Photos from locals in Waziristan claiming to show child casualties from recent bombardment.

As reports started to emerge yesterday regarding the latest airstrikes by Pakistani jet fighters over North Waziristan, a friend posed the question as to whether this fresh operation was the result of U.S Foreign Ministry envoy’s recent meeting with Pakistan army chief, Staff General Raheel Sharif putting pressure on the military to “do more”to tackle insurgency. Although the intended targets were militants, traumatized civilians had no place to shelter as the region was pounded by helicopter gunships. Drone strikes have also recently restarted following a break in activity during peace talks between the Taliban and government

Pakistan seems to operate a policy of “what the USA wants, the US gets” and launched a series of airstrikes in the early hours of the morning killing both militants and civilians alike. There followed the usual variation and dispute over figures with most mainstream media appearing to take the attitude that where “alleged” insurgents are killed, information from official sources and figures seem to be accepted without question. When its comes to reporting civilians deaths however, those reporting are subjected to what feels like a 10 page questionnaire to prove their numbers.

Today’s latest update from Dawn states,

“at least 73 suspected local and foreign militants were killed in a series of pre-dawn air strikes on hideouts and bases in North Waziristan and in a later clash following an attack on security personnel

An army major and three other security personnel died in the clash.

The targets of the air strikes were strongholds of the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (Etim) — a militant outfit comprising largely Turkic-speaking militants from Uzbekistan and Uighurs from China’s north-western autonomous region of Xinjiang, a security official said”

http://www.dawn.com/news/1107868/73-militants-killed-in-air-strikes-clash

When I took to social media on Wednesday to tweet information I had received on civilian casualties, trolls appeared in force insisting that attacks were “precision strikes” and no non- militants had perished. Several communications I received disputed this fact, one came from Abdul Wahan Khan who told me, “my village has been attacked by army jets, 3 people died including two brothers, there was no Taliban died in this attack. In my village Land Muhammad Khel area of North Waziristan these people have died that I mention to you, Ali Zuman and Sher Rehman, two brothers and third one is Sher Daraz Khan…..it is reality.”

Photo claiming to show digging for bodies, allegedly 27 members of one family killed, one house

Omar Khorasani of Mohmand Agency Teheek -e -Taliban (TTP) stated,

“the deaths of innocent people is increasing in the bombardment of NAPAK army last night according to the fresh reports that in village Musaki more 7 people were recovered from the debris including two women and two children. and this is also latest report that in Mir Ali Bazaar, Haidar Kheil Miranshah and in Miranshah village, Machis (a camp where there are civilian residents) is being pounded by NAPAK army by artillery and targeting innocent people.”

I came under heavy criticism on Twitter from pro-army supporters objecting to my quoting TTP. I explained that as a researcher, I was simply reporting all sides, a process called “triangulation” in social science, a cross verification of sources to increase the validity and credibility of results. We cannot necessarily assume that one side is always right and another always wrong… we must consider a variety of contacts.

Another source, Hariss Ali Akakhail, a local reporter, Conflict Analysis, informed me, “in today’s air-strike (Wednesday) by army gunships at North-Waziristan agency, important T.T.P commander Jihadyar and Sabir are down. A total of 55 men went down in today’s strikes, including 15 civilians.”

There were difficulties for those reporting casualty figures with one freelance journalist stating, “I filed my story at 9 a.m in the morning. I did mention civilian casualties and instantly “men in uniform” had to intervene and asked me to change my stance.. Indeed civilians are killed in today’s air-strike !!!”

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISI) claimed the air attacks were in retaliation for the killing of “a large number of civilians and security forces personnel” by terrorists in FATA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Karachi. However the news of the deaths of non combatant men women and children brought criticism from a number of directions causing the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group to reconsider their non-aggression treaty with the government according to DAWN.

Commander Ahmadullah Ahmadi is reported as saying that the group “cannot remain silent over bombardment on people,” calling it a clear atrocity on the civilians and that the Shura (council) has convened an important meeting to assess the situation and hinted that the peace accord with the government might get revoked.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1107736/hafiz-gul-bahadur-group-reviews-peace-treaty-with-govt

Photos claiming to show casualties of recent airstrikes

Justice for Pashtuns raised another important question for those in Waziristan…. How do civilian casualties disappear when it’s Pakistan Air force and not American drones that do the killing?” This poignant post appeared on their Facebook page,

“In this short Pashto audio Ilyas Khan from Waziristan could manage to say only this about Pakistan Army’s bombing in Mirali before he broke into tears:

‘The bombardment has been going on since last night. Is this how you shoot the terrorist hideouts, by destroying the people? Run over there and look at their condition. All those lying dead are civilians. They are lying out on the road. They [the army] have closed the road to the public'”

http://www.mashaalradio.org/audio/audio/1142202.html

Journalist Amir Iqbal emailed me his report which highlighted the difficulties of transporting those injured in the jet strikes to hospitals, a nightmare scenario given the current curfew which is also affecting food supplies. In addition there are problems with telephone communication for those needing help (locals say services went down following the military operation) and in verifying the exact numbers of casualties affected. Iqbal quotes a local man, Sheharyar Khan who states, “we have no food available with us and we are not allowed to go out and get some food for our families. Why are they targeting us since we are not responsible for any terrorism in Pakistan …. why not the force targeting Taliban only?”

Alleged aftermath of recent attacks on Mir Ali bazzar area

Mohammad Younas Afridi, a community worker and radio journalist who originates from the Tribal Areas wrote a poignant message for his followers today, it read,

“Tribal areas need to be heard and protected too. They want to live in peace and harmony, it is really important a strong response arrives from public institutions and from government. They deserve, like everyone in the world a better quality of life, they deserve a future of their children and we all have an obligation not to drop these right demand.

My heart crying to write this story, because this is the story of Tribal areas who live constantly with fear, drops and hopeless every day of their life. They are both VICTIMS and WITNESSES of war they have never asked or wanted.

The most vulnerable part of of the population are those people due to financial problem can’t leave their lands. The population is at its lowest, and children are paying the highest price.”

A tweet has just come in alleging that North Waziristan air strikes continue for a second day though this has been denied by Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR). Is the latest bombardment the end then for any hope of peace talks continuing in the near future? This would appear to be the case with a rather ominous post from Mr Akakhail indicating that TTP shura is in the process of finalizing the break up of peace talks with the government of Pakistan. One can only shudder as to what tomorrow might bring for those remaining in Waziristan!

Ambassador Zamir Akram of Pakistan calls for ban on drones at UN Conference in Geneva

All this week The CCW Meeting of Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) is taking place from 13 to 16 May 2014 at the United Nations in Geneva. The event is being chaired by Ambassador Jean-Hugues Simon-Michel of France with the mandate declared as follows:-

 “to discuss the questions related to emerging technologies in the area of lethal autonomous weapons systems, in the context of the objectives and purposes of the Convention. He will, under his own responsibility, submit a report to the 2014 Meeting of the High Contracting Parties to the Convention, objectively reflecting the discussions held.”

see programme

http://www.unog.ch/80256EE600585943/(httpPages)/6CE049BE22EC75A2C1257C8D00513E26?OpenDocument

I was following tweets from Sarah Knuckley, an international human rights lawyer at the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (NYU School of Law), and a Special Advisor to the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions when I read that Pakistan is calling for a ban on use and production of lethal weapons. This rather surprised me as the country has a history of co-operation with the US on drones, with former President Pervez Musharraf (now on trial for alleged treason) openly stating this in an interview with CNN in 2013, see article by Rob Crilly in the Telegraph 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/9990506/Pakistan-Pervez-Musharraf-admits-secret-CIA-drone-deal-with-US.html

Musharraf admitted to a secret CIA drone deal with US, stating that he had authorised strikes, though claiming “only on very few occasions where the target was absolutely isolated and had no chance of collateral damage”. He also claimed that the strikes were “discussed at the military intelligence level” and cleared only if “there was no time for our own special operations task force and military to act. That was … maybe two or three times only”.

Musharraf, admits to being complicit with US on drone strikes

The reality is that many civilians have been annihilated in FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Area) of Pakistan and drone strikes have acted as recruiting tool for militants with a series of violent retaliation attacks adding to the death toll.

At the start of peace talks with the Taliban, Nawaz Sharif politely asked the US to cease strikes but this appeared to be empty rhetoric without meaningful action. Pakistan’s Ambassador Zamir Akram stated at the Convention yesterday that a ban should come through a dedicated protocol under the framework of UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. Radio Pakistan reported the Pakistan envoy saying that several developing and non-aligned countries are pleading for an immediate moratorium on production and use of such lethal weapons until that times comes.

Protesting drones and interviewing victim of a drone strike 

In the meantime after a recent lull in strikes, breaking news this morning alleged that more persons had been killed in the border area of Afghanistan and Pakistan. There was the usual confusion due to a ban on journalists and inability to access the affected area. Initial casualty figures ranged from 3 individuals to Dawn claiming the number could be as high as 10 “suspected militants” with 14 injured during an alleged attack on a militants’ compound and vehicles.

Express Tribune reported that an official of the political administration from Khyber Agency informed the media that “a US drone fired three missiles at around 8:30am in Chancharo Khawa area of Naziyan in Afghanistan, targeting the suspected hideouts of militants.” (Prior to that the last drone strike occurred towards the end of December, 2013, killing three suspected insurgents.)

I received the following information on today’s strike in an e-mail from Pakistani journalist Aamir Iqbal stating,

“at least three Taliban fighters of banned outfit Lashkar e Islam were killed in a suspected US drone attack in Nadyan area near Pak Afghan border in Afghanistan. Nasar Khan Shinwari the para military personal confirmed.

‘Suspected US Drone aircraft fired three missiles on a vehicle and killed three militants affiliated with Lashkar e Islam’ Shinwari shared the details.

It is worth mentioned that the banned Pakistani outfit Lashkar e Islam considered the most influential group in Pakistani tribal area Khyber Agency, is in battle since last two months with Afghan Taliban in Nadyan area to take over the administration of the area”

Strikes may have been aimed at Taliban “smugglers” according to Express Tribune. In addition an Afghan journalist from Jalalabad said that he heard “the drones fire missiles when the Pakistan and Afghan Taliban were holding a ‘jirga’ for reconciliation as they also had some disputes” see article below,

http://tribune.com.pk/story/708265/drone-fires-missiles-in-pakistan-afghanistan-border-area/

There was also a further report via Amir Iqbal of at least one government official being killed in (non-drone) attack carried out by militants on a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) supply, Godown, Jamrud NLC Khyber Agency. This was confirmed to Iqbal Mohammad Tayyab the senior government officer. It was unclear however whether this was in response to the latest drone strike.

Opposition party Pakistan Tehreek -e-Insaf (PTI) led by Chairman Imran Khan has repeatedly called for an end to drone strikes by holding anti-drone rallies and a peaceful blockade of NATO supply line to highlight the victims of US “collateral damage”. Chris Woods, an investigative journalist who is currently writing a book on drone warfare said, “if the airstrike in Pakistan today is confirmed as CIA, it would mark the end of the longest pause (139 days) in US bombing campaign since summer 2006.”

Links 

Just Security… Start of the first intergovernmental expert meeting on autonomous weapons (Sarah Knuckley)

Start of first inter-governmental expert meeting on autonomous weapons

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad . She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.

Propaganda of Media

(released 30th April, 2014)

In the name of Allah, the most Merciful
Dear Brothers !  Honourful Sisters & Mothers
From the Past few days, Indeed, Muslims are worried and their hearts are very upset about the news issued on Media, that due to differences Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have been embroiled in infighting, a large number of Taliban are killed and wounded due to casualties, and it is said that this war is happening between anti-and-pro-war negotiation groups and that extreme differences have occurred in between Taliban groups over the matter of Negotiation  etc.

Being disturbed from hearing such news is Natural, This is the biggest disaster of media, they want to engage us in a state of despair by doing a poisonous Propaganda against Muslim Ummah & Mujahideen, and they want to turn common folk in vicious campaign against Mujahideen.

As for the Recent fighting the fact is that :

1- It is not related to Complete Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and neither Full Mehsud Clan has jumped into this dispute, it is related to a specific area of Mehsud where administrative issues has caused friction between few brothers, soon by the will of Allah (swt) , the issues will be resolved and this small matter will be finalized.

2- This dispute has no connection with Peace Negotiation and Ceasefire, the matters of Peace deal and Ceasefire is decided by the Majlis-i-Shuraa (Central Council) by the Order of Respected Emir Mullah Fazlullah [May Allah (swt) Protect him]. Whatever He decides, it is followed & abide by all the Groups/Circles of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, you can see how we have demonstrated it by full implementation of ceasefire, and whatever will be decided in future, you will see how we follow & abide by it [by the will of Allah (swt)].

The differences and disputes between Muslims are tragic and deplorable, muslims were not safe from this curse (Fitnah) in any era, but at this kind of tragic situation ordinary Muslims should not become disappointed from Religious & Jihadi Movements, instead their efforts for mutual reconciliation should continue.

In the meantime it should be kept in mind that the two rival parties are Muslims and Mujahideen. Therefore sincere Mulims should not necessarily encourage the acts of any one party, Instead Muslims should fully urge both the Parties to Avoid the wrath of Allah (swt) and Fear Him.

We continue on rejecting the baseless Propaganda of the Media & give comfort to the Muslim Ummah that by no way we will not let this case continue/increase. To resolve the Diffrences between them the Central Shuraa (Council) of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan is continuing its efforts already.

Allah (swt) says : وان تنازعتم فی شیء فردوہ الی اللہ ورسولہ۔۔۔الخ

We have complete faith in Allah (swt) that in light of this blessed Shar’i Hukm (Order) there is a best solution to such problems, we will succeed very soon [by the will of Allah (swt)]

Translation via

Your Brother Umar Sayf Al-Muhajir

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad . She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.

Mohmand Taliban state treatment of families of missing persons “not a good sign for peace in the region”

The issue of “missing persons” in Pakistan and role of intelligence agencies is causing anger among the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) and could threaten the peace process. It seems the government of Nawaz Sharif are too busy sorting out unpaid energy bills and restoring power to state offices to speak with the families of those missing. This has not gone unnoticed by TTP who have repeatedly raised their concerns regarding “enforced disappearances” torture in custody and extra-judicial killings which I have covered in past interviews see link,

http://londonprogressivejournal.com/article/view/1757/pakistan-warning-letter-on-human-rights-abuses-in-state-custody-was-ignored-taliban-kill-fc-men-in-retaliation

Nawaz Sharif, failing to act on missing persons

A statement released by Omar Khorasani (Mohmand Agency TTP) on 29th April, 2014 reads as follows;

“Any civilized society will not allow the mistreatment carried out by intelligence agencies with the families of missing persons (in that Pakistan which was obtained in the name of Islam). The mujahidin are extremely provoked by this act carried out with our women and elders and this behaviour will never be tolerated as it is not a good sign for peace in the region because no Muslim will be tolerated to see insult of their elders and sisters.” 

End

Mrs Amina Masood Janjua distressed and detained

Human rights activists and opposition party Pakistan Tehreek -e-Insaf (PTI) expressed outrage at the rough handling of Mrs Amina Masood Janjua, Defence of Human Rights (DHR) who has fought long and hard for families of missing persons after her husband Masood was “disappeared” in 2005 whilst travelling on a bus with a friend. Many ordinary civilians have become victims as a result of such actions as part of US War on Terror. Several protesters were tear gassed, baton charged by police and Mrs Janjua detained during a peaceful protest on Monday. Police brutality was caught on video and a number of campaigners and journalists received injuries as did officers during the scuffles. Full story on following link

https://activist1.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/pakistan-tear-gassed-baton-charged-and-detained-for-peaceful-protest-on-missing-persons/

Shaken, injured and in pain Mrs Janua returned to missing persons camp on release from custody and protesters spent an uncomfortable night sleeping on the streets. The brave campaigner made a poignant appeal to the public stating,

“People of Pakistan we need you now more than ever. After all we are human beings too, we get tired, we get hungry, we need to sleep too. 

Who would not prefer the comfort of their homes over this physically and mentally torturous living on the roads? We want to go back to our homes but not without our loved ones. Not without our children, brothers and fathers. Not without the happiness and joy of our families united. 

We strongly urge each and everyone of you to join us today, so that tomorrow your children would live safely and peacefully”

Mrs Janjua, assaulted, exhausted but determined to continue

In a recent message to me she expressed the need for international support for her work and has long spoken of the dangers in speaking out emphasizing, “I am risking my life for it.”

At a press conference Mrs Janjua demanded action from the President to attend to the devastating issue of enforced disappearance saying cautiously “we don’t blame any government or security institutions for what happened, we just want justice. How the current administration makes that happen is up to them.”

A rough night on the streets for the women in missing persons’ camp

The government of Nawaz Sharif must address this issue as a matter of urgency. As well as causing unnecessary distress to families due to woeful mishandling of this issue, they risk radicalizing a new generation of young people who witness the appalling treatment of their loved ones with relatives abused during peaceful protest.

The government, military and security agencies are behaving irresponsibly putting the public at risk by jeopardizing the peace process and there is a danger of retaliation attacks on those responsible for enforced disappearances. The Taliban claimed responsibility for killing of Frontier Corps men after warnings were ignored regarding the kidnapping and extra judicial killings where prisoners were denied the process of law to determine their cases.

This is not a time for the government to bury their heads in the sand, it is a time to face campaigners of missing persons with honesty and do all they can to assist in the course of justice to return loved ones home to their families.

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad.  She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.

Police rough handling of peaceful protesters for missing persons

The day started out with hope as ever with Amina Masood Janjua, Defence of Human Rights (DHR) rallying the relatives of “missing persons” in Pakistan. Amina’s own husband was “disappeared” she believes by state authorities back in 2005 as part of the War on Terror which has allegedly targeted many ordinary civilians caught up in the ongoing clampdown. This brave lady has since devoted all her time to campaigning for Masood’s return. Her story can be read on the following link,

Amina Masood Janjua, Champion of Pakistan’s Disappeared, Tells Her Story to Cageprisoners

A message on Mrs Janjua’s Facebook read that supporters were about to hold “the largest ever protest today at D-Chowk Islamabad” with families from all across Pakistan participating in it with the hope that their loved ones would soon be united with them. 

The day starts with optimism

It wasn’t long however before the atmosphere darkened with a photo posted of a long line of police facing the protesters. Events took a turn for the worse with the next post reading, “police have been very brutal with the families shelling them with gas. They have taken all the rest into custody including Mrs Amina Janjua. We need your support more than ever. This was a totally peaceful protest.” 

Police armed with batons line up for action

Soon people were calling out to the international community pleading “help us” as 7 men and 4 women were taken into custody by the federal police, including Mrs. Amina Janjua. The protesters were said to be “badly tortured and injured. They are bleeding from heads and noses. Is this what a democratic government is supposed to do with women and children?”

Trouble broke out as campaigners headed towards Parliament House in Islamabad’s Red Zone with DAWN media reporting that,

“Police resorted to baton-charging and aerial firing and also fired tear gas canisters to disperse the demonstrators as a result of which several persons fell unconscious.

The resultant clash also left six police personnel, including two women and four men, wounded”

Videos soon appeared of scuffles as police tried to stop reporters filming and can be viewed on DAWN website

http://www.dawn.com/news/1102844/missing-persons-protesters-tear-gassed-in-islamabad

Mrs Janjua is seen surrounded by police, grabbed by officers which led to her scarf being dislodged and then roughly manhandled, (lifted off her feet at one point) pushed and dragged into a waiting van.

A distressed Mrs Janjua is led away, friends pray for her safe return 

Dr Shireen Mazari of Pakistan Tehreek -e-Insaf (PTI) condemned the violence led by the police in Islamabad releasing the following;

PTI STATEMENT

“Central Information Secretary PTI, Shireen Mazari, today condemned the violence unleashed by the police in Islamabad against the peaceful protest and dharna by families of Missing Persons. She said it was brutal and inhumane, and against the constitutional and democratic right of people to protest, for the government to have allowed such a police attack. These protestors included women and children and all were unarmed. The use of lathis and shelling by the police was completely unjustified and those who ordered this brutal action should be held accountable and punished.

She said it was a shameful reflection on the government to see Pakistani citizens, including women and media personnel being brutalised by the law enforcers who should be protecting these innocent citizens. Mazari added that brutalising these protesting unarmed citizens and the media also for merely covering the protest was unacceptable and reflected a fascist governmental streak.

Ironically those in government today used to visit the Missing Persons camps and offer support when they were not in power, today they all stand exposed as only seeking cheap popularity.

Mazari said PTI was the first political party that raised its voice in support of Missing Persons and their families for seeking justice and for Dr Afia Siddiqui. “We believe in rule of law and justice and can never support citizens being picked up and made to ‘disappear’ with no charges levelled and no legal recourse to a fair trial”, Mazari added.”

Campaigners continue in the dark

Protesters continued to protest into the night stating “the survivors of the missing persons protest are still sitting at D – Chowk Islamabad. They are wounded, bleeding, broken but not hopeless.” Their ordeal continued as the families sent a message to whoever would listen saying, 

“The Islamabad administration has switched off the street lights in order to disperse the missing persons families. The situation cannot be more horrifying for the women and children of this protest. We are also receiving news that police is not letting medical attention reach the injured and wounded. Is this the “PAK SAR ZAMEEN SHAAD BAAD” we live in? Is this what the government of this nation has come down to? We demand justice”

Throughout the day and into the night international human rights campaigners took to twitter to share photos and object to the brutal treatment of families already suffering great anguish. A phone message was also left to alert the International Secretariat at Amnesty International with tweets to Human Rights Watch. Earlier in the week Mrs Janjua had contacted me stating, “my case is fixed again today, kindly pray and issue appeal and support message to the whole world to support me in the struggle against enforced disappearance, I am risking my life for it.”

END

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called on authorities to release protesters at the earliest opportunity and investigate their treatment. Mrs Janjua bravely returned to the missing persons gathering but was said to be “badly hurt in the shoulders, back and arms.” However her hope was “higher than ever” determined to continue with this issue to its end.

Bruised but spirit not broken 

The final message from protesters read,

As the dark night falls the missing persons families pray for one last time. Under the shadow of unnumbered police force, the families set their procession with a strong will and hope to be reunited with their loved ones very very soon. 

“Justice delayed is justice denied” 

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad.  She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.

“The Israel-Palestine conflict has played a major role in developing a very anti-Judaism sentiment in Pakistan” … Salman Zafar

Recently, I received an invitation along with a number of other writers on Twitter to submit a one off blog for The Word Theatre which describes itself as “Pakistan’s first independent blogging platform, a young website hoping to bring Pakistani bloggers under one roof.” The bloggers tweeted that they hoped contributions would “do wonders for their visibility.” 

I am not sure the claim regarding the site being “first” is correct as I am very familiar with excellent indy blogs that have been going for some time such as Pakpotpourri from Pakistani lawyer Yasmeen Ali who both writes herself and includes a wide variety of guest bloggers uncensored,

http://pakpotpourri.wordpress.com/

Nor do I feel all bloggers should necessarily be controlled under one website as “variety is the spice of life”. However, they did perk my curiosity.

I declined to write a blog myself for The Word Theatre due to my negative past experience of being censored by other sites, (most recently for an anti-war piece on Afghanistan). I choose to be independent and host my own blog and write for only one other organization, London Progressive Journal. However as a supporter of free speech I invited someone from the project to write an article for my blog if they wished which they were assured would go out without edit.

An e-mail was sent to the new bloggers saying it would be interesting to hear something of the history and current situation of the Jewish community in Pakistan, learn about the initiative and the importance of protecting minority rights. On seeing the name of the founder, Salman Zafar, mentioned in a return e-mail, I recalled him as writing a rather unpleasant article on Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan which began with the words, “you twisted little schmuck. You perpetually misguided political novice. You inherently misinformed self proclaimed leader of the youth.”

This rant (which continued) must have satisfied the need for what the site described as “a liberal, vocal and independent platform for socio-political and cultural commentary in Pakistan, one not bound by editorial policies of a newspaper.” 

Then I realized after initial perusal of the website, I had in fact blocked one of the other contributers previously on Twitter for his rudeness, a Mr Fishel Benkhald who describes himself as a “pro-Israel Jew fighting for Jewish minority rights recognition in Pakistan” and advocating a relationship between Pakistan and Israel…. see following link http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/176235#.U1VfYlVdV6k

Being a busy time and with three articles to complete, I had explained that I was tied up and it might be a few days before I could respond and write a piece on The Word Theatre, needing time to formulate my questions. However I was beaten to the post, receiving the following write-up before I had even had a chance to prepare questions for an interview with an instruction to use attached photo if possible. I felt the e-mail to be very prescriptive or maybe they just didn’t bother to read my reply properly which is a shame as I had numerous things I genuinely wanted to explore through further dialogue… Though by now with the history of rudeness I had rather lost my appetite. Anyway here is Salman Zafar’s statement as follows:-

Salman Zafar, Founder, The Word Theatre

“Pakistan is home to a variety of religions, with people who follow Islam making up the majority. Most foreigners will not be aware of this, but the white portion in our flag represents the religious minorities. It is shame then that religious minorities in Pakistan are persecuted on such a regular basis.

The number of people who followed Judaism in Pakistan was never huge. Through time however, even that small number has ceased to exist. This is down to a multiple of a reasons, but the most prominent one is Pakistan’s status as an Islamic Republic. Any country with a state religion will dish out unfavorable treatment to its minorities. Any countries that was found on the basic pretext of ill-found religious insecurities will dish out even worse treatment to its minorities. This is what has happened to Pakistan. The country advocated for independence on the notion that Muslims of the subcontinent will be persecuted by the Hindu majority once the British Rule ends, and there should be a separate homeland to safe guard the rights of these Muslims. Thus Pakistan was found in 1947, with the aim of being a home to the subcontinent’s Muslims. The blame for this lies with our founding fathers, including our founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who used religion as a pretext to seek Independence. While it is true that he wanted Pakistan to be a secular state, he did play the religion card, which was wrong on so many levels once you look at how emotionally attached people in our region are to religion. Ironically when we attained independence in 1947, a huge number of Muslims preferred to stay back in Independent India, and as things stand today, most Muslims in the subcontinent reside outside of Pakistan – in India and Bangladesh.

The Islam-Judaism divide is a global one, but in Pakistan things are taken to brand new extremes. The Israel-Palestine conflict has played a major role in developing a very anti-Judaism sentiment in Pakistan. We don’t officially recognize Israel, have no diplomatic ties with them, and our passports explicitly state that this document is valid for all countries except Israel. Everything that goes wrong in Pakistan is molded into a Jewish conspiracy since the Muslim clerics in Pakistan have build a narrative that takes a very anti-Judaism stance, and this is something that has become a part of our upbringing. Virtually every Muslim child in Pakistan learns religion from these clerics during his or her early years, and these clerics instill not only a very anti-Judaism mindset in these kids, but a mindset that leaves no room to accommodate any religious minority. The fact that a large number of our population has no exposure to proper knowledge means that these kids grow up believing what is taught to them in their younger years, and by the time they grow up they refuse to believe anything else. The parents of these kids go through the same cycle in their childhood. In the end it develops into a continuous chain, creating one minority hating Pakistani after another. Even Pakistanis who don’t use violent means to express their hatred do feel perpetually superior than people not sharing the same belief system as them. The mode of expression may be different, but the mindset is same.

As things stand currently, the anti-Judaism sentiment in Pakistan is at an all time high, which in no small part, is due to the wave of religious extremism in the last one decade. The small number of Jews that lived in Karachi at the time of independence are not there any more. They fled the country out of sheer fear. But this hatred isn’t reserved for Jews alone. Christian, Hindus, and even people belonging to the Shiite and Ahmadiyya sects in Islam are persecuted. The worst treatment is dished out to the Ahmadiyya community, and a large number of them have already migrated abroad.

Our initiative, The Word Theatre, aims to give a voice to anyone who wishes to express himself through written words. Anyone who has a story to tell, anyone who wishes to speak up. We are not affiliated with any media group, and thus completely independent which gives us the freedom to publish anything we want without any concerns for a topic that might otherwise be considered taboo or sensitive. This has enabled us to highlight a topic like the concerns of people following Judaism in Pakistan. Minority rights have become a big issue in Pakistan off late due to the outbreak of religious based violence on such a large scale in the last few years, and it is imperative that issues like these are addressed as vocally as possible. The sad truth however, is the fact that the persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan has been going on for a very long time and it will not go away any time soon. A problem like this needs a complete overhaul of the Pakistani mindset, something that will take a very long time. I don’t see it happening in our lifetime, but I hope I’m proven wrong”

-Salman Zafar (Founder, The Word Theatre)

Link…

http://thewordtheatre.com/

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad.  She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.

Amina Masood Janjua campaigns from a wheelchair, the stress of missing loved ones is taking its toll on the families

Amina Masood Janjua at Defence of Human Rights (DHR) Pakistan expressed her disillusionment once again at the failure of the state and courts to adequately address the issue of missing persons. In a poignant message to supporters on April 17th, Amina, whose own husband Masood became another “enforced disappearance” in 2005 wrote, “my case is fixed again today, kindly pray and issue appeal and support message to the whole world to support me in the struggle against enforced disappearance, I am risking my life for it.”

What is evident is that “enforced disappearances” and extrajudicial killings are hitting a number of very diverse communities including journalists, political parties and the Taliban. There is very little in the way of independent inquiries, prosecutions and accountability. Many accuse state agencies of being implicated in disappearances and showing a complete disregard for the rule of law. Families are often afraid to report cases for fear of backlash and legal cases if established can linger on for years without producing results. Missing persons cases are reaching epidemic proportions in Pakistan and anger is increasing day by day. Why should the state expect families to uphold the law when the state continually violates it!

This was a week that saw the Supreme Court shocked as another missing person’s case against army officials involving the illegal removal of 35 undeclared inmates from an internment camp in Malakand two years ago was effectively closed down by Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa administration on the request of military authorities. Justice Jawwad S Khawaja  questioned the decision to move the case to the Army. The Express Tribune reported that the bench would take up the case next week and if the law does not permit the transfer of military officials’ cases then it would deliver a judgment in this regard.

Ansar Burney says “prosecute detainees or release them”

Human rights activist Ansar Burney was also hot on the trail of missing persons urging federal and Sindh governments to disclose whereabouts and produce records of nearly 14,000 individuals arrested in the last seven months during operations on Karachi. Burney highlighted gross human rights violations as reported by Gulf News stating that those detained must either be produced in court or set free. There appears to be no consideration regarding the families of those missing that are left traumatized for long periods unable to determine the location and health of their loved ones, their lives on hold, fighting for every scrap of information that might determine if relatives are alive or dead.

1st March 2014 Islamabad, DHR team greet Mama Qadeer and supporters on their Long March to highlight the disappeared of Balochistan

The International Voice for Baloch Missing Persons have repeatedly raised concerns regarding missing persons. On 17th April they reported the case of Naseem Jan Mohammad whose body was discovered on Pasni Road, a few kilometres from Turbat showing signs of torture. He had disappeared four days earlier, others are still missing. One aquaintance told Dawn, “I live and work here but I’m afraid to even go to market.”

Back in 2013, The Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) launched the first stage of a 730 km “long march” from Quetta to Karachi led by Chairman, Nasrullah Baloch and Mama Qadeer Baloch to press the authorities for recovery of missing Baloch political workers. Those participating included children of the disappeared. The second phase of the Long March was from Karachi to Islamabad, a distance of over 1,400 kms. The story of this initiative for justice can be read in my earlier article on following link, 

https://activist1.wordpress.com/2014/02/13/long-march-to-protest-state-terrorism-and-the-disappeared-of-balochistan/

Pakistan Taliban (Mohmand Agency) have repeatedly called for an end to torture in custody and extra judicial killings

The Pakistan Tehrik-i- Taliban (TTP) have also highlighted the issue of missing persons alleging torture of individuals in state custody and extra-judicial killings which cast a shadow over peace talks with the government. Taliban members claimed these actions continued during the recent ceasefire. Omar Khalid al Khurasani (Mohmand Agency TTP) claimed earlier killing of Frontier Corps personnel was in retaliation for killing of their members by security forces and executions in custody, see my earlier article and letter on following link,

http://londonprogressivejournal.com/article/view/1757/pakistan-warning-letter-on-human-rights-abuses-in-state-custody-was-ignored-taliban-kill-fc-men-in-retaliation

 MQM anger as bodies of missing workers, Mohammad Ali and Syed Kashif Bukhari alias Qasim Ali are found trussed up near Korangi Creek, Karachi, Friday (photo Dawn News)

Pakistan’s Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) took to the streets over the disappearance of their party activists. On Thursday, members gathered outside Karachi Press Club demanding “that authorities return its 45 missing activists and take judicial action against plain clothed officials who allegedly killed 25 workers of the party in extra judicial executions.” Gulf News reported the concerns of Dr Farooq Sattar, senior leader of MQM stating,

Should CIA website be banned? This organization promotes drone strikes which radicalize youth, and is alleged to be implicated in torture and thousands of killings worldwide .

I am not someone that ever wishes to promote violence however I do believe in reporting all sides of a conflict and that rules on censorship of websites pertaining to security must equally apply to all whether state, insurgent, media or other. Militant websites are frequently closed down whilst incendiary material on government websites remains untouched.

It is very easy to leap on a newly launched Taliban website questioning its threat to state security whilst dismissing state actors and press that could equally be argued to be putting a country at risk.

Sana Saleem takes up the issue of the Taliban website on her blog but fails to address that for some, the websites of national and international security services can be equally provocative inciting acts of aggression yet their existence is rarely questioned. She writes,

“I just checked the website: http://www.umarmedia.com and was surprised to see that it was still accessible in Pakistan. The website carries propaganda material that clearly incites violence, especially against security forces. Can you please tell me why there has been no action on such blatant display of hate speech? While the authorities do not even blink before blocking access to websites like IMDB and XBox, why was an official website for a terrorist group left unblocked? Please note this is not the only website that incites violence, several other websites exist and have been functioning for years. Still, it is rather shocking to see the TTP’s website being launched very publicly in Pakistan, where the group is responsible for murdering over 50,000 civilians”

View at Medium.com

National and international security is a valid issue but then I must ask why people do not apply the same standards to state websites where institutions are linked to violence that may exceed legal boundaries. For example, should the CIA website be banned until there is a thorough investigation as to its role in relation to torture… Becoming aware that a state practices “enforced disappearances” ignores fair judicial process, tortures and carries out unlawful killings can turn some to respond through aggressive acts. Alongside state websites do we then also consider banning all media websites that cover stories which could in turn incite violence and threaten security… where does it stop?

Take the CIA story as reported in the Guardian, the possibility of a criminal violation by CIA personnel. Senator Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Intelligence Committee accused the CIA of “illegally accessing Senate staff computers kept at the agency over the past year, while Senate staff conducted an investigation of the CIA’s secret torture programme.” The website reported,

“CIA director John Brennan informed Feinstein that CIA staff had discovered a top secret internal CIA report on the torture program, known as the Panetta review, on the staff computers. But Brennan would not tell Feinstein, she said, when or how the CIA had accessed the Senate computers, and he would not assure her that it would not happen again.”

Feinstein stated,

“I have grave concerns that the CIA search may well have violated the separation of powers principle in the US constitution. I have asked for an apology and a recognition that this … was inappropriate. I have received neither.”

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/11/dianne-feinstein-cia-senate-committee-live

CIA Director John Brennan has also promoted a drone programme which has killed many civilians going about their daily business. There is plenty of evidence from both Pakistan and Yemen that drone strikes leading to “collateral damage” radicalize youth and promote retaliation attacks so is there a valid case for banning websites featuring John Brennan and the CIA and any site championing drone attacks?

Back in November 2013, crime and security minister, James Brokenshire stated that UK measures for censoring “extremist” content of websites would be announced shortly with support from prime minister David Cameron who favours a ban. It is likely that “a government-funded body, possibly within the counter-terrorism referral unit, will order companies including BT, TalkTalk, BSkyB and Virgin Media to block websites, according to industry sources.” There is likely to be collaboration with the US on this issue,

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/nov/27/ministers-order-isps-block-terrorist-websites

In yesterday’s Telegraph (April 5th 2014) a security source disturbingly claims that former prime minister Tony Blair and other politicians knew in detail about CIA torture and the rendition…. “everything”. The source stated that “they could have said [to M16] ‘stop it, do not get involved’, but at no time did they do this.

The question I ask is why are so many silent on security issues relating to party political websites and media interviews which advocate unjust foreign policy and could be radicalizing youth. I checked this out in an recent interview with Brits where well educated, middle class males (including reverts to Islam) had travelled to Pakistan to take up “jihad”. As part of one interview I asked the following,

Question…. To what extent were you radicalized by US and British foreign policy?

Answer…. Not just Britain and America but the philosophy and attitude of “West” as a whole was off putting and the more I looked at their history and actions, the more I was convinced of their shaky foundations and the realism of Islam.

Question…. What are your thoughts on drone strikes?

Answer…. Just one of the instruments in the war against Islam. Every drone that kills five people produces 50 new soldiers of Islam. Kill a leader and you inspire hundreds more soldiers of Islam.

The complete interview shows that this man and others were radicalized by a variety of information sources and media as well as personal contact which influenced choices. Even the A level subjects taught at school impacted on one man’s thinking introducing him to global politics in relation to “Africa, poverty, sanctions in Iraq, Muslim genocide in Bosnia and Palestine.” Taking this into consideration who and what do we censor?

Should we ban all websites and news programmes that show wars built on false information such as Iraq, promoted by alleged war criminal, former British PM Tony Blair who along with George Bush instigated violence on a massive scale leading to a number of groups taking up arms against occupying forces?

Do images of British forces on army website radicalize youth given recent killing of Lee Rigby?

What about banning websites of the Armed Forces that encourage young people to join up and invade countries irrespective of whether there is a valid reason and legality? After all there have been recent reported incidents of suspected bombs left at armed forces recruiting offices.

Can we allow any press coverage of controversial night raids in Afghanistan, that might lead to retaliation attacks and encourage more recruits to militant ranks?

Individuals are exposed to many influencing factors in day to day life. There is a wide spectrum of websites that could be argued to put state security at risk, a person could just as easily be influenced by a violent game or drama on TV. Therefore the same censorship rules must be applied to all websites whether state, insurgent, media or other and stop these ridiculous double standards!

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad . She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.

Families of drone victims launch NODV to the international press

On April 1st 2014, bereaved families who lost relatives to US drone strikes in Yemen launched the National Organization for Drone Victims (NODV) with the aim of supporting affected communities and highlighting the civilian impact of the covert programme.

The initiative comes from Mohammad al-Qawli, an Advisor to the Ministry of Education whose brother, an elementary school-teacher was killed in a drone strike in Khawlan near the capital Sanaa in January 2013. (At the time of the attack I received graphic photos of body parts from the attack from a lawyer friend in Yemen but it was months before I found out the identity of the victims after reading testimony given to a Senate hearing in the US.) Mohammad Al- Qawli stated;

“I founded the NODV in memory of my brother Ali because it was clear that the voices of victims of the US drone programme in Yemen need to be heard and the affected communities need support. There is so much misinformation spread about these attacks and almost no notice paid to the lasting, devastating affect they have on communities throughout Yemen. These attacks are making us all less safe: not only are innocents killed, but drone strikes create instability and radicalisation. By bringing victims together we have the chance to uncover facts regarding the strikes and their consequences and work together towards ending the illegal use of drones in Yemen and preventing further bloodshed.”

Display showing images of those affected by drone strikes

Legal organization, Reprieve, are providing ongoing support to NODV and have taken on the role of “assisting victims’ families to seek legal accountability for drone attacks, with the goal of exposing the programme to scrutiny and restoring the rule of law.” Members of the group include Faisal Ali Bin Jaber, whose brother-in-law, an Imam who preached against Al-Qaeda, and nephew were killed in an August 2012 strike.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Baraa Shiban, the project coordinator for Reprieve spoke of the constant presence of drones in Yemen that is devastating communities, he said, “we are talking almost 50 percent of the country — ten provinces in total — who suffer from the constant hovering of drones.”

The US claim to be targeting “alleged” insurgents but time and time again civilians in Yemen (and also Pakistan) are killed or severely injured. Victims of “collateral damage” are taking legal action but its a long and stressful road to justice. NODV describes its main role as follows;

“to investigate and publish facts about drone strikes and their effects on communities with the aim of changing government policy regarding the secretive US programme. The organization will also seek to assist affected communities with the after-effects of drone strikes including: the economic impact of the loss of families’ primary bread-winners; psychological trauma—particularly in children; and physical injuries”

The launch of the programme comes just says after the tragic death of Hamza Hassan Bin Dahaman, a Yemeni youth so traumatized at witnessing a drone strike that he never recovered from the experience, see my earlier story on the link below

https://activist1.wordpress.com/2014/03/22/who-is-the-terrorist-drones-ptsd-and-the-boy-traumatized-to-death/

Yemeni lawyer, Haykal Bafana’s poignant words about Hamza were posted on his Facebook, they read as follows,

“maybe Americans know how not to care about anonymous innocents droned dead or the boy frightened to death by drones. Teach me, please.

Teach me how not to dream about innocent people droned dead. Teach me how not to grieve over men, women and children killed for no reason, without need for a court, judge or jury to judge them. 

Maybe one can learn to not care, not feel. Teach me, then, how not to care about a boy frightened dead by drones. 

Teach me how not to see my children in his place”

Hamza Hassan bin Dahaman traumatized to death after witnessing drone strike

Yemenis were outraged and took to the streets in December 2013 after a wedding party in Radaa was hit by drone missiles killing 12 men and injuring at least 15 others including the bride. Human Rights Watch issued a 28 page report with researcher, Letta Taylor stating, “the US refusal to explain a deadly attack on a marriage procession raises critical questions about the administration’s compliance with its own targeted killing policy. All Yemenis, especially the families of the dead and wounded, deserve to know why this wedding procession became a funeral.”

 Families gather for a group photo and the debris from drone strikes

The US have also killed America citizens in Yemen including Anwar -al Awlaki, a Yememi Imam wanted for alleged terrorist activities and in a separate drone strike his son Abdulrahman -al-Awlaki age 16 who had no connection to terrorism.

Faisal bin Ali Jaber highlighted to Al Jazeera the importance of investing in civil projects and institutions instead of drones which only radicalizes a new generation and creates violent blowback. Any one that doubts this should take a look at Azan magazine aimed at recruiting youth to jihad and its comprehensive and chilling article on countering drone attacks. Violence breeds violence and the cycle continues…

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad.  She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”.