Judge orders deportation of Pakistani party chief

The head of the Quebec branch of a Pakistani political party is facing deportation after the Federal Court of Canada ruled he belonged to an organization that committed terrorism.
The judge upheld the deportation of Mohammed Kashif Omer, a resident of Montreal, on the grounds he is a member of the Mothaidda Quami Movement, or MQM.
It is the second time this year Canadian courts have ruled the MQM party meets the legal definition of a terrorist organization.
Mr. Omer is one of dozens of Pakistanis whom Canadian immigration authorities are trying to deport because of their involvement in the MQM.
Despite being blamed for the kidnapping, torture and murder of its political rivals in Pakistan, the MQM has opened a Canadian branch called MQM-Canada.
Members of the group have worked on Conservative election campaigns, met Prime Minister Stephen Harper and recently hosted a conference in Calgary.
Conservative MP Art Hanger spoke at the June 8-10 MQM Canada convention, which was attended by several Pakistanis who are being deported for their alleged involvement in terrorism. Mr. Hanger said he did not support the group. Conservative MLA Shiraz Shariff also attended. He said yesterday he was unaware Canadian courts had deemed the MQM a terrorist organization. "Why are we as a nation then allowing them to have a congregation here?" he said.
Among the speakers at the convention was Mr. Omer, who presented a report on the "achievements and future strategy" of the Montreal office of MQM, according to the group's Web Site.
Mr. Omer has no immigration status in Canada. A Canada Border Services Agency spokesman, Erik Paradis, said the court ruling means that the deportation order against Mr. Omer is now in effect.
The MQM is a Pakistani political party that is part of President Pervez Musharraf's ruling coalition. The Canadian MQM branch has never been accused of illegal activities but in Pakistan the party has been blamed for widespread violence, most recently in May when gunfights between the MQM and anti-government demonstrators left more than 40 dead.
MQM officials deny any role in attacks and say they are victims of misinformation spread by Pakistani authorities. Canada's Security Intelligence Review Committee has been looking into complaints from MQM members that immigration authorities have unfairly branded them as terrorists.
Mr. Omer came to Canada in 1998 and was granted refugee status but in 2005 immigration officials said he could not remain in Canada "because he knowingly and for a long period of time belonged to an organization that has engaged in terrorism."
In Pakistan, Mr. Omer had been a member of the MQM and its student wing from 1987 to 1998. He denied any involvement with the MQM in Canada but eventually acknowledged he was in charge of the MQM's Quebec office.
The Immigration and Refugee Board said "Mr. Omer's reasons for trying to hide that, in Canada, he is responsible for the Montreal section of the MQM-Canada lead me to believe that he knew that his party was committing many violent acts."
He appealed the decision to the Federal Court, arguing that the MQM is not a terrorist organization and that the violence was committed by rogue elements in the party, but the court was not convinced.
sbell@nationalpost.com

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khyber pukhtoonkhwa flood

KP should get 95 percent of foreign aid: Mian Iftikhar

* Provincial information minister complains KP being ignored

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\10\story_10-8-2010_pg7_10

Staff Report

PESHAWAR: The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa called on the federal government on Monday to divert 95 percent of foreign aid to the flood-devastated province.

Expressing anger at the response to floods in the province, provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the federal government is not taking the flood devastation in the province “seriously”. He said the Centre should divert 95 percent of aid it gets from the international community to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“It is important to note where flood devastation has been much and major chunk of international aid should go there,” Hussain said during a news briefing on relief and rescue operations. “Our resources are limited,” Hussain said, adding, “The Centre should take note of the wide scale destruction in our province”.

Ignored: Hussain said the whole province was underwater and last two days of rains have brought miseries for people in areas where flood devastation has not been recorded earlier. “The whole of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is experiencing destruction in the wake of the July 29 flooding,” he said. Hussain said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was not getting the attention it deserved.

Hussain said Sunday rains killed some 50 people. Some 965 people have been killed since the flooding swept most of the province. “Over 4.2 million people have been affected and more than 100,000 homes were destroyed,” claimed the minister. Responding to a query regarding about an assessment survey that will be carried out by the World Bank, Hussain said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government would welcome any organisation and international financial institute for the purpose. In the prevailing situation, however, he said the province needs immediate relief and assistance.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti said on Monday compensation and restoration work “is beyond the resources of the federal and provincial governments”.

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ANP chief's sister escapes attempt on life

The sister of ANP Chief Asfandyar Wali escaped a murder attempt in Peshawar on Monday.
According to reports, attackers fired shots at the ANP Chief’s sister when she left her clinic. She sustained bullet injuries on her hand and has been shifted to the hospital.

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bomb blast at lakki marwat

At least five people have been injured including a former MNA in a hand-grenade attack in Sarai Norang area of Lakki Marwat district on Friday.
According to some sources, an unidentified man riding on a bicycle hurled a hand-grenade near an under-construction petrol station. However, other sources said that the explosive device was planted on the bicycle.

The injured also include a former MNA Nasir Muhammad Khan and have been shifted to Civil Hospital Norang

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Sifwat Ghayur

PESHAWAR: A suicide bomber attacked a vehicle carrying the Chief of Pakistan’s Frontier Constabulary in Peshawar on Wednesday, killing him and two others. Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack.

Rescue workers frantically tried to extinguish fires that engulfed several cars in the minutes after the attack near a major market in the city.

Sifwat Ghayur, the head of the Frontier Constabulary, was killed in the attack along with his driver and bodyguard, said Abdul Rahman Khan, a local police officer. The explosion also injured 14 other people, he said.

Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the killing and threatened more such assassinations.

“We killed him, he was our target... all such officers who are active against us will suffer the same fate,” Azam Tariq, a spokesman for Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, told AFP by telephone.

“He was conducting different operations against us...one of our fidayee (suicide attackers) has done this job,” he added.

It was unclear whether the suicide bomber attacked on foot or was in a vehicle, said Khan.

The attack comes as the northwest, which has been plagued by violence at the hands of the Pakistani Taliban, is trying to get back on its feet after heavy monsoon rains a week ago triggered devastating floods that have killed 1,500 people.

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flood in pakhtoonkhwa

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has waived provincial taxes in calamity hit areas and urged the centre to exempt affected people from federal taxes as well.

Speaking at a press conference here on Saturday, Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that people were not in a position to pay taxes consequently the provincial government waived off all taxes.

“The disaster has left people completely destitute. They have lost each and everything and they are not in a position to pay taxes. Therefore the provincial government should appeal to the federal government to waive off all taxes,” he said.

If federal government did not waive off taxes, the provincial government would be with the calamity-hit people of the province, he said.

The minister castigated officials of the provincial health department for their poor performance and said that he did not see doctors and medical staff at relief centres in Peshawar.



He said that only volunteers were present at the relief centres to provide health cover to the affected people.

“The government cannot bear lethargy on the part of the employees and they must show their presence otherwise serious action will be taken,” he warned. He said that people were suffering from water-borne diseases and cholera could break out any time.

Mr Hussain said that government had provided 500 kits of anti-snake venom and cholera and each kit was sufficient for 10,000 people. He said that snake biting and cholera cases had been reported from different relief centres.

He asked World Health Organisation to provide 50 kits of anti-snake venom and cholera immediately to avert epidemics.



He said that people needed drinking water and government had arranged 10,000 bottles of mineral water, to be distributed among the stranded people free of cost.

He said that there was serious shortage of potable water in Charsadda and Pabbi because sources of drinking water had been destroyed by the floods. He said that the affected people were being provided with cooked food in relief centres.

The minister said that one of the major causes of the devastating flood was massive encroachment along the banks of rivers and watercourses in urban and rural areas of the province.



He said that encroachers should remove their illegal structures voluntarily; otherwise the government would take action.

He said that provincial government had set up monitoring committees comprising ministers, lawmakers and provincial secretaries for overseeing relief activities in the affected areas. The committees would provide their daily reports to the chief minister.

About relief operation in the flood-hit areas, he said that provincial government had released Rs43 million to the district governments for provision of food, water and other relief items.

He said that National Disaster Management Authority dispatched 1,000 tents for the displaced people in the province.



So far, he said, the provincial government was bearing all expenditures from its own resources and did not receive any assistance from the centre or any other agency.

He said that the main powerhouse in Swat was out of order and chief of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company was sent to Mingora in a helicopter to restore electricity.



He said that entire Malakand division except Battkhela was without electricity and natural gas. He asked National Highway Authority to rebuild main road to Shangla to avoid shortage of food items.

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Disastrous floods

 The recent torrential rains have resulted in a truly alarming situation. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, already reeling from escalating terrorism, has in particular been hit hard.

Extensive flooding has affected over 400,000 people and killed well over 400. Thousands of homes across the province and the adjoining tribal areas have been inundated, and in Swat, houses, bridges, hospitals, roads and communication networks have been washed away. Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir are virtually cut off because landslides have blocked major road links, while the arterial Karakoram Highway has suffered extensive damage. In Balochistan, floods have affected over 60,000 people and killed 80 in just one week. The other provinces have not been spared either. Devastating flash floods and hill torrents have caused widespread damage in three districts of Punjab, while in Sindh, hundreds of acres of agricultural land have been inundated in Sukkur. Yet this unleashing of the wrath of the elements may not be over. The Federal Flood Commission has noted that the level of water in dams and barrages across the country continues to rise, while flooding in low-lying areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could worsen within days. Meanwhile, Sindh faces a massive in-rush of water flowing downstream.
The response of disaster management cells and authorities has been slow to say the least, and officialdom has in many areas been conspicuous by its absence in bringing relief. That said, however, it is clear that the scale of the disaster is such that it has inevitably overwhelmed whatever resources are available to bodies such as the National Disaster Management Authority. The thousands of people affected by the rains and floods need help, and need it fast. The stranded need rescuing while those in risk zones need to be evacuated; it is essential that the government divert every possible resource towards this end. Meanwhile, shelter, food, drinking water, medicines and clothing must be distributed without delay. Efforts made in this regard by the government, as well as civil society, could prove invaluable and save lives. The country must mobilise itself to meet the challenges posed by the worst monsoonal disaster seen in decades.
After the initial crisis is weathered, policymakers should turn their attention to the long-term measures required to mitigate the effects of natural disasters. This includes not just preparing contingency and coordinated response plans but also addressing issues such as wide-scale deforestation and the need to construct small dams and reservoirs in places where they could absorb excess river flows and rainwater, and store it for use during dry periods. Experts believe that climate change is increasingly giving rise to extreme weather. Pakistan must prepare itself.

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Suicide blast near Mian Iftikhar residence: eight killed

Three Policemen among eight persons were killed and 20 others injured in a suspected suicide attack near the residence of Provincial Information Minister, Mian Iftikhar Hussain at Khansher Garhi in Pabbi at Nowshera district on Monday noon.

According to Police, the blast occurred when a large number of people and sympathizers were visiting the residence of Mian Iftikhar for offering condolence over assassination of his son by militants.

Medical Superintendent (MS) Pabbi Sattelite Hospital, Dr. Akbar Khan confirmed death of eight persons.

Emergency has been declared in the hospitals and doctors on leave have been called for duty, he added.

It merits a mention here that people belonging to every walk of life are visiting the residence of Mian Iftikhar to express their condolences over assassination of his son, Mian Rashid Hussain by militants.

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mian iftikhar hussain

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Funeral prayers of Mian Rashid offered

PESHAWAR: The funeral prayers of Mian Rashid Hussain, son of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, has been offered here in his native area, Geo News reported Sunday.

Various provincial ministers including the provincial Chief Minister Amir Hyder Khan Hoti, and the leaders of Awami National Party (ANP) attended the funeral prayers.

On this occasion, stringent security measures have been made.

The prayers of Mian Rashid Hussain were offered at a school here in his native area Noshehra Pabbi.

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Let’s negotiate

Due to the demands of a majority of Pakistanis and leaders like Shahbaz Sharif, Imran Khan, Munawar Hussain and other such groovy people, the Pakistan government has signed a peace agreement with the Taliban in Waziristan and South Punjab.

The peace deal comes after several rounds of negotiations and many glasses of orange juice.

The major points of the agreement are as follows:

- Strict and puritanical LBW Laws would be imposed in the Swat and Waziristan cricket league.
- The government and the Taliban will exchange prisoners and gifts – the government will gift Shahid Masood to the Taliban to fatten their pleasure of paranoia and a liking for conspiracy theories, while the Taliban will gift the government a goat.
- The Taliban will halt attacks on barber shops, music shops and girls’ schools and instead, attack saunas, discos and driving schools. Even though there are no saunas and discos in Waziristan, the government will build a few just so the Taliban can destroy them for fun.
- The Taliban cannot display weapons in public, especially suicide bombers. They will now have to explode themselves up in caves.
- The Taliban cannot operate training camps, other than only for holding ballet classes.
- The Taliban will denounce suicide attacks. However, they can hail heart attacks in the name of faith.
- A ban would be placed on raising private militias; but holding public floggings is allowed.
- The Taliban will cooperate with the government to vaccinate children against polio – especially that variant of polio that causes delusional migraines. Thus, instead of bullets, the government will now fight terrorism with aspirin.
- Only licensed FM radio stations would be allowed to operate in the region. However, the Taliban will get to pick their own RJs.
- The Taliban will allow goats of Swat to perform duties at their work place without any fear. The women of the region, however, will have to wait for this opportunity. They are way down in the Taliban’s priority hierarchy, bellow men, suicidal boys, men, goats, more men, and Yeti, the abdominal snowman.

A similar agreement was signed with the Taliban in 2007. But the Taliban promptly disobeyed the terms of the deal and began to overrun police stations and enforce strict LBW Laws through coercion. The Taliban had blamed the government’s plan to paint the Red Mosque in magenta colour. They hate magenta.

Historically, the Pakistani Taliban is the group behind the ideological inspiration for the Afghan Taliban, which is the group behind the ideological inspiration for the Chinese Taliban, which is the group behind the ideological inspiration for the Luxemburg Taliban, which is the group behind the ideological inspiration for the Martian Taliban. It is fair to remind people that the Pakistani Taliban had sent over 10,000 fighters into Afghanistan to fight Darth Vedar and his evil forces in 2001: A Space Odyssey, which was quite a trip, man. Like, far out.

The government is also close to signing a deal with Luke-ul-Skywalker, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban who was allegedly behind the brutal suicide attack that knocked off Mian Nawaz Sharif’s brand new toupee.

Cricketer-turned-politician-turned-turnip, Jim Khan, who taught some of the Taliban the art of bowling reverse swing, is not happy with the peace accord. In protest, he decided to join the Jamat-i-Islami’s ‘long march’ (which is merely 200 kilometres compared to Mao Tse Tung’s 6,000 kilometres long march, but who’s counting?).

Disagreeing with the accord, Jim Khan hurled accusations at the present government and said he was right to boycott the February 18 elections because the results have brought nothing but blood, bombs and ball tempering.

He then set out with his party workers (all seven of them), to march against the government to instate the jirga system in the Diplomatic Enclave in Islamabad.

Hearing this, President Zardari, while having orange juice with his Chinese counterpart said: “I say, old chap, it will be a ghastly understatement to suggest that this fellow is rather confused,” to which his Chinese counterpart said something that nobody understood but Sherry Rehman insisted it meant “yea, baby, yea!”

Interestingly, the terms of the Swat peace deal do not call for the Taliban to halt cross-border attacks inside Afghanistan, not that there is much left in Afghanistan to attack, except maybe some shaky magenta coloured ruins. They hate magenta.

Nadeem F. Paracha is a cultural critic and senior columnist for Dawn Newspaper and Dawn.com.

The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.

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khyber pukhtoonkhwa budget

Provincial Finance Minister Khyber Pukhthunkhwa Engr. Humayun Khan Saturday presented Rs.294.2 billion balance budget for the year 2010-11 containing Rs 69.3 billion annual development program, indicating 77 percent rise over the outgoing fiscal in the provincial assembly.

The total revenue expenditures and income generation have been estimated at Rs 294.2 billion for the next fiscal, said the provincial Finance Minister in his budget speech.

Giving details of the receipts to be obtained in 2010-11, he said the province would receive Rs.123.4 billion from the central taxes, Rs 9.4 billion income expected from oil and gas royalty, Rs 6 billion net hydel profits apart from Rs 25 billion to be received by the province upto July 2010 as net hydel profit arrears.

Rs 15.2 billion special grant expected to meet the growing challenge of terrorism while the provincial own receipts are expected to generate Rs 7.2 billion, he said adding, for the first time the province would get Rs.842 million from Malakand-III hydel power project, Rs.12.3 billion will be obtained from general sales tax on services and Rs.400 million from general capital income.

The province expected to receive foreign loan to the amount of Rs.9.3 billion in 2010-11 while there was a provision of Rs.85.9 billion under the head of food trading.

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Pak agencies confirm authenticity of Hamid Mir's conversation with Taliban

According to a television channel, the intelligence agencies have submitted their report to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

"The conversation between Hamid Mir and the Taliban militant is original and has been proved by the audiotape," The Daily Times quoted a part of the report, as saying.

Meanwhile, Osama Khalid, son of killed former ISI officials Khalid Khwaja has said that he would take legal action against Mir and also lodge a First Information Report (FIR) against him for playing a role in his father's murder.

"Hamid Mir instigated the militants to murder my father," Osama said.

He also requested Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to take suo motu notice of the incident and take action against Mir.

Osama also urged the media community to kick out the "black sheep" out of the profession

DOWNLOAD THE AUDIO HERE:

http://www.mediafire.com/?mm25oyymd4d

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Asfandyar wali arrives in New York

NEW YORK, May 13 (APP): ANP leader Asfandyar Wali Khan arrived in New York Wednesday to participate in a conference honouring his grandfather, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan.He was received at New York’s Kennedy airport by a large number party workers and activists. They included Iqbal Khan, ANP president, USA, Siddiq Ali, General Secretary, and Abdullah Abid, Information Secretary.

Two children attired in national dresses presented flowers to him amid “Zinda bad” slogans.
“The Bacha Khan Peace Conference” will take place on May 16 in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City where there is heavy concentration of people from Pakistan.
On May 21, Asfandyar Wali Khan will offer Juma prayers in Boston at a mosque built by the Pukhtun community.
The same evening, the ANP leader will address a convention of the party workers. He is due to return to Pakistan on May 24.

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abaseen division

BATTAGRAM: A grand jirga representing all major political parties on Friday decided social boycott of those locals who had played host to the leaders of movement for Hazara province. The jirga asked the government to establish a separate Abaseen division comprising Shangla, Battagram and Kohistan districts and Kala Dhaka area of Mansehra.
The jirga called at a local hotel was attended by a large number of people including workers of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Pakistan People’s Party, Awami National Party and Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf.

Speaking on the occasion, Akhtar Javed, Muhammad Nasim Khan Dawar, Javed Khan Thakot, Muhammad Iqbal Khan, Shad Muhammad Khan, Gulfam Sabir, Bakhtiar Anjum, Pir Nadir Shah, Gul Bahadar, Nawabzada Aftab, Faqir Muhammad and Javed Olasyar pledged to continue struggle for the establishment of Abaseen division.

They vowed to take up the matter with the provincial government through the elec-

ted representatives from the area.

The speakers resolved to launch a peaceful and effective campaign for the formation of Abaseen division.

Earlier, a committee was formed to mobilise the people of the area through a door-

to-door campaign for the attainment of separate ad-ministrative division for the region.

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Alamzeb of PPP(Sherpao) killed in Charsadda

At least five people including Alamzeb Omarzai, a former MPA of the Khyber Pakhtoonkhaw assembly were killed in an attack this morning, Geo News reported Thursday.

Alamzeb belonged to Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) of Sherpao group.

It should be mentioned that he worked as district nazim as well.

According to details, some unidentified miscreants opened fire at his vehicle near Charsadda Chawk in the limits of the Thana City, killing Alamzeb on the spot; while, four other people succumbed to injuries at hospital.

It is pertinent to note here that he was twice attacked earlier as well; however, this time, the saboteurs succeeded in killing him.

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Movement for Abaseen division gaining strength

The ‘Abaseen division movement’ is getting more strength after the approval of new name Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa for the province as lawmakers from the Pukhtun-dominated districts of Hazara along with those from Shangla in Malakand division will meet today to work out a strategy for streamlining their efforts for establishment of a separate division.

To devise future line of action, provincial assembly members from Battagram, Kohistan, Shangla and Kala Dhaka area of Oghi tehsil, Manshera district will meet today at a local hotel, confirmed the JUI-F MPA from Battagram Shah Hussain Khan while talking to The News.

He said the meeting would work out the modalities for the division such as finalising the place for divisional headquarters as well as to discuss the issue of the status of Kala Dhaka. The lawmaker said they had to decide about Kala Dhaka as the area was Pukhtun-dominated but was part of Manshera district.

To a question, he said the government had not contacted them yet and after today’s meeting they would apprise Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti about their demand.

He stressed that they had a genuine demand as the people of Battagram and Kohistan were facing immense hardships in coming to Abbottabad, the divisional headquarters of Hazara, as it was located at quite a long distance. Besides, the difference of language is also a major barrier in communication for the Pukhtuns of upper districts in the Hindko-speaking majority of Abbottabad.The confident Shah Hussain said that if their demand were met, their division would be the richest among all divisions of the province.

“The area is rich in forests, minerals and water as well,” he said, adding that three dams would be constructed in different areas including Allai dam and two others at Bisham and Kohistan.

He said that with the construction of these dams the area would definitely progress resulting in the welfare of the residents. He said they would apprise the provincial government about their decision and if the government paid no heed, the lawmakers of these areas would again submit a resolution in support of Abaseen division in the Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa Assembly.

When asked that the formation of new administrative unit in the province might provoke the people of Abbottabad and Haripur, he replied that they should not be the case, as it was their genuine right to ask for a separate division.

The meeting will be attended by Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa Minister for Haj & Auqaf Namroz Khan, who was elected from Kala Dhaka, and MPAs Taj Mohammad Khan Tarand and Shah Hussain Khan from Battagram, Mahmood Alam, Maulana Obaidullah and Abdul Sattar Khan from Kohistan and Mohammad Zahir Shah Khan from Shangla. Fazlullah, another lawmaker from Shangla, has gone to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.

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bashir bilour

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Film on Bacha Khan wins award

Documentary film on the life, struggle and achievements of great freedom fighter and founder of Khudai Khidmatgar Tehrik, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan aka Bacha Khan, has won the Black Pearl Award at the Third Annual Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) held at Dubai.

The movie, “The Frontier Gandhi: Badshah Khan, A Torch for Peace, directed by Canadian film-maker T C McLuhan, was awarded a prize of $10,000. The closing ceremony for the film festival was held at the Emirates Palace Hotel on October 17.

Celebrity guests, including Naomi Watts and Eva Mendes, presented the 2009 Black Pearl Awards to the winners at the culmination of 10-day cinema screening of 128 films. Seventeen narrative features, 14 documentary features, 25 short films, and 10 student shorts competed for the awards.

A special Black Pearl Award for lifetime achievement was presented to Vanessa Redgrave on October 8, the festival’s opening night. The English-language documentary on Bacha Khan and having comments in Pashto and Urdu was filmed in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan besides some shorts in the US. The film won the award at a time when the region, which Bacha Khan wanted a cradle of love and peace and where he was preaching non-violence, is passing through worst type of violence and militancy.

Badshah Khan, or Bacha Khan in Pashto, was the name given to him out of reverence by his loyal followers, who wore red cotton uniform to become known as the Red Shirts. The reformist movement’s more widely used name was Khudai Khidmatgar.

In the documentary ageing Khudai Khidmatgars recite a poem based on the oath that every volunteer took while joining the movement. They proclaim being a Khudai Khidmatgar and promise to serve humanity in the name of God.

The opening verse says that God doesn’t need any service and thus serving his creation is like serving Him. “The fewer words the better,” remarked McLuhan in her brief opening words. “You cannot imagine my happiness to return to this place after four years,” she said while referring to her previous visit when she did some filming in the NWFP.

She pointed out that her documentary on Badshah Khan carried great message of hope and peace. In an interview in New York when her documentary was premiered there in November, the 62-year- old McLuhan was quoted as saying that it had taken her 21 years to complete the project. She said she started working on it in September 1987 after conceiving the idea from a book on Bacha Khan by Indian author Eknath Esawaran.

Esawaran, who is featured in the documentary, wrote the book “A man to match his mountains” to pay tribute to the Frontier Gandhi. Another title of the book is “Non-violent Soldier of Islam.”

Apart from Esawaran, several Indian politicians and scholars talk about Bacha Khan in the documentary and describe him as a great man who performed a miracle by converting his gun-loving and war-liking Pakhtun people to non-violence.

They pointed out that Bacha Khan spent 35 years in prison but never compromised on principles. M J Akbar, a well known Indian author and newspaper editor, noted that media’s obsession with Mahatma Gandhi left no space for the other great apostle of non-violence, Bacha Khan.

Former Indian prime minister I K Gujral, his country’s ex-foreign secretary Salman Khursheed, Gandhian activist Nirmala Deshpande and a number of retired military and civil officers from India spoke highly about Bacha Khan’s contribution to the freedom struggle against the British colonialists.

Former President General Pervez Musharrraf was the lone commentator in the documentary who didn’t find anything praiseworthy about Bacha Khan. Afghan President Hamid Karai and his former minister Arif Noorazai showered praise on the Khudai Khidmatgar leader, who was lived for years in Afghanistan and was laid to rest in Jalal Abad according to his will.

The documentary contains some rare footage. It is made memorable by the presence of scores of old Khudai Khidmatgars, among them Qudrat Shah, Dheran Shah, Dr. Ghulam Jilani, Ghulam Sarwar, Mir Dad and Ghazan Khan. In assertive tone they talk about their love for Bacha Khan and the sacrifices the Khudai Khidmatgars offered for the freedom of their homeland.

Five elderly women, wrapping themselves up in their shawls but brave enough to speak to the camera, recount the virtues of Bacha Khan. Another one, Husan Afroza, feeble and unable to walk without support, gives strength to others by proclaiming her to be a fearless Khudai Khidmatgar.

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NEW BOOK ON GHANI KHAN PUBLISHED

Qalam Taqat Literary Society has published a new book about the literary achievements of Ghani Khan, the legendary Pashtun poet and phosphor. It is titled as "Ghani Khan- Da Pukhto Adab da Shalami Sadai Shakhsiat".It is a thesis by late Fazli Ghani Ghani, the eminent Pashtun writer who was killed when a suicide bomber targeted the house of Asfandyar Wali Khan on October 2, 2008.Since his college days Fazli Ghani Ghani (Shaheed) was greatly inspired by Ghani Khan's life and works. Being an enlightened nationalist himself Fazli Ghani Ghani always appreciated Ghani Khan's nationalistic fervor, his ecstatic poetry and his deep philosophical thought. A time came that the two Ghanis' found themselves in a stronger bond of mutual trust and friendship.
He was a regular visitor of Ghani Khan's study room where they would sit for hours and would resolve issues of an unseen world. Based on his interviews with Ghani Khan, the writer delves deep into Ghani Khan's works and discovers him from quite new and refreshing angles. He discusses Ghani Khan's themes of love, Beauty, Truth and Death with the mastery of a prolific writer and seasoned critic.Many other wrote about Ghani Khan's literary achievements and they wrote pretty well but this thesis written by one of Ghani Khan's most trusted lovers is totally different in its approaches and content. Fazli Ghani Ghani don't rely on accounts written by other people but he himself observes Ghani Khan from a very close angle, talking and laughing with him, learning from him and asking him why is he so different from others?Literary circles have applauded Azad Hashtnaghri for publishing this original and refreshing thesis by his uncle Fazli Ghani Ghani (Shaheed) that discovers Ghani Khan in his true artistic and philosophical colours.The book is available from all good book shops in the city.
The News International added;
The book spanning 115 pages is available for Rs100. Since his college days, Fazli Ghani Ghani (Shaheed) was greatly inspired by Ghani Khan’s life and works. Being an enlightened nationalist himself, Fazli Ghani Ghani always appreciated Ghani Khan’s nationalistic fervour, his ecstatic poetry and his deep philosophical thought. A time came that the two Ghanis found themselves in a stronger bond of mutual trust and friendship. He was a regular visitor to Ghani Khan’s study room where they would sit for hours.Based on his interviews with Ghani Khan, the writer delves deep into Ghani Khan’s works and discovers him from quite new and refreshing angles. He discusses Ghani Khan’s themes of love, beauty, truth and death with the mastery of a prolific writer and seasoned critic.Many others wrote about Ghani Khan’s literary achievements and they wrote pretty well but this thesis written by one of Ghani Khan’s most trusted fan is totally different in its approach and contents. Fazli Ghani Ghani does not rely on accounts written by other people but he himself observes Ghani Khan from a very close angle, talking and laughing with him, learning from him and asking him why is he so different from others?Literary circles have applauded Azad Hashtnagri for publishing this original and refreshing thesis by his uncle Fazli Ghani Ghani (Shaheed) that discovers Ghani Khan in his true artistic and philosophical colours.

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