1979: The then Soviet Union invades Afghanistan. In the years that follow Moscow will rule Kabul by proxy while the US, Pakistan, China, Iran and Saudi Arabiaextend their support to anti-communist Muslim fighters, the Mujahideen, who oppose the Soviets.

1988–1989: The Soviet Union withdraws. More than 15,000 Soviet soldiers have died in the conflict.

1992: Led by Ahmed Shah Massoud, Mujahideen forces remove the Soviet-backed government, but in the years that follow rivalry between different groups of fighters reduce Kabul to rubble and effectively plunge Afghanistan into civil conflict.
 

1994: Mullah Mohammed Omar, a Muslim cleric, sets up Taliban movement of Islamic students who take up arms to end the chaos in Afghanistan. They capture Kandahar and advance on Kabul.
 

1996: The Taliban takes Kabul and hangs Mohammad Najibullah, the then president. The year also sees the return to Afghanistan of Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda's leader who fought with Mujahideen groups against the Soviet occupation.
 

1998: The US launches missiles at suspected bin Laden bases in the country in retaliation for the bombing of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
 

1999: The UN imposes an air embargo and freezes Taliban assets in an attempt to force them to hand over bin Laden for trial.

Security around top leaders and vital installations in Indian Punjab has been increased following intelligence reports of Sikh separatist groups trying to recruit youth from the US and India to revive liberation of Khalistan.Reports of a meeting between officials and Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) chief Wadhawa Singh in December have raised concerns among security agencies in the state. A  top-secret intelligence communication from Punjab Police to security agencies last week states: “To execute this task, Wadhawa Singh is making efforts to mobilise volunteers from Punjab as also from the US, who could be made to travel to India via Malaysia or Singapore.”

Following this, security agencies have been asked to take appropriate security measures to protect VIPs and important installations across the state. The VIPs said to be in the target list of the terror outfits include Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu. Bittu, who is the Punjab Youth Congress president, is the grandson of former state chief minister Beant Singh, who is credited with wiping out Sikh’s in the state in the early 1990s with ’super-cop’ KPS Gill. Beant Singh was assassinated by a human bomb here Aug 31, 1995.  continue

MQM has ordered its elite terrorist wing to move from South Africa to Pakistan for the final round with the Armed Forces and make Karachi Beirut of Pakistan leading to the separation as independent territory. Though it might not be relevant to the South African government now but may become problem in future.  It is understood that elite terrorist unit is active by looking at the targeted killings of 18 Haqiqi (Mohajir Qumi Movemnt) in the month of January 2010 alone, and 81 members from  June 2009 – December 2009 in six months period, the total number of Haqaqi workers killed in the past eight years from 2002-2010 is shamefully 154.  There are other groups whose members have been killed allegedly by London – Edgware based MQM-Altaf group. 

Approximately 16 or more members of MQM elite terrorist wing have entered into Pakistan some with different IDs in the past four weeks. Some of the people arrived in Karachi had bounty on their heads and are wanted in Pakistan for heinous crimes. The master mind of the group is known as Qamar Ghalib Teddy (Johannesburg), Sohial Commando, Rizwan Haider, Nadeem Mullah. continue

SPECIAL REPORT

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—The Zardari government is silent on a major development where the government of Thailand allowed foreign-backed anti-Pakistan groups, including groups funding terrorism inside Pakistan, to hold a conference in Bangkok on Feb. 22 and 23.

The conference explicitly called for international support for the breakup of Pakistan and for carving out smaller states in its place.

Dissidents claiming to represent Balochi-speaking Pakistanis and Iranians were invited to the conference, full expenses paid.

An unknown group that calls itself Baloch Voice Foundation, based in Paris, organized the event. The group is funded according to reports by the Washington-based Jamestown Foundation, a US think tank that shows a lot of interest in promoting separatism inside Pakistan and Iran.

Bangkok is known in intelligence circles as a favorite CIA destination for shady public events.

CIA, with Indian help, recruited Mr. Brahamdagh Bugti to wage a terrorist insurgency inside Pakistan in the name of freedom for Balochi-speaking Pakistanis. Mr. Abdolmalik Rigi was hired to spread terror inside Iran. Pakistani authorities have shared evidence with Washington proving that rogue CIA elements are sponsoring Mr. Bugti. Iran on the other hand has shown more boldness than Pakistani authorities, intercepting a plane and arresting Mr. Rigi after he visited a US military base in Afghanistan.

A group of Pakistani citizens gathered in front of the hotel in Bangkok carrying banners that read, ‘Stop using Thai soil against Pakistan’ and ‘Balochistan is Pakistan’ among others.

No sooner did Pakistan arrest leading Afghan Taliban figures, conspiracy theories surfaced in the US media in an attempt to malign Pakistan. Indians and their apologists in US were at the forefront of this campaign. Far from appreciating Pakistani stand, strong signs exist that CIA continues its double game against Pakistan. Despite statements to the contrary, Washington continues to bet on the puppet regime of President Asif Ali Zardari.

The US duplicity in its dealings with Pakistan continues unabated and I have always maintained that the scale of their enterprise in destabilizing Pakistan can only be understood by finding linkages in seemingly unconnected events and publications.Just when the Pakistan military has taken a strong position on its military operations in FATA and the pull towards dialogue with the tribals is becoming evident, the US subversive activities against Pakistan are becoming more overt, and old CIA connections are taking centre stage again including so-called “experts” on Pakistan! Let us look at some recent developments and see the linkages.

First, after incessant cries from ignorant US officials and even more ignorant but imperialist minded media, of Pakistan not doing enough against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, when the Pakistanis captured a leading Taliban commander, suddenly the Americans – and their media and officialdom do have close connections – through their media led forth a new chant of why Pakistan had arrested this man! There were conspiracy theories that immediately began floating that somehow Pakistan arrested this Taliban commander to disrupt the dialogue that Karzai is seeking with the Taliban because Pakistan wants to remain in control of any such dialogue. Talk about bizarre assumptions! So, as some of us have always maintained, in the eyes of the US, Pakistanis will always find themselves in a position of “damned if we do and damned if we don’t.” It is time therefore to wash our hands off this whole US-led misguided “war on terror” and evolve our own strategies to deal with our own problem of violence and extremism which is multidimensional and cannot be straitjacketed into merely a Taliban framework. continue

The concept of Jihad in Islam has been grossly misunderstood, rather distorted. In the West where it has been presented as barbarism, as aggressive use of brute force. The term militant Islam which has been in vogue in the world press recently, this is a follow-up of this very approach to the fundamental concept of Islam and a continuation of the old Jihad phobia of the non-Muslims.

The after-affects of the Crusades which badly affected the relations between the Muslims and the Christians still linger on. European Christians are still smarting under that defeat. They have therefore tried all sorts of means to eliminate the spirit of Jihad from amongst the Muslims as it was this spirit that reduced their designs to dust. Through malicious propaganda campaigns, distortion on the true concept of Jihad and labeling of Muslims as barbarous killers and usurpers they have depicted a horribly ugly picture of Islam in the eyes of the world. The significance of Jihad must therefore be elucidates in the light of the Holy Quran.

Jihad means striving utmost to achieve an objective. The primary objective before the Muslims is establishment of a social order based on the Quranic fundamental principles. All efforts to that end fall with in the meaning of Jihad. Armed fight against formidable
resistance by self-seeking people which is called Qatal is also Jihad and has been allowed by the Quran in extreme circumstances. Islam is a Deen (system) of peace and protection.

Three questions arise here:

(1) Is Islam really a deen of peace, justice, and tolerance?
(2) Does it allow discriminate fighting against the enemy or has it laid down certain checks and rules for it?
(3) Under what circumstances did the Muslims fight against non-Muslims?

Source: Parvez-Video

Acts of terrorism are not confined to Muslims alone. Terrorists come from every religion. But the media often uses the term Islamic terrorists or Islamic terrorism, implying terrorism is associated with Islam. It is our duty as American Muslims to present the true picture of Islam, which is that Islam does not teach terrorism under any circumstances. It forbids killing of innocent civilians. The holy Book of Islam, the Quran, says: "If anyone murders an innocent person … it will be as if he had murdered the whole of humanity." 

So, who are the Muslims who commit such heinous acts in the name of Islam? It is obvious from the above injunction of the Quran that they do not follow true Islam. Therefore, they must be driven not by Islam but some other desire (such as hate or revenge) to commit acts of terrorism. Muslims around the world greet (or are supposed to greet) each other, and others, using the Arabic words, "Assalamu ‘Alaikum" which means: "peace beunto you." There is no doubt that some Muslims, while using such a benevolent greeting, carry malevolent intentions in their hearts. The holy Book of Islam,the Quran, condemns such people by saying: "Why do you say that which you do not practice?" Such Muslims, therefore, do not represent Islam. Islam has nothing to do with those who commit acts of terrorism. Therefore, it is wise to differentiate Muslims and Islam. Just as acts of terrorism committed by Christians cannot be attributed to Christianity, acts of terrorism committed by Muslims must not be attributed to Islam or its teachings.  continue