Talibanization of Pakistan

Re: # 23

Agreed. India (or Indira) was opportunistic in 1971. It is silly to suggest West Pakistan could have retained control over East Pakistan. Sooner or later the writing was on the wall.

Re: # 17

Stable peace loving democratic Pakistan is in India`s interest. I would not say if Pakistan lands in trouble India is in trouble too. India is too big to be slowed down by Pakistan.

Dear Friends:

In a selfless act of courage, a Pakistani named Ghufran Haider, saved the lives of hundreds of worshipers by throwing himself on a suicide bomber in a mosque in Karachi.

He was severely injured, was hospitalized and has now recovered. He is now in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on temporary visit. He is afraid to go back to Pakistan as he expects to be almost certainly killed by Sunni militants.

Will some public-spirited American journalists kindly interview him in Dubai? To get contact information, please email Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy at sharmeenobaid@hotmail.com

This appears to be a fit case for influential Americans to bring the matter urgently to the attention of the State Department in order to ensure that he is granted asylum in the US. His travel visa in Dubai expires in two weeks or so.

Please read the appeal of Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, which is reproduced below, from the SAJA (South Asia Journalists Association`s) discussion forum.

Thanks!

---

Original Message

---

From: ``Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy``
To: ``SAJA DISC``
Sent: Sunday, April 22, 2007 5:03 PM
Subject: [saja-disc] Urgent: I need your help

Dear All,

I am writing to you with an urgent matter. Two year ago I did a film for
Channel 4 called ``Pakistan`s Double Game``
http://www.sharmeenobaidfilms.com/pakdoublegame.html

In the film I profiled a young man named Ghufran Haider, a shia who saved the lives of hundreds of worshippers by throwing himself on a suicide bomber in a mosque in Karachi.

He was the first Pakistani ever to stop a suicide bombing and it took a lot of courage on his part to do so.

He was severely injured and his (poor) family had to bear the cost of his operations.

This year, Ghufran`s testimony in court led to the death penalty being awarded to two of the suicide bomber`s accompalices. Now, his family is constantly being threatened and as usual the Pakistani government has done nothing to help him or his family.

He managed to leave Pakistan a few days ago and is currently in Dubai on a visitor visa which expires in 2 weeks. If he goes back to Pakistan, he will almost certainly be killed by the Sunni militants.

He is reaching out to me for help but I dont know how I can assist him, given that I am myself a citizen of Pakistan and not sure where he can claim asylum.

Pakistanis in general never take risks, they seldom give testimony in court and almost never risk their lives, so I feel compelled to help him...

If any of you have any ideas, or know of anyone he can contact who can help him gain asylum, please please get in touch with me...This young man`s life is at stake and for those of us who are fighting againt terrorism, we know how important it is that a voice like his is saved...

Please email me..

Thank you
Sharmeen

Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy
www.sharmeenobaidfilms.com

Re: # 152

Salim_Chauhan,

Thanks for your feedback.

You say that Zia is to be blamed for the current state of affairs. I am of opinion, though, that the necessary ingredients were already there. Zia/USA only gave them an impetus to come together with the rallying cry of Afghan Jihad. Zia didn’t give religious organizations like Jamaat Islami the muscle. They already had it which is evident from the fact that even the so-called left in Pakistan had been flirting occasionally with religious organization pre-Zia. Zia just gave them a conducive environment to freely flex their muscle.

Thanks again.

Rafi

Masadi iLog of today:

If Chowk censored it for FP, please post it as an iLog on the VT massacre and the reasons for it. I`m sure Chowk-Staff has a reason for not posting it on FP, and I trust Chowk-Staff`s judgment. So should you.

Regards.

#158 by teshah,

No. There`s no Law against blaspheming against God. Do you know why?

If you ever find out, you`re a Muslim.

Rgds

Re: # 153

Zeena Jee,

Aapney humay yaad kia, buss ithnahe kaafee hai, yeh tho aapkee mehrbanee hai, warna yeh nacheeze kiss qabil.

Re: # 154

Well done Hamid Mian! Ghalib had epitomised this long ago in his couplet by raising the question:

``Kia woh Namrood ki khudaai thi
Bandagi mein mera bhalla nah hua``

(Was it a god-hood of Namrood as being the slave or creation of him brought no good to me)

(Interestingly, `Khudaai` was corrected by google as `chudaai`)

Thank God there is no law for blaspheming against God.

Paki kids excel in IT, Islamic terrorism...

#61 by zeemax

“Unresolved issues are the progress of `Islamic Democracy` onwards following Muhammad`s death”
#155 by zeemax on April 21, 2007 1:36pm PT
”You can all have your fun. While we do some serious stuff.”

What could be more serious then that? I am still waiting.

You can all have your fun. While we do some serious stuff.

Bye.

Re: # 152

salim mian,

...... ``He cannot stand for anything that is negative, oppressive, cruel, abusive, unfair, illogical, and evil`` ......... i don`t know if you can trust a god who created and presides over a place called Hell ........ as far as i can tell by his behavior this god is a vengeful, cruel and tyrannical creature of his own making ............ a psychopath, if i may say so ......... i would not trust him with writing the constitution and books for kindergarten, but you are free to do what you want ......... i will ask you how you feel about it when we meet in hell - inshallah .........

Re:142 re786 aka Taliban mullah

Now I know you post directly from Lal Masjid........LOL

{``The resolution states that “sovereignty over the entire universe belongs to God Almighty alone and the authority which He has delegated to the State of Pakistan through its people for being exercised within the limits prescribed by Him is a sacred trust”. Thus it was ordained that no legislation could be adopted in Pakistan which was against the tenets of Islam``}

Rafi Sahib,
Congratulations on a well-written and interesting article. I agree with you that Tallly Banization of Pakistan started long before the Afghan model. But I would put the beginning of this curse at the unfortunate reign of Zina Owl Hag. Nobody, not even Mullah Fazloo and not even Bin Laden, has manipulated the good name of Islam to cause such wide-spread changes that for the most part have left a negative impact on an entire nation.

Nothing wrong with the loft preamble quoted above. We can make all laws and all affairs of state subservient to the will of the Almighty and the tenets of Islam. We just have to ensure that the will of the Almighty and the tenets of Islam are real, positive, compassionate, humane, decent, logical, respectful, meaningful, and good. If good is not evil, and if the most supreme good is God, then it follows that He cannot stand for anything that is negative, oppressive, cruel, abusive, unfair, illogical, and evil.

So, we can live up to the lofty ideals and still preserve the basic values of secularism, individual rights, and all the usual freedoms, without sacrificing the underlying supremacy of God and the foundation of Islam. We just need to define ``ISLAM`` much more positively than those who have hijacked the good ship. :)

#144 Ballukhan {``I think Pakistan needs to turn some province into a mullahistan and deport all those who want sharia to that place. ``}

Khan Sahib,
May I suggest that province north of Sindh, east of NWFP, and west of India? That might just solve most of Pakistan`s many problems. :)

a groom for the hafsa brides

The Taleban in Afghanistan have used a boy of around 12 to behead a man they accused of spying for the US. Parts of a video of the beheading were broadcast on the Dubai-based al-Arabiya TV network.

The Taleban said the dead man, Ghulam Nabi, had given the US information which led to an air strike in which a senior Taleban commander died.

The video footage shows Mr Nabi being blindfolded with a chequered scarf and making what is said to be a confession.

The boy, wearing a camouflage jacket and wielding a large knife, denounces him as a spy and then cuts off his head.