Behind Bars

Baltimore Zoo:

Deforestation

I assume this claim can be checked with satellite imagery.  If true, it is scary: Pakistan has no forests left?

By 2005 Pakistan had lost 25% of the forest cover that existed in 1990. Experts predict at current rates of exploitation - more than 100 square miles of trees clear-felled annually - the remaining forests will all be gone by 2010. It means this year's catastrophic floods will be repeated again and again, and all the aid in the world will do little good until someone, somehow, begins a reforestation programme. As John Muir, the great Scottish naturalist, once said: "God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools."

Ali Sethi in the New York Times

Read!

But there is at least one other way of looking at the country revealed by this natural disaster. This is a place where peasants drown in rice fields they don’t own, where mud-and-brick villages are submerged to save slightly less expendable towns, and where dying villages stand next to airbases housing the most sophisticated fighter jets in the world. Such a country is owed more than just aid, it is owed nothing less than reparations from all those who preside over its soil.

This includes politicians and bureaucrats, who are already being brought to account by a rambunctious electronic media, but also an unaccountably powerful military and its constant American financiers, who together stand to lose the most when the next wave comes.

A different framing of the India-Pakistan situation

Preface: The idea below needs a lot of special pleading to save it.  Nevertheless, it is, IMO, interesting speculation.  Also, the last excerpt is of interest in the "Ground Zero" mosque controversy.
____
In today's New York Times, Thomas Friedman comes up with a new theory of the 9/11 attack.

...the roots of 9/11 are an intra-Muslim fight, which America, as an ally of one faction, got pulled into. There are at least three different intra-Muslim wars raging today. One is between the Sunni far right and the Sunni far-far right in Saudi Arabia. This was the war between Osama bin Laden (the far-far right) and the Saudi ruling family (the far right)..... In Iraq, you have the pure Sunni- versus-Shiite struggle. And in Pakistan, you have the fundamentalist Sunnis versus everyone else: Shiites, Ahmadis and Sufis........

In short: the key struggle with Islam is not inter-communal, and certainly not between Americans and Muslims. It is intra-communal and going on across the Muslim world.

Let us take this a step further, then. For argument's sake, let us take it that Jinnah, if not his All-India Muslim League, wanted a secular, democratic state for whatever Muslims of British India that he could include (and that all the "Islam in danger", "Muslims facing annihilation" was merely rhetoric);  and we take it that he wanted a such a state separate from Hindus because of reasons such as:

I reiterate most emphatically that Pakistan was made possible because of the danger of complete annihilation of human soul in a society based on caste. [Jinnah - speech at Chittagong on 26th March, 1948]

Moreover, we are told Jinnah thought that relations between the two states carved out of British India would be friendly.

The earliest schism in the new state of Pakistan was between the (barely present) "secularists" and the "fundamentalists" (scare quotes because scratch a secularist and you find a fundamentalist) came with the passage of the Objectives Resolution,  March 7, 1949, which is at the root of all the future mess in Pakistan.  The whole link is worth reading, I'll provide an excerpt below.

Note in passing that Jinnah was badly mistaken in the "caste" Hindus' ability to run a secular democracy, and was mistaken in his hope that relations between the Two Nations carved out of British India would be friendly.

But returning to Friedman's theme, if we take this view of Jinnah, then India too is caught in a intra-communal Muslim conflict.   Pakistan's relations with India are not friendly primarily because India is the convenient external bogey in the "fundamentalist Sunni versus everyone else" struggle in Pakistan.

(There are many reasons that this is wrong; there is a deep-rooted Pakjabi (Pakistani Punjabi) antipathy to India, that would manifest itself even in the absence of intra-communal strife in Pakistan.}

In his elucidation of the implications of the Objectives Resolution in terms of the distribution of power between God and the people, Omar Hayat Malik argued: "The principles of Islam and the laws of Islam as laid down in the Quran are binding on the State. The people or the state cannot change these principles or these laws...but there is a vast field besides these principles and laws in which people will have free play...it might be called by the name of 'theo-cracy', that is democracy limited by word of God, but as the word 'theo' is not in vogue so we call it by the name of Islamic democracy. [17] 

Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi further elaborated the concept of Islamic democracy: Since Islam admits of no priest craft, and since the dictionary meaning of the term "secular" is non-monastic -- that is, "anything which is not dependent upon the sweet will of the priests," Islamic democracy, far from being theocracy, could in a sense be characterized as being "secular." [18] However, he believed that if the word "secular" means that the ideals of Islam, that the fundamental principles of religion, that the ethical outlook which religion inculcates in our people should not be observed, then, I am afraid,...that kind of secular democracy can never be acceptable to us in Pakistan.[19] 

During the heated debate, Liaquat Ali Khan stressed: the Muslim League has only fulfilled half of its mission (and that) the other half of its mission is to convert Pakistan into a laboratory where we could experiment upon the principles of Islam to enable us to make a contribution to the peace and progress of mankind.[20] He was hopeful that even if the body of the constitution had to be mounted in the chassis of Islam, the vehicle would go in the direction he had already chosen. Thus he seemed quite sure that Islam was on the side of democracy. "As a matter of fact it has been recognized by non-Muslims throughout the world that Islam is the only society where there is real democracy." [21] In this approach he was supported by Maulana Shabbir Ahmad Usmani: " The Islamic state is the first political institution in the world which stood against imperialism, enunciated the principle of referendum and installed a Caliph (head of State) elected by the people in place of the king." [22]

IMO, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf of the Park51/Ground Zero mosque fame subscribes to this idea of "democracy limited by the word of God" even if not in those exact words.  He also subscribes to this notion of Islamic democracy, where the democracy observes the ethical outlook that religion inculcates in the people.

"Ground Zero" mosque

The community center/mosque is proposed for a site 2 blocks from the WTC site, currently this building (NYT photo) stands there:


In this following, I agree with Mayor Bloomberg:

"“If somebody wants to build a mosque in a place where it’s zoned for it and they can raise the money, then they can do that,” he said. “And it’s not the government’s business.”"

If the purpose of the community center/mosque is to build interfaith ties, then given the opposition to constructing it at this site (we are told Gov. Patterson offered up state land at another site), then it is off to a bad start.


PS: Patterson: 

Paterson stated, "If the sponsors were looking for property anywhere at a distance that would be such that it would accommodate a better feeling among the people who are frustrated, I would look into trying to provide them with the state property they would need."

The Democratic governor admitted that he does not have issue with the Cordoba Initiative and supports their mosque proposal. However, the NY governor stated he is "sensitive" to the feelings of those adamantly opposed.

Mosque developer Sharif El-Gamal rejected the governor’s proposal for an alternative site and claimed a need to “serve Lower Manhattan.”

Another prominent mosque supporter also rejected the governor's proposal and stated, “Paterson's remarks validate the idea that all Muslims are responsible for what terrorists did on September 11, 2001.”

Unusual?

I've not seen the magnolia flower in the summer, yet here they (few) are:

Kerala - is this true?

Creeping Islamism as per Kanchan Gupta in the Daily Pioneer.

Atlas Shrugged

In Pakistan.

Incidentally, the Chinese firm that won the contract for the rolling stock and locomotives did so at the expense of GE.

Bears Repeating

Frank Rich in today's NYT: "And they [Americans] are starting to focus on the morbid reality, highlighted in the [Wikileak] logs, of the de facto money-laundering scheme that siphons Americans' taxpayer money through the Pakistan government to the Taliban, who then disperse it to kill Americans."
Indian cartoonist Ajit Ninan knew this more than five years ago (more like a decade), but so brainwashed are Americans by the standard "India-Pakistan rivalry" phrase that is put in each news-story that until now, they have refused to see the truth, and have dismissed all this as Indian propaganda.

Wolpertisms

I suppose historian Stanley Wolpert thinks his distortions add color to his narrative.
Here are a few:

1. On Gandhi's proposal to put Jinnah in charge, and Nehru's purported reaction:  here, and more here.
2. Gandhi's return from England and Gandhi-Jinnah interaction: here and here
3. Gandhi not attending a All-Party conference: here

Physics Olympiad

Indian girl (but headed to MIT) wins a gold.

Wikileaks confirms the Circle of Life

Wikileaks has published a huge leak of classified material from US military sources. While the Guardian, UK, has emphasized underreported civilian deaths, the New York Times has emphasized identifying the enemy - the link should lead you to a document summarized thus, from December 2006 - just one of many:

Summary This report suggests that a member of the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence is in charge of suicide bombing operations in Kabul, and that he is a graduate of the Haqqania madrasa near Peshawar. The report outlines the general process of preparing a suicide attack.

Apart from drone attacks, the US was delivering such in 2006, and such in 2007.

And so it continues. The 2009 Kerry-Lugar bill gives Pakistan $1.5 billion an year for 5 years. The truth is: The war can't end as long as the US is financing both sides. It must stop financing one side or the other, ASAP.

PS: The Guardian's assessment of this intelligence is that there is no smoking gun.

PPS: Der Spiegel's take: The Secret Enemy in Pakistan

PPPS: The cartoon is said to be by Ajit Ninan.

Wagah: Beating the Retreat

Summit NJ

Another random teenagers-beat-up-man incident, in another prosperous part of New Jersey. Just weeks after the Old Bridge case.

Two teenagers beat up Abelino Mazariego, originally from El Salvador, and who worked in an Indian restaurant, while one recorded the attack on the phone, and a dozen others looked on.

Al Rehmat Trust

From The Friday Times:

Peshawar weekly Al Qalam stated that Al Rehmat Trust had ended its two month campaign to collect ushr from farmers all over Pakistan. Ushr is 10 percent of the farm produce. Already in South Punjab most religious institutions close down in order to go out and collect ushr. The money is spent on the wounded mujahideen and on families of the martyred mujahideen. (Ushr, which means ten, is collected at 10 percent from rain-fed areas and 5 percent from canal-fed areas. In Pakistan the rate for rain-fed areas is 5 percent while the barani areas are exempted.)

If you google around, Al Rehmat Trust is a front for the Jaish-e-Mohammed, a jihadi outfit in Pakistan.

So we had not known it, but 5-10% of the farm produce in Pakjab goes to supporting jihad against India.

Fat chance for peace.

The New Rupee Symbol

Via FT blog

To libertarians

The tax-free paradise that is Pakistan.

The rules say that anyone who earns more than $3,488 a year must pay income tax, but few do. Akbar Zaidi, a Karachi-based political economist with the Carnegie Endowment, estimates that as many as 10 million Pakistanis should be paying income tax, far more than the 2.5 million who are registered.

Out of more than 170 million Pakistanis, fewer than 2 percent pay income tax, making Pakistan’s revenue from taxes among the lowest in the world, a notch below Sierra Leone’s as a ratio of tax to gross domestic product.

Mr. Zaidi blames the United States and its perpetual bailouts of Pakistan for the minuscule tax revenues from rich and poor alike. “The Americans should say: ‘Enough. Sort it out yourselves. Get your house in order first,’ ” he argued. “But you are cowards. You are afraid to take that chance.”

Much of the tax avoidance, especially by the wealthy, is legal. Under a 1990s law that has become one of the main tools to legalize undocumented — or illegally obtained — money made in Pakistan, authorities here are not allowed to question money transferred from abroad. Businessmen and politicians channel billions of rupees through Dubai back to Pakistan, no questions asked.

Indo-Pak talks

1. The behind-the-scenes story.
2. The historical perspective.

From the Times of India:

Agra again: Qureshi kills peace talks

Put On Backfoot On 26/11, Pak Goes Ballistic

Rajeev Deshpande | TNN

New Delhi: A day after an extraordinary slanging match in Islamabad, the India-Pakistan peace process was in shreds, having suffered a huge setback with Islamabad virtually reneging on a painstakingly drawn-up engagement sequence aimed at normalising ties.  

    The finger-pointing between the two sides continued on Friday, keeping ties on the boil as Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi carried on with the belligerence he displayed at Thursday’s press conference which he addressed with his Indian counterpart S M Krishna in Islamabad.  

    Picking up from where he left off, Qureshi lashed out at India for being “selective’’ and “not fully prepared’’ and reversing gears at the last minute. He even got personal with Krishna, alleging that the minister lacked the mandate and was being tutored on phone all through the negotiations.  

    Shockingly, the assault at a briefing Qureshi held for the Pakistani media in Islamabad came even before Krishna had left for New Delhi. The serious violation of etiquette drew a strong riposte from Krishna just after he reached Delhi. He quickly refuted the charge that he was unprepared for talks, asserting that the mandate given to him was clear and specific.

    More than the bad diplomatic behaviour, what preceded it was a serious blow to the peace process. Qureshi turned bellicose after Pakistan’s failed attempt to force India to discuss Kashmir even when it doggedly refused to meet the precondition: Strong and clear action against all perpetrators of 26/11.

    Sources said the peace process is not going to be jettisoned because India does not have the “luxury of not talking to its neighbour’’. Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao said on TV that India wanted to continue the dialogue.

    The stated intent apart, the fate of the talks was in doubt in face of Pakistan’s attempt to re-order their sequence. The Congress leadership chose the “action-on-26/11 first’’ approach because it is loathe to be seen as having forgotten the Mumbai attacks.
Times View
    The Times of India has actively championed the cause of peace between neighbours India and Pakistan, and continues to do so because it believes peace is in the interest of the two peoples. However, the path to peace cannot be strewn with bad faith and blatant misconduct—both of which Pakistan foreign minister Qureshi has displayed in ample measure. Minister Qureshi spurned India’s hand of friendship at the joint media briefing on Thursday when he equated terror merchant Hafeez Saeed with India’s home secretary G K Pillai. He did even worse on Friday when he called a press conference, at a time when his guest S M Krishna was still in Pakistan, only to ridicule the Indian minister by claiming that Krishna was not empowered to take decisions, and was constantly on the phone with Delhi. This is simply not a peace-makers’s conduct. It is that of a schoolboy bully. Let alone furthering the cause of peace, Qureshi has only raised India’s hackles. And since neither President Zardari nor PM Gilani has rebuked Qureshi so far for his misbehaviour, it appears the foreign minister has not been out of line with the establishment’s thinking. In that case, India can wait until Islamabad gets more sincere about peace. Meanwhile, let the message sink in—there can’t be progress in the peace process unless Pakistan shows greater sensitivity towards India’s hurt and anger at the fact that 26/11 masterminds are not just roaming free in Pakistan, but are preaching murderous hate against India. There can’t be any closure on 26/11 until there is justice.
DIALOGUE TURNS INTO DUEL

The Indian side was not mentally prepared for a dialogue. Pakistan wanted to be decisive and conclusive, India had a last-minute hitch.
The Indian delegation had no mandate to negotiate, the minister received phone calls continuously.
Indians were being selective, they had no flexibility in their negotiations.
If we focus on only one issue (terrorism) it will be difficult to move forward S M Qureshi

We were fully prepared. My mandate was very clear. We discussed all core and burning issues
I did not call anyone. It is not unusual to consult the political leadership. But I was cut off from India
I don’t want to get into debating points with him. I think we made some headway
Without progress on terrorism, all else is futile. Timelines are neither feasible nor plausible
S M Krishna

Freefall-2

While trying to understand all the economic variables mentioned in Stiglitz's Freefall, it occurred to me to try to draw a causal diagram, like the one below.  Problem is that I don't know enough to do so.  Maybe posting it here will bring in some useful suggestions.

Iceland

Rajan Parrikar's series of photographs of Iceland are worth your time, in case you had not been following them from "My Blog List" on the left.  There are several pages of them, so be sure to click on the "Older Posts" on the page I've linked to.