The Islamic Emirate of Waziristan

According to published reports in every major newspaper around the world, Pakistani Taliban have presented their preconditions for dialogue and peace. These preconditions are: ● Peace is impossible until the government embraces Sharia (Islamic law) , ● The Pakistani Army will abandon all its posts and will not operate in North & South Waziristan,nor will it monitor the region, ● The Taliban will set up a Mujahideen Shura (or council) to administer the agency, ● An undisclosed amount of money has to be paid by the Pakistani government to the Taliban as ransom to end the fighting, ● Taliban commanders and foot soldiers must be released from Pakistani jails. The players in these talks would want us to believe that these preconditions were drafted for the latest attempt at peace but in truth we have seen them before. In the beginning of 2006, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban launched a military offensive against Pakistan’s military throughout both North and South Waziristan. By late spring, South Waziristan had fallen. The Pakistani military withdrew and Sharia law was established. Fighting continued in North Waziristan through the summer of 2006 with the military taking heavy losses. On September 4, 2006 the Pakistan Government and Taliban officials agreed to a truce. Al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders victoriously renamed the territory of North and South Waziristan as “The Islamic Emirate of Waziristan”. The accord established an autonomous zone for militants within Waziristan where the government of Pakistan would no longer maintain control but would still be considered a part of the sovereign territory of Pakistan. After the Waziristan peace deal, Pakistan openly admitted that Osama bin Laden would remain a free man if committed to living peacefully in the (FATA) region. According to Major General Shaukat Sultan Khan “If he is in Pakistan, bin Laden would not be taken into custody as long as one is being like a peaceful citizen." The agreement between the Government of Pakistan, the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, was known as the “Waziristan peace accord”. The preconditions of 2014 are a carbon copy of the terms presented by a three members Taliban negotiation committee led by Mulana Sami ul Haq, in 2006. The Waziristan peace accord was ended by the Talibans 9 months later. In 2006, An article by a retired US army Major, Ralph Peters, titled "Blood borders" published in the Armed Forces Journal has given Pakistan some food for thought over major geopolitical readjustments. According to Major Ralph Peters “Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier tribes (FATA) would be reunited with their Afghan brethren and Pakistan would also lose its Baluch territory to Free Baluchistan.”  

Now, in 2014, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Al Qaeda and their apologists are still calling plays from the same playbook. Both banned terrorist outfits are trying to establish Islamic extremist sanctuaries in the FATA region, so they can operate freely like Fallujah, al-Anbar Province in Iraq and Swat in Pakistan. If the government of Pakistan and Pakistan Army do not take immediate action against these non-state actors then they should get ready for Al-Qaeda's black flags waving at every military checkpoint in the “Islamic Emirate of Waziristan”. Eventually, the establishment of the Islamic Emirate of Waziristan/Islamic Emirate of Khurasan will result in the Talibanization of other parts of Pakistan as well.

Also Published in

ARY Blog
http://blogs.arynews.tv/the-islamic-emirate-of-waziristan/

PASHTUN WOMEN VIEWPOINT
http://www.pashtunwomenvp.com/index.php/2013-01-28-03-21-27/current-issue/407-the-islamic-emirate-of-waziristan

Saach TV
http://www.saach.tv/2014/02/20/the-islamic-emirate-of-waziristan/

Who is Major (Retired) Mohammad Aamir?

Wednesday Jan-29-2014, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told parliament that he would give Taliban militants “one last chance” to halt their spree of killings and bombings and join peace talks. Adding to his comments, he has constituted a 4-member committee to facilitate the peace talks with Talibans. Committee includes Irfan Siddiqui (Journalist) , Rahimullah Yousafzai  (Journalist) and Rustam Shah Mohammed (Former Ambassador to Afghanistan) and “Famous” retired ISI Major Mohammad Aamir.

We all have an extensive knowledge about Irfan Siddiqui, Rahimullah Yousafzai and Rustam Shah Mohammed but who is Major (retired) Mohammad Aamir ?

Major retired Aamir belongs to a religious family from Panjpir, a town in Sawabi district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. His father Maulana Muhammad Tahir, a cleric who belonged to the Panjpiri “Sect of Wahabism” and founder of “Jamaat-e-Ishaat-e-Tauheed Wa Sunnah”(JITS). Main objective of the organization is to preach Islamic faith in the Oneness of Allah and tradition of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), as a code of life and also to alienate them from polytheism (Shirk), fabrication in Islam (Bida) and un-Islamic rites and rituals, from the Holy Quran, according to their website (http://www.panjpir.org/).

After the death of Maulana Muhammad Tahir, his son Maulana Tayyab (Brother of Major Aamir) became the chief of  JITS organization who also manages a huge religious seminary (Madarsa) in the town of Panjpir.

This madrassa was an important recruitment camp that also performed the role of a think tank for strategic planning during the Afghan war of the 1980s.

Tehrik-Taliban-Pakistan chief Maulana Fazlullah and Sufi Muhammad, chief of the Movement for the Enforcement of Shariah in Malakand (TNSM) are also loyal followers of the Panjpiri organization. Maulana Fazlullah and Sufi Muhammad received their religious education from Maulana Muhammad Tahir (father of Major Aamir).

(left to Right) Major Amir, Maulana Tayyab (Brother of Major Aamir) and Imran Khan 

at Jamaat-e-Ishaat-e-Tauheed Wa Sunnah”(JITS) headquarter. 

Major Aamir was not only famous for his religious affiliation but also his profession services in ISI (Pakistan Inter-Services Intelligence). Operation Midnight Jackal was a cold war military intelligence program operated by the ISI to topple the first government of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 1989 through a no confidence vote in parliament. Two key players of Operation Midnight Jackal, Brigadier Imtiaz Ahmed alias Billa and ISI Major Mohammad Aamir were caught on video and audiotapes influencing some PPP parliamentarians. Funds for buying votes were allegedly provided by Osama Bin Laden. Both were arrested by the Pakistani military police and the espionage case against was filed in the special military courts.

According to the court documents Major Aamir testified that “Nawaz Sharif was more acceptable to the Pakistan Army than Benazir Bhutto."

The former ISI operative Major Amir was awarded by Nawaz Sharif during his second term as a Prime Minister. Major Amir used to be a special adviser to former NWFP chief minister Sardar Mehtab Abbasi, a close aide of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during (1997–99)

In 2009, A luxurious 600 square yards plot in Sector I-8 of Islamabad given to Major Aamir by then PPP Zardari government from the quota reserved for “People facing extreme Hardship”.. According to Major Aamir “he got this plot, as it was his right as he had served in the FIA in the 90s.

On February 24, 2012, FIR was lodged at the Paharipura Police Station against Major Aamir, his son and his gunmen for opening fire at a tuck shop in Neelab CNG station resulting in the killing of Khan Muhammad and injuring Sangeen and Imran. Arrest orders were issued by Sessions court but later on set aside by a division bench of Peshawar High Court (PHC).

Once again Nawaz Sharif is Prime minister, Major Amir his trusted aid in peace talks and Mullah Fazalluah is a chief of Opposition (Taliban). All the top guns know each other and have had good relationships in the past. Not sure what will be the outcome of these peace talks/negotiations be but one thing is certain that People of Pakistan will not accept any peace deal like the one had in Swat or self-created Shariah.





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Twitter ID: @fawadrehman

میرا قاتل میرا محبوب

چند دن پہلے فوربز میگزین (Forbes Magazine) کا اک آرٹیکل نظر سے گزرا جس کے مطابق پاکستان دنیا کی ناخوش ترین ریاستوں میں 108 ویں نمبرپر تھا. بظاھر اس مقالے کی  کوئی وجہ ذھن میں نہ آئ  پر تھوڑی غوروفکر، موجودہ حالات اور سیاسی بیانات نے گویا ذھن کو پیراشوٹ کی مانند کھول دیا

 حکیم‌ الله محسود کی ہلاکت نے پاکستانی قوم اور بالخصوص دائیں بازو کی جماتوں کے لیڈروں کو مایوسی اور غم کے اندھیروں میں  دھکیل  دیا ھے. نہ جانے اب کب شریعت نافذ ہو گی؟ نہ جانے کب قوم میں دوسرا  حکیم‌ الله محسود پیدا ہو گا جو50,000 سے زائد جانوں کے قتل کا ریکارڈ توڑے گا (ریکارڈ اک دن میں نہیں بنا کرتے ) ؟ ایسا لیڈر جو افغان طالبان ، پنجابی طالبان اور القائدہ کی جنگوں کے درمیان اک مضبوط زنجیر کا کردار ادا کررہا تھا ، پاکستانی فوجیوں کی گردنیں کاٹنا اور وہ بھی اس مہارت سے کہ اک انچ بھی اوپر نیچے نہیں۔ ماشاللہ کتنی معصومیت سے قائد اعظم محمد علی جناح کو کافر کہتا تھا، کفر کے فتوے تو  مفت میں بانٹتا تھا، دہشتگردی اور دھماکوں کی ذمداری بڑے فخر سے قبول کرتا تھا .... اب بھلا  آپ ہی بتائیں اگر ایسا قومی ہیرو مارا جاےُ توکون مسلمان سکھ کا سانس لیگا؟  اور جس قوم کا ایک اور ہیرو چند سال قبل مارا گیا ھو ، جی ہاں میں جناب شیخ اسامہ بن لادن کی بات کر رہا ہوں ....  ایسے اندوہ ناک غموں کے پہاڑ ٹوٹنے پر قوم مسکرانا نہیں بھولے گی تو کیا کرے گی؟     

حکیم‌ الله محسود کی ہلاکت نے پاکستانی قوم کے ساتھ ساتھ حکومت پاکستان کو بھی شدید رنج و الم  میں مبتلا کردیا ھے. وزیر داخلہ  چودھری نثار علی خان تو فرط غم سےجذبات پر قابو ھی نہ رکھ  سکے ، آنکھیں لال، خون سفید اور غم سے نڈھال لہجے کے ساتھ ایک نہایت جذباتی قسم کی پریس کانفرنس بھی ٹھوک ڈالی، مرحوم کی شان میں زمین اور ڈرون ایک کردیا. اور اسی اثنا میں وزیر اعظم نواز شریف چند دن کے سرکاری دورے  پر  لندن  سے  پاکستان پہونچ گئے

عمران خان جوکے پہلے ہی ملاله یوسفزئ کے نوبل ایوارڈ  کی نامزدگی پر شدید ناراض اور صدمے کا شکار تھے، ان پر تو یہ  بریکنگ نیوز گرم گرم ڈرون میزائل کی طرح برسی . کچھ سوچ کرجذبات پر قابو پایا اور مرحوم سے اظہار یکجہتی کے لئے نیٹو سپلائی بند کرنے کا اعلان داغ دیا.  کچھ وقت گزرنے  کے بعد بھی جب  غصہ میں کمی نہ  آئ تو برخلاف روایت تیسری مرتبہ  قومی اسمبلی کے اجلاس میں پہنچ گئے اور ایک ذھین و فطین اور جذبات سے بھرپور تقریر کر کے مرحوم کو خراج عقیدت پیش کیا. نہ جانے کیا وجہ رہی ہو گی جو خان صاحب ، میجر جنرل ثنااللہ کی شہادت پر اس طرح کا جذباتی رد عمل نہ دکھا پائے

جماعت اسلامی کہاں پیچھے رہنے والی تھی ، بوم بوم منور حسن نے تو مرحوم کو شہید کا درجہ دینے میں ذرا بھی توقف نہ کیا اور الله سے دعا فرمائی کے مرحوم کو جنت میں اعلی مقام عطا فرمائے. منور حسن صاحب شائد بھول گئے تھے کے کرنل امام اور الله تعالیٰ کی آخری میٹنگ بھی مرحوم نے خود اپنے ہاتھوں سے سیٹ کی تھی.  

    

کچھ قانون نافذ کرنے والے اداروں کی ناراضگی بھی پڑھی اور سنی جاسکتی ہے ... سمجھ نہ آیا، آخر صاحب بہادر کیوں ناراض ہیں ؟ مرحوم نے نہ جانے کتنے پاکستانی فوجیوں کی قربانی دیکر، حکومت پاکستان سے ٥ کروڑ روپے اور امریکی حکومت سے ٥ لاکھ ڈالر کا انعام اپنے سر کی قیمت لگوا کر یہ مقام حاصل کیا تھا. ہوسکتا ھے انعام کی رقم نہ ملنے کا غم درحقیقت فوج کی ناراضگی کا سبب ھو ؟     
  

میڈیا نے بھی قوم کو خوش ہونے کا موقع نہیں دیا، مرحوم کے انتقال کی خبرعین اس وقت نشر کی جب پاکستانی کرکٹ ٹیم ساؤتھ افریقہ سے دوسرا ون  ڈے میچ جیتنے والی تھی جبکہ ڈرون حملہ اک دن پہلے ہوچکا تھا اور مرحوم بہتر حوروں سے ملاقات کیلے پہلے ھی روانہ ہوچکے تھے۔  کاش میڈیا کچھ دیر انتظار کرلیتا اور قوم کو کچھ دیر خوش ہونے کا موقع دے دیتا پر..... حسرت ان غنچوں پر ہے جو بن کھلے مرجھا گئے.   

اگر فوربز میگزین اپنا سروے ممتاز قادری ( جو گورنر سلمان تاثیر مرحوم کے محافظ اور بڑے ادب سے قا تل بھی ہیں) کی پہلی پیشی کے دن کرتا تو پاکستان دنیا کی خوش باش ترین ریاستوں میں پہلے نمبر پر آجاتا..       

    اسی لئے تو کسی نے کیا خوب کہا ھے 

         خوشی کا کیا ھے بھروسہ کہاں بچھڑ جائے.....رہِ حیات میں غم کو بھی ھمسفر رکھنا

   Twitter ID : @fawadrehman

Bullets don't win hearts and minds

Pakistan has a long history of extra-judicial killings; not only by Pakistani security forces but also by permitted US drones strikes. Apparently the Pakistani civilian government, independent judiciary and the general public are all powerless before the powerful Army. 

1971: atrocities in Bangladesh,1992: operation clean up in Karachi , the military conflict in Baluchistan, peace operation in KPK; Pakistan Armed forces has been accused of extra-judicial killings and disappearances of innocent civilians. Pakistan Army categorically refuses these allegations but human right organizations, court documents, international observers and the evidence speaks oppositely. 

On Oct-28-2013, the relatives of missing persons from Baluchistan started a 730 kilometer peaceful long march from Quetta to Karachi for the recovery of disappeared persons. Few hours before the long march, the frustrated Chief Minister of Baluchistan, Dr. Abdul Malik Baloch admitted administrative failure over the missing persons. According to the Chief Minister “he could not resolve missing person issue.”

During hearings of the Baluchistan unrest case, the Commission on the Inquiry of Enforced Disappearances has itself confirmed the extrajudicial killings of 530 persons during 2001-2013. The official list also confirms that over 2,500 persons are missing after their arrest. On one occasion, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said that the evidence was available against Frontier Corps (FC) personnel in some ‘missing’ person cases. Inspector General Frontier Corps (IGFC) denied the charges and stated that all cases would be thoroughly examined and any missing person found with the FC would be revealed.

In September 2009, then US ambassador to Pakistan, Anne Patterson, sent an assessment to the US State department. According to reports, an estimated 5000 detainees were picked up illegally by Pakistani security forces during anti-Taliban operations in Malakand division, KPK.

In 2010, shocking footage emerged that purported to show Pakistani soldiers (the targeted units 12 Punjab infantry regiment and the paramilitary Frontier Corps) murdering six men. By conservative estimates over 300 people had been extra judicially murdered by Pakistan security forces during Swat operation in 2009, according to US State department reports. COAS formulated the investigation team and denied the charges at the same time.

Recently, the metropolitan city of Karachi witnessed an increase in illegal arrests, torture, kidnapping and extra judicial murders by law enforcement agencies. Dilshad Ahmed Khan, a worker of Muttahida Quami Movement was illegally arrested and brutally tortured to death by Rangers, the para-military force of Pakistan. To no one’s surprise, the Rangers denied the allegation.

This is not the first time the Army or other law enforcement agencies were involved in extra-judicial activities in Karachi. During operation cleanup (1992-2000), over 15000 MQM workers were extra-judicially killed, 28 missing persons and countless tortured by Pakistan armed forces. The Amnesty International 1996 report “Human rights crisis in Karachi” urged the Government of Pakistan to adopt measures to stop the large-scale human rights violations in Karachi, the capital of Sindh. Once again the law enforcement agencies rejected those changes.

 

A recent report by The Washington Post, based on US classified secret documents, revealed that U.S. drone attacks in Pakistani territory have been secretly permitted over years by the government in Islamabad.  According to two leading human rights NGOs, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch between 400-900 civilians have been killed in over 330 drone strikes in Pakistan between 2004 and 2013. Ironically, for past 10 years Army also denied these allegations. 

The government of Pakistan and independent judiciary must take action to halt extra-judicial killing and brutal torture by armed forces and intelligence agencies. Those who committed atrocities in Bangladesh, Baluchistan, Swat or in Karachi should be brought to justice. There is no excuse for law enforcement personnel to betray the public’s trust by rebuttals and false statements. Pakistani Army, Para-military forces and Intelligence agencies should understand that a bullet in the back of the head is simply not the way to win hearts and minds.

Twitter ID @fawadrehman