Global Voices » Sana Saleem

Pakistani Activist Khudi Ali Killed in Bombings Targeting Hazaras

Sana Saleem — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 22:12:05 +0000

On 10 January, 2013 in Pakistan's southwestern city of Quetta, 82 people lost their lives in back-to-back bombings that hit an area populated primarily by ethnic Hazara Shia Muslims.

Irfan Khudi Ali, a prominent human rights activist who tirelessly highlighted the persecution of Hazara Shia in Pakistan, passed away in the second attack.

Vigil for @khudiali in Islamabad. Picture by @ali_abbas_zaidi

On Twitter, Ali reported narrowly escaping the first bombing in Quetta:

@khudiali : #Quetta, was on the way to home nearly escaped from bomb blast 11 ppl dead.

Maria Memon tweeted:

Ali cldnt survive the 2nd blast tonite.RIP @khudiali RT @khudiali #Quetta,was on the way to home nearly escaped 4m bomb blast 11 ppl dead

His killing has sparked a tribute to his struggle and reignited protests on Shia killings in Pakistan. Ali's last tweet was a report from the ground regrading the migration of Hazaras as a result of persecution:

@khudiali #Hazara families of #Machh,Khuzdir finally succumbed to the genocidal pressure&moving out. Sad day for diversity in #Balochistan.

Irfan Ali during a protest against sectarian violence in Islamabad, September 2012. From the Facebook page of Pakistan Youth Alliance.

Since 2001, Hazara Shia Muslims from Quetta — have routinely been targeted by militant groups. Being a minority within a minority, the killing of Hazara Shias is one of the most underreported cases of violence in Pakistan.

Hazara.net archives statistics of killings of Hazara Shiites in Pakistan, including number of attacks and the number of people killed in the attacks thus far. According to the statistics on the site a total of 1100 Hazara Shiites have been killed in Pakistan since 1999.

Media outlets often face the heat for not acknowledging the nature of the attacks and when they do they are criticized for using the term ‘sectarian’ when a particular sect is being targeted. In an effort to create more noise and build pressure on law enforcement agencies and the government, there's been an active debate on social media regarding the targeted killings of Shiites using the #shiakillings and #shiagenocide on Twitter. Hazara activists have, in the past, used social media to get international media's attention in order to get their stories reported.

Well respected journalist Mohammad Hanif writes:

@mohammedhanif: there seems to be a near consensus here that calling a sectarian attack, a sectarian attack, is the major cause of sectarian attacks

@zainabimam: Well done, Faisal Qureshi (actor) for a detailed morning show on the Shia view of belief. Daring of him. Thank you from a #Shia. #Pakistan

@adyadeel: #ShiaGenocide must end. govt must take concrete steps to show that they r serious to save innocent Shia lives

Blogger Omar Biden wrote a brief yet moving tribute to Irfan Khudi Ali on his blog:

Yesterday was one of many blood-soaked days for Balochistan’s capital, Quetta. Already in the morning the residents of city got to hear a blast pow, where explosives were planted in a Frontier Corp vehicle at Bacha Khan Chowk. The explosion resulted in 12 innocent lives being perished. Indeed, it created helter-skelter between the residents to bury the dead bodies.

Yet the more-then-enough rule doesn’t work in Pakistan, at least not in Quetta. After an interval of only few hours Alamdar Road, a majorly Shia Hazara people territory, witnessed another mass massacre, still the same tactic as in the morning -bomb blast. Nevertheless this time planned “Mardanawar”, boldly, a twin-blast to claim an unforgettable catastrophe (…)

he brutal incidents cost an enormous loss to humanity indeed. It also happened to be the death of an admired friend, a human rights activist –Irfan Ali Khudi.

Allegedly, Irfan Ali Khudi, 33, had come to Quetta so that he could “deliver peace training to young activist”.

Although I intended to write my feelings, yet am leaving this post incomplete…

The blood soaked day in Quetta, as Omar puts it, is not the first of its kind and may not be the last one. The indifference has angered many, especially since the banned militant organization, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, that claimed responsibility for the attacks are yet to be apprehended.

@sehartariq : Why do we feel more sympathy for Muslims in Gaza than we do for Muslims in #Pakistan with whom we share history & citizenship #shiagenocide

@zzzAsad : Shia pilgrims are frequently targeted on buses by sectarian militants #LeJ #ShiaGenocide

@FahidJaved : You bloody #LeJ butchers, kil me #WeAreAllHazara. Every Pakistani is Hazara, each one of us. How many wil u kill? How many bullets do u hv?

@Naseer_Kakar : Latest on #Quetta: all the victims r shifted to military hospital as doctors were threatened by #LeJ in Civil Hospital.#Balochistan #blasts

@AhmadShuja : RIP @khudiali. They took your life, but your courage and inspiration remains. #LeJ #Quetta

@ZakirChangezi : Quoting #KhudiAli “My people the Shia are dying. If I die, I want to die trying to help them”. #RIPKhudiAli

The families of the victims have refused to bury their dead and have announced that they will continue a sit-in unless the army takes action against the killing sprees. This image uploaded on Twitter shows thousands of Hazara sitting in the rain with the dead bodies of those massacred in the Quetta bombings.

@ammar_faheem : Shia protesters stage sit in on Quetta's alamdaar road along with bodies of those martyred in yesterday's blasts #ShiaGenocide

@AdnanSarparrah : Sit-in by the Shia community continues but handing over #Quetta to army won't solve anything, Quetta is already under control of Army (FC)

Ali spoke at Tedx event in Rawalpindi city just a few weeks ago, watch his powerful speech here.

Ali dedicated most of his life to highlighting the plight of Hazara, for those who knew him and even those who did not, he has become a symbol of the struggle for justice for the Hazara Community in Pakistan. As the sit in continues, amid cold and rain, as families refuse to bury their loved ones, will the authorities finally take action to stop the bloodshed? Till then Ali's story needs to be heard.

Global Voices: Where Every Voice Counts

Sana Saleem — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 22:42:59 +0000

Every year Human Rights Day provides an opportunity, to many of us, to highlight issues that matter to us and to advocate human rights for all. This year the spotlight is on the rights of people – the poor, the marginalized and the disingenuous, women and youth and those across the gender spectrum. Every one has the right to be heard and the right to participate.

The idea that every voice counts is one that is very close to the notion of Global Voices as a platform and as a community. As netizens unite to have their voices heard when the world's authorities argue on who should run the internet, we decided to ask our diverse community to participate and speak out on issues that matter to them and look back at issues we have covered over the year bearing in mind that every voice counts.

Global Voices community members make their #VoiceCount. Image collage by author.

With Syria and Gaza plunging into information by pulling the plug on the internet, the right to access remained one of the most pertinent issues. Our special coverage included Syria,archiving online reactions to Syria's internet blackout and the resurgence as parts of Syria regained connectivity, protests in Bahrain and Yemen amid media blackout, conflict voices from Caucasus and Sudan revolts, in-depth coverage of Russia's protest movements,bearing witness to Egypt's historic presidential elections and the aftermath and the intense elections in Venezuela, seeking indigenous voices representing 370 million people that speak more than 4000 languages, a spotlight on the forgotten voices of Myanmar's Rohnigya, keeping an eye on the worldwide #occupy movements and SlutWalks a new protest movement defending women's rights and most importantly monitoring and defending internet freedom, free speech and freedom to access with Global Voices Advocacy evolving in to a community determined to take a stand.

Then there were other stories that needed the world's attention as we stood true to the notion that we are reminded of today; every voice counts.Qatar's life imprisonment of a poet that praised Arab spring,Russia's crackdown on online satire, women being barred and penalized from using mobile phones in villages in India, stricter SIM card registration process hampering communication in Zambia, Pakistan's consistent pursuit to replicate the great firewall of China, Tajikistan blocking of facebook and summoning Mark Zuckerberg – a move startlingly similar to that of Pakistani authorities, Internet companies overlooking user privacy, the fight for free expression as authorities muscle in more control, we continued to speak out against impunity and for justice for threatened voices, these are the few issues global voices as a community has been able to bring attention to. As we move forward towards the end of the year, there will be a more comprehensive overview of the year through the eyes of the networked.

For now, on Human Rights Day, we stand in solidarity with people around the world and believe in every individual's right to be heard, to participate and be counted. Our commitment remains, to amplify the voices of the networked and to enable and support the indigenous communities to become a part of the larger community.

Pakistan: Conflicting Reports in #SaveRimsha Blasphemy Case

Sana Saleem — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 23:51:48 +0000

The blasphemy law in Pakistan has been the focus of a heated debate yet again, after a 14 year old girl was accused of burning pages of Noorani Qaida, a lesson for Quran. Rimsha Masih, was arrested on August 17, 2012, after an angry mob of over a hundred brought her to the local police station. The news was first reported by the website Christian in Pakistan, which routinely published news regarding persecution of the christian community in Pakistan. As the news broke several people used twitter to verify the news and reach out to authorities to take action [see Global Voices report]. Mainstream media coverages followed and online petitions have been filed since.

But activism aside, there have been a quite few conflicting reports about the case. The most significant one being a picture of a girl, that has become the face of the #SaveRimsha campaign.

Photo Courtesy: Sunny Gill- Citizens for Democracy – People of all ages in solidarity with Rimsha, Karachi.

The issue of her name and picture

When the news first broke several mainstream media outlets referred to her as “Rifta’ instead of “Rimsha’ the name initially reported by the website Christian in Pakistan. Popular media outlets like Dawn, Express, the Guardian and even human rights group Amnesty International referred to her as Rifta in their official press release demanding her release and the repeal of the blasphemy laws. Meanwhile, another case, of an 11 -year old Christian boy burnt to death was also reported, while it remained unclear whether this was a hate crime based on religion, a few readers reacted to the mainstream media's error in reporting facts:

Raza Rumi (@Razarumi): RT @junaidqaiser: @rezhasan BTW name and Samual's age is not correct in ET's report.bit.ly/OwDAjH #Pakistan (August 22, 2012)

Halima Mansoor (@Hmansoor): @razarumi @junaidqaiser @rezhasan Rimsha was reported as Rifta by many, inc ET at first. Dnt knw if its poor reporting or poor systems (August 22, 2012)

Junaid Qaiser (@JunaidQaiser): @hmansoor @razarumi @rezhasan Reporting without cross checking facts. And no proper editorial check. (August 22, 2012)

The last report using the name Rifta was perhaps the 23rd of August. It is also interesting to note that news outlets have since corrected the name to Rimsha, but there has been no acknowledgement of the factual error in reporting; a standard rule in reporting. As numerous petitions and calls for protests appeared, many of them used picture of a little girl as Rimsha's picture.

Having seen the picture of the girl being used for several campaigns in the past, I decided to do trace the picture source in order to discourage people from using the picture for Rimsha. Google Images drag and drop feature was really handy to determine the source of the image, first published in April 2006 the image is of a girl in a temporary school camp in Balakot, Kashmir, taken after the 2005 earthquake (by Maciej Dakowicz).

The image of the girl has also been used by reporters and websites without verification. The Examiner.com, Huffington Post and France 24 carried the picture, but Huffington post later removed the picture.

Sunil Dixit (@sudixitca): @raushenbush @huffpostrelig -Could you please confirm/verify that this picture is indeed of Rimsha Masih? Thanks – twitter.com/sudixitca/stat… (August 22, 2012)

Paul B. Raushenbush (@raushenbush): @sudixitca I don't know, we didn't have a foto of the girl in our coverage (August 22, 2012)

Sunil Dixit (@sudixitca): @raushenbush – Sir this where I saw this picture. huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/mu… (August 23, 2012)

Naeem Shamim @naeemshamim: Even marxist poets like #Faiz remained silent when State & Mullahs were persecuting #Ahmadis ! (August 27,2012)

Maham Ali (@Mahamali05): The girl in your profile picture is not Rimsha Masih @naeemshamim (August 27, 2012)

Umer Arain (@UmerArain): Indian channel running the Rimsha/blasphemy story with picture of the earthquake victim. @cyalm speaks too.youtu.be/SGwMBcQNnP8 #FAIL (August 29,2012)

A video from protests in London, shows people carrying placards with the girl's picture:

Radio France International used the picture while interviewing author Irshad Manji over the issue

@sanasaleem the author of a HuffPo article mentioned to one of my team that the pic he/she used was “some random girl”. Disappointing.

— August 25, 2012

Despite the picture being used by multiple news sources, only one advocacy group – Citizens For Democracy issued a clarification and an apology to discourage the use of the image:

CFD apologises for using a misleading photo with the visual earlier posted on this blog regarding the demonstration in Karachi on Aug 25. We realise that there is a need to be more thoughtful with the visuals we use with our campaigns. Please read the note below, sent to the petition owners of the Free Rimsha campaign, from a health professional in Lahore: “The photo being used with the Rimsha Masih campaign is fake and misleading. As a member of the healthcare professionals community, I can assure you the child in the photo clearly lacks any of the characteristic facial features of Down’s Syndrome [..] It is unfortunate that this photogenic-but-normal child’s picture has also been snapped up to make press club banners and illustrate other articles without appropriate verification, almost unchanged and with the incorrect labeling still intact…”

Unless mainstream media outlets recognize the error on their part it will become increasingly difficult to limit the use of the picture. Given the risks involved in cases of blasphemy, publishing a misleading picture and identity can put many people in danger.

Pakistan: Video Leak Sends Shock Waves Across The Country

Sana Saleem — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 19:21:01 +0000

When it rains it pours, most aptly sums up the situation in Pakistan at the moment. A leaked video showing popular anchorpersons Mehar Bokhari and Mubashar Lucman involved in a set-up interview has sent shock waves across the media industry and the people. The leak comes while the country is embroiled in huge court cases from the Chief Justice's son to the Head of intelligence agencies, the leak brings to light important questions about integrity of journalism in Pakistan and the involvement of strategic players in influencing it.

In the video it's evident how the two anchorpersons are plotting questions during the break. The guest, Malik Riaz, a property tycoon who has filed a corruption case against the Chief Justice's son, is being consulted and prepared for questions throughout the breaks in the program. One of the anchorperson, Mubashar Lucman, is continuously seen receiving calls and texts instructing him to ask specific questions and frame the argument in a certain manner. At one point, Mr. Lucman receives a call from Prime Minister's son, who is currently being tried for a drug case, and explicitly asks him if he thinks the program is going in the right direction before handing the phone to the guest Malik Riaz.

Screenshot from the leaked video

The leaked video was first uploaded to Youtube and then picked up by mainstream media channels, hence the initial reactions were seen on social media even before the story was reported:

Social Media is #voice of People now , Electronic Media is Voice of Mafias #anchorgate #mediagate” Well said!

— khurram shamsi (@khurram_shamsi) June 16, 2012

corruption, corruption & corruption; it is time for media to analyse themselves as well as judiciary too. #mediagate — Zahid Buneray (@ZahidBuneray) June 17, 2012

Having been universally abused & vilified by almost all anchors, I'm just smiling at the circus :) #Pakistan #Anchorgate — Husain Haqqani (@husainhaqqani) June 14, 2012

#MediaGate this was definately not the first planted interview in our media history Y z it that only this off the record tape got released — Haroon Nasir (@haroon_nasir1) June 18, 2012

For those clapping on #anchorgate, pls remember what happened after 3 anchors incited violence and murder? NOTHING. Not much has changed! — Raza Rumi (@Razarumi) June 14, 2012

Mehr bokhari and mubashir lucman back to duniya channels. Is the media new God that is unaccountable? #mediagate #anchorgate #mubasharlucman — Rasikh Mashhadi (@rasikh) June 18, 2012

TV channels are playing with public sentiment & opinion and their untamed freedom is extremely damaging for #Pakistan #Media #AnchorGate — Salman Hamid (@salman_hamid) June 16, 2012

I hate these people for destroying my profession: Malik Riaz, Mehar Bokhari and Lucman http://youtu.be/9dTO76GIlaw – courtesy @WajSKhan — Gibran Peshimam (@gibranp) June 14, 2012

Big pindora Box Malik Riaz exposed in a plotted programme on dunya TV with Mubashir Luqman. And Mehar Bokhari Its all available on YouTube — Nauman Bajwa (@naumanbajwa) June 14, 2012

The blog Cafe Pyala dissected the leaked interview highlighting corruption in media in Pakistan:

So, basically we find out the following things: 1. This was a total set-up of an interview, with planted questions. 2. Malik Riaz is not only told the questions before-hand, he is fed some of the answers too and prompted by the intrepid interviewers to say things he might have forgot to mention. 3. The Prime Minister's son Abdul Qadir Gilani is in the know and involved, as are the Sharif brothers in a slightly different way. 4. There are instructions from Dunya TV management ‘not to interrupt’ Malik Riaz, even if it means going over time. Obviously, Dunya TV is more beholden to him than anyone could have guessed. 5. There actually were plenty of ego-clashes between the Bokhari and Lucman [..]

Within a few hours of the video leak, TV Channel Dunya and the the anchorpersons tried to get the video off the internet citing copyright violations. Within minutes the videos were downloaded incase they are removed. Netizens also moved a petition calling to protect ‘whistleblowers’ within the media.

Please read & sign the petition 2 protect whistleblowers. They're invaluable 2 accountability process chn.ge/LKw18V @kalsoom82 — Ayesha Tammy Haq (@tammyhaq) June 16, 2012

Important petition against dishonest journalism in #Pakistan –sign and spread the word via @beenasarwar: chn.ge/LopjDX — Saleem H. Ali (@saleem_ali) June 15, 2012

‘Anchorgate’: Criminal case lodged against Dunya TV whistleblowers tribune.com.pk/story/394490/a… -(The whistle-blowers MUST be protected!) #Pakistan — Mamur Mustapha (@mamur) June 16, 2012

But all is not hopeless in the media industry in Pakistan, shortly after the leak video was released, popular anchor Naseem Zehra resigned from the channel garnering support and respect from fellow journalists.

Well done @nasimzehra – an anchor with a conscience — Omar Waraich (@OmarWaraich) June 15, 2012

. @cpyalaNasim Zehra confirmed to me that she is in fact resigning from Dunya in light of the Lucman-Bokhari fiasco

— Ali Dayan Hasan (@AliDayan) June 15, 2012

With @NasimZehra‘s resignation, DunyaTV has lost the most credible voice they had.

— beena sarwar (@beenasarwar) June 15, 2012

@beenasarwar That's very sad. Nasim Zehra is one of the most credible journalist we have. Mehr Bukhari should resign @NasimZehra — Maham Ali (@Mahamali05) June 15, 2012

Dunya Channels management has been actively engaged in a PR campaign for damage control which has resulted in harsher criticism.

Watching #Dunya news right now is possibly the most painful thing I could do to myself. Wow–terrible PR control attempt. #Mediagate

— Sana Saeed (@SanaSaeed) June 16, 2012

So dunya news is now trying to rectify its image. All programming angled towards that agenda. This is sad journalism. # anchorgate #DunyaTV

— asadfaruqi (@asadfaruqi) June 15, 2012

I suppose if the US had not become such a police state, Fox news would spiral into a Geo or Dunya!

— Sher Ali (@sherakhan46) June 19, 2012

A legal case has also been pursued in the High Court seeking to ban the anchorpersons, but the question remains is banning the solution? For now it seems that the channel will not be firing the journalists, however netizens as well as mainstream media reporters are now raising questions triggering a debate on the credibility of the journalists in Pakistan and factors that influence unbiased reporting. Whether this debate would lead to mediapersons to put their house in order, remains to be seen.

Pakistan: Fighting the Great Firewall

Sana Saleem — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 19:33:23 +0000

Internet freedom and communication technology in Pakistan has struggled with numerous attempts of censorship, surveillance and at times a blanket ban. The recent spate has been the announcement by ICT R&D Fund under the Ministry of Information Technology (MoIT), in newspapers and on their website, of a request for proposal (RFP) for national “URL filtering and blocking system”.

Ironically, the National ICT R&D Fund that describes it's core focus as a fund that promotes ”Use ICT as a tool for wealth creation and upward mobility for economically challenged groups of citizens and spread the ICT activities on a true national level”, is willing to spend $ 10 million on a “URL filtering and blocking system” able to ”handle a block list of up to 50 million URLs (concurrent unidirectional filtering capacity) with processing delay of not more than 1 milliseconds.”

The RFP as seen in Pakistani newspapers. Image courtesy EFF

Authorities have in the past used national security, blasphemy and obscenity as a pre-requisite for blocking content online. However, the process lack transparency, civil rights groups demanding transparency have been met with deafening silence. Several petitions have appeared online demanding the government reconsider its decision and put an end to censorship, people have used the platform to register their protest.

On the petition titled, Pakistan to stop the firewall, stop the blanket ban, put an end to censorship, citizens have registered their protests demanding the government to reconsider the decision:

Mirza Abeer from Karachi, Pakistan writes:
Freedom of information is our right! Take that away and people will finally revolt!!

Usman Masood from Lahore, Pakistan:
Do not put restrictions on the internet. We do not trust your members to be competent enough to know what is important.

Hamad Dar from Islamabad, Pakistan:
By saying no to blanket ban, we're not only putting an end to censorship, encouraging freedom but also helping in saving Pakistan both technologically and politically.

For a country of 187 million people with only 20 million with Internet access, spending $ 10 million on a filtering and blocking systems could be extremely damaging:

Fazal Khan, Costa Mesa, CA, signed the petition and registered his protest:
Stop wasting the country's resources on useless things and actually do something for the benefit of the people who you represent.

Tariq Khan, Pakistan:
The Govt. should take into account the fact that it has been democratically elected and any ban on the Internet regardless of the pretext will only strengthen non-democratic and obscurantist forces in this country which will ultimately make the Government and political class more insecure and prone to any extra-constitutional threat. The answer to creating a more pluralistic democratic society lies in more access to information rather than blanket bans.

Time line of E-regulations and censorship in Pakistan, Courtesy Bolo Bhi

Other's have found humor and satire as a way to register their protest:

Haroon Riaz, from Rawalpindi, Pakistan:
Dear Sir Blocking internet is not a good thing for anyone. If you consider yourself democratic, put a ban on bans. Sincerely yours. A citizen.

Shehryar Hydri, Islamabad, Pakistan:
Instead of filtering URL's why not just shut the internet. We were fine with letters and trunk calls to America. As it is, media freedom was a curse brought upon us by Musharaf, the enemy of PPP. Please ban all TV and Radio channels as well and just have the PTV Channels for us patriotic Pakistanis.

Mariam Bilgrami, Karachi, Pakistan:
I have a a request for proposal for a hack to the national “URL filtering and blocking system”. If we can't stop them, think one step ahead.

The deadline for the proposal is March 2, 2012, besides actively signing and tweeting the petition entrepreneurs and citizens have registered their protest on twitter comparing the URL filtering and blocking systems to SOPA:

@rrafiq:Clay Shirky: Why #SOPA #PIPA is a bad idea http://on.ted.com/APkO >>conversely why #Pakistan MoiT #censorship proposal is a bad idea #TED

@rahmamian: Headed China's way? A national firewall is absolutely dangerous for Pakistan. #internet #censorship #digitalactivism

@thekarachikid: Because Democracy is the Best Revenge, Pakistan seeks to build the Great Firewall of censorship http://ow.ly/9g3hU

@fouadbajwa: Great #Firewall of #Pakistan under construction to ban millions of websites urls #censorship http://ictrdf.org.pk/RFP-%20URL%20Filtering%20&%20Blocking.pdf #netfreedom #infopolicy

Civil society organizations have also suggested (see petition) that people should engage with international companies providing surveillance and censorship tools and get their CEOs to commit to to apply for the proposal, in the light of human rights violations.

The fear that this system will be used to curtail political dissent is not unsubstantiated. Pakistani authorities regularly block and filter out Baluchistan related content and sites run by Baluch activists under the notion of ‘national security'.

There has been no official list of the number of websites currently blocked by the government, except for data crowd-sourced by activists. Needless to say if the authorities succeed in implementation of the filtering and blocking system, a considerable number of voices will be silenced.

Pakistan: The Death of Nusrat Bhutto

Sana Saleem — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 01:32:56 +0000

The recent demise of Nusrat Bhutto, former first lady and wife of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, was mourned across the country. At the age of 82, Nusrat Bhutto died at her deceased daughter Benazir Bhutto's residence in Dubai, after a long battle with Alzheimer's.

Cafe Pyala‘s heartfelt tribute gives a historic perspective of Nusrat Bhutto's legacy for the youth that did not witness her era:

But I do want to write a couple of lines for those who did not live through the times that really defined her (and most Pakistanis now, it should be recalled, were born after 1993) and who wonder what the massive outpouring of emotion at the death of an 82-year-old woman who had not been seen in public for more than a decade is all about.

To understand the connection that millions of people – and not just the supporters of the Pakistan Peoples Party – feel with Nusrat Bhutto, one must understand how her grace under pressure and in the face of overwhelming tragedy – here was a wife and mother who lived to see most of her immediate family wiped out – inspired countless others with her fortitude. Hers was a human story that transcended her class or her position in the elite stratosphere of politics.

Nusrat Bhutto (second from right) at Japan Consulate dinner. Image from Flickr by Altaf Shaikh CC BY-NC-ND

A country-wide mourning was announced, declaring a public holiday on Monday 24 October, 2011; banks, educational institutes and even courts remained close. This triggered a wave of reactions from people questioning the government's logic behind declaring a national holiday, that would inevitably hurt the country's already battered economy.

@Reallyvirtual: Son's school declared a holiday tomorrow… they waste our lives when they're alive, they waste our lives when they die.

@lablinks: When a country becomes family business, shutting down the shop upon a death in the family is to be expected.

@ReallyVirtual: and they damage the economy of the country, consecutive three bank holiday. Shame.

@jehan_ara: So Cabinet Meeting will not be held on Wednesday. Can someone explain how that will honour Begum Nusrat Bhutto? Mourn but why stop working?

@bhopalhouse: I should like to live in a Pakistan where Nusrat Bhutto's death would mean more Alzheimer's research rather than a pointless public holiday.

@umairjav :My facebook timeline is full of angry ‘youths’ cursing the PPP govt. for conferring a posthumous award on Nusrat Bhutto. Yep, we're doomed.

@sarahnaq : When we are happy, we announce a holiday, when we are sad, we announce a holiday. Friday we don't work, Sunday is obviously holiday..#pakistan

@akchisti: Nusrat Bhutto was great & I condole her death but, declaring a holiday is just “unfair” & contrary to perhaps her own views. #PPP #Pakistan

@shakirhusain: RIP Nusrat Bhutto. I wish there was a better way for the State to celebrate her than a public holiday. #Pakistan

@thekarachikid: There needs to be a countrywide SMS alert system set up to sort out these holiday announcement issues. #pakistan

Even though a number of government officials actively use Twitter, none of them used it to engage on the issue. Nevertheless, Nusrat Bhutto is known and respected for her struggle against one of the most brutal dictatorship in the country's history. Even those in disagreement with her politics paid tribute to her legacy.

Ghazala Akber on Paktea house wrote an obituary:

Love them, loathe them, praise them, abuse them — our opinions are impassioned and divided when it comes to the Bhuttos. But wherever we are located on the political spectrum – however polarised our views — and – whatever our feelings regarding the present government – in this we generally agree: that in the annals of our cataclysmic political history, in the epic battle for Democracy against Dictatorship – the House of Bhutto has paid a huge and hefty price in blood, sweat and tears. [..}

One would have to have a heart of stone not to feel a tinge of sadness and remorse at the passing away on October 23 of its doyenne, Mrs. Nusrat Bhutto — former First lady of Pakistan, wife of a Prime Minister, Mother of a Prime- Minister and Mother-in-law of a President.

Nusrat Bhutto's husband, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was hanged during the dictatorship of General Zia-ul-Haq. History remembers Zia-ul-haq not only as a dictator but for his era that witnessed the Soviet invasion, the ISI and CIA alliance that led to the creation of the Taliban.

Cafe Pyala recalls the moment in time:

At the same time, one must also acknowledge her symbolism, for those who mourn today, of a bygone era, before religious fanaticism and guns and venal corruption came to define this country's politics. When she stood, with blood streaming down her face from wounds inflicted by the sticks of General Zia's goons, she stood with a defiant moral authority that needed no certification from the media, maulvis or armed security guards.

Nusrat Bhutto, rest in peace.

As Pakistanis pay farwell to Begum Nusrat Bhutto hopes linger that acknowledging her symbolism may give strength to a nation plagued with extremism.

Pakistan: Twitter Reactions to the SMS Filtering Announcement

Sana Saleem — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 13:05:06 +0000

The Pakistan Telecom Authority's (PTA) possible attempt at SMS filtering for abusive contents, has had Twitter timelines flooded with reactions, mostly humorous. In a bid to enforce morality, the PTA has issued two lists containing over 1,000 ‘abusive words’ in English and 550 words in Urdu.

A scaned copy of the letter along with the lists has gone viral online and on Twitter it has generated an interesting response and attracted media attention.

The letter, dated November 14, 2011, suggests that SMS filtering should be considered under the “Protection from Spam, Unsolicited, Fraudulent and Obnoxious Communication Regulations, 2009″, it contains a reference to a meeting held on the same issue with mobile phone operators on the 18 October, in the capital, Islamabad. The letter was issued by Muhammad Talib Doger, Director General (Services) of PTA.

Cartoon by Jay Toons. Used with permission

Interestingly, one of the first reactions to the list came from a politician, Faisal Sabzwari:

@faisalsubzwari: :D :D :D just read PTA's letter 2 Telecoms and list of Urdu and English words ordered 2 b filtered, OMG khazana e mughalizzat :D #Pakistan

@faisalsubzwari: Whoever wants 2 enjoy, send me email id

From what at first seemed to be one of the most comprehensive compilation of cuss words the list soon became subject to curiosity and a laughing stock with addition of words like “athletes foot”, “tongue”, “mango”, “taxi” ”murder”, “rape” and even “Jesus Christ”.

Here are some of the reactions from across the Twittersphere:

@nikelb: I feel my parents really did raised me well after reading the #PTABan list. I don't know 90% of these words and I thought I live to cuss.

@jadoon88: So you can't SMS people to work harder in Pakistan anymore. #PTABan

@samadk: Now instead of typing the whole gaali you just need to send the number. Thank you PTA for making is even lazier. #PTAbannedlist #YouAre341E

@karachikhatmal: The #PTABannedList is what Charles Dickens would have wrote if he lived in Federal-B-Area right now.

@karachikhatmal: It occurred to me that the #PTABannedListwas compiled using existing SMSes – making it an invaluable historical documentation of our times.

@Jemima_Khan: I'm going to make sure I include “monkey crotch” in every text to Pakistani friends from this day forth…

@talhawynne: BREAKING: The #PTABannedList is actually a list of names the chairman of PTA was known by in his school days and his neighborhood.

@hafsahsyed: Dear PTA, your #PTABannedList of words is wonderful. It has increased our abuse vocabulary exponentially. Thank you for educating us!

@shahidsaeed: The #PTABannedList is also an excellent opportunity for our street language and slang to evolve and grow by coming up with newer abuses

@muqadir: Restricting the youth from voicing their opinions by txt msgs is a new low that PTA has stooped to using #PTABannedList!

@baylinveil: The #PTAbannedlist was hilarious when it came out. It's not funny anymore when it's being used by non-Pakistanis to make fun of Pakistanis.

@nighatdad: It seems that each & every SMS will B filtered by mobile companies & will B delivered 2 other party only if it passes the filter list. #PTA

Two Twitter accounts @PTAbannedlist and @notextpaki were also set up.

There’s also been much debate about the ways in such extensive filtering could be implemented. With the PTA’s history of moral policing (an earlier crack down on porn), one can be sure that the ban will be implemented even if not in its entirety. A recent announcement confirms the same.

The PTA has now taken back its announcement on the ban, stating that it was only a ‘preliminary’ list and that they have decided to shelve it after facing strong opposition from civil society. However, as the website Outsports points out, it is interesting to note that the list was copied off a list of words that are not allowed to printed on NFL [American 'National Football League'] jerseys. This explains the presence of words like “Jesus Christ”, “Athletes Foot” and “Neon Deon”.

So even though the PTA has decided to shelve the ban for now, there's no telling if they will come up with an edited and more relevant version of the list determined to morally police text messaging in Pakistan.

Thumbnail image courtesy @notextinPakistan

Pakistan: Political Satire Becomes Internet Sensation

Sana Saleem — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 07:46:53 +0000

A recent song released on YouTube, by a group of young men from Lahore, has become an Internet sensation. The song's lyrics are heavily loaded with political satire, something that is rarely witnessed in Pakistan in recent years.

The group calls itself Beygairat Brigade or ‘dishonor brigade’ — a pun to counter the popularly known ‘ghairat brigade’ or moral police that are known to have a large influence in Pakistan. The video, uploaded in the wee hours of the night on the 16 October, had thousands of views later in the morning.

Speaking to the media the group said that decision to release the video on the Internet was made due to possible reluctance from mainstream media in airing ‘controversial’ content. It now appears that the decision has worked exceptionally well for the group; not only does the video have over two million views on YouTube but it has also garnered attention from mainstream media globally, including the BBC.

The satirical lyrics along with a witty video, make for a perfect recipe for an Internet sensation. The songs tackles issues such as conspiracy theories and touches upon the hypocrisy of people who laud the likes of assassins Mumtaz Qadri, who killed former Governor of Punjab Salman Taseer, and Ajmal Kasab, perpetrator of the Mumbai attacks, while forgetting Dr. Abdus Salam, the country's only Nobel Laureate, because he hails from an outlawed sect of Islam.

The video ends on an ironic yet rebellious note with the lead singer holding up a placard that says : If you want a bullet through my head, like this video.

Screenshot from the music video

On their blog the group unsurprisingly introduces itself as strong supporters of freedom of speech and expression:

Believe in Humanity, hate when people jam it down your throat religion, race, culture or ethnicity.

“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

Reactions on social media platforms have been a mix of extreme praise to brutal denouncement:

@LutfIslam: Just when one thought Pak pop ate itself, comes the wonderful Baighairat Brigade: http://bit.ly/qbRiNb

@Rabeeltariq: @NadeemfParacha: Frustration of teenagers came out and they choose the most suitable & the best possible way to raise their voice.

@Maria_memon: Beyghairat Brigade will always be known as the boys who finally said the emperor had no clothes. http://bit.ly/w12iK8

@boghleharsha: just saw aalu anday by the beyghairat brigade. very interesting. art has always reflected turmoil in society.

@Zak_: What's this Beyghairat Brigade’ (the Dishonour Brigade)? a new drama of pseudo-liberals…………

@TaimoorMalik : Beghairat Brigade is getting threats for mentioning Dr Salam in their video – Our only Nobel Laureate, but an AHMADI! That's his crime!

@Khandanish_: Thank you #NOT Beghairat Brigade for getting us famous in India, by that Ajmal Kasab bit. No one considered him as a hero!

Raza Habib Raja writes:

As the torch of Political Rock N Roll passes to younger blood, some of whom have the nerves to finally say that should have been said long ago, there is every reason to believe that though in fringes, sanity still exists. Well Done Baighairat Brigade.. You have given us hope..

Most of the submitted abusive and threatening comments have been removed from youtube video comments. However, the overall impact of the video has been commendable. The attempt by beghairat brigade at political satire has set a precedent for using social media for political activism.

Pakistan: Bloggers Dismayed at Google Adsense Ban

Sana Saleem — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:16:56 +0000

A recent ban on Google Adsense accounts has left many Pakistani bloggers dismayed. Scores of genuine publishers have fallen prey to a move aimed as a crackdown on fraudulent websites and blogs.

Call to stop using Google products in protest. Image by Yasir Imran.

This has resulted in a outburst from bloggers across the country — their anger is also rooted deeply in the fact that the crackdown occurred without prior warning, which is a protocol usually followed by Google.

Some are going as far as protesting against Google and suggesting that it is a result of an earlier comment by the Interior Minister Rehman Malik. Speaking to the media Mr. Malik made a ludicrous remark claiming possible action on ‘Google administration’ if the company refused to comply to requests for data by Federal Investigative Agency (FIA).

Here is a video of the comment made by the Interior Minister.

Blogger Yasir Imran reacts to the video:

The reason behind the blocking of Adsense account is not confirmed yet but after watching this video I think Rehman Malik is the responsible for banning of Adsense.

So is the crackdown on adsense accounts really a result of warnings issued by the Interior Minister? Saad Hamid, a technology blogging guru in Pakistan, puts an end to these theories:

As I saw others, it was sad to see that most of them were inspired to blog because they had a passion for money and money only and that's where I differentiate myself from all of them. Sadly it's the same school which now opposes me, because all of this time, I have been a supporter of ‘originality', I have guided and trained people not to copy ideas, not to copy others rather believe in what they can do for themselves. But such people lack originality and sadly they always will.

In the quest to make ‘easy’ money, a considerable number of websites had set up instructions on ways in which Adsense could be exploited, while a significant number of blogs and websites were plagiarizing data to attract traffic. Here's a video tutorial offering help in opening an Adsense account for Rs. 500; this is but one example of a plethora of online content that triggered the blockade from Google.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmQR4UT3l4c&feature=related

Google's country consultant Badar Khushnood has been engaging with angry bloggers via Twitter in an attempt to help bloggers with original content to reclaim their accounts.

@badar76: Back to work; not sure how much I'd be able to help but looking into recent #Pakistan #AdSense issue! #AdSensePK

@badar76: #Pakistan #Bloggers – plz continue w/ ur own homework – review compliance to #AdSense T&C, file appeals, etc. #AdSensePK

Meanwhile, bloggers continue to tweet their updates using the hash tag #AdsensePK:

@noumaan_ : banning Pakistani Adsense accounts continues, many new disabled accounts reported last night, so far no appeal is accepted. # adsensepk

@taalz: Google Adsense say “Unacceptable site content” to http://www.PickMore.com ? Why? Because we have genuinely self written content? #AdsensePK

@harisn: Okay, so Google Adsense is still disabling accounts. A new victim among friends ->@fariZafar. #adsensepk

@atharpk: Series of #Adsensepk Bans Continue. No Warnings no Chances. Google Goes Totally wild against Pakistani Publishers.

While some bloggers have started suggesting an alternative to Google Adsense:

@shafiq: Are you looking for adsense alternatives due to mass blockage of adsense in Pakistan Follow the linkhttp://bit.ly/oulpW4 #adsensepk

Claims from bloggers suggest that over 90% of blogs and websites were affected by the ban; bloggers hope that Google will soon reevaluate the decision. Saad Hamid leaves us with a thoughtful note:

Honestly! I don't feel bad about it. AdSense was once banned on Sizlopedia.com and that was when I realized that things move on, all you need to do is a have a passion for what you are doing. I can proudly say that my knowledge has made much greater of an impact on lives of people than AdSense has made on me. To sum it up with the least of it, some of my posts are now part of student dissertations from Stanford and MIT, I founded, funded, sponsored PehliMadad – a charity iniative, I curated and sponsored TEDxMargalla – the only TEDx conference to have held in Islamabad so far and the journey goes on…

My two cents: The day you will find your real passion, AdSense won't matter anymore :) Good luck!

- From your average ever-narcissistic internet hero

Here's hoping that the rest of the blogosphere reflects on Saad's words, while Google continues the process of reevaluating and hopefully reinstating the accounts of bloggers who respect originality and are driven by passion.

Pakistan: Demanding Justice For Saleem Shahzad

Sana Saleem — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 23:51:31 +0000

A month after the May 2011 abduction and murder of Pakistani journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad, bureau chief of Asia Online, the judicial commission set up to investigate the murder has lamented the lack of help forthcoming.

Many suspect that the country's intelligence agency was behind the abduction of Shahzad, a possibility he had shared with his colleagues several times. Ali Dayan, Pakistan's director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), was the first to mention possible involvement of Inter-sServices Intelligence agency (ISI), via Twitter:

@AliDayan: Journalist Saleem Shahzad feared abduction by #ISI. and left statement with#HRW in case of abduction. #FreeSaleemShahzad

People hold placards demanding an investigation into the killing of Saleem Shahzad. Image by Rajput Yasir, copyright Demotix (01/07/2011).)

In a report published a few hours before the discovery of Shahzad's body, Omar Warraich analyzed the possibility of the ISI's involvement. The statement released by HRW was backed up by Hameed Haroon, president of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS).

Ever since Shahzad's battered corpse appeared followed by a hurried burial by the police, without informing the family, journalists and human rights advocates have been outspoken in blaming the ISI for the murder. The response from the intelligence agency is widely believed to be disappointing and unsatisfactory.

Writing in response to the ISI's reaction on Shahazad's killing, I have tried to bring into focus similar cases in the past in my blog:

It strikes me tremendously odd that the ISI’s involvement in torture and making threatening calls to journalists is spoken of with such casualty. It appears to be a norm — even if torture inevitably leads to death, aided by a hushed burial. It’s a pity that these questions are being asked, knowingly that Shahzad’s torture that led to his death is not a unique case. Journalists like Wali Khan Babar, Zaman Ali and Hayat Ullah Khan have been killed in the line of duty.

The statement issued by the ISI is reflective of the relationship between our intelligence agencies and the people. It begins with denying involvement, showing sympathy to the aggrieved family and ends with a much familiar tone; a defensive one.

Writing on real dangers faced by journalists, Kalsoom Lakhani shared her personal story:

My sister is a journalist. She often notes that the instinctive human reaction to a disaster, attack or bomb blast is to run away. Journalists function counter-intuitively. They run towards the chaos. They put the story before their own lives. Their courage and commitment are often why citizens can be more informed participants in the conversation, why we have the ammunition to ask the questions that should be asked. Saleem Shahzad’s death was an enormous loss for a community of journalists who will continue to report in the face of censorship, harassment, and violence. It was an enormous loss for us all. RIP.

Blogger Kala Kawa penned down a blunt critique:

Ever since the 2^nd of May, our military Lords and Masters have been on the back foot. Their response has been indignation. How else to explain the arrogance of Chief of Naval Staff Nauman Bashir in informing us that the brazen attack on PNS Mehran was “not a security failure”?

The ethos ingrained in our security high command is not “protect your people”, its “you can get away with anything.”And if getting away with something requires the murder of the citizens you have sworn to protect; so be it.Few things could be more repulsive.

A recent statement by Admiral Mike Mullen claims that the government sanctioned Shahzad's killing, but is vague in terms of providing evidence or elaborating on the involvement of the ISI. Ali Dayan of HRW have urged the United States government to provide information. The Pakistani authorities however have dismissed the allegations.

@AliDayan: #SaleemShahzad was a father, husband & journalist. USG should make public any intel that helps hold his murderers accountable says @HRW

In the light of recent events and the concerns shared by the judicial commission, the investigation of Saleem Shahzad's murder appears to be in limbo. Unless substantial evidence and significant assistance is provided, it seems justice for Shahzad's family will be delayed inevitably.

Pakistan: Probing Questions After Bin Laden

Sana Saleem — Wed, 04 May 2011 20:46:22 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage The Death of Osama Bin Laden.

Three days after the assassination of Osama Bin Laden in a compound less than 2 kilometers away from the country's premier military academy, a lot of questions remain unanswered. The statement released by the Pakistan foreign office yesterday, claiming that the military and intelligence had no knowledge of the operation or the whereabouts of Osama has baffled many.It has also triggered a debate about the competency of Pakistan's government and intelligence services.

As the world media continues to criticize and demand answers from Pakistani authorities, Pakistanis have also raised similar questions and continue to discuss possible scenarios.

Blogger Saad, who writes about military technology, aircraft and asymmetric warfare, was amongst the first to share pictures of Choppers involved in the operation that killed Bin Laden:

@kursed: Chopper tail and wreckage. @aem76us @galrahn http://twitpic.com/4srmkd http://twitpic.com/4srmlj http://twitpic.com/4srmoq #pakistan

@kursed: About the US choppers performing aerial refueling on their own in Pak, would like to see how they evaded radar at such altitude.

@kursed: I don't believe you can do nape of the earth flying ‘and’ air to air refueling as well. Either one or the other explanation should be false?

@Samadk: Can confirm that the fallen helicopter was indeed a modified Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk based on the numbers on one of the recovered parts.

These are some valid questions bearing in mind the speculations around the fact that Pakistan had no role to play in the operation itself.

@Kaalakawaa:How many people that you've spoken to in Pakistan buy the official line that the ISI didn't know OBL was in Abbottabad?

@samadk: @cyalm I am starting to believe they really didn't know.

@saadbinshams: I think PK: & #US both knew about #OBL, wanted to use it for polictical gains but recent #conflict b/w #ISI & #CIA resultd in covert US op.

Reporting from outside Bin Laden's compound, Samad Khurram shared some valuable insights that clarifies a lot of misinterpretations by some journalists of mainstream media:

@samadk: Osama's den wasn't in the most accessible of places: very narrow, virtually single-laned, unpaved, unleveled zig-zagging roads.

@samadk: The absence of census markers is important. Every house in a neighborhood is marked to indicate whether residents took the forms or not.

@samadk: The land around Osama's compound was all ploughed farmland. Playing cricket there would be kinda impossible#FailJournalism

On my own blog I raised similar questions with possible scenarios:

Unsurprisingly, not many fell for the explanation. The fact that the Pakistani military – who have been fighting the war on terror for the past decade – were unaware of the world’s most dangerous man living right under their nose could only suggest two things: incompetence or malice. Neither of which are in anyway favorable to the country’s image or future. Fortunately, it became increasingly evident that the military was probably trying to do some damage control in an attempt to neutralize possible backlash. Even if we were to go by the statement that the Pakistani military did not take part in the operation itself, the fact that the operation was a collective effort is undeniable. There is no way a 40-minute gun battle went unnoticed just round the corner from the Kakul Military Academy.

In a post titled Osama raid: ISI and Pakistani military could be just THAT stupid, Blogger Ahsan Butt expressed his opinion on the situation:

Look, if the mil-ISI knew everything there is to know about everything, there’d never be another terrorist attack in Pakistan (they’d just be restricted to Afghanistan and India). Clearly this is not the case. They are evidently caught off guard time and again. Just a couple months ago, there was a suicide bombing inside an army compound in Mardan. More relevantly, less than two years ago was the raid and hostage-taking attack at the army’s headquarters! The headquarters! And this is leaving aside all the terrorist attacks on civilians targets throughout the country that these brilliant and resourceful organizations should ostensibly have intimate knowledge of.

Sepoy on Chapati Mystery wrote a profound post reflecting on the endless criticism and hue cry over Pakistan being incompetent and therefore a dangerous country.

Salman Rushdie wants Pakistan to be declared a terrorist nation and expelled from the “comity of nations”. To Rushdie a 6 ft 4in man wandering around a country of 5 ft 8in plebeians without getting noticed is inconceivable and, hence, the entire 180 million must pay the price. They were all in the know. Keeping mum even as drones kept killing their lots; even as the Taliban kept blowing up hotels, police compounds, intelligence agency offices, shrines and hospitals; even as the US kept endorsing and supporting dictatorial power over them; even as the US kept funding their military to the tune of tens of billions while “non-humanitarian aid” was pegged to a billion or so; even as an earthquake and a flood shook their geography loose.The millions of Pakistan kept their quiet, maybe giggling in anticipation of whenever Uncle Sam would catch them in the act. Now they have been caught! The ISI knew! This validates all the drones missiles! It means MORE DRONE MISSILES! Yeah. That is what it means. They were all in it, Rushdie. Every stinking lying one of them.

In the coming weeks there will be more analysis on this situation. Some questions will be answered while others might be ignored. A lot more will be said and the Global Media & it's political pundits will dissect the situation in every way possible. Meanwhile, here is a quick reminder from my blog:

Lest the world forgets: “As many as 12,580 people were killed across Pakistan in 2010 alone, as per (HRCP) report. 1,159 people were killed in 67 suicide attacks whereas US drones strikes were responsible for 957 extra-legal killings.”

As the facts about the operation that killed bin Laden unravel, we must brace ourselves to stand united against violence. No redemption here; not yet.

This post is part of our special coverage The Death of Osama Bin Laden.

Thumbnail images by Kursed, also now copyright Demotix.

Pakistan: Reactions on the Death of Osama Bin Laden

Sana Saleem — Mon, 02 May 2011 10:54:40 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage The Death of Osama Bin Laden.

On May 1, 2011, around 10 p.m. EST it was announced that President Obama would hold a press conference on an important issue. While the world was waiting for Obama to appear, Twitter was flooded with thousands of tweets guessing about what he was going to say.

A few minutes later Keith Urbahn, the chief of staff for Donald Rumsfeld, tweeted that the chief of Al Qaeda, top terrorist Osama Bin Laden had been killed and news media started to jump on the story. Soon the Twittersphere started to explode with tweets from all over the world.

Image Courtesy Google Maps

Early tweets from Pakistan

But earlier in the day a Pakistani tweep from Abbottabad, @ReallyVirtual, had captured some moments during the raid in his tweets.

@Reallyvirtual: Helicopter hovering above Abbottabad at 1AM (is a rare event).

In an intelligence driven operation, earlier this morning on May 2, Osama Bin Ladin was killed in the city of Abbotabad, 80 kilometers from the Pakistani capital Islamabad. According to a statement released by Pakistan's Foreign Office:

This operation was conducted by the US [United States] forces in accordance with declared US policy that Osama bin Ladin will be eliminated in a direct action by the US forces, wherever found in the world.

Reports state that Osama was shot in the head while US military choppers took part in the operation on a hideout in Abottabad. Initial reactions from Pakistanis on Twitter started pouring in when the raid was ongoing.

News channels began reporting that a helicopter had crashed near the Kakol military academy on what they called an empty plot. Twitter users exclaim:

@Mosharrafzaidi: Helicopter crashes near PMA Kakul. What was a low-flying heli doing flying around Abottabad Cantt at 0130 hrs?

@Reallyvirtual: Here's the location of the Abbottabad crash according to some people >>> http://on.fb.me/khjf34

As the news broke out news channels began broadcasting reports and analysis on Bin Laden’s death and its implications.

@kursed: Accd to Pakistani officials Shuja Pasha visited US on April 11, for finalizing op details for #OBL raid.

@kursed: Again, according to Pakistani sources, choppers came from Ghazi AB (Tarbela). Total of 6 helicopters.

@Mahamali05: woah. Journalist Javed Ch just used the word ‘Shaheed’ for Laden. you have got to be kidding me

@sharmeenochinoy: #pakistan news channels should be taken off air if they really think #OsamaBinLaden is a martyr- he is a terrorist call a spade a spade

@akchisti: anyone calling #OBL a martyr should be charged with article 6, “high treason” in #Pakistan

Till now there has been no official statement from Pakistan's Inter Services Pubilc Relations (ISPR) or the government on the details of the operation. Whereas President Obama was quick to respond and had already declared that a US military-led operation was successful in achieving its target. Osama Bin Laden’s death or capture has been one of the top priorities of the US Government in the last decade.

@Kursed: I can't fathom why hasn't either ISPR or the Gov. of Pakistan come up with a response to this incident as yet. This is plain idiocy now.

@Zalmay Zia: ISPR directed all parties, media, analyst not to comment on #obl arrest till ISPR breifing

@Mustafa_Qadri: Pakistan forces keeping relatively quiet about their pivotal role in Osama assassination for fear of reprisal

Ahsan Butt at Five Rupees shared his immediate thoughts on the death of Bin laden, answering some vital questions and possible repercussions.

For Pakistanis, it likely means more suicide bombings. Every time there is a so-called “success” in this war, from “liberating” Lal Masjid to killing Baitullah Mehsud, there is increased violence, as militant groups try to remind everyone they’re still around and not going anywhere. I have no reason to expect that that pattern will change.

@sharmeenochinoy: Just got off phone with my #madrassa contact great mourning planned according to him #Pakistan will pay a high price for this.

View Larger Map

(Google map of Bin Laden's hideout via thepunit)

Kalsoom at CHUP- Changing Up Pakistan has these questions:

It was also located near a Pakistani military academy, which begs the question, was bin Laden hiding in the area because he was an ISI asset? Or did the Pakistani military know he was there and was helping U.S. forces monitor his presence? Did Pakistan know that the U.S. knew that they knew? The questions are endless and speculation is infinite.

Possible backlash

The death of Bin Laden is being a considered a huge victory in the war on terror but its implications and possible backlash in Pakistan is fearful. Some analysts in Pakistan have gone as far as stating that the US should now wrap up its war against terror. Overlooking the fact that Al-Qaeda was never a one-man led army and many more factions of the militant group have now been formed and functioning. Therefore claims that the war on terror is over reflect lack of foresight.

As Ahsan & Chinoy rightly points out more Pakistanis will have to bear the consequences as militant groups react to the news. There are far too many questions that need to be answered. From details of the operation to the future of the war on terror, but one thing is for certain the fears of repercussions after Bin Laden’s death are a reality for people not only in abbotabad but across Pakistan.

@Mehreenkasana: Does this change anything? For Afghanistan, Pakistan? Will this stop the unprecedented gore caused by drone attacks? No, no and no.

This post is part of our special coverage The Death of Osama Bin Laden.

Pakistan Day Celebrations: A Victory And A Sign Of Hope

Sana Saleem — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 21:50:25 +0000

Today marks the 71st anniversary of the Pakistan Resolution. Although the nation is struggling with insurgency and plethora of issues there is still a lot to celebrate. On this day, amidst all the celebrations, Pakistanis pay tribute to patriots and take a walk down to the memory lane. Mosharraf Zaidi remembers Pakistan's Federal Minister For Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti, as a proud and patriotic Pakistani. Zaidi then goes on to discuss a wide range of issues:

It is nationalism that fuels those that protest against the assassinations of Salmaan Taseer and Shahbaz Bhatti. It is nationalism that drives criticism of Pakistani military acquiescence in US drone attacks. It is nationalism that seeks transparency in Pakistani military operations in FATA and Swat. It is nationalism that values the white in the Pakistani flag as much as it values the green. It is nationalism that seeks justice for Dr. Afiya and nationalism that seeks justice for Aasiya Bibi. This diverse and cantankerous new Pakistani nationalism is an enduring strength for the country. It may be exploited by some, but it cannot be debased.

Soldiers marching in Mazar-e-Qaid, during commemoration of the historic Pakistan Resolution which was passed on this day in 1940. Karachi, Pakistan. Image by Syed Yasir Kazmi. Copyright Demotix.

Adil Najam at All Things Pakistan, reposted the text of the Pakistan Resolution urging people to read it in full. While commenting on the text of the resolution, Adil notes:

What strikes me in re-reading this today – as it had when I had written about it last – is the deep, strong and sincere emphasis that Pakistan’s founding document has on the rights of minorities. It is in sharp contrast to the the reality of the rights of minorities in Pakistan today.

A video post on Gawaahi gives voice to the Hindu community as a part of Pakistan Day coverage:

The celebrations increased many fold as Pakistan made it to the Cricket World Cup Semifinals beating West-indies. Reactions of Pakistanis on twitter and facebook were not only messages of celebrations but also acknowledgment of the great support by the people of Bangladesh.

@Kashif9: Hats off to #Bangladesh for their amazing support of #Pakistan #cricket team today. We love you :)
@rabayl_m: I love Pakistan and I can still be deeply apologetic about what happened in 1971 because of us. I'm sorry Bangladesh.
@beenasarwar: Amaar shonar Bangla; / A big thank you to Bangladesh from #pakistan
@cpyala: Mubarak ho Pakistan! Onwards! And a big, warm hug to Bangladesh!
@Aneela Babar: Sight of Dhaka rickshaw drivers huddled in front of a big TV screen across from my flat and cheering for Pakistan. Priceless! Bade Dilwale.

A post at All things Pakistan, pays special thanks to the crowd in Dhaka for their support. While Pakistanis continue to share hope that one day the authorities will announce a public apology for civilian casualties in 1971 war. Kalsoom Lakhani on Changing Up Pakistan, shares her thoughts:

Another friend, Shaheryar Mirza (@mirza9), an Express 24/7 reporter in Karachi, told me, “The Bangladeshis and the Sri Lankans have shown that they love cricket. It is about human beings more than it is about war and politics… It’s a sign that people can show immense grace and rise above history and conflict.”

A post by Sepoy at Chapati Mystery takes a look at history textbooks that are part of the school curriculum. The post discusses various errors and distorted facts that are still a part of school curriculum. Today, Pakistanis not only celebrated a historical event, a cricket victory but also the beautiful landscapes across the country. Fursid on Gawaahi, shares a photo-series showcasing landscapes across the country. Another photo-series by Misha Tanveer gives a sneak peak to the breathtaking coast-lines of Sindh.

Sentiments of many Pakistanis, can be summed up in a post by blogger Faisal Kapdia, titled “To be a Pakistani”:

My Pakistan, my friends is pure, raw, unbridled passion. Stumbling as it is due to war, corruption and bad governance, it still has the heart to come out fighting like the unique and unflinching nation it is.

Pakistan: Citizens In Action After Minority Minister's Assassination

Sana Saleem — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 20:37:00 +0000

Citizens for democracy letter signing campaign- Photo Credit Abro Khudabuksh

On the 2nd of March, an unknown gunmen shot and killed Pakistan's Federal Minister For Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti. His body was riddled with bullets, as his assassins flew the crime scene leaving behind a pamphlet stating his death was justified. This is the second high-profile killing after the assassination of Governor Salman Taseer. Bhatti was the only christian member of the cabinet and his death is a huge setback not only for minorities but also for the entire nation. Upon hearing the news of his assassination Pakistanis on twitter reacted with horror and grief. On Gawaahi.com I wrote about the initial reactions and urged people to stand up against the violence.

“There is no hope for Pakistan”

“RIP Pakistan”

“The Country has gone to the dogs”

Rest in peace Pakistan. It was the first message I read on my twitter feed this afternoon. It didn’t take much time to scroll down, and read the tragic news. Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s minority minister and the only Christian member of the cabinet, had been shot dead. Shock, horror, fear — it’s difficult to pinpoint what came first.

Kalsoom Lakhani at CHUP described his death as an immense tragedy, another nail in the coffin for those willing to be truly courageous in this country. Ahsan Butt expressed his hopelessness over the assassination that left many Pakistani's pessimistic about the future.

I’m increasingly reconciling myself to the notion that it may be too late to do anything about the mess that is Pakistan. I don’t mean in a state failure kind of way; I’m sure the state will continue to survive for a long time. Remember Adam Smith’s line about there being “a great deal of ruin in a nation”?

So no, I’m not talking about state collapse. I’m talking about the form state and society take — increasingly ugly — and whether there’s a damn thing any of us can do anything about it.

Both Taseer and Bhatti were assassinated for their stance on the blasphemy law. Although reactions after Bhatti's death are fairly different than Taseer–no widespread celebrations. A post on Cafe Pyala points at the widespread culture of justifying murders in the name of religion.

I take personal issue with every man, woman or adolescent who says ‘but’ when debating whether dissension merits death.

Mosharraf Zaidi asks Paksitanis to shed their political differences and unite in grief to honor the memory of Bhatti. Yasir Lateef Hamdani on Pakteahouse describes Pakistan after Bhatti at ideological crossroads. Amid all the gloom and despair, two remarkable women Naveen Naqvi and Beena Sarwar spoke of courage and resilience.

On her blog Naveen Naqvi wrote a poignant account of Bhatti's death titled Your silence can mean more murders :

Please step up with me. Do not think it will not make a difference. It will. There are precedents for it, and we must have the will to set new precedents, or let me reiterate — there will be nothing left for us to fight.I ask you to step up with me on March 12. Join the letter campaign to the Government and Judiciary against religious intolerance on Saturday, March 12 from 11am to 7pm. I hope to see you then.

In addition, Naqvi also attended and posted pictures of Shahbaz Bhatti's memorial in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Karachi. Human rights activist, Beena Sarwar published her e-mail correspondence with Gwynne Dyer, dismantling the perception that there is a deathly silence after the assassinations. The letter writing campaign, Naqvi spoke of in her blog, gathered over 15,000 people from different walks of life. Video shot by Sabeen Mehmud, from the event shows people showing up in great numbers.

Despite the over-whelming response many have criticized and raised questions on whether petition could help solve Pakistan's problem. On my own blog I tried to reason with this growing pessimism:

Criticism is inevitable. In this case, it is the question of a petition being the solution to our arduous problems. It’s true, a petition is not the only solution. It is, however, an initiation point for a much bigger action plan. These 15,000 people defied all labels and cliches. It was not about the liberals or the conservatives, but about Pakistanis uniting against violence and fear. It is symbolic of the fact that, contrary to popular perception, we are not a nation of vigilantes. The atmosphere of intimidation can only be countered by courage.

Pakistan: Salmaan Taseer- We Buried A Man Not His Courage

Sana Saleem — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 23:18:04 +0000

Activists of Civil Society protests against the assassination of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, in Hyderabad, Sindh Pakistan. Image by Yasir Rajpot. Copyright Demotix.

Much has been said in the wake of the assassination of Governor Punjab Salman Taseer. Needless to say, the reactions that followed after his death have had the world gripped in shock and horror. Questions are being raised about the extent of extremism in the country with claims like Taseer's death being “The death of liberalism in Pakistan“. Taseer's death has brought to the forefront a clear distinction, on one hand are those who endorse the assassination and glorify the assassin and on the other hand those that consider his death a setback and a national loss.

Putting things into perspective Naveen Naqvi remarked:

In response to PPP’s MNA Sherry Rehman’s submission of a bill to amend the blasphemy laws, the Islamist parties announced two rallies — December 31 and January 9(..)the numbers at the latter went as high as 40,000. There is no doubt in my mind that the glorification by Islamist parties and mainstream media outlets of Governor Salmaan Taseer’s assassin, Malik Mumtaz Qadri, bolstered political Islamic sentiment.But when these men came out onto the streets on January 9 to chant in support of the blasphemy laws, they knew they were the majority. Frankly, there is no real moral substance in that. When those opposed to these laws stand together and claim public space, they know their vulnerability. They are painfully and mournfully aware of their status — that of a disappearing minority. That has not stopped hundreds — a small number but large in strength — from coming out every day.

It also highlights how the religious parties have been framing the entire blasphemy law debate before and after the assassination. On my own blog I spoke about the reasons behind Taseer's assassination, contrary to popular belief being spread by the religious parties:

Taseer wasn’t a blasphemer, he had never insulted the Quran, the Prophet (PBUH) or Islam but he was killed in the name of the blasphemy law that according to him, was “man-made”. Governor Taseer was killed because he asked for mercy for a 45-year old mother of five. Twenty-seven bullets for taking a stance. His murder highlights the abuse of Islam and Quran for the sake of power and authority. By encouraging such behavior we are promoting lawlessness and a state where people will be at each other’s throat on a mere disagreement. Is this the message of the Quran? Is this what Islam teaches us? How humane is it to rejoice someone’s death?

Taha Kehar at Pak Tea house calls Taseer's Murder “The beginning of misinterpreted Islam”:

Salman Taseer’s assassination is a major turning point for the Islamic world and the fact that many elements within it are possibly pleased by his death is shameful. Lastly, the manner in which he died reminds us of Indira Gandhi’s untimely assassination. However, the only difference here is that Indira Gandhi was launching a bigoted attack on the Sikh religion but Mr. Taseer was only trying to protect the civil liberties of those from a religion other than his own. More significantly, the end-result of his campaign would have benefited everyone in equal measure. Is this the end of moderate Islam or the outset of a string of civil rights violations?