of the recipient, or causing any electronic system to show any such message or is being involved in falsified online user account registration or falsified domain name registration for commercial purpose.

The letter states that under the “provisions and dictum” by the higher courts, the “fundamental rights of privacy and freedom of speech and expressions guaranteed under the constitution are not unrestricted and are subject to reasonable restrictions imposed by law”.

Clause (d) of sub-section (1) of section 31 of the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) Act, 1996 states that:

Whoever “unauthorisedly transmits through a telecommunication system or telecommunication service any intelligence which he knows or has reason to be false, fabricated, indecent or obscene” is an offence under the Act.

Content filtering may be done through “through automated machine process(s)/function(s)”  without reading or disclosing “content of intelligence” by a human being in order to protect consumers under provisions of the Act.

Under license condition No.7.8 of the cellular mobile license:

The Licensee shall take all reasonable steps to track, locate and prevent the source of harassing, unsolicited, offensive, fraudulent or unlawful communication.

Director PR for PTA, Mohammad Younis, while speaking to The Express Tribune, said that he was not aware of any such letter being sent out, adding that many letters are sent out to operators every day, and not all of them go through the PR office.

Speaking on whether the PTA had taken a decision on SMS filtering in the past, Younis said that the authority does not take such decisions and only passes on the instructions to licensees once a decision is taken by a ministerial committee.

While much of the list contains expletives, a number of words to be banned include medical terms, terms used by particular minority groups, common words from the English language and rap group, WuTang Clan.

Medical terms to be banned:

Athletes foot

Breast

Condom

Flatulence

Intercourse

Period

Premature

Tongue

Herpes

Daily usage words to be banned:

Deeper

Fairy

Fingerfood

Hole

Hostage

Harder

Religious terms to be banned:

Devil

Jesus Christ

LGBT terms to be banned:

Gay

Homosexual

Queer

Musicians/artists to be banned:

Wuutang

Reactions online

faizanlakhani even the word “taxi” is on ban list of PTA … #Fail

Amara807 Bewakoof is banned? Random

abbasnasir59 With PTA’s legendary efficiency I am sure Pakistanis won’t be able to access Fcuk e-catalogue.

pateesa  So no Pakistani will ever apply to Lund University for his masters, or work at BundesBank. #PTABannedWords

kaalakawaa The banned list includes every conceivable incorrectly spelled version of “masturbation”. “Masturbation”, spelt correctly, is not banned.

ZebAslam And “slave driver” is gone too. Damn. I can imagine a lot of unhappy worker drones. #PTA #bannedlist

abidhussayn Expect Mobile Companies to shut down all their SMS bundle packages in 7 days.

shakirhusain why the hell has #PTA blocked Athlete’s foot???

anthonypermal  You know, with the word ‘creamy’ banned, one wonders what cheap-ass erotic novel the compiler was reading. #PTABannedList

(Additional input by Jahanzaib Haque)

This post originally appeared here.

Victims need action not rhetoric

According to the government, around 800 people have died in floods that have struck Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Around 270,000 people have been affected by floods in Balochistan, more than 15,000 houses have been destroyed and 25,000 families in Naseerabad are homeless. While we sit in the comfort of our homes up to 300,000 people remain without food and shelter, struggling to get to higher ground with what little is left of their belongings.

I can only wonder what we are to do for our brothers and sisters who no longer have homes to go back to, who are without food and now struggle for their very lives.

Fawad Ali Shah, a reporter at The Express Tribune spoke to a recent graduate of Peshawar University Ghaffar who told him that he was in the mountains with his family. There was no food, their homes were gone and the children had started to weaken and suffer because of the unavailability of food and water.

Balochistan has always suffered the most when floods hit, yet we always manage to forget about the province a few days after the crisis by supplying them with food items. Homes are washed away, families are lost, people go hungry and all we can do is sit and debate about what the government is not doing.

We cannot even imagine for a second what these people are going through but we can try to make things easier for them. Instead of making appeals and debating the number of casualties we can donate and collect supplies and food for flood victims.

Can we please stop commenting about how bad things are and how we should all pray? Can we go out and actually do something to help?

Unlike the Airblue crash (which was tragic, don’t get me wrong) we can still help control this disaster and hopefully, save lives.

A number of politicians have taken the initiative to visit flood victims and spend time with them which I appreciate but it would have been better if instead the politicians had taken victims supplies.

The army is also doing its best to evacuate people, but we still need more and that is where you and I can play our part.

I want to end by requesting President Asif Zardari to cancel his trip to the United Kingdom, not because of PM David Cameron’s comments. Rather so that those funds can be used to help flood victims. I’m sure the nation would appreciate it more if for once we don’t spend millions of taxpayer cash on lavish hotels and rental cars.

I’m sure there are many of us who would like to help in some way or the other. Let’s do something about it (for a change)!

This post originally appeared here.

Social media: From Egypt’s revolution to Karachi

“My family isn’t aware I’m in Karachi right now, they think I’m still in Turkey,” says Egyptian blogger Mohamed El Dahshan as he laughs when he is asked if Pakistan was as dangerous as it is portrayed in the media abroad.

Mohamed was in Karachi for ‘Network!!’ – Pakistan’s First International Social Media Summit. An economist by training and a consultant on government policy, Mohamed says he has been blogging for the last six years and has also moved into writing for the press.

He was actively involved in the Egyptian Revolution from day one and reported it on both social and traditional media.

“I was blogging anonymously before the Egyptian Revolution, focusing on travelling at first and then moving on to politics and current affairs. I’ve been focusing more on Egyptian affairs for the past seven months now,” says Mohamed.

Mohamed says a group of people was already actively expressing their concerns even before the revolution, both online and offline. He says they would gather in small numbers and protest to make their presence known. At the same time people in Egypt were also active online, pushing for awareness and focusing on critical issues.

“I would say 2010 was the buildup and 2011 was the explosion. People’s grievances had been building up for a while. Our job was to inform people and go out in small numbers to inform people about issues being faced.”

Mohamed says the revolution would have happened if social media was not there, but it would have taken a little longer.

“Social media allowed people to come together, organise and motivate themselves. It gave people an outlet to vent their anger,” says Mohamed.

“Social action is collective action. If the government tells you you’re on your own and everybody is happy, you are afraid of doing things. But social media changed that. It helped bring together people who were upset about the same things.”

Mohamed says the biggest social media platform that contributed towards helping people during the revolution was Facebook. He says there were influential blogs but Facebook had groups with hundreds and thousands of members, people who had been victims of “brutality”.

“Twitter was super important during the revolution, it helped us get live updates,” he says.

He says the government’s move of blocking social media websites and the internet itself to isolate people was a “stupid” move. “You can either be home alone and afraid or you can join a million people and live and die together, but you cannot be afraid alone.”

The Egyptian government during its crackdown against social media sites had labeled Facebook users as the “Facebook Youth” and stated that they were criminals against the government. Mohamed recalls when he was travelling in a cab and was stopped and beaten up by a mob because he was carrying a laptop with him.

Mohamed says the revolution helped people more active than they already were on social media sites. “People had a new found respect social media, even the Egyptian Army has a Facebook page now and they make all declarations through it. They recognize the power of social media.”

Now that the revolution is over, social media is helping people become observers and be more responsible in Egypt. Mohamed says people have put up documents found at state police offices and he himself went to a referendum and put up pictures of technical violations.

“We are still wondering what we should be doing now. Maybe we are on an observation mission.”

The Egyptian Ministry of Finance invited the youth of the revolution to ask for their feedback on the budget, Mohamed says. He believes social media has helped create the awareness that the youth is also a stakeholder in the country.

Mohamed says there is always a core of people and it is the core that takes the actual cause forward. He says focusing on the same issue counts the most and Egypt was lucky to have a dedicated core focusing on an issue.

Momentum is important for change he says, and adds that the government in Pakistan always manages to deflate the momentum.

This post originally appeared here.

Naval base attack: When will we learn?

Pakistan has a habit of not learning from its mistakes. We are stubborn and arrogant, and we scoff at others when they tell us we’re wrong, and let’s not forget, we believe our armed forces are brilliant and unstoppable.

In 2009, ten terrorists managed to enter the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi and killed 11 soldiers and two civilians. The terrorists were dressed in army uniforms when they entered the base.

Fast forward to two years later – More than ten terrorists enter PNS Mehran, the air support base of Pakistan’s Navy, and destroy two air surveillance aircrafts worth $36 million each.

Once again our armed forces have been caught napping. The attackers did not use the frontal assault route, but rather entered using sewerage lines behind the base.

Was there no security present at the base?

Did those who handle the base’s security look at the sewer line and say “it’s okay, nobody is going to take this route.”

Most importantly, why is an air support base with crucial apparatus located next to a museum and a shaadi lawn – places which the public has access to seven days a week?

The interior ministry was quick to announce that it had warned the military of a possible attack, much like the Punjab Home Department had passed on intelligence that the military might come under attack by men wearing army uniforms in 2009. This is a matter of serious concern.

Where is the military intelligence in this?

Considering that the navy has been under attack during the past month, where is our intelligence failing?

Who are these terrorists, and how deep have alliances to militant organisations become rooted?

An inside job?

Given the latest WikiLeaks cables on radicalisation within the ranks of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and the sabotage of its equipment by its own men, there is a strong possibility that insiders were once again involved in the attack on the navy.

When the navy buses were last attacked in Karachi, there was news of insiders being involved but it was never disclosed by the agencies if this was true or not.

With the PNS Mehran attack, there are reports that the attackers were dressed in black, but bodies of those who were killed are not being taken out of the base because the government ‘does not want to disclose ethnicities.’ There have also been unconfirmed reports of some terrorists being captured alive and some of the men killing themselves during the operation.

Did the Taliban do it?

Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attacks just as they had done in 2009 after the attack on the GHQ.

However, there aren’t too many factors linking the TTP to this attack. For starters, the Pakistan Navy is not involved in operations being carried out in the north, nor does it provide any kind of support to those operations. Secondly, the equipment destroyed in the attack is used for maritime surveillance.

Also, several defence analysts are of the view that the Taliban cannot be involved in this attack. Security Analyst Ikram Sehgal talking to the media categorically said that sabotaging maritime warfare can only benefit one county, that is, India. This speculative sentiment is currently making the rounds on most TV channels in Pakistan, along with other far-flung theories ranging as far as the relevance of control of Gwadar port and Pak-China ties to the current attack.

Defence Analyst Maria Sultan said that the attacks were carried out by well trained personnel who seem to have been backed by higher powers to show the world that Pakistan cannot adequately protect its military equipment.

The navy has repeatedly come under attack now, and while there are several possibilities as to who could be behind them, why our military does not take measures to prevent such incidents is a question on many minds.

This post originally appeared here.

The big bra brouhaha

Working in the online news world helps you develop a certain knack for determining viral stories. Words like sex, death, rape, religion and blast call out to you from the screen.

So, when a headline like “Padded Bras are Devil’s Cushions says Council of Islamic Ideology” pops up in the wires I can understand why a bored sub-editor would sit up and take notice. Here’s a story about extremist mullahs from terror infested Pakistan cracking down on a symbol of women’s sexual liberation – it’s so perfectly cliché, it’s almost funny.

The small story soon found its way to international websites, newspapers and channels.

In their eagerness to publish the oh-so-revealing story that Pakistan’s Council of Islamic Ideology was ‘protesting the use of padded bras’ Fox News, Times of India, Hindustan Times and Zee News all missed one key fact – the story was fake.

The original story appeared on a satirical news site, Rozanama Jawani known for its absurd and unlikely stories which are humorous because they are so ridiculously impossible. The website has been known to produce gems such as:

Peshawar celebrates Valentine’s Day with Saudi Arabia

Hakimullah Mehsud admits father never hugged him as a child

Sindhi music sensation ‘Malal Chandio’ releases album “Adi Quit Playing Game” – covers Backstreet Boys

Eventually, these mainstream websites realised their mistake, but considering how stupid this mistake was it is understandable that there has been no overt retraction and admittance of the error. In fact, Zee News has yet to remove the story from their website.

Do they stand by it then?

If we look at this incident through the eyes of a conspiracy theorist, the international media jumped at the perfect opportunity to bash Pakistan. Either that, or everyone collectively decided to be stupid together. Did someone fail to do a check on the source? The website clearly states that the news published on the page is not true. Or did someone miss the ridiculous looking picture that is clearly photoshopped?

In any case it is amusing to see the media can make mistakes of this magnitude in its eagerness for a “Pakistan extremist” story.  But then again, I cannot blame them entirely.  After all, in Pakistan the ridiculous and reality are becoming increasing similar.

This post originally appeared here.