:: London Instituete Of South Asia ::


Home	Articles Published	Lisa Books	Lisa Journal	Contact Us	E-Correspondence

Articles Published


	The Neo-cons Do Georgia by Paul Craig Roberts	15/08/2008
The success of the Bush Regime’s propaganda, lies, and deception with gullible and inattentive Americans since 9/11 has made it difficult for intelligent, aware people to be optimistic about the future of the United States. For almost 8 years the US media has served as Ministry of Propaganda for a war criminal regime. Americans incapable of thinking for themselves, reading between the lines, or accessing foreign media on the Internet have been brainwashed. More....
	Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti Forced to Resign:	15/08/2008
WASHINGTON, D.C., August 14, 2008. Akal Takht Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti, who recently endorsed Khalistan, was forced to resign on August 4 by the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC.) The SGPC promptly and unilaterally appointed Gurbachan Singh, head granthi at Darbar Sahib, as the Takht?s acting Jathedar. More....
	Behind the Indian Embassy Bombing by Robert D. Kaplan	15/08/2008
GWADAR, PAKISTAN—According to U.S. intelligence sources, Pakistan's intelligence service provided support to pro-Taliban insurgents responsible for the July 7 bombing of the Indian Embassy in Kabul, which killed more than 40 people. Shocking though Pakistani involvement may seem to some, it is thoroughly predictable, given the worldview and interests of Pakistan's Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Unless we address what's angering the ISI, we won't be able to stabilize Afghanistan or capture al-Qaeda leaders inside its borders. More....
	To Impeach or not to Impeach? That is not the question! by Brig ® Usman KhalidBrig ® Usman Khalid	09/8/2008
There is a fierce debate going on in Pakistan whether the decision of the ruling coalition to impeach President Musharraf is really a decision to impeach him or to entrench him? The spanner in the works has come from Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, who is the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association. He was the leader of the lawyers team that successfully pleaded the case of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry before the Supreme Court that got him reinstated. He is in the USA and has said in an interview that the decision to ‘impeach’ is a conspiracy to switch priorities from ‘restoration of the judges’ to the ‘impeachment of the President’ and thus preclude both. More....
	The Lies Of Hiroshima Are The Lies Of Today by John Pilger	07/08/2008
On the anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, John Pilger describes the 'progression of lies' from the dust of that detonated city, to the wars of today - and the threatened attack on Iran. More....
	Can’t Win In Afghanistan? Blame Pakistan by Eric S. Margolis	05/08/2008
NEW YORK – Soon after the US invaded Afghanistan and overthrow the Taliban government in 2001, I predicted that Taliban resistance would resume in four years. More....
	US told not to back terrorism against Pakistan by Kamran Khan	05/08/2008
KARACHI:Tuesday, August 05, 2008: Pakistan has complained to the United States military leadership and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) that Washington's policy towards terrorism in Pakistan was inconsistent with America's declared commitment to the war against terror. More....
	Home Truths You'll Never Read in the Press by Patrick Cockburn	04/08/2008
04/08/08 "Counterpunch" --- American politicians and journalists have repeatedly made the same mistake in Iraq over the past five years. This is to assume that the US is far more in control of events in the country than has ever truly been the case. This was true after the fall of Saddam Hussein when President Bush and his viceroy in Baghdad Paul Bremer believed that what Iraqis thought and did could safely be ignored. Within months guerrilla war against American forces was raging across central Iraq. More....
	Letter from America by Brig ® Usman Khalid	03/08/2008
Pakistan is not without friends in North America. Many are appalled at the way America has turned on Pakistan. I have received the following letter from a friend in the USA: More....
	"Bleeding Afghanistan" by Mike Whitney	01/08/2008
1--Mike Whitney: On a recent stopover in France, Barack Obama said, "We must win in Afghanistan. There is no other option." Recent polls, however, show that public support for the war in Afghanistan has fallen off sharply. In fact, many American's don't even know why we are still there. Is there a big difference between what "winning" means to the Bush administration and what it means to the people of Afghanistan? Also, have you seen any indication that the Bush administration intends to keep its promises and establish security, rebuild the country's infrastructure, spread democracy, remove the warlords, liberate women, and "modernize" Afghanistan or was that all just a public relations smokescreen to promote the invasion? More....
	ISI Targeted For Uncovering American Betrayal by Makhdoom Babar	1/08/2008
The question that arises here is this: Why has this anti-ISI campaign been launched all of sudden when the ISI is considered to be a major tool in crushing terrorism and extremism? The ISI is suddenly the target of Washington, New Delhi and Karzai because the Pakistani spy agency has solved the mystery behind the funding and arming of anti-Pakistan insurgency in Balochistan and NWFP. The trail of evidence leads all the way to gates of CIA at Langley and RAW in New Delhi. ISI has handed over more than 500 terrorists to the Americans, but CIA has been backstabbing Pakistan by supporting terrorism against Islamabad. If one goes by the sequence of the anti-ISI statements by the Indians, by the Americans, by the Afghanis and the stance of pro-CIA media of the United States, it can be very easily figured out that there is a motivated campaign against the ISI, well coordinated by the American, the Indian and the Afghani leadership. More....
	Making Nuclear Extermination Respectable by James Petras	31/12/2007
On July 18, 2008 The New York Times published an article by Israeli-Jewish historian, Professor Benny Morris, advocating an Israeli nuclear-genocidal attack on Iran with the likelihood of killing 70 million Iranians – 12 times the number of Jewish victims in the Nazi holocaust: More....
	Let's Speak the Truth About Afghanistan by Eric Margolis	31/07/2008
"Huffington Post" -- - NEW YORK -- During his triumphant European tour, Senator Barack Obama again urged NATO's members to send more troops to Afghanistan and called the conflict there, "the central front in the war on terror." Europe's response ranged from polite evasion to downright frosty. More....
	What is the Problem with the ISI? by Brig ® Usman Khalid, Director LISA	31/07/2008
ISI is in the news again but for a novel reason. Asif Zaradri, the oligarch who runs the PPP as a mafia, want to bring it under the control of his chosen don – Rehman Malik – who is also the Advisor (whose?) in charge of the Ministry of Interior. By definition, the only law in a mafia is: ‘obey the boss’. Whatever the law or the constitution of the country (which says the PM is the boss), or whatever the party may want or aspire (whose members want to be consulted) the ‘word of the boss is the law’. The word is whispered directly into the ear concerned. Yousaf Raza Gilani is the Prime Minister chosen by Asif Zardari (not the PPP) and he has eager ears for him and no one else. When he got the word, just prior to leaving for the USA, that the ISI and the IB be placed under the Ministry of Interior, he had to comply promptly or face the consequences. He has learnt from previous experience when he wanted to make ‘TV speech to the nation’ that he cannot chose his own words to say things. The boss will not tell him what to say because he does not know either. High office of the state is given in this administration only to those who can interpret ‘nods and winks’ and act appropriately. President Bush was informed that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani is used to the language of ‘nods and winks’. The President, therefore, chose to speak to the PM of Pakistan in ‘nods and winks’. TV cameras recorded only one instance of the Presidential ‘wink’ but the press was told that there was much more and in both directions; the meeting went swimmingly. More....
	Insurgents close in on Kabul by Daily Times of Lahore	28/07/2008
LAHORE: Afghanistan’s insurgents have a new target – Kabul, and the belt of towns and villages surrounding the capital, according to a Newsweek report. More....
	Who Really Rules Pakistan?	27/07/2008
It is not just the Pakistanis who worry and wonder who really rules Pakistan; news items and articles have appeared all over the world expressing the same concern - who really rules Pakistan? More....
	Letter to Senator Obama from London Institute of South Asia (lisa) by Usman Khalid	25/07/2008
Dear Senator Obama, More....
	Annual lisa Book Award –2008	20/07/2008
London, 17 July. london institute of south asia (lisa) makes an award every year to an author from South Asia for a “book that made a difference”. This year, the book chosen for the award is “ Why I am not a Hindu” by Dr. Kancha Ilaiah, Professor of Political Science at the Osmania University, Hyderbad, India. The award ceremony was held at Portcullis House, Westminster on 17 July 2008 under the auspices of ‘All parties Parliamentary Group on Third World Solidarity’ headed by David Anderson MP. More....
	A Totally Lawless Regime by Paul Craig Roberts	17/07/2008
Think about this question: In the 21st century what regime is more lawless than the Bush Regime? More....
	"Something Big is Happening" by Rep. Ron Paul, M.D.	16/07/2008
Madam Speaker, I have, for the past 35 years, expressed my grave concern for the future of America. The course we have taken over the past century has threatened our liberties, security and prosperity. In spite of these long-held concerns, I have days--growing more frequent all the time--when I'm convinced the time is now upon us that some Big Events are about to occur. These fast-approaching events will not go unnoticed. They will affect all of us. They will not be limited to just some areas of our country. The world economy and political system will share in the chaos about to be unleashed. More....
	Iran Shows Its Cards by Scott Ritter	16/07/2008
There can no longer be any doubt about the consequences of any U.S. and/or Israeli military action against Iran. Armchair warriors, pundits and blustering politicians alike have been advocating a pre-emptive military strike against Iran for the purpose of neutralizing its nuclear-related infrastructure, as well as retarding Iran’s ability to train and equip “terrorist” forces on Iranian soil before dispatching them to Iraq or parts unknown. Some, including me, have warned of the folly of such action, and now Iran itself has demonstrated why an attack would be insane More....
	It's the Oil, stupid! by Noam Chomsky "Khaleej Times"	11/07/2008
The deal just taking shape between Iraq's Oil Ministry and four Western oil companies raises critical questions about the nature of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq — questions that should certainly be addressed by presidential candidates and seriously discussed in the United States, and of course in occupied Iraq, where it appears that the population has little if any role in determining the future of their country. More....
	Reality Bites Back by Tom Engelhardt	11/07/2008
It's been on the minds of antiwar activists and war critics since 2003. And little wonder. If you don't remember the pre-invasion of Iraq neocon quip, "Everyone wants to go to Baghdad. Real men want to go to Tehran..." -- then take notice. Even before American troops entered Iraq, knocking off Iran was already "Regime Change: The Sequel." It was always on the Bush agenda and, for a faction of the administration led by Vice President Cheney, it evidently still is. More....
	Can Islam Accommodate Democracy Or Democracy Accommodate Islam? by Benjamin R. Barber	11/07/2008
There is a powerful rhetoric around today that claims Islam – not just fundamentalist or Wahhabist or Safalist Islam, but Islam itself is a religion hostile to democracy. Hostile not only to liberty, pluralism and the open society, but to modernity itself as it is defined by liberal values. The attitude evident in Samuel Huntington’s discredited notion of a “clash of civilizations” in which the West and the rest are locked in a struggle for survival, so foreign to discussions like our here in Istanbul, in fact remains ubiquitous in Western politics and media. More....
	The Coming Catastrophe?by David DeBatto	09/07/2008
We bring to the attention of our readers David DeBatto's scenario as to what might occur if one of the several contingency plans to attack Iran, with the participation of Israel and NATO, were to be carried out. While one may disagree with certain elements of detail of the author's text, the thrust of this analysis must be taken seriously. More....
	Kabul, Karachi & Islamabad Blasts: Who’d Done It? by Usman Khalid, Director LISA	08/07/2008
There was a suicide bomber attack on Indian Embassy in Kabul on Monday, July 7, in which 42 persons were killed. The victims included the Indian Defence Attaché, Brigadier R. Mehta, and Press Attaché V.V.Rao. President Hamid Karazai and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (of India) pointed the accusing finger at the ISI of Pakistan. Even The Times of London could not restrain itself from editorially commenting that ‘rogue elements’ of the ISI are un-reconciled to the break with the Taleban. That is utter nonsense. No intelligence organisation acts overseas without explicit government authorisation. There is no possibility that a segment of the military, which is under the discipline of military law, can tolerate let alone operate a ‘rogue’ within. The ISI surely keeps a close eye on the Taleban, as it must. But other intelligence organisations including those from India, USA, UK and Israel maintain contacts with them too. How else can they infiltrate them? How else could they have used them to target the Chinese in Pakistan and Sinkiang? More....
	Waiting for the Green Light by Usman Khalid	06/07/2008
It is indeed amazing that every section of Pakistani public opinion has embraced the Indian version of the events of 1971. It is commonly believed that Pakistan could have been saved if Yahya Khan had handed over power to Sheikh Mujib after the 1971 Elections. That is a lie. The truth is that Yahya Khan did ask him to form the government and even publicly announced that Sheikh Mujib would be the next Prime Minister. But Sheikh Mujib double-crossed him. He was keeping all his options until he got the ‘green light’ from India. More....
	The Old Titans All Collapsed. Is the U.S. Next? by Kevin Phillips in Washington Post, Sunday, May 18	05/07/2008
Back in August, during the panic over mortgages, Alan Greenspan offered reassurance to an anxious public. The current turmoil, the former Federal Reserve Board chairman said, strongly resembled brief financial scares such as the Russian debt crisis of 1998 or the U.S. stock market crash of 1987. Not to worry. More....
	Preparing The Battlefield by Seymour M. Hersh	29/06/2008
(This is an important report that is making headlines in the USA. But the report does not reveal the true nature of the ‘great game’ being played, which is much wider in scope than the destruction of the nuclear assets of Iran. The USA is telling different things to different players eager to be its partners. India is being offered the Northern Area of Pakistan to sever Pakistan’s land link with China and to provide it a link with Afghanistan and Central Asia. The Afghans on both sides of the Durand Line are being sold the ‘consolidation of the Pashtun’ into one state; the Baluch tribes are being sold their ‘sovereign state’ carved out of Iran and Pakistan. More....
	US Diplomacy of Desperation? by Moeed Pirzada in Khaleej Times	20/06/2008
US Ambassador to Pakistan, Ms. Anne Patterson, was distributing awards in a ceremony organised by Roots College International in Islamabad when a former student, Sarmad Khurram, now at Harvard, refused accepting his award. More....
	A Lesson from History – A Wake Up Call to Muslims by Irshad Haqqani	21/06/2008
(Pakistan’s enduring interests that are as old as Pakistan itself, are: Kashmir, Kalabagh Dam and Khalistan). Letter K in Pakistan is for Kashmir; Pakistan is incomplete without it. Azad Kashmir was liberated by a fight approved by Quaid e Azam Muhammed Ali Jinnah. Pakistan has always had the military capability to take Kashmir; it just did not have the leaders with grit and determination to lead the fight. It was Quaid e Azam who promised Khalistan to the Sikhs. River Sindh needs more dams to assure adequate supply of water to the irrigation system of Pakistan. Kalabagh Dam has been recognised as the best site since before the Partition. It has now been shelved because the politics of inter-provincial hate still the easy route to sucess in elections and it now has the blessing of the the American s as well. More....
	A cuckolded country by Anjum Niaz	20/06/2008
[It is perplexing why Asif Zardari is using up all his political capital to frustrate the restoration of the judges even though Benazir Bhutto, before her assassination, made the ritual pilgrimage to the Chief Justice House and declared that her party would restore the CJ and all the judges dismissed by General Musharraf? Clearly, Asif Zardari has his own agenda. He has been on the wrong side of the law much of his life and stands indicted for serious crimes in several countries. He is single-minded in subverting every institution of the state that might make him face the scrutiny by the public or the law. He holds no office of the state and yet he is the sole ruler of Pakistan. After all, if Musharraf could rule the country for nine years and get away with undermining every institutions of the state with the help of a ‘political party’ banded together in haste, why can’t Asif Zardari whose party is really hungry for power? The party system in Pakistan is used to serving civil or military dictators, not the people. The country needs a directly elected President for a fixed term as in the USA, Russia, Iran and Afghanistan. Without that, the Chief Executives would be either powerless (as he is now) or be so powerful (if the party leader became the CE) that he would be worse than a military dictator. More....
	The PPP's malevolent bill by Babar Sattar	14/06/2008
(That the PPP has linked its package of constitutional amendments with the restoration of judges reveals two things: 1) Late Benazir Bhutto had been consulted by General Musharraf on his November 3 Plot to purge the judiciary of non-pliant judges; 2) that Asif Zaradri, the new CJ -Justice Dogar, Law Minister Farook Naek, and the present head of the Ministry of Interior Rehman Malik, were also ‘in’ on the plot. The ‘Constitutional Package’ is the follow up of that plot the objective of which is quite the opposite to the stated PPP objective of ‘independence of the judiciary’. The objective of the plotters is to hoodwink the nation into securing subservience of the Judiciary to the Executive Branch in perpetuity. The people are awake to the ‘evil’ that the Zardari-Naek Package of Constitutional Reforms represents but Aitzaz Ahsen, the President of Supreme Court Bar Council, who is also an eminent member of the Zardari Party (former PPP), is desperately trying to preclude the truth from coming out lest his party leadership became the focus of the wrath of the people, as is evident from the article below. Usman Khalid) More....
	A Strategy for Exit from Afghanistan by Usman Khalid	21/05/2008
As the ‘war on terror’ in Afghanistan becomes more costly in NATO lives, and its spread to Pakistan faces the wrath of the people, cool heads have started to think of an exit strategy. However, the consensus in the US still is that the military should pull out from Iraq and reinforce Afghanistan. Why? No good reasons are given except that the US invasion of Iraq was a mistake because: Iraq was not a threat, whereas Afghanistan has been the home of Al-Qaeda; the invasion of Iraq diverted attention and resources to the wrong target. More recently, the neo-cons have started to say that neither country posed a threat; the only Muslim country that is a nuclear power is Pakistan; that should have been the target. But demonisation and isolation of Pakistan – pre-requisites for a successful invasion – which has been a close ally for five decades, is not so easy. Therefore, the general view is that Pakistan should be made to comply by the use of carrot before the stick is used. America is so blatantly micro-managing Pakistan now causing uproar in the country. The people expected the ‘free elections’ to deliver a new government, but Musharraf still reigns as well as rules. Almost everyone in Pakistan believes, because that is what the US wants. More....
	Lies of Aggression by Paul Craig Roberts	19/05/2008
On May 15, the White House Moron, in a war-planning visit to Israel, justified the naked aggression he and Olmert are planning against Iran as the only alternative to “the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.” More....
	Why Can’t Asif Zardari Restore Deposed Judges? by Usman Khalid	11/05/2008
Whatever Asif Zaradri may or may not be, he is not stupid. Why does he keep going back on solemn undertakings and promises made publicly on the issue of the restoration of the judges who did not take oath on the PCO on November 3 last year? Every time the deadline has been missed, the media outcry on behalf of the public may have kept demonstrators off the streets, but it is evident that no one has ever travelled the distance from ‘hero to zero’ with such breathtaking speed. That he has a grouse against the CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry, that he wants to deal with all the judicial reforms as a package and other such explanations do not make sense. A few details of the negotiations that have become public reveal two things: 1) the sticking point is that the current CJ – A.H.Dogar – must not lose his job; and that 2) Rehman Malik is the only person outside the Presidency who knows, why? More....
	PAKISTAN: Government must form a tribunal to investigate cases of missing persons	11/05/2008
(It is believed that the missing persons have actually been handed over to the Americans. That explains why the Americans are so eager that the Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry should not be allowed to function as the Chief Justice. That also explains why President Musharraf is so valuable to America and why Asif Zardari is bending over backwards to prevent the CJ to resume working. The people of Pakistan are waking up to the fact: It is America, stupid! ) More....
	US tightens its grip on Pakistan	10/05/2008
Alphonse Karr, the 19th-century French novelist and pamphleteer, is principally remembered for the epigram, “The more it changes, the more it is the same thing.” That could be the thought that comes to mind at first glance of speech made by US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte at the National Endowment for Democracy’s (NED) Pakistan forum in Washington on Monday. Yet, the speech merits attention. In all practical terms, the speech is a final summing up but at the same time it sets outs the tone of the US policy towards Pakistan in the remaining months of the George W Bush administration. Pakistan is indeed a transformed home. New applications of new principles must be quickly forthcoming. More....
	Beware of Indians Bearing Gifts by Usman Khalid	08/05/2008
The Indian Foreign Minister is visiting Pakistan shortly bearing a gift. The gift is ‘freer’ travel for Kashmiris across the line of control. The last time the leaders of two countries met, the agreement that resulted was heralded as ‘break though’. Brownen Maddox of The Times wrote in her column: the behemoths of the Sub-Continent, both of who are nuclear powers, met and the result was a measly mini-bus across the Line of Control, which it turned out, had no passengers. This time, it would perhaps be a mini-van but still empty. India wants it to travel all the way to Muzaffarabad this time, not just to the border as is the case now at Wagah border where the goods are off-loaded from Indian trucks and loaded on to that from Pakistan and vice versa. A vehicle with Pakistani number plates in India or one with Indian number plates in Pakistan would be too inflammatory. More....
	PAKISTAN: The delay in reinstatement of the real chief justice has created a crisis of confidence in the judiciary	07/05/2008
With the failure of the newly elected government to solve the crisis facing the judiciary and the restoration of the deposed judges so far, the systems of the rule of law and justice have become a mockery. In Pakistan, the legitimate holder of the position of chief justice, Iftekhar Choudhry has been given the protocol of the chief justice but not the real power of the chief justice though everyone including the newly elected government is agreed that he is the genuine holder of this position. The delay in carrying out the promises to put him in charge of the affairs of justice is a major crisis facing the nation and everyone who is seeking justice. The other chief justice, who was put in place by unscrupulous power manipulation by the then military chief, General Musharraf, is still working as the chief justice. This is not just a comical situation only, but an enormous crisis that is spread into all areas of life. The ending of this mockery and bringing Iftekhar Choudhry to his legitimate position is a primary condition to restore confidence in justice. More....
	PAKISTAN: Government remains unmoved by the burning deaths of lawyers	30/04/2008
The ministry of Human Rights and Justice remains silent and stationary on a horrifying incident in April 9, that saw two lawyers, two women, another man and one child burned alive in a Karachi lawyer’s office building. Several other people were also killed in the violence that day (April 9, 2008); a result of attacks on members of the Karachi Bar Association, by workers allegedly backed by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (a coalition partner in President Musharraf’s government). More....
	Musharraf is still the President: Slaughter Resumes in Pakistan by Usman Khalid	28/04/2008
It is not hard to agree with the above definition of politics; our everyday experience bears that out. That politics in Pakistan would descend into ‘conduct of public affairs for private advantage’ so soon after the elections has surprised even the hard-boiled cynics. One did not require great political acumen to see that if Musharraf continues to be the President, he will make policy as he did when PML(Q) was taking the can for his disastrous economic policies and on Kashmir. Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani is surely a decent man but so was Prime Minister Jamali. Mr. Jamali was Chief Executive only in name; Musharraf made all the decisions and communicated directly with those who implemented orders thus daring the Prime Minister to confront him over issuing instructions over his head. More....
	All five Dams Must be Built by Khurshid Anwer	27/04/2008
My concern today is with the editors and members of parliament that they go about spreading misinformation on the vital issue of water and power shortages in the country through sheer lack of knowledge. More....
	What Is Really Behind The Furore Over Tibet? by Sharat G. Lin	16/04/2008
Riots in Tibetan cities and the Olympic torch relay have generated an immense global furore over China's alleged human rights record in Tibet. The impression is given that China is using its police and army to violently enforce a brutal occupation on peaceful Tibetan aspirations for independence. No doubt there will be some human rights abuses whenever riot police and troops are brought out in force. However, it is vitally important to look behind the media headlines to understand what truly is happening there and here. More....
	It's Occupation, Not War by Charley Reese	13/04/2008
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan ended some years ago. In Iraq, the war ended with the fall of Saddam Hussein's government; in Afghanistan, with the fall of the Taliban government. What's been happening since is occupation and resistance to occupation. More....
	9 April - Day of Infamy: Diabolical Cruelty of MQM by Usman Khalid	10/04/2008
In contrast with the mayhem in Karachi of 12 May last year, 9 April was a minor show of strength by the MQM. On 12 May, the Karachi police and Rangers stood by while hooded assassins of the MQM roamed free on the streets of Karachi shooting at ecstatic crowd eager to salute Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry for his courage at being the first ever CJ in Pakistan to say ‘no’ to a military dictator. On 12 May, while the MQM led Karachi Administration had erected barriers on all roads leading from Karachi Airport to the High Court Building where the CJ was to address the bar, the Don of Karachi timed his ‘telephonic address’ to coincide with the arrival of the CJ in Karachi. His partner – General Musharraf - was still in uniform and was addressing crowds in Islamabad bussed in from all corners of the Punjab by the Chaudhries of Gujrat. All this was orchestrated to show solidarity between the MQM, the military, and ‘loser’ politicians. On the day they thought they won but the Supreme Court judgement went against them and the Chief Justice was restored. On 18 February, Musharraf supporters got a real drubbing at the hands of the people when they came out third in elections despite the caretaker administration being handpicked to favour them. One thought they would concede defeat with dignity and let the winners take over. But that did not happen. More....
	Street Smart but Illiterate! by Usman Khalid	06/04/2008
It is generally believed that the elections on 18 February were a vote of no confidence against President Musharraf. That is quite true. But it is not equally clear why the people reposed confidence in the PPP despite Benazir Bhutto having made a ‘deal with the devil’. It was because the people believed that the ‘deal was a ruse’ but the end game was still disgraceful exit of Musharraf. Mian Nawaz Sharif did not make any deals and the people repose confidence in him because his credentials in opposition to Musharraf are impeccable. But it was Benazir in who the people had faith that she could outmanoeuvre every internal or external player. When she was assassinated, her party’s support shot up sharply in Balochistan, Sindh and the Frontier Province because of the sympathy vote, but support to her party fell in South Punjab with gains for Mian Nawaz Sharif. More....
	On Musharraf & MQM by Usman Khalid	04/04/2008
I was a DS at the Staff College at Quetta in 1971 when General Yahya Khan was the President who was conducting the war in East Pakistan disastrously. We used to say, half seriously that Pakistan was a 'Sunni majority country ruled by a Shia (General Yahya Khan was a Shia) for the benefit of Qadianis (whose Finance Minister - M.M.Ahmed - was an eminent Qadiani, in fact, the son of the impostor Mirza who claimed to be a prophet). More....
	Pakistan Resists Capitulating To New US Demands by Abdus Sattar Ghazali	24/03/2008
In September 2006, while launching his book – In the Line of Fire – President Pervez Musharraf revealed that soon after 9/11, US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage warned Lt. More....
	Madness Compounding Madness by Gary Leupp	06/01/2008
Al-Qaeda is now as much a Pakistani phenomenon as it is an Arab or foreign element," declares Najam Sethi, editor of Pakistan's Daily Times. It is not just the Arabs, Uzbeks and other foreigners who fled from Afghanistan into Pakistan in the wake of the U.S. invasion of late 2001. It draws in Pakistani tribesmen, Punjabis, Urdu speakers. What was once a group foreigners (numbers unknown) enjoying Pashtun hospitality under the Taliban in Afghanistan has struck roots in neighboring Pakistan. It's hard to say whether or not Pakistan is now its main base, since it is also reviving in regions of Afghanistan quietly retaken by its Taliban hosts over the last couple years. But it seems the people of the frontier provinces of Pakistan, with deep ethnic and cultural ties to Afghanistan, are deeply upset about the cowboy imperialism of the U.S. that has brought so much suffering to the region. These provinces are often described as "lawless," since the Pakistani state has never really brought them under central control and has relied upon tribal leaders to maintain stability. But now they are the most unstable areas in a country increasingly destabilized in the aftermath of Benazir Bhutto's assassination. More....
	US Hegemony Spawns Russian-Chinese Military Alliance By Paul Craig Roberts	12/03/2008
This week the Russian and Chinese militaries are conducting a joint military exercise involving large numbers of troops and combat vehicles. The former Soviet Republics of Tajikistan, Kyrgkyzstan, and Kazakstan are participating. Other countries appear ready to join the military alliance. More....
	China’s “Nuclear Option” is real by Paul Craig Roberts	11/03/2008
Twenty-four hours after I reported China’s announcement that China, not the Federal Reserve, controls US interest rates by its decision to purchase, hold, or dump US Treasury bonds, the news of the announcement appeared in sanitized and unthreatening form in a few US news sources. More....
	' The India Doctrine' by Barrister MBI Munshi	10/03/2008
Adorned in a saffron red jacket and embellished with a detailed map of South Asia the concept of an India Doctrine has been introduced to the readers in Bangladesh recently. The book 'The India Doctrine' has been published by the Bangladesh Research Forum and edited by Barrister M.B.I. Munshi and is priced at Tk. 300. Munshi's contribution to the book constitutes the largest section with several other writers from Bangladesh , Nepal and Sri Lanka providing some useful and informative chapters. More....