Burn a Qur'an day scares American and NATO troops in Afghanistan

The top American commander in Kabul, Afghanistan has warned that plans by a small Florida church to burn copies of the Qur'an Paak on Saturday, the so called anniversary of the so called September 11 "attacks", could play into the hands of the very Islamic Anti-American Liberation Armies of Afghanistan at whom the church says it is directing that message.
Burning copies of the Qur'an Paak, the Muslim holy book, “would undoubtedly be used by extremists in Afghanistan — and around the world — to inflame public opinion and incite violence”, the commander, Gen. David H. Petraeus said in an e-mail message to The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Echoing remarks the general made in an interview with The Wall Street Journal published Tuesday, he said: “It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort.

General David H. Petraeus

It is precisely the kind of action the Taliban use and could cause significant problems. Not just here, but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic community.”

In 2005, violent and sometimes lethal riots were set off around the world by a mistaken report by Newsweek that a Pentagon investigation had found that military interrogators of detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, tried to flush a Qur'an Paak down a toilet (Naooz Billah). The same year, a Danish newspaper printed cartoons portraying the Prophet Muhammad also led to riots across the Muslim world.

Terry Jones, the notorious freemason pastor of the tiny Florida church that plans the Qur'an Paak burning, says that as an American Christian he has a "right to burn the Qur'an" because “it’s full of lies.”

The mal'oon Freemason pastor Terry Jones

Some of his prior attempts to incite anti-Islamic fervor have met with less public attention. Last year, he posted a sign at his church declaring “Islam is of the devil.”
Muslim leaders in several countries, including Egypt and Indonesia, have formally condemned him and his church, the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, which has 50 members.

In Afghanistan, meanwhile, a district governor from Baghlan Province was assassinated by Taliban insurgents on Monday night along the Kunduz-Baghlan highway in the north of Afghanistan, officials said.

Afghan fighters using a bazooka

Armed insurgents stopped the white Toyota Hilux of Ahmad Soror, 30, the governor of Nahreen District. The militants then shot the official and his driver, said Munshi Abdul Majid, the governor of Baghlan Province.
The Kunduz-Baghlan highway is the major road connecting Kabul to the north of the country. It is especially heavily traveled during this week, as Afghans flock to their home villages to visit family for Id al-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic fasting month.

"We have sent down the Qur'an, and (undoubtedly) We will preserve it!"
(Surah Al-Hijr 15:9)

Enticing Fury

Pakistan Cyber Force

FIRST MESSAGE OF TEAM [EAGLESOFPAKISTAN] TO PEOPLE OF PAKISTAN:

 Dear Young Pakistani!

I understand how these times are testing of your patriotism, but let me tell you how these times are actually a golden opportunity for you to prove your worth, your love for the country, and desire for a better future.You must have been hearing a lot about how Pakistani society has degenerated into moral chaos, how we as a nation are worthless ‘cockroaches’, and how we as a nation are deserving of calamities such as the catastrophic flood. These are all baseless generalizations that you as the youth should take up as challenges, and rather than accepting such fatalism, prove them wrong instead.

For those of you who were disheartened by the beating to death of two brothers in Sialkot by a mob, don’t be disheartened. Use this event to realize the importance of justice, the importance of rule of law. Many of you went out on the roads of different cities of Pakistan demanding justice to the deceased brothers. Excellent. Be involved. Stand up and question any wrong that you see happening around you. Refuse to consent to injustice; otherwise you are one of the spectators of the mob-justice scene in Sialkot.

Many young hearts felt for the Ahmadi community when they were attacked while praying earlier this year. More hearts clenched upon hearing of mistreatment of the corpse of a patriotic non-Muslim young man. Many of you are still haunted by the killings of Christians in Gojra last year. Take these opportunities to promise yourself to protect, respect, and treat equally all humans, and all Pakistani citizens, regardless of their personal beliefs, faith, or way of life.

In his speech at the Dhaka University in 1948, Jinnah said: “Freedom which we have achieved does not mean licence. It does not mean that you can behave as you please and do what you like irrespective of the interest of other people or of the state. A great responsibility rests on you and now more than ever, it is necessary for us to work as a united, disciplined nation. What is required of us all is a constructive spirit and not a militant spirit. It is far more difficult to construct than to have a militant spirit. It is easier to go to jail or fight for freedom than to run a government. Thwarted in their desire to prevent the establishment of Pakistan, our enemies turned their attention to finding ways to weaken and destroy us but they have been disappointed. Not only has Pakistan survived the shock of the upheaval but it has emerged stronger and better equipped than ever.”

For those of you who are disappointed in some in the Pakistani cricket team. Don’t be disappointed. Make a promise to yourself not to be involved in bribery, in fixing, in betting. If you play cricket, take this opportunity to prove yourself as an honest and dedicated sportsman. Play the game according to the rules, and be the pride of the nation. You should also realize that the Pakistani cricket team hasn’t gone wrong; just a few individuals that are part of it might have.

Many of you have given up hope in the Government of Pakistan after hearing of corruption charges and inadequate response to help flood survivors. Don’t give up hope. The Government runs on the taxes each one of you pay in one way or the other. Demand better performance of the Government. Aspire to join the civil services. Aspire to become a politician. If you will not take a stand, if you will not work to remedy wrongs, then nobody will. Feel the thrill of being the first to oppose dishonesty, corruption, and indiscipline. Call up the civil authorities when you see street lights on during the day. Request shop owners to use minimal electricity. Ask those over taking you in queues to respect everyone’s patience. Nobody can or should go against you when you stand for what is right.

Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in a message to the All Pakistan Educational Conference in Karachi on November 27, 1948, said: “What we have to do is to mobilise our people and build up the character of our future generation. In short, this means the highest sense of honour, integrity, selfless service to the nation and sense of responsibility, and we have to see that our people are fully qualified and equipped to play their part in the various branches of economic life in a manner which will do honour to Pakistan.”
Avoid talking negative of others. Instead, spread positive energy; something that will multiply to benefit everyone.

Don’t believe everything you hear until you’re sure. Don’t get bogged down by the media’s portrayal of your country. Everything is what you make of it. Be objective in your observation. Consider yourself lucky to have a media that informs you of unfortunate incidents. Be glad that you have a judiciary that takes a stand against injustice.
You have to realize that issues amongst people arise in all corners of the world, not just Pakistan. There are bad people in every country, not just in Pakistan. Therefore, you need to be smart and treat these issues as human issues, not national. But on a national level, you must push for policies that regulate all individuals better, for the benefit of each citizen of Pakistan.

Finally, as a Pakistani, always remember three core values: unity, faith, and discipline.

 

Drones – Made in Pakistan

Looking at the facility from outside, no one would guess what goes on within the 90,000-square-foot research facility of Integrated Dynamics (ID), a privately owned company in Karachi. There are no signboards indicating that ID is in the business of developing drone technology for military and civilian use. Surprisingly, there isn’t even an army of security guards manning the complex as one would expect upon entering the gate. A lonesome gate keeper lets us in without a fuss.

Even more startling is the ease with which R.S. Khan, ID’s chief executive, states that ‘drone technology has existed in Pakistan for the last 20 years.’

Khan, who graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics, is quick to clarify that his company has ‘never been asked to develop a drone which has an armed implication.’ Instead, ID develops advanced Unmanned Autonomous Vehicle (UAV) systems capable of reconnaissance missions as well as target decoys for anti-aircraft missiles. His customers, he says, include the armed forces of the country as well as foreign buyers from the US, Australia, Spain, Italy and France.

Although he may not have been asked to develop an armed drone, Khan, who previously worked as a consultant for Pakistan’s aerospace agency Suparco, points out: ‘If we consider the fact that drone development has been taking place in Pakistan for the last 20 years, I think the technology for flying long-range autonomous missions has existed for at least 10-12 years.’

Given Khan’s estimations about local drone development, it is unclear why Pakistan is asking the US to handover its armed drone technology, especially that of the infamous Predator. President Asif Ali Zardari recently told the British daily Independent that the US should give Pakistan the ‘weapons, drones and missiles that will allow us to take care of’ the militant threat in the tribal areas.’

‘If you ask anyone in Pakistan involved in the business of making unmanned UAVs whether something similar to the Predator drone aircraft can be made, the answer would be yes,’ explains Khan. ‘I won’t say we can make it overnight or by tomorrow. But I won’t say either that it is a matter of decades. I would say that, if given the task, we can make such aircrafts in a few years.’ As a technologist, Khan is hesitant to speculate as to why the Pakistan government or armed forces are not investing in home-made technology. ‘I think you need to ask the policy makers that.’

UAVs in Pakistan
Interestingly, there are several public sector companies involved in developing UAVs in Pakistan, including the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), Air Weapons Complex (AWC) and National Development Complex (NDC).
The PAC’s Uqaab drone is in use by the Pakistan Army, and, according to unconfirmed reports, is being upgraded with Chinese help to carry a weapons payload. Other PAC UAVs include the Bazz and Ababeel. AWC’s Bravo+ UAV is in use of the Pakistan Airforce (PAF). The PAF recently acquired an unarmed Italian drone called the Falco UAV, which is reportedly being used for surveillance and battleground assessments in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. In 2008, the Pakistan Navy also reportedly completed trials of UAVs – the Austrian Schiebel Camcopter S-100 and Swedish Cybaero – from a Pakistani frigate in the Arabian Sea.
Private sector companies are also involved in the design and development of UAVs. Apart from ID in Karachi, East-West Infinity (EWI), Satuma and Global Industrial Defense Solutions (GIDS) are in the drone-making business.
The EWI’s Heliquad UAV is considered a stealth design because of its small size and Whisper Watch signals intelligence package, which is capable of picking up radio and other communication signals. ID’s Nishan Mk1 and TJ1000, Vision MK1 & MK2, Tornado, Border Eagle, Hornet, Hawk and Vector are also popular models employed by the armed forces for reconnaissance missions and target practice (each model varies in range and endurance). Satuma’s UAVs, with similar functionalities, are called Flamingo, Jasoos and Mukhbar. For its part, the GIDS develops the Huma-1 UAV and its own version of the Uqaab.
Even though almost all UAVs in the country have been built for military applications – reconnaissance, simulations, decoy systems, remote sensing – none of them are reported to be capable of firing arms. Moreover, none of the above-mentioned facilities are involved in large-scale, mass production of UAVs.
Policy on drones
It is still not clear what Pakistan’s policy regarding unmanned drones is. On the one hand, Pakistan has ‘condemn[ed] in the strongest terms’ any US drone attack. On the other hand, reports have emerged that the US has the tacit approval of the current government.
Previously, former president Pervez Musharraf had reportedly authorized Washington to launch Predator drones from secret bases near Islamabad and Jacobabad. Google Earth images of an airbase in Balochistan hosting Predators had also emerged at a time when Pakistan was adamantly claiming that all drones were flying in from Afghanistan. More recently, the Pakistan Army ‘practiced’ shooting down drones, but even then, foreign aircrafts continued to rain in their missiles.
ID’s Khan explains that shooting down drones to prevent attacks is a viable option. ‘From a technical standpoint, all it takes is a simple air-to-air or surface-to-air missile to bring the drone down. Almost all of these aircrafts have a very low radar signature. But they’re not undetectable. They can be detected,’ he says. ‘The question really is whether one wants to bring one down or not.’
Drones vs. casualties
According to news reports, US drone attacks have killed around 701 people in Pakistan since 2006, including 14 alleged Al Qaeda leaders. Although armed UAVs or drones provide safety to their operators since they cannot be harmed if the aircraft are shot down during combat operations, they come at the cost of scores of civilian casualties, who bear the brunt of aerial raids. Therefore, it is debatable whether the armed drones, even if built and controlled by Pakistan, would actually make a difference in terms of changing the sentiment of the people against their devastating impact.

The way forward

Apart from their use in a military context, there is a need to deploy UAVs for the benefit of Pakistani communities. UAVs abroad are being used for a variety of civilian services, including search and rescue operations, environmental analysis, assisting local law enforcers, scientific research and even transport. Situational awareness about a potentially hazardous or calamity-hit areas, for example, in the aftermath of an earthquake, could also be gained through the use of such systems.

The responsibility of implementing this vision rests not only with the companies that develop UAVs, but also with government bodies that should utilise drones to improve their image and efficiency. After all, drones are not exclusively killing machines.