The Future Is Another Country: 2050 And Beyond

Re: Hamidm

``...i knew such a man once - he always had a gajra of fresh motia wrapped around his wrist as he stood out on the thara swaying to sound of the gungroo, harmonium and tabla ... he was an honorable man...``

Did he also have a laar of pan dribbling down from the side of his mouth, and did he wrap a rumaal around his neck to reduce the sweat stains on his collar?

On a more serious note, I have been intending to respond to tvarad, YLH, dost-mittar et al, but have been consumed by useless, work-related tasks.

gymno,

It is a small world. You must be in the I. Raman batch, Kalyana sundaram the fast bowler. I go there, may be once in two years. The seven echos of DB have stopped. Last year I gave a talk on modern trends in aircraft engines. The valley is still there, the vijayan and the canteen is still intact.

It has become a deemed university, and the present princy was my collegue, I taught there for a few years. How about the keshave rao strike.

The place has created a name for itself and is considered one of the top RECs. Every graduate, even the one yet to complete get jobs by campus recruitment, a very very far cry from my days.

I am hoping to offer a talks on innovation management. Them of course the IIM Calicut is there for the last four years. At least you can understand, when I heap $hit on pakis, it is from an intimate knowledge of what is possible from a poor rural illiterate background in india, not as an exception, but as rle from the thousand who have passed through the portals of REC, a second rung place in india.

I was at IISC Bangalore aero dept in 1972.

re romair 277

Don`t lose sleep over it. The Bangladesh-India problems are nothing that cannot be contained within the framework of negotiations by two Commonwealth, pluralist, parliamentary democracies. I doubt India is gonna let go of its Western border problem just because some of you are trying to raise the canard of an Eastern border flareup. Democracies do not fight each other! Sorry, to disappoint you.

Zafar #301

Jee - not absent but merely lurking around. With the recent spurt in the number of wierdos (fresh as well as converts) on chowk, I find that whatever I want to say has already been said :(

Khair ..

Murli Manohar Joshi a physics teacher of Allahbad univ.bent on proving his theory of ryan being indigenous to India contrary to world view of Aryan Invasion theory lies ,misuses & makes illogical jumps to irratyic conclusions.On top of impicating innocent people like Mr.Iyer in his scheme

ttp://www.newindpress.com/Newsitems.asp?ID=IEH20020131222023&Title=Top+Stories&rLink=0

Joshi, Rajput misused my name: Krishna Iyer



NEW DELHI: In what could cause embarrassment to the HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi and NCERT director J S Rajput, former Supreme Court judge V R Krishna Iyer has said his name has been misused by them to defend the Centre`s ``biased`` Education policy and curriculum framework. He has added that his views were misrepresented by the minister even in Parliament.

Iyer has gone on to issue a written statement in an attempt to clear his name. He had written two letters to Joshi and Rajput on the new Education Policy and the National Curriculum Framework. In the first, written in April last year, he had only accepted the NCERT`s explanations at ``face value``, but in a subsequent letter, dated May 25,2001, he had expressed disappointment over it and withdrawn his support.

While his first letter was widely used and publicised by the NCERT and the Ministry in defence of their new policies, the existence of the second letter was suppressed and never mentioned, Iyer`s statement said.

In it, Iyer has said it has been brought to his notice how his April letter was widely misused to defend the Centre`s pro-MNC and communally biased Educational Policy and curriculum approach. Even it was cited _ out of context _ in the discussions in Parliament by Dr Joshi to defend the government stand.

Though in his letter, Iyer had, indeed, stated that ``taken at its face value NCERT`s explanations satisfy me`` and that ``I drop my criticism``, the former justice says he had also hoped that the commitment to secularism and humanism as claimed in the NCERT`s explanation will be kept up in actual practice. ``But a detailed analysis disappointed me and further steps taken by the government have belied my expectation,`` he said.

So in a subsequent letter to Rajput, a copy of which was sent to the Minister, he had elaborately explained his position. ``Unfortunately, those circulating my first letter are conspicuously not projecting the letter which in fact explains my real position,`` Iyer said.

Iyer quoted from his second letter to show how he had suggested that the council consult a May 1989 document, titled ``Towards a Peoples` Policy on Education: An Alternative to NPE (National Education Policy)`` prepared by the All India Save Education Committee (AISEC), for formulating the curriculum frame work.

The suggestion, Iyer said, was largely ignored by the NCERT. ``Subsequent steps taken by the Government substantiates the validity of the criticism raised by the AISEC on commercialisation, communalisation or globalisation of education,`` he said, adding that he was compelled to note that his letter was wilfully misrepresented causing him embarrassment.

Send this Story to your friend

Send your views on this news report

Reply Karakoram #: 285

“Even though I think the Agra summit was handled well by Musharraf, there was one point where he failed miserably, and that was building trust with the Indian leadership (not the Indian media).”

Although the summit was ostensibly about working with the Indian Government (where it failed resoundingly) I think that its real objective, as far as Musharraf was concerned, was to gain him domestic support because of his “standing up to India”. I suppose that he achieved that, but it was a bit of a waste of time for India – and has certainly made it harder for him to now initiate a dialogue with India’s leadership; he used up what good will there was, now he has to act before he is believed.

Reply Soysauce # 287

[``India will behave responsibly in its own interests, and if it has acted on its own interests for many decades without the support of the US and often been at odds to the US while doing so, well there is no reason why it can`t continue to do so without reference to tilts or lack of them.``

“I`d like to believe so too, but the Petty Businessman Party in power is keen to ingratiate itself into the US orbit. Why else all the pleading to every petty american official and the recent transfer of Mr. Vij?”]

Suddenly India and Pakistan seem to find themselves involved in a competition not so much for control of a territory (though it was broader than that anyway), but for approval from the US. (“See how bad they are! See what they’ve done! They are so bad, so you should support us because we’re good!”) Something like the the media war the Israelis and Palestinians are caught up in.

This is a bit dangerous, because both parties then tend to lose sight of their own limitations, the other side’s strenghts, and also perhaps believe more in the US’ willingness and ability to intervene than reality really justifies.

Not only is this misguided – in the end we still have to make a lasting peace with each OTHER, and US involvement will NOT make any of the issues diminish in importance to anyone, nor will it meaningfully alter our strengths/weaknesses in the long run – but, as an Indian, I find it humiliating. And all the more humiliating because we are reducing ourselves to a client state without even being asked to, and before we have negotiated or received payment for what we seem so eager to give up.

What is the feeling in Pakistan about this?

FEUDALS - Do you hear? you will win a few more, but your days are as feudals are numbered - seek refuge as captains of industry, Now! if you know whats good for you.

``Pakistani illiterates, unite!

Masud Akhtar Shaikh - The writer is a retired Colonel and freelance columnist

masudshaikh@hotmail.com

This is the last call for the illiterate masses of Pakistan to rise and consolidate their ranks before the nefarious conspiracies being hatched by their sworn enemies to wipe them out of existence get going at full pace. It is a pity that most of Pakistani illiterates are unaware of the fact that they constitute over 75 percent of the country`s population. Even those who are intelligent enough to know this fact are not quite aware of the various rights that the country`s constitution bestows upon them. This class of Pakistani citizens as a whole seems to have developed a false sense of security, primarily because ever since the creation of Pakistan, they have been well represented in the nation`s parliament, whenever the nation was lucky enough to have one. At times they had their representatives even in the cabinet. Whether these illiterate people`s representatives looked after the nation`s other vital interests or not is debatable, but nobody can deny their contribution towards safeguarding the rights of the illiterate masses whose votes used to elevate them to the corridors of power. In return, these representatives persistently frustrated all attempts on the part of a very small minority to eliminate illiteracy from the country so that there was no infringement of the basic rights of the illiterates.

In every democracy, rulers are elected by a majority of the voters. Since Pakistan is also a democracy and since a majority of its population is illiterate, it is only logical that a majority of the people`s representatives in the parliament should also be illiterate. This is the reason why the authors of Pakistan`s numerous constitutions avoided laying down any educational prerequisite for eligibility to be elected to the central or the provincial legislatures. That gave a very wide scope to the illiterate candidates to contest elections and to the illiterate masses to be adequately represented by their fellow illiterates. In fact this is what logic also demands. Only a person who does not know reading and writing can understand the problems of his constituents who are equally ignorant about the art of reading and writing.

That being the case, it seems quite ironical that in the past, it was some of the so-called democratic governments that had initiated campaigns for the genocide of the illiterate class of Pakistani population. Even though such campaigns ultimately fizzled out without causing any substantial damage to the cause of our illiterate fellow countrymen, the very fact that the sponsors belonged to a democratic set-up is lamentable. As far as the military governments are concerned, nobody expects them to be very much in love with democracy, irrespective of the fact whether they come out with novel ideas like the basic democracies of the Field Marshal or the real democracy of the incumbent General. Hence, if military rulers ignore a democratic provision of the constitution and set out on curbing the basic rights of the country`s illiterate majority, one cannot blame them. No wonder, the most violent attacks against the interests of the illiterate majority of Pakistanis were, and continue to be, launched during military regimes.

It is no use repeating history, but we can conveniently start with the rule of General Ziaul Haq. It was he who started an intensive campaign to banish illiteracy from the country. His ``Iqra`` scheme was a well thought out plan that was on its way to implementation in real earnest. Had he continued to hold the reins of power for another few years, there is no doubt that illiteracy would have been completely wiped out from the soil of Pakistan. Pakistani illiterates should thank their stars the day the star of the General came down tumbling from the skies and the damage he was bent upon doing to the cause of illiteracy came to a sudden halt. As his mortal remains were being buried, his would-be successors of the pro-illiteracy school belonging to the democratic genre were planning to bury the Iqra scheme, lock, stock and barrel. And this is what they did. That was a great triumph for the silent majority of the Pakistani illiterates who were on their way to total extinction within a matter of a few years.

Imagine the situation in this country if the ill-fated Iqra scheme of the deceased General had been allowed to achieve its ultimate aim of ridding Pakistan of illiteracy. Today, life in Pakistan would have become completely topsy-turvy. The social balance would have disappeared. Nobody to till the soil, to sweep the streets, to run errands for the ``begum sahiba`` or do her unpleasant household chores, to use the pick and the shovel to help build palatial buildings for those who accumulate tons of wealth through fair and foul means, and nobody to dig the graves of those who die of overeating because they have no other hobby in life! Thank God for the illiterate people`s illiterate representatives having foreseen such an eventuality and acting just in time to bury the devil of Iqra rather than waiting for the burial of illiteracy. These people remained in power for a considerable period and did manage to undo a major part of the damage the late General had done to their cause, thus saving the whole country from the serious consequences enumerated here.

Come the next military ruler, and once again the threat to the race of illiterate masses started looming large on the Pakistani horizon. It was because of the relatively more serious problems that kept General Musharraf busy during the first two years of his military government that he could not pay early attention to remove what the rulers of his ilk call ``the curse of illiteracy`` from the country. And then bang came the big bombshell. In his craze to have ``real democracy`` in the country, he disclosed the other day that in future only university graduates would be allowed to become the people`s representatives at the national level. Just imagine eligibility to represent the people being raised from the level of those who could only put their thumb impressions on the paper, or at best only sign their names, to those who will have to spend fourteen long years of their life on reading and writing! This seems to be a clever ruse meant to disenfranchise 75 percent of the country`s population, a course no freedom loving person in the world would tolerate. Hence all the shouting from the affected politicians who have been enjoying the monopoly of representing the illiterate masses for the last fifty years and reaping a rich harvest of benefits for themselves and their kith and kin.

From our study of the working of the National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB), we have seen this body of Pakistani think tanks to be fairly accommodative to suggestions from the people. However, it is rather allergic to what the politicians say. Hence, the shouting of the politicians against making graduation a minimum qualification for future members of the National Assembly may not cut much ice with the NRB. It is therefore necessary for the illiterate masses also to join the chorus and demand the protection of their basic right of remaining illiterate forever and being represented in the parliament by illiterate persons. The earlier this is done the better for the health of this particular segment of society. Once the constitution is amended, it may be too late to shout, for the military regime is sworn to honour the sanctity of the constitution!``

FEUDALS - Do you hear? you will win a few more, but your days are as feudals are numbered - seek refuge as captains of industry, Now! if you know whats good for you.

``Pakistani illiterates, unite!

Masud Akhtar Shaikh - The writer is a retired Colonel and freelance columnist

masudshaikh@hotmail.com

This is the last call for the illiterate masses of Pakistan to rise and consolidate their ranks before the nefarious conspiracies being hatched by their sworn enemies to wipe them out of existence get going at full pace. It is a pity that most of Pakistani illiterates are unaware of the fact that they constitute over 75 percent of the country`s population. Even those who are intelligent enough to know this fact are not quite aware of the various rights that the country`s constitution bestows upon them. This class of Pakistani citizens as a whole seems to have developed a false sense of security, primarily because ever since the creation of Pakistan, they have been well represented in the nation`s parliament, whenever the nation was lucky enough to have one. At times they had their representatives even in the cabinet. Whether these illiterate people`s representatives looked after the nation`s other vital interests or not is debatable, but nobody can deny their contribution towards safeguarding the rights of the illiterate masses whose votes used to elevate them to the corridors of power. In return, these representatives persistently frustrated all attempts on the part of a very small minority to eliminate illiteracy from the country so that there was no infringement of the basic rights of the illiterates.

In every democracy, rulers are elected by a majority of the voters. Since Pakistan is also a democracy and since a majority of its population is illiterate, it is only logical that a majority of the people`s representatives in the parliament should also be illiterate. This is the reason why the authors of Pakistan`s numerous constitutions avoided laying down any educational prerequisite for eligibility to be elected to the central or the provincial legislatures. That gave a very wide scope to the illiterate candidates to contest elections and to the illiterate masses to be adequately represented by their fellow illiterates. In fact this is what logic also demands. Only a person who does not know reading and writing can understand the problems of his constituents who are equally ignorant about the art of reading and writing.

That being the case, it seems quite ironical that in the past, it was some of the so-called democratic governments that had initiated campaigns for the genocide of the illiterate class of Pakistani population. Even though such campaigns ultimately fizzled out without causing any substantial damage to the cause of our illiterate fellow countrymen, the very fact that the sponsors belonged to a democratic set-up is lamentable. As far as the military governments are concerned, nobody expects them to be very much in love with democracy, irrespective of the fact whether they come out with novel ideas like the basic democracies of the Field Marshal or the real democracy of the incumbent General. Hence, if military rulers ignore a democratic provision of the constitution and set out on curbing the basic rights of the country`s illiterate majority, one cannot blame them. No wonder, the most violent attacks against the interests of the illiterate majority of Pakistanis were, and continue to be, launched during military regimes.

It is no use repeating history, but we can conveniently start with the rule of General Ziaul Haq. It was he who started an intensive campaign to banish illiteracy from the country. His ``Iqra`` scheme was a well thought out plan that was on its way to implementation in real earnest. Had he continued to hold the reins of power for another few years, there is no doubt that illiteracy would have been completely wiped out from the soil of Pakistan. Pakistani illiterates should thank their stars the day the star of the General came down tumbling from the skies and the damage he was bent upon doing to the cause of illiteracy came to a sudden halt. As his mortal remains were being buried, his would-be successors of the pro-illiteracy school belonging to the democratic genre were planning to bury the Iqra scheme, lock, stock and barrel. And this is what they did. That was a great triumph for the silent majority of the Pakistani illiterates who were on their way to total extinction within a matter of a few years.

Imagine the situation in this country if the ill-fated Iqra scheme of the deceased General had been allowed to achieve its ultimate aim of ridding Pakistan of illiteracy. Today, life in Pakistan would have become completely topsy-turvy. The social balance would have disappeared. Nobody to till the soil, to sweep the streets, to run errands for the ``begum sahiba`` or do her unpleasant household chores, to use the pick and the shovel to help build palatial buildings for those who accumulate tons of wealth through fair and foul means, and nobody to dig the graves of those who die of overeating because they have no other hobby in life! Thank God for the illiterate people`s illiterate representatives having foreseen such an eventuality and acting just in time to bury the devil of Iqra rather than waiting for the burial of illiteracy. These people remained in power for a considerable period and did manage to undo a major part of the damage the late General had done to their cause, thus saving the whole country from the serious consequences enumerated here.

Come the next military ruler, and once again the threat to the race of illiterate masses started looming large on the Pakistani horizon. It was because of the relatively more serious problems that kept General Musharraf busy during the first two years of his military government that he could not pay early attention to remove what the rulers of his ilk call ``the curse of illiteracy`` from the country. And then bang came the big bombshell. In his craze to have ``real democracy`` in the country, he disclosed the other day that in future only university graduates would be allowed to become the people`s representatives at the national level. Just imagine eligibility to represent the people being raised from the level of those who could only put their thumb impressions on the paper, or at best only sign their names, to those who will have to spend fourteen long years of their life on reading and writing! This seems to be a clever ruse meant to disenfranchise 75 percent of the country`s population, a course no freedom loving person in the world would tolerate. Hence all the shouting from the affected politicians who have been enjoying the monopoly of representing the illiterate masses for the last fifty years and reaping a rich harvest of benefits for themselves and their kith and kin.

From our study of the working of the National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB), we have seen this body of Pakistani think tanks to be fairly accommodative to suggestions from the people. However, it is rather allergic to what the politicians say. Hence, the shouting of the politicians against making graduation a minimum qualification for future members of the National Assembly may not cut much ice with the NRB. It is therefore necessary for the illiterate masses also to join the chorus and demand the protection of their basic right of remaining illiterate forever and being represented in the parliament by illiterate persons. The earlier this is done the better for the health of this particular segment of society. Once the constitution is amended, it may be too late to shout, for the military regime is sworn to honour the sanctity of the constitution!``

... and what about gashtis ?

...maulana hamzad is convinced tahmed and the chursee,bhungee,zaanee,sharabee,juaaree,zunkhay,tuchhay,luchhay,luffungay,nausaryay,and heejray are responsible for the sad state of affairs that the ummah finds itself in ..... but what about gashtis ? .... ask any bare-ankled pakistani momin as he walks down the street busy with watwani and tasbeeh, and he will tell you that the reason god has forsaken this land are the two gashtis - asma jehangir and her demirep sister hina jilani ........ the reason the brotherhood is in little six by eight cages is because of the fitna created by these women on god`s earth ......gashtis !

.......and it is a cardinal sin to use the word sharabee without the accompanying kababee .... somehow sharab and kabab do go together - come to think about it, the only decent horrible hindoos i know are the sharabees kababees .... i have yet to meet a vegetarian hindoo who can tell the difference between turpentine and whiskey - who ever heard of real men drinking single malt and then going out for bhaji and idlee !

...... having said all this, i still think the term kanjar best defines those who stand for modernity, reason and good personal hygiene .......luchays and lufangays might be able to stop a minor mullah or two, but it takes a real kanjar to stand up to the dark forces of imam ghazali and hazrat osama bin ladin(RA) .......i knew such a man once - he always had a gajra of fresh motia wrapped around his wrist as he stood out on the thara swaying to sound of the gungroo, harmonium and tabla ... he was an honorable man

... and what about gashtis ?

...maulana hamzad is convinced tahmed and the chursee,bhungee,zaanee,sharabee,juaaree,zunkhay,tuchhay,luchhay,luffungay,nausaryay,and heejray are responsible for the sad state of affairs that the ummah finds itself in ..... but what about gashtis ? .... ask any bare-ankled pakistani momin as he walks down the street busy with watwani and tasbeeh, and he will tell you that the reason god has forsaken this land are the two gashtis - asma jehangir and her demirep sister hina jilani ........ the reason the brotherhood is in little six by eight cages is because of the fitna created by these women on god`s earth ......gashtis !

.......and it is a cardinal sin to use the word sharabee without the accompanying kababee .... somehow sharab and kabab do go together - come to think about it, the only decent horrible hindoos i know are the sharabees kababees .... i have yet to meet a vegetarian hindoo who can tell the difference between turpentine and whiskey - who ever heard of real men drinking single malt and then going out for bhaji and idlee !

...... having said all this, i still think the term kanjar best defines those who stand for modernity, reason and good personal hygiene .......luchays and lufangays might be able to stop a minor mullah or two, but it takes a real kanjar to stand up to the dark forces of imam ghazali and hazrat osama bin ladin(RA) .......i knew such a man once - he always had a gajra of fresh motia wrapped around his wrist as he stood out on the thara swaying to sound of the gungroo, harmonium and tabla ... he was an honorable man

Ref jay #: 296

[gymno

You never sounded such a veteran. I am three years after you.]

Three years ahead of you makes me a veteran? I skipped a couple of years in school so you are at the most just a year younger than me! I probably ragged you when you joined REC.

Were you with the same batch which included VV Giri`s (then Governor of Kerala, latter President of India) grandson? Sheesh, we ragged him too. None of you were exempt.

You won`t believe it but I visited REC in Sept 2000 after a lapse of 20+ years. One of my EE professors who hadn`t yet retired still remembered me!

Regards. And keep needling our neighbors across the border.

Ref jay #: 296

[gymno

You never sounded such a veteran. I am three years after you.]

Three years ahead of you makes me a veteran? I skipped a couple of years in school so you are at the most just a year younger than me! I probably ragged you when you joined REC.

Were you with the same batch which included VV Giri`s (then Governor of Kerala, latter President of India) grandson? Sheesh, we ragged him too. None of you were exempt.

You won`t believe it but I visited REC in Sept 2000 after a lapse of 20+ years. One of my EE professors who hadn`t yet retired still remembered me!

Regards. And keep needling our neighbors across the border.

hamzad #280 ``They do not speak english in Urdu/hindvi accent ...``

I-eeee am shock-kad!! Shock-kad, I-eeee say!!

``...trying to make lions & elephants sit on tiny western schools.``

So bad!! How-uuuu can elephant sit on tiny school without bottom-side giving pain??

``The world would always be divided between shepherds & farmers---& the shephards would always rule under various guises.``

Very deep thought. So deep I cannot see the bottom.

``THINK.``

No! Pliss No!! Just explain what point you are making.

http://atimes.com/ind-pak/DB01Df01.html

Daniel Pearl kidnapping plot thickens

By Syed Saleem Shahzad

KARACHI - The kidnapping mystery surrounding the Wall Street Journal`s South Asia bureau chief, Daniel Pearl, is still unresolved after more than a week. Insiders in Pakistani intelligence agencies say the case is not as simple as it appears. But the theories emanating from these agencies have one thing in common: that the kidnapping is an Indian ploy to provide American detective agencies, which are already established in the country, with a chance to discover all the strings of the Pakistani secret underworld as they investigate the case.

Sources say that in the past few days the course of investigation into Pearl`s kidnapping has suddenly changed, and all fingers are now pointing toward outfits that are little known but have been operational in India. One of these organizations, Jamiatul Faqurah, is alleged by India to have carried out terrorist activities, and now, strangely for the first time, its connections to underworld Muslim groups have been established by the United States.

After Pearl`s kidnapping, the first suspect was Harkatul Mujahadeen, an organization banned by the US several years ago. However, aware of the entire structure of this militant group, Pakistani investigators did not pursue the idea. Pakitani intelligence agencies have inroads into all Pakistani militant groups, and believe that had Harkat or any other known militant group kidnapped Pearl, they would have found a clue no matter how secretly the kidnapping was carried out.

Just three days after the incident, Pakistani intelligence agenicies reported to the country`s leadership that no Pakistani militant group was behind the incident. They could find no suspect nor match the modus operandi with those of militant groups operating in Pakistan. The way Pearl was snatched, and the way the kidnappers` demands were made known via email, are not characteristic of Pakistani groups.

The intelligence agencies have therefore concluded in their reports that the kidnapping was a plot hatched by an Indian agency or proxies infiltrated into militant organizations. The motive? To imply that Osama bin Laden`s al-Qaeda network is operating in Pakistan. Once this became recognized, the US would conduct an operation that would not only eliminate Pakistani underworld groups but also discover and destroy their links in India.

This thesis presented by Pakistani intelligence agencies is given weight by several events. Initially, it was stressed that Pearl was staying in Karachi near the beach in a rented property, along with his wife and an Indian friend. He was investigating cyber-crimes and militant organizations. He met with some senior US officials at the US consulate in Karachi, and was not seen again. His kidnapping was registered at Clifton Police Station in Karachi.

However, in the past few days it has emerged - or been claimed - that Pearl managed to meet some senior members of Harkatul Mujahideen in Rawalpindi, who promised him they would arrange his meeting with Shiekh Mubarrak Jillani, a leader of Jamiatul Fuqarah. Jamiatul Fuqarah is said to be operative in Kashmir. It was also implied that Jamiatul Fuqarah has links with some underground groups in the US. The theory then changed to Pearl being kidnapped not in Karachi but in Rawalpindi, and that an organization like Jamiatul Fuqarah was behind the kidnapping.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pakistani agencies then conducted raids in Rawalpindi, searching for Shiekh Mubarak. Mubarak put an end to that by appearing before the senior superintendent of police in Rawalpindi last Wednesday.

The implication that Jamiatul Fuqarah was involved in Pearl`s kidnapping is strange, because the group has never been accused of conducting terrorist activities in Pakistan. However, New Delhi has blamed the outfit for many incidents that have occurred in India.

Pakistani intelligence sources say that the kidnapping is likely to be a blow for Pakistani secret services` operations in India. There are many such operations, designed to keep India entangled in its internal affairs to the extent that it would not bother to attack Pakistan. Many of these operations were hatched during General Zia ul Haq`s tenure, with the intention of encouraging Indian separatist movements of any hue, Muslim or non-Muslim.

The Sikh Khalistan movement and the Muslim Kashmiri movement are now widely known, but there are other militant structures that the Indian intelligence agencies know about but have not managed to crack. One of them is Dawood Ibrahim`s underworld mafia in Mumbai, which now draws its support from across India.

However, the most important underground structures include Sufi outfits. Traditionally, the Sufis have always kept themselves apart from worldly affairs, preferring to focus on spritual matters. But Zia ul Haq`s spies traced and cultivated some Sufi groups which had a tradition of combat and which struggled against British colonialism. One such outfit is Mian Mir (named after a famous Sufi saint) of Lahore, which has followers in India. These days, the custodian of Mian Mir`s tomb is none other than Skeikh Mubarak Jillani, now under investigation for the kidnapping of Daniel Pearl.

Sources say that many of the facts of the kidnapping are yet to unfold, but they are likely to make life difficult for the Pakistani secret agencies, both inside and outside Pakistan.

Reply Semipreciousme # 261

“….hmmm…khabi khushi, khabi ghum?…”

No. Khatta Meetha….featuring a Parsi wedding. Ancient film. Never mind.

“….hero no. 1?….”

Yeh kya hai? Punjabi by Nature track?

“….really now, zafarsaab…how demonic are parathas as compared to sugary daal???…”

Hmm…I’ve had a long correspondence with Mr Stuka re: parathas. I will bow to his superior knowledge of same here. (He warned me against moolee dey….)

“…i’d be careful about touching those pringles if i were you….”

Hanauz Karachi Door Asth. Ha!