In defense, China offers cold comfort By Peter J Brown For the first time in well over a decade, China has limited rising spending on defense to a less than double-digit increase. In early March, Beijing announced that the 2010 defense budget would total approximately 532 billion yuan (US$78 billion), with the 7.5% increase representing half the 14.9% rise approved in 2009. China is accustomed to being accused of not providing accurate information. Jia Yong, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee (CPPCC), recently described these allegations as “groundless”. [1] Japan has … Continue reading Picking on the Chinese again?

This post from Anas Abbas the Let Us Build Pakistan blog contains a thorough rebuttal to the conspiracies that have been built around the “secret map” of the breakup of Pakistan. Lately, Pakistani media has been propagating the perception that a secret map by U.S. military official Lt. Col Ralph Peters was issued in 2006  to safeguard Israeli security interest and to balkanize Pakistan. This map has been quite frequently used by Zaid Hamid, journalist Ahmed Qureshi, DR Shireen Mazari, DR Shahid Masood and many others to highlight the American, Indian and Israeli conspiracy in balkanizing Pakistan. This eventually gave them a strong foundation … Continue reading The MAP!

Militancy in Punjab Dawn Editorial Pakistani army soldiers cordon off the area of bombing in Lahore. –AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has been excoriated by all right-thinking individuals across Pakistan for his shocking comments about the PML-N sharing a common cause with the Taliban. But away from the politics of the war against militancy, on the security front alarming new trends are emerging in Punjab. Here’s what is known. Earlier this month, the names contained in the FIA’s ‘red book’, a list of the country’s most-wanted criminal suspects, were made public: 25 of the 119 names on … Continue reading Militant Mullahs in Punjab spreading unchecked?

Labour has taken 13 years of diabolical liberties with Britain Individualism and autonomy used to be prized – now they are held in contempt, argues Simon Heffer By Simon Heffer telegraph.co.uk Britain has become increasingly authoritarian Photo: Alamy A danger of the Government’s having made such a mess of the economy is that one risks forgetting all the other horrors for which it is responsible. Between now and the election I shall make a point of discussing some of these other factors that an intelligent voter should want to consider before casting his or her ballot. Despite stiff competition from … Continue reading Under New Labour – The United Kingdom has become a Police State!

The fourth cup of tea By Rafia Zakaria dawn.com Pakistanis are grateful for Greg Mortensen’s ability to sidestep the perpetual narrative of the Taliban, terror and the exploding Islamist time bomb that routinely defines discussions about Pakistan, particularly on Capitol Hill. –File When Greg Mortenson’s book Three Cups of Tea was published in 2006, publishers were unsure of its reception. Their fears were unfounded. The book’s story of a failed American mountain climber’s humanitarian project to build schools in the most underprivileged parts of Pakistan’s northern areas resounded with millions. Three Cups of Tea sold 3.6 million copies in paperback … Continue reading Three Cups of Chai with Greg Mortenson!

Man used penis to assault female police officer The court heard Marium Varinauskas had been drinking heavily A man who assaulted a female police officer with his penis has been fined. Marium Varinauskas, 28, tried to strike the officer on the head with his penis when she was called out to his flat, but she got out of the way. Lithuanian Varinauskas admitted a charge of assault at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and was fined £600. The court heard he had been drinking heavily and could not remember committing the offence at his home in Aberdeen. Police were called to his … Continue reading A man who assaulted a female police officer with his penis has been fined.

The Taliban’s chief military commander was in secret talks with Hamid Karzai’s family just weeks before his arrest by Pakistan intelligence officers, it has been claimed. By Dean Nelson in Delhi and Ben Farmer in Kabul telegraph.co.uk Afghan President Hamid Karzai is said to have held secret talks with the Taliban Photo: EPA The Afghan president was furious about the seizure of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Karachi last month as the men had been negotiating, according to his aides. Diplomats have claimed at least one of Mr Karzai’s brothers held talks with the Taliban’s number two at a private … Continue reading Drugs deal… Hamid Karzai held secret talks with Mullah Baradar in Afghanistan

Artists and academics regularly refused UK entry, say campaigners Visa system is preventing overseas professionals from promoting or selling their work, according to a dossier of cases Owen Bowcott guardian.co.uk, The Patiala Pipe Band were refused entry to the UK. Photograph: Wattie Cheung/Camera Press Artists, authors and academics from overseas are regularly being refused permission to enter the UK under the government’s points-based visa system, according to a dossier of cases to be presented to Downing Street tomorrow. Writers have been prevented from attending their book launches, painters deported for carrying their own works and a Pakistani band banned from … Continue reading Mullah Jeremy Oppenheim of the UK terrorist group UKBA says NO!

Punjab khappay? Posted by Nadeem F. Paracha  According to many emails that I received after posting a blog in the wake of the terrible bomb attacks in Lahore last week, I was ‘spreading politics of ethnicity.’ I don’t know exactly what made these folks think this way, but the accusation does smack of an attitude demonstrated by many of my fellow countrymen when they are asked certain thorny questions regarding ideology and religion: they at once either label the questioner as being ‘anti-Islam’ or ‘anti-Pakistan.’ I am not the only writer in this country who has faced this kind of … Continue reading Wanting to kiss a mullah will get you raped!