UN Commission report on murder of Benazir Bhutto

The black bullet-proof Mercedes-Benz car was the first to leave the parking
area. It is not clear how much distance there was between this vehicle and the rest of Ms Bhutto’s convoy at the moment of the blast. Credible reports range from 100
meters to 250 meters. Some of those in the car said that they were close enough to
Ms Bhutto’s vehicle to feel the impact of the blast. Others at the site of the blast have said that the Mercedes-Benz left Liaquat Bagh so quickly that it was nowhere to be seen when the blast occurred. Indeed, the Commission has not seen this vehicle in
the many video images of the exit area it reviewed. Despite the acknowledgement of
some occupants of the vehicle that they felt the impact of the blast, the Commission finds it incredible that they drove all the way to Zardari House, a drive of about 20
minutes, before they became aware that Ms Bhutto had been injured in the blast.
They should have stopped at a safe distance when they felt the blast so as to check on Ms Bhutto’s condition, the condition of her vehicle and whether the back-up vehicle was required. Indeed, as the back-up vehicle, the Mercedes-Benz car would have been an essential element of Ms Bhutto’s convoy on the return trip even if the
occupants of that car had confirmed that Ms Bhutto had been unscathed in the attack.

My interview with Mahatir Mohammad on BBC

Watch it on the following link
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/3191639.stm

Capacity building Seminar by SCOPE at Dreamland Islamabad.

On the invitation of coordinator Mahjabeen Khan, chairman SDAWP participated in this event. Khalid Hussain played an important role in successful conduction of this seminar. It lasted for two days.

WORLD WATER DAY 2010 at Best Western Islamabad

On the invitation of PWP chairman SDAWP participated in the celebrations on 22nd March,2010. All big names from the country partnership were present in the event. Sardar Asif Ahmed, minister of education was the chief guest. Mr. Naseer Gillani invited my comments on water crisis in my area. The event lasted for one day.

Dawn response to my speech at Agha Khan University, Karachi

KARACHI: As civilians flee from Pakistan’s new war zone in South Waziristan and settle in nearby districts of Dera Ismail Khan and Tank, health specialists and social workers have warned of a widespread outbreak of diarrheal diseases at camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) where people have no access to clean drinking water and sanitation.

Shah Jahan Bhatti, Chairperson Southern Districts Area Water Partnership (SDAWP), is one such activist working in Dera Ismail Khan who is concerned about the massive displacement of humans in a region that is already water-stressed.

Bhatti was in Karachi last week to attend the two-day 13th National Health Sciences Research Symposium: 'Impact of Water and Sanitation on Health, Our problem, our solutions' at Aga Khan University Hospital, where he shared the challenges his regions is faced with.

‘The sewerage system in DI Khan is obsolete. It is based on open drains and the underground water that is consumed by over 90 per cent of the population is also contaminated,’ he said.

Although the local government laid pipes with the financial assistance of World Bank in 2004, the water in these pipes often gets contaminated due to poor insulation.

The out-of-order tube wells in the area and electricity load shedding has further compounded the problem, making it difficult for authorities to meet the increasing demand for clean drinking water with the rise in the number of IDPs.

A normal displaced person needs 15 to 20 litres of water in a camp every day, but in areas where mass displacement has occurred, that is not possible.

Bhatti, who considers his organisation SDAWP as a serious stakeholder in water supply and sanitation initiatives, elaborated that since the entire region faces an acute shortage of water his work is presently focused in seven administrative centres of the NWFP, including Hangu, Kohat, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, Kulachi, Tank and Dera Ismail Khan.

Lack of funds, he added, is another reason that prevents SDWAP from pursuing their efforts in the entire region. ‘Therefore we are focusing on Dera Ismail Khan and Tank at present.’

According to the July 2009 Assessment Mission Report of National Disaster Management Authority on DI Khan, over 50, 000 IDPs from South Waziristan have arrived in the area. The unofficial estimates, however, put the number closer to 0.3 million.

‘The problem with authorities and other aid agencies is they set up health camps to treat the diseases, but do nothing for prevention,’ laments Bhatti.

Masood Akhtar from the National Disaster Management Authority echoes Bhatti's views. ‘The displaced in camps need proper pit toilets and temporary washrooms for bathing. These are their immediate and basic needs, which are often ignored by humanitarian agencies that focus on food and medical supplies only,’ says Akhtar.

In such a scenario, the need for a proper drainage system is often ignored as a result of which open defecation becomes inevitable, especially in the case of children. ‘This contaminates the environment and communicable diseases such as diarrhea and cholera become widespread in camps,’ adds Akhtar.

Speakers at the convention also highlighted that Pakistan spends 55 to 80 billion rupees on public health just due to diarrhea, a disease that has a strong nexus with water and sanitation.

Presently, however, humanitarian agencies have limited access to DI Khan and Tank, which poses a greater challenge to the district administration.

‘Since DI Khan and Tank are sensitive areas in terms of UN access to aid and monitoring, technology intervention can help,’ suggests Bhatti. ‘If agencies are skeptical about whether or not their aid is reaching the people, satellite cameras can be used to monitor the relief work.’ Satellites, he said, would be also helpful since most of the region is inaccessible owing to a poor infrastructure and is neglected by the local town authorities.

Bhatti predicts that the humanitarian crisis would worsen if international aid agencies are not allowed to intervene since local authorities are mostly corrupt and pay little attention to the deteriorating situation in the city.

‘Most of the funds allocated for water has disappeared into the pockets of the corrupt bureaucracy,’ said the social worker, who added that he does not see any positive changes coming in the near future.

‘Things will only change when our doctors and scientists stop bowing before our politicians and work for the well-being of the people of their country.’ He added that the media should also focus on other pressing issues of the region instead of focusing on reports of violence from the region.

‘You need to respect and respond to people’s actual needs if you really want to help them,’ said Omar El Hattab, the UNICEF Pakistan Chief Water, Environment and Sanitation, by way of summarizing the problem.
published on 4th of November 2009

STATE SPONSORED TERRORISM

Lawlessness in Pakistan developed just after partition. Judiciary was among the first victims. Money played vital role in deciding cases in the courts. Deaths of Mohammad Ali Jinah and his sister are secrets in the short history of Pakistan. Many assume they were murdered; Mohammad Ali Jinah by Liaqat Ali Khan and his sister by Field Marshal General Ayub Khan. Similarly deaths of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and General Ziaulhaq are also cloaked in mystery. Benazir Bhutto and her brothers were assassinated in brad day light but no one knows who killed them.
In the last sixty years Compra-Checose’ and Compra-Precose’ have been ruling Pakistan. Mohammad Ali Jinah was deceived by his predecessors. Sheer criminals emerged as presidents and prime ministers as predicted by Sir Winston Churchill. . Corrupt bureaucracy helped equally corrupt army and political leadership in the country. Education produced more Compra-Checose” and more Copmpra-Pecose’ as our rulers. Religion and political ideology was used shamelessly by such thugs. Any one who opposed them was mercilessly humbled by coercive forces at their disposal. They quarreled with themselves but media covered their idiocy. So called people of Pakistan were rendered slaves. Thanks God Americans and Europeans helped people against these rulers from time to time. There may be some hidden agenda behind this humanitarian help as doubted by anti American groups. Sheer lawlessness prevails upon the country right from Karachi to Swat. Karachi is providing money and strategy to so called Pakistani Taliban in the tribal areas. Common perception in the country is that America and Europe must pay for war against terror. Common men and women are brutally killed in cities and towns and government seems least responsible. In modern democracies a citizen has the right to know the fact but here those who are interested in facts are treated like traitors and faithless person.
Justice system was never effective. It always supported the criminals. .

Listener's Club

Geo T.V., F.M. 93, and representatives of different newspapers gathered to discuss terrorism and its impacts on local communities. Saeedullah Marwat and Farooq Adil played lead role in the discussion. I suggested audience to give minimum coverage to acts of terrorism because terrorists seek focus in media that they are are getting these days.