Former General and President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf has been placed under house arrest, to be held for two weeks awaiting his next hearing over the 2007 firing and detainment of several judges. Musharraf, who rose to power following a military coup in 1999, had been out of Pakistan for four years, then returned in March, an eye on a political rebirth with a general election in Pakistan coming next month. What he’s instead gotten out of his return is legal trouble — in addition to the firing of the aforementioned judges, Pakistan’s high court is also hearing a petition to try Musharraf for treason, due to his 2007 imposition of emergency law. (Photo by Chatham House, London) source
The United States has violated Pakistan’s sovereignty and shattered tribal structures with unmanned drone strikes in its counterterrorism operations near the Afghan border, a U.N. human rights investigator said in a statement on Friday.
Pakistan’s relations with the U.S. have been placed under strain in recent years by the latter’s drone program, as well as by the most prominent (and in the United States, most popular) violation of Pakistani sovereignty – the clandestine raid that killed Osama bin Laden in his compound in Abbottabad.
A senior Pakistani Taliban commander has been captured in south-eastern Afghanistan in what was hailed as a major sign of much improved relations between the two neighbouring countries.
Maulvi Faqir Mohammad, described as a top-ranking Pakistani member of the Taliban, was captured on Monday, along with three of his bodyguards and a small cache of weapons, in Mohmand Dara district, which shares a border with Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region.
The ambush was carried out by Afghanistan’s intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security (NDS), and the Afghan police, an official in Nangarhar said.
With some worried that the Taliban could continue to gain ground in both countries, an allied front from the two nations’ governments should certainly increase regional stability in the weeks and months to come, and assuage the concerns of some doubters.
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism just announced a new project, “Naming the Dead,” which “will seek to identify as many as possible of those killed in US covert drone strikes in Pakistan, whether civilian or militant.”
‘In the face of official secrecy, having the full facts about who is killed is essential for an informed debate about the effectiveness and ethics of the drone campaign,’ said Christopher Hird, managing editor of the Bureau.
They’re going to start with Pakistan and then move on to Yemen and Somalia. This is an important project.
The administration’s use of, and tact on drone strikes is undoubtedly one of the most controversial parts President Obama’s record. But from a journalistic standpoint, so little basic information is known about the people who’ve been killed. This seems like a good start.
Speaking in English, Malala said she wanted to “serve the people”.
“Today you can see that I’m alive. I can speak, I can see you, I can see everyone and today I can speak and I’m getting better day by day.
“It’s just because of the prayers of people, because all the people - men, women, children - all of them have prayed for me.
“Because of these prayers God has given me this new life and this is a second life.
“I want to serve the people and I want every girl, every child, to be educated and for that reason we have organised Malala Fund.”
Yousafzai nearly died after being shot in October while campaigning for the rights of education for young girls. She has been receiving treatment in Birmingham, England, since the incident.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court orders arrest of country’s PM
BBC News: Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ordered the arrest of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and 15 others over corruption allegations, raising fears of a political crisis just months ahead of an election.
Mr Ashraf denies accepting bribes when approving power generation projects as minister for water and power in 2010.
Photo: Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf (C) waves while surrounded by youths during a ceremony to mark the country’s Independence Day in Islamabad on August 14, 2012 (Aamir Qureshi / AFP – Getty Images, file)
PM Ashraf is accused of accepting kicbacks from private energy providers, which Pakistan is very dependent on due to their population outpacing the capacity of their power grid, and using them to finance land purchases abroad.
I’m moving back to New York in a few days. Unlike past...
OMG. I got so...
In this week’s Newsweek, a little...
Tumblr this morning. [h/t anne]
#@#$%!.tumblr.com
Here’s a hidden feature that shipped in...
Watch: PCB gets a visual shout out on GMA’s Yahoo/Tumblr...
DEFIANCE Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, center, with members of hospital staff, left Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England. The 15-year-old girl was shot by the Taliban in October for campaigning for girls’ education. (Photo: AFP-Getty Images via The Wall Street Journal)
A big day for Malala Yousafzai, as well as the countless people around the world who’ve been moved by her spirit, and harrowing plight.
We held a special prayer for Malala in our school assembly and also lit candles. We did not organise any open event because our school and its students still face a security threat.Mariam Khalid, principal of Khushhal Public School in Pakistan • Discussing her school’s marking of “Malala Day.” After the attempted killing of 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai by the Pakistani Taliban last month, the United Nations called for today to be “a global day of action” in her honor. Vigils are anticipated throughout the world, both recognizing Malala and the cause that nearly killed her, education for girls and women. For her school and classmates, an assembly was held and a prayer given, but they aren’t able to honor openly — fear of reprisal from the Taliban on the occasion prevented the holding of a public event. source
The Taliban have kidnapped me and tortured me in the past for promoting women’s development, but now they are threatening the entire family.Reyatullah Khan, father of 17-year-old Pakistani activist Hinna Khan - Hinna recently received a phone call, allegedly from Taliban gunmen in Pakistan’s Swat valley, claiming that she and her family would be killed if they did not stop speaking out against the militant group. Her parents have long opposed the Taliban presence in Pakistan, and were thrown out of their home for such opposition during the Taliban takeover of the Swat valley in 2009. Many believe the Taliban are attempting to re-establish legitimacy in the region after gunmen, who opened fired at point blank range, failed to kill 14-year-old Malala Yousufzai earlier this month. source
Copyright 2009-2013 Ernie Smith • Ask us stuff! • E-mail us • Follow us on Twitter • Follow us on Facebook
