General Strike Called In Pakistan After Attack On Shiites

General Strike After Attack On Pakistani Shi'ites -- Voice of America

A general strike is in effect in Pakistan's southwestern city of Quetta, following Friday's suicide bombing that targeted minority Shi'ites and killed at least 57 people.

More than 160 others were wounded by the explosion at a Shi'ite rally called to express solidarity with the Palestinians.

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More News On Pakistan

Death toll from Pakistan suicide bombing rises to 73 -- CNN
Bombing in Pakistan kills 65, prompting fears of rising sectarian violence -- Washington Post
Death toll rises to 65 in attack on Pakistanis -- AP
Pakistan suicide bombing kills 58 -- L.A. Times
Pakistan Shiites mourn those killed in triple bomb -- AP
Pakistan on high alert after blast -- Al Jazeera
Wars reign over breaching levees as Pakistan grapples with flooding -- CNN
Crime adds to misery for Pakistan's flood victims -- Reuters
U.N. envoy: Financial response to Pakistan flooding 'far from enough' -- CNN

Pakistan's Flood Disaster -- News Updates August 18, 2010

Pakistani Floods Could Further Hurt Unstable Nation As Military Focuses On Aid -- Washington Post

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN -- Staggered by the scale of destruction from this summer's catastrophic floods, Pakistani officials have begun to acknowledge that the country's security could be gravely affected if more international aid does not arrive soon.

The floods have submerged an area roughly the size of Italy, displaced 12 percent of the population and destroyed billions of dollars worth of infrastructure and crops.

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More News On Pakistan's Flood Disaster

U.N. Secures More Pakistan Flood Relief Funds -- Reuters
In Flooded Pakistan, a Lack of Basic Supplies -- New York Times
Pakistan flood aid inadequate, U.N. warns -- McClatchy News
U.N. Sounds Alarm on Aid for Pakistan -- New York Times
Disease hovers over Pakistan's flood-stricken children -- Reuters
UN hopes to stave off ‘second wave of death’ in Pakistan -- National Post
Despair as flood aid trickles in -- The Age
Pakistan floods: EU pledges 30m euro aid boost -- BBC News
Pakistan reassures aid donors -- BBC
Pakistan Pledges Transparency To Ensure Flood Aid Arrives -- Radio Free Europe
Eight die as doctors strike work in flood-hit Pakistan -- Sify News
Insurgents, Police Clash Amid Pakistan Flooding -- New York Times/Reuters
Militants Moving In Behind Pakistan Flood Waters -- ABC News
Reports of looting, violence surface in flood-ravaged Pakistan -- CNN
Pakistan Militants Attack Cops Amid Flood Chaos -- CBS News
Pakistan Floods Could Sweep Away Weak Gov't? -- CBS News

Pakistan: An Urgent Call for Aid -- New York Times editorial
Pakistan drowning: Floods could sink government -- Ralph Peters, New York Post
Pakistan: A Trade Deal to Help Rebuild -- New York Times editorial
Terrorists Capitalize on Pakistan's Floods -- Marisa Porges, Wall Street Journal

Why Giving Aid To Pakistan May Become A Waste Of Money

£300m Earthquake Aid 'Misused By Zardari’ -- The Telegraph

More than £300 million in foreign aid for victims of the 2005 Pakistan earthquake has been diverted by President Asif Zardari's government to other causes, officials have told The Daily Telegraph.

They now fear that the alleged diversion of funds will deter donors from giving further aid after the country's devastating floods.

According to senior officials, schools, hospitals, houses and roads planned with money given by foreign governments and international aid groups remain unbuilt almost five years after the earthquake which killed 80,000 and left four million people homeless.

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More News On Past Aid To Pakistan, And Why Donors Are Reluctant To Donate Money Today

Aid for 2005 Pakistan quake spent elsewhere: report -- DAWN
Zardari 'diverted £300m quake aid to other causes' -- Vancouver Sun
2005 quake aid spent elsewhere: paper -- Sydney Morning Herald/AFP
Zardari government accused of diverting 300 million pound Kashmir earthquake aid -- Sify News
Zardari government accused of diverting 300 million pound Kashmir earthquake aid -- Karachi News

U.S. Offers Aid to Rescue Pakistanis and Reclaim Image -- New York Times
US aid to Pakistan stirs controversy -- Press TV (Iran)
Pakistan flood aid trickles in: N.L. Oxfam -- CBC
Pakistan floods: Aid trickles in for victims as cholera spreads in Pakistan's worst-ever floods -- The Guardian
Canada pledges another $31M in aid for Pakistan -- CBC
Panel to oversee flood aid spending -- Express Tribune

Pakistan floods fail to spark strong global aid -- AP
Pakistan suffers – but our wallets remain closed -- Alasdair Palmer, The Telegraph
Why no rush to aid Pakistan? -- Jorge Heine, Toronto Star
Slow response to catastrophe -- Irish Times
My country needs help, not disapproval -- Ayesha Siddiqa, The Independent

My Comment: Pakistan's culture of corruption and incompetence has finally caught up to them .... with disastrous results for millions of people and a foreign community reluctant to provide aid knowing that much of it will just be diverted elsewhere.

Pakistan Flood Disaster -- News Roundup

Flood Affected Districts of Pakistan (Image Voice of America)

Pakistani Leaders Tour Flood-Ravaged Areas -- Voice of America

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has made his first visit to flood-hit areas of the country, following widespread criticism of his decision to travel abroad during the disaster.

The floods, triggered by monsoon rains, have killed at least 1,600 people and affected close to 14 million in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh provinces over the last two weeks. The U.N. has appealed for $460 million dollars to provide immediate help, including food, shelter and clean water.

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More News On The Flood Disaster In Pakistan

Pakistani president visits flood relief camp in Sindh -- BBC
Pakistan president tours flood zone -- Al Jazeera
Pakistani president finally visits flood-affected areas -- CNN
Zardari to finally view flood damage first hand -- Sydney Morning Herald
Under-fire Zardari visits Pakistan flood victims -- Yahoo News/AFP
New Flood Warnings Raise Fears in Pakistan -- New York Times
Flood-ravaged Pakistan appeals for help -- CBC
UN appeals for aid to help millions displaced by Pakistan floods -- Yahoo News/AP
Pakistan flood waters recede as tent cities spring up -- Vancouver Sun/AFP
Pakistan floods strand the poor while rich go to higher ground -- Christian science Monitor
Ramadan or not, hunger hits Pakistan flood victims -- AP
U.S. Triples Helicopters For Pakistan Flood Relief -- New York Times/Reuters

In pictures: Pakistan's flood victims -- BBC

Pakistan's Floods, Political, And Insurgency Crisis Deepens

Zardari's Trip To Europe Fuels Resentment As Pakistan Reels From Deadly Floods -- Washington Post

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN -- A politician with a 20 percent approval rating might not appear to have much to lose.

But Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, his standing already seemingly at rock bottom, elicited a new level of public scorn this week.

With much of his nation under water following the worst flooding to hit Pakistan in living memory, Zardari has been touring Europe. As helicopters rescued stranded residents from the surging river waters, Zardari choppered to his family's chateau in France. After riots and a suicide bomber wreaked further havoc, Zardari dined in the English countryside with British Prime Minister David Cameron.

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More News On Pakistan

Pakistan races to help 15 million affected by floods -- Yahoo News/AFP
Pakistan floods 'hit 14m people' -- BBC
More rain lashes Pakistan, deepening flood crisis -- AP
Pakistanis desperate to escape flood areas -- Reuters
Pakistan in crisis: left to help themselves -- the Telegraph
Pakistan Braces for More Flooding as Human Toll Mounts -- Voice of America
Misery, frustration rise in Pakistan flood areas -- CNN
Storms ground relief copters in Pakistan -- Boston.com/AP
Pakistanis Struggle To Survive As Flooding Overwhelms Villages -- Radio Free Europe
Flooding could spread to south Pakistan -- UPI
UN issues warning that deadly flooding could soon spread to southern Pakistan -- UN News Centre

Hard-Line Islam Fills Void in Pakistan’s Flood Response -- New York Times
Terror-linked charities pitch in to Pakistani flood relief effort -- The Washington Times
U.S. envoy to Pakistan: We’re beating the extremists on flood relief -- The Cable/Foreign Policy
Pakistan floods displace millions, aid welcome from US or from militants -- Christian Science Monitor

Pakistan president to address political rally -- Yahoo News/AP
British, Pakistani leaders pledge to 'stand together' -- L.A. Times
PM agrees to set up commission for Karachi killing -- DAWN
Haider murder investigation to be transparent: CM Qaim -- DAWN
Pakistan struggles to restore calm in Karachi -- Tehran Times
Karachi death toll tops 90 -- CBC

Pakistan’s misery -- Toronto Star editorial

Pakistan News Updates -- August 4, 2010

62 Dead, 128 Injured In Karachi Violence -- Sify News

Karachi: At least 62 people have died and 128 have been injured as angry mobs stalked the streets of Pakistan's largest and most volatile city in unchecked violence after Monday's killing of a MQM legislator.

Muttahid Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader and member of the Sindh provincial assembly, Raza Haider, was shot dead in Nazimabad area where he had gone to attend a funeral.

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More News On Pakistan

Pakistan Government Stretched Thin Amid Deadly Violence, Flooding -- Washington Post

Karachi Streets Grow Calmer After 63 Gunned Down Over Two Nights of Riots -- Bloomberg
Extra troops patrol Pakistan city after violence -- AP
Haider murder: Karachi police arrest 'hardliners' -- BBC
Gunmen Kill 47 in Karachi Riot After Lawmaker's Death -- Wall Street Journal
Assassination Sets Off Wave of Killings in Pakistani City -- New York Times
Dozens Die in Karachi Violence -- Voice of America
Political killing stokes tensions in Pakistan city -- AP

At least 1,500 die in Pakistan floods -- UPI
Devastating Pakistan Floods Now Threaten Food Crisis -- New York Times/Reuters
Floods ravage Pakistan's heartland, threaten south -- AP
Pakistani Government Faces Growing Criticism Over Flood Response -- Voice of America
Pakistan Issues New Warnings as Floods Affect 3.2 Million -- Voice of America
Food and medicine cannot reach flood victims -- The Australian/AFP
Flood waters threaten to burst Pakistan dam -- Financial Times
Pakistan floods: Islamic fundamentalists fill state aid void -- The Guardian
Pakistan Vies With Islamists to Aid Flood Victims -- New York Times
Pakistan floods: Army defends rescue operation -- BBC

Pakistan: Bomber kills senior police officer -- AP
Bomber kills paramilitary force chief in Pakistan -- AJC.com
Suicide attack kills a top Pakistan police chief -- AFP
Attack kills senior Pakistani security officer -- CNN

Analysis: Karachi attack ‘a trap to destabilize Pakistan’ -- National Post
Time to act -- Dawn Editorial
The crack of doom -- The Daily Times editorial
Rage and Floods in Pakistan -- New York Times editorial

Slaughter At Two Pakistani Mosques

Two Mosques Attacked in Pakistan, At Least 70 Killed -- Voice of America

Pakistani officials say gunmen wearing suicide vests have attacked two mosques belonging to a minority sect in the northeastern city of Lahore, killing at least 70 people and taking several hostages.

Police say gunmen armed with grenades stormed the mosques located in the Garhi Shahu and Model Town areas of the city, shortly after Friday prayers began.

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More News On Today's Pakistan Mosque Attacks

Attackers strike sect mosques in Pakistan; 80 dead -- AP
Gunmen Attack Mosques, Kill At Least 70 In Pakistan -- New York Times/Reuters
Death toll hits 80 in gunmen attacks in Pakistan's Lahore -- Xinhuanet
At least 80 killed in Lahore attacks -- CNN
Pakistan mosque attacks spark fiece fighting -- BBC
Attackers Hit Mosques of Islamic Sect in Pakistan -- New York Times
70 killed in terror assault on Lahore mosques -- Long War Journal
Eyewitness: Pakistan mosque attack -- BBC

Another US Drone Missile Strike In Pakistan

U.S. Missile Strike Kills 8 Militants In Pakistan -- Washington Post/Reuters

MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (Reuters) - A U.S. drone aircraft fired three missiles into Pakistan's North Waziristan region on the Afghan border Wednesday, killing eight militants, Pakistani intelligence officials and residents said.

The strike targeted a stronghold of the Haqqani network, a major Taliban faction attacking Western forces across the border in Afghanistan. A similar strike last week in the same area killed a son of Jalaluddin Haqqani, the leader of the group.

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More News From Pakistan

Intel officials: US missiles kill 4 in NW Pakistan -- Yahoo News/AP
Pakistan Says Missile Attack Kills At Least Six Militants -- Radio Free Europe
US strike kills six in NW Pakistan -- Sydney Morning Herald
Drone attack 'kills four' in north-west Pakistan -- BBC News

Pakistan to hand over Mullah Baradar to Afghanistan -- Xinhuanet
Pakistan says it expects request from Afghanistan to hand over Taliban commander -- Today Online/AP

Taliban kill alleged US spies -- Press Association
Three suspected U.S. spies beheaded in Pakistan -- Xinhuanet

Taliban relocating to Karachi, US Senate told -- Dawn
Taliban Capture Raises Hopes of Pakistan Shift -- Wall Street Journal
US general praises Pakistan arrests of Taliban leaders, says they came from intel breakthrough -- Canadian Press

Is A Coup Underway In Pakistan?

Asif Ali Zardari: The Pakistani president's government is under pressure after supreme court ended legal amnesty. Photograph: John Moore/Getty Images

Pakistan Travel Bans Spark Fears Of Coup -- The Australian

PAKISTAN'S independent corruption watchdog has banned 247 top officials, including the defence and interior ministers, from leaving the country, prompting rumours of a military coup.

The National Accountability Bureau has also begun freezing assets following a Supreme Court decision this week to overturn the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance and reinstate criminal and corruption charges against some 8000 bureaucrats, including President Asif Ali Zardari.

The move has increased pressure on Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to remove the corruption-tainted ministers - both important presidential allies - from the cabinet.

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More News On The Turmoil In Pakistan

Pakistan denies coup as court ruling rocks Zardari government -- The Guardian
Pakistan Ministers Are Called Before the Courts -- New York Times
Who's in charge of nuclear-armed U.S. ally Pakistan? -- McClatchy News
Pakistani corruption court stops ministers leaving country -- Times Online
Immunity ruling throws Pakistani government into chaos -- ABC News (Australia)
Pakistan's interior minister Rehman Malik faces arrest as crisis deepens -- the Telegraph
Pakistan party demands Zardari resignation -- BBC

Crisis In Pakistan's Office Of The President

President Zardari divested himself of the powers he held as chairman of the National Command Authority, handing them over to PM Gilani. File photo from Dawn

Asif Ali Zardari Surrenders Control Of Pakistan’s Nuclear Arms -- Times Online

The embattled president of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, has handed control of the country’s nuclear arsenal to his prime minister in an attempt to boost his popularity.

Anxious to placate critics who claim his office has too much power, Zardari agreed to shed presidential prerogatives after a controversial amnesty for politicians and officials expired yesterday.

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More News On Pakistan's Embattled President

Pakistan's president gives up control of nuclear weapons -- L.A. Times
Pakistan's president hands over nuclear powers -- BBC
Pakistani president turns over nuclear authority -- AP
Pakistan president loses amnesty for corruption charges -- CNN
Pakistani President Shifts Nuclear Control to Prime Minister -- Voice of America
‘Nuclear button’ handed over to premier -- Dawn

Demographic Time Bomb In Pakistan?

Click Image to Enlarge

Survey of Pakistan’s Young Predicts ‘Disaster’ If Their Needs Aren’t Addressed -- The New York Times

LAHORE, Pakistan — Pakistan will face a “demographic disaster” if it does not address the needs of its young generation, the largest in the country’s history, whose views reflect a deep disillusionment with government and democracy, according to a report released here on Saturday.

The report, commissioned by the British Council and conducted by the Nielsen research company, drew a picture of a deeply frustrated young generation that feels abandoned by its government and despondent about its future.

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My Comment: These stats reminds me of the stats that I read about Africa 20 years ago. A growing population that cannot be sustained with the resources that it has, coupled with a political class that has no interest in confronting the looming crisis that is fast approaching.

But unlike Africa, Pakistan has nuclear weapons and a growing insurgency movement that blames the West for it problems and (at the same time) wishes to export their version of Jihad to the rest of the world. It is this evolving situation that should be of concern to us.

While the problems of Pakistan are the problems of Pakistan .... (and they are) .... militant Islam has been positioning itself to take advantage of the situation in Pakistan to assert their authority and power base within the country's Government as well as it's military/intelligence agencies. The present civil war in the Frontier regions of Pakistan has stemmed this growing militancy .... but it has not stopped it.

My prediction .... the fighting is going to stop but the political philosophy that drives militant Islam will continues ... especially in Pakistan where a growing underclass fed by anti-Western propaganda and lies will one day result in a day of reckoning with those who have always made it their mission to wage war against us.

Pakistan Army Close To Winding Up First Phase Of Operation

Soldiers secure an area on top of Kund moutain, near Kotkai village
in the South Waziristan, October 29, 2009. Reuters

From Dawn.com:

PESHAWAR: The Army is winding up the first phase of Operation Rah-i-Nijat by this weekend by capturing all major towns and villages in the Taliban heartland of South Waziristan, senior military officials said.

The lightning speed with which the military has been able to seize major towns and villages, taking over Sherwangi, Kotkai, Kaniguram and Sararogha and secure main supply routes in the embattled tribal region has taken many an analyst, and even some military planners, by surprise.

The security forces are already inside Makin from the Razmak access but the area is said to be infested with minefields and will take some time before it is declared safe.

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My Comment: Now ..... for the Pakistan Army .... the hard part is about to start.