The Battle of Swat

[Whitecloak]

lulz. pakistan is a country whose very existence is defined by antipathy towards india. There are deeper problems to be solved before peace can be restored in that region. 50 years of supporting terror and waging war cannot be wished away by a battle against the taliban. the pakistanis need to change their outlook towards the world before this happens, the taliban incursions are just something recent.

 

[The Green Bean]

Originally posted by: Whitecloak
lulz. pakistan is a country whose very existence is defined by antipathy towards india. There are deeper problems to be solved before peace can be restored in that region. 50 years of supporting terror and waging war cannot be wished away by a battle against the taliban. the pakistanis need to change their outlook towards the world before this happens, the taliban incursions are just something recent.

You have it wrong. It's India that has become anti-Pakistan. Look at the Indian media. No day goes by without an anti-Pakistani article. The Pakistani media is totally different. We have articles on both sides of the story. Our media is more free and is definately not anti India. Our government, media and people want peace with India. The Indians are the ones saying no. Their grounds are that we carried out the Mumbai attacks. There is no proof to show that the ISI or a Pakistani agency was involved. A Pakistani was involved. Maybe Pakistan should declare war on Uzbekistan because most of the foreign Taliban are Uzbeks.

I invite all of you to read Pakistani media and e-papers to get a better idea of the situation rather than just jumping on the bandwagon saying that Pakistan has collapsed. You may also read Indian media and get an idea of how much hate they are spreading against Pakistan. They forge images and false reports are often shown on TV. All things that posters have said about Pakistan against India is true for India against Pakistan. India has more resources and is trying to divert world opinion against us but I doubt it will work in the long term. Yes we have problems. But the world media is blowing it way out of proportion.

 

[The Green Bean]

MINGORA/BATKHELA: The Swat offensive intensified on Thursday with the army bringing in gunship helicopters and jet fighters to target militant hideouts in the district's Khwazakhela tehsil. Meanwhile, the corps commanders were holding a meeting in the GHQ to review the operations against the Taliban.


Taliban have besieged the Matta police station, and police and militants continue to exchange fire, DawnNews reported.


Tens of thousands of Swat's residents have started streaming out of the valley after authorities relaxed the curfew till 06:00 p.m. The curfew in Khawazakhela however remains in tact.

Swat's top administrator, Khushal Khan, said people were not being advised to leave but authorities were helping those who wanted to go.



?There are troops convoys coming and once that is over, public transport will be able come into the town. In the meantime, we are extending whatever help possible to people leaving,? he said.


In the adjoining Buner district, security forces continued their offensive against militants in Sultanwas and Pir Baba where the militants were offering stiff resistance.


Meanwhile, in the Lower Dir district's Maidan area, intense clashes between militants and security forces continued as 15 troops went missing.


A militant commander in Maidan, Mifthahuddin, talking to DawnNews, claimed that they had killed at least 12 security personnel in Gumbar and their bodies were lying in the bazaar.


Security officials and independent sources are yet to confirm the deaths of the security personnel but have confirmed that a fierce gun battle had erupted between militants and security forces in Gumbar and casualties were feared.

However, a son of cleric Sufi Mohammad, who brokered the Swat peace deal, was killed when an artillery shell hit his house in the district, a spokesman for the cleric said.


Earlier, on Wednesday, 47 militants, 15 security personnel and 36 non-combatants were killed and several others wounded in fierce clashes and explosions in the Swat valley and other areas of the Malakand region.


Sources said security forces killed 30 militants near emerald mines and 15 others in Takhtaband area, in the outskirts of Mingora. The ground forces entered from Fizaghat side and recaptured the mines after helicopter gunships and artillery shelled the area.


Thirty-five civilians were reportedly killed either in crossfire between troops and militants and artillery fire or for violating curfew in different areas of Swat when a fresh military offensive was launched. Military sources admitted civilian deaths but did not confirm the number of casualties.


Three security personnel were killed and four others were injured in a roadside blast near Barikot. Three personnel were killed and three injured when militants attacked an FC camp in Kanju.


Sources said the militants still had control over Mingora town on Wednesday. They were patrolling streets and took positions on rooftops. They also occupied local people?s homes and laid mines in Mingora.


A number of bank branches were looted in Mingora and then set on fire.


Helicopter gunships and artillery pounded militant positions in emerald mines, Mingora Bazaar, Takhtaband and Engaro Dheri, in the outskirts of Mingora. The hideouts in Koza Banda and Bar Banda were also targeted in Kabal tehsil.


The sources on Wednesday said fighting was also going on in Manglawar, Charbagh, Khwazakhela and Bahrain.


Sources said nine soldiers, two militants and one civilian were killed in roadside explosions and exchange of fire in different areas of Malakand on Tuesday.


Six soldiers were killed and three others wounded when a remote-controlled bomb went off near Thana Bypass road, near Chakdara, when the military convoy was on its way to Swat district.


Then militants opened fire on the convoy, triggering an exchange of fire. Two militants were killed and a woman Mahar Pari, wife of Sher Afzal of Bugar Cham, was injured when a stray bullet hit her.


The deceased soldiers included Tawqir, Tahir, Rashid, Nisar, Aimal Qasim and conductor Bilal while the injured were identified as Shaukat, Yousaf, Nisar and Shakoor.


The bodies and the injured were shifted to Chakdara Fort housed by Chitral Scouts. Later the bodies were flown by helicopters and the injured soldiers were admitted to a hospital.


Another three soldiers were killed when three improvised explosive devices exploded one after another along the GT Road, near FG Public School in Batkhela at 08:00 a.m. when the military convoy was passing through the area.
Security personnel fired back and the gunbattle lasted an hour.


The convoy was again attacked by three miscreants from the hills near Amandara, the headquarters of Tehrik-i-Nifaz-i-Shariat-i-Muhammadi, at 12 noon.


Later helicopter gunships shelled the surrounding areas, including Gharibabad and Bar Batkhela, killing one civilian and injuring another. p

OWER DIR: Sufi Mohammad?s son Kifyatullah has been killed in shelling during the security forces? operation in Lower Dir?s Maidan area, said family sources. Meanwhile, intense clashes between militants and security forces continued in Maidan as 15 troops went missing in the district.

?I have been informed by the family of Maulana Sufi Mohammad that his son, Kifayatullah, has died and his brother-in-law is seriously injured,? said the TNSM spokesman, Ameer Izzat Khan.

The TNSM chief, Sufi Mohammad, has been calling for an end to the military operation in the area since it started, threatening to abandon the peace deal with the government and making numerous objections to the implementation of the Nizam-i-Adl.

Following this event it is uncertain how the TNSM chief will react, making the future of the peace deal highly sketchy.

On the other hand, a militant commander in Maidan, Mifthahuddin, talking to DawnNews, claimed that they had killed at least 12 security personnel in Gumbar and their bodies were lying in the bazaar.

Security officials and independent sources are yet to confirm the death of the security personnel but have confirmed that a fierce gun battle had erupted between the militants and security forces in Gumbar and casualties were feared.p

 

[crisscross]

Originally posted by: The Green Bean

Originally posted by: Whitecloak
lulz. pakistan is a country whose very existence is defined by antipathy towards india. There are deeper problems to be solved before peace can be restored in that region. 50 years of supporting terror and waging war cannot be wished away by a battle against the taliban. the pakistanis need to change their outlook towards the world before this happens, the taliban incursions are just something recent.

You have it wrong. It's India that has become anti-Pakistan. Look at the Indian media. No day goes by without an anti-Pakistani article. The Pakistani media is totally different. We have articles on both sides of the story. Our media is more free and is definately not anti India. Our government, media and people want peace with India. The Indians are the ones saying no. Their grounds are that we carried out the Mumbai attacks. There is no proof to show that the ISI or a Pakistani agency was involved. A Pakistani was involved. Maybe Pakistan should declare war on Uzbekistan because most of the foreign Taliban are Uzbeks.

I invite all of you to read Pakistani media and e-papers to get a better idea of the situation rather than just jumping on the bandwagon saying that Pakistan has collapsed. You may also read Indian media and get an idea of how much hate they are spreading against Pakistan. They forge images and false reports are often shown on TV. All things that posters have said about Pakistan against India is true for India against Pakistan. India has more resources and is trying to divert world opinion against us but I doubt it will work in the long term. Yes we have problems. But the world media is blowing it way out of proportion.

Yeah right so we came to you with a peace proposal and you returned the favour by sending troops to kargil. Want peace my ass :disgust:

 

[Whitecloak]

Originally posted by: The Green Bean

Originally posted by: Whitecloak
lulz. pakistan is a country whose very existence is defined by antipathy towards india. There are deeper problems to be solved before peace can be restored in that region. 50 years of supporting terror and waging war cannot be wished away by a battle against the taliban. the pakistanis need to change their outlook towards the world before this happens, the taliban incursions are just something recent.

You have it wrong. It's India that has become anti-Pakistan. Look at the Indian media. No day goes by without an anti-Pakistani article. The Pakistani media is totally different. We have articles on both sides of the story. Our media is more free and is definately not anti India. Our government, media and people want peace with India. The Indians are the ones saying no. Their grounds are that we carried out the Mumbai attacks. There is no proof to show that the ISI or a Pakistani agency was involved. A Pakistani was involved. Maybe Pakistan should declare war on Uzbekistan because most of the foreign Taliban are Uzbeks.

I invite all of you to read Pakistani media and e-papers to get a better idea of the situation rather than just jumping on the bandwagon saying that Pakistan has collapsed. You may also read Indian media and get an idea of how much hate they are spreading against Pakistan. They forge images and false reports are often shown on TV. All things that posters have said about Pakistan against India is true for India against Pakistan. India has more resources and is trying to divert world opinion against us but I doubt it will work in the long term. Yes we have problems. But the world media is blowing it way out of proportion.

hahahahaha

please read the following links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh_genocide
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh_Liberation_War
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kargil_War
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Pakistan_War_of_1965
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Pakistan_War_of_1947

In all these situations, guess who's been the aggressor?

and as for free media, I will let people here decide which country's media is better.

lulz, your head is so far up your ass, its not funny.

 

[The Green Bean]

Damn the Indians on this board are full of hatred and don't want to look forward. The wars of 1965 and 1947 were India's fault. And India had no right to interfere in 1971.

 

[Whitecloak]

Originally posted by: The Green Bean
Damn the Indians on this board are full of hatred and don't want to look forward. The wars of 1965 and 1947 were India's fault. And India had no right to interfere in 1971.

lulz. so instead of a looking at the facts, its all india's fault! ha haw.
you really are one of those wackos who ought to be with the taliban.
thank god, the other pakistani friends I have arent like you.

 

[Lemon law]

Pakistan and India tensions are a little bit like Ross Perot's crazy aunt locked up in the attic, we can talk about the thread topic, namely the battle of Swat, or we can talk about the crazy aunt, but we can't really do both.

To a certain extent Whitecloak is correct and Pakistan can't claim it has the superior moral position, the problem with the Whitecloak argument is that India can't claim its the good guy either. India if anything has a long long history of religious bigotry as Muslims and Hindu continue to butcher each other with mob violence without any Pakistani involvement. And again TheGreenBean is correct in saying that various yellow journalist in India are stirring up tensions between the two nations, and because Pakistan is vastly outnumbered in population by India, Pakistan always has to keep one eye on India.

We have to remember that the Mumbi attack was partially a Taliban Al-Quida inspired event, designed to take the pressure off the Taliban in the tribal regions of Pakistan, and to divert Pakistani army attention and man power to the Pakistani border with India. And now that Western pressure is now again on Pakistan to retake the Swat Valley, the worry becomes, another Mumbi inspired event becomes too probable.

In short, even if the vast vast majority of the billion or so combined population of India and Pakistan want to avoid religious tensions and conflict, it takes only the evil actions of a few to force wars neither side wants. Which is why Nato has to be very careful about it wishes for, because very disastrous events become very possible.

And while the narrow minded few may rejoice at this Pakistani offensive in Swat, I am far more concerned about the 500,000 or so refugees whose lives are being being altered. And their plight will have unpredictable long term consequences and very possibly swell Al-Quida recruitment.

 

[Whitecloak]

lemon law is as perspicacious as ever.

 

[Lemon law]

Meanwhile in Afghanistan, police had to forcibly break up demonstrators demanding Nato leave Afghanistan over anger over an alleged Nato bombing of civilian refugees.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05...asia/08afghan.html?hpw

What is somewhat comical is the Nato wishful thinking that they can somehow blame the Taliban for the carnage. Its somewhat ridiculous on the face of it, Taliban bullets can kill as effectively, but only Nato bombs can totally collapse house and blow bodies into little disconnected bits. Well JOS was sure right, the civilians will die in the battles, the problem is that Nato is not winning and not losing, so its just going to be a perpetual carnage.

 

[crisscross]

Originally posted by: Lemon law
Pakistan and India tensions are a little bit like Ross Perot's crazy aunt locked up in the attic, we can talk about the thread topic, namely the battle of Swat, or we can talk about the crazy aunt, but we can't really do both.

To a certain extent Whitecloak is correct and Pakistan can't claim it has the superior moral position, the problem with the Whitecloak argument is that India can't claim its the good guy either. India if anything has a long long history of religious bigotry as Muslims and Hindu continue to butcher each other with mob violence without any Pakistani involvement. And again TheGreenBean is correct in saying that various yellow journalist in India are stirring up tensions between the two nations, and because Pakistan is vastly outnumbered in population by India, Pakistan always has to keep one eye on India.

We have to remember that the Mumbi attack was partially a Taliban Al-Quida inspired event, designed to take the pressure off the Taliban in the tribal regions of Pakistan, and to divert Pakistani army attention and man power to the Pakistani border with India. And now that Western pressure is now again on Pakistan to retake the Swat Valley, the worry becomes, another Mumbi inspired event becomes too probable.

In short, even if the vast vast majority of the billion or so combined population of India and Pakistan want to avoid religious tensions and conflict, it takes only the evil actions of a few to force wars neither side wants. Which is why Nato has to be very careful about it wishes for, because very disastrous events become very possible.

And while the narrow minded few may rejoice at this Pakistani offensive in Swat, I am far more concerned about the 500,000 or so refugees whose lives are being being altered. And their plight will have unpredictable long term consequences and very possibly swell Al-Quida recruitment.

You got owned in this thread and never replied to any of the comments and now you are back to spewing the same BS in this thread.

 

[Lemon law]

Crisscross, who got owned on whatever thread on the these related subject is going to be determined by future outcomes, and anytime we are talking about any big entity, be it a nation, the catholic church, or whatever, very often the right hand does one thing while the left does another. And just because great and wonderful deeds are done, very often terrible and shortsighted deeds are done also by the same entity.

This type of thread has been debated for three years or better, and if anything Nato is further from prevailing than it was three years ago. But maybe the statistic to look at is the fact that civilian causalities in Afghanistan are up 40% from a year ago. Its not yet comparable to the Iraqi carnage, but it realluy looked grim for Iraq until the so called "surge" and the other events that happened concurrently had the net effect of reducing Iraqi civilian causalities. And any deeper analysis does not credit the increase in US troop number in Iraq, and instead credits the concurrent events that effectively drove a wedge between Al-Quida and their Sunni hosts.

Yet in the more populous nation of Afghanistan, even with a larger percentage wise surge in Nato troop numbers, we have a situation that post surge leaves Afghanistan and Nato with fewer troops than Iraq had even at a low point. Worse yet, there is no seeming strategy that will reduce the violence
and thus civilian deaths. In short, any optimism regarding Iraq was accomplished by non-military means, yet many buy the notion that we can win in Afghanistan by purely military means. And even General Petraeus frankly concedes that will not work.

 

[alien42]

"Pakistan to scrap peace deal, launch offensive, source says"

"The Pakistani government plans to scrap a tenuous peace deal with Taliban militants and launch an even more aggressive operation against them in northwestern Pakistan, a Pakistani military official said Thursday.

The military plans to begin a major offensive Thursday evening in Swat, the site of a faltering peace deal between the Pakistani military and the Taliban.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will announce the end of the peace deal and the military offensive Thursday night, the official said.

Between 12,000 and 15,000 Pakistani troops already are in Swat, according to the official. The official tells CNN more troops will be deployed in the Swat, Dir and Buner districts to fight the militants.

Pakistani fighter jets and helicopters pounded Taliban positions in the country's Swat Valley Thursday as the military continued its offensive against Taliban militants, the government said.

The bombing runs hit Taliban training and communications centers in Gath Peochar. Other operations hit an area of Swat called Qambar, where a "notorious militant commander named Shah Duran operates," said Maj. Naser Khan with the Pakistani military's Inter-Services Public Relations agency in Swat."

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/....swat.death/index.html

 

[Lemon law]

The real question is how long will the Pakistani army offensive last and will they stay long enough to build anything lasting.

If nothing else, the following link shows that many American officials have their doubts.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05.../asia/07prexy.html?hpw

As it is, control of the Swat valley has changed hands quite a few times already recently, and the Obama public stress is more on Al-Quida than the Taliban.
Obama has ruled out the possibility of US Nato boots on the ground on Pakistani soil, from the links I have seen thus far.

 

[The Green Bean]

MINGORA: Security forces carried out a massive air operation and sent fresh troops into Swat in the wake of PM Gilani?s announcement that ?decisive steps would be taken? to address the growing militancy.



AFP reported that authorities had slapped an indefinite curfew in the troubled region to prevent Taliban fighters from escaping as wave after wave of attack helicopters and artillery shells pounded suspected militant hideouts.



Major General Athar Abbas told DawnNews that the security forces were attempting to take out key Taliban leaders in the valley, and that they were acting on the orders of the government to ?eliminate? the terrorists. The spokesman went on to say that Swat?s militants had received terrorist training from Al-Qaeda, who have also been funding militants in Waziristan.



Abbas went on to say that the army has already killed at least 12 militants in clashes near their stronghold in Kabal Tehsil.



Humanitarian crisis feared:



The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees expressed his deep concern about the safety of people displaced by the fighting while the International Committee of the Red Cross said a humanitarian crisis was intensifying, Reuters reported.



Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said it had to halt its emergency medical care because of the fighting which had trapped untold numbers of people in their homes.



Many fled when the authorities relaxed a curfew.



?We can?t stay here when bombs are falling,? said resident Mohammad Hayat Khan as he loaded his family of 14 onto a pick-up truck. He said there had been shelling near his home.



Many others were heading out of Mingora on foot, loaded up with whatever they could carry.

A major offensive has started. Hopefully in a few days the Taliban in Pakistan will be history.

 

[tvarad]

Originally posted by: Lemon law
.....
To a certain extent Whitecloak is correct and Pakistan can't claim it has the superior moral position, the problem with the Whitecloak argument is that India can't claim its the good guy either. India if anything has a long long history of religious bigotry as Muslims and Hindu continue to butcher each other with mob violence without any Pakistani involvement. And again TheGreenBean is correct in saying that various yellow journalist in India are stirring up tensions between the two nations, and because Pakistan is vastly outnumbered in population by India, Pakistan always has to keep one eye on India.

.....

As usual, an a*s-backwards explanation of the Hindu-Muslim tensions in India. Most of the problems that crop up between Hindus and Muslims in India is due to the same reasons that Muslim vs. everyone else frictions exist in democratic societies everywhere like Britain, Sweden, Denmark, France, U.S, you name it. And that is because there is a sub-set of Muslims who think that they live in a parallel universe where a logic derived way of life clashes with their sense of entitlement because of their beliefs. When these attitudes clash against current world norms like free speech, rule of law, individual rights versus group rights etc. it invariably results in the antagonism that boils over into violence when Hindus question why Muslims should be more equal than others (whether true or not) and take the law into their own hands.

There is another thread discussing hate-speech laws being enacted in England. Here's the comedian Rowan Atkinson's take on it which succinctly describes how this Muslim sub-set is trying to stifle free-speech.

As for Pakistan, it's feudal elite needs to stoke this antagonism to justify it's ideological existence as a "anti-India". That is why, when it's being eaten away from within, people like TGB can still find vitriol to spew against India. The end-game of this folly is being played out in Pakistan as we speak.

 

[tvarad]

Originally posted by: The Green Bean
.....
A major offensive has started. Hopefully in a few days the Taliban in Pakistan will be history.

Keep dreaming.

 

[Lemon law]

Now Tvarad is playing the Indian apologist, with his Muslims are like the Jews theory, they exists to be hated. And its not crazed mobs of Hindu's that drag people off trains and butcher them, its because them uppity Muslims were acting superior again.

Face the facts, India is no better or no worse than other countries with major racial or religious tensions, human nature is the same the world around, and the intolerant first victim is always the truth.

 

[crisscross]

Originally posted by: Lemon law
Now Tvarad is playing the Indian apologist, with his Muslims are like the Jews theory, they exists to be hated. And its not crazed mobs of Hindu's that drag people off trains and butcher them, its because them uppity Muslims were acting superior again.

Face the facts, India is no better or no worse than other countries with major racial or religious tensions, human nature is the same the world around, and the intolerant first victim is always the truth.

BS. India has the best record of any developing nation when it comes to treating it's religious minorities.

 

[tvarad]

Originally posted by: Lemon law
Now Tvarad is playing the Indian apologist, with his Muslims are like the Jews theory, they exists to be hated. And its not crazed mobs of Hindu's that drag people off trains and butcher them, its because them uppity Muslims were acting superior again.

Face the facts, India is no better or no worse than other countries with major racial or religious tensions, human nature is the same the world around, and the intolerant first victim is always the truth.

Keep ranting Lemon Law about things you have very little knowledge of. You conveniently fail to mention that it was a bunch of Muslim thugs that set fire to the coach with Hindu pilgrims and burnt them alive that started the whole thing. Anyway, the number of Muslims killed in India in communal riots don't amount to even a fraction of the millions of Muslims that have been killed by Pakistanis in Bangladesh and in Pakistan proper. It would take India hundreds of years to even catch up to the current Pakistani tally.

The failure of Pakistan, which is really the failure of the parallel universe ideology developed by the Muslim feudals and that has so poisoned the sub-continent for nearly a century, is happening before our very eyes. That can only augur well for Hindu-Muslim relations.

 

[Lemon law]

Crisscross must be totally in denial by saying, "BS. India has the best record of any developing nation when it comes to treating it's religious minorities."

Here is just one link.

http://www.jewishjournal.com/t...ssacre_in_hindu_india/

You can google the question and find more hits than you can shake a stick at.

And you can also find links where Muslims butcher Hindu's.

Are you going to believe crisscross, or believe a long record of historians writing about recent events.

 

[Lemon law]

Now Tvarad says, "Keep ranting Lemon Law about things you have very little knowledge of. You conveniently fail to mention that it was a bunch of Muslim thugs that set fire to the coach with Hindu pilgrims and burnt them alive that started the whole thing. Anyway, the number of Muslims killed in India in communal riots don't amount to even a fraction of the millions of Muslims that have been killed by Pakistanis in Bangladesh and in Pakistan proper. It would take India hundreds of years to even catch up to the current Pakistani tally."

Which boils down to the collective guilt argument of bigots everywhere, someone in that group A started it, and because some tiny minority are guilty, everyone in group A is equally guilty, are now fair game, and religious bigotry on the side of group B is justified.

Who is ranting now Tvarad? I am just trying to demonstrate the facts simple do not support your assertions.

 

[tvarad]

Originally posted by: Lemon law
Crisscross must be totally in denial by saying, "BS. India has the best record of any developing nation when it comes to treating it's religious minorities."

Here is just one link.

http://www.jewishjournal.com/t...ssacre_in_hindu_india/

You can google the question and find more hits than you can shake a stick at.

And you can also find links where Muslims butcher Hindu's.

Are you going to believe crisscross, or believe a long record of historians writing about recent events.

The English press is in India is the most shallow, self-serving opportunistic group whose reports are rarely ground in truth. The NGO's who get their funding from dubious sources fall into the same category. Here's a report on how the tales of killing were sexed-up:

Economic Times

Setalvad in dock for 'cooking up killings'
14 Apr 2009, 0148 hrs IST, ET Bureau
....

NEW DELHI: The Narendra Modi baiters among NGOs on Monday suffered a major setback when a Supreme Court-appointed special investigation team (SIT) charged a leading activist, Teesta Setalvad, with adding morbidity into the post-Godhra riots in Gujarat by ?cooking up macabre tales of killings?.

SIT headed by former CBI director R K Raghavan said ?many incidents were cooked up, false witnesses were tutored to give evidence about imaginary incidents, and false charges levelled against the then Ahmedabad police chief P C Pandey?.

Sit report, which was submitted before a bench comprising Justices Arijit Pasayat, P Sathasivam and Aftab Alam, said there was no truth in some of the major allegations levelled by NGOs. According to the report, the untruths included:
A pregnant Muslim woman Kausar Banu was gangraped by a mob, who then with sharp weapons gouged out the foetus;
Dumping of dead bodies into a well by rioters at Narora Patiya; and n Police botching up investigation into the killing of British nationals who were on a visit to Gujarat.

SIT also said the charge that Mr Pandey was helping mob that attacked the Gulbarga Society was untrue. ?The truth was that he was helping hospitalisation of riot victims and making arrangement of police bandobast,? senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi said.

Mr Rohatgi also told the court that 22 witnesses, who had submitted identical affidavits before various courts relating to riot incidents, were questioned by SIT. ?It was found that they were tutored. The affidavits were handed over to them by Ms Setalvad. They had not actually witnessed the riot,? the counsel said.

The Supreme Court lauded the work of SIT and said there should be no room for allegations and counter-allegations. ?In the riot cases, the more the delay there is likelihood of falsity creeping in. So there should be a designated court to fast track trials. Riot cases should be given priority,? the Bench said and sought suggestions from the Centre, Gujarat government and NGOs.

 

[Robor]

Originally posted by: The Green Bean

Originally posted by: Robor

I don't consider your bigoted and hateful views intellectual in any way and you obviously know very little about western culture - at least the US. FWIW, you can keep your theocratic 'utopia'. :roll:

I hope your country actually has some tolerant and intellectual people like the claim to be. I know far more about US culture than any of you know about Islamic culture. My views are not hateful. They maybe vengeful but not hateful. I really don't care what you do in your backyard. You're the ones who are invading countries and telling the people that their practices and views are barbaric and forcing them to change.

The fact that we have a wide mish-mash of races, cultures, and religions that all manage to get along fairly well (for the most part) tells me the US is fairly tolerant. Based on your posts here some of your views are hateful. I'm one of many US citizens who wishes we weren't in the ME at all. If your (edit: not yours in particular) culture is oppressive to someone because of their religion, race, gender, sexual preference, etc be prepared to get called out on it.

 

[The Green Bean]

MALAKAND: As preparations are underway for a full scale operation to restore government?s writ in Malakand region, hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing the violence- wrecked areas to find shelter with relatives in relatively safer places or end up in relief camps set up for the IDPs in various areas.

Heavy reinforcements were seen being moved to Swat, Lower Dir and Malakand districts on Friday. Curfew has been declared in entire Lower Dir district from 8pm Friday to 7am Saturday while Malakand district was under curfew from 9pm Thursday to 3pm Friday. Long columns of troops backed by tanks and artillery were heading towards Swat and Lower Dir.

Helicopters, jet fighters and artillery pounded suspected positions in the troubled region and fierce clashes between ground forces and militants have been reported from Maidan area of the Lower Dir. Telecommunication including cellular phones have been jammed in different parts of Malakand while most areas were without electricity.

There is no confirmation of the army?s claim that over 140 militants had been killed in the offensive during last 24 hours.

Witnesses said that entire Swat district, parts of Lower Dir and Buner districts were still under the militants? control. Sources said that 15 militants were killed and scores wounded in choppers shelling in Kabal and Kanju areas of Swat district. Three people were killed in militants? attack on Circuit House in Mingora city. Reinforcements reached Chakdara town but could not proceed towards Swat.

Officials claimed that ten militants were killed in Maidan area of Lower Dir where house of Rizwanullah, son of Sufi Muhammad was also targeted. But a local militant leader claimed that one Taliban fighter was killed in exchange of firing with militants.

In another incident a convoy was attacked in Kala Doog area in which one soldier Khalid Khan was killed and another wounded. Heavy fighting continued between forces and militants in Maidan.

Security forces earlier claimed to have taken complete control of Maidan, the hometown of Sufi Muhammad. But, residents said that militants were roaming in Talash, Adeenzai and other towns of Lower Dir. Militants visited mosques in Talash and Adeenzai areas asking people to join them in fighting against security forces.

In Buner district, one minor was killed and another suffered injuries when a mortar shell hit a residence in Bhai Kalay on Thursday night. Tension prevailed in the district and authorities did not relax curfew in affected areas.

As fighting intensified, thousands of people are moving out from the troubled region. Large number of people could not leave their houses due to curfew and air strikes. Women, children and senior citizens are coming out of the hostile areas and looking for shelters in the plain areas. Long queues of pickup trucks, tractors and trucks loaded with internally displaced persons were heading towards Swabi, Mardan and Peshawar.

Besieged residents of Mingora town have been pleading for lull in military action to enable them to move to safer places. People have started leaving Talash, Adeenzai and parts of Batkhela. Over 100 families left Talash town on Friday.

A Dawn photographer who visited parts of troubled Buner district on Friday said that Ambela, which was said to have secured by the security forces, has become a ghost town. Burnt vehicles and wreckage of damaged houses littered the streets. Despite taking complete control of the town, terrified residents were seen moving out of the troubled spots.

The security forces also distributed pamphlets in various areas accusing the Taliban of playing in the hands of anti-Pakistan elements. ?They are the same as Jewish forces who are against the existence and security of the country and wanted to create disturbance in the region,? read a leaflet.

Government has planned to provide appropriate source of earning to the Taliban in Swat. But they (Taliban) violated the deal, started displaying weapons, occupied property of local people, started extorting money from the people and arranged forced mirages in the garb of mirage bureau, it said.

Anti-jewish sentiment is prevalent in all walks of Pakistani society. Interesting fact that even though we are fighting America's biggest enemy today, we hate its biggest friend.