Iran Braces for Fire Festival Crackdown Traditional pre-Islamic celebration could be occasion for opposition protests. By Sahar Sepehri in Washington (MR No. 28, 15-Mar-10) Iranian officials are warning the opposition not to turn an ancient fire festival this week into a protest against the government. The celebration of Chaharshanbe Soori, Red Wednesday, on the evening March 16 marks the last Wednesday of the Iranian year and is rooted in pre-Islamic Zoroastrian tradition as a rite of the arrival of spring and is thus rejected by the country’s ruling Muslim clerics. But this will be the first time the occasion has … Continue reading Chaharshanbe Soor Mubarak!

Iran and Syria look to closer ties By an IWPR-trained reporter DAMASCUS – The busy historic market of Damascus is a familiar sight for Siya Shahidi. The Iranian housewife and mother of three has been going there from Tehran at least twice a year for years with her family to shop and visit holy sites. “When I walk in this market, it feels like walking in Tehran,” said Shahidi, whose head is only partly covered by a black scarf as she browses colorful dresses in a small store at the Hamidiyeh souk in old Damascus. Shahidi, who considers Damascus “the … Continue reading Iran and Syria move closer!

Iraq, seven years after By Brian M Downing It’s been seven years since United States and coalition forces invaded Iraq. The principal rationale for the war – Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction – was based on poor if not manipulated intelligence, but there were ancillary rationales of building democracy in the Middle East and increasing US national security. These other rationales might be usefully assessed now as the passions of the conflict have eased and an exit is near. Democracy in Iraq Many of the architects of the war envisioned a swift transition to a democratic government in Iraq. … Continue reading Free Iraq?

By Syed Fazl-e-Haider KARACHI – Islamabad and Tehran have signed an operational agreement on the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project, a month after the signing was delayed because Pakistan was unable to arrange funds for the project. The countries signed a “heads of agreement” and certain “condition precedents” to make the gas sales purchase agreement (GSPA) signed last June effective. The signing of these agreements was required for the flow of Iranian gas towards Pakistan to begin in three to four years. The pipeline as initially mooted was to carry gas from Iran to Pakistan and on to India. India … Continue reading Iran-Pakistan pipeline inches nearer reality

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!