dawn.com A man smiles for a photograph while sitting in the halls of district court in Swat, March 19, 2010. — Reuters Pakistan ‘Most parts of Swat cleared of militants’ ‘Most parts of Swat cleared of militants’ MINGORA: Zarbakht Khan is still waiting for Swat Valley’s corrupt and slow-moving courts to settle an eight-year land dispute which has drained his bank account and eroded his confidence in the state. Such delays were exploited by Taliban militants, whose promises of swift justice appealed to people when they first took over the region. Nearly a year after they were driven out by … Continue reading Swat promises justice, to fight Taliban

More proof as if it were needed, that the ethnic minority vote will play a more decisive role in the 2010 general election than in any earlier poll, according toresearch released today. Some 25 parliamentary constituencies have more than 40% of their voting population from ethnic minorities, and voters from the Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indian communities are more likely to turn out than their white neighbours,Professor Muhammad Anwar of the University of Warwick found. But he voiced concern that ethnic minorities – who make up 10% of Britain’s population – remain “massively undervalued and under-represented” at Westminster. Prof Anwar said the … Continue reading British Muslims will play a decisive role in the 2010 general election!

Islamophobic violence is on the march as we continue to document hate crimes on Muslims and Muslim places of worship. Of course to Robert Spencer and company Islamophobia doesn’t exist. In Leeds, we have the story of Muslim gravestones being desecrated: Muslim Graves Damaged in Leeds Cemetery Nineteen gravestones have been vandalised in a section of a Leeds cemetery used by Muslims. One headstone was broken and a number of name plaques on wooden stands were damaged at Harehills Cemetery. Police said they were “keeping an open mind” on whether the graves were deliberately targeted because they were linked to Muslim … Continue reading Anti Muslim violence continues – despite Islamophobia not existing!

Pakistan marches into Washington By Syed Saleem Shahzad ISLAMABAD – Pakistan this week takes another step in cementing its long-term strategic partnership with the United States, with ministerial-level talks scheduled in Washington on Wednesday. Significantly, the Pakistani side’s agenda will be driven by army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kiani. President Asif Ali Zardari is not in the delegation that is technically being led by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and which includes the ministers of finance, commerce and agriculture as well as the director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Lieutenant General Ahmad Shuja Pasha. Kiani visited the headquarters of … Continue reading Pakistan Invades Washington DC!

Refusal to surrender My Father was a Freedom Fighter by Ramzy Baroud Reviewed by Robin Yassin-Kassab “From afar,” writes Ramzy Baroud, “Gaza’s reality, like that of all of Palestine, is often presented without cohesion, without proper context; accounts of real life in Gaza are marred with tired assumptions and misrepresentations that deprive the depicted humans of their names, identities and very dignity.” Palestinian-American author, journalist and editor of the Palestine Chronicle, Ramzy Baroud’s latest book My Father was a Freedom Fighter is an antidote to the United States, European and Israeli media’s decontextualization and dehumanization of Palestinians. It’s also an instant classic, … Continue reading Gaza – Refusal to surrender

Former captive’s silence speaks volumes By Donald Kirk What really happened to missionary Robert Park during the 43 days in which he was held in North Korea before disavowing all his criticism of the regime and flying on to Beijing? Park’s non-appearance at news conferences is revealing in itself. The less he talks, the more intense is the sense that he suffered abuse after crossing the Tumen River from China on Christmas Eve with a message demanding Dear Leader Kim Jong-il close the gulag system in which tens of thousands of prisoners are held, tortured and often executed. The nature … Continue reading Sex, The Baptist and North Korea

Hamas: Learning from mistakes By Sami Moubayed DAMASCUS – Anyone who has watched the performance of Hamas or followed its rhetoric since its founding in Palestine in the late 1980s realizes that the Islamic group has greatly matured over the past 20 years. Originally, Hamas shunned everything related to the Oslo Peace Agreement signed by Palestinian president Yasser Arafat, claiming that by accepting United Nations resolutions Arafat was offering de facto recognition of Israel. The founding charter of Hamas refused to recognize the Jewish state and promised to eradicate it completely, thereby restoring all of Palestine of 1948. It refused … Continue reading Hamas: Coming out from the cold?

Hezbollah: Craving war, not wanting it By Nicholas Noe BEIRUT – Almost five years after the George W Bush administration was handed a potentially game-changing opportunity to peacefully declaw the militant Shi’ite movement Hezbollah, Washington is finally waking up to the grim reality of its ill-conceived “Cedar Revolution” policy in Lebanon: the prospect of a renewed war involving a sophisticated actor whose hybrid military power has only grown exponentially. Setting aside, for the moment, the contentious argument over who is indeed responsible for these developments – which, it should be noted, quickly followed the forced exit of Syrian troops in … Continue reading Hezbollah: Bi-Curious?

Pretenders aspire to Iraq’s political throne By Sami Moubayed DAMASCUS – Results from Iraq’s tight general election race are becoming clearer, with 95% of votes from the March 7 poll now counted. The latest official figures at the weekend put ex-prime minister Iyad Allawi’s Iraqi National Bloc slightly ahead of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s State of Law coalition. News that Allawi was leading by 11,000 votes prompted Maliki to call for a recount, with President Jalal Talabani adding his support. On Sunday, the electoral commission rejected their demands, saying there was no justification at this stage and that final results … Continue reading Pretenders for leadership in Baghdad!