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Sunday, October 25, 2009

Pakistan: Trapped In The US Game

Shireen M Mazari

Musharraf proved excessively compliant from the beginning and this came as a shock even to the Bush Administration, but they realised his limitations in terms of compromises at the tactical level because of the military – which often put a spanner in the US agenda for Pakistan. Hence the constant critique of the Pakistan military and its intelligence outfits – especially once the CIA fell out with the ISI two years ago over whom to target in FATA.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—There is a dangerous pattern connecting the events happening in and around Pakistan today. Unless we can see this larger picture, we will be overwhelmed by the fallout and our detractors like the US will have fulfilled their agenda for this nuclear capable country.

The roots of this US agenda go back to Musharraf's hasty embrace of the US "war on terror". What was not realised at the time was the psychological trauma the US had undergone as a result of 9/11, which had led to the bolstering of the already suspicion-tinted view the US had of the Muslim world. Of course, some pliant Muslim leaders were reluctantly embraced as "allies", but always on a tight leash, but by and large nationalist Muslim leaders and their nations were something the Americans never felt comfortable with. If these nations were also militarily or economically strong, the US felt even more uncomfortable. In this context, Mahathir's Malaysia, Revolutionary Iran and nuclear Pakistan certainly stood out as irritants in one way or another. So when 9/11 happened, even though it was Saudi citizens who were responsible for the actions, Pakistan was brought centre-stage and the US saw this as the opportunity to cut the country down to size and finally gain control of its nuclear assets.

That Musharraf proved excessively compliant from the beginning came as a shock even to the Bush Administration, but they realised his limitations in terms of compromises at the tactical level because of the military – which often put a spanner in the US agenda for Pakistan. Hence the constant critique of the Pakistan military and its intelligence outfits – especially once the CIA fell out with the ISI two years ago over whom to target in FATA!

So what is this US agenda that bodes ill for Pakistan? An article published in the US Army Journal entitled "Blood Borders" captured the broad outline a few years earlier. The main components that can now be identified are: One, to restructure Pakistan and its state institutions according to US wishes; two, to take control of its nuclear assets since they cannot really be "taken out"; and, three, to move it towards accepting Indian hegemony in the region and to distance it from its strategic partnership with China.
What has been the strategy for implementing this agenda? To create enough chaos and violence in Pakistan so as to be able to justify coming in and seizing control of the nuclear assets, restructuring a new state model for the country, which would include bringing it under Indian hegemony. How would this agenda be implemented?

First, through shifting the centre of gravity of the war in Afghanistan to Pakistan. This has finally been accomplished through a number of interesting tactics. The beginning was made by allowing the Al-Qaeda and Taliban to escape from Afghanistan during the Tora Bora bombings. Then the internal destabilisation of Pakistan began through drone attacks, which caused the traditionally highly patriotic tribal population of FATA to gradually turn against the state especially when the US pressured the army into moving into this area. Also, India was given a free run in Afghanistan so money and weapons for terrorists flowed in from Afghanistan into Balochistan and FATA as well as NWFP. In addition, a new entity emerged with its own violent agenda – the TTP with a huge stock of weapons that clearly had come from across the border since some of them were of US origin. Meanwhile, the US gradually increased its covert presence in Pakistan – beginning with Tarbela and the so-called "trainers" as well as the private US security concerns that have traditionally worked as mercenaries for the US government in places like Iraq. Balochistan also saw an increase in the US presence, especially as the US also sought to operationalise its covert operations against Iran through this province and the bases Musharraf had so generously handed over to the US. There was also the Bandari air base in an area 78 kilometres south of Kharan, near a place called Shimsi – not Shamsi base which is on the border with Iran near Dalbandin – from where the drones have been flying.

This is the only airport that is not listed as being under CAA control.

All along, the US at the diplomatic and political levels was continuing with its "do more" mantra and undermining the credibility of the military in terms of its intent vis-à-vis fighting extremism and terrorism. The ISI especially was singled out for attack while the nuclear assets kept coming in for periodic targeting by the US media. As the US became more bogged down in Afghanistan, it sought to shift its failures on to Pakistan so that in the end many assume that it is this reason that has forced the US to shift the war to Pakistan. However, that may only be an offshoot of the larger original game plan to destabilise Pakistan from within by taking the war to the heart of the country – which is where the situation stands poised right now. The Musharraf-US alliance would have continued, but for the people of Pakistan's desire for justice and freedom which spurred the judicial movement when Musharraf overplayed his hand. But once again the nation was short-changed because the US cleverly managed a new partner linked through the NRO. In Zardari they found an even more cooperative leader – and with democratic credentials to boot! If Musharraf had begun the granting of unfettered access to the US, the Zardari regime has taken it beyond all limits.

The second phase of the US implementation strategy has now begun to be operat-ionalised – that is, to destabilise Pakistan from within by increasing acts of terror carried out in Pakistani cities through well-trained and well-equipped groups centring on TTP – which finds no mention in the Kerry-Lugar Act. Alongside, the military has been tied down in military operations, first in Swat and now in SWA – which has its own fallouts in terms of terrorism and displacement of the population. It has also become necessary to isolate Pakistan from its neighbours and hence the extensive terrorist attacks on Iran's security forces in Sistan province bordering Pakistan's Balochistan, so that Iran-Pakistan relations are destroyed – Iran being the only friendly neighbour apart from China. The US covert presence in Pakistan has also now been put in place like a web – beginning from Sindh and Balochistan in the south and southwest, to Punjab to the Capital to Peshawar. There are now US armed covert operatives along with overt marines surrounding the Pakistanis and their nuclear assets. The Kerry-Lugar Act merely gives formal recognition to what has already happened in practice – submission to US diktat.

Only one last phase of the US agenda has to be operat-ionalised, but that will be the toughest. This is to push the country into a civil war-like situation by threatening to target Quetta and southern Punjab as well as Muridke. First there was pressure on the army to move into Swat; now it is SWA and the new mantra of moving the army into southern Punjab has already begun! Overstretch the military and create civil-military fissures so as to totally destabilise the country. When there is a state of total chaos, the US can pressure the UNSC into allowing it to takeover Pakistan's nuclear assets – what will euphemistically be termed "under international control". But the big problem now is that too many in the corridors of power in Pakistan are beginning to see the light while the people have also woken up to the lethal American agenda for Pakistan. Unless we can see the whole US game plan, and connect all the dots we will continue to fall prey to this destructive design.

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More proof of Indian fingerprints on terror attacks in Pakistan

PKKH Exclusive

ISLAMABAD: Suspected Taliban militants shot and killed Militants shot and killed Brigadier Moin-ud-din Ahmed, deputy force commander of the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), who was on vacation in Islamabad, on Thursday.

UNMIS, one of the world's largest UN peacekeeping missions with around 11,000 personnel, was set up to monitor and support the 2005 peace deal than ended the two-decade civil war between Sudan's north and south.

There is no doubt that there are a lot of suspicious activities taking place in Sudan by using the humanitarian and UN agencies in particular. An alliance led by US, UK, Israel, India are allied with Southern Sudan's SPLM (Sudan People Liberation Movement) and Pakistan, China, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries (excluding Libya, and partially Egypt) support the Government of Sudan, i.e. the Northern government.

Pakistan is strongly represented in North Sudan while India is investing heavily in Southern Sudan, primarily through traders and in the hospitality industry, plus technical experts (working with air contidition etc) employing both Muslims and Hindus in the South.

Pakistani presence in the South is very limited but this is compensated with Pakistan's influence in the North and the Head of UN  Special Mission to Sudan is Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, (former Pakistani Ambassador to the US) hence all information from the South is sent to the North. Pakistanis are represented more in the UNMIS headquarter level in Khartoum who receives all information from the South too.

Indians are increasing their presence in the UN in Southern Sudan (UNJLC, UNOCHA, UNICEF) though less in the UNMIS (where India also has a contingent) where Brigadier Moinuddin was the Deputy Force Commander. UNMIS is in general much more up do date concerning the status quo throughout Sudan than the other agencies, although the WFP has good insight in throughout the ten states of South.

The UNMIS Force Commander is a Nepalese (Maj.Gen. Paban Jung Thapa) educated by the Indian Army and that the less influential UNMIS Police Commisioner is an Indian (Rajesh Dewan). [LINK]

Deputies (Brig. Moin) usually has the operational responsibility while the Commander (Thapa) have the representational responsibilities. Whoever knocked Brig. Moin off, knew he was going to be in Pakistan at that time, Moin's leave request has to be approved by Major General Thapa.

In our understanding, despite of the heavy Indian investment the Pakistanis still had an edge on the information collection which is envied by India. What a conincidence that Brigadier Moinuddin was assassinated while on leave from his Sudan duty.

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Friday, October 23, 2009

How Many SIM(s) Are Registered Against Your CNIC?

Given the security situation in the country (and also reported abuse of communication systems and channels), everyone must be cautious. It is possibility that someone might have got a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) against your ID (CINC).

I suggest you check and find out the total number of SIM(s) registered against their respective CNIC number with each mobile operator.

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has developed a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) information system to address associated risks on security and to ensure subscription regulations in cellular sector.


http://www.pta.gov.pk/668/index.html

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Thursday, October 22, 2009

The pros and cons of switching to Windows 7


By Woody Leonhard

If you're still sitting on the fence about upgrading to Windows 7 — after all, it's been widely available for all of a few hours now — I'd like to regale you with my top eight reasons to jump in with both feet.

I'll also tell you three possible reasons for keeping the new OS on the shelf — for a while, at least.

After you wade through the Win7 marketing hype, you'll find a solid core of real improvements in the new release. There are many aspects of Windows 7 that cry out for adopting it and just a few that suggest sticking with Vista or XP.

8. Windows 7 is easier on the eyes

No doubt you're way beyond the stage where fancy wallpaper and cute icons curl your toes, but any way you look at it, Windows 7's a stunner. From wallpaper that changes itself to the tightly controlled group of icons in the area near the clock, Win7 puts the things you need most where you need them. The OS also moves the flotsam out of the way.

Since there's no Sidebar in Windows 7 — good riddance, I say — Win7's gadgets move to the high-rent district of the desktop, where you can move, resize, and snap them together neatly.

7. The Action Center puts all the nags in one place

Windows XP and Vista are notorious for scattering important information all over creation. At the same time — and quite perversely — every two-bit application you install on an XP or Vista PC can pop up annoying messages, distracting your attention while you're trying to get some work done.

Win7 reduces the shrill impositions to a minimum by funneling almost all interactions through the Action Center. Yes, the Action Center has its roots in the old Security Center, but it's all grown up now.

The Action Center serves as traffic cop for announcements that inform, warn, and often annoy. But rather than a pop-up window, the only alert you'll see is a flag in the notification area (near the clock) that turns yellow or red as needs dictate.

6. Win7's security is stronger and less intrusive

Security stuff gets complicated very quickly. Suffice it to say that Windows 7 is significantly more difficult to crack than Vista, which in turn was an order or magnitude tougher to break into than XP. (Internet Explorer and the .NET Framework are noteworthy exceptions.)

Compared to Vista's in-your-face User Account Control (UAC), the equivalent in Windows 7 is clipped and reined in. You can get to the settings easily. For most people, security won't be nearly so difficult in Win7 as it was in Vista — and it won't be as, uh, permeable as it was in XP.

5. You can make a movie of what ails your PC

If you haven't seen Windows 7's new Problem Steps Recorder (PSR), you owe it to yourself to try it. Click Start, type psr, and hit Enter. This little utility lets you record everything on the screen — except the stuff you type — as it happens. When you're done, PSR spits out an MHTML file that can be opened and played back in Internet Explorer.

Like the Snipping Tool in Vista (also available in Win7), once you try PSR, you won't know how you ever lived without it.

4. Search works — finally!

Windows XP's built-in search feature is a slow, painful, buggy joke. In Vista, search is a little less labored, occasionally usable, but still unreliable.

In Windows 7, Microsoft has, at long last, woven search into the operating system itself. There's no noticeable system overhead, searches proceed fairly quickly, and — most important of all — the results are accurate.

You can initiate a search from just about any location in Windows 7: on the Start menu, inside Control Panel, and in Windows Explorer. Although there are a few idiosyncrasies — such as no true wildcard searches and text searches that match only the beginnings of words — searches in Win7 usually find what you're looking for.

3. You get better control of your devices

Windows 7 centralizes control of all devices: printers, MP3 players, phones, keyboards, mice, fax machines, and anything else you plug into your computer. The controls all appear in a place called Device Stage.

The revolutionary part of Device Stage isn't its omniscience. Windows has had various Devices and Printers–type capabilities for years. Device Stage differs in that manufacturers have started writing their drivers to hook into Device Stage directly.

If you're tired of having 10 different programs in 10 different places to control your attached hardware, those days are rapidly drawing to a close. The junky little programs that go with the devices will disappear, too. At least I hope they will. So long, commercial driver-update utilities!

2. Win7 Libraries beat out My Documents any day

I first described Windows 7's Libraries feature in my
May 14 Top Story. While Libraries don't do away with the need to organize your files, they make it much, much simpler to track files and put them in the right locations.

"A place for everything, and everything in its place," as Mom used to say. With Windows 7 Libraries, file management is easier than ever.

1. HomeGroup makes sharing safe, fast, and fun

A stroke of pure design genius, Windows 7 HomeGroup bundles all the sharing options you'd likely want in order to make files, printers, and media accessible to any other Windows 7 PC on your network.

As described in my
May 14 Top Story and my Oct. 1 Woody's Windows column (paid content), homegroups work only among Windows 7 PCs — there's nothing analogous in XP or Vista. Still, sharing among Win7 PCs couldn't be simpler.


Three reasons why Windows 7 isn't for everybody

Despite these and other Win7 positives, there are at least three good reasons for Windows XP and Vista users to stick with their current OS:

3. If your PC isn't up to snuff, fuhgeddaboutit!

While Windows 7's hardware demands are less stringent than Vista's, there are zillions of PCs that simply can't handle Win7.

In my
March 5 Woody's Windows column (paid content), I described how to convert any three- or four-year-old desktop PC into a Windows 7 wonder by bumping it up to 2GB of memory and sticking in a sufficiently powerful video card. I've retrofitted dozens of Windows XP desktops in this way, and the results are hard to believe. With a little bit of goosing and a couple of hundred bucks, those old PCs run Win7 much faster than they used to run XP.

However, if you have a desktop machine or laptop that's more than a few years old, upgrading its hardware to support Windows 7 is likely more trouble than it's worth. Don't bother.

2. If your hardware or software demands XP, stick with that OS

The XP Mode built into Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate is a Virtual PC–based implementation of XP. XP Mode makes sense for large companies that want to get the benefits of Windows 7 but have to put up with hardware or software that runs only under Windows XP.

For the typical home or small-business user, however, XP Mode is a pain in the neck. My advice? If the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor (which you can download from the
Microsoft Windows 7 site) indicates that your XP setup isn't compatible with Windows 7, either upgrade the machine's software and hardware or give up on running Win7 on the system. Life's too short.

1. Don't try to fix what ain't broke

By far the most-compelling argument for staying with Windows XP or Vista is this: The Windows you have now does everything you need, and you aren't overly concerned about rootkits or other nearly invisible malware hosing your machine. In this case, there's no compelling reason to go out on a limb with Win7.

Replacing your operating system is slightly simpler than performing a self-administered brain transplant, but it's still no walk in the park. In the vast majority of cases, upgrades to Windows 7 go in smoothly, with a few minor irritations — maybe you can't find the install CD for an old program, for example, or you forgot to write down a password.

But in a small percentage of cases, the Windows 7 installation doesn't go well at all. As they say, stuff happens. Any upgrade could potentially become calamitous, and Windows 7 isn't immune.

If the thought of upgrading your system makes you lose sleep, hey — don't worry. Better the devil ye ken, eh?

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Saturday, October 10, 2009

US-linked Private Security Firms’ Involvement Suspected

Breaking News Exclusive | PakistanKaKhudaHafiz.com

An attempt to attack the General Head Quarters of the Pakistan Armed Forces has been foiled earlier today as four militants were shot dead while trying to enter the premesis. ISPR (Inter-Services Public Relations) spokesman Major General Athar Abbas confirmed that four attackers dressed in army uniforms started firing on guards when stopped at the gate.

RAWALPINDI – Loud gunfire and blasts were heard near the Pakistan army's headquarters in Rawalpindi at 11:30 this morning after a team of gunmen brandishing assault rifles and grenades tried to break into the fiercely guarded compound on Saturday, sparking a raging gun battle with troops outside Islamabad.

Accoring to witnesses, four militants in a white Suzuki van attempted to enter the GHQ premesis from gate number one. When intercepted by the checkpoint guards, they started firing indiscriminately and throwing hand grenades while making their way towards gate number two, where security officials promptly acted, shooting the terrorists dead after a short but intense pitched battle. It is not clear how many security officials were martyred in the exchange.

The entire area has been cordoned off and roads leading to the GHQ have been closed for traffic, and army helicopters have begun hovering over the GHQ.

The van is said to contain explosives while sophisticated weapons and communication equipment have been found both inside the van as well as on the dead militants, which points towards possible involvement of US private security agencies operating in Islamabad. These private security firms are employed by the US Embassy in Islamabad, and have been provided with banned sophisticated weapons after special approvals were obtained from Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

Security forces recently raided the offices of one such agency (Inter Risk) and recovered a large cache of sophisticated heavy weapons, while arresting its owner Ali Jaffar Zaidi.

Investigation conducted by police revealed that Inter Risk had made an agreement with an American security company, DynCorp, to provide security to US installations and diplomats and security personnel along with protecting their interests in Pakistan.

The firm was also asked to recruit security guards, especially those who can qualify for joining Special Services Group, and arranged a place for their training.

Sources said that during interrogation the accused disclosed names of some bigwigs, including officials of the Interior Ministry, allegedly involved in provision of licences of prohibited bore weapons to the security firm.

But the investigators are reluctant to take the 'big shots' into custody, the sources said, adding that a request had been made to the government by senior police officers.

With this morning's attack on the General Head Quarters of the Armed Forces of Pakistan, one hopes serious action will be taken to shut down these US private security firms and their training centers, as well as in investigating the involvement of the US Embassy as well as interior ministry officials in anti-state activities.

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