Uganda detains five Pakistanis over terror suspicions

Uganda arrested five Pakistanis suspected of terrorist links in the African country’s oil-rich Western region two weeks ahead of the second anniversary of the bombing attacks in Kampala for which al-Shabaab claimed responsibility. 

In 2010, Uganda was hit by a pair of suicide bombings at screenings of the World Cup.  More than 80 people were killed. 

According to Ugandan police spokesman Judith Nabakoba, the five men were arrested after they crossed over from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where they allegedly met with the Allied Democratic Forces.  The ADF is an Islamist Ugandan group aiming to overthrow the Ugandan government and orchestrated a series of attacks in the late 1990s.

The five said they were only traveling to spread Islam. 

After the arrests, Uganda issued a terror alert and warned people militants may attack viewings of the Euro Cup.  This, compounded by the United States Embassy in Kenya’s warnings of an “imminent” attack in Mombasa, where a grenade attack in a bar killed at least three, has put regional security institutions on high alert. 

Both Uganda and Kenya cooperate with the United States and other Western and African powers in Somalia and to combat Islamist militants and other security threats in the region.  Islamist groups, such as al-Shabaab, threaten Kampala and Nairobi with retaliatory attacks. 

Court orders arrest of Pakistan's prime minister hopeful for links to imported illegal drug

Chill out, Pak. It's not a competition with Egypt for Most Craziest Politics Ever.

The day after Pak's president nominated a prime minister after the previous man to hold the post was disqualified by the judiciary, another court ordered the arrest of the PM hopeful.

Note: While the civilian leaders and judiciary of both countries go at it, very little attention is paid to the real power brokers--the military.

Via the BBC:

Pakistan judge orders arrest of PM nominee Shahabuddin

A judge in Pakistan has ordered the arrest of President Asif Ali Zardari's preferred candidate for prime minister, just a day after he was nominated.

Shahabuddin to face vote on Friday. If he's not in jail.

  Makhdoom Shahabuddin's arrest warrant is linked to imports of an illegal drug while he was health minister.

Parliament is due to vote on a new PM on Friday to replace Yousuf Raza Gilani. The Supreme Court disqualified him because of a contempt conviction.

It is not clear if the warrant will derail Mr Shahabuddin's nomination.

Legal experts say that even if he is arrested, he could still be elected prime minister by parliament, the BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad reports.

Mr Shahabuddin is a senior figure in the ruling Pakistan People's Party who served in the cabinet of Benazir Bhutto and was most recently textiles minister in Mr Gilani's administration.

The order for his arrest was issued by an anti-narcotics court judge in the northern city of Rawalpindi.

It is linked to an anti-narcotics force case into the illegal importing of the drug ephedrine while he was health minister.

Mr Shahabuddin is accused of violating restrictions on the import of the drug in 2010. He denies the charge, and says he in fact ordered an inquiry into the affair.

State TV said that another minister, Raja Pervez Ashraf, would be offered as a "covering" candidate in case the textiles minister was rejected by MPs.

Feud with judiciary

The court's decision to disqualify Mr Gilani stunned Pakistan's government on Tuesday, two months after judges convicted the prime minister of contempt of court for failing to pursue corruption charges against the president.

In April, Mr Gilani was given a token sentence and avoided a jail term.

Even if Mr Shahabuddin does become prime minister, he is likely to face the same Supreme Court demand as Mr Gilani for the launch of a corruption inquiry into Mr Zardari.

The charges against President Zardari date back to the 1990s when his late wife Benazir Bhutto was prime minister. They were accused of using Swiss bank accounts to launder bribe money.

President Zardari has always insisted the charges against him are politically motivated.

Mr Gilani's removal as prime minister is being seen as part of a long-running and bitter feud between the government and judiciary.

Breaking: Gilani no longer Pakistani PM after Supreme Court Ban

Via the BBC:

Pakistan's top court has disqualified Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani from holding office, two months after convicting him of contempt of court.

Ex (??) Pakistani PM Gilani

The Supreme Court ruled he had "ceased to be the prime minister of Pakistan".

In April, the Supreme Court convicted Mr Gilani of failing to pursue corruption charges against President Asif Ali Zardari.

He had argued the president has constitutional immunity from prosecution.

But Mr Gilani was given only a token sentence and spared a jail term.

Tuesday's court ruling disqualified Mr Gilani from office and from parliament.

"Since no appeal was filed [against the 26 April conviction]... therefore Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani stands disqualified as a member of the Majlis-e-Shoora [parliament]," Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry told a packed courtroom.

He added: "He has also ceased to be the prime minister of Pakistan... the office of the prime minister stands vacant."

It is not clear what next steps Mr Gilani may take - or whether his removal means the fall of the government.

The BBC's Orla Guerin in Islamabad says senior leaders of the governing Pakistan People's Party are in emergency session.

It has the necessary majority in parliament to elect a successor to Mr Gilani.

The legal case against Mr Gilani is part of a stand-off between Pakistan's civilian government and the judiciary, which many believe is being backed by the military.

The pursuit of the contempt case by Supreme Court judges was seen by many as an attempt at meddling in the country's politics.

Eager Lion: US will lead massive 12,000 soldier, 19 country "irregular warfare" exercise

The United States will lead a massive military exercise involving over 12,000 soldiers and 19 countries, based in Jordan.  Fellow participants include Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Britain, France, Italy, Spain, and Australia.  The exercise, dubbed Eager Lion, will span two weeks.

According to the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), the purpose of Eager Lion is to strengthen military-to-military relationships between participating nations through joint approaches, integrating all instruments of national power to meet current and future complex national security challenges. 

“The message that I want to send through this exercise is that we have developed the right partners throughout the region and across the world…insuring that we have the ability to…meet challenges that are coming to our nations,” said United States Major General Ken Tovo, commander of United States Special Operations Forces.

Major General Tovo addresses reporters in Amman.
Photo: France 24

Major General Tovo took pains to emphasize no forces would be deployed to Jordan’s north bordering Syria.  “This has nothing to do with Syria.  We respect the sovereignty of Syria,” he explained. 

The exercise is expected to draw criticism from Iran, which is facing intense pressure from Western and Arab capitals to curtail its nuclear program and perceived regional aspirations. 

It is also meant to emphasize continued United States engagement in the region despite withdrawal from Iraq and United States support for Jordan.  Jordanian officials are concerned about unrest spilling over its borders from Syria entangling its own restless Palestinian population.

Publicly, officials from participating countries say the operation is aimed at no country in particular, but instead against “realistic threats.”

Best Defense: Pakistani PM blames entire world for failing to get bin Laden for so long

Via Best Defense: 

"I think it's an intelligence failure from all over the world, Pakistani PM Gilani told a London newspaper.

But--it happened in your backyard, dude. Nor in Argentina's nor indeed in ours.

Ouch.

The forgotten victims of Pakistan's feud with the United States.

Zahra Haider, the widow of one of the men killed by CIA contractor Raymond Davis in January of 2011 was killed by her father today.  Her husband, Faizan, was killed when Davis opened fire in downtown Lahore.  Davis claimed he acted in self defense and invoked diplomatic immunity, sparking an intense backlash that plunged United States-Pakistani ties into crisis.

Everyone knows this story.  But what happened to the families the men killed by Davis left behind? How would society view them? How would they cope?

The fate of the two wives speaks volumes.  Zahra and her mother, Nabeela, were killed by Zahra's father.  Family sources allege Zahra's father was upset Zahra secretly remarried according to her wishes.  He had been pushing her to marry Faizan's brother.  Nabeela supported her daughter.

Zahra (I think--Google is an inexact science).
Photo: The National News [Pakistan]

Shumaila Kanwal, the wife of Davis' other victim, Faheem Ahmed, took her own life ten days after the incident by swallowing rat poison.  He was distressed at the prospect her husband's killer would go free.

The nurse and unidentified relatives of Shumaila Kanwal stand beside her at a hospital in Faisalabad.
Photo: AP

After Kanwal was found, she was taken to a hospital.

"The killer is being treated as a guest at the police station.  I need justice and blood for the blood of my husband," she told reporters who gathered at the hospital.

"I want blood for blood.  The way my husband was shot, his killer should be shot in the same fashion.  I do not expect any justice from this government.  That is why I want to kill myself."

The fate of the two women speaks to the issues facing Pakistan today, especially the spread of violence throughout the country, violence against women in particular, male-dominated social norms, and a convoluted and complicated relationship with the United States.  Zahra bravely followed her heart and her mother, equally bravely, defied her husband to ensure her daughter's happiness.  I will preface this by saying I don't know the intricacies of Pakistani society, but I am of the impression it can be male-dominated.  Arranged marriages--in and of itself not necessarily a bad thing--are prevalent.  What daddy says, goes.

Nabeela
Photo: The Express Tribune

Shumaila, distraught with her government's illegitimacy, lack of justice, and cozy ties with the United States chose to end her own life rather than live in the wake of the incident. She perhaps knew what would follow: Davis would be let off after intense United States pressure and she would lose control of her life and narrative.

I don't want this to be a woe-is-women story.  Instead, I wanted to highlight the overlooked repercussions of these incidents.  We may have moved on, but there are many who are left behind.

UPDATE: Reports say Zahra and Nabeela's deaths were fueled by a dispute over Faizan's blood money. 

Foreign NGO crisis spreads to Pak

Dawn reports this morning that Pakistan's Election Commission's (ECP) decision to involve the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) in a program to computerize electoral rolls using a computerized national identity card database has come under intense criticism.

Both the Interior Ministry and the Economic Affairs Division opposed the partnership, saying the computerization of the voter rolls jeopardized the privacy of the data. In shades of Egypt's anger at NDI, IRI, and the like for running unregistered, those who opposed the plan said the partnership was begun despite not "completing legal formalities."

For IFES to have access to the personal data included in the voter rolls, there must be written consent from every constituent, according to one Pakistani legal expert.

The controversy between the ECP and IFES predates the current NGO crisis in Egypt, however, and dates back to 2007 when a private firm, Kalsoft, "not only failed to deliver a fully functional computerized electoral roll system but also failed to provide error-free rolls," according to a memo sent from ECP to the Prime Minister's office. Kalsoft, instead of modernizing the voting rolls, created a number of deficiencies that required substantial financial and technical assistance. At that point, IFES offered its technical assistance on the matter.

According to ECP sources, the commission was receiving technical assistance from IFES but did not give the foreign organization access to the national database.

Expect reluctance to accept help from US-funded democracy organizations or their utilization as a political football to spread throughout the world, especially in places where the ruling elite may not be particularly warm to the idea of true democratization. 

Drones--And they're back!

There have been various signs over the past week the relationship between the United States and the Pakistan is on the mend.  The resumption of drone attacks is the most evident.  Ten militants were killed near Miramshah in Waziristan on Wednesday after missiles hit their compound.  The next day, AQ/TTP member Badar Mansoor was killed inside Miramshah.  As he was blamed for attacks that killed dozens of Pakistanis, Pakistani officials were most likely happy to see him go and have thus far not spoken out against the strike.

On Tuesday, Pakistani Defense Minister Ahmad Mukhtar voiced support for reopening NATO supply routes to Afghanistan closed after a November 2011 NATO-Afghan cross border attack killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.  Pakistan's National Assembly is set to debate reopening the route, albeit for a price.

Incredibly importantly, there are reports the Obama administration is considering a public apology for the November raid, for which it has thus far only expressed "deep regret."  The NYT quoted a State Department official as saying, "We've felt an apology would be helpful in creating some space."  I'd be interested in hearing the military's take on the apology, whether or not there has been a shift toward supporting such a gesture. It is my understanding the military at the time was not incredibly excited about the possibility of an apology, judging by the murky role Pakistani forces play in the Afghanistan war.  It probably doesn't help that US forces along the border have long suspected Pakistani forces have been attacking them from the safety of Pakistani border posts

US Centcom commander General Mattis is scheduled to visit Islamabad for talks with Pakistan's army chief General Kayani next week.  I'd hardly expect a kumbaya, but I guess it's good to move back to being frenemies instead of enemies. 

Egypt vs. Pakistan, con't

A friend rightly pointed out this morning that Egypt and Pakistan are two different countries, two different cultures, two different societies.  I mentioned this in passing in my previous post highlighting Dunne and Nawaz's piece in the New York Times asking if Egypt can avoid Pakistan's fate. When I initially read the headline of the NYT piece I was a bit skeptical--I hate easy situational comparisons that ignore differences between countries (Egypt is becoming Pakistan! Turkey is becoming Iran! Afghanistan is our Vietnam!). Glosses over too much.  And if it's simplistic enough to be featured on CNN, it's probably wrong.

I think another important thing to mention is the liberals/activists/more Western-oriented individuals, whatever you want to call them, still have faith there is a place for them in Egypt. They're engaging in their communities and politics (although to varying degrees of success) and many are moving back to Egypt to contribute to this new society.  Most people I met from Pakistan, however, that fit this bill have left and never looked back.  A few months ago I met a girl on an airplane from Pakistan and she said there was no space in society for people like her.  To me, Pakistan should be worried about this when the best and brightest feel disassociated and unwelcome.  At the bare minimum, they will be unable to shake their economic stagnation without engaging these sectors of society.

But regarding Egypt's decision to try 19 Americans in a case linked to foreign funding of NGOs, SCAF is obviously playing politics here.  It's easy to divert attention from an economy in the toilet when you're deflecting blame to foreign elements. It's also an easy way to maintain support of an otherwise antsy public--Egypt's under siege by the Americans/Israelis/whoever. Best to maintain unity.

I am torn about whether or not the United States should pull aid funding.  We'd be playing politics right back.  According to Gallup, Egyptians overwhelmingly don't even want the money, but the aid was never about what Egyptians want. It is more for pursuing United States priorities.

NYT: Can Egypt Avoid Pakistan's Fate?

At first, the comparison between Pakistan and Egypt made me cringe, but this piece by Michelle Dunne and Shuja Nawaz is worth a read. There are significant differences between the two countries, but the comparison nevertheless is apt.

"One year after the revolution that ousted President Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian military is closing down civil society organizations and trying to manipulate the constitution-writing process to serve its narrow interests. Meanwhile, in Pakistan, where the military has also held sway for more than half the country’s existence — for much of that time, with America’s blessing — a new civil-military crisis is brewing."

With regard to both countries, the United States had the tendency to look the other way as long as the military regimes were willing to help the United States fulfill its regional goals.

The regional changes brought on by the so-called Arab Spring and the vapid anti-Americanism present in Pakistan show the danger of such an approach. Perhaps in the short run the status quo suits United States interest, but the repression, corruption, and economic stagnation of both these countries made the situation unsustainable. It is/was only a matter of time before the simmering pot exploded. I believe the Obama administration is smart enough to realize this. Fingers crossed their better judgement is not subsumed for short-term or domestic political interests.