Please find below Mr Haqqani’s criticism of the article written by Ardeshir Cowasjee.
Today, Benazir Bhutto is returning to Pakistan. There is a huge amount of excitement amongst her supporters and they are all at the airport to receive her. So far no numbers have been quoted on news channels as to the number of people that are there to receive her, but it is sure to be a big one.
The by-product of all this is that most of the people have not gone to work today and even the ones that have will be going back home by around 1 or 2 in the afternoon. The latest I heard was that Shahrah-e-Faisal was being closed at 10 in the morning. Even though newspapers did show her route yesterday there has been no notice given by the authorities as to when they plan to shut the different parts of Shahrah-e-Faisal or, in fact, other roads. It would have made it much easier for people to plan their day. I hope BB’s reception takes place without a hitch and that there is no untoward incident.
Dear [Sir],
Mr. Cowasjee writes “Vincent Fournier, one of the three judges, has confirmed his office is about to pass on the case to the prosecutor.” Then he goes on to say, “Crystal clear is it not? The couple stand convicted of corruption.”
If they are convicted of corruption, what is it that needs to be sent to the prosecutor?
Continue reading ‘Husain Haqqani’s criticism of the Cowasjee article’
Imran Khan has called Altaf Hussain a terrorist and has actually said that a legal team is being constituted which would go to London and file a case against the MQM Quaid for killing innocent people. A friend sent me an email putting forward the legal case for Altaf Hussain’s extradition. Its a bit legalese, but I guess it has to be for something which is a purely legal matter. I mean we can’t just walk up to them and say, ‘hand him over’. Most readers might find it a bit too technical, but interesting nevertheless as it deals with specific British and International laws.
Continue reading ‘Can Altaf be extradited?’
In one of my comments to Saad K’s post I had commented on the Iranian national pride. Then yesterday Ahmadinejad announced the release of the 15 British sailors as a ‘gift’ to the British. Here is an interesting satirical piece from the Guardian where Terry Jones, a Python (has appeared in and directed several Monty Python movies), makes a comparison between the treatment given by Iran to the British sailors and the treatment by the Allied forces of their prisoners in the War on Terror. I am sure most of you would be against the double standards on display here and agree fully with this brilliant piece.
Call that Humiliation?
No hoods. No electric shocks. No beatings. These Iranians clearly are a very uncivilised bunch
I share the outrage expressed in the British press over the treatment of our naval personnel accused by Iran of illegally entering their waters. It is a disgrace. We would never dream of treating captives like this - allowing them to smoke cigarettes, for example, even though it has been proven that smoking kills. And as for compelling poor servicewoman Faye Turney to wear a black headscarf, and then allowing the picture to be posted around the world - have the Iranians no concept of civilised behaviour? For God’s sake, what’s wrong with putting a bag over her head? That’s what we do with the Muslims we capture: we put bags over their heads, so it’s hard to breathe. Then it’s perfectly acceptable to take photographs of them and circulate them to the press because the captives can’t be recognised and humiliated in the way these unfortunate British service people are.
Continue reading ‘Iranians Are a Very Uncivilised Bunch by Terry Jones, The Guardian’
Today, the New York Times has published an excellent article on the human rights violations in Kashmir. I am not shocked to read about the extra judicial killings or “encounters” in Kashmir (Indian Army and Police Implicated in Kashmir Killings, 06 February 2007). However, it is a disgrace that the international community, including the United Nations, have not raised their voices on behalf of the people of Kashmir.
Continue reading ‘Human Rights Violations in Jammu and Kashmir’
(Although this post has nothing to do with Pakistan I thought it might be a good idea to diversify the subjects while keeping the focus on Pakistan. International law is becoming an important part of the world around us.)
It has been almost four years since the ‘coalition of the willing’ commenced attacks against Iraq and there has been much debate about the technical aspects of the war on things such as the strength of forces, the weapons employed, the strategies devised and the managing of Iraq’s economy. Also, at times the discussion is enamelled with sprinkles of some ethical and humanitarian considerations.
By contrast, the law, in particular, international law, has been almost totally absent from the debate. It is a shame that international law, which is a fundamental aspect of international relations, has been left out. Most people, not just in Pakistan, but across the globe accept it as a matter of fact that the war is illegal since no weapons of mass destruction (WMD) have been discovered in the past four years, along with the idea of ‘regime change’, carrying no international legitimacy.
Those people will probably be surprised to find out that the statement by the Attorney-General of the UK, Lord Goldsmith to a parliamentary question regarding the legal basis of the war and a similar statement by the Attorney-General of the United States, John Ashcroft to the US Congress made no mention of the weapons of mass destruction, or humanitarian intervention, or preemptive self-defence. However, the surprises don’t end there and they would be puzzled if they were told that this war drew legality from UN Security Council resolutions.
Continue reading ‘A little something about Iraq: Is it legal?’
