People of Pakistan have spoken loud and clear

So, the election is over in Pakistan and Pakistan Muslim League N (PML N)

won the election hands down. Congratulations to them. I am seeing uneasy relation between centre and Sindh after the results. All the best to PML N and hoping this time the winning party delivers for the betterment of the country and will not resort to autocratic rule like last time the party was in power. I am also hoping that PML N will formulate independent foreign policy and will not look every time to Saudi Arabia or any foreign country for bail them out whenever it found itself in a hot soup. 

The highlight of this election is the emergence of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) 

as national party and will likely to form government in KPK province. Well done PTI. No need to lose the heart. The huge responsibility lies on PTI now to form strong opposition in National Assembly and work for the betterment of KPK people after forming government there. This is a huge opportunity for PTI to emerge even stronger party by  advising the center to have balance foreign policy as the attention of the world will be focused on KPK border situation as the USA will be leaving Afghanistan by the end of 2014 - hope so.

The less said about Peoples Party

the better. The best observation is that they got what they give to nation during their five years of rule - virtually nothing. This time even the name of Bhutto did not save them. People have matured except in interior Sindh. I am not seeing them coming to power for a long time unless PML N and PTI will perform really bad.

Israeli State Terrorism on Freedom Flotilla

When societies live in denial of their abuses against others or justify them, their morality declines and the societies go downhill towards a characterless nation.  This was blatantly demonstrated by Israeli troops storming  Freedom Flotilla ship carrying humanitarian aid to the beleaguered Palestinians in Gaza . The way the Israeli troops brutally murdered aid workers on the ship after raiding it on international waters clearly showed (for God knows how many times, actually...even God lost count) that Israel does not give a care in the world to international laws knowing very well that whatever Israel does, the US and European countries only give lip servicing , condemning and then veto any resolutions sentencing Israeli actions at  the UN.

How can  the US now justify drone attacks in Pakistan territories while practically doing nothing to stop Israelis  from killing innocent Palestinians?  Isn't Israel terrorizing the innocent Palestinians?  Aren't Osama and Nethanyahu the two faces of the same coin?

There is something called international law.  It's downright illegal to invade a civilian ship in international waters.  Israel's blockade of GAZA is not legal, the quartet does not accept it.  There is a very clear clause in international law for disproportionate force which Israel has used innumerous times.  They did it when they massacred 1500 Palestinians against 4 Israeli casualties in the GAZA war and they have done it now on Freedom Flotilla.


If there were terrorists on the ship, then why have the Israelis released all foreign nationals aboard the ship?  Israel said that there was no need for aid in GAZA.  If that is true, then why is Israel scrambling to deliver the aid to GAZA?  These questions will have to be answered.


Below are 3 excerpts of what some of the freed passengers had to say about the Israeli raid on the ships that they were in.  These testimonies were extracted from the Al Jazeera English website.



 Andre Abu-Khalil, Al Jazeera Cameraman
First they (the Israeli soldiers) tried to come by helicopter and tried to come down on the main deck.  But the Turkish people were gathering on the roof top and they managed to grab 3 of the soldiers, which led to a second helicopter to come and start shooting live bullets at the people.

People (on board) did not have any guns.  All that they had were some wooden sticks which is normal.

I was on the Mavi Marmara ( the lead ship of the flotilla).

I wasn't on the roof top deck.  I was on the first deck floor where the Israeli soldiers tried to climb by the ropes on the deck. 

There were 20 Turkish resistance guys throwing tomatoes, anything that they managed to throw on the Israeli soldiers.

Then one of these Turkish guys got a bullet just in the head.  When the Turkish people saw that, they pulled him inside when the Israeli soldiers started firing on the deck.

(After the soldiers took over the ship), they kept us tied up, hands behind the back for 9 hours until we reached the Ashdod port and from there, they took us for individual interrogation and then shipped is all to Be'er Sheva jail.
 

The organizers (of the flotilla) swapped the 4 Israeli soldiers kidnapped or caught by the people on the ship, and because they were beaten up, because it was a kind of resistance from our side, we swapped the Israeli soldiers to (get) to treat our injured people.



Mohamed Vall, Al Jazeera Reporter
The Israeli assault took those of us on  the ship by complete surprise. During that hour and half in the early morning, everybody on board the ship thought  that no one would survive the Israeli attack because we saw about 30 war vessels surrounding this ship and helicopters attacking with very luminous bombs, the sound of them makes you think you are dead.

That was a fear of war, complete war, on a ship that was full of men, women and even children.

The first soldiers on the ship were not killed, they were not shot at, they were captured by the defenders of the ship.

Moments later, another bigger helicopter landed more troops and this time, they fired immediately at the people and killed as many as they could to reach the cabin and take control of the ship.

I saw blood spill on the ship and everyone knew that there were no weapons.  We all knew that the Israelis would intercept us and try to stop us, but we didn't think that they would open fire at the first moment.

I was shown the picture of a Yemeni man who was on the ship  (and this is ridiculous)...most people know that every Yemeni in the world has a Yemeni styled knife that is a cultural thing and it does not have anything to do with violence.

I understand now that in Israel, they are trying to make a big deal about that, saying that the boat was full of violent people and this was just because of that one man!!



Mihalis Grigoropoulos, Greece
I was steering the ship, we saw then (Israeli soldiers) capture another ship in front of us, which was the Turkish passenger vessel with more than 500 people on board and heard shots fired.

We did not resist at all...we couldn't even if we had wanted to.  What could we have done against  the commandos who climbed aboard?

The only thing some people tried was to delay them from getting to the bridge by forming a human shield.  They were fired upon with plastic bullets and were stunned with electric devices.


There was great mistreatment after our arrest.  We were essentially hostages, like animals on the ground.

They wouldn't let us use the bathroom, wouldn't give us food or water and they took video of us despite international conventions banning this act.

The US can actually win the war on terror sooner than expected by recognizing Palestine as a nation and acting as a sincere catalyst in the creation of a Palestinian state. I truly believe that only the formation of a Palestinian state can finally bring peace in the middle east and the world as this will show that US policy is indeed consistent towards the Muslim world too.

Season's First Snowfall In Murree

 

Hello to everyone and welcome to my blog on my country Pakistan.  I'd like to start off this blog on a very positive note about my country.  Although Pakistan has her many challenges in dealing with terrorism and the political unrest that has somewhat tarnished her good image, I hope that reading this post will put a smile on your face .

It is my hope that you will  realize that despite all the chaos that is going on now...there  is still hope in the form of Mother Nature and what she has to offer and this I see as a metaphor of what the future holds for Pakistan.

Put aside all that is bad that you can think of Pakistan and feast your eyes on her beautiful lands.  Indeed my country is the Iron Lady because she has stood the test of time and seen the winds of change but her ravishing beauty will NEVER fade among her people.

Pakistan to me is a woman of mystery, a mother, a sister, a daughter.  She is blessed with so much beauty  and at the same time she is pure no matter what happens to her as seen in what Mother Nature has provided her.

So I invite you to come with me to a popular hill station called Murree in Islamabad.  Why I chose Murree?  Well, these pictures capture Murree's first snowfall this year 2010, and being a nature lover myself, I am so intrigued and fascinated by the snow fall.  I want to share this joyful experience with all of you.

Murree city is a popular hill station and a summer resort especially for the residents of Islamabad, and for the cities of the province of Punjab, Pakistan.  It's located along Islamabad-Kohala highway N75, some 30 kms northeast of Islamabad.  The name Murree is derived from "marhi" meaning 'high place'.  Murree is also the administrative center for Murree Tehsil, which is a sub-division of Rawalpindi district and this includes the famous Murree Hills.

I am sure that many of you are asking me as to what is so special about Murree?  Well for starters, do you that fruits including cherries, raspberries thrive here locally?  Believe me, they are delicious!!  There is something about the soil here that makes these fruits taste so good.  So for those of you who'd like to taste what many call as British fruits, well you don't have to fly to Britain to taste them.  They are right here in my bountiful country Pakistan.

Murree is a perfect place for you to visit be it in summer or winter.  There are motels which offer bed and breakfast and lots of amenities to the tourists. For all you nature lovers, Murree's flora and fauna are breath-taking.  I'd like to draw your attention to Murree's very own snow leopards.  These magnificent cats flourished here once many, many years ago.  They are naturally shy animals but it is quite difficult to spot one nowadays because they are becoming extinct and are now an endangered species.  They deserve out attention because their survival is threatened.  This is because the deforestation and encroaching urbanization of the forest have pushed these leopards out of their natural feeding grounds and with the scarcity of proper hunting ground, they literally starve to death.  Also, let's not forget illegal poaching of these cats.  It is sad but true that this happens in every country.

I urge you to preserve these beautiful snow leopards of Murree.  Please get more information online on how you can do your part in protecting Murree's wildlife.  By helping to protect these cats, you'll be helping them thrive again in the thick forests of Murree plus you can help create a new sport which is leopard spotting, that is viewing these leopards using binoculars, photographing and feeding them.  Now, wouldn't this be interesting to you?

Coming back to Murree's first snowfall of the year, notice how thick the snowfall was and all the tourists there and the locals who had come out of their hotels and houses just to enjoy the weather.  The snow fall brought so many smiles to so many people's faces.

 

The people there celebrated what seemed like the birth of something pure and magical from the sky.  The snowfall that is.  Indeed, it was a beautiful sight to see.  I have made it a point to visit Murree this year and I hope that you'll make it your holiday destination too because it will be WORTH IT.