Recall the Pakistan cricket team right away, arrest on arrival and try in a court of law like common crooks that they are.

Story run by the News of the World newspaper in the UK has all the circumstancial evidence to prove that there is something rotten going on inside the entire cricket world. Pakistanis were stupid enough to get caught. If Pakistan cricket is to survive from this latest scandal the need to to do the following:

• cancel the forthcoming one day series forthwith and recall the cricket team back. According to media reports the outcome of that series has been predecided by the betting world. It doesn't really matter whether remaining matches are played honestly or not, whatever the result it will be tainted. Continuation of the current series will create unnecessary media frenzy and delay anti-corruption proceedings against the culprits.
• Arrest the team on arrival at the airport and let the National Accountability Bureau investigate the corruption charges like they are supposed to do for anyother corrupt public figures in Pakistan.
• All those proven to be guilty should be banned for playing all forms of cricket in and out of Pakistan. They should also serve jail terms appropriate to their crime.
  

There have been previous attempts at investigating and bringing the culprits to justice. Enquiry lead by Justice Qayyum in its report fell short of implicating the so called heroes of Pakistan cricket and recommended action mostly against those who were in effect out of the lime light.

It is time for Pakistan cricket to bite the bullet and make an examples of those who have brought shame to a nation of cricket fanatics.

Helping those affected by flood disaster in Pakistan - II

A public service blog post this time. Two internationally recognised Pakistani fashion designers Maria B and Yousuf Bashir Qureshi (YBQ) are coming to Manchester to run a charity Fashion Show in partnership with International Foundation for Mother and Child Health (IFMCH) a local charity based in Cheshire. All proceeds from this charity event will be used to set up field health units in the flood affected areas of Pakistan. The event will take place on Friday 24 September at Nawab International Restaurant Banqueting Hall, 1008 Stockport Road Levenshulme. Tickets for the event are available here.

Helping those affected by flood disaster in Pakistan - I

While the world at large is practically indifferent to the sufferings of victims of one of the biggest natural disasters - floods in Pakistan, there are individuals and small organisations that are doing sterling work on the ground with or without the support of government infrastructure. One such organisation is JAWAN - a group of young alumni of various educational institutions who got together to help the victims of SWAT last year and are now actively helping the flood victims. Here is a short report on their work and how you can join in to help.

Dear All,

We have Alhamdulillah been able to raise PKR 5.2 million+ (52 lac) in just 10 days.

To start with, we had PKR 987,000 set aside from the remaining IDPs fund for rehab in Swat. Unfortunately due to the frail security situation earlier we could not go there. After hearing about the devastation caused by floods we used these Swat-rehab funds as base, immediately started raising more funds and used last years teams and channels (with some new volunteers joining us) and went in to Swat for Round-1 of Relief Efforts. We provided basic food items (10kg flour, 5 kg rice, 2kg lentils, 2kg sugar and 1kg ghee) to 1200 families in remote areas. Most distributed by hand, some sent to Matta area through heli[copters] and some sent deep into Shangla through mules with the help of Pak[istan] Army.

All the while fund-raising for Round-2 was aggressively going on and planning for Round-2 Southern Punjab was being done. As soon as we came back, a larger team left for Alipur/Jatoi/Kot Addu areas this last Saturday. They took their time surveying around to make sure they deliver by hand to the most needy. By tomorrow INSHALLAH they would have distributed food items to around 2000 families in distress.

Round-3 fund-raising is in full swing. In the past 10 days, excluding the base amount of PKR 987,000 with your selfless efforts and trust, we have been able to raise more than 4.2 million+ (42 lac) rupees which is no small feat. Most of the money is here, payments have been done for the first two rounds and the committed money is being followed up to make sure we have money in hand and a good estimate to procure goods for Round-3.

We urge you to keep this momentum and raise as much money as you can, create as much awareness as you can. Remember, we are willing to go for as many rounds as we can and only your contributions and fund-raisers can make it possible.

Team J.A.W.A.N, Pakistan.

Fadil Aleem +92-345-4022058, fadil.aleem@gmail.com
Waqas Burney +92-300-4211047, mail@waqasburney.com

For donation procedures and details, please visit the document-link below.

https://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1UtullVhZzl1WDnedr7A04hpkpr0OzwPj-_lCHhlbzd4&hl=en&authkey=CLSWzdwM

Was David Cameron wrong to accuse Pakistan of double standards on terrorism!

Many have have been saying it openly and in private what David Cameron said about Pakistan and its complex engagement with Terrorism. But David Cameron committed the cardinal sin of saying it in the wrong place of all - India.

The general public in Pakistan sees India as a far greater threat than either Al Qaeda or the Taliban. A research study conducted in Pakistan and elsewhere by the Pew Poll during April this year contains some powerful lessons for both the US and the UK. It might've been a good idea for the Foreign Office to have read it before David Cameron gave an anti-Pakistan speech in India.

A majority of ordinary Pakistanis see India as the most serious threat to their country -more than twice as many as the 23% who think the Taliban a dangerous threat. A derisory 3% think Al Qaeda is something for them to worry about.

This latter is of course America's greatest obsession, and US strategists would do well to put themselves in the shoes of regional 'friends' - if they still are that: 59% of Pakistanis describe the U.S. as an enemy, and less than one in five - 18% - say they trust the Americans.

President Barack Obama is also very unpopular, with only 8% of Pakistanis expressing confidence that he will do the right thing in world affairs. This is his lowest rating of any major country by a factor of three times....and gives the lie to any idea that his religious background is a plus-point.

But perhaps the most worrying results are those concerning anti-terrorism and the war in Afghanistan. Only one in five Pakistanis support a US-led 'war on terror'. And a mere 7% support the war in Afghanistan.

The most stark contrast of all, however, is that of the yawning gap between Indian confidence in the US, and Pakistan's mistrust: 83% of Indians think the US has their interests in mind, but only 19% of Pakistanis do.

There is an obvious lesson here for the Obama administration: its claims to be pro-Islam aren't credible, and its trust in regional allies like Pakistan is misplaced: most of that country's citizens see the US as a friend of their greatest enemy....and the enemy next door agrees with them.

Meanwhile, memo to Dave and the FCO: if you're going to have a go at Pakistan, don't choose the capital of their biggest foe as the location for doing it. It won't play well. (John Ward at THE SLOG)

Political response to Ahmadi massacre in Pakistan - bigotry at its worst

The Islam that is my religion seeks to establish such a society where all citizens of the state enjoy equal rights and religion does not become the basis for any discrimination. Religious teachers who taught Islam to me in my childhood taught me that Islamic law holds both Muslims and non-Muslims equal and no superiority or privilege is given to the Muslims on any ground. That the Islamic state is responsible for the protection and security of minorities.

While I saw light at the end of the tunnel today when the leader of opposition in Pakistan Mian Nawaz Sharif mustered up courage and spoke out against the barbaric act of terrorism carried out against the Ahmadi minority in Lahore. I am disgusted at the outcry his statement has caused from the so called religious intelligentsia who are almost about to declare Mian Nawaz Sharif an infidel for calling the Ahmadi minority our "Brothers and Sisters".

Whatever their religious beliefs Ahmadis are Pakistani citizens. Though Pakistani constitution declares them non-Muslims and a religious minority, they as citizens have a right to security as any other Pakistani. Tolerating massacres of innocent civilians because the victims happened to have a different religious belief is abominable and un-Islamic.

The reprehensible incident of Lahore and the atrocious public and political response can only be attributed to Pakistani society's lack of knowledge of actual teachings of Islam. The vacuum of knowledge, unfortunately, is bridged by the semi-literate clergy and bigoted religious-political leadership with no exposure to the Islamic historical tradition, demands of contemporary age and challenges of future.

Apathy of civil society, media and political leadership to the increasing intolerance towards minorities is worst form of bigotry in practice by a state and its citizens.

Gaza Aid Flotilla Massacre - join Amnesty International asking for an independent enquiry

Minimum we can do to is to join our voices and record our protest against the Israeli massacre of aid workers heading toward Gaza.

At least ten activists protesting the blockade on the Gaza strip have been killed by Israeli forces. The activists were on a flotilla of ships carrying aid to the Gaza strip in defiance of the blockade.

Israel says its forces acted in self-defence but the level of lethal force used by Israeli troops appears to have been out of all proportion to any threat posed.

The Israeli authorities have the primary responsibility to investigate the use of lethal force by its forces but given the international nature of this incident, there is also a need for an immediate international investigation. We are calling on Israel to launch an immediate credible and independent investigation into these killings, and to allow the UN access to conduct an international inquiry.

Background

For nearly three years Israel, which is the occupying power in the Gaza Strip, has implemented a policy of banning all movement of goods and people, except for the most basic humanitarian necessities which are imported by international aid agencies. Only a fraction of patients in need of treatment outside Gaza are allowed out, and dozens have died waiting for Israeli permission to travel.

The blockade does not target armed groups but rather punishes Gaza’s entire population by restricting the entry of food, medical supplies, educational equipment and building materials. Israel has a duty under international law to ensure the welfare of Gaza’s inhabitants, including their rights to health, education, food and adequate housing.

Amnesty International is asking us to come together and Act Now by sending the following message to the UK Foreign Secretary William Hague. It take less than a minute to send this message from the Amnesty International site.

As a supporter of Amnesty International I welcome your statement of 31 May and I urge you to support the call for a credible, independent and international investigation into the deaths caused by the raid on the aid flotilla in international waters outside Gaza on May 31 2010.

Given the international nature of this incident and the continuing lack of credible Israeli investigations into violations of human rights in the context of the Gaza conflict, there is a strong need for an immediate international investigation and it’s important for the interests of regional peace and security that the UK strongly and publicly advocate such a call.

The Israeli authorities do of course have the primary responsibility to investigate the use of lethal force by its forces, as well as the claims by Israeli officials that Israeli forces were attacked with a range of weapons. But for full credibility and transparency, Israel should be strongly urged to invite the relevant UN experts to carry out an investigation into the events of 31 May.

The UK should also publicly back the calls for the Israeli authorities to make public immediately the rules of engagement issued to the troops who carried out this lethal attack.

Furthermore it is essential that the UK Government insist on the Israeli authorities immediately providing the names and locations of those UK Nationals detained, as well as their physical condition and legal status. UK officials and lawyers should also be allowed access to those arrested, detained or in hospital.

The UK must also insist that the Israeli authorities promptly release those who are detained unless they are charged with a recognisable criminal offence, and to insist that Israeli security forces and police do not employ excessive force against demonstrators protesting the events of 31 May.

Give the martyrs of Gaza a minute of your time.