THERE has been a veritable raft of statements from the chief of army staff in the very recent past on ‘strategic depth’ for Pakistan in Afghanistan. Variously: “we want a strategic depth in Afghanistan but do not want to control it”; “if Afghanistan is peaceful, stable and friendly, we have our strategic depth because our western border is secure”; and “our strategic paradigm needs to be fully realised”. Inexplicably he also said that ‘it would be a cause of worry for Pakistan if Afghanistan’s projected army developed the potential to take on Pakistan’. The Afghan army’s ‘projected’ development (woefully inadequate … Continue reading The Power lies within us and not in Mullahs

LONDON: From smashing windows to breaking world records, soccer freestyler Dan Magness has enjoyed a bizarre career which has offered him the chance to travel and rub shoulders with big names. The Englishman’s latest exploit was to kick-start a ball relay that will end at the World Cup in South Africa in June. After he was released at the age of 16 by ex-English league side and 1988 FA Cup winnersWimbledon, Magness’s soccer career looked as doomed as his old club, who were dissolved in 2004. “I was always the player in the team where the ball would come to me and … Continue reading Freestyler gets ball rolling to World Cup

Telegraph Continue reading South Korean soldiers make US Marines eat frogs, scorpions and lizards in jungle survival training

A student branded a “wannabe suicide bomber” has walked free after having a terrorism conviction quashed by appeal court judges. Telegraph Mohammed Atif Siddique said he should not have been jailed for “thought crime” and never had the intention of using terrorist materials he had accumulated to hurt anyone. Prosecutors confirmed the 24-year-old, who was Scotland’s first man found guilty of being an Islamist terrorist, will not face a retrial. The Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh ruled last month that Siddique had suffered a miscarriage of justice after the judge in his original trial misdirected the jury. Three senior … Continue reading ‘Wannabe suicide bomber’ walks free

Deeda-e-Beena The menace is growing to awesome proportions while efforts for finding solutions are miniscule. How could we ever win this fight? The Nation is at war and needs to act at war footing as a whole. Post-factum izhar-e-muzzamat is all one hears from those who are responsible to deal with it! You and I can do it too! The Government, the Media and the People themselves – its singular victims, are woefully remiss on what each of them can and should be doing to subvert this mayhem. There is no evidence even of any serious and systematic thinking by all … Continue reading Terrorism and Mullahism: Starting a Search for Solutions

Muslims attend Friday prayers under a snowfall at the Central mosque in Almaty February 5, 2010. – Reuters ALMATY: Long ignored as a myth whipped up by the authorities to justify political repression, a surge in radical Islam in the former Soviet region has become a reality for the West fighting an increasingly tough war in next-door Afghanistan. Analysts say long-defunct groups like the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan are regaining force in the impoverished region where ethnic tensions have long simmered under the surface. “They (militants) are preparing the ground for a long, sustained military campaign in Central Asia,” said … Continue reading Radical Islam casts shadow over Central Asia

Taliban confirm Hakeemullah’s death Former Taliban chief Hakeemullah Mehsud sits with his commander Wali-ur Rehman. – AFP (File Photo) KARACHI: The Taliban based in Orakzai Agency confirmed on Tuesday that Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan chief Hakeemullah Mehsud is dead. According to a DawnNews report, Mehsud died on Sunday in Multan after succumbing to injuries received in a drone attack in Shaktoi village. However, Alam Tariq the offiicial Taliban spokesman has not yet made a statement. Sources said that Maulvi Noor Jamal has been nominated as Mehsud’s succesor. Government officials too have confirmed his death. American and Pakistani officials had been saying Mehsud was … Continue reading Takfiri Mullah’s death gives birth to another Takfiri Mullah – ‘Mullah-e-Noor’

Macho and excessive armed policing Although violent crime is down, the police are increasingly using guns to make bungled, inaccurate and potentially deadly raids Henry Porter guardian.co.uk Victoria Coren asked in the Observer last week why we need a police force that has become “a tooled up army of Schwarzeneggers” if, as Tony Blair claimed at the Iraq inquiry, the invasion of Iraq has made Britain a safer place. It was a good point made in an unhysterical column written after she encountered an armed policeman in a peaceful London street. You ponder the same question after Gordon Brown’s claim … Continue reading British Police – Unruly, Violent THUGS?

God and the prime ministers Far from ‘not doing God’, every British prime minister since the 60s has been a self-professed Christian Antonio Weiss guardian.co.uk Given the ease with which political commentators have accepted Alastair Campbell’s dictum regarding faith and the Blair government, it is perhaps unsurprising that God made few appearances in accounts of the former prime minister’s appearance at the Chilcot Inquiry into the decision to go to war in Iraq. This was a great missed opportunity. Campbell’s edict – made in the fear that the British population can only associate religious faith with the crude stereotype of … Continue reading Using ‘God’ – how British Prime Ministers revel in being his representatives!