TTP's affection for Mr Bean

Mr Malik

Mr Bean

Interesting to see that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has a soft spot for Mr Bean. A couple of days ago the organisation's spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan issued a statement "To Mr Bean of Pakistan, His Excellency Rehman Malik" (you can find a copy here).
The statement suggests that Interior Minister Malik should not concern himself too much about death threats from the TTP as they have no intention of killing him: "We want to (be) clear that TTP has no plan to kill Mr Bean, because his ridiculous statements and stances always give favour to TTP. TTP will let him alive (because) he is fruitful for us."
After making it clear that the TTP wants to see the imposition of its form of Islam on the whole of Pakistan, Ihsan goes on to complain about Pakistani Army activities in North Waziristan saying "There is curfew in Miranshah city, and heavy shelling from gunship helicopters and cannons on civilian population in Machis area, The houses are downed to earth. Maybe some Malalas underneath.The killing of women and children is feared. The city resembles Dhaka of 1971. Would you like to report it and dare to ask Army what is good reason of these showers of blessing?"
The statement goes on to give the relevant phone numbers, just in case you want to take up their offer:
"Political Agent North Waziristan Agency at 0928-300798
or Military Camps in North Waziristan at Army 0928-311973
or FC Tochi Scouts 0928-310178 or NLI 0928-320249
or GSO-2 Ops army 0927-312877
or DAAG 7 Div army 091-8700-3123".
How very thoughtful of them!

Bribery scandal in Pakistan grows and grows

The scandal now erupting in Pakistan around property tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain and his relationship with Arsalan Iftikhar, son of the chief justice, threatens a meltdown within Pakistan's ruling elite.
Hussain himself has said that Iftikhar accepted Rs400 million ($3.6 million) from him to ensure that his controversial property deals in the 45,000-acre Bahria Town development, one of the largest in south Asia, received favourable treatment in the many court cases now being raised against him.
It seems that much of the land on which Bahria Town is built was not acquired legally and that a plethora of senior army officers, civil servants and lawyers are on Hussain's payroll. In the latest development, Aaj TV has published a list of 19 senior journalists who, it alleges, were bribed by Hussain. The list  gives details of the bribes, which include large amounts of cash, houses and cars. The publication of the list has sent shockwaves through Pakistan's media.
Hussain's rise has been phenomenal. In the 1980s he was a small-time contractor, whilst today he is regarded as the 12th richest man in Pakistan, much of it on the back of profits made through Bahria Town. Reports say that with the help of the Defence Housing Authority, Hussain grabbed RS62 billion worth of land in one deal and then grabbed land in the area of the Dadhocha Dam and resold it several times under different names. More than 110,000 civilians, 41,000 serving and retired military officers and others were cheated out of 165,000 kanals of land, it is alleged.
Hussain - whose frankness knows no bounds - says he bribed Arsalan Iftikhar by, amongst other things,  financing trips to London and Monte Carlo (including casinos) in 2010 and 2011 so that he could gain influence over judges hearing land claims against him. He has admitted that he paid for holidays for Arsalan worth $163,000 and that he can prove it because he kept the receipts for hotels, car rental and other expenses. The costs covered included a stay at the luxury Hotel De Paris in Monte Carlo, a very expensive apartment on Park Lane and the use of a luxury Range Rover to ferry Iftikhar's family around London in style. Arsalan says, modestly, he repaid  $47,000 of the money. Hussain says the rest of the $3.6m was given to Mr Arsalan in cash, and that he has video footage to prove it.

Despite these claims, the Supreme Court has decided to take no action against Hussain, saying it should be dealt with by a lower court. The judges said that as Hussain had admitted he got no relief as a result of his payments, they cannot take any further action. 

We thus have the remarkable situation where the briber, Hussain, has gone to court because he says he paid money over to Arsalan to influence certain decisions, but is complaining because the money was taken, but the courts did not back him.
Since these initial allegations, Hussain himself has suggested that Pakistan's chief justice himself is involved in the case. Speaking of the Supreme Court yesterday he said: “This court is being controlled by the don Dr Arsalan and the entire court is under his influence,”  adding “Arsalan has influence on his father and other judges. He is the don of all the judiciary”.
When told that his statements would offend the judges of the Supreme Court and he could be held in contempt, Hussain said he had documentary evidence that instructions were sent to give pre-decided judgments. “I know how instructions are sent. I have documentary evidence how instructions are sent. I will soon present this.”
As if this scandal was not enough, Rehman Malik has had his membership of the Senate suspended on the grounds that he has dual British-Pakistani nationality. This means he is no longer interior minister, but has had to revert to his old title of advisor to the prime minister on interior matters. Several other members of provincial assemblies have also had their membership suspended over dual nationality issues. Also suspended from Parliament is Farahnaz Ispahani, media advisor to the president, on the grounds of his joint US-Pakistani nationality.
Where all this will lead is anyone's guess. One thing is sure: more dramatic revelations of bribery and corruption within Pakistan's elite will be made public in the next few days.

Bets placed on future of Zardari government in PK

In what must rank as one of the most ironic comments of the year, Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik said this morning that bets were being placed on the future of the Zardari government. Do you think anyone got odds on Minister of State for Defence Production Abdul Qayyum Jatoi resigning last week? If so, I think a steward's inquiry is in order.

Head of Pak counter-terror body resigns

As predicted by this blog in March, the director of Pakistan's troubled counter-terrorism coordinating body has resigned.
Tareq Pervez, director of the National Counterterrorism Authority (Nacta), resigned yesterday, saying it was for personal reasons. However, for months there has been discussion over who should have control over the agency, which was only set up last year.
It is believed that Pervez wanted to be under the prime minister's office, instead of under Rehman Malik, the Interior Minister. His argument was that he would have greater freedom to investigate. However, it was the prime minister himself who allocated responsibility to the Interior Ministry.
The spat has delayed any serious action by the new agency which will have its hands full trying to coordinate Pakistan's various security and intelligence organisations. Some of them have in the past had very close relations with Islamist terrorists that are now on government wanted lists.
The resignation came on the day that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan mounted an attack on a military firing range in the northwestern city of Mardan in which four soldiers were wounded.
The attackers refused to stop at the entrance to the range, prompting the guards to open fire. Three of the men wore suicide jackets that detonated as they were shot at, wounding the soldiers. Four other gunmen gave covering fire during the incident, two of whom were killed.
And in Karachi in the south two Pashtun political parties opened up a feud in which more than a dozen people have died so far.

More woes for Pakistan's counter-terror agency

The director of Pakistan's troubled anti-terrorism coordinating body may resign after proposals he made for the way the organisation should be governed were watered down by the interior ministry.
Tariq Pervez, coordinator of the National Counterterrorism Authority (Nacta) had recommended the creation of a high-powered board of governors with the prime minister as chairman and senior ministers, along with the chiefs of the Inter Services Intelligence and the Intelligence Bureau, as members.
However, after Pervez submitted the proposals to the interior ministry they were changed without explanation to make the Interior Minister, Rehman Malik, chairman of the board of governors.
Pervez has let it be known that this change will severely limit the effectiveness of the organisation. Had it been headed by the prime minister, then other ministers would have ensured they attended. But without him, ministers are likely to depute less senior staff to take their places.
The Nacta was established more than a year ago, with a great fanfare, but so far has achieved almost nothing. It has become bogged down in bureaucratic disputes over who should be in control, despite offers from Britain and other countries to finance its work.

Pakistan's invisible counter-terrorism agency

What has happened to Pakistan's National Counterterrorism Authority (Nacta)? Set up in January this year, it has done little more than appoint a national coordinator, Tariq Pervez - the retired head of the country's Federal Investigation Agency. Reports in the Pakistan press say that Nacta is "presently confined to a single room where Pervez has his office", while some reports suggest he is on the verge of resigning.
Nacta was supposed to be the focus for Pakistan's counter-terrorism efforts, tasked with reseaching and analysing the mindset of militants and integrating civilian, military, provincial and federal efforts - namely the activities of the FIA, the ISI and the Intelligence Bureau of the police.
When its formation was announced in January 2009 by Pakistan's prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani he tasked it with drawing up a national strategy in consultation with all the stakeholders to boost counterterrorism efforts. In February, Interpol chief Khoo Boon Hui praised Pakistan for setting up the agency, sending a letter to Tariq Pervez saying that the establishment of Nacta was "a strong testament to the commitment of Pakistan towards addressing the menace of terrorism".
Since then, despite the massive increase in terror-related incidents and the increasingly regular suicide bombings and gun attacks by Islamist militants which have killed hundreds of Pakistani citizens, Nacta has been conspicuous by its absence from either investigations or from strategic discussions.
Nacta is presently located in the Interior Ministry where the minister, Rehman Malik, has been responsible for its existence. The lack of activity prompted prime minister Gilani to make a visit to the ministry recently to question Malik on what was happening.
“Serious efforts are required for countering terrorism and extremism through psychological warfare that needs proper research and analysis of the mindset of militants,” Gilani was quoted as saying. He added that the organisation should "act as a think-tank to give policy options to the government on countering extremism and terrorism,”.
In a thinly-velied criticism he said the interior ministry’s actions in protecting the life and property of the people should be visible to the public eye. “It is the duty of the government to ensure foolproof security of the citizens.”
Gilani also announced that funding for the new agency would double from $3.5 million to $7 million within a year, although there is little to show how money has been spent so far. The European Union had previously agreed to support the agency with a grant of 15 million Euros. This month, the German state-funded development agency, GTZ, advertised for a senior police advisor to Nacta, with a provisional starting date of January 2010. Will anything have changed by then?