What is Donald Trump up to!

September 26, 2015

By Saeed Qureshi

Donald Trump is a billionaire realty kingpin and one of the Republican candidates for the highest and the most prestigious office of the president of the United States of America. He fumes, frets and hops on the Republican Party turf as well the American soil by hurling funny and rather disparaging remarks, dainty anecdotes and perplexing tidbits like a versatile conjurer.

He outlines his provocative policy statements from his armory of arguments against the rival politicians. His level of tolerance with the press and news channels is meager as can be seen from his distraught behavior and annoyance with FOX, NBC and Univision news and TV channels.

 His style of gesticulating and making different contours of face is interesting but perhaps he is made that way.  It might turn out to be an asset for him as he hits his targets with a straight shot and with a tinge of ridicule or curt rebuke that is certainly a new trend in the political debates that we have been watching all these years. He is unabashed and undaunted in hurling his punches and salvos of comments making the rivals defenseless and fazed for a while.

Occasionally or invariably he lacks decorum and decency or kind of parliamentarian touch in bludgeoning his Republican contenders by making demeaning personal remarks. Look at the comments that he hurled at rival Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina by disdainfully pointing towards her face or looks that might be amusing but distasteful at the same time. 

He remarked "Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that?" Trump said to Solotaroff. "Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?”  Later he retracted from his previous stance by feigning that he was talking about her persona and not face.

He might not be interested in Mexican votes. Otherwise how could pronounce that all the Mexicans were “rapists”. This unwarranted and mindless judgment might deprive him off some sizable number of votes in case he wins the Republican debate. Latinos and Mexicans are around 15 per cent of the total population of the United States.

He says that native children of immigrants were “anchor babies”. It means that the illegal immigrants can claim legal stay on the basis of the children born here. This is true but that is what the constitution of the United States permits.

His immigration plan aims at deporting country’s 11 million undocumented immigrants and ending birthright citizenship, a “guarantee in the Constitution’s 14th Amendment that any child born on U.S. soil is automatically granted U.S. citizenship, including children of foreign-born parents”.

Now United States is not the only country granting such a right. It is one of the 33 countries that grant right of soil or the automatic citizenship to anyone born in a territory or country, including children of undocumented immigrants.Interestingly Trump’s mother was a Scottish immigrant to United States. His paternal grandparents were German immigrants.

With Americans Muslims he is most annoyed although all the immigrants including Muslims are law-abiding and part of the magnificent American society that guarantees fundamental rights and liberty within the framework of the constitution.

He still doubts Obama was not an American born citizen. Recently in an elections rally he supported the question of a person when he asked “We have a problem in this country. It’s called Muslims. We know our current President is one. You know he’s not even an American. When can we get rid of all the Muslims in America?  To that racial question a smiling Trump responded “We need this question.”

Expressing his intense dislike for the women she dubs them “fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals”. Later talking to CNN's Don Lemon, he lashed out in retaliation, at Fox News debate moderator Megyn Kelly with a sleazy rebuke because of her question as to why he was so disrespectful to the women by portraying them as pigs and dogs etc. He said to CNN, “You could see there was blood coming out of her( Kelly) eyes, blood coming out of her wherever”.

But all said and done, it is fundamentally, the public opinion and popular judgment that is going to be a decisive factor and to make the difference. There might be a method in Trumps’ recklessness as astonishingly he is leading other Republican contenders in public opinion polls. Thus far with a 33 % approval rating he is on top among a list of 15 candidates.

But per say, despite his unusual plans and promises if he is still appealing to the people and draws large crowds at his public rallies, then it demonstrates his popularity. His indecency and rather occasional vulgarity might be a new interesting and piquant dimension for his audience. Otherwise how could he stay on top with all the provocative and rather weird ranting?

But supposedly if he beats all other Republican presidential candidates and goes straight on top to face the Democratic rival, then notwithstanding his visibly outlandish behavior, he would achieve a milestone.

It appears that there is a lobby in the United States that might be happy with his agenda and manifesto incorporating such plans as withdrawal or denial of citizenship to the babies of the immigrants born in America. It is rather also mind-boggling that despite his humiliating and highly indecent comments about fair sex, one can still see a sizable presence of women of all ages in his election rallies.

Even if all the Mexicans and Latinos (15 % of the total population) don’t vote from him and even the African American (also 15 %) might be divided on voting for him, he might still win the elections. It is yet to be seen how the situation emerges as there a whole year for the presidential election to take place. It is also to be seen which candidate from the Democratic Party wins the final round.

With a probability of Hillary Clinton from the Democratic Party and Donald Trump from the Republican winning their respective top positions, the competition might get tough, terse and rather overly interesting. 

But there could be another guess that Bel Carson (now second), Carly Fiorina (third position) or Jeb Bush (fourth position) might win the final round in the debate now apace within the Republican Party for the final victor to come forward and face the Democratic rival.    

Badaber and What Next!

September 20, 2015

Saeed Qureshi

In 18^th September’s assault on the Badaber Air Force Camp in Peshawar by a heavily armed group of 13 attackers, 29 human beings lost their lives. One shudders to imagine that if the terrorists had succeeded in penetrating to the actual camp what could have been the scale of destruction with assets blown up. A big question mark could have sullied the competence of the country as well as the Intelligence wing of Air force in safeguarding such a sensitive location.

On December 16, 2014, in a similar barbaric attack at Peshawar Army Public School, these later day beastly crusaders and fiendish Islamic revivalists killed 147 people, including 122 innocent schoolchildren. One may infer that these may not be the last acts of bloodletting and atrocious terrorism being carried out by these enemies of Pakistan and mankind.

Let us first of all, start by admitting that Taliban and other splinter Islamic militant factions are like Frankenstein trying to devour its own creator Pakistan. Pakistan and Afghanistan created Taliban and Al-Qaida at the behest of foreign powers to defeat the former communist regime called Soviet Union (USSR) which did happen. 

The Soviet Union despite a huge military presence and warfare paraphernalia in Afghanistan had to abandon that country lock stock and barrel. The Present government in Russian is called Russian Federation.

The Soviet Union vacated Afghanistan in Feb 1989. The Taliban who took the credit of ousting the former Soviet Union from Afghanistan emerged as the sole dominant force in Afghanistan. They established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in 1996 and ruled until October 2001 with an iron hand and under the umbrella of hair-raising Islamic justice system turning Afghanistan into a hell.

Close on the heels of 9/11 incident and attack on the world Trade Center,  the United States and allied forces through “Operation Enduring Freedom” ended their oppressive rule. The bulk of the Taliban and Al-Qaida operatives fled to Pakistan or retreated to the rural or remote mountainous regions of Afghanistan. Mullah Umar and Al-Qaida chief Osama Bin Laden were among them and had head reward.

With the defeat of the Soviet Union the western powers left the arena without caring what hell is going to break on their partners and cohorts in this region. Since the ouster of the Taliban in 2001, Pakistan and Afghanistan are exposed to and facing the forays of the Islamic militants fomenting unparalleled chaos and instability in this already war-torn and fragile region. Such a nemesis happens to such countries that act as mercenaries or are protégé of the foreign external powers by over-riding their own national interests.

 The question staring in the face has been how to prevent Taliban and other Islamic fighters from expanding their tentacles and the establishment of an Islamic empire in the region including Pakistan. That has been the main sticking point that bedevils the erstwhile patrons of these militant factions to this day.

The above connotation was beside the point. The moot question and rather a gubernatorial challenge is how to deal with the perpetual nightmare of Islamic militancy against a vulnerable country like Pakistan.  

The Islamic warriors or Mujahideen who fought the Soviet Union from 1979-89 in Afghanistan were trained in Pakistan and China and paid by the United States and Arab monarchies of the Persian Gulf. Among these were the Arab Islamists joined by the local cadres of indoctrinated Islamists eager to wage the religious crusade against the atheist Soviets.

One of such Arab group was the Al-Qaida. The local Islamic crusaders mostly comprised the children of the three million Afghan refugees staying in Pakistan. They were educated in Hizb-e-Islami Deobandi doctrines in religious residential schools (madrasas) (also financed by the the US and Gulf monarchies).)”When they came of age, they formed "the mainstay" of the Taliban in Afghanistan and of the anti-Shia Sipah-e-Sahaba Sunni terror group in Pakistan”.

These Taliban and Islamic revivalists took Pakistan as the best substitute of Afghanistan for turning it into an Islamic state. For the last 15 years the Taliban of all brands including the extremist Sunni groups, in collusion with the local cohorts from the mosques and madrasas, have been on the rampage of terrorism against the people of Pakistan, the state and the rival sects. 

They established that Islamic state in Swat and Mardan for some time till the Pakistan army dislodged them from there. They wanted to take over the capital of Pakistan and annihilate their sectarian opponents all over the country.

The well Entrenched Taliban faction in Waziristan( both south and north) have posed to be constant threat to the writ of the state of Pakistan by unremitting sequence of bomb blasts and forays on such huge installations as Wah Ordnance Factory and Kamra Aeronautical Complex, Naval base and airports.

For over a decade or so Pakistan’s paramount challenge has been to curb and overcome the escalating terrorism mostly spawned and carried out by the renegade factions of Taliban operating from Waziristan, Afghanistan, FATA and in Pakistan through their collaborators. 

The security forces and Pakistan army has been effectively thwarting the terrorists and giving befitting response to them as witnessed by the brilliant achievements scored under the command of General Raheel Sharif in cleansing FATA and Waziristan from the Taliban and other terrorists’ outfits.

The army is also engaged in that epic war with the indigenous terrorists particularly in Karachi. Yet a comprehensive and definitive strategy is called for to rid Pakistan and its people of the rampant terrorism, lawlessness, violence and ubiquitous crime. I would venture to suggest the following measures in that regard.

-All cases of terrorism should be dealt by the military courts for prompt decisions. The civil courts can be manipulated by threat and bribes as has been witnessed in many cases.

-Rapid Response System should be reinforced and upgraded in all sensitive civil and military locations like Kahuta and Army, air force and naval headquarters.

-An impregnable fence or barrier should be erected on the Durand line between Pakistan and Afghanistan to stop cross border illegal trafficking. The terrorists and aliens sneak into Pakistan through that porous border.

-All mosques should be managed by the provinces with the creation of management boards for mosques and religious affairs. The Imams or the leaders of prayers should be appointed like other government servants. The government itself should build new mosques on the request of the residents of the particular areas.

-The hate speeches against the rival sects must be strictly forbidden and anyone indulging should be punished. As in Saudi Arabia and other middle eastern states the doors of the mosques should be opened near the prayer timings and closed after prayers unless there are special religious occasions like the month of fasting and 12 Rabiul Awwal( birth day of prophet Muhammad saws) etc.  

-The religious education in boarding madrasas and schools run by Mullas should be discontinued and made part of the established educational curricula and syllabi of the respective provinces.

-All religious outfits with label of militancy should be outlawed and banned. Religious organizations carrying out charity services should be registered through a proper procedure and after thorough scrutiny. Their activities should be kept under strict watch.

-FATA should be declared as an independent province or integrated into the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to empower the people of that troubled area to run their own governance in the best interest of their people.

-It’s time for the Afghan refugees to be repatriated to their own country Afghanistan. That would be good for the economy of Pakistan with creation of countless jobs for the indigenous Pakistanis. The lawlessness attributed to Afghanis would scale down with their exit to Afghanistan.

-Every citizen should carry the National Identity Cards. The indigenous citizens without ID cards must be registered and the only foolproof system can be to give them the ID card after proper inquiry.

-The illegal foreign nationals staying in Karachi and other cities should be sent to their respective countries unless they provide such evidence as marriages with the local Pakistanis or carry valid documents to stay in Pakistan.

-The neighborhood ward committees should be reactivated to keep a watch around and in case of suspicious activities report to the police.

-The existing four elephantine provinces should be split into 16 provinces on the basis of such considerations as common ethnicity, language and culture etc.  Such examples can be as Siraiki and Hazara provinces.

-Although the concurrent list between the federation and provinces has been abolished yet still there is a need to transfer more powers to the provinces and within the provinces to the local bodies.

-Police should be trained on the Rangers pattern. They should have one color uniform without cap.

-The Court buildings should be separated from the kiosks of vendors, stamp sellers, tea stalls etc. The old and dilapidated buildings (British era) should be rebuilt with their plans taken from developed countries. The Judges and members of judiciary should be fully protected. It would be fine if their residential colonies are built near the court premises. Presently most of the courts perform among dirt and stench.

The writer is a senior journalist, former editor of Diplomatic Times and a former diplomat.This and other articles by the writer can also be read at his blog www.uprightopinion.com.

Iran can be an Asset for the United States

September 3, 2015

By Saeed Qureshi

On September 2 president Obama secured enough Democratic Party votes “to prevent a resolution of disapproval of the Iran’s nuclear deal”. This development is being termed as president Obama’s victory against the Republicans who are irreconcilably opposed to the deal and want it to be rescinded.

 The swing of nearly 8 democrats came after their dialogue with senior diplomats from Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia who categorically told their American counterparts that “their nuclear agreement with Iran was the best they could expect and the five world powers had no intention of returning to the negotiating table.”

President Obama was instrumental in the signing of a comprehensive agreement (JCPOA) on the nuclear program of Iran between Iran and the five permanent members of Security Council (United States, Russia, China, France, United Kingdom) plus Germany and the European Union. It was inked in Vienna on 14 July 2015. 

 But more daunting challenge for president Obama and the Democratic Party was to win support for it at home turf. President Obama surmounted both these hurdles with amazing success which would bind Iran to not fabricate an atomic weapon and stop or scale down its nuclear wherewithal for making an atomic bomb. In return the debilitating economic and trade sanctions and stifling embargoes on Iran would be gradually lifted.

Although Israel and Saudi Arabia were on the same page in opposing the nuclear deal for different reasons yet the United States and the five leading world powers ignored the concerns or opposition of both these countries for a more sublime outcome which was to draw commitment from Iran and subject her to stringent conditions from further bolstering her nuclear know how for an ultimate goal of making an atom bomb. 

It is impossible for Iran to wriggle out of that treaty and surreptitiously keep advancing her nuclear capability as sanctions and embargoes could be instantaneously re-imposed. Iran in that situation would be rendered a pariah state and isolated from the rest of the world.

Israel should be doubly felicitated and satisfied that she would be  immune from a dreaded possibility of Iran making a nuclear warhead that if used could decimate Israel and erase her from the surface of the earth although in that dreadful cataclysmic situation Iran would also suffer an irretrievable annihilation for ages.

It is heartening that better sense has prevailed both on Iran and big powers including United States to broker and finalize a deal that saved the world from an unimaginable catastrophe inflicted either by Iranian nuclear bombs or even that of Israel of the United States in retaliation.

In a broader perspective the world could witness another atomic nightmare after the destruction of Japanese cities namely Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the second world by United States by dropping atom bombs. And those bombs were much smaller and fabricated from a primitive nuclear technology.

President Obama’s historic and watershed accomplishment in finalizing the nuclear deal between Iran and the western powers plus United States ought to be reciprocated by Iran through an expression of goodwill and friendship. 

The Iranian Nuclear deal can be utilized for opening a new chapter of cordiality and mutually fruitful friendship between the two countries which have been the closest and most fraternal allies before the advent of the Ayatollahs’ Islamic regime in January 1979.

 Americans must understand that Iran has the potential of being a far more useful ally of the United States than Israel. Israel has always been a liability for United States while Iran can be an asset.

The lifting of economic and trade sanctions on Iran would help revive her mauled economy and open her to the outside side world. The Iranian oil once again would start flowing into the international markets and could stabilize the oil and gas price worldwide. The United States can import Iranian oil and gas on much competitive prices.

Yet a redeeming feature and outcome of this remarkable deal possibly could be that the Ayatollahs’ regime scale down its fanatic exuberance towards United States and in due course a moderate and even a democratic political set up could come up. 

The Iranian people could also travel and interact with the rest of the world with the lifting of the international and domestic restrictions on traveling. Thus the Iranians closed and dogmatic society may open to the outside world.

The world would be a better place if peace can be restored in conflict ridden regions of the Middle East and Afghanistan. Iran can play a crucial role in brokering peace in the troubled Middle East as well in Afghanistan where a sizable number of Shias live. Iranian leverage in Iraq and Syria and Lebanon can be hugely instrumental in dousing the leaping fires of unrest and bloody conflicts now raging for over a decade or so.

With her trained army of about one million fighters Iran can be extremely useful for warring parties fighting against the ISIS in the Middle East and may be helpful to turn the tide against the rebel Islamic militants. Iran can also rein in Hezbollah in Lebanon for toning down their hostility towards Israel.

Iran has enormous influence in the Central Asia’s caucuses or the liberated countries beyond Afghanistan. For durable peace in Afghanistan the inevitability of Iran cannot be blinked away. Pakistan and Afghanistan alone cannot bring about a lasting peace and the advent of a new era of reconstruction in Afghanistan without the involvement of a powerful regional power Iran. 

The Central Asian states would also enormously benefit from a relationship of friendship between Iran and the United States for their reconstruction and tapping of hidden natural resources.

The Uzbek and Tajik mostly allied to Iran by virtue of common Shia faith had been a formidable part of the anti-NATO and anti-west forces in Afghanistan. Their sizable number is also part of the Taliban still at war with the foreign forces stationed in Afghanistan: the bulk of which come from the United States. Iran can help in ending the insurgency and incursions of the Uzbek and Tajik insurgents and that would be a big step towards diminishing civil war in Afghanistan. 

We the People: Stand by General Raheel Sharif

September 1, 2015

By Saeed Qureshi

The PPP and the MQM are vigorously opposing the operation clean-up now underway in Karachi by the army because their top notches are in the eye of the storm. To hell with a democratic system that spawns and sustains corruption and terrorism and that is what these two parties have been doing in the largest metropolis of Pakistan.

The religious hooligans and casual street thugs apart, those nabbed both for Himalayan size corruption, Mega plunder of national assets and sharp shooters and terrorists belong to these two political parties. The stalwarts of these parties demand wrap-up of the operations of Rangers and Military and let the provincial government and institutions do the job of catching and sentencing the enemies of people. There cannot be a more ridiculous and untenable call than this.

The entire country and specifically Karachi has been plagued by an incessant wave and epidemic of lawlessness for several years. The criminals of all shades have been brazenly killing the people for money, land, cars, and other belongings. The entire business community has been at the mercy of the extortionists. Those who refused to oblige were targeted, killed or kidnapped by the bounty hunters.

The entire Karachi has been paralyzed for several years and people would come out with fear in their eyes if they would be kidnapped or killed. Karachi has been virtually ruled by the mafias and cartels of outlaws while the state machinery both provincial and federal viewed this entire gory phenomenon with utter helplessness or indifference and rather connivance.

But the most sickening dimension of this unbridled disorder and rampant lawlessness was that behind this mayhem were mostly the ministers and highly placed bureaucrats and government functionaries. The booty thus collected by the criminal gangs would be shared with the ministers and powerful high ranking executives.

The outburst of Zardari first against the army and lately against Nawaz Sharif and PMLN government uncovers the agony the Co-chairman of the PPP is undergoing. Earlier it was Altaf Hussain the warlord of MQM who threw the same challenge to the army and the central government. One of the poignant manifestations of their protest was to withdraw their national assembly members through en-bloc resignations.

It is tragic and treacherous that the partners running provincial government in Sindh, instead of serving the people have been engaged in villainous and diabolical pursuits to wreck Karachi and to rob the people of the peace. The involvement of their ministers and members of parties has been unearthed in stealing and sale of water to buying state lands for peanuts and selling those at exorbitant prices.

It can be termed as divine intervention that first the Rangers and later the army stepped in to stop this mayhem of loot, plunder, murders and kidnappings. Karachi is gradually returning to normalcy and peaceful life. The people are picking up the courage to move around with a feeling of safety.

In due course Zardari and Altaf Hussain should be arraigned for their respective anti-state ranting and crimes. Altaf Hussain should be tried for seeking Indian and NATO help to what he called saving the MQM and immigrant community. Zardari has amassed mammoth wealth throughout his career by foul means which needs thorough and unstinted probe.

It is heartwarming that NAB, FIA and other institutions of accountability are on the move to catch the heavy-weight culprits like Dr. Asim. This anti-crime drive must continue till all the robber barons of national wealth and culprits of misuse of power for personal or party gains are unearthed.

And the moot question of this article is that how this miracle happened. We all know it is the army Chief General Raheel Sharif who turned the tables on miscreants, thugs, killers, abductors, enemy agents and a whole range of dangerous mafias and terrifying gangs. He and the army under him have saved Pakistan from being broken and disintegrated. They deserve nation’s overwhelming gratitude

The Pakistan army is engaged in a monumental mission of saving Pakistan from a civil war and keeping intact its territorial integrity. Therefore, we the people of Pakistan are wholeheartedly with General Raheel Sharif and the army in their sublime mission of fully securing our beloved country Pakistan from the conspiracies and encroachments of both internal and external enemies.

Military Courts should be set up all-over Pakistan

August 18, 2015

By Saeed Qureshi

In the wake of ongoing successful military onslaught against the miscreants and outlaws in Karachi and FATA region, the mandate of the army may be extended to the entire country for a specific period of time. With that limited mandate the military courts should be established for trial of the cases pertaining to terrorism, corruption and other serious crimes. This suggestion would look plausible if viewed in the backdrop of lacuna and deficiencies of the traditional judicial system.

First of all the judiciary feels itself insecure and vulnerable to the brutal retaliation of the criminals gangs and the mafias that brook no mercy for their perceived targets. As such the judiciary stalls the verdicts indefinitely. If somehow some of the criminals are sent to jail they are freed by their cohorts by assailing prisons, killing more people and damaging the properties. 

There have been several incidents of jail breaks and direct assaults on certain jails in various cities of Pakistan hosting the terror captives. In other cases the courts were ransacked as was done in Islamabad with casualties of the sitting judges.

Also the judiciary low or high doesn’t enjoy a good reputation in relation to dispensation of unalloyed and fair justice. The acronym bribe is invariably associated more with police and court system of the country. The police too are not cast in an absolutely honest mold that could resist or ward off perks and inducements doled out by both by the grieved or aggressive parties. In this sleazy competition of winning the police or the judiciary the casualty is the true and fair justice.

The culture of bribe and highhandedness is so rampant and deeply entrenched in our society that it cannot be rooted out even partially by any efforts and tightening of laws and by whom. The individuals in power and positions of prestige have their touts in and out of police and judiciary that influence the decisions irrespective of the merit of the cases in their favor.

W to expect legal or administrative propriety is asking for the moon when the custodians of law and protectors of the honor of the life, liberty and property of the citizens are up to neck in subverting law and refuse to distinguish between right and wrong.  We have seen the murderers and other culprits remaining in jails for years without their cases being heard to establish the veracity or otherwise of the pending case. 

The evidence or the witnesses’ module is a system that can be manipulated if the cases prolongs for years if not decades. The witnesses forget the basics of the incidents of theft or murder etc. or change their statements under pressure or graft or run away or else die.

Countless religious militants who were proven terrorists and killers could not be given sentences because the judges or the lawyers and advocates faced threats to their own lives and families. During the past few years quite a few counsels, witnesses or judges and magistrates have been killed by the militants and other hardened criminals to instill fear.

The civil judiciary and the police cadres don’t have the muscle and network to browbeat the countless culprits and lawbreakers and religious warriors and tread the hair thin course of justice.  Malik Ishaq a Pakistani militant,Deobandi supremacist and head of the religious outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi who was recently killed during a bloody encounter between the police and a bunch of his followers always came out of the court with bail and making a victory sign with his fingers. 

Such is the ferocity and tyrannical influence of the religious outlaws that the courts look like puppets or a place of helpless pretenders.

The army and for that matter the rangers have proven their mettle in restoring social peace and normal life in Karachi by nabbing and sentencing countless enemies of public peace. The reason is they are trained for the kind of task assigned to them. They have the control and command system, weaponry and firepower to effectively counter criminals. 

The military courts hand out prompt decisions by summary hearing and are not under the mortal fear of being ambushed by the ruthless sharp shooters. They don’t have political affiliations or favorites etc. That is why Karachi is returning to normalcy and the commuters and business and industry is gearing up once again.

 
With the time bound mandate the army rangers as well police can flush out the trigger happy killers, extortionists, land grabbers, kidnappers and smash cartels of villains of all hues and cries. Once the country shows signs of returning to normalcy and peaceful life, the rangers and army can go back to the barracks. 

The military courts can operate to decide the fate of the criminals without loss of time and entertaining pressure from politicians and other stake-holders. The country is passing through a monumental crisis and the only way-out to restore peace, confidence and normal life is extending the operations of rangers and army beyond Karachi.

The Sex Beasts of Kasur

August 12, 2015
By Saeed Qureshi
The revealing of a ring of satanic individuals in the Pakistan’s city of Kasur dishonoring a staggering number of 280 very young boys and girls is deplorable and reprehensible. How in a bustling city a group of devils had continued their diabolic activity is a question that intrigues and bludgeons the mind. The whole country is a state of shock and shame.

In a country named Islamic Republic of Pakistan and where a little short of 180 millions Muslims live and where the countless religious demagogues every moment exhort the people to become good Muslims and have chaste conduct,this wickedness is mind boggling. How should we interpret the futility of the holistic talks and fiery and frightening sermons delivered in countless religious seminaries and mosques all over the country?
 
If in a city of Kasur which carries a hallow of spirituality because of the saint Baba Farid Shakarganj such a huge number of the innocent children can be raped in dens and cells what could be the projections of such heinous and barbaric going on in other cities of Pakistan? It means that the so called protectors of the honor, life and property of the citizens were either in leagues with these beasts or were utterly negligent in their prime responsibility of curbing the crime including rape all the more with defenseless children. 

A child at the stage of puberty or adolescence, not to speak of  minor boys or girls of tender age have neither the sense nor the muscular power to withstand and resist to protect their honor.   Just feel their helplessness and utter lack of defense while surrounded by these human hounds forcing him or her to commit the sexual act. We have seen i with anger and tearful eyes in the video made by these devils the way rose like children being disrobed and tormented by foulest of means. 

During the past we have seen in the ghastly television clips, the dead bodies the tender female children between 5 to 10 years who died from sexual brutality of a street shopkeeper, a religious tutor of Qur'an or normal teacher in a school or roughneck thugs way-laying students going to or coming from school.  

Even there have been countless incidents in which a neighbor raped an innocent child who had come to meet his or her friend from the adjacent house. Due to the nature of disgusting act or for fear the children cannot disclose to their parents the ugly incident that would haunt them and hang on their mind for the rest of their lives.
 
In the United States, it is unthinkable that a teacher both male and female can touch the body of a student. The adult students of either sex may have their unions and hang outs but for an adult even to talk to a student about sex is unthinkable. 

If caught the offender can go straight to jail and if proven guilty spends years in jail. When freed he is not allowed to live in the normal neighborhoods and has to report his activities to the local police on a specified day or time. Some rapists are manacled with a bracelet that exposes them as a molester.


This procedure applies also to an act of forcible sex by a male adult with a female even his wife. The pictures of the sex offenders are published by local magazines and placed on the counters of the big consumer stores. There is no way that a fugitive or runaway rapist or molester can hide himself for a long time and he is ultimately caught and direly punished.

Now compare that system of justice with Pakistan and other Islamic countries. The people in the middle east prefer to marry with girls of tender age even as young as 7-9 years and not with one bride but with multiple women who should be virgin and chaste. The women in Arabic seeking countries are treated as chattels and private maid servants to be sacked and divorced after certain time to be replaced with others on any price.
 
If Islam ordains having no more than four wives at a time then keeping a horde of women in the confines of Harem or palace purely for enjoyment is sheer shameful and outright infringement of the Islamic injunctions about marriage. The practicing Muslims have been promised countess beautiful women called Houris and young boys with enticing physiques in the paradise. In paradise limitless sex would be at hand.

Male prostitution is widely practiced in the Middle East that has been rife throughout the history. Even in Qur'an male sex offenders have been warned and advised to desist from this most abominable act but who cares for the divine admonition. Prophet Abraham and his nephew Lot’s nation was immersed in male prostitution and according to the scriptures were destroyed by God.


In the United States the same sex marriages have been allowed in certain states but that is under the canopy of law and subject to dire conditions. But after all it is a heathen society. So in a way both male and female partnership has been legitimized by law.  

Yet a similar custom is in practice in the northern tribal areas of Pakistan and also in Afghanistan. There are proper marriages taking place between a young tender boy (called Lakhtai in Pushtu dialect) and the tribal chief or Sardar. The ceremony of this most reprehensible bond is observed with lot of fan fare while the chief takes away the boy as a partner.

In Pakistan’s neighboring country of Afghanistan this despicable lustful obsession is the order of the day. It is said that no one minds if two adults engage into a sex bout as it is neither treated unethical nor un-Islamic but a permissible tradition for ages now.

It is yet to be seen how that how this tragedy and moral cataclysm of all times is going to be dealt with by the authorities in Pakistan. The whole country is in a state of grave shock and utter grief. There seems to be a callous lukewarm response from various official quarters that seem to be pushing this incident into a labyrinth of rules and regulations and eyewitnesses and so one.

The civil society should come out up in arms and with an remitting spell of protests and agitations till such time that not only these sex maniacs are sent to hell and a foolproof system is put in place for definitive stoppage of this loathsome crime and ensured retribution to the monstrous sex offenders.