Tuesday, November 30, 2010

SC moved against Gen Kayani, Gen Tariq

ISLAMABAD: A contempt of court petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Monday, seeking initiation of court proceedings against 21 top functionaries of the Musharraf led government, including the latter, for violating the apex court’s November 3, 2007 order.

The petition was filed by Rana Muhammad Azeem of Lahore, through advocate Aftab Ahmed Bajwa, under Article 184(3), read with Article 204 of the Constitution, making top 21 military and civilian functionaries of the Musharraf led government, who held top public offices when the emergency was clamped on November 3, 2007, as respondents.

The respondents include the Federal Government through the Cabinet Division; Shaukat Aziz, the former Prime Minister; former Governor, Punjab, Lt Gen (retd) Khalid Maqbool; Governor, Sindh, Dr Ishratul Ibad; Governor KP, Awais Ahmed Ghani; Governor Balochistan, Nawab Zulfiqar Magsi; Lt Gen (retd) Tariq Majeed, former chairman JCSC; Lt Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, then Vice Chief of Army Staff; Lt Gen Salahuddin Satti, Chief of General Staff; Lt Gen Nadeem Taj, DG, ISI; Lt Gen Waseem Ahmed Ashraf, Corps Commander XXX Gujranwala; Lt Gen Muhammad Masud Aslam, Corps Commander XI Peshawar; Lt Gen Shafatullah Shah, Corps Commander IV Corps Lahore; Lt Gen Sikandar Afzal, Corps Commander II Corps Multan; Lt Gen Sajjad Akram, Corps Commander, I Corps, Mangla; Lt Gen Khalid Shamim Wyne, Corps Commander XII Corps Quetta; Lt Gen Mohsin Kamal, Corps Commander X Corps Rawalpindi; Lt Gen Javaid Zia, Corps Commander V Corps Karachi; Lt Gen Raza Muhammad Khan, Corps Commander XXXI Corps Bahawalpur; and Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf, Chief of Army Staff.

The petitioner prayed the court to summon the respondents, prosecute and punish them for committing contempt of court by violating the apex court’s November 3, 2007 order. He further prayed the court to equally treat all the contemners of order to safeguard the principles of equality before the law.

He submitted it had been held by a 14-member larger bench of the Supreme Court that therespondents had breached the Constitution and violated the apex court’s Nov 3, 2007 order, thus on the same ground alone, the respondents are liable for action under the provisions of Contempt of Court Ordinance 2003.

A seven-member Supreme Court bench, in its order of Nov 3, 2007, had restrained all the constitutional functionaries — the Government of Pakistan, the then president, then prime minister, former Army chief, corps commanders and sitting judges of the superior courts — from indulging into any unconstitutional step under the Nov 3, 2007, emergency and its subsequent actions.

The petitioner said the contempt of court proceedings had already been initiated against the superior courts’ judges, who had taken oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order of November 3, 2007, thus the respondents being the principal accused are also liable for the same action as a solitary action against one set of accused will result into undercutting the authority and independence of judiciary and will give rise to the public perception that the respondents are above the law and the Constitution and cannot be punished for subversion of the Constitution.

“It is a settled law that all the abettors are to be tried with or after the principal accused and the criminal action against joint offenders is required under the law to be taken jointly,” the petitioner added.

He said the criminal dispensation of justice requires that proceedings for joint offenders must be taken together against all the accused persons. Citing various judgments of the Supreme Court, he said it is a settled law that all the persons involved in the commission or omission of similar facts are to be considered as similarly situated. He said the law requires that people charged of the similar offence during the same transaction or transactions are to be jointly tried. He said such rule of law, practice and procedure are derived from the principles of equality and the similar views have been expressed by the apex court in its various verdicts.

Refrence: http://paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?233960

PAF ( Pakistan Air Force ) F 16 Wallpaper

Monday, November 29, 2010

US tried to remove uranium from Pakistan, WikiLeaks reveals

President Asif Ali Zardari criticised as the greatest obstacle to progress in Pakistan

Reuters
The United States has led top secret efforts to remove highly enriched uranium from Pakistan for years, worried it could be used to make an "illicit" nuclear device. That’s according to the New York Times, which is releasing secret documents from the whistleblowing WikiLeaks website.
Since 2007 the United States has mounted a highly secret effort, so far unsuccessful, to remove from a Pakistani research reactor highly enriched uranium that American officials fear could be diverted for use in an illicit nuclear device, the paper says.

In May 2009, US ambassador to Islamabad Anne W Patterson reported that Pakistan was refusing to schedule a visit by American technical experts because, as a Pakistani official said, "if the local media got word of the fuel removal, 'they certainly would portray it as the United States taking Pakistan's nuclear weapons' ."

Pakistan has criticised the release of the cables as "irresponsible".

Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal is one of the most sensitive topics for the United States as it tries to improve relations with the conservative Muslim nation on the front line in the campaign against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
Saudi King Adbullah, whose country is influential in Pakistan, called President Asif Ali Zardari the greatest obstacle to progress in the country, WikiLeaks reveals.

Abdullah is quoted as saying that when the head is rotten it affects the whole body. Zardari is the subject of much controversy at home and is widely accused of corruption.

French Defence Minister Hervé Morin expressed doubts about Pakistan's willingness to fight "extremists" at home during a meeting with US officials in Paris, WikiLeaks also reports.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai wanted the Pakistan-Afghanistan border closed would largely solve his country's problems, Morin said. US officials replied that there was increasing cooperation between US and Pakistani forces over the border.

Refrence: http://www.english.rfi.fr/general/20101129-us-has-tried-remove-uranium-pakistan-says-wikileaks

Protecting Pak's integrity to be priority during three-year extended term: Kayani

Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani has announced the priorities of his three-year extended term, saying that his efforts were concentrated on the war on terror and restoration of peace in country.

According to the military sources, during a meeting in Islamabad, Kayani openly expressed his viewpoint over internal and national security affairs.

The Army Chief discussed a range of issues including the situation of Afghanistan, reconciliation process with Taliban, relations with the US, drone attacks, relations with India and allegations on Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

"Army's top priority was to ensure the defence and protecting the integrity of Pakistan," the Nation quoted Kayani, as saying.

"The integrity of Pakistan is ensured by keeping the country's interests in mind during the dialogues with any other country including United States," he added.

Kayani had replaced former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf as the Army Chief on November 29, 2007.

Earlier, in July, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani extended Kayani's term by three years, making him the first Pakistani to receive a term extension from any democratic government.

Kayani completed his first term on Sunday. (ANI)

Nishan e Haider holders of Pakistan Army


Nishan-e-Haider: The Highest Military Award of Pakistan, made of gun metal, captured from the enemy in the previous wars, with a green ribbon and a star with five points is awarded to soldiers who Show great feats of bravery and courage in war or on active duty. It is a coincidence that all recipients of "Nishan-e-Haider' gave away the most valuable thing they had - their lives - in the service of the nation and in defending the frontiers of the motherland. So far 7 officers (including one from the Pakistan Air force) and three men have been awarded with this gallantry award. Here is a brief account of these men, who would be remembered for their feats of courage, bravery and selflessness.

Captain Muhammad Sarwar
Captain Muhammad Sarwar was born in village Singhori (Rawalpindi) in 1910, and joined the British Army (infantry -Punjab Regiment) in 1944. Upon creation of Pakistan he joined Pakistan Army. In July 1948 with war in Kashmir with India, Captain Sarwar launched an attack causing heavy casualties against a strongly fortified enemy position in the Uri Sector under heavy machine gun, grenade and mortar fire. On 27th July 1948, he volunteered to cut the enemy's barbed wire barrier to pave way for the move forward of his follow up comrades. However, while doing so he received a direct burst of enemy's heavy machine gun fire, and embraced shahadat at the spot. For his courage, selflessness and bravery, he was awarded with the first Nishan-e-Haider. Call it a coincidence, that the recipients of next two Nishan-e-Haiders were also from the Punjab Regiment.

Major Tufail Muhammad
Major Tufail Muhammad was born in 1914 and was commissioned in the 16th Punjab Regiment in 1943. Upon creation of Pakistan, he joined Pakistan Army. During 1958, with border skirmishes with India in the erstwhile East Pakistan, Major Tufail Muhammad was commanding a company of the East Pakistan Rifles near the town of Lakshmipur. The company encircled an illegal Indian post, which was erected by the Indians in violation of the internationally recognized boundary between the two countries. During the enemy action, Major Tufail was mortally wounded, but did not stop fighting even at close quarters. In the hand-to-hand encounter that followed, Major Tufail continued to lead his troops till the Indians were driven out, leaving four dead and three prisoners. However, Major Tufail himself succumbed to his wounds and embraced shahadat on the 7th August 1958. He was awarded with the second Nishan-e-Haider for his gallantry.

Major Raja Aziz Bhatti
Major Raja Aziz Bhatti was born in 1928 in Hong Kong and joined the 1st PMA Long Course and was commissioned in 1950 in the Punjab Regiment. He was a very well read officer, having passed out with the coveted Sword of Honour and knew many foreign languages. During the 1965 Indo-Pak war, he was commanding a company in general area Burki of the Lahore Sector. Major Bhatti's defences on the famous BRB (Banmban Wali Ravian Bedian) Link Canal was subjected to heavy Indian repeated attacks coupled with incessant artillery and tank fire for five days and nights. But Major Bhatti and his men stood like a rock. In order to have a clear view of the assaulting enemy, Major Bhatti would often come out of his bunker and stand clear of the canal bank. On 10 September 1965, while he was directing the artillery fire, he was hit by an enemy tank shell. Major Bhatti embraced shahadat and was awarded with the third and the only Nishan-e-Hiader of 1965 war.

Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas
Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas was born on 17th February 1951 and during 1971, he was under training in the Pakistan Air Force. In August 1971, when the Indians had put lot of pressure in the eastern wing, Rashid Minhas was busy in his routine training at PAF Base Masroor. On that fateful day of 20 August 1971, while he was taxiing his aircraft towards to runway, a Bengali dissident Instructor Pilot (IP) forced his way into the rear cockpit of the two-seat jet trainer and in the process hurt Rashid Minhas. The IP seized control of the aircraft and headed toward India. When Minhas regained consciousness, he realized that the absconding pilot was heading towards India, so he tried to regain control of the plane. But being injured, he was not able to take power on the controls, so he forced the aircraft to crash some thirty two miles short of the border. By losaing his own life, he not only saved the aircraft from getting in to the hands of the Indians, but also jeopardized the malafide intentions of his IP. He became the first PAF officer to receive Nishan-e-Haider.

Major Muhammad Akram

Major Akram was born in 1938 in village Dingha (Gujrat) and was commissioned in the Frontier Force Regiment in 1963. During 1971 Indo - Pak war, Major Akram was commanding a rifle company of the 4th FF Regiment in the forward localities of the Hilli district. The position held by Major Akram and his company was very vital and had blocked enemy's route of advance. Therefore it came under continuous and heavy air, artillery and tank attacks. But for almost two weeks, despite enemy superiority in both numbers and fire power, Major Akram and his men remained entrenched and repulsed every attack, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy. The Indians many a time asked him to surrender but Major Akram refused. Finally, overpowered and fatigued, Major Akram embraced shahadat fighting at close quarter battle in the famous "Battle of Hilli" and was awarded with the fifth Nishan-e-Hiader.



Major Shabir Sharif

 Major Shabir Sharif was born in 1943 in village Kunjah (Gujrat) and was commissioned in 1964 in the Frontier Force Regiment. During the 1965 Indo-Pak war, Major Shabir Sharif was awarded with Sitara-e-Jurrat (the third highest gallantry military award) for his courage and bravery. In 971, Major Shabir's 6 FF Regiment, was ordered in December 1971 to capture high ground near Sulemanki Headwork defended by more than a company of the Indian Assam Regiment supported by a squadron of tanks. Major Shabir and his men after crossing a minefield and massive obstacles and killing forty three soldiers and destroying four tanks, Major Sharif and his men held two enemy battalions at bay for days. However, on 6 december, the Indians mounted a fierce attack supported by tanks. Assessing the situation to be critical and not taking any chances with the enemy, Major Shabir himself took over an anti-tank gun from his gunner and fired on the enemy tanks. While doing so, the enemy tank fired its main gun on Major Shabir's location, killing him in the afternoon of 6th December. Brave as he always was, he proved his mettle once again and was awarded with the coveted Nishan-e-Haider.

Sowar Muhammad Hussain

Sowar (the basic rank in the Armoured Corps equivalent to a sepoy) Muhammad Hussain was born in 1949 in Dhok Pir Bakhsh and joined the 20 th Lancers (Armoured Corps) as a driver in 1966. Sowar Hussain was always eager to perform jobs that were not normally meant for drivers and was always in fore fronts to help the others. During the 1971 war, he spotted the enemy digging along a minefield near the village of Harar Khurd. Daring as he was, he on his own initiative called and directed accurate fire at the enemy resulting in the destruction of sixteen of their tanks. However, strange are the ways for the gallant and brave men chosen for them by the Almighty. While he was still directing fire from a recoilless rifles, he was hit in the chest by a burst of machine gun fire and embraced shahadat on 10th December 1971. While he was awarded with the Nishan-e-Haider for his courage and bravery, his village elders as a tribute to his bravery renamed their village as Dhok Muhammad Hussain Janjua.

Lance Naik Muhammad Mahfooz
Lance Naik Muhammad Mahfooz was born in 1944 at Pind Malikan (District of Rawalpindi) and was enlisted in the 15th Punjab Regiment as a sepoy in 1962. In 971 Indo Pak war, he was serving in the 'A' Company and his unit was deployed on the Wagah-Attari Sector near Lahore. The enemy advancing elements pinned down his company positions by unceasing frontal and cross fire from automatic weapons. In the process, his machine gun was destroyed by an enemy shell, but it did not dishearten the spirited Lance Naik, who advanced bare handed towards an enemy bunker whose automatic fire had inflicted heavy casualties. Even though wounded in both legs by shell splinters, when he reached the bunker he stood up and pounced on the enemy, but was hit. Although unarmed and amidst the enemy, he got hold of one of the enemy and was strangling him when another bayoneted him to death during the night of 17th December 1971. Living true to the traditions of the Punjab Regiment, whose three officers had already won Nishan-e-Haider, Lance Naik Muhammad Mahfooz also showed no less courage and gallantry in winning the fourth medal for the Punjab Regiment. Pin Malikan has now been renamed as Mahfoozabad.

Captain "Karnal" Sher Khan
Captain "Karnal (meaning a Colonel)" Sher Khan was commissioned in Pakistan Army in 1990 and later joined the Northern Light Infantry somewhere in 1998. Right from his childhood, he displayed feats of courage and was nicknamed "Kernal" by hisa fellows, which ultimately became a part of his name. Captain Karnal Sher Khan rose to the heights of glory when he emerged as the symbol of mettle and courage during the Kargil conflict on the Line of Control. He set personal examples of bravery and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy. He defended the five strategic posts, which he established with his jawans at the height of some 17,000 feet at Gultari, and repulsed many Indian attacks. After many abortive attempts, on July 5 1998, enemy's two battalion ringed the post of Kernal Sher Khan with the help and unleashed heavy mortar firing and managed to capture some part of the post. Despite facing all odds, he lead a counter-attack and re- captured the lost parts. But during the course he was hit by the machine-gun fire and embraced Shahadat at the same post. For his courage and bravery, he was awarded with Nishan-e-Haider.

Havildar Lalak Jan
Side by side the officers, the men of the Northern Light Infantry, like Havildar Lalak Jan, displayed similar feats of gallantry as were displayed by Captain Kernal Sher Khan and fought furiously to thwart heavy Indian attacks. Although an appointment holder, whose task is to look after his men and provide administrative support, Havildar Lalak Jan volunteered himself to be deployed on the front positions located at the jagged peak in May 1999. Havildar Lalak Jan repulsed many aggressive ventures by the enemy and imposed colossal losses on the enemy. On July7, Havildar Lalak Jan sustained serious injuries as enemy pounded the area with heavy mortar fire. But despite being injured, he retained his position and frustrated the Indian assault. He, however, succumbed to his injuries at the same post he was defending. Havildar Lalak Jan was awarded with the Nishan-e-Haider for his courage and fighting beyond the call of the duty as an appointment holder.

Struggles to Prove Pakistani Borne David Headley (Dawood Gilani) as Mastermind of 26/11 - Khalid Baig

David Headley (Dawood Gillani) CIA Agent
As soon as American President arrived in Mumbai the style of Indian newspapers and editorials changed. It was obvious as everyone has got Pakistan phobia. All intellectuals were trying to win the race in proving that Pakistan is safe heaven for terrorists and all Pakistanis are terrorists. However this is not first attempting that Indian media has done such poisonous propaganda against Pakistan. Look at the history, whenever any American President visited India, sometime of terrorist attack has been staged. However like before behind these terrorist activities only one goal was hidden, to prove freedom fighters of Kashmir as terrorist and enemies of humanity. Such an activity of terrorism was reported in Anantnang of Kashmir on 20th March 2000, few days before American President’s arrival to India. 35 innocent Sikh were killed by Indian forces and India as usual blamed Mujahideen and Kashmir Freedom Fighters for this. But international organizations of human rights and even Sikh rejected Indian claims (Indian govt. formed a judicial commission which is yet unable to make any decision).


But two years before the staged drama of terrorism in mumbai has proved so much fruitful that after this India does not need to kill more innocents to welcome American President. Because after 26/11 the King of World had already said, “the armed freedom movement in Kashmir is unacceptable” (But murder of innocent Kashmiris is acceptable by State Terrorists of Indian Army, Because America has to sell its weapons to support its deteriorating economy?). Anyways Indian media succeeds in providing fresh material about 26/11 to some famous TV Channel, and in this way the interest of international community is kept alive in this serial drama and they are waiting for its drop scene. Due to these struggles of Indian media a new character became center of attention of world and this new entry made drama of 26/11 increased the suspense.

Ishrat Jehan; Murdered by Indian Police
“David Coleman Headley” this name came on front when last year Ajmal Qasab was brought to court. Ajmal Qasab disclosed that he has been arrested before 26th November. During police custody Police arranged a meeting for him with an American, who spoke Hindi. As Ajmal Qasab was there to work in Film Industry, so Police told him that this American can introduce him to American Film Industry. Afterwards when Ajmal Qasam was accused of attacks on Mumbai hotels, David Headley came along with higher officials of Police to meet him and told him that if he accepts that he was involved in Mumbai attacks then his life could be saved.


When statement of Ajmal Qasab was published in newspapers no one tried to get information about David Headley. Why Western Media was silent this could be understood now but even Pakistan did not pay any attention that if this character is American then what is role of CIA in Mumbai Attacks? India had already accused Pakistan for Mumbai Attacks and we (Pakistanis) had accepted this accuse innocently saying, “Non-State actors of Pakistan are involved in these attacks; Govt. Pakistan has no link with these terrorists” (was not that acceptance of crime while journalists of Mumbai were telling other story?). After few months Indian Interior Ministry announced, “David Headley is the “master mind” of terrorist attacks on Mumbai. He has deep contacts with Lashkar-e-Taiba and some officers of Pak-Army (keep in mind that after few days of Mumbai drama Indian Interior ministry has claimed that Ajmal Qasab and his colleagues took advice from officers of Pak-Army through Mobile Phone).




When India made too much noise/protest keeping in view the interests linked with it, American FBI arrested David Headley and his Business partner Hussein Rana on 8th December 2009 (before this a complaint has been registered against both in Chicago that they are planning to attack the newspaper of Denmark publishing the blasphemous cartoons of Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W.W)). At the time of arrest police took support from this complaint, however afterwards on 18th March 2010 David Headley was accused of providing facilities to Lashkar-e-Taiba and being a cause of death of Americans. On the above mentioned arrest American newspaper “Aangirfan” published report that David Headley is agent of CIA and American Security Agencies and keeping in view the Indian protest he has been arrested. Afterwards the above mentioned newspaper linked its previous news of 28th December 2009 that America will never handover David Healey to India because in this way the secret of CIA will be disclosed. That website also highlighted the statement of ex-chief of Indian Border Security Forces,
“It is well known that Headley was a CIA agent, who later started working for the ISI and some outfits in Pakistan”.


On the arrest of David Headley Indian Interior Minister demanded that he and his partner are wanted by Mumbai Police so they should be at once handed over to India. Western and Indian media also supported it, at this at least American govt. gave permission to Indian Police to investigate Headley in Chicago. Being contented by this facility and in order to give it a dramatic color three officers of “National Investigation Agents” (N.I.A.) arrived at Chicago in the middle of June; they completed their investigations in one week. What did they get from investigations? The answer of this question was given by CNN on 26th June 2010 in clear words; “In spite of their entire struggle they failed in getting any information from Headley” (that news was published by American “The Mail Today” with detail on 26th June). In order to hide their failure on return of officers of NIA Mumbai Police staged another drama and arrested “Rahul Bhatt” son of famous Producer and Director “Mahesh Bhatt” for contacts with David Headley. In this way Kangana Ranaut was also arrested when she was busy in film shooting in Shimla.

5 year old Dawood along with his younger sister and mother Serril Headley
Here I would like to disclose that Mahesh Bhatt is included in that group of Mumbai which includes journalists, intellectuals who are not afraid of naming extremist Hindu Groups like Rashtriya Sevak Singh, Military Intelligence, RAW and Mumbai for death of Hemant Karkare and other officers of ATS (Anti Terrorist Squad) in 26/11 drama of Mumbai attacks.. They claim it as staged drama of Indian govt. and have taken rigid stand over there stance. However Mumbai Police failed in proving it’s accuses on Rahul Bhatt and forced to let him go. In the same way the influential father of Kangana at once arrived to Shimla and took his daughter with him from Police Custody. From arrest of these personalities of Film Industry India did not get benefit how ever international community once again became attentive to Mumbai Drama. Aftert this many stories about David Headley became decoration of Indian newspapers, which makes it obvious that David Headley has strong relationships with elite class of Mumbai, film industry and businessmen, moreover he had stayed in Mumbai for long time. There in the gym of Rahul Bhatt not only with Rahul but with many rich persons his friendships were formed and this included Kangana as well.


Under the cover of investigation in Chicago, Mumbai Police formed another story which is linked with incident of 2004. In Ahmadabad a student Ishrat Jahan was murdered by Police along with her three colleagues recklessly. These four persons riding a car when passed through a Police Checkpost, Police stopped them. These four students protested on the aggressive behavior of police, on this Police got angry and sprayed bullets on them. A report was issued to media that four trained terrorists of ISI have been murdered in a clash with Police. Afterwards it was revealed that two of them were Hindus, moreover these four students belonged to Ahmadabad. Indian Print Media used their entire power to prove them terrorists in its reports and editorials. The family of these persons staged protests after which as per routine this matter has been handed over to judicial commission which is still unable to investigate into it. During this the officers who met David Headley in Chicago claimed that according to David Headley Ishrat Jahan had presented her for suicide attack LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba). When this story was published many journalists that in spite of pointing out hidden murderers of an innocent girl govt. is struggling to prove her as terrorist. Those reporters who published a self made story as news were also criticized. In the support of Ishrat Jahan “Punya Prasoon Bajpai” wrote a lengthy column “Journalist Apology for Faulty Reporting” which is still point of discussion in English newspapers of India.


Now I would like to give a brief introduction of past of David Headley. After reading this will be able to understand that how American CIA uses Pakistanis who migrate to America and for its benefits to what extent CIA can go. The original name of David Headley is Syed Dawood Gilani. His father Syed Saleem Gilani was linked with Radio Pakistan, he joined Radio due to his interest with poetry etc. He introduced many artists like Mehdi Hassan and Reshmaan. Afterwards he joined “Voice of America” and left for Washington. There he met American girl, “Serril Headley”, she was apparently working as Secretary in Pakistani Embassy but in fact an agent of CIA. Her father “Coleman Headley” was star footballer and played for University of Maryland.

Kangana; Friend of David Headley
The friendship of Saleem Gillani and Serril soon changed into marital relationship; as a result of this on 30th June 1960 Dawood Gilani was born. After two years his younger sister was born. However this marriage could not go on for long time and difference pf civilizations resulted in divorce. Saleem Gillani returned to Pakistan along with his two children. In Pakistan Dawood Gilani got admission in Cadet College Hassan Abdal. His father wanted that he joins Pakistan Army. After F.Sc. Dawood Gilani was preparing for admission in Pakistan Military Academy and ISSB when his mother took him with her to America. Here identity of Dawood Gilani was changed as American citizen and linked to his grandfather i.e. Dawood Gilani was legally changed to David Coleman Headley. Serril was running her Bar in American state Philadelphia; here David started helping his mother. However his links to his friends in Pakistan remained active through telephone. During this in 1985 David opened two shops for renting video cassettes in New York and married an American girl which ended in divorce only after two years.


In 1997 David was arrested for smuggling Heroin from Pakistan to America. But on the condition of disclosing that from where and how he bought heroin in Pakistan he was given a normal punishment of 15 months imprisonment. From here new character of David starter. From 2001-2003 he visited Pakistan many times on semi-govt. visits. He visited to Pakistan from “USA Drug Enforcement Administrations Undercover Surveillance Operations” (definitely his visit to Pakistan had been under his Pakistani identity as Dawood Gillani and his purpose had been different from what told by America. In 1999 he married a Pakistani girl from his family which was impossible with identity of David Headley). In 2002 David married his old girl friend Faiza in New York belonging to Morocco. This marriage ended on his arrest for being involved in Mumbai attacks 26/11.


In 2005 on a quarrel between spouses Faiza complained Federal Police, “David is a terrorist and active member of LeT. He has been trained in LeT’s training camps in Pakistan.” (The above mentioned news came to front now, after Mumbai attacks not in 2005, while in 2005 there is no news that Faiza accused him). Police arrested him for few hours for quarrel with his wife but why accuses like links were not given attention by Police? This is very important question. American Administration allergic to word Terrorism why ignored it? Were they aware that David due to Pakistani background and identity is linked with LeT or its leader and CIA is working on a plan in future? Links of CIA with active Islamic Movements or Taliban has been proved by several facts which came in front of general public (here in this article it is impossible to discuss these facts but I would like to say that behind regional and sectarian crisis this link is working which needs attention).

David Headley along with his friends
Now David has been arrested on Indian pressure in Chicago, India has again started claiming that ISI was behind David and provided finances for its stay in India. In 2006 when David arrived at Mumbai Major Iqbal of ISI provided him big amount of 25000 dollars. Not only this his visits to North Waziristan and tribal areas are also being claimed and discussed and in addition to Major Iqbal names of Major Abdul Rehman Hashim nicknamed Pasha, Major Sameer and Colonel Shah are also being used in Indian and western media. According to American media David had been talking with these persons through telephone. The recording of this is under the custody of CIA and FBI. India has demanded that this recording should be handed over it so that it can be compared with the conversation of terrorists of Mumbai attacks who took guidance on mobile from their supervisors in Pakistan. (They should take all guidance from David Headley who is master mind of Mumbai attacks according to India). Although Pakistan has clearly rejected Indian stance, that along with David Headley officers of Pak-Army are involved in Mumbai attacks. But it needs to be thought that will America accept our stance while we are always busy in begging for aid. Giving little charity to us America repeats its demand of “Do More”. They will accept Indian stance, as a result of economic deal with India 50,000 jobless Americans will get jobs. If we want to safeguard ourselves from conspiracies of enemy then we will have to use our own resources and be contented with them. Secondly we will have to use our media to make it clear that the purpose of Mumbai attacks was as being disclosed by Amresh Misra or Mahesh Bhatt. Are we ready for this?


Note:

In the end I would like to clarify the link of Saleem Gilani (Late) with Multan. His family migrated to Pakistan from India in 1947 and started living in Lahore. There mother language is Punjabi. He completed M.A English from Govt. College Lahore. He was one of the hardworking students of Patras Bukhari (Ahmad Shah Bukhari). Saleem Gilani is also author of three books,

Collection of Naats, “Syednaa”
Autobiography of Hazrat Bilal “Bilal”
Translation of French Muslims Scholars work about Islam “Afham Islam”


Moreover he also translated work of Allama Iqbal and Faiz Ahmad Faiz to English. Saleem Gilani laid foundation of broadcast of Radio Pakistan in 1987. He married three women, first from America Serril, she apparently converted to Islam and her Islamic name was Sumera, from her Dawood (David) and his younger sister Syeda were born. After divorce from Serril, Saleem Gilani married a woman from Karachi, two sons Daniyal and Hamza were born from her (both are linked with Pakistan Information Department). That marriage also could not continue for long time, after this Saleem married his cousin Syedah Gilani.


Daniyal, Hamza and Dawood’s sister has been brought up by their Grand Mother; she was extremely pious and Islamic Woman. She did not allow Dawood (David Headley) to come closer to these children and brought them up according to her rules. Saleem Gilani died on 25th December 2008. However they or their family has no link with Multan.


This article was originally published at: http://truthbykbaig.blogspot.com/

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Pakistan, Sri Lanka to join hands against terrorism, strengthen trade


COLOMBO, Nov 28 (APP): The leaders of Pakistan and Sri Lanka Sunday expressed resolve to join hands against terrorism and to build up their trade and economic relations.Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Jayaratne called on President Asif Ali Zardari here on Sunday and discussed ways to further strengthen ties between the two countries with a focus on exploring new avenues of cooperation.President Zardari who is on a four-day visit to the picturesque island nation is here to hold wide ranging talks with the Sri Lankan leaders to expand economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, that already have an operational Free Trade Agreement.Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Defence Minister Ch. Ahmad Mukhtar and Chairman Board of Investment (BOI) are part of President’s delegation.



President Zardari congratulated the Sri Lankan Prime Minister on defeating terrorism and apprised him of Pakistan’s successes in this regard. Prime Minister Jayaratne thanked Pakistan for its moral and material support in countering terrorism.
The President and the Sri Lankan Prime Minister said both countries stand to benefit more from increased military exchanges and training at a regular pace, besides sharing of counter-terrorism measures and sharing of experiences.
They also called for consolidating cooperation in all spheres including trade, health, education and culture.
The President also highlighted the need for high level parliamentary exchanges. The Sri Lankan Prime Minister said following the revival of the parliamentary association a delegation will visit Pakistan soon.
Spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar told APP that the President welcomed the revival of the Pak-Sri Lankan Parliamentary Association and called for regular exchanges at the Foreign Secretary level. He pointed that the last such exchange took place, way back in 2007 in Islamabad and the next one should be at Colombo at the earliest.
President Zardari said the economic ties between Pakistan and Sri Lanka need to be re-energized for optimal benefit from the FTA and to expand its scope for the benefit of the people of the two countries.
He stressed fast-tracking negotiations for including the services sector in the FTA for promoting investment and trade between the two countries.
The Sri Lankan Prime Minister said his country was keen to initiate new joint venture projects with Pakistan in several key areas and said the two private sectors can play a crucial role in this regard for the mutual good of the two peoples.
The two leaders discussed increased cooperation in financial and banking sectors.President Zardari said Pakistan values its relations with Sri Lanka and supports its territorial integrity and sovereignty. He said both the countries need to consult more frequently at multi lateral events.
The two leaders also exchanged views on preservation and promotion of the civilization heritage and increase of tourist traffic between the two countries.
Prime Minister Jayaratne appreciated the preservation and maintaining of the Buddhist heritage in Pakistan and said it would be a step forward towards building of a long lasting association between the two countries in all spheres.


Read More: http://ftpapp.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=123039&Itemid=1

US embassy denies forces’ presence in Quetta

ISLAMABAD: The US embassy on Saturday denied reports of US forces’ presence in Quetta.

The US embassy spokesman, while rejecting a recent news article that reported approval of a “presence” by the office of the Defence Representative at Pakistan military’s 12 Corps Headquarters in Quetta, said, “This reporting is a misrepresentation.” “There is no permanent US presence in Quetta,” the spokesman added.

He said that instead episodic visits by a US team provided information and coordination support between the International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) and Pakistan military forces, when the ISAF operated periodically near the border with Pakistan. Meanwhile, an ISPR spokesman in a statement released on Saturday also denied the news report regarding presence of US forces in Quetta. The spokesman said the news report was not correct.

Refrence: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010%5C11%5C28%5Cstory_28-11-2010_pg7_22

PAF to ensure effective Air Defence: Air Chief

SARGODHA: Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force said that nature of the threat continues to change and we must continue to focus on maintaining our existing assets fully operational & employ all resources optimally to ensure effective Air Defence of our country.

He expressed these views while addressing a simple and impressive ceremony conducted at Combat Commanders’ School, PAF Base, Mushaf in Sargodha to graduate the participants of Combat commanders’ Course.

The ceremony marked addition of yet another elite group of combat pilots and Air Defence controllers to the mainstream operational units of the Pakistan Air Force.

Speaking on the occasion, Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force said that nature of the threat continues to change & with it the aerial warfare is becoming more complex. The application of air power under new threat dimensions, at different levels and modes would demand utilization of PAF resources to the maximum and test our resolve. It is for this reason alone, that our force structuring and operational training must continue to evolve progressively to meet the future challenges.

While addressing the faculty and graduates, he stressed that although our quest to modernize PAF continues, we must not fall short of our resolve. Besides our modest effort at modernization we must continue to focus on maintaining our existing assets fully operational & employ all resources optimally to ensure effective Air Defence of our country. With realistic training and resolve, PAF will continue to contribute significantly in the national defence.

He concluded by stating that combat training in the PAF is being maintained at the highest pedestal of realism and responsiveness to meet all contemporary challenges. He expressed his satisfaction over the training and safety standards of the PAF and CCS.


Read More: http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=171691

ANALYSIS: Withdrawal from Afghanistan —Dr Hasan-Askari Rizvi

The general perception in Washington is that unless the ‘safe havens’ of the Afghan Taliban are dismantled in Pakistani territory, the allied troops cannot succeed. This appears to be a single-issue obsession with the American authorities without taking into account the problems of the Pakistan Army

The NATO/US decision to withdraw from Afghanistan is as momentous as was the decision to launch the attack on Afghanistan on October 7, 2001. Like the 2001 decision, the implications of the latest decision go far beyond Afghanistan.

This announcement has shifted the focus away from July 2011 when the US is supposed to start withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan. The withdrawal of the troops may or may not start or the US may undertake a token withdrawal. What matters most is not July 2011 but the run up to the ultimate withdrawal date, i.e. December 2014. What kind of steps will NATO and the US undertake over the next four years to implement their commitment?

There are three constituent elements of the withdrawal decision: training of the Afghan National Army and the police that will be assigned internal security responsibilities, enhancement of administrative capacity of the Kabul government and decentralisation of authority to the district level, and the weakening of the war machine of the Taliban to the extent that their determination to fight is sapped and some of them seek peace through negotiations.

The outcome of these elements will be decisive in determining if the withdrawal will materialise. This will also shape the political and military situation in Afghanistan in the days after the NATO/US withdrawal.

The optimistic scenario is that the allied forces will be able to create a professional and well-trained Afghan army that will take up internal security responsibilities and fight the remnants of the Taliban. A well-trained police force will also be available to take care of the security and law and order situation in the cities and reinforce the district administration to assert its authority. By the end of 2014, the Afghan army and the police will replace the US and NATO security forces.

The pessimistic scenario is that NATO and the US are unable to train the Afghanistan National Army and the police in sufficient numbers to assume security responsibilities. Their large-scale systematic training was initiated over one year ago and, so far, no unit of the Afghan army is in a position to face the Taliban all by itself. The Afghan police and the army lack a professional disposition and the desertion rate is high. This state of affairs is not expected to change. The US and NATO will continue to stay on but if they leave in a hurry, the Taliban will overwhelm the Afghan army and the police. There is no honourable exit for the allied troops.

The US is expected to start experimenting with the transfer of responsibility to selected districts in 2011 to see if the Afghan administration, the army and the police can manage their affairs without direct American or NATO involvement. The outcome of these experiments will be used to make mid-course corrections in the plan for the ultimate withdrawal. The training process will also be revised accordingly.

The most likely scenario is that there will be enough numbers in the Afghan army and the police to takeover internal security responsibilities and the US and NATO will gradually withdraw their troops by the end of 2014. However, they will maintain 20,000 to 25,000 troops in Afghanistan for a training and advisory role. These troops may also serve as a backup force for the Afghan army. Afghanistan can retain some American troops under a treaty arrangement. The Afghan needs will be shaped by the extent of success of the NATO/US troops in undermining the Taliban war machine by 2014 and winning over some of them to their side.

The allied troops need a major military success against the Taliban in the first quarter of 2011 to undo the current perception that the Taliban are entrenched and the allied and Afghan troops lack the required determination to dismantle the Taliban resistance. The current security perception in Afghanistan favours the Taliban, which needs to be reversed as early as possible.

The immediate impact of the announcement of the withdrawal plan is the increased American pressure on Pakistan to launch military operations against the Afghan Taliban based in the tribal areas, especially in North Waziristan, and the Taliban activists located in the vicinity of Quetta in Balochistan. The general perception in official and non-official circles in Washington is that unless the ‘safe havens’ of the Afghan Taliban are dismantled in Pakistani territory, the allied troops cannot succeed. This appears to be a single-issue obsession with the American authorities without taking into account the problems of the Pakistan Army currently busy with counter-insurgency in many parts of the tribal areas and other constraints of policy making and implementation in Pakistan.

There is another dimension of withdrawal politics. President Hamid Karzai wants to ensure his centrality to the withdrawal process and the subsequent period. He wants all negotiations with the Taliban to be processed through his administration so that the US is not in a position to sideline or remove him as part of the political arrangements for the post-withdrawal period.

It is difficult to predict how far Hamid Karzai can influence American efforts to his advantage or coordinate with Pakistan in the run up to the withdrawal because he hardly trusts anyone beyond his very close circle. Both Pakistan and the present Afghan leadership will have to contend with regional states like Iran, Russia and India, who have a strong interest in what happens in Afghanistan.

Pakistan faces an additional problem. There are about three million Afghans living in Pakistan as refugees or otherwise. Most of them are expected to be polarised if internal strife surges in Afghanistan. The same can be said about the activists among Pakistani Pakhtuns who are concerned about the developments in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s tribal areas.

Pakistan’s security bosses need to articulate their vision of the future of Afghanistan as a friendly state whose economy is linked with Pakistan. They should find a realistic balance between their desire for a commanding role in and around Afghanistan and the dynamics of global and regional power politics. A stable Afghanistan will enable them to address Pakistan’s internal problems in a more effective manner.

The implementation of the withdrawal decision and stabilisation of Afghanistan can be facilitated if the US, the present Afghan government and Pakistan evolve a shared approach through mutual consultation and accommodation. This will reduce interference by other states.

The writer is a political and defence analyst

Read More: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010%5C11%5C28%5Cstory_28-11-2010_pg3_2

Russian cargo plane crash in Pakistan. 11 killed

Russian cargo plane crashed in a fireball into a naval residential compound seconds after taking off from the airport of the southern Pakistani city on Sunday, killing at least 11 people - all eight crew members on board and three persons on the ground. The Russian-made Il-76 aircraft, which came from the UAE and was headed to the Sudanese capital Khartoum, crashed near Dalmia area within the cantonment in Karachi at 1.50 am local time. It went down in a part of the naval compound where new apartments were being built.

The ill-fated aircraft came down two minutes after taking off from the city's international airport, said Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Pervaiz George. All eight Russian crew members were killed, he said.

The bodies of at least three construction workers were found in apartments being built at the site, Geo TV reported.

Recovered bodies were badly mutilated and beyond recognition, officials said, adding several people were also injured.

Officials said that the casualties would have been higher if the plane of Russia's Sunway Airline had hit several densely populated apartment blocks only a few hundred metres away.

Rescue operations at the crash site gathered steam this morning after hundreds of naval and army personnel moved in with heavy machinery to remove the debris and scour the damaged buildings for victims.

Several witnesses said they had seen the aircraft on fire before it crashed. "I saw a fireball plummeting to ground," milk seller Mohammad Raees told Geo TV. "It was so huge and quick. I was terrified. I couldn't see what it was. I sped up to save my life and after a few seconds I heard a deafening explosion, but thanks to Allah my life was saved and I was not injured."

Footage on television showed the plane in flames as it plunged towards the ground. The aeroplane exploded in a massive fireball after slamming into the naval compound, due to which about 20 buildings were razed or damaged.

The crash caused widespread panic among Karachi residents as many people initially thought the explosion was due to a bomb.

Fire trucks sprayed foam on the crash site and extinguished the blaze after two hours.

The control tower had learnt that the plane caught fire soon after take-off, George said.

The crash was the second in november in Karachi and the third in Pakistan in less than five months.

On November 5, all 21 people on board a small aircraft chartered by an international oil company were killed when it crashed shortly after taking off from Karachi. That aircraft crashed within an army ordnance depot.

In July, a passenger jet operated by Pakistani carrier Airblue crashed into hills overlooking Islamabad during stormy weather, killing all 152 on board.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

India's direct and indirect support to Tamil tigers. India's Involvement.



India's funding of the Tamil liberation movement - 1980s

India became involved in the Civil War during the early 1980s when the Indian government supplied arms and funding to both the LTTE and its rival terrorist organisation, the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation, or TELO. It is thought that through arming both independence parties the Rajiv Ghandi's government sought to follow a 'divide and rule' strategy. Exerting control over the independence movement stood to gain India influence in Sri Lanka while quelling the calls of Tamils in India for a similar independent state.

Direct involvement - June, 1987

On June 5th 1987 India stepped into a more active role. Jaffna, the capital of the Tamil-majority North province, was under siege by the Sri Lankan forces. There were claims that the government were on the verge of defeating the LTTE. In a direct move to help the rebels, the Indian Air Force dropped aid parcels into Jaffna weighing 25 tons in total.


Situation Today

India remains an outside observer of the ongoing Civil War, with frequent calls from parliament members of the Tamil Nadu state for renewed Indian involvement, and especially for the extradition of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.








Refrence: India in Sri Lankan War: History of India's Involvement with Tamil Tigers http://www.suite101.com/content/india-in-sri-lankan-civil-war-a74864#ixzz0jczBgaCY

Friday, November 26, 2010

Capabilities and Avionics for Jf 17 Thunder

Pakistan Air Force Jf 17 thunder is one of the best aircrafts of modern time giving an edge to PAF. It is a lightweight single engine modern aircraft developed jointly by Pakistan and China. It is known as JF-17 ( Joint Fighter 17 ) as well as FC-1 ( Fighter China 1 ).

                                                     Qualities and Avonics



Light Weight:
                       The airframe is of semi-monocoque structure, constructed primarily of aluminium alloys, although plans are in place to reduce weight by increasing the use of composite materials.

Avonics:
               
              The software written for the JF-17's avionics totals more than one million lines of instructions, and open architecture technology is used in it.Open architecture is a type of computer architecture or software architecture that allows adding, upgrading and swapping components. This language is optimised for military applications. The redesigned PT-04 prototype JF-17 had more advanced avionics than its predecessors, which are included on the production version of the aircraft.

Article is still under construction.

The truth about Israel, Iran and 1980s U.S. arms deals

Recently declassified Pentagon documents reveal a strange, not to say illicit, 1980s operation called 'Tipped Kettle,' in which weapons stolen by Israel from the PLO in Lebanon were transferred to the Contras and to anti-American elements in Iran

By Amir Oren

The collection of declassified documents published two weeks ago by the Pentagon reveals infighting among branches of the U.S. administration and intrigues in foreign countries - including 1980s' Israel. The impression one gets is not especially positive. The Americans are publishing the documents now not because they are trying somehow to suggest to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu how he should behave, but because the law obligates them to reveal records in due course following a review, unless there is a genuine reason to keep them secret. In the aforesaid period Netanyahu served as deputy to Moshe Arens, when he was Israel's ambassador to Washington, D.C. (1982-83 ). Arens' staff then also included Gen. Menachem Meron, the military attache in Washington, and spokesman Nachman Shai. Arens and his aides constituted an island of sanity in their relations with the administration of U.S. President Ronald Reagan, at a time of hostility in the U.S. capital toward the government of Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Defense Minister Ariel Sharon.

The recently revealed documents deal with an operation dubbed "Tipped Kettle," involving weapons the Israel Defense Forces looted from the Palestine Liberation Organization during Operation Peace for Galilee in Lebanon, and their transfer to the Contras - opponents of the socialistic Sandinista regime in Nicaragua. That was the first episode, of rather questionable legality according to U.S. law, in a more complex story whose second installment, in 1985-1986, became known as the Iran-Contra scandal. Part II was patently illegal - a blatant effort by the White House to violate a Congressional order and to cook up a strange deal involving the sale of American weapons (originally supplied to the IDF ) to anti-American Iran, for use in its war with Iraq; the release of Western hostages being held in Lebanon by Iranian-controlled Hezbollah; and the financing of Contras' activities thanks to the difference between the sum paid by the Iranians and the true value of the weapons - minus a profit for those engaged in the deal.

By the end of that decade, during the trial of U.S. Marine Col. Oliver North and other officials in the Reagan administration, charged with deceiving Congress and providing false testimony to a special prosecutor, Operation Tipped Kettle was also briefly mentioned in the court proceedings. Now, however, the whole picture has come into view, with its emphasis on the behavior on the Israeli side.

In the fall of 1982, Reagan's secretary of defense, Caspar Weinberger, was trying to implement a policy intended to combat pro-Soviet elements in Latin America, including the Sandinistas. Even more belligerent than he was CIA director William Casey. The CIA had direct intelligence connections with the Mossad, but in the affair of the captured weapons the American agency preferred to hide behind the Pentagon. The system of communication between the CIA and the Pentagon was called Focal Point; it had been used to facilitate connections between them since the mid-1950s. Officially, Israel was unaware then that the weapons taken from the PLO would be used not by the U.S. Army in its training bases, but rather to arm the Contras.

Though the Republicans controlled the White House at the time, the Democrats controlled Congress. The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Edward Boland, achieved a majority for a series of bills named for him, which limited the administration's ability to help the Contras. In one of the bills, passed in the fall of 1984, all U.S. intelligence agencies were prohibited from any such activity. (North tried to outsmart the law, claiming, after he came under investigation, that the National Security Council, which coordinated the operations, was not an intelligence agency. )

The legislation meant, in effect, that without the specific approval of Congress, no money could be formally budgeted in this case. Therefore, Casey, North and their colleagues had to use subterfuge to supply the arms, for example, by way of "donations" from foreign countries - Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Brunei - or circuitous deals with South Korea, Taiwan, China and especially Israel. The loot captured from the PLO during the war, at a cost of hundreds of Israeli dead, was particularly suitable for use by the Contras. And if Kalashnikov rifles fell into the hands of the Sandinistas, there would have been fewer questions about its source.

'No policy problem'

The first of the Pentagon documents concerning Operation Tipped Kettle was sent by Weinberger to Casey on November 17, 1982. The subject: rifles, machine guns and light mortars for infantry fighters "captured by Israeli forces in Lebanon." The Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency "can offer assistance in helping to acquire significant amounts of these types of weapons presently available in Lebanon." The letter didn't say from whom exactly the weapons would be purchased - from the Christian Phalange forces, from other organizations or from Palestinians in areas outside IDF control. The State Department, added Weinberger, had "no policy problem with this effort as long as it is not publicized."

"In a separate action, our efforts to obtain captured weapons directly from the Israeli government have been delayed while their military attache, MG Meron, is out of the Washington area. He should return within the next few days and the subject will be raised at that time ... We are prepared to meet your request through the Focal Point System," wrote Weinberger.

In March 1983, four months later, Weinberger sent Casey a second letter, declaring, "I am glad to report significant progress." In February, back in Israel, the Kahan Commission of inquiry report on the massacres in the Sabra and Chatila refugee camps in Beirut was submitted, as a consequence of which Ariel Sharon was dismissed as defense minister. At that point, staff from the embassy in Washington took over at the ministry in Tel Aviv: Arens was at the top, Meron became director general, and Shai was media adviser.

Weinberger reported that "a joint DoD/CIA survey team visited Israel and was shown about 300 metric tons of captured weapons and ammunition suitable for your purposes. Shortly after Ambassador Arens became the new Israeli MOD, the DoD was informed that these weapons would be provided to the U.S. at a small percentage of their market value. This charge, which I understand will be agency funded, would only be for packing and handling and is anticipated to be in the neighborhood of $100,000. My staff is in the process of setting up the movement of these weapons to the U.S. Due to the weight and bulk of these items they will have to be moved by surface transport and thereby will not be available until the May/June timeframe."

That same day, the U.S. Navy was instructed to provide transport for "military items ... that will be shipped from the Israeli port of Ashdod ... to the East Coast of the United States."

Weinberger updated Casey: "The shipment will be available for CIA pickup" and "can remain packed in the 34 Land/Sea containers until reaching their destination. The Land/Sea containers are the property of the Government of Israel and will need to be ... returned to Israel."

The shipment included 20,000 rifles and submachine guns, 1,000 machine guns, 90 recoil-less rifles, 110 mortars, 1,000 hand grenades and a large amount of ammunition. "The then newly appointed Israeli minister of defense, Moshe Arens, made the final decision that these weapons were to be provided on a gratis basis to DoD. This was one of MOD Arens' first actions ... and was clearly a signal of his desire to improve U.S./Israel relations," according to the Pentagon documents.

Israel, with one-time and well-calculated generosity, did not lose much money here: In the 1980s, private arms dealers sold similar Kalashnikov rifles, made in Yugoslavia, for $210 each. The market value of all the Kalashnikovs in the shipment in question was only about $4 million; 60-mm. mortars were sold for about $1,500 and 81-mm. mortars for about $5,000.

Added costs

A year later, the CIA's appetite was whetted again; now there were additional factors in the equation. Weinberger's new undersecretary for international security, Richard Armitage, became a close friend and regular visitor of the new military attache, Gen. Uri Simhoni; the same was true of Weinberger's senior military assistant, Gen. Colin Powell.

In June 1984, Weinberger received a memo from Armitage describing the process by which the looted weapons had been transferred a year earlier. Armitage mentioned that the mission was accomplished as a result of talks between Maj. Gen. Richard Secord and Meron, and a decision by Arens. In February 1984 the Pentagon was asked to find out whether there were additional weapons available in Israel "under the same financial terms" - i.e., "available for operational use at little or no cost." In contacts with the Israeli government a few months earlier, in March, it turned out that there were additional weapons stolen from the PLO caches, including Katyushas and anti-aircraft weapons, but that they were "for sale." A joint Pentagon-CIA survey delegation, headed by the liaison officer with Israel (whose name is erased, apparently a Col. Forster ), went to Israel to examine the items.

"Contacts with the GOI," noted Armitage dryly, "revealed that they had placed a value of over $77M on these weapons, while DoD sources estimated the cost of the weapons at around $27M." Or, according to another estimate, $35 million. The head of the U.S. Army Museum, an expert on Soviet weapons, estimated the value at only $17 million.

Armitage's deputy, U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Edward Tixier, Secord's successor, was traveling to Israel to discuss a different matter and said he would speak privately to director general Meron to discuss transferring the second collection of captured weapons to the Pentagon at little or no cost. If Tixier succeeded, the weapons could arrive in the U.S. at the end of July and be sent immediately to the CIA.

Prior to the Armitage-Simhoni meeting on May 24, Armitage wrote to a liaison officer subordinate to him that "the chances of the U.S. ever obtaining these weapons is poor if they are not in our possession by July 23, 1984 (the date of the upcoming Israeli election ). Our contacts in the Israel MOD (to include both Mr. Arens and Gen. Meron ) could be gone the following day, and establishing relations with new players could be time-consuming."

According to the recently declassified documents, Israeli activity was frozen at the time, because of "the confusion in the GOI over what direction U.S. policy in Central America is heading and the role that Israel can and should play in relation to the topic. If you feel that timing is right you may which to discuss the issue of payment for these weapons. Because Israeli funds would have to be found to cover specific project related costs (packing, crating, shipping ), we should offer to pay these line items. We should not offer to pay anything for the weapons for two reasons: the weapons will be used to further Western interests, and in the grand scheme of U.S./Israeli relations, a good will gesture on the part of Israel (at a low dollar cost for them ) would be most helpful with the GOI is requesting U.S. assistance on major projects such as funding for the new SAAR-5 missile-attack boat, the Lavi, the F-4 upgrade, the upgrading of the Merkava tank, and the usage of FMS funds off-shore, to mention a few.

"Prior to moving any of this equipment, there needs to be a lead time of several weeks, so that our EOD [explosive ordnance disposal] and logistics people can do the planning required to make this operation work. There is no time to spare if we are to complete this effort prior to Israeli elections."

In order to save time, Meron suggested that packing of the weaponry begin - this time, over 100 containers were needed - while internal consultation in Israel continued.

The Arens-Meron camp, the Americans reported to their dispatchers, had two problems: IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Levi, eager to speed up the withdrawal of the IDF from Lebanon, gave top priority to establishing a security zone and therefore also arming of the forces of Saad Hadad - which became the South Lebanon Army - with the weapons in question. The IDF's security assistance unit, headed by Col. (res. ) Zvi Reuter, and foreign relations department, demanded monetary compensation. Above all, the clock was ticking: Soon there would be a new Knesset and perhaps a new defense minister, who would bring in a new director general.

In the last telegram from Tel Aviv, bearing the censored signature of the liaison officer, there is an hour-by-hour description of the consultations, maneuvering and bargaining: hints that the price could be reduced if a way could be found to increase the aid; anger in the Pentagon at the Israeli chutzpah; examination of alternatives; encrypted telegrams from the embassy; bridging proposals; a "gentlemen's agreement" without signatures.

The elections came and went and the race between Labor, headed by Shimon Peres, and Likud, headed by Yitzhak Shamir, ended in a tie. A week later, before the Peres-Shamir government was formed, Arens signed an approval of the transaction: Weapons worth $30 million to $40 million in exchange for the expectation of an increase in military assistance. Arens was forced to vacate the ministry in favor of Yitzhak Rabin, who like him was pro-American, but Meron remained in the post of director general for two more years.

The Tipped Kettle papers end with an internal memo, with no addressees or signatories, which was written on the day the Iran-Contra affair was exposed, in November 1986. It reports that Reuter, the head of security assistance , complained that the debt for the second transaction had yet to be paid. The complaint was examined in the Pentagon and it revealed an astonishing finding. The Israeli military attache's office in Washington and the international branch of the Defense Department had reached a secret arrangement: In return for Israel waiving the payment, the U.S. defense contractor Numax was to retain its security clearance and government contracts after being purchased by Israel.

What the officers and ministers, the officials and ambassadors are doing in secret today will be revealed, thanks to the Americans in another 25 years.

'Pak Army waiting for "appropriate time" to launch N. Waziristan operation'

Despite US pressure, Pakistan will not launch a military offensive in the North Waziristan region until it has completed its operation in Orakzai, stabilised Swat and Bajaur, and handed over stable places such as Shangla to civilian control, top officials revealed on Thursday.

"Oh yes, we have to go to North Waziristan for action to restore the dignity of the state, but not by leaving other ongoing missions half done," the Daily Times quoted the officials, as speaking on the condition of anonymity, in what could be the first hints at the preparations for the much-awaited offensive around the border areas of the tribal Agency.

According to reports, North Waziristan has been the last bastion for local and foreign militants after the military regained the lost ground in Swat, drove them out from South Waziristan, and put them on the "back foot" in Bajaur.

The officials disclosed that it was principally agreed to take action in North Waziristan. "However, we will wait for the appropriate time before doing that," they said.

"For actions in North Waziristan, the military will need to remove troops from areas where they are already engaged against militants or stabilised other areas. Leaving the ongoing missions half done will be an extremely unwise move to take," the officials added.

In the wake of reports that the political leadership of Pakistan has authorised Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani to take the decision as to when the desired operation should begin in North Waziristan, it looks less likely that the army will take any action in winter, the paper said. (ANI)


Read More: http://sify.com/news/pak-army-waiting-for-appropriate-time-to-launch-n-waziristan-operation-news-international-kl0rEpcgaha.html

Russia Rebuffed on Missile Offer

Write to Stephen Fidler at stephen.fidler@wsj.com and Gregory L. White at greg.white@wsj.com

Leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have rebuffed a proposal from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to unite Russia's missile defenses with those of the West, said diplomats and NATO officials.

At a closed-door meeting with NATO leaders in Lisbon Saturday, Mr. Medvedev suggested uniting a missile shield being built by the 28 allies with Russia's own missile defense system.

People attending the summit said President Barack Obama and other leaders diplomatically rejected the Russian leader's proposal, saying the issue should be looked at by the countries' technical experts. The experts will look at ways the two systems can cooperate and report to a meeting of NATO and Russian defense ministers in Brussels in June.

NATO diplomats said the Medvedev proposal goes way beyond what the alliance envisages, which is cooperation and information sharing between two systems rather than a single system. "We're looking at two different systems linked up," said a NATO spokeswoman.

Mr. Medvedev's told a news conference afterward that his proposal was for "sectoral missile defense." Russian officials later said Mr. Medvedev proposed that Russia and NATO countries would be responsible for shooting down missiles flying over their own territories and Russia would destroy missiles headed for NATO territory.

Dmitry Rogozin, Russia's ambassador to NATO, said in an interview with the Russian website Vzglyad that Mr. Medvedev's proposal "goes much further than NATO's fantasies" of limited cooperation.

"Medvedev is effectively proposing to create a collective missile-defense system along the perimeter of the Euro-Atlantic region. It roughly amounts to agreeing not to keep missile-defense systems inside the region—something that raises our suspicions—and arrange for the system to be pointed outwards."

The proposal would mean the NATO system's sensors wouldn't be pointed toward Russia, which is sensitive that the system could blunt its own nuclear deterrent.

Mr. Rogozin "tweeted" from the summit that the Russian approach was "reminiscent of two knights who, defending themselves from attackers, stand back-to-back."

Governments were left puzzling about whether Mr. Medvedev's proposal was an initial negotiating position or a spoiling gesture, diplomats said. But NATO leaders reacted diplomatically because most welcome the prospect of improved security cooperation with Russia, and that missile-defense cooperation offers benefits to both sides.

President Barack Obama publicly welcomed Mr. Medvedev"s presence at the meeting, describing him as "my friend and partner." The decision to cooperate on missile defense "turns a source of past tension into a source of potential cooperation against a shared threat," he said.

Skepticism over the proposal isn't limited to NATO governments. Nikolai Makarov, chief of Russia's General Staff, said in the official Rossiiskaya Gazeta newspaper that the idea of Russia shooting down missiles headed over its territory for Europe and vice versa was simplistic.

"For military men on both sides, this supposition looks, to put it gently, far-fetched. The fact is that any country with missile-defense systems would shoot down missiles approaching its borders without any international agreements."

Alexander Golts, an independent military analyst and deputy editor of the Russian news weekly Yezhenedelny Zhurnal, wrote that Russia isn't currently capable of mass producing suitable ballistic missile interceptor systems. Russia only has the S-400 system, of which it has only two batteries, just outside Moscow.

"If this is the case, then Moscow has practically asked NATO to drop missile defense," he wrote.

Despite the apparently conciliatory signs on missile defense, the Kremlin hasn't given up its goal of expanding its global military reach. On a visit to a base in central Russia Thursday, Mr. Medvedev said the government is looking for ways to build new military bases abroad to support its navy on long-distance missions.

"I won't hide it from you, we have some ideas about this," Mr. Medvedev said in comments carried on state television. "Unfortunately, it turned out that a series of our country's previous capabilities disappeared," he added, an apparent reference to Soviet-era bases in Cuba and Vietnam that Moscow gave up about a decade ago.

Write to Stephen Fidler at stephen.fidler@wsj.com and Gregory L. White at greg.white@wsj.com

Read More: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703678404575636670857107444.html

Another US missile strike kills 3 in Pakistan

MIR ALI, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani intelligence officials say a suspected U.S. missile strike has killed three alleged militants in the country's northwest.

It's the latest in a barrage of attacks by unmanned drones on the stronghold of Taliban fighters targeting American and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

The officials say a pair of missiles hit a moving vehicle in Pir Kali village in North Waziristan. The area is home to a mix of Afghan and Pakistani Taliban.

The two Pakistani officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

The U.S. has ramped up its officially unacknowledged drone attacks in Pakistan's lawless border region, launching more than 100 missile strikes this year.

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Wikipedia Aritlce List of countries by level of military equipment is wrong

If you know something about Defence then you must to check this article on wikipedia List of countries by level of military equipment . It is 100% wrong article. It is misguiding people. It must to be improved or deleted. I will try my best to improve this article. Please come up with me to improve this article.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_level_of_military_equipment#cite_note-takeover-37

India prepared to tackle 26/11 type attacks: Air chief

The country is "much better prepared" to tackle terror strikes like the November 2008 Mumbai attack, Air Chief Marshal P V Naik said on Thursday. "As a country, we are now much better prepared (to fight Mumbai-type terror attacks)," the Indian Air Force chief said in New Delhi. Naik was speaking on the sidelines of a two-day international workshop organised by Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS).
His comments come a day ahead of the second anniversary of the Nov 26-29 terror attacks in Mumbai that killed 166 people.

Read More: http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-prepared-to-tackle-26-11-type-attacks-Air-chief/Article1-630837.aspx

The Battle to Strike Iran

By Osman Mirghani



It is understood that Israel is pressuring the United States for a military strike on Iran and its nuclear facilities. Tel Aviv wants to keep the balance of power, and military superiority in the region, in its own hands. It is not interested in the implications such a strike would have for the reformist movement in Iran, or its wider impact on the region. What it wants is the destruction of the Iranian nuclear program, or to disable it for years to come, in order to keep nuclear power in Israel’s hands only, so it can use the threat of the ‘Samson Option’.

It is no secret that Israel has previously undertaken campaigns, overtly and covertly, to prepare such an atmosphere [i.e. an Israeli monopoly in the Middle East]. In the 1980s, Israel attacked an Iraqi nuclear facility, and then continued its campaign against the Iraqi regime, exploiting Saddam Hussein’s errors in the region, until matters ended with an invasion, which was strongly advocated by Israeli supporters in U.S. decision making circles. Former U.S. President George W. Bush revealed in his memoirs, released this month, how the Israelis asked him to strike Iranian and Syrian [nuclear] facilities, and that the Pentagon actually commissioned the preparation of plans and studies on such strikes. Yet this action was eventually not taken, due to differing views amongst those in the Bush administration, regarding the feasibility and risks of such operations. Although Bush stressed that the military option against Iran was always on the table, he said that it was always considered a last resort, on the grounds that Washington preferred at the time – and still does – the option of sanctions. As for Syria, Bush revealed explicitly that he did not agree to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s request at the time, to carry out an air raid or send Special Forces teams to strike the Deir al-Zour facility, due to the dangers of the operation. Furthermore, Bush confirmed that Israel carried out the operation alone later.

In the context of Israel’s constant pressure, and American reports alleging that any military strike on Iran at the present time would have many, serious negative repercussions, it is interesting to examine at a debate last week between U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Israeli Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi. The American official expressed the prevalent opinion amongst the Obama administration, namely that a military strike would not provide a long term solution, but would instead result in Tehran’s nuclear program becoming “more entrenched and more secret”, and would also galvanize the Iranian regime, in the face of internal opposition and divisions. What Gates did not say is that the fallout from the operation could harm U.S. interests, especially in light of western military operations in Afghanistan, and the fragile global economic situation. These words did not please the Israelis of course, and the Israeli Chief of Staff reacted with a public response to Gates’ words, saying that sanctions were not effective, and that a military strike was Israel’s desired solution, regardless of the domestic repercussions in Iran, or in the wider region.

The reality is that Israel is reaping the maximum gains from the Iran issue, regardless of whether it achieves its desired military strike or not. It receives U.S. security guarantees, which are continually strengthened, including the provision of intelligence information, and sophisticated U.S. weaponry, to ensure it maintains the upper hand. As a result of receiving U.S. support and technology, Israel has been able to develop a missile defense shield, which should be completed by 2015. Despite gaining all this, Israel continues to raise its voice to warn against the dangers of Iran’s nuclear program. In doing so, it resembles a pregnant sheep, afraid of the new wolf in town, even though this ‘sheep’ has at least 100 nuclear warheads, according to estimates by experts, and rejects any discussion of acceding to the NPT, or talk of the Middle East becoming a nuclear weapons free zone.

What Israel wants is to maintain its monopoly in the region, with its ‘nuclear sword’ hanging over the necks of others. This allows the state to continue its arrogant policies, such as refusing to relinquish the occupied territories, continual intransigence on the subject of peace, and only agreeing to proposal in accordance with its prohibitive terms. To achieve this goal, Israel has intensified its campaign, hoping that this pressure leads to an attack on Iran, or allows Israel to access more military aid, and political tradeoffs. This is what we saw during Netanyahu’s recent visit to Washington, when he merged the subject of confronting Iran, including his tradeoffs with Washington, with the resumption of negotiations with the Palestinians. Whilst in America, Netanyahu was keen, in his speeches and statements, to focus on the theme of the Iranian threat, in order to reach a compromise amidst U.S. pressure to resume peace negotiations with Palestine.

If Israel’s intentions are clear, the question remains; how will Israel act?

So far it looks like Ahmadinejad is repeating the experience of Saddam Hussein, which resulted in the destruction of Iraq and rocked the stability of the region. In reality, what Iran needs to do is adopt a rational, less aggressive policy. It needs to reduce its policy of external expansion, and reassure its neighbors, thus removing Israel’s bargaining chip in the peace process. Furthermore, it needs to support the mounting call for the Middle East to become a nuclear weapons free zone. Peaceful nuclear energy is a legitimate right for all, but nuclear arms would open the gates of hell in an already volatile region.

Read More: http://aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=2&id=23156

Nigerian court charges Iranian over arms cache

(AFP) ABUJA — A Nigerian court on Thursday charged an Iranian and three Nigerians over an illegal arms shipment including rockets and mortars discovered at the West African country's main port and sent from Iran.

The Iranian, Azim Aghajani, was identified in court papers as a businessman and "member of IRGC" with an address in Tehran.

IRGC is an abbreviation for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, the military and economic force in Iran. Officials could not be reached to comment on the reference.

Iran has said the arms were being shipped by a private company.

The three Nigerians charged over the shipment denied the allegations, while Aghajani was allowed to delay entering a plea because his lawyer was not with him in court. All were ordered held in custody.

"The accused persons should be remanded in (intelligence agency) custody pending the conclusion of the investigation, and the accused persons should be allowed access to their lawyers while in custody," Magistrate Hafsat Sadiq Soso said.

Court documents alleged Aghajani "conspired to import and did import 13 20-feet containers loaded with assorted calibres of prohibited firearms ..." along with one of the Nigerian suspects.

They also alleged he sought to export the containers along with the three Nigerian suspects.

Nigerian agents seized the weapons at the port in Lagos last month. The containers had been loaded at the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.

The shipper later sought to have the containers reloaded and sent to Gambia, a tiny West African country wedged inside Senegal.

Nigeria has reported the seizure to the UN Security Council, with Iran under four sets of United Nations sanctions over its nuclear programme. The sanctions include a ban on arms sales.

Nigeria's Foreign Minister Odein Ajumogobia has said a diplomat may have also been linked to the shipment, but authorities could not question him because he had diplomatic immunity that the Iran government had not agreed to waive.