Displaced People From Swat


Displaced-People-From-Swat

People who are displaced from Swat due to military operation have been brought by the bus load to Karachi.

Why they were brought to Karachi?  Like many other people I asked the same question to myself.

During the Afghan/Russian war all the displaced people were inhabited within the NWFP. Why this time when the displaced people were much lower in  numbers were transported to Karachi. It seems it was preplanned with a hidden agenda.

I can think there were three motives behind this move.

Political. Pakistan Peoples Party wants to reduce the power of MQM in Karachi by

How Much Afghan Governemnt Has Control Over Afghanistan


How-Much-Afghan-Governemnt-Has-Control-Over-Afghanistan

Helmand is the most violent province in Afghanistan. The governor of Helmand province, Gulab Mangal said the government controls only 8 of the 13 districts in the province. The districts where government has no control, three districts are in the north of the province, and two in the south. NATO security forces are planning to regain the control of these areas.

That tells you how much NATO and allied forces are successful over there.

Report: Taliban Using Sophisticated Media Network


Taliban-using-sopisticated-media-network

By: NAHAL TOOSI, Associated Press Writer
Thu Jul 24, 10:50 AM ET

KABUL, Afghanistan – The Taliban have created a sophisticated media network to undermine support for the Afghan government, sending threats by text message and spreading the militia’s views through songs available as ring tones, according to a report released Thursday.

The International Crisis Group report comes as the Islamist militia that was ousted from power in Afghanistan by the 2001 U.S.-led invasion is making a violent comeback, particularly in the country’s south and east.

The Taliban’s propaganda exploits civilian killings by foreign forces and corruption in the U.S.-backed government to add to Afghans’ disillusionment about their lives, according to the report by the Brussels, Belgium-based group. It said the Afghan government and its foreign allies should respond more quickly to their mistakes and highlight the Taliban’s atrocities.

Many of the messages that have been distributed — apparently not always directly produced by the Taliban — come in the form of songs, religious chants and poetry that appeal to Afghan nationalism and Islamic pride.

Some of the tunes are available as ring tones for phones, and cassettes include songs such as “Let me go to jihad,” the report said. Some people reported that they kept the cassettes as a form of protection in case they were stopped by Taliban.

One poem — “Death is a gift,” on Al Emarah — included the phrase, “I will not kiss the hand of Laura Bush.”

The Taliban movement also has a Web site, Al Emarah, or The Emirate, which has various domain names due to attempts to block it. The Taliban also publish pamphlets and magazines, and their communications come in multiple languages including English. DVDs and audio cassettes also are used.

Because illiteracy is widespread in Afghanistan, and many Afghans have little to no access to the Internet or television, the Taliban also use traditional means of communication to spread their message. They often send shabnamahs — fliers that are often distributed at night in an area. Often the letters threaten people who work with international forces or the government, the report said.

The report also said that Taliban media play up civilian casualties caused by foreign forces but deny involvement in most bombings that kill a large number of ordinary Afghans. Because of the poor security situation, independent journalists often have a difficult time verifying claims of either side.

Obeidullah Jan, a Barekzai tribal leader from Dand district in Kandahar province, said the Taliban had tremendous influence on local media and that journalists in the area often reported their claims. But even if the Taliban had no media outreach, their impact — from suicide attacks to gunbattles — is hard to miss, he said.

“Whether they use the media or not, the people are witnessing their activities,” Jan said.

The media messages at times underscore the loose, disorganized nature of the militancy.

The report notes that the Taliban as well as the Hezb-i-Islami network of warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar each claimed credit for a suicide attack in Kabul’s Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood in November 2007.

Later that year, the Taliban Web site announced the dismissal of a Taliban commander, but the commander’s spokesman rejected it, telling reporters it was a “conspiracy by some elements within the Taliban movement,” the report said.

Associated Press Writer Noor Khan contributed to this report.